So how about that Wrestlemania

[excalipoor]

So Wrestlemania 29 was last Sunday. Did anyone here watch it? Any thoughts? Comments?

Spoiler: Here is mine, spoilered for the sake of those who give a shit, but for some reason haven't seen it yet.

The Miz beats Wade Barrett for the IC title in the preshow? Yawn. At least he got figure 4 right that time.

Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus vs. The Shield was fantastic, though that triple powerbomb doesn't seem nearly as impressive to me as it's probably supposed to. I also can't really see where they're trying to go with this. The Shield has to break up eventually if they're going to stay in the PPV picture. In any case they won, which caught me completely by surprise.

On the other hand, what was even the point of Mark Henry vs. Ryback? I'm not a fan of Ryback, but for a while there I thought they were trying to make something of him, shoving him down my throat week after week and all. Nope! Feed him to Henry.

I was really expecting Team Hell No to lose the Tag Team titles to Ziggler and Langston. I don't think Daniel Bryan is being used to the full extent of his potential, and this would have been a good chance for Kane and Bryan to split up and go solo. I was also hoping for Ziggler's little stable to gain some steam. Give them the tag titles, have Ziggler cash in on Del Rio, and AJ take the Divas title from Kaitlyn (and let her wrestle for fuck's sake. She can do more than ***** slap and hairpull!). There'd be something to work on on Monday!

Fandango vs. Chris Jericho. I hate Fandango's gimmick to the point that I was completely unable to get into the match. I guess Jericho was supposed to put him over...? Fandango won, but I wouldn't say he's over.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger was alright, but I don't think anyone expected it to end any other way.

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker. Match of the night, by far. Great work from both guys. Well, besides the commentator table not breaking... You'd think they would test those kind of spots in advance.

I'm a CM Punk guy, so I really wanted him to be the one to end the Streak (and I do believe someone has to do it eventually), but at the end of it I didn't even care who won. Punk didn't seem to be quite at 100%, and Taker is obviously starting to show his age, but both guys gave a Wrestlemania-worthy performance.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar. I've always thought that Trips is at his best when doing his entrance, and while I loved Lesnar during his original run in WWE, he's been booked to look pretty pathetic after his return last year. The match was a straight up brawl, and I'm not a fan of those. Shawn Michaels was there just to Sweet Chin Music Paul Heyman once. Also, they could have build some sort of Heyman stable here, with Punk and Lesnar. Throw The Shield in there for good measure. Why have a manager participate in two different feuds, and not do anything to link the two?

Aaand the main event, John Cena vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship. I'm sure anyone paying attention saw this match and its result coming as soon as Rocky announced that he'd be challenging the champion at Royal Rumble. The match was very much a repeat of last year's Once in a Lifetime match, complete with the endless back and forth with finishers. I know Cena is capable of putting up a great match (like he did against CM Punk just a few weeks ago), but both his bouts against The Rock were kind of lackluster to me.

All in all, nothing changed. The only belts changing hands were the IC title (which nobody cares about, and it was in the preshow too), and the WWE title (which everybody knew would end up with Cena). Ziggler is still Mr. Money in the Bank, Trips keeps his job, the Streak continues, Cena is still the #1 babyface, and the part-time champion is gone. I didn't hate it, but I certainly don't think it would have been worth $70 and four hours of sitting in the cold.

 

[GistoftheFist]

Ditto the statement made by Lollie. Also, can someone answer this question for me: how come every time I see a Russian leg sweep these days, nobody ever hooks the leg?! The foot doesn't go behind the opponent's calf muscle so his leg just swings back and then forward for no reason. Did everyone forget how to wrestle as time goes on? The "leg sweep" part of that move is kinda important.

Also, why is every heel bald?

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I watched it, I liked it. There were parts I could have done without, as is usual with any of WWE's shows, but overall good production. RAW tonight however will be a mess since Rock supposedly left town without notice and was scheduled for the show tonite...
I feel sorry for their creative team sometimes.

 

[LetalisK]

I'll be honest, I stopped watching around October of last year. The writing just got so bad I couldn't stomach it anymore. Which is sad since many of the wrestlers are really good at selling, but even they can only do so much with a steaming pile of shit.

 

[excalipoor]

I haven't really watched wrestling with any loyalty since the end of the Attitude era.

