See, now the people who were telling everyone to be "positive" are now being negative to other fans.
My criticisms heading into WrestleMania XX still stand. WWE had done nothing to restore faith in me as a viewer to the point where I would spend $50 to order it. They had made way too many questionable moves, and HHH's and HBK's reluctance to truly put someone over over the LAST FOUR YEARS made their presence in the Triple Threat match too much of a liability going in.
The fact is, WWE had treated us fans like shit for so many years, and delivered such a subpar effort at last year's show, that for them to expect me to risk to pay to see trash again was an insult.
WrestleMania XX was an awesome, awesome show.
This was exactly the show they needed. Seeing Benoit and Eddy together hugging in that ring, both World Champions after four years of midcard bullshit, was a tremendous moment. It reminded me of 10 years ago when Bret Hart and Lex Luger shook hands at the end and the entire locker room cleared out. It was the beginning of a new era, the same thing tonight was.
The Triple Threat match was booked perfectly, and they couldn't have done it any better. I really am glad they didn't go with Benoit/Brock because Benoit beating HHH for the World Title at WrestleMania (and kicking HBK's ass to boot) did more for Benoit than a great technical wrestling match would have. There was some REAL drama to this Triple Threat match, and Benoit's career was totally on the line - and you didn't expect him to win - but he did. And he made a difference. The HHH dragon has been slain, and there was no better guy on the roster to do it than Chris Benoit.
Eddy beating Angle was a great move, too, and I loved the finish. Both of these men rising to the top shows me that WWE truly changed their direction tonight and resolved some burning issues that were left for too long. The faces went over. The way things should be at the end of WrestleMania.
The Undertaker stuff was a real letdown, though. That is my ONLY complaint about this show.
That was an EXCEPTIONAL PPV. Probably the 2nd Best behind WrestleMania X7.
You had four matches that would have made almost any normal PPV worth ordering.
Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero - The crowd was a little burnt out at the beginning but the match was terrific. Best match of the night, IMO. Just plain wrestling and a creative finish that leaves the door open for what the world needs - MORE ANGLE AND GUERRERO!
Rock'n'Sock vs Evolution - This match had it all. Comedy spots. Hard hitting action. A young guy going over. The crowd giving Mick Foley an ovation after the match. I'm under the impression this was Foley's only match until maybe SummerSlam so it makes sense for Orton to get the pin, whether you like Orton or not. Interesting crowd for The Rock. Horny as fuck for him EXCEPT when he went on offense against Flair. Flair's People's Elbow was the greatest ever.
Chris Jericho vs Christian - If it weren't for the other three matches, this one would have stolen a normal show. Great work. I don't really like Trish turning but if they were ever going to put Jericho in the ME scene for real, they would have. So if this angle is going on for awhile, I guess the turn is necessary. We'll see what "I like it rough" Trish is like.
Triple Threat Main Event - This is why I get on Triple H personally because he showed tonight how fucking good he can be and how he KNOWS how to do the right things when he WANTS to. Crowd was totally pro-Benoit and that fucking rocks. Match was awesome. I bit on every nearfall at the end. I look forward to Benoit/HHH and Benoit/Michaels title matches.
The rest of the card was decent filler and nothing really too bad. John Cena's rap was pretty damn good especially the STD line.
The biggest dissapointment of the night for me was THE UNDERTAKER. Couldn't he at least have dusted off one of the old suits? If you're gonna do nostalgia ... DO NOSTALGIA. He just looked like the American Badass with a bad dye job. He also reminded us why he cut his hair ... he's going bald.
Definitely worth staying awake until almost 5 am for. The Goldberg/Lesnar match had me in stitches over the crowd reactions. It would seem that 'net has more influence over wrestling crowds than WWE would like us to believe.
Heel Trish = sexy Trish IMO (especially the look she was giving Christian and that mouth thing) and although I expected a happy ending from that match, I'm pleased with the way it came off.
I was initially disappointed with Taker's Dead Man appearance - he was basically American Badass all over again except he didn't shout, "Old school". I was expecting an outfit overhaul and a more methodical wrestling style.
