Wrestlemania XL Night Two
Date: April 7, 2024
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 60,203
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee, Corey Graves
God Bless American: The War And Treaty

And now, the night after. This is the second half of the event, which features Cody Rhodes challenging Roman Reigns for the WWE Title despite his back being firmly against the wall. Other than that, a banged up Seth Rollins is defending the World Heavyweight Title against Drew McIntyre, plus a not that hot midcard. Let’s get to it.

I was in the stadium for this show, sitting in the upper deck with the entrance on my right.

The opening video looks at Night One before shifting to Meek Mill talking about how if you don’t finish your story, someone else will finish it for you. The rest of the card gets a bit of a look of its own.

The War And Treaty sing God Bless America.

Here is Stephanie McMahon to get things going. She’s glad it’s a bit warmer today (preach it) and calls this the first show of the Paul Levesque Era. With that out of the way, let’s get things going.

Raw World Title: Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins

Rollins, banged up after last night, is defending and CM Punk is on commentary. McIntyre is played to the ring by a pipe and drums band while Rollins is led out by a group of Mummers (People in very insane costumes, playing instruments. I wasn’t familiar with them but a guy next to me said it was about as Philadelphia of an entrance as you could get.). McIntyre hits a Claymore at the bell for a near fall five seconds in as we’re starting fast.

Rollins immediately rolls outside as he’s in trouble early. A belly to belly drops Rollins and McIntyre grabs someone’s phone for a quick picture. McIntyre stops to yell at Punk though and gets Pedigreed on the floor, with Rollins coming up holding his knee (banged up last night). Back in and a Stomp gets two on McIntyre and they both pull themselves up, exhausted by their three and a half minutes of action thus far.

They slug it out with McIntyre getting the better of things and nipping up. The Claymore is countered into a powerbomb though and the Pedigree connects again. A top rope stomp misses but so does the Claymore. Rollins misses the regular Stomp and gets Futureshocked for two. McIntyre mocks the GTS pose to annoy Punk but the GTS is countered into a small package for two.

Another Claymore hits Rollins for two and McIntyre is stunned. They go outside where Rollins slips out of a powerbomb attempt and hits a basement superkick. Rollins hits a Stomp on the table and they head back inside, where McIntyre hits another Claymore for another two. Punk wants to see another GTS but it’s another Claymore to give McIntyre the pin and the title at 10:34.

Rating: B-. This was more out of the old Lesnar style and that works a lot better when you haven’t see it over and over again. McIntyre getting more and more frustrated before finally getting the pin was a great story as he had been going nuts for so long that he had to win something. This worked well and it was a big opener, even if some of the near falls were a bit nuts at times.

Post match an emotional Rollins leaves and gets something of a look of respect from McIntyre. He kisses his wife and then goes back to Punk, mocking him as you might expect. As you also might expect, Punk trips McIntyre down and hits with the arm brace….and it’s Money In The Bank time.

Raw World Title: Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre

Priest is challenging and wins the title with South Of Heaven at 9 seconds, sending McIntyre further into insanity and furthering the feud of the year with CM Punk.

Judgment Day comes out for the big celebration in a nice moment. Punk mockingly applauds McIntyre to make it even better.

Street Profits/Bobby Lashley vs. Final Testament

Street fight, Bubba Ray Dudley is guest referee and Snoop Dogg is on commentary. B-Fab is here with the good guys while Paul Ellering and Scarlett are here with the Testament. Graves says that this is Ellering’s first appearance at Wrestlemania. I guess he’s forgotten Wrestlemania VIII as well. Lashley and the Profits waste no time in knocking them outside and it’s already time for a table, which Dogg seems to like.

The AOP come back and take out the Profits before being on Lashley with kendo sticks. Kross gives Lashley a neckbreaker onto an open chair for two, with Dawkins making the save. Ford goes up but gets knocked out of the air and it’s the Super Collider to the Profits. B-Fab tries to make the save but gets taken out by Scarlett, with the two of them crashing through a table. Lashley fights up and starts the comeback, with Dawkins hitting a big tackle on the floor to drop the AOP.

