WWE Wrestlemania 25 Review

Now that all the dust has settled on Wrestlemania 25 here are my thoughts looking back at The Grand Daddy of them All.

Money in the Bank

As with each year there were some great innovative spots which as predicted were lead by the likes of Shelton, Christian and Kofi. I thought the pacing of the match could have been better as it was very noticeable when wrestlers were missing or taking a break. I thought it was good to have CM Punk create history with the win and getting him going again but the ending could have been a lot better.

25 Diva Battle Royal

The commentators did a rubbish job on this one at times had no clue who was in the ring and who was getting thrown out. As predicted Santino got involved and it was funny to see him in Drag as Santina which provided our comedy moment of the night.

Chris Jericho vs. The Legends

Luckily this match didn’t go long. The only legend that proved he could still go was Steamboat and there was a good five minutes or so between him and Jericho after the others had been eliminated. Jericho picked up the win but as predicted Rourke jumped in the ring at the end and beat on Jericho.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

These two put on a good little match but due to the MITB using so many ladders Jeff couldn’t use his specialty. As I hoped for Matt got the win and they have built the match as a feud that could long continue, the innovative ending looked sick.

Rey Mysterio vs. JBL

This match had me thinking back to Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake at WM10. Was over in the blink of an eye as Rey Mysterio picked up a quick win leading to JBL announcing his retirement. I’m glad JBL got to retire on the biggest stage in his own home state but to do it like that was awful.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

As expected match of the night by far as these two put on a drama packed thirty minutes of action. Undertaker took some sick bumps especially one to the outside which looked like he had dropped on his head. This match had lots of false finishes and some great back and forth action but in the end it was The Streak that was maintained as Taker ended up the victor.

John Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show

This match was better than most expected and gave some good spots including a brilliant ending which saw Cena go one further than he did at WM20 when he did his finisher on Big Show by picking up both Big Show and Edge. As predicted Cena won the belt although I would have much preferred to see Edge retain.

HHH vs. Randy Orton

What an anti-climax if I ever did see one. After two months of great build it was all ruined by Vince’s want to send the fans home happy and have the face end the main event with the Title. They tried to do a different style in the match which was more of a fight style than pure wrestling but it just lacked the intensity and I can’t say I was that surprised to see HHH winning after year upon year of loses at Mania but it just made no long term sense.

Overall

There should be more than just one great match at Wrestlemania that’s what you expect from the other PPV’s. I thought it was scandalous to see the tag title match getting pushed to the dark match when we had ten minutes of Kid Rock giving a terrible performance. This was the worst Wrestlemania I have seen in some time, Wrestlemania 11 still holds the record of worst ever Wrestlemania for me but this wasn’t far off.

Wrestlemania 25 - My Predictions

This weekend is the biggest weekend on the wrestling calendar as we all await Wrestlemania 25 this Sunday so with this in mind I thought you guys may like to know my thoughts and predictions on all the matches on the card.

Intercontinental Title Match
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

Being in his home state could prove to be the deciding factor for JBL. WWE really haven’t done anything with Rey since his world title push and I don’t think he is in line for another crack at it so my predictions are a JBL win here. JBL hasn’t got that many memorable Wrestlemania wins under his belt and in what could and should be his last year I think he will get the win. As a match I am not expecting much from it and it could well be our opening match.

Winner: JBL

Tag Team Lumberjack Title Unification match

The Colons vs. The Miz and Morrison

This is a match I have been waiting for on PPV for some time. Over past months WWE haven’t really pushed any tag match at a PPV but hopefully now these two teams will have the stage to show why Vince should put more effort behind the tag scene. I am really torn in this one because I do think both teams are great. The only thing that will ruin this match is it being a Lumberjack Match, why WWE couldn’t just let these two teams bring the house down I don’t know, so I do fear that would could be a great match could get ruined.

Winner: The Miz and Morrison

Diva Battle Royal

The way they schedule Diva matches at Wrestlemania can sometimes be stupid. For many years they have sandwiched it in between the semi main event match and the main event match which instead of giving the fans some breathing space has killed them so I hope they get this one out of the way early. Expect Santino to get involved somehow and look out for a possible appearance from Trish Stratus but whatever you do don’t expect a great match.

Winner: Gail Kim

Money in the Bank
CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Christian vs. Finlay

In this match expect Kofi, Shelton and Christian to provide you with some new and innovative bumps. Vince is down on Christian at the moment so don’t expect the obvious win for him given his history in ladder matches. If CM Punk were to win he would make history as first person to win it back to back but I don’t see WWE pushing him that hard. My thoughts are they could either give it to Kane as he hasn’t won before and is one of Vince’s most consistent stars, give it to MVP and finally give him the push they have been promising or an outside bet is Shelton Benjamin as I know a lot of people backstage are impressed with him right now.


Winner: Kane

Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka

What should have been a great entertaining match could be flop of the night, not many people want to see either of the legends wrestle let alone all three. Expect Jericho to go in to monster heel roll and beat on the legends a fair bit and then for them to have a heroic comeback with Flair helping them to the win.