The triple threat match was ace and it was great to see the crowd support Benoit unanimously. Who would have expected both Eddie and Benoit to be in the ring together, with BOTH World titles at the end of WMXX?! That was a great visual.
- Booker & RVD retain? Cool... doing a great job as a team so far.
- Too Cool retains their titles? Whaaaa? I thought for sure WGTT was going over.
- Cruiserweight Open was an excellent match, great spotfest. Interesting SSP to the outside. What's with Ultimo? Did somebody wet down the entrance ramp? I blame TRIPLE H (that's humor, folks)
- John Cena over the Big Show. Is it just me, or did it look like he didn't grab the brass knuckles and just improved the whole thing?
- Eddie and Angle put on a hell of a match. Enough said.
- Man, Trish's heel turn was excellent. I actually felt really really sorry for Jericho. Especially when Trish and Christian kissed. What an uber-whore.
- Molly's a skinhead (and yet still amazingly hot)!
- Orton pins Foley. Damn.
- What? They actually had the Playboy divas match? I must've been in the bathroom.
- The entire arena knows that Brock is leaving? That surprised the hell outta me. Message to Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Lesnar: Get the hell out. We don't need either of ya.
- Undertaker's return = cool. Even if he looked kinda weird with the overcoat AND his newer ring attire. Is Bearer staying around for a while? And why is Taker's hair longer? Dead people's hair doesn't grow.
- Benoit wins the World Title! I'll be honest: hardest I've marked out in quite a while. And I LOOOOOOVE Taker and Kane.
This was looking to be the one of my least favorite Wrestlemanias until the last three matches. That Triple Threat was amazing. HHH FINALLY loses!! Poor Ultimo. Rock 'N Sock lose?? When does Mick ever get his revenge on Randy Orton? Undertaker's entrance was classic. I expected his hair to have grown a bit more. So what happens to Kane now? Brock and Goldberg was so bizarre. The crowd hated both. What and ugly cluster%#$@. Decent show. Amazing main event.
Originally posted by oldschoolheroJericho/Christian and the handicap match were both good-great. The tags and cruiser bouts were rushed but enjoyable. Taker's entrance-and the new look-was something serious interesting and cool, reminding me of Budd from Kill Bill for some reason. Cena's win was very well-booked. The T&A was kept short. And Lesnar/Goldberg was interesting, if only for being the exact opposite or Rock/Hogan.
Those two matches were fucking awesome. But this wasn't a two match card.
The tags stunk. Just God-awful, pedestrian stuff. The CW match was filled with blown spots and was completely unremarkable. I'm watching Jericho/Xian again right now. I stand by my opinion.
Two years from now, all people will remember of this card is the top title matches. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. WMX doesn't age well either, other than it's ***** matches.
I'm absolutely flabbergasted that Benoit won. That's the loudest I've yelled for a PPV in quite some time. Thanks for the surprise, Vince.
Jericho/Christian booking was disappointing, IMO. The crass, pretty predictable Trish heel turn--wow, what a payoff. I had been enjoying the angle until now, and hoping they wouldn't go the low road. Hey, it's wrestling!
They actually SHAVED a woman's head? That's gotta be a first. I assume Molly will be gone for a while while it grows out. Though a silly wig a la Angle might be funny.
Hey, no dumb celebrity guests other than Trump, and he's got plenty of history with WWE, so that's OK. The only T&A match was with established Divas, not some gals from a beer commercial. Not that I watched it--I had nachos to make--but it's the principle of the thing.
They sure put Taker/Kane high on the card! Good grief, I think Paul Bearer could ROLL down the ramp rather than walk--he'd get there faster. Taker is looking HOT. Check out that flat tummy! Update of the original Old West Undertaker? Works for me.
I'm glad they figured out how to get a reasonable number of cruiserweights onto the card, though the match didn't really burn up the ring. No signal embarrassments, the right booking most of the time--yeah, I'm not regretting the $50 yet.
First...I was expecting to read all about this PPV here tomorrow...we don't have digital cable, etc...
But right about 5:30pm central, my wife and kids took me in by the computer where they had set up snacks and sodas for me. They had ordered the webcast because they knew how much I wanted to see this. I guess I'll have to get them Christmas presents this year.
Thoughts as I can remember them?