Some chair shots to Kross set up Lashley’s spinebuster onto the chair but the AOP is back in. The Doomsday Saito suplex drops Lashley and a DDT through a chair gets two. Kross yells at Bubba, who puts the glasses on, leaving Lashley to hit a spear. Bubba orders a What’s Up on Kross and it’s table time, but the table breaks in advance. Another table is brought in as Kross is beaten with a kendo stick (Dogg: “WHOOP HIM! WHOOP HIM!”). A frog splash through the table finishes Kross at 8:32.

Rating: C. Yeah this was fine, but it was nothing you wouldn’t see on Smackdown. The AOP felt like monsters but it didn’t exactly take much to knock them out. At the same time, Kross is supposed to be the big bad and Lashley beat him up without much trouble. This felt like a way to have a street fight with tables in Philadelphia and that doesn’t get you very far. As usual, Snoop Dogg felt like he was having the time of his life on commentary and clearly loves wrestling.

We look at last night’s main event, with Cody Rhodes getting pinned to make tonight’s main event Bloodline Rules.

Paul Heyman is asked what Bloodline Rules mean. He cites the WWE rule book before saying it’s whatever Roman Reigns wants them to be.

LA Knight arrived in a fast Slim Jim car.

We recap LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. Knight is the crowd favorite and seems to be on his way to stardom but Styles doesn’t like him, to the point of costing him the Elimination Chamber. Styles said he wanted to humble Knight, who said they should fight at Wrestlemania. Game on, with Styles attacking Knight with a chair. Knight showed up at Styles’ house and got arrested to make it more personal.

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

During his entrance, Knight gives the keys to his Slim Jim car to a sweepstakes winner, who seems to be….not overly excited. Styles charges to the ring and gets punched in the face to start fast. They go to the floor where Styles is rammed into the announcers’ table but he starts in on the leg.

A DDT on the leg keeps Knight down but he fights up with a Russian legsweep. Knight hits a tornado DDT and tries a superplex, only to get reversed into the belly to back faceplant. Styles goes up so Knight jumps the corner and hits a release German superplex. The Calf Crusher goes back to Knight’s bad leg and Knight goes straight over to the ropes.

The leg is wrapped around the post so Knight pulls him face first into said post. It’s time to peel back the mats but Styles knocks him onto the concrete. Back in and the springboard 450 hits Styles’ raised knees but the BFT is countered into a failed Styles Clash attempt. Another springboard is broken up and Knight hits the BFT for the win at 12:24.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t a great match or really anything close, but it did what it needed to do: give Knight a clean win on a big stage. Knight is the definition of someone who needs to win something to validate his popularity and while this wasn’t quite that win, it was the biggest victory of his career. As usual, Styles can work well with anyone and he made Knight look like a star here.

We get the Hall Of Fame video package from Friday.

The Hall Of Fame class is presented:

US Express (in Bray Wyatt shirts, after a Wyatt tribute at the ceremony)
Bull Nakano
Thunderbolt Patterson
Lia Maivia
Muhammad Ali
Paul Heyman (to the ECW theme and carrying the WWE Title, receiving by far the biggest reaction)

We recap Logan Paul defending the US Title against Randy Orton and Kevin Owens. Paul is a huge star and the other two are sick of him. Orton wants to give him an RKO and Owens was sick of hearing about Paul being a star, including after losing to him at the Royal Rumble.

US Title: Logan Paul vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Paul, defending, comes to the ring in a Prime truck and he has a guy in a Prime bottle costume, which cannot end well. Owens comes to the ring and runs into Sami Zayn in a reversal from their meeting last night. Paul bails to the floor to start and tells the other two to start, which doesn’t happen as they would rather go after Paul. The challengers take turns sending Paul into various things, with Owens getting to drop him onto the announcers’ table in something of a tribute to Orton.

That’s not good enough though as Orton shows him how to do it a bit better before they get back inside. Paul sends Owens into Orton to try to start some strife, only for the two of them to beat him up again. They even get in some stereo stomps before Owens hits a backsplash. The two of them both cover Paul though and now it’s clear that things aren’t going to work. Owens blocks an RKO attempt and they know where this is going to go. The brawl is on but Paul knocks both of them down to take over.

Paul even mocks Orton’s pose to be a real villain before sending Owens into the buckle a few times. That’s broken up though as Owen superkicks Paul into the corner but the Swanton hits raised knees. Paul Swantons Owens and rolls into a regular splash for two on Orton in a rather athletic display. Orton actually loses a slugout with Paul but he rakes the eyes and sends Paul outside. Back up and Owens gets clotheslined into a powerslam, allowing Orton to pop his chest a bit (the fans approve).