The more I read these cards and summaries, the more I realize I can't get into it and relate to anything presented. Not for lack of trying, I really have tried watching weeks upon weeks of Raw/Smackdown/Impact, but can't get into it anymore. Not that I'm going to go on a "everything was better in mah day!" rant either, as a lot of things clearly weren't (the Jim Herd era of WcW comes painfully to mind just to name one), but it does depress me.

The crowd was chanting "boring" at one point during the Cena/Rock main event, the most hyped up match of the year, so you're not alone with that sentiment. A weekly 3-4 hours of 5-minute filler matches, recaps and half-assed promos is a whole lot of shit to sift through too. They do have some really talented people out there though, and I keep watching in the hopes that they might get to do something cool one day. Problem is, WWE seems to be perfectly content with what they're doing right now, and TNA, well... Personally I don't think their booking was ever that great to begin with.

Also, why is every heel bald?

It's not just the heels. Hair is a thing of the past now, dontcha know.

The Attitude Era was already on its way out by the time I got into wrestling. Most of what I've seen of it has been years after the fact, so I'm not particularly nostalgic about it. That said, I'd rather have everyone as an equal opportunity asshole, than this black and white face/heel divide we have going on now, where the only difference is whether they suck up to, or demean the crowd. Oh, and that heels can't win clean. Ever. Cheap heat is fucking cheap!

 

[unstabLized]

I've recently been on a nostalgia trip with WWE, so I watched online. It was meh. CM Punk vs Undertaker and Brock Lesnar vs Triple H were by far the most interesting matches. Everything else was kinda boring..

 

[Kolby Jack]

Being only the third wrestlemania I've ever seen, I'd place it at number 2. Much better than 27, not as good as 28. I thought Rock v Cena last year was a pretty good match but this one felt sluggish compared to it (apparently Rock was injured during the match as stated on tonight's RAW, not sure if legit or not). It wasn't bad, just kind of slow.

I differ from most (on the internet at least) in that I like Cena, both as a wrestler and a person (seriously, he's probably one of the nicest people on the planet, maybe behind the new Pope). I acknowledge his flaws; when he's bad he's pretty fucking bad, but when he's good he's also pretty fucking good. From what I've seen, Cena is at his best when he's defending a title, so despite all the detractors tired of him having the spotlight, I'm excited for what's to come.

Punk v Taker was pretty good. Nothing really unexpected, but it was solid. Same for Lesnar and HHH. I couldn't care less about Del Rio vs Swagger solely because Swagger's character is pathetic. Thankfully it seems tonight's RAW has immediately dropped any reason for him to hang around.

Really, all of the matches were solid enough, just predictable. Except for Jericho vs FANDANGOOOOOO which was the only match I was truly disappointed with. Not only can FANDANGOOOOOOO not wrestle for shit, but Jericho deserves FARRRR better than to lose to that idiot.

 

[piinyouri]

Miz & Barret - Meh, I don't care for either of them.

Glad Henry won. We don't need another Goldberg.

Glad The Shield won as well. They have such an incredible sense of teamwork and need a more credible threat before they get taken down. I mean I realize The Shield cant go undefeated forever, but they have such legitimacy at this point that whoever does beat them, it's gonna have to be someone or a group of someones worth it.

Team Hell No tends to be funnier than I ever expected it would be, so I give them that, but I'm with you on this, Bryan has tremendous talent and is being criminally underused.

Apparently from what I heard, Fandango had to be spoonfed by Jericho. Almost literally leading him around the ring, and calling out his shots awfully loud, and Jericho was kind of pissed about the whole thing. I strongly dislike the Fandango gimmick as well, which is a shame because the guy is a decent wrestler. from what I've heard.

Swagger & Rio - Another meh. Rio has been much more entertaining since his heel turn, but I just can't get into this feud.

I heard Punk & Takers match was the best of the night as well, and I wish like hell I could have seen it.
Glad Punks taking some time off, he needs it. (Seriously dude, go the fuck to sleep!)

Triple H & Lesnar - I'm indifferent on this, however Lesnar has completely changed my opinion of him over the last year. I used to think he was a dull muscle headed wrestler wannabe fighter, but thanks to Heyman being his mouthpiece, I've seen him for what he really is. WWE's Broly. The less he talks and the more he fucks shit up, the better he looks.