Whether it was intentional or not, how Conway set up Booker's axe kick is how it should always be done. So much better than just standing there, bent over yet, waiting for it.
I'm not a big fan of comedy spots, but Heenan: "I don't want to go back in there...I haven't been well!" God, I miss him.
Was that a blown spot for the top rope suplex in the Jericho-Christian match? Either way it looked like it hurt like hell when Christian hit the ropes stomach first. Trish's heel turn was obvious, but well done.
The Evolution match was just kinda "there" for me, but jeez does Flair have a foul mouth!
Heenan again, "I wish Monsoon were here." ...me too...
The Playboy match was what it was...at least the announcers realized it too. Tazz: "I want the hot blond to win!"
I liked Mysterio's Flash outfit. I also liked that Chavo retained and how he did it, nice feud in the making. It took me a minute, but I caught the "Let's go Guido!" chant too. Pretty good showing for the ECW fans.
Brock-Goldberg...woof! The crowd was right, this match sucked. And that's coming from a Goldberg mark. It couldn't end soon enough. And there's no FF with live events...moving on.
EDGE!!! Nice pop, good to see him too.
Poor Molly...loved the "mullet" chants though.
Eddy-Angle. I'm glad he retained, but I wish he would have looked a little stronger. The ending seemed a little tagged on. Rematch at the next Smackdown PPV?
Undertaker...a little short, but 'Taker looked good. Deadman attitude without all the makeup. That'll do for me. We'll have to wait and see where they go from here though...even a little Paul Bearer could get to be too much very soon.
Triple Threat. All right, I'll admit it. They fooled me at least twice at the end, looking for Benoit to get screwed. To win, at Wrestlemania, by submission! You can't ask for much more than that. Congratulations, Chris. You get to hang on to it for a while this time.
All in all, I'm glad I got to see this. The webcast even worked remarkably well. I'd heard some horror stories about the webcasts before.
Really good show. The Flair Peoples Elbow was the greatest comedy moment (for me) since the Showster. So funny. Everything else has been pretty much covered.
If the scene of Eddie Guerrero And Chris Benoit, both as Heavyweight champions, embracing to close the 20th anniversary of Wrestlemania doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, then you have no pulse.
What a great damn show! ... I thought that everything was booked to perfection. Tonight made me realize why I still watch WWE wrestling.
I was all prepared to give this show a thumbs up. Then the main event happened. Now I give this show a thumbs WAY THE FUCK UP!!!
What a GREAT match! It totally sucked me into the drama, and I was right there with the NY crowd, on the edge of my seat hoping Benoit would get the win.
Let's run it down:
John Cena d. Big Show to win the United States Title Okay match, but nothing special. However, John Cena is alway a good way to start off a card. Right ending.
RVD & Booker T d. La Resistance, Cade/Jindrak, and Dudleyz to retain the World Tag Titles Okay match, but really rushed. Glad to see RVD & Book pick up the win, because NONE of the other teams interest me.
Christian d. Chris Jericho Great match, but Trish turning heel makes NO sense to me. Oh well.
Randy Orton, Batista, & Ric Flair d. The Rock & Mick Foley Excellent match. Rock and Flair were TOTALLY on their games tonight. Orton pinned Foley clean as a sheet, which is totally what should have happened.
They honored the HOF guys, which I thought was really classy, and the NY crowd was great during it.
Torrie Wilson & Sable d. Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie Was what it was. What else can I say?
Chavo Guerrero won the Cruiserweight Battle Royal to retain the Cruiserweight Title All the guys worked hard, but were really rushed. Gotta feel bad for Funaki & Akio, made to look like total fools. Also have to feel sorry for poor Nunzio, who HAD to have lost a tooth when Kidman RAMMED his head into Nunzio's jaw during that shooting star press.
Goldberg d. Brock Lesnar The fans MADE this match. Gotta love a NY crowd. Chanted everything from "You sold out" to "This match sucks" to "Hogan" to the "Na Na Na Na" song. Steve stunnered both guys out of the WWE afterwards.
Rikishi & Scotty d. Bashams, APA, and WGTT to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles Guys tried hard, but the crowd was just dead after the previous match.