Paul comes back in and gets powerslammed as well and there’s a double hanging DDT to put Owens and Paul down. Owens snaps off some superkicks though and a Codebreaker to Orton/Backstabber to Paul gets two. They all go to the corner and Paul makes the mistake of trying a superplex on Owens, who reverses into something like a super Jackhammer. A moonsault gives Owens two but Orton is back in with an RKO for the same (that’s not something you see kicked out of very often).

Back in and Paul knocks Orton silly with the brass knuckles for two and the kickout leaves Paul stunned. Owens tries to come in and gets knuckled as well. Paul yells at Orton and gets an RKO for his efforts but Orton is too banged up to cover. Now Orton gets the brass knuckles but hands them to the referee, only for the guy in the Prime bottle to pull Paul outside. It’s….IShowSpeed, one of Paul’s cronies/a popular streamer, who shoves Orton in a really bad idea.

The suit is pulled off and an RKO onto the announcers’ table leaves Speed out cold. Paul uses the breather to miss a frog splash and gets caught with a pop up powerbomb. Owens Stunners Orton for two so he tries another pop up powerbomb, which is countered into an RKO in a sweet reversal. Paul sends Orton outside though and hits a frog splash to pin Owens and retain at 17:39.

Rating: B. This was better than I remember it as they had a good story of the wrestlers fighting each other and treating Paul like an afterthought but Paul got smart and stole the win in the end. Paul continues to come off like a star and someone who keeps surprising people, which is what he did here. It was a good match for everyone and Paul gets a win on the big stage, which will only help him.

We recap Bayley challenging Iyo Sky for the Smackdown Women’s Title. Bayley had started Damage CTRL and the team had success but then they started to move past her. Eventually Iyo Sky won the title and Bayley won the Royal Rumble. One day the Japanese members mocked her in Japanese, but Bayley revealed she knew what they were saying and the match was on. Sky promised to show that she was the real star of the team while Bayley wasn’t sure if they were ever friends in the first place.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky vs. Bayley

Bayley is challenging and is carried to the ring as part of her weird pyramid theme. They start fast with Bayley knocking her outside and shrugging off a shot to the face. A suicide dive hits Sky on the floor, with Bayley coming up favoring her leg a bit. The leg is fine enough to hit a baseball slide to drop Sky again but the dropkick under the ropes misses. Instead Sky wraps the leg around the post and cranks on said leg as we have a target.

Back in and a dragon screw legwhip takes Bayley down again so the fans start singing about Bayley. The power is enough to make her send Sky into the timekeeper’s area, only for her to dive out and right into a Bayley To Belly on the floor. Back in and a spinning side slam (kind of like Victoria) gives Bayley two and she goes up. Sky catches her up top, with Bayley’s leg getting tied in the ropes, followed by a crash to the floor.

A great moonsault hits Bayley on the outside but she’s able to hit a sunset bomb into the corner back inside. Some German suplexes give Sky two each but Over The Moonsault hits a raised knee (as in the already injured one). Bayley, with one good leg, manages to get up top and tries the elbow, only to get pulled into the crossface. That’s broken up in a hurry but Bayley’s basement clothesline is countered into another crossface.

With that not working, Sky switches into a more logical STF, which is broken up as well. Another Bayley To Belly gets two but Bayley spends too much time yelling and gets hit in the face. A backbreaker sets up Over The Moonsault for a near fall, followed by some more moonsaults. The big one misses but Bayley can’t hit the Roseplant. Instead Bayley hits a heck of a clothesline and a suplex sets up the top rope elbow. The Roseplant gives Bayley the pin and the title at 14:22.

Rating: B+. This turned into a heck of a match with Bayley working hard to overcome the injury and show that she was able to beat the star in Sky. That’s the kind of match you do not often see and it worked well here, with Bayley showing that she still has it. As usual, Sky is as smooth as it gets in the ring and looked awesome, but this needed to be Bayley’s win and that’s exactly what she got.

Here is Snoop Dogg, with the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders and mascot, to announce the attendance of 72,755. The two night attendance is 145,298, with Snoop saying 145,420 for the joke which is mostly ignored.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Title. Reigns beat Rhodes last year in a huge upset, sending Rhodes on a path to get back to the title match and Finish The Story. Now though, the Rock is back and Rhodes is up against the entire Bloodline, meaning, as Cole put it last night, “Cody Is Screwed”.