Winners: The Legends

Extreme Rules Match: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

The only thing that was going to make this match great at Mania was if there was some heat between the two of them and a great feud which had been built up for months but instead this match has really limped in to mania. As a tag team there styles use to compliment each other but against each other I really don’t think it is going to work. The only thing that will make the match interesting is the extreme rules stipulation so expect some ladders to come in to play and for one of the brothers to be taken out of there on a stretcher.

Winner: Matt Hardy

World Heavyweight Championship
Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena

In this match I really like the Love Triangle storyline but not sure if I am looking forward to the match. Edge is really going to have to keep this match together as Big Show and Cena can provide entertainment but without Edge it would just be a mess. I think we are going to see Edge and Big Show trying to team up on Cena and then double crossing each other. If they want to finish the love triangle storyline at Mania they will have Vickie come out cost both Big Show and Edge the match, leave the ring and let Cena pick up the win.

Winner: John Cena

The Undertaker vs. HBK

This is match I am looking forward to more than anything else on the card the two biggest legends in WWE right now both going at it in their own home state. The build up has been immense and miles better than anything else on the card. The only problem is I think the build up has been too good and overshadowed the title matches, just have to be careful we don’t get another Hogan / Rock Wrestlemania 18 situation where this match wasn’t the main event but burned the fans out before the main event. HBK in the past got some big wins over Undertaker, In Your House 17 first hell in a Cell and Royal Rumble 1998 casket match so I expect The Undertaker to get his revenge and keep the streak. Last year HBK got to steal the show and get a win over Flair so I think he should do the job and the honors for The Undertaker this year.

Winner: The Undertaker


WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Randy Orton

I have been saying for some time now that I think it is time for the year of Orton and over the last four months Orton has delivered. The segments between him and HHH have been brilliant and that has mainly been down to Orton and not HHH. These two have told an intense storyline which makes us all believe they really hate each other which is what great storytelling is all about and these two have the ability to back it up with a great match. Now HHH has lost quite a few big matches at Mania over the last six years so he is more than in line for a big win at Mania which would give me cause to believe it was going to be HHH retaining but I think Orton is just to on his game at the moment.

Winner: Randy Orton

Other things to watch out for

We have both Ken Kennedy and Batista who could make an appearance. Kennedy has been doing a lot of international PR for Mania so would make sense to see him and news on Batista and his recovery from injury has been very quiet as of late. The night before Mania Steve Austin is getting inducted to the hall of fame so in his home state will he make a Wrestlemania appearance and make an impact? With mania you always get the rumor mill and gossip but I really think there is a strong possibility of one of these things happening.

WWE Smackdown Review - Friday 22nd August 2008

Fter Raw was a bit of a mess I hope the Smackdown brand could do a good job with their first show since the PPV. Would the Undertaker appear? Who will be HHH’s next challenger? And is it the last we have seen of Edge?

Good Points

The Undertaker speaks

Was great to see The Undertaker rock up at the end of Smackdown after being promoted heavily during the show. The two lines Undertaker delivered were awesome and showed everyone else that it’s not about how much mic time you have when you deliver like he does. After getting his revenge on Edge Undertaker also got the chance to get revenge on the family as he left them lying in the ring to end the show.

Use of Big Show

Big Show was overlooked for the qualifying matches to see who would be involved in the title match at Unforgiven. He played the angle well having words with Vickie and then clearing house during a ten man battle royal that he wasn’t even a part of. I just hope they put him in a programme with Taker as both don’t yet have a match for Unforgiven.

Nice Unforgiven Promo

Really like the promo vid for Unforgiven. A real push for Batista as he alludes to thing he has done in his life for which he will be unforgiven.

Bad Points

Copying Raw

Smackdown will have the same title match as Raw for Unforgiven that being the 5 man scramble. There were some interesting inclusions in the match with The Brian Kendrick, Shelton Benjamin, MVP and Jeff Hardy all getting a chance to take HHH’s belt. It doesn’t look as good as the Raw five man but am happy MVP is getting the push. The match was announced with little fanfare as if the fans already knew what the main event was going to be. If you truly want to build two brands then you need to act as if the fans only watch your show and not the other.

Use of Kenny Dykstra

Now I like Kenny I think he has some potential but he is being pushed in a stupid way. First they bring him back to be squashed in a title match by HHH with no build and then on this week’s Smackdown he had to interrupt HHH’s in ring promo just to get pedigree’d right away. It’s good to see him around the main segments but it is doing him no good in the long run.

Overall

More good than bad which is more that can be said for Raw. The one thing Smackdown needs to do is develop another strong mid card talent. Benjamin Kendrick and Hardy are good wrestlers but not the best on the mic. With it being a five man main event for Unforgiven I can only see Smackdown putting two matches worth seeing in to Unforgiven that being the five man and an Undertaker match as there is no other real talent or feud which you would pay to see.

Wrestlemania: My Thoughts So Far

As we are now under four weeks away from the “Granddaddy of them all” I thought it was time to give you my thoughts on the way it is shaping up match by match.

Here are my thoughts on the confirmed matches so far and what the WWE could do with them:

Inter-Promotional match – Umaga (Raw) vs. Batista (Smackdown)

I can’t say that I am all that excited about this match because there is now back story to it and the only back story can be made in the next few weeks. These two guys have never feuded before and have no logical reason to fight each other. Last year at Wrestlemania Umaga had a prime match which was given a storyline thanks to the McMahon / Trump feud as there was no real feud between Umaga and his opponent Bobby Lashley. This is also a step down for Batista who last year lost out in his championship defence against the Undertaker. The way Batista has been pushed over the last few years it would make no sense for him to lose the match unless they were planning a Umaga / Batista long term feud.

Money in the Bank

After two great annual ‘Money in the Bank’ matches I didn’t rate last year’s that much. I think this year it will be much better as you have two guys who would make sense to come out as winners. First off is Kennedy, although not my pick the way they have been building him on raw recently it would be a knock to his character for him to come up short. Kennedy is a main eventer in waiting but after his win in this match last year I think winning this match could also damage his standing as it would prove his career is going round in circles. I think from a storyline point of view it would make sense for Jeff Hardy to win and then cash in his slot against Edge on Smackdown where he has a ready made back story thanks to his Brother’s feud with Edge and it would be a good chance experiment with him as champion on Smackdown to see if he is ready to be a regular Raw main eventer.

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather

The build up for this has been great as they have made many non or casual wrestling fans that now think this feud is for real in real life. In wresting any match that is pre-advertised will always been a work regardless of how much they make it look like a shoot. Due to the size difference and Floyd’s lack of ring experience I don’t see this being an exciting match by any means but that’s not its job on the card. This match is designed to get non wrestling fans to buy the PPV and it will be the other matches and wrestlers which they will get entertained by. With Floyd’s ego I am sure they have booked him to win against the big Show in this David vs. Goliath attraction.


Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels – Retirement match

Last year Ric came out and said he wanted to end his career with a main event match at Wrestlemania after not making the televised card of Wrestlemania 23. When he said this most including myself thought he was crazy and that his ego had got the better of him and not many people could see this happening after he wenton a brief hiatus from our screens. However it may not be a main event but he has has got his Wrestlemania wish. In all fairness I have enjoyed Ric’s run since it was announced that as soon as he lost a match he would be fired. It would be one of wrestling’s great swerves if Ric did beat HBK but for his character I think it is only fitting that he bows out at Wrestlemania. I just hope that the match will be a fitting send off for him.


Edge vs Undertaker

This is a great feud between a young brash fast talker against a member of the old guard who lets his actions speak louder than words. Although last year Batista and Undertaker surprised me with their title fight last year with how good it was I think this match could be even better. Some of Undertaker’s greatest matches of the modern era in my opinion have been his bouts against Shawn Michaels and I think Undertaker is great at working with people that are smaller and that have great athleticism. I would like Edge to win as it would push him and solidify him and his position of champion however with Undertaker’s backstage power and his Wrestlemania record I think it would be a brave move for the creative team to book an Edge win. I want to see this and I think it makes more sense but I am not holding my breath.

Randy Orton vs. HHH vs. John Cena

It has been a couple of years since we last had a triple threat title match at mania and a couple of years since HHH last headlined so I am looking forward to this one. If it was anywhere near as good as the triple threat title match from Wrestlemania 20 I will be happy. Now from a booking point of view it is quite interesting what they could do with this one. If the WWE are playing safe they will put the belt back on Cena as he is supposedly their most popular star. With the push they have been giving him and his rush back from surgery it would make for him to win. However it has been a long time since HHH was champion so I think viewing ratings would go up with HHH as champion. The reason HHH has been away from the title is because he is part of the booking team and it is an unwritten law that when you are booking you don’t book yourself on top but I don’t think anyone would begrudge HHH a title run. The only thing left off Orton’s resume is a win in a world title fight at Wrestlemania but I think the WWE are going to commit to a change of direction on Raw after mania as Orton has now had the belt for some months.

Still to be scheduled

There is still some space on the card to be filled so here are some other matches I think may happen. It has been reported that Matt Hardy is back after a recent appearance at a WWE live event so I would expect to see him re-ignite his feud with MVP for the US championship. With the poor state of the tag division I’m not sure if it is worth putting a match on the card if anything I would do a Raw Champions vs Smackdown Champions match. On top of this there will be a match in the storyline between JBL / McMahon / Hornswoggle and there might be an ECW title match.

Rumours

There are always a lot of rumours around Wrestlemania time some prove to be true but most don’t. Rumour is at the moment is that the Rock could make an appearance. He is going to be at the Hall of Fame inductions the night before and recently John Cena has badmouthed the Rock in the press to throw further fire on this rumour.

Overall

I am looking forward to Mania after a spate of disappointing Mania’s I think there are enough good quality wrestling matches and enough points of interest and possible entertaining moments to make this a memorable event.