Victoria d. Molly Holly to retain the Women's Title Good match, but the fans were still dead. Poor Molly didn't get a Kevin Nash job done. She was shaved, literally, BALD! And I was really starting to think she was pretty good lookin' too.
Eddie Guerrero d. Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Title GREAT match. The fans started coming back to life here. Very innovative finish with the boot. I'm sure this feud is set to continue, and you'll get no complaints about that from me.
Undertaker d. Kane Undertaker's entrance was fun. Afterwards, it was just another 'Taker v. Kane match.
Chris Benoit d. Triple H and Shawn Michaels This match MADE this show for me. Excellent drama. All guys (including my arch-enemy, Hunter) did an excellent job here, and played their roles to perfection. The crowd was TOTALLY behind Benoit here, even booing Shawn Michaels, and sounding REALLY upset whenever they thought Michaels or Hunter was gonna' get the win. Total feel-good moment to end the show, as Benoit & Guerrero embraced, and held their titles in the air, while the crowd at MSG celebrated. Now THAT'S a WrestleMania moment!
Overall, not a show on the level of 17, but still a GREAT show. And the ending is one of those moments that they'll be playing on video-packages for WrestleMania XXX. Totally worth the 50 bucks, IMO.
No Hulk Hogan was the biggest letdown for me. The only 2 things that stand out are the Brock/Goldberg match. I loved the crowd chanting "na na na , hey hey godbye" and the rest of the chants. Finally Benoit wins the big one. I half expect Bret to come out to see him in the crown at Backlash, sitting front row.
I haven't marked out like that for a match since Chris Jericho won the WCW Title from The Rock during the Invasion angle. Jeebus, was that intense. When HHH took so long to tap, I was *sure* Michaels was going to break it up. I literally fell off the couch when Benoit won.
The Undertaker IS Roland the Last Gunslinger.
"The Republican National Committee announced today that the Republican Party is changing its emblem from an elephant to a condom. The Republican committee chairman explained that the condom more clearly reflects the party's stance today, because a condom accepts inflation, halts production, precludes a next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and offers a sense of security while you're actually getting screwed."
I haven't felt motivated to comment on wrestling for a long time, but I just had to say that I'm one happy camper right now. I was on my feet with excitement during the main event, I can't even remember the last time that happened...
If I didn't have to get up for work at 5 I'd post more, but for now I'm satisfied with just stating that I'm happy.
One other thing regarding the Goldberg/Lesnar debacle. Man, did Lesnar look flustered or what? Nothing like a HUGE slice of humble pie and a kick in the ass from the NY crowd on your way out.
It'll probably only serve to solidify his decision to leave BUT if/when he ever comes back, he's gonna be more over then ever before as a heel.
I've been waiting for 4 months. An old school Dead Man fan who's hated the Biker gimmick since day 1, waiting for the REAL Undertaker to return. After months of promos and hype and such...
DISAPOINTED!!!
If I had 4 months off, my hair would have been longer than that. His hair should be down a little past his neck by now. He sould have at least TREIED to look like the Taker of old.
But no. What we got was the Biker Man doing a Dead Man impersination. He dressed EXACTLY THE SAME AS HE LEFT, all he did was throw on a balck coat and hat and hop we didn't notice.
At least Paul Bearer went back to the old look. Why couldn't Taker at least TRY. on of the ONLY two complaints out of the ENTIRE show.
The other... My Darling Molly.
I know she's a heel. And they need to keep her heat. But this was pathetic. NONE of that was funny (Maybe Molly running away, but that's it). Molly better be in line for the Ultimate Push, by god.
I'm also disapointed in Molly herself, She agreed to it. She agreed to have heself humiliated,and she'll probaly get nothing out of it. And her beautiful head of hair was sacrificed in vein.
Besides all that. I LOVED WrestleMania. Started off hot, died during Lesner/Goldberg, picked itself up with Eddie/Kurt and ran with it for the rest of the show. Good show. 8/10 from me.
Men's Elimination Chamber Match to determine the #1 contender for the Universal Championship: Roman Reigns for Wrestlemania Coronation Take Four. Women's Elimination Chamber match for the Raw Women's Championship: