The Review Board Wrestlemania Review

WrestleMania! One word that represents the Superbowl, Worldseries, and Daytona 500 of Wrestling. It is a week long event that the WWE spends its whole year building towards culminating in the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday, and of course the "Grand Daddy" of the all, WrestleMania. This years event...well lets just say it fell short of expectations. Warning! Spoiler alert...If you some how missed the pay-per-view and plan to watch it later, this will tell you how the matches ended and key point in each contest. Read at your own risk.

Let me start first by saying that when a Hall of Fame ceremony involves inducting Bob Uecker it doesn't say much about the credibility of that Hall of Fame. With that said, WrestleMania itself was one disappoinment after another.

The first match was basically a match designed for people who tune in late. Basically, if you missed it you didn't care. It was the unified tag team title match between challengers R-truth and John Morrison and Champions ShowMiz. This was a snoozer with little action that ended with a Big Show punch on Morrison while attempting a spring board of some kind. Show then makes the cover for the one two three and like I said if you missed it, you didn't miss much.

The second match on the card was the three way dance between the three members of legacy. I know what your thinking...already? I had the same thought, but when you see the names in the next matches you understand why this match might be so early. It started predictably with Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase team up on Randy Orton. This was a fool proof plan as long as the two could co-exist. However, When Rhodes went for a top rope move and Dibiase went for a quick pin instead, things kind of dissolves with the partnership. The two begin to fight as Randy Orton slowly tries to recover from his beating. Both Rhodes and Dibiase realize this and go back on the attack but it is too late as Orton gets his second wind and man handles his two former lacking for a bit. After several minutes of battling Dibiase gets tossed to the outside leaving Rhodes and Orton alone in the ring. Orton becomes the aggressor as he gives Rhodes the beating of his life and sets him up for an RKO. As Rhodes struggles to his hands and knees, Orton sees the perfect opportunity for a concussion kick. He hits it and stand over Rhodes for a second giving Dibiase enough time to sneak back in the ring and go for the Dream Street. Orton muscles out and hits him with the RKO followed by the pin fall. Orton shows his former flunkies that the teacher is still the teacher and they still are not on his level.

The next match was the infamous Money in The Bank Ladder Match. This is one match that I look forward too every year. However, If next year is anything like this year I will not be any longer. First the participants have jumped from eight to ten, and yes less is more as ten is way too many for this match. Half of the wrestlers barely had any roll in the match and if they did then they didn't get any camera time. The highlights were few and far between but there was a couple of bright spots in this match. One of which was after Kane broke a ladder into two pieces. Basically splitting it right down the middle. Kofi Kingston then used the two halves as stilts as he walked on them from the corner to the middle of the ring and then jumped up the rungs towards the belt before he was foiled by two wrestlers. The other bright spot was when a ladder was set up in the middle of the ring with Jack Swagger standing under it. Matt Hardy and Christian then took two more ladders and stuck them between the rungs of the ladder already set-up. The they proceed to crush Swagger between the two ladders like some sort of compactor or two hammers smashing into each other. After awhile Swagger falls aside and Hardy and Christian leave the ladders horizontally on the top rope and the upright ladder as they use them to climb with Evan Bourne. I don't think that I have to tell you that mayhem insued. In the end Swagger won and the Money in The Bank match didn't leave you wanting more as much as it left you wanting to change the channel.

The next couple matches are kind of a blur and I am not sure if this is the exact order they were in but it not that far off and it doesn't really matter anyway. First lets starts with bout between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. This was an okay match. Nothing really spectacular but not terribly boring either. Let me jump right to the end with Punk going for several GTS's and Mystereo countering. He then sets up Punk for the 619, but his beautiful bald vixen jumps up to protect him stopping Mysterio in his tracks. On the other side Punk's other Minion is on the apron also trying to get involved. Punk get up and goes for what I can only assume is another GTS when Mysterio counters with a Hurricarana throwing Punk head first into his henchman's groin and in perfect position for a 619. Mysterio makes the pin and is victorious against Punk.

The next match was the much hyped and not so much anticipated street fight between Bret "the Hitman" Hart and Vincent K. McMahon. And it lived up to my anticipation and didn't live up to the hype. It started with Vince coming down with the members of the Hart family who were at WrestleMania for the Stu Hart induction into the Hall of Fame. Vince Claimed something to the effect of paying Hart's family to beat him up because everyone has their price. Bret counters the argument by let Vince know that his family called him and told him and that they were actually double crossing Vince. He then pronounced that tonight will for ever be known as the night that Bret screwed Vince. This Match was by far the most disappointing part of the night and even lowered my opinion of the whole show in general. The Hart family beat up on Vince for a little bit while Bret watch from the ring. Eventually, Vince made it back to the ring where Bret beat him with a crow bar, his fists, and a steel chair. The Hitman then ended with his signature Sharpshooter and ended the night by celebrating with his family.

