I woke up this morning feeling very strange. I had this feeling of.......emptiness. Figuring it was hunger, I made myself some breakfast, but it was still there.
And then it hit me.
We are now a year away from Wrestlemania. The event the WWE has been hyping and that I myself have hyped up as I waited in excitement has now come and gone, and it feels like when a loved one comes to visit. It was great for the time being, but it never does feel like it lasts long enough.
However, we must face the reality that Wrestlemania has come and gone, but I can't help but feel a bit weird about the whole thing. It was a very interesting night, but something just felt off to me. I will start by saying that I enjoyed the show, but there were definitely some weird happenings along the way.
I've already given you some immediate reaction and even a bonus HOT or NOT, but here is where I'll talk about everything that went on. You should know that the wrestling itself was quite good throughout the night with a couple of exceptions, but this is about how the show was booked. For me, that's the most important thing, so let's see how WWE did with probably the most hyped show I can ever remember:
The Rock Opens The Show - After America the Beautiful, our guest host welcomed us to the show. I think we all figured this would happen and I was fine with that. However, as much as I love the Rock, his opener created a problem that would resonate throughout the rest of the show. He got 15 minutes, which was at least 5 minutes too much. I get that he was the host and needed to hype up the show, but it was too long and it probably cut short some matches. To be honest, it wasn't The Rock's best stuff anyway, so shorter and sweeter probably would have served him better. This is where my weird feeling started, because I thought that Rock returning would be my dream come true, but now that he's back I sort of feel underwhelmed. I'll talk more about that at the end.
United States Championship: Sheamus(c) vs. Daniel Bryan - ......didn't happen. This is what I meant by cutting time out of matches. This one was cut completely! That means that there were 8 matches total on this card. This could have been a fun bout even if it wasn't give a half an hour. Give these guys 10 minutes and let them get the crowd excited. Apparently they did.....in a dark match which turned into a battle royale. The problem is that people wanted to see Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania. This was supposed to be where the indy star shined, showing what real wrestling was all about. Now, there was plenty of that on this card, but I still think these guys should have gotten a chance. I know this match didn't have great build, but it would have been a nice opener. Wasted opportunity there.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio - A lot of people were up in arms that this opened the show. I wasn't. Simly put, Del Rio deserved to open the show. I know I've hated on this guy a lot, but much of it is deserved. This program involved a Royal Rumble winner and was for a Heavyweight title and it simply had no steam going in. The problem I saw from the beginning was that the booking was backwards. Del Rio took out Edge's friend but it was the friend that came back for revenge. That in and of itself is a great angle, but that wasn't the angle. What should have happened instead of Del Rio talking about destiny and getting boring was that he should have challenged Edge right away and started talking about how he hurt Christian and he'd hurt Edge too. Get in Edge's head about hurting his best friend and have Christian's involvement be that he wants Edge to end Del Rio. Maybe then there would be heat. As it stands, there was very little and the best part of the match was Del Rio's entrance. It did look cool in all fairness. To close this match out, I just want to gloat a little. Everyone I talked to felt that Del Rio was a lock to win but I went against the grain and picked Edge. It paid off and I'm glad the WWE did the right thing. Del Rio simply isn't ready to hold gold yet (at least not Heavyweight gold) so this was the right move. They had a decent match, but it was good to get it out of the way and I am so, so glad that Christian didn't turn on Edge. People wanted that too, but given that Christian had more tension with Del Rio than Edge could ever have, that would have made no sense to say the least. Thank you WWE for using logic in your booking. I wish all wrestling angles featured writers using their brains.
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes - This was a match that I thought could be a show-stealer, and while it wasn't quite that, it was done well. I liked Cody's new hood and if you aren't impressed by this kid, you simply aren't being fair. Very few can play a character as well as him and he proved it again Sunday night. What he also proved is that he is here to stay. For once, Rey put someone over at Wrestlemania and I was shocked. I thought that given his history, we'd get a great match that ended with Rey going over. In this case, I'm glad I was wrong. This wasn't a 5 star show stealer, but Cody got to show off a little and he got a pretty clean win. I'm actually impressed and very interested to see how far the WWE are willing to push this kid. In my opinion, they should push him really far. You just put Alberto Del Rio in a title match at Wrestlemania. This kid is more deserving than ADR to be fighting for that title. I say give him a short program with Edge and see how it goes.
Snoop Dizzle at Wrestlemizzle For Shizzle! - I tried! Just like the WWE tried for some comedy here. It wasn't bad, but cut some guys out of this and it's better. Do Regal, Ryder, cut Masters shorter and get to Hornswoggle quicker. Cut two out of 4 minutes out here and it's way better. You gotta love Ryder though! Plus, it gave us Piper and a coconut which is always a win. Not terrible, but a little too long to be good.
Big Show, Kane, Santino and ? vs. The Corre - This started out with promise as Kofi Kingston got the nod over Koslov in this match. Koslov was written off with an injury at Axxess and it was smart booking to get Kofi on the card. He's more deserving and way more likely to do something awesome than Koslov is in the ring. So we had good booking here.........until the bell rang. At that point, it all went to hell. While I don't have a problem with who won, given that any heel group is more vulnerable when evenly matched in numbers, this came off pretty badly. It lasted about 30 seconds before it got chaotic and it was literally over in less than two minutes. This is another example of too much time being given to segments and to The Rock. If this gets even 5 more minutes, you can tell a little bit of a story and still have the same outcome. At least give each guy a little chance to shine. As it stands, Wade Barrett did nothing in this match when he was rumored at one point to face the Undertaker. Let that sink in for a minute. Yep, it's very strange and this match was basically a waste. It reminded me of Mickie James beating Michelle McCool last year. That should have been a good match where Mickie ended up winning but it was a squash. Same exact thing here. I feel bad for the guys involved, but at least they were on the card I suppose.
The Rock Backstage - Another case of "a little too long". Yes yes, that's what she said, I know. In regards to this segment though, the only important part was the Stone Cold/Rock confrontation which had to happen and was and will always be awesome. Mae Young appearing is fine, but we didn't need 8 jokes about how she's old. Again, these backstage segments took up too much time. I said it before and I'll say it again here: cut out two minutes and you have a much better segment.
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk - Ah, the match that caused an uproar on Twitter. Well, this and the announcer match. I won't address that here, but there were shenanigans last night. As for this match, it lacked shenanigans. It was just two guys who are awesome squaring off at Wrestlemania. That's pretty much what this event is all about. I really liked this match as it told a great story in the ring. Whoever put it together should be commended. As for Orton winning, I can live with it. With Rhodes unexpectedly winning, you can't have too many heels go over and Punk looked great in defeat. He attacked Orton's weakness and showed he didn't need Nexus to beat Orton. The Viper got the last laugh though and I was sort of sad to see this end. For me, this was the second best match on the card and I really couldn't ask for much more out of it. Maybe a GTS into an RKO? Well, maybe I'm asking too much....
The Rock and.....Pee Wee? - Yep, a guy we've seen on Raw as a guest host took up some of our air time. At least this added fuel to the Rock/Cena fire and it included Mean Gene which is always good. Still, it was the least amusing of the backstage segments and I would have been just fine without it. I don't mind the Snoop one because it allows contracted talent to get on the show. This allowed a retired interviewer and a Pee Wee to get on the show. Pretty unnecessary stuff and I would have been sufficed to see Pee Wee wave from the crowd.
Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole(with Jack Swagger) - Where do I begin? First off, what was Michael Cole thinking when he got those tattoos? I know that has nothing to do with booking, but it had to be said. He looked ridiculous and he is not the type that can pull off so many tattoos. I beg of the WWE to keep a shirt on him at all times going forward! As for the match, everything played out just fine until the end. Cole got some more heat, Swagger tried to help, but Lawler turned the tides and started beating Cole. I would have liked to have seen him bust out the Piledriver, but it was fine the way it played out. I HATED the fact that Cole got the win because of the GM, but I'll retract that statement if the GM gets revealed as Cole. I still hate it and don't think Lawler deserved that though. This was his Wrestlemania moment and it did not play out the way it should have. He should have straight up kicked Cole's ass and got his celebration. Booker T should have butted out as it was unncessary, but let's call it a win since him getting Stunned led to JR and Lawler calling the rest of Wrestlemania which just felt right. I'm in the minority that dont' think JR needs to come back and call Raw each week, but I'd love to see him call at least one match at every Wrestlemania. Give him the Fink and Mean Gene treatment in that sense. As for Lawler, give him better! I don't know where this Cole thing is going, and unless the GM is revealed soon for that crap, I'm not sure I care. This is the worst booking decision of the night by far.
Triple H vs. Undertaker - YES! That's the first and last thought everyone should have about this match. It was fantastic. Let's break it down though. First off, Trips came out to "For Whom The Bell Tolls". For a Metallica fan like myself, this reaked of awesome and I smelt it all the way back in New York. By the time both men had finished their entrances, it was already obvious that this was going to be great. What you have to do to fully enjoy this match is to forget that Undertaker and Shawn fought two years in a row. Those that were expecting Shawn to interfere or those who were comparing this match to the two classic that Taker and HBK had were probably disappointed. I was not. I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed two legends collide on a gigantic stage. What I saw was an amazing story where Triple H's brutality took center stage, but it was never enough. No matter what finisher he hit, no matter what he did to the Deadman, it was never enough. The move H did when he slithered away from Taker after a failed pin attempt in disbelief told much of the story. He tried EVERYTHING to end the streak and simply couldn't do it. Undertaker would not die (I know that's oxymoronic to the deadman, but bear with me) and I loved every minute of it. I especially liked the ending where Undertaker literally couldn't stand up. He tried his best to do so, but he couldn't. It seemed like that factor should have ended him, but he used the Hell's Gate submission from the floor to somehow steal the win while half dead. It was creative and it was just......right. What I get from this is that two veterans figured out a way to tell a great story and put on an absolute show for the fans. The story was simple and these guys told it every second they were out there. Best match of the night by far and probably worth the price of admission alone. And yes, this was way better than involving HBK who was not needed. The Heartbreak kid had his moment earlier in the night when he came out as a Hall of Fame inductee. He was needed there, not here.
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler, Layla, and Michelle McCool - This was about Snooki and she did well. They figured out her strengths (athleticism surprisingly) and they showed it off. I was impressed by her in her limited time in the ring. However, this is an example of a match that could have gotten 5-10 more minutes. If you have that, Morrison and Ziggler get to lock up a bit since they didn't AT ALL, and Trish and Michelle get to show off a bit before Snooki makes her appearance and gets the pinfall. I have no problem with Snooki getting the win as you brought her in for that reason, but the match needed more time for others to show off a bit. They all will have their time, but I do feel this is a match that could have had a lot of great elements if given 10-15 minutes instead of 4. For what it was, it wasn't bad, but it deserved more time. Kudos to Snooki for doing well and enjoying her time with WWE. I know a lot of people hated her being there, but she got so much publicity for the WWE and she seemed to legitimately enjoy doing it. I have no problem with celebrities coming in that love the business and helping it grow. They have been and will always be a big part of Wrestlemania, and I could think of way worse scenarios than what we got. Bart Gunn and Butterbean anyone?
WWE Championship: The Miz(c) vs. John Cena - Who would have thought even 6 months ago that I'd be typing that. The freakin Miz in the main event of Wrestlemania! I'm sure some weren't buying this going in, but whoever put together that hype video for Miz deserves a huge pat on the back. That was one of the best videos I've EVER seen and if you didn't buy Miz as a star after that, I dont' know what to tell you. It was fantastic on every level and I can't say enough good things about it. Both wrestlers had cool entrances too, which is normal for Cena and new for Miz of course. If nothing else, all the videos and big entrances gave this a big match feel, even if it didn't feel as big as Cena/Batista going in. I'd actually liken it more to Rock vs. Austin at Wrestlemania 15 in that Austin was already the biggest star in the business and the Rock was the new main eventer that was great and looking like he was there to stay but wasn't yet ready. I think you could say the same about Miz. In his case, he is ready in every aspect except maybe big match execution. There was nothing wrong with this match, but it wasn't over the top good for Wrestlemania. However, Miz was a made man before it was over. He kicked out of the Attitude Adjustment which few have done, making him a star simply from that. I HATED the double countout stuff though. I knew Rock would get involved, but this was sort of a poor way to do it. The only good part was the "it doesn't matter what you think!" comeback to the computer, but to restart a championship match at Wrestlemania? I'd rather have seen a brutal match that was NO DQ where Rock decided to come out and get involved for the heck of it. I get that this way gave him reason to be out there, but wasn't Cena Attitude Adjusting him enough? You'd think it was, but that's not how it played out. I was happy that the WWE grew a set and kept the title on Miz though. It seems that people are tired of "SuperCena" as they call him always overcoming the odds and winning at Wrestlemania, but that's over. Miz won and no one can take that away from him. It's great too, as the last guy to walk in a heel champion and walk out the same way was Triple H in 2000. If I'm not mistaken, he went on to have a pretty good career. I expect the same from the Miz in his own way, but next time, I'd like to see a main event with no interruptions. The last note I have on this match is about Rock's physical involvement. It NEVER should have happened on Raw. Maybe the AA on him for the story, but the fact that he already hit the people's elbow on Miz made the one he hit on him at Wrestlemania pretty lackluster. We had already seen it and it lost its luster. In this instant gratification world, the WWE should have kept us waiting even if it hurt. It would have been that much more of a reward.
Overall, this Wrestlemania didn't live up to its hype. This is not a negative though, because how could it? With Rock, Stone Cold, Trish Stratus, and Snooki being there, the hype machine was all over it for pure star power. Couple that with the pairings of great wrestlers and the pressure was on to deliver the best show ever. It definitely wasn't the best show ever, but that doesn't mean it was bad. I actually quite liked the show and if you take a step back, you'll realize that we got 4-5 really good matches that got a good amount of time. Yes, the show had it's down moments, but overall it was a lot of fun and I'm sure was very successful. I know I've said it was a weird show, and I stand by that as I definitely had a weird feeling throughout, but I like how most of it played out. If you shorten some backstage stuff as well as Rock's opening promo and you book the Lawler/Cole stuff a little better, I think common opinion would be much better about this show. I still think it holds up pretty well and I'm glad I saw it. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun. Let me know how you felt with comments below or tweets at @FanVsFanMotSS.
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