Professional Wrestling (WWE, TNA, ROH, etc)

[Andrew]

Good point. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

[buzzy]

http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/9720358?cid=2009EP-00

oh noez

[Andrew]

Guess it is still part of the angle though with Cena "revealed" as the mastermind. I'm guessing it probably won't come up on TV though. Meanwhile, we have a couple of new avatars:

[Lean]

But it's bad as it gets. The WHC storyline is, well, not Wrestlemania-caliber for me.

[Andrew]

It's definitely lacked the build of the HHH/Orton match.

We missed it last year, but Wrestlemania predictions and previews by Matthew and myself can be found here. Feel free to leave comments here and after the article itself.

My final predictions:

Chris Jericho/Legends: Legends
Diva Battle Royal: Trish Stratus
Money in the Bank: Christian
Undertaker/Shawn Michaels: Undertaker
Tag Team Unification Lumberjack Match: Miz & Morrison
Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy - Extreme Rules: Matt Hardy
Intercontinental Title - JBL/Rey Mysterio: JBL
World Heavyweight Title - Edge/John Cena/Big Show: John Cena
WWE Title - Triple H/Randy Orton: Randy Orton

[buzzy]

Nice read.
I'm agreeing with all all your predictions except for the Jericho one.

[Andrew]

Oops, I contradicted my pick in the article there. I'm actually picking the Legends to win that one, sorry about that.

[shadowgrin]

Andrew: I suppose that's the other direction they could go. Santino somehow gets into the match and gets crowned Miss Wrestlemania, mankini and all.

Andrew and his sick cross-dressing fetish?

[Andrew]

No, but it wouldn't surprise me after Santino's appearance this past RAW. Once a male wrestler struts around in a makeshift mankini and proclaims to be upset that he can't earn the title of Miss Wrestlemania, you know he's bound to be an enhancement talent for a while to come.

[Lean]

Nice read, and we definitely missed that prediction article.

Mine:

Chris Jericho vs. Legends: Legends
25-Diva Battle Royal: Trish Stratus, or Santino, for sure he will be there.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: I could've went for MVP, but since he won the US title from Benjamin, I guess the chances of him winning in the MITB is not expected anymore, I'm also going for Christian.
Undertaker/Shawn Michaels: We are the winners of this match, I don't really care who wins but I'm really expecting a hell of a match.
Tag Team Unification Lumberjack Match: I don't know, might even end up in a DQ
Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy - Extreme Rules: I'm going for Matt. There's always Backlash for Jeff to retaliate.
Intercontinental Title - JBL/Rey Mysterio: JBL, we've seen too many title changes.

As for the World Championship, one of the challengers should win it for their brand to have a World Champion. Or should they retain, the Draft will continue their respective feuds.

World Heavyweight Title - Edge/John Cena/Big Show: John Cena
WWE Title - Triple H/Randy Orton: Triple H

[Andrew]

I reckon they'll use the Draft to sort out any issues with the major titles being on the same brand. It'll be interesting to see what other changes they make, not a whole lot of rumours going around about it at the moment but I'd be surprised if at least one big name didn't move. Triple H would seem a likely choice and they might shake up the announce teams with Tazz gone.

Speaking of announce teams, one of JR's latest blogs has revealed that he'll be calling the event alongside Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler as a three man team (or at least that's how it's being interpreted). Not a bad idea really especially in light of Tazz's abrupt departure and kind of appropriate given the brand split no longer applies to PPVs in general and we have a few interbrand matches on the card.

[Andrew]

Wow, a huge surprise with CM Punk repeating in Money in the Bank. I'm wondering if he'll cash it in at the event. Let's say Randy Orton does win the championship in the main even...perhaps Punk will cash in his shot and win it for a twist and to fulfil the tradition of a face winning the main event? Just wanted to throw that out there before the show ends.

[JaoSming]

I found a stream and the Taker HBK match was the best match I have ever seen, period.



I haven't watched a full match in years, and then I get to see that, just, awesome......

[shadowgrin]

Only watched bits and parts of the show. I'll probably watch the parts I missed if a replay is on.

Miss Wrestlemania:

Andrew: I suppose that's the other direction they could go. Santino somehow gets into the match and gets crowned Miss Wrestlemania, mankini and all.

Andrew and his sick cross-dressing fetish?

I should never doubt Andrew again.

Hardy vs. Hardy:
For now, it's the second best match of WM 25 for me, after Taker vs. Michaels. This match has good 'ol TLC. I like it.

World Championship:
WTF is with Cena and cheesy entrances? Even some of his "chain gang" look a likes were trying to contain their laughter as they did the "u can't c me". It's not as horrible as his 30's gangster entrance in a past WM but he should stop it with the cheesy entrances. He could learn a thing or two from Triple H (breaking a glass with the sledgehammer) or Shawn Michaels (all white pimp suit descending to the ramp) - badass and simple without being too cheesy.
I changed the channel after a few minutes and didn't watch the match. *yawn*

WWE Championship:
Is was good, but it was bad because it paled in comparison to the best match of WM 25. You could see that the crowd were also exhausted from that best match which is...

Taker vs. Michaels:
Classic. Shite was amazing! This match made me unable to change the channel and just wishing that it would go on and on. Last time I felt like that when I was watching was Benoit-HHH-Michaels during WM 20. Even the crowd didn't want it to end, you could see them clapping when the two count ended when either Michaels orTaker broke the pin. Even when the match ended, the crowd went insane for witnessing a classic match. Just amazing.

Michaels was his usual showstopper self but what made me enjoy it more was Taker. The way he sold Michaels' moves despite his deadman gimmick, it's the first time in recent memory I saw Taker "hurt" - wobbling in the ring and showing some "emotions". A close-up of Taker's expression after he did the first Tombstone and Shawn broke the pin is priceless.

The match had everything I wanted and blew away any expectations. The only thing it didn't have was the "test of strength", which can be forgiven because of the build difference of the competitors . It was like seeing a young Michaels and Taker again, and to see the both of them doing high flying risky moves, wow.

Even the support crew contributed to the match. You could clearly see that the cameraman was trying to hold Taker safely when Taker landed on him because of a failed dive attempt at Michaels outside the ring. I love it when people do their job.

[Lean]

Darn I got to see the replay.

[shadowgrin]

Time is the usual. It's either at 10pm or 9pm today at Jack TV.

[Andrew]

I'd have to say that far exceeded my expectations. I said I thought it would be solid but not necessarily one of the best, but I've come away so impressed that I'll have to go back on that. I'm not sure where I'd rank it all-time or even just amongst the ones I've watched live on PPV, but I really liked it. One thing I'd like to point out that I especially liked was the decision to go with the three man announce team of JR, Cole and King which reminded me of some of the old three man announce teams they sometimes had for the big events.

Some thoughts, match-by-match:

Money in the Bank

Once again, it proved to be a great choice for the opening bout. I've seen people call MITB stale and I see where they're coming from but this year they really got innovative with some of the ladder spots, particularly Kofi Kingston's vault through the ladder (though I don't know how he didn't break his leg when Henry knocked the ladder down and he landed between the rungs). CM Punk winning was a surprise as the dirtsheets were suggesting otherwise. Perhaps we'll see the briefcase on the line again and this will just be a swerve. It remains to be seen how that will play out longterm but for the match itself Punk repeating really seemed to come out of left field so it worked for me. The Unprettier off the ladder was another great spot.

Battle Royal for Miss Wrestlemania

First of all, I was way off with my prediction as Trish Stratus wasn't even involved. I had read that she would be and was likely to win, I guess plans fell through. As it turns out, my half-joking prediction turned out to be true with Santino/"Santina" winning. Lame, but it didn't exactly spoil a classic. I've got to give them credit though, when the ring was full I didn't really pay much attention to him as I was trying to focus on seeing who was in there and who was getting eliminated but when I did notice him he stuck out like a sore thumb, which made it kind of silly when the announce team played dumb about it.

As far as Santino having a bigger role in the future...well, I didn't think he should have been in line for a push before this and this certainly seals the deal on him being a career jobber in my view. Not to sound close minded or anything, but when a guy dresses in drag because he wants to win the title of Miss Wrestlemania, it's hard to buy that character as a main event gimmick and someone who should be competing for a major belt.

Chris Jericho vs Legends

Very surprising ending with Jericho getting the pinfall victory though they left it to Mickey Rourke to defend the honour of old school. Not such a bad thing but something didn't feel right about Jericho being able to beat three hall of famers, beat up a fourth in Ric Flair when he intervened after the match but then get flattened by one punch from Rourke. I mean, with that kind of skill he should be gunning for the title in the WWE universe. Not to make a mountain out of a molehill here but I thought that was kind of strange.

The match itself was surprisingly good though, Steamboat really shined flying around the ring and taking risks and bumps he didn't have to and you wouldn't have expected him to, you've got to give him a lot of credit for the performance he gave. A shame he couldn't get the win though I do see why they went that way, but Steamboat turning back the clock made it quite enjoyable. It might've just been better to do Steamboat accompanied by Flair (or maybe with the others too) in a one-on-one with Jericho. Anyway, good stuff though Rourke's iron fist was a bit too much.

Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy

Some awesome spots with the double table splash being one that obviously stands out, though even as that was being setup I have to admit the smark in me was wondering how this was a good idea for an offensive move given the kayfabe damage it would supposedly inflict on Jeff since he's still crashing through a table before Matt cushions him and takes the hit. Still amazing though and although it won't rival Bret Hart vs Owen Hart in terms of being a traditional classic, the spots and "extreme" aspect of the match fit their characters, history and the intensity of the angle.

The finish suggests it's not over by a long shot, and what a vicious modification to the Twist of Fate. That could've been quite nasty had it gone wrong but it certainly looked cool and really exemplified the darkness in Matt's current heel run. The only problem is where to go from now in the angle since they've already done the brutal gimmick match; maybe there'll be a series of them or some other form of stipulation to keep it going.

JBL vs Rey Mysterio

Well, I guess that speaks volumes about JBL's wrestling future doesn't it? I'm not exactly a huge fan of JBL in the ring or in the booth but the spot is open and with his back reportedly bothering him again it certainly would be a good opportunity for him to hang it up before he does any more damage to it. Certainly no rival to the classic IC championship belts of the past but JBL getting defeated so soundly after boasting about making history certainly was appropriate for the character, allows him to retire and gives Rey another title reign and hopefully something more significant to do on RAW.

Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels[/b

Did this live up to the hype or what? It's already being touted as one of the greatest matches of all time and I'd have to agree. The WWE gets a lot of heat and we all talk about what we don't like about it and other promotions like TNA and ROH are often touted as having the best workers by fans on the Internet but the WWE has fine workers too and I think they've got Match of the Year locked up with this one. This was one you could really mark out for. Despite the dirtsheets, despite the clues dropped in the pattern of the booking, despite how protective the WWE is of Taker's streak, Taker and HBK went out there and put on a fantastic match that had you believing it could either way, despite all that had happened and all the factors that went into everyone making their predictions. Great spots, great psychology, great workrate from both men. I enjoyed it just that little bit more seeing Taker pick up the win to go 17-0 but regardless of the result, that one would've been a classic. And yes, that "You've gotta be kidding..." expression of Taker's was awesome.

[b]Edge vs John Cena vs Big Show

Another one that was better than I thought it would be. I know, I know, Cena won which will upset many but at this point I'm just as bored of Edge being the champion and Wrestlemania is usually about the faces winning (and in this one, Cena comes the closest to being an outright face). His intro was corny but the worst part about it was that it telegraphed the ending. He alone got the special entrance which immediately pointed to him winning. However as I said the match was better than I thought, quite good really and Cena lifting Big Show and Edge together was impressive.

Triple H vs Randy Orton

In retrospect, I should've seen that they'd built to HHH winning though it did seem that Orton might win and the feud would move forward with HHH as the challenging chasing him to get the title back. When Punk won the MITB I thought we might see him cash it in after Orton won (which would tie in with what happened last year, Orton coming back and criticising Punk during his short reign) but again they kind of telegraphed the ending with HHH getting the special entrance...which was better than Cena's but not light years ahead of it. Cena and HHH tend to have the corniest/most over the top entrances at Wrestlemania in recent years. They both paled in comparison to the entrances for Taker/HBK, at least in my opinion.

Very interesting match with finishers being hit early on, which at first seemed to undersell those moves and oversell their endurance but I have to admit it did work. Suitably brutal and with enough back and forth to keep us guessing, it was a fine main event but they had their work cut out for them following Taker and HBK. Pretty straightforward when it came down to it as there was no turn but I doubt the angle is over so we'll see.

Again, overall I thought it was a great show that turned out better than I expected. Somehow Taker/HBK exceeded expectations along with a couple of other matches and what wasn't great was either not too bad or easily outshined by the good.

[buzzy]

Good thing I have vacation from school. I downloaded WrestleMania this morning and made myself a nice TV day (National Championship game tonight).

Yesterday before going to bed, I checked the forums and saw that Andrew posted in this thread and I read what he posted in the spoiler tags. (I didn’t think they would start so early, I mean this was still afternoon, Texas time. I thought It had to do with some predictions, not Wrestlemania per se), I quickly caught the term ‘huge surprise .. CM Punk..’ – then I quickly closed it. So hooray for me for spoiling the most unpredictable match on the evening, god I hated myself at that moment.

