ORLANDO, Fla. -- There was a moment on Sunday night, just a bit past the midway point of WrestleMania 33, where it appeared WWE might be headed toward one of the greatest events in company history. 

From a series of strong matches to the big surprises of The Hardy Boyz return and John Cena’s proposal to Nikki Bella, WrestleMania 33 was setting an almost impossible standard to live up to over the show’s final 90 minutes. It was no surprise then that, in the end, “The Ultimate Thrill Ride” had some noticeable trouble staying on the tracks. 

After more than seven hours of sports entertainment that set Camping World Stadium records for attendance (75,245) and live gate ($14.5 million), WWE still produced a 13-match card that finished among the 10 or so best in WrestleMania history. 

Let’s take a look back at what worked and what we’d like to forget from the 33rd installment of “The Showcase of the Immortals.”

The main event: The Undertaker’s last ride?

As soon as it became clear that Roman Reigns’ victory over The Deadman would close the show, it was safe to assume that The Undertaker’s 25th WrestleMania match would also be his last. He more or less confirmed as much by leaving his iconic black hat, coat and gloves in the center of the ring. To that regard, The Undertaker’s exit, which was punctuated by the return of Hall of Famer play-by-play man Jim Ross on commentary, provided Sunday’s show with its iconic moment as Taker walked off into the sunset up the ramp before disappearing through a hole in the floor. But that doesn’t mean the 25-minute main event was anything resembling a great match. 

While the story it told was strong, with Reigns needing five spears and countless Superman punches to squeeze out the final drops of fight left in the 52-year-old Taker, the execution was brutal to watch. Reigns and Taker also combined for the overall card’s worst moment during a botched Tombstone Piledriver reversal in which Taker did not provide enough boost and Reigns twice failed to lift the aging veteran up, the second time an attempted dead lift with Taker lying on his back. While it’s difficult to imagine a moment like The Undertaker’s final match going on anywhere but the close of a show, by doing so, it robbed WrestleMania 33 of a climactic ending. Grade: C-

Surprise moments and shocking turns

Big-pop returns from the likes of Hulk Hogan and Finn Balor weren’t meant to be in the end, but WWE still delivered when it came to surprises as a whole. The biggest explosion from the crowd came in the form of Matt and Jeff Hardy being added to a what became a Raw tag team championship Fatal 4-Way ladder match. In their first WWE appearance since 2009, The Hardy Boyz didn’t disappoint when it came to high spots, and their victory proved an equally pleasant surprise. In the age of constant online spoilers, WWE did well keep this one from being officially leaked, thanks in part to The Hardyz having such a busy weekend schedule, which included a ladder match with Ring of Honor on Saturday and a tailgate party even which bumped up to the start of WrestleMania. 

Cena’s in-ring proposal to Bella, which many had speculated, also proved to be a big moment for the show despite the underwhelming mixed tag team match that preceded it. For a fun feud which relied on real-life themes to get over, the blow off felt just as genuine, adding yet another iconic WrestleMania moment to Cena’s great career. 

This year’s celebrity crossover was also a success as NFL star Rob Gronkowski jumped a ringside barrier to help good friend Mojo Rawley to victory in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The charismatic Gronk, who landed a running shoulder tackle on Jinder Mahal, looked at home inside a WWE ring, and the moment did wonders to elevate the profile of Rawley. Grade: A

The final chapter of Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

In what might best be described as the Mavin Hagler-Thomas Hearns of pro wrestling, Lesnar and Goldberg pulled off a violent and expertly booked piece of business over five explosive minutes. This was heavyweight wrestling at its finest, complete with extreme physicality and a great spot in which Lesnar leaped over a running spear attempt. After a surprising run of squash victories and big moments at age 50, WWE did well to put the perfect bow on the story by having Lesnar dish out his comeuppance in such a way, including 10 German suplexes. Lesnar has appeared bored at times when not booked in big matches that truly matter. This one did and the result of Lesnar wearing another major championship means fun business to come on Raw. It also once and for all removed the bad taste of a Lesnar-Goldberg main event from 2004 that was booed out of WrestleMania XX. Grade: A

Bray Wyatt buried again by dropping WWE championship

In the very first sign that Sunday’s card wasn’t destined to become among the two or three best in WrestleMania history, Wyatt’s 10-minute loss to Orton was unforgivable considering how much went into building the storyline. Throughout a classic seven-month build, which saw dark spiritual themes and incredible attention to detail, it appeared as if the incredibly talented Wyatt was finally getting the top-level push he deserved. To see him lose the belt in such an unsatisfying match made the long build -- which saw Orton and Wyatt team up to win the SmackDown tag team titles before a full dissolution of the Wyatt Family -- feel worthless. Orton, who became a 13-time WWE world champion, didn’t need the belt at this time. And while Wyatt’s special effects of turning the ring into a projection screen playing images of maggots, worms and cockroaches each time he bent over backwards in the corner was visually unique, it ultimately meant nothing to the match. For a feud that featured so many visually unique moments, the storyline failed to connect the dots or make much sense when all was said and done. Grade: F

Opening match: Shane-O-Awesome

The surprising choice to put this match as the main card opener proved genius as Shane McMahon, at 47, made every critic who said this match was a waste of AJ Styles’ talent eat their words. In a leading candidate for 2017 match of the year, McMahon provided his typical array of dangerous spots, including a flying elbow through the announce table. But the fact that he was able to match Styles inside the ring in terms of technical wrestling, including multiple reversals into submission attempts, gave the match its backbone. While Styles has proven able to carry just about anyone to a great match over the past year, McMahon made sure both were able to share the credit equally. Grade: A+

Overall show

Strong mid-card matches helped make this event a major success in the end, from Kevin Owens’ victory over Chris Jericho to capture the United States championship to Bayley outlasting three competitors to defend the Raw women’s championship (featuring a corkscrew moonsault from Charlotte Flair that may have been the best spot of the night). The non-sanctioned match between Seth Rollins and Triple H was one of the card’s best, featuring an incredible finish which saw Stephanie McMahon take a bump through a ringside table. While the disappointing Orton-Wyatt finish and failed execution in the main event robbed the card from what it could have been, it was a very good as a whole and one of the better WrestleMania shows in history. Grade: B+