Reigns isn’t giving it up without a fight though, as he has been champion for three and a half years. This gets the big music video treatment as we look at Rhodes fighting to get to the top after all of this adversity in his quest to finish the story. Of note, the theme here is Rhodes is back after a long hiatus, including photos of him with the Young Bucks, Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns, with Paul Heyman, is defending under Bloodline Rules, meaning anything goes. The entrances are of course epic, with Rhodes coming out with his wife Brandi amid a ton of pyro and rising through the stage. Not to be outdone, Reigns has a full orchestra playing him to the ring, which is treatment worthy of a champion. We get the Big Match Intros and Samantha Irvin manages to make this feel all the more incredible.

They stare each other down to start and Rhodes goes for the leg but lets it go for another standoff. We get some more circling as they clearly have a lot of time here. Rhodes hits a right hand and knocks Reigns to the floor as things pick up fast. It’s already time for a table but Reigns cuts him off and puts it back. Rhodes sends him into the steps but Reigns is back up with a kendo stick to start the beating.

That’s taken away though and Rhodes comes back with a quick bulldog. Rhodes gets smart by grabbing a Figure Four, which is quickly broken up with a rake to the eyes. They go outside again and, after a trip through the Prime station, it’s time to fight into the crowd. Reigns takes him onto a platform and tells people to move so he can throw him. That takes too long as well and Rhodes reverses it into a suplex of his own.

Back in and Reigns hits a heck of a powerbomb to drop Rhodes again and we get a double breather. Reigns is back up with a suplex and starts getting cocky, setting up a cravate. A PerfectPlex gives Reigns two but Rhodes is back up with some kicks to the face. They clothesline each other down as we’re nearly fifteen minutes in without things getting too crazy. They slug it out and the Disaster Kick gives Rhodes two (and Heyman a big scared reaction).

Back up and Reigns hits his own Cross Rhodes for two, resulting in Reigns looking like he says something in the vein of “I knew that wouldn’t work”. Rhodes fights up and fires off the jabs but they go outside, where Reigns sends him through the announcers’ table. Back in and a Superman Punch connects for two as the fans are getting a lot more into this stuff. Rhodes pops up with a Cody Cutter for two and a spear gets the same to even the stolen finishers score.

Cross Rhodes connects and the fans get up…as Jimmy Uso runs in (they made it over 20 minutes before getting there) for a superkick. The Superman Punch connects but here is Jey Uso to even the score. The Usos brawl on the ramp and Jey spears Jimmy off of said ramp through some tables. Rhodes grabs a rollup for two but gets speared down for the save. The fans are surprisingly way more into this than I would have expected as you have to know the Rock is on the way.

They go outside again and this time Rhodes spears him through the barricade for the big crash. Back in and two Cross Rhodes connect but here is Solo Sikoa with the Samoan Spike to cut Rhodes off for two. A spear/Samoan Spike combination only gets two and heeeeeere’s John Cena to a ROAR. Cena clears Sikoa out but here is the Rock to go after him (Cena’s look of “oh here we go” is good). A Rock Bottom takes Cena out in a hurry but the Shield music starts up.

Cue Seth Rollins in Shield gear but Reigns cuts him off with a Superman Punch. Rock yells at Mama Rhodes and loads up the weight belt…..and a gong strikes. The lights go out and the Undertaker is here to chokeslam Rock. As great as that was, my goodness what I would have given for the glass to shatter at Wrestlemania one more time.

Reigns gets back up and grabs a chair, but hits Rollins instead. The broken concentration lets Rhodes hit three Cross Rhodes for the pin (with Cole saying FINISH THE STORY in time with the count) and the title at 33:25. Samantha Irvin clearly fighting back tears as she announces the win makes it that much better.

Rating: B. This is a hard one to grade as the entire point of this was to crown Rhodes as the new champion and they got that covered. Given the build, there wasn’t much of anything else that could have been done without killing Rhodes off as a top guy. They had a big match feel and it felt like Rhodes assembled the Avengers to take out the unstoppable force. The build throughout worked too, as Rhodes couldn’t pin him with the single or the double Cross Rhodes but finally did it with the triple.