The MITB match was one of the better matches that night, if I hadn’t read it before, there was no way I would have thought that CM Punk would repeat. Really put my money on Christian.
I wonder what they gonna do with Punk. I don’t think they’ll push him to constant Main Event level as of yet, I personally would like to see a heel turn from him, but I don’t think that is going to happen. Maybe he’ll cash it in on Orton (I’m sure he’ll get the Title over the next year), since he was the one who cost him his the Heavyweight title in the first place.
For the next years, please give a briefcase to Shelton Benjamin. That was his fourth MITB match and he always shines with highlights, I think he’d deserve it next year or the year after.

The Diva Battle Royal was alright, fortunately not too long. I picked Santino/a immediately out of the Divas once the match started, so this was quite clear from the beginning.
I think this could lead to a Beth-Santino break-up this evening on RAW.
Andrew & Matthew, funny how both of your predictions didn’t even participate.

The Y2J/Legends one was surprising obviously, but as the match went on, you could tell that they wouldn’t give a victory to a random legend. Although Steamboat was in the best shape of the three, it wouldn't be logical that two of them would lose to Jericho and the last one would get the pinfall. Wouldn’t have looked right, too me anyways.

The brother versus brother match was an extremely nice. Very nice moves, Matt coming out on top was expected though.

Rey/JBL matchup was a funny piece; first of all I liked Mysterio’s Joker attire.
I think everybody expected a squash match in the other favor, with JBL retiring afterwards, making history (being the first one to retire with a championship at WrestleMania or something like that) but instead they make his resignation look like a complete desperation act, which I didn’t like.
Oh well, I guess I have to take back what I said about the matches before a PPV and giving out the winner, because it was Mysterio who had practically two squash matches in a row. Anyway, nice segment, I’m happy for Rey.

The Michaels – Taker matchup was the one I enjoyed the most, obviously. It was one for the ages, although I didn’t like how the match started. No-one actually connecting their moves, probably just a sign to show that both have the other’s number.
Although it was clear in the beginning they wouldn’t end Taker’s streak, it was remarkable how this match kept me on the edge of my seat all the time and kept me guessing if Michaels wasn’t maybe the one who would win it.
Good job, epic match.

The Heavyweight bout was nothing special in my eyes, clear Cena victory. Not one second where I changed my mind about the outcome.
And what the heck – that was the gayest entrance I’ve ever seen

The WWE Championship match was only okay in my eyes. It had some good parts like the punt to Randy’s head; I wanted to see something completely unexpected though. Or at least get any McMahon involved
The ending of the match was quite random, I guess nobody can get a complete clean victory over HHH unless your name is John Cena.

Good WrestleMania IMO, but nothing great. The Taker-HBK matchup was the only one that stood out to me though.

BTW: Where the heck was the Tag Title match?

[Andrew]

Andrew & Matthew, funny how both of your predictions didn’t even participate.

Yeah that one backfired on me, I was going by the insider reports that Trish was going to be involved. Maybe things fell through there.

BTW: Where the heck was the Tag Title match?

Moved to a dark match before the event.

[bee-boy]

i watched wrestlemania and it was ok at best IMO. HBK and taker stole the show and everything else after that kinda was in the backseat. I felt the triple threat match was kinda short and everyone knew HHH was going to beat orton. I must admit watching stone cold come out on the atv type vehicle and drive around the ring was exciting and brought back memories of how unpredictable and great he was. To me wrestlemania was good but not that good i would give it a 7.5/10.

[Andrew]

What about Money in the Bank and the match between the Hardys?

[bee-boy]

the money in the bank was good but i wish someone else could of won it though. That was punk's 2nd year in a row winning it. and i didn't see the Hardy's match

[Al Ka Pwn]

guess cm punk will be the first official money in the bank winning loser.

yay, santino won something. not what I had in mind, but whatever.

I thought taker killed himself when he went flying over the toprope.

cena looked incredibly ripped. if he can do that without roids, hat of to him.

too bad about the tag. I was looking forward to that.

[buzzy]

yaaaaay batista's backkk

[Andrew]

the money in the bank was good but i wish someone else could of won it though. That was punk's 2nd year in a row winning it. and i didn't see the Hardy's match

Truth be told, I would've preferred Christian to win and get some main event credibility within WWE but Punk winning (and thus repeating) was a surprise so I kind of liked that aspect of it. I do a fair amount to spoil results and such for myself reading the dirtsheets and I've even got a premium subscription over at Wrestling News World, so when a match ends up going in a completely different direction it's a pleasant surprise.

yaaaaay batista's backkk

What's so bad about that?