WrestleMania XXV

Thank God that the build for WrestleMania didn't reflect the quality of it, because if it did, the show would have been putrid. The telecast, which almost stretched the entire four hour runtime set aside, was far from putrid and was actually one of the better WrestleManias I've viewed. It wasn't the best. For me, that's still X and then X-7 after that. I also had a few gripes of varying sizes, but really none of them had to do with the quality of the wrestling. It was a solid show and it passed muster for being the biggest event of the wrestling year.

For once, there really wasn't a bathroom-break quality match. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, the Divas battle royale wasn't anything to write home about, but it was fun seeing Santino in drag prancing around the ring. It was cool to see Sunny and Torrie Wilson and Molly Holly back in a WWE ring. And of course, Beth Phoenix's facial expressions in reaction to her boyfriend winning the battle royale were priceless. She really does have "it" as far as divas go. It's subtle, but she's so underrated when it comes to acting and expressing herself in ways other than wrestling.

The big problem I had was with what preceeded the Diva BR. Why the fuck did we need to see 15 minutes of Kid Rock? I mean, really? THIS was what needed to bump the Tag Title match to DVD-viewing only? This is why we couldn't have seen Jack SWAGGAH~! and Evan Bourne in an ECW Championship match? I could understand seeing him play the divas out to "So Hott", which would have been cool, but we didn't need the frigging medley beforehand.

My other big problem was that it didn't feel like anything special happened, especially in the main events. Maybe I'm just jaded. Maybe now that I'm a "smart" fan (I hate that term, btw, since every fan is smart to some degree today thanks to the all-pervasiveness of the Internet), WM has lost its magic to an extent. Maybe it's because while Cena and MVP and Trips are over and have their charisma to an extent, they're no Hogan or Rock or even Austin (whom I marked out for hardcore when he rode that ATV down to the ring... God I miss him as a full-time wrestler). I don't know. Even though the relatively clean finishes were the right moves for each respective match, and even though from a wrestling standpoint, they were satisfying, they just didn't seem to have the cache of Hogan bodyslamming Andre, or Hogan kicking out of the elbow drop and beating Savage, or even HBK landing two Sweet Chin Musics on Flair last year. Hell, I was watching that On Demand, and a year later, it still brought a tear to my eye.

I'm not sure if I can hold that against them. The wrestling was great, the finishes logical and fitting the event. It wasn't like some sloppy Russo show where they schmozzed the crap out of the main event and tried to sell it as magical. Maybe it just didn't click with me. Regardless though, I enjoyed myself watching it, and I can say that I have faith in the business, at least on an in-ring side of it, once again.

But enough with the doubts and the negativity. Let's run down the matches and what I liked about the event.

- MitB was what I expected it would be - an insane amount of bumps from guys who could deliver. By the way, if Shelton Benjamin doesn't get a bigger push out of this, it's a fucking crime. That dude had an AMAZING match, bumped crazy and popped the crowd with that outstanding springboard move on MVP off the ladder despite being over as a heel. I'm also glad that Punk won, but I thought they missed out on a golden opportunity to cement getting him over by not having him cash it in the same night over the guy who put him out of action and cost him the belt originally.

- The Jericho/Legends match was great for what it was. Steamboat can still go, which I thought was really cool seeing the shitty way he had to retire. His arm drag is still a thing of beauty. I also thought they handled Mickey Rourke being there very well, playing to his strengths after mentioning that he was a legit boxer. It was a great way for Jericho to keep his heat going and still give the fans what they wanted to see... the cocky young prick getting his comeuppance.

- Hardy/Hardy was my personal match of the night. I thought that it had the potential to get sloppy, but I liked the way how they were almost economical with the weapon use. Even with all the crazy crap going on in MitB, Matt's Twist of Fate/Pillmanization of Jeff's head combo to finish the match was the spot of the night. I really hope this is a launching board for Matt to become a legit top-of-the-card heel. I think he can really shine there, especially in feuds against other smallish type babyfaces.

- I liked the IC squash for what it was. I thought it was a perfect cap for JBL's scheming in the last six months, and it was another case of a guy getting comeuppance for opening his big fat mouth. I also liked that Rey won in such dominant fashion. They NEVER used to do that for a smaller guy, and it's a great way of giving Rey a boost in credibility. Remember, after he won the World Title a few years back, they shit on it by making him not be able to win a match cleanly. Plus, JBL's probably going to be going back to the broadcast booth, and for the cock he's reputed as being backstage, for him to do that is a real man-up situation.

- Taker/HBK was as great as advertised. 'Nuff said.

- I was pleasantly surprised by both title matches. The three way had minimal Vickie interference and the announcers actually played up the match more than they did the stupid, shitty love triangle angle. Plus, Cena FUing the two guys was an amazing sight. Say what you want about John Cena and his "lack of moveset" (btw, how many fucking moves did Bret Hart do? I hate workrate snobs sometimes) or his "corny gimmick" but he knows how to connect with the fans and work a decent match.

- Trips/Orton was a lot better than I was willing to give it credit for beforehand. It just goes to show how a straight up wrestling match can sell. Most instant feeback I'm hearing is negative, and I disagree. I thought it was a great match for the competitors involved. I liked that Orton didn't break out a resthold until the 10 minute mark. I thought the finishers at the beginning was a nice touch. I liked how Trips had to wrestle with not going over the edge and losing the title on a DQ, and yet still found a way to use the sledgehammer, and in fact needed that and a Pedigree to put Orton away. This is the kind of stuff I want to see. Not Triple H being Ubermensch and killifying everyone in his path. Not Orton do resthold after resthold and have all his fanboys claim "psychology!" Not faux drama over home invasions or syrupy love angles featuring Stephanie. Maybe I'm a victim of my lowered expectations, but I think the match was a good, old-school wrestling affair.

So overall, I'd recommend ordering the replay if you didn't catch it. Maybe it wasn't WrestleMania III, but it also wasn't a Russo-era In Your House either. Great show, and I'm glad I didn't skip it this year.