It did exactly what it needed to do and was a good enough match on the way there. Much like Daniel Bryan winning the title ten years earlier, the ending was the only thing that mattered and everything else was pretty much gravy. Good main event here though, and it did the big goal of ending Reigns’ all time title reign.

One other thing: I watched this show next to a family, including someone who got to come to the show as his high school graduation present. He talked about how this was so much better than anything he could have imagined and the only thing that he didn’t get to see was the Undertaker, his all time favorite wrestler. The gong went off and he started crying over how happy he was at the whole thing. That’s the kind of special reaction you do not get in many things and I love it when you get to see wrestling make it happen.

A bunch of wrestlers come out to celebrate with Rhodes as we get the big crowning of Rhodes as champion. Rhodes even hands the title to his mom as his family gets in the ring. Rhodes gets the mic and asks for Bruce Prichard and HHH to come out here, because it wouldn’t be happening without them. Both come out and HHH holds up Rhodes arm as it’s time to lift Rhodes up on Sami Zayn and Randy Orton’s shoulders. Rhodes goes out and hugs Michael Cole before shaking Rollins’ hand in a nice moment. The ring clears out and Rhodes gets to pose a lot before leaving to end the show.

We get the long highlight package to really wrap us up.

Overall Rating: B+. I liked this one better than Night One overall, with only the six man street fight feeling a bit beneath the standard. The show was built entirely around the main event and that worked well, with Bayley vs. Sky and the US Title match being nice moments. We also had the big title changes to start the show and it made for a good event. As usual though, the whole thing is about a feel good moment and that’s all it needed to be. WWE knows how to do these big milestone Wrestlemanias and they did it again here, as the new era feels like it is officially under way.

Ratings Comparison

Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest

Original: N/A
Redo: N/A

Final Testament vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

Original: C
Redo: C

AJ Styles vs. LA Knight

Original: B-
Redo: B-

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens vs. Logan Paul

Original: C+
Redo: B

Bayley vs. Iyo Sky

Original: B
Redo: B+

Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns

Original: B+
Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B+
Redo: B+

Yeah I underrated that triple threat match as it was a lot more fun than that. Still though, pretty solid show all around.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 14, 2025
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

It’s the last Raw before Wrestlemania and that means it is going to be a talking heavy show. The Wrestlemania cards are now officially set as we know what to expect from both nights. There is still the chance that something else could be added here, but odds are it’s going to be firming up what is already set. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look back at Jey Uso getting fired up for his match with Gunther at Wrestlemania, saying he is no longer afraid.

Here is a ticked off Gunther to talk to Michael Cole. Gunther does not want to hear about Jey and is ready to destroy him. Gunther actually says “screw” Jey and the people, because he is the greatest gift WWE has ever seen. He is the greatest World Heavyweight Champion of all time and he will not let Jey ruin that for him. Jey can have all the confidence he wants coming in to Wrestlemania but the reality is Jey cannot lace Gunther’s boots. Gunther promises to lay him out for a fourth time and then Gunther will get to call his mother and talk about his win. This was a FAR more unhinged Gunther as Jey is clearly getting to him.

We look at Bayley and Lyra Valkyria becoming the new #1 contenders to the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Bianca Belair has been going through a lot lately but she is ready for Wrestlemania. She can’t deny that it is a triple threat and she is going to use everything she has been through to become the Women’s Champion again.

Bayley vs. Liv Morgan

Lyra Valkyria and Raquel Rodriguez are here too. Bayley doesn’t take kindly to a slap to the face to start so the chase is on, only for Morgan to take over on the way back in. That’s broken up and Bayley hits a Thesz press into a basement lariat. A missed jump over Morgan in the corner seems to bang up Bayley’s leg but she’s fine enough to come back with a clothesline.

Bayley sends her to the floor but a suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. The third Amigo on the floor is blocked though and Bayley goes knee first into the steps. Now the Third Amigo off the steps can connect and we take a break. Back with Bayley missing a charge into the buckle so Morgan hits a running enziguri for two. Bayley misses a running knee and gets rolled up but a second attempt connects, setting up the running sunset bomb into the corner.

They go to the apron (as matches are seemingly required to do these days) where Morgan hits a Codebreaker, followed by a dropkick off the apron for two back inside. Bayley comes back with something like a Stunner into the Bayley To Belly but Rodriguez puts the boