Wrestlemania Count-Up – Wrestlemania XXIX (2015 Redo): Swimming With An Anchor
Wrestlemania XXIX
Date: April 7, 2013
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 80,676
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield
Pre-Show: Intercontinental Title: Wade Barrett vs. The Miz
Rating: D+. Really quick and nothing match here to fire the crowd up before the real show comes on. Barrett and Miz were both in tailspins at this point and the title was in an even worse place with meaningless title changes like this one. To give you an idea of what this meant, Barrett would get the title back the next night on Raw.
The opening video is narrated by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who talks about the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which leveled huge portions of New Jersey. In the face of all that adversity though, New Jersey stood tall and is still alive today. Everywhere from New York to New Jersey, the people are unbreakable and unstoppable.
The New Jersey National Guard waves American flags.
We get the standard awesome Wrestlemania opening video, again focusing on the Wrestlemania Moment. The Streak actually gets the primary focus here with the other two main events going after. A great line here: “The storied past is only rivaled by the promise of a glorious future.”
The set is one of their most detailed ever with the Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building over the entrance and the Statue of Liberty over the canopy above the ring.
Sheamus/Randy Orton/Big Show vs. Shield
Show comes back in with a spear to break up the TripleBomb. Sheamus crawls over to tag Show but Orton tags himself in instead to clean house, including catching a springboarding Rollins in the RKO. Reigns comes in with a spear for the pin at 10:34 with Big Show just watching the pin go down.
Post match Show knocks his partners out.
Ryback vs. Mark Henry
The announcers play with their new toys with JBL making sure to beat up Rey Mysterio.
The WWE is partnering with the Special Olympics.
Some Special Olympians are here with Stephanie McMahon and Chris Christie.
Tag Team Titles: HELL NO vs. Dolph Ziggler/Big E. Langston
Rating: C-. Just a step above a Raw match here which is becoming a problem on this show. Things picked up a lot near the end but what are you going to get out of a six minute match? Bryan and Kane were becoming something special and Ziggler would win the World Heavyweight Championship the next night.
WWE works with Make-A-Wish.
Fandango vs. Chris Jericho
Fandango is a dancer (formerly known as Johnny Curtis) making his in ring debut here. It had been teased a few times before but he had declined due to someone pronouncing his name wrong (seriously). Jericho was chosen because he kept messing the name up (“Fan-Danny Devito? Fan-B-I-N-G-O-and Bingo was his name-o!”). Fandango comes out with a bunch of dancers before going to ringside with his main dance partner.
Jericho takes him down to start and pounds away with a very early Codebreaker putting Fandango outside for a big dive. Fandango is staggered but finally comes back with an enziguri to take over. JBL is really not pleased with Fandango posing so much because JBL is far too uncultured to understand the power of dance. A chinlock just seems to re-energize Jericho as he comes back with an enziguri of his own, only to be sent into the post.
Clip of the pre-show match.
We recap Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger. Del Rio has turned face and won the World Heavyweight Title back in January. Swagger then adopted a new gimmick as the disciple of Zeb Colter (formerly known as Uncle Zebekiah about eighteen years ago), a man who accused ever non-white person of sneaking across the border and being here illegally. The match is a huge culture clash with Swagger wanting to win the title and get rid of Del Rio while Del Rio is standing up for what he believes America is all about. Swagger won the Elimination Chamber to earn this shot.
World Heavyweight Title: Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio
Swagger finally gets to the point by taking out the leg to set up the Patriot (ankle) Lock. Del Rio easily kicks him away and pounds in forearms to the back, followed by a Backstabber for two. Neither guy can get their submission so Jack settles for a layout powerbomb for two more.
The Patriot Lock goes on but Del Rio takes him down and counters into the armbreaker, only to have Swagger kick the arms away and grab the ankle again. Del Rio gets to the ropes and comes back with the corner enziguri (thankfully limping into it) but has to save Ricardo from Colter. Swagger gets in a few cheap shots but Del Rio grabs the armbreaker back inside for the tap out at 10:30.
Rating: B-. Again the time hurt this but the submission trading with all the counters was really fun stuff. They would have an I Quit match the next month which sounds good on paper, until you realize that Del Rio just beat him by submission here. Del Rio was a good face but for some reason they turned him right back in June. On the other hand, Swagger was dead in the water the second he got arrested which made the match more academic. There were rumors that he was going to win until the arrest, which really does show how much one mistake can screw you up.
CM Punk vs. Undertaker
Living Colour plays Punk to the ring and Heyman still has the urn. No druids this year but the stage is so close to the fans that you can see hands reaching through the shadows and smoke to try and touch Undertaker. Punk spends the entrance tossing the urn in the air like a ball. Undertaker stalks him into the corner and gets slapped in the face as Punk is trying to win any way he can, including by DQ.
Punk starts working on the arm to set up for the Anaconda Vice before throwing him outside for a top rope ax handle. Back in and we hit the chinlock as Heyman talks trash from the floor. Punk makes the eternal mistake of trying the same move twice and crotches himself going for Old School. Heyman breaks up the Taker Dive and Punk gets two off a springboard clothesline.
Rating: B+. I liked this better on a second viewing as when I watched live, I never bought the Streak as being in jeopardy. They tried to make the Vice a big deal but at the end of the day, Undertaker does not tap out. Period. Why should I buy this particular submission as having a chance? The urn to the head was a good near fall though and had me closer to thinking it was over than anything in the HHH match two years earlier. Very good match but it never hit the level of the HHH and Shawn editions.
Undertaker poses a lot and retrieves the urn one more time.
Ad for the new Mick Foley DVD.
Sports commentator Michelle Beadle is here.
HHH vs. Brock Lesnar
Hall of Fame video, with a STACKED lineup.
Wrestlemania XXX is in New Orleans.
The new attendance record is announced.
No recap of the main event but I think you get the idea by now.
WWE World Title: John Cena vs. The Rock
Rock avoids the top rope Fameasser and scores with the spinebuster into the Elbow for two more. Just like last year, Rock goes up for a cross body but gets caught in the AA, only to slip out and hit the Rock Bottom. Instead of covering though he tries the Shuffle, allowing Cena to hit another AA for two. Cena wins a slugout and Rock Bottoms Rock (BIG reaction for that) but the kickout stuns him all over again.
Ratings Comparison
The Miz vs. Wade Barrett
Original: D+
2014 Redo: C
2015 Redo: D+
Shield vs. Randy Orton/Sheamus/Big Show
Original: B-
2014 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
Ryback vs. Mark Henry
Original: D
2014 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
Dolph Ziggler/Big E. Langston vs. HELL NO
Original: C
2014 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: C-
Fandango vs. Chris Jericho
Original: D
2014 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C
Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio
Original: C+
2014 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: B-
Undertaker vs. CM Punk
Original: B
2014 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B+
HHH vs. Brock Lesnar
Original: B+
2014 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B-
John Cena vs. The Rock
Original: C+
2014 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: B-
Overall Rating
Original: B-
2014 Redo: B
2015 Redo: C
There’s good stuff in there but it’s swimming with an anchor.
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/04/07/wrestlemania-xxix-and-so-it-ends/
And the 2014 Redo:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2014/04/05/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xxix-redo-twice-in-a-lifetime/
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http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/
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