Was really hoping against hope for a Cena heel turn, or for him to lose and take a goddamn break. The man is overworked, overexposed and there is nothing to be done with him at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I actually really like Cena, he's a great entertainer, his promos are gold if allowed to do his own thing, and his five moves of doom aside, a decent wrestler, but seriously, the man needs a break. He's earned it.

Also apparently Rock hurt himself hella bad in the last bit of the round. A hernia and a torn abdominal muscle, so kudos to him for sticking it out.

 

[excalipoor]

I differ from most (on the internet at least) in that I like Cena, both as a wrestler and a person (seriously, he's probably one of the nicest people on the planet, maybe behind the new Pope). I acknowledge his flaws; when he's bad he's pretty fucking bad, but when he's good he's also pretty fucking good. From what I've seen, Cena is at his best when he's defending a title, so despite all the detractors tired of him having the spotlight, I'm excited for what's to come.

Too bad there's no more Mr. Nice Cena.

Spoiler: Cena turns heel!

Triple H & Lesnar - I'm indifferent on this, however Lesnar has completely changed my opinion of him over the last year. I used to think he was a dull muscle headed wrestler wannabe fighter, but thanks to Heyman being his mouthpiece, I've seen him for what he really is. WWE's Broly. The less he talks and the more he fucks shit up, the better he looks.

Thing is, he looked so much better when he originally debuted. He took this MMA thing back to WWE with him, which resulted in him adding the Kimura to his arsenal, but the rest of it is just brawling. And the way he's booked now is nothing compared to his original run.

Spoiler: This is the Lesnar I expected to see:

 

[darkfiregoth]

RAW tonight however will be a mess since Rock supposedly left town without notice and was scheduled for the show tonite...

Lol, how wrong you were sir. RAW was insane! Those chants...just, those chants XD

 

[TheOneGuyInNebraska]

I didn't get to see it, and the only match I actually even wanted to see was Punk V Undertaker.
Was that one at least any good?

 

[excalipoor]

Oh, me of little faith. If this Monday was any indication of what's to come, I take back everything I said about Team Hell No or The Shield breaking up.

And finally...! Ziggles cashes in! Hopefully they don't fuck this up. And there I go again, assuming the worst.

I didn't get to see it, and the only match I actually even wanted to see was Punk V Undertaker.
Was that one at least any good?

All I know is that I was entertained, and I haven't heard anyone else complaining either. If there's one match WM29 will be remembered for, it's that one.

From what I've seen, Cena is at his best when he's defending a title, so despite all the detractors tired of him having the spotlight, I'm excited for what's to come.

As tired as I am of seeing Cena in every single main event, after mulling it over I have to agree. If he's going to be the face of the company anyway, I'd rather he'd be the champ than pretend to be some sort of underdog.

The crowd reactions are getting pretty vile though. Almost makes me feel sorry for the guy.

 

[Kolby Jack]

Oh, me of little faith. If this Monday was any indication of what's to come, I take back everything I said about Team Hell No or The Shield breaking up.

And finally...! Ziggles cashes in! Hopefully they don't fuck this up. And there I go again, assuming the worst.

I didn't get to see it, and the only match I actually even wanted to see was Punk V Undertaker.
Was that one at least any good?

All I know is that I was entertained, and I haven't heard anyone else complaining either. If there's one match WM29 will be remembered for, it's that one.

From what I've seen, Cena is at his best when he's defending a title, so despite all the detractors tired of him having the spotlight, I'm excited for what's to come.

As tired as I am of seeing Cena in every single main event, after mulling it over I have to agree. If he's going to be the face of the company anyway, I'd rather he'd be the champ than pretend to be some sort of underdog.

The crowd reactions are getting pretty vile though. Almost makes me feel sorry for the guy.

Hm, yea, although I think this week's RAW crowd was unusually rowdy. The only thing I even remember them cheering at all was Ziggler's cash in and Team Hell No saving the Undertaker from the Shield. They didn't give a fuck about ANYTHING else that was going on, even though I didn't think it was a bad show by any means.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

RAW tonight however will be a mess since Rock supposedly left town without notice and was scheduled for the show tonite...

Lol, how wrong you were sir. RAW was insane! Those chants...just, those chants XD

Had it not been for those fans, the RAW would have been much more boring.

 

[TakerFoxx]

I enjoyed it, I guess. Kind of predictable. No, wait, really predictable, but it had its gems. Glad to see the Shield put over, and while Undertaker winning again was a given (like they'd really have the streak broken in a midcard match with only a month of buildup, especially now that Punk's going to take a leave of absence), it still was a great match. Rock vs Cena was kinda meh, though the ending was neat. And as much as people are getting tired of Cena always being champ, better him than the Rock. At least Cena's always going to show up and actually act like the face of the company, instead of popping in every now and then when his schedule allows it or sending taunts via video.

I was kind of surprised that Triple H won, as I expected them to use this to allow him to retire quietly so he could be more involved in the backstage management, but I guess not.

I was a bit annoyed that the Team Rhodes Scholar vs Tons of Funk match was cut. Damien Sandow really needs a bigger push. Guy's probably the best heel in the company, and with Punk going to be gone for a while, they're gonna need a replacement. I mean, sure we've got Ziggler, and don't get me wrong, I love Ziggler and all, but he can only do one feud at a time.

 

[excalipoor]

Apparently Triple H got burned by dry ice during his entrance, and Lesnar had a concussion five minutes into the match. So not a terrible match, all things considered...

Spoiler: I was wondering what that stuff was. Lesnar looked confused as hell too.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Huh, didnt think there were many wrestling fans on the Escapist.

I thought that Wrestlemania 29 was decent. Not bad, but it could have been much, much better.

I didnt watch the pre show, but Im not happy with the results. Barrett really should have beaten The Miz, Barrett is one of the best heels in the WWE at the moment, and he could bring importance back to the Intercontinental Title if he was actually allowed to beat guys once in a while. Having the good guy win in the end, means nothing if the heel is not portrayed as a credible threat.

The Shield vs Orton, Show and Sheamus was good, I do like the fact that The Shield are being portrayed as an actual dominant force, but it really begs the question of who can beat them now, without making them look weak? I mean they beat the team of Ryback, Sheamus, and John Cena. Not many guys tougher than them (Or at least portrayed that way)

Ryback vs Mark Henry was one of the matches I was looking forward too, and while I wont argue it was the most technically sound match of the night, it was easily one of the better ones. The sight of Ryback actually picking up Henry, and doing it easily I might add, just made the match all that more special. I personally though would've had Ryback win.

Jericho vs Fandango was decent, but Im just not really feeling Fandango that much, so I cant comment on it too much. Good to know they did the smart thing though and had Fandango win.

Team Hell No vs Ziggler and Langston was a solid match, I like Kane, Bryan and Ziggler, and Big E. could become someone im interested in once he leaves Ziggler. I do wish though that Rhodes Scholars and Hell No were still feuding though.

Undertaker vs Punk was the best match of the night, with only one giving it any real competition (Lesnar vs HHH). Living Colour playing Punk to the ring was amazing and one of the highlights of the night. Taker looked great in the ring, he hasnt lost a step, and Punk was good as always. With every Wrestlemania Taker match, theres still that little bit of tension when he gets pinned. Even though deep down I knew Taker would win, everytime Punk tried to pin him I was on the edge of my seat.

Lesnar vs HHH, was easily the runner up for match of the night, the two men had such ferocity in ring, and Lesnars battle screams really made him seem like a real beast. Triple H locking in the Kimura 3 times in a row was quite fun to watch, especially since Lesnar really sold his pain well, and legitimately looked like he really wanted to tap out. It was a total brawl that was great to watch.

Lastly, Rock vs Cena. I love The Rock. I like Cena. But this was the worst match of the night, and frankly, one of the worst I've ever seen. Rest holds and finishers, rest holds and finishers. Nothing exciting really happened in this match, and I dont know what went so wrong with it.

Overall, the event was quite average, not the best Wrestlemania Ive ever seen, but its not the worst. It definitely suffered from predictability and lack of build up.

Also its a shame that Tons of Funk vs Rhodes Scholars + Bella Twins was nixed. I like the performers on both teams, and they deserved the chance to shine.

 

[JasonBurnout16]

Wrestlemania was average at best.

Now the RAW after Wrestlemania was amazing. The crowd was insane!