After the "Street Fight" came the Triple H versus Sheamus match. This match was actually a pretty good match...for the main event of a RAW or something. It wasn't unbelievable but it was well done and I think the problem was with the hype for the match. I mean I forgot all about the match until they ran the trailor for it. With that said Sheamus held his own Delivering not one but two Pump kicks incuding one on the apron with Triple H bent over the top rope. In the end, However, it was a pedigree by Triple H, after several failed attempts, that put Sheamus away for the one two three.

Following that was the first of three Main Events. At least I assume it is a Main Event since that is suppose to be part of the prize for winning the Royal Rumble. That's right its already time for Edge versus Chris Jericho. This match had some boring moments in it but over all was watchable. The two Superstars battled back and forth as both men hold nothing back. Edge hits one of his signature moves, the Edge-O-Matic, Only to have Jericho kick out. rather Early in the match Jericho goes for the Code Breaker not once but twice hitting the second one. When Edge kicks out, Jericho gets the bright idea to try and give Edge a taste of his own medicine with a spear, but winds up with a Boot to his face instead. Edge even breaks the hold of not one but two Walls of Jericho only to be done in by a second Code Breaker as Jericho retains his belt. But the story was after the match as Jericho was not content with winning but wanted to reinjure him as well. Edge fought him off and the battle ended with both men on the announce tables as Edge sprints across them and spears Jericho of the tables through a baracade.

The only way I can explain this next match is with two words...Bathroom Break. That's right it is the ten Diva tag match featuring Vicky Guererro. The only reason reason to have this match here is for a bathroom break before the final two Main Events. It was a typical Diva match as it sucked and was unwatchable. And no I am not women bashing as i like the Knockout Wrestling of TNA. If you curious, Vicky gave Kelly Kelly the worst looking frog splash I've ever seen for the the win.

The second to last match of the card was the other title match between The Animal Batista and John Cena. Suprisingly to me this was a good match. I'm not a big fan of Cena and I don't like his style in the ring but it was a good show between these two monsters. This was a back and forth match from the beginning as both Cena and Batista hit each other with one mammoth shot after another. There was even one moment when Cena came off the top rope and Batista caught him with a spinebuster which was similar to how he broke Cena's neck a couple of years back. This was not the case this time as Cena answered the bell and not only got up from that but also kicked out of the Batista Bomb. Not to be out done Bastista kicked out of an Attitude Adjuster which was actually one of the more powerful ones I've seen. Though he got up from that, Batista could not escape the second of two STFs which gave Batista no ther choice then to tap out as John Cena exercised his demons by not beating Batista but by making him tap out.

  Only one think can save this lack luster pay-per-view, and that one think is The Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels with his career on the line against the Undertaker. Now before I review this match I must warn you that I am a huge HBK fan and the ending shocked and suprised me. With that said, for this match to live up to its hype it would have to be better than last years. And lets face it, that is impossible. However, this was still by far the best match of the night and was the only reason at all to watch WrestleMania. After both superstars entered the ring they had a face-off in the middle. Michaels taunts Taker and gets him fired up by doing the Undertaker throat slash. He uses Taker's over ambition to his advantage as he takes an early advantage and gets Taker off his game. That doesn't last long as this is a back and forth match. Taker goes for a chokeslam early and seems to injure his knee as Michaels counters. Taker eventually hits the chokeslam as well as a Hell's Gate, Last Ride, and three Tombstones. Michaels was no slouch as he hit a moonsalt from the top turnbuckle through the announcer tables and hit between three and five Sweet Chin Musics. This match was very entertaining as these two superstars put each other through hell which included a Tombstone outside the ring and several high risk moves from Michaels. Maybe the most impressive thing was the way HBK was able to counter some of Undertaker's signature moves. For example to counter the Tombstone he crawled down Taker's leg and got him in an ankle lock, and to reverse Hell's Gate he flipped over into a bridge for a pin attempt. Near the end of the match Undertaker connects with a Tombstone and Michaels kicks out at two. Undertakers gets to his feet and stands over HBK just staring at him. Michaels tries to climb back to his feet as Taker begs him to stay down. HBK looks him in the eyes and gives him another throat slash. Taker's eyes grow wide and he pick Michaels up for another Tombstone. 1...2...3...Shown Michaels career is over. Undertaker helps Michaels to his feet, shakes his hand and gives him a hug. Michaels gives a roughly ten minute teary eyed farewell before exiting the arena.

Over all this Pay-per-view does not live up to the hype that a WrestleMania should. The matches did get better towards the finally ending in the HBK/Undertaker match and the Shawn Michaels Farewell. The Review Board gives it 4 Sweet Chin Musics out of 10. With that said, It was worth all the crap to see Shawn Michaels last match and his farewell. Tune in to Raw Monday at 9 to catch any highlights that I did not mention and probably the the Shawn Michaels tribute and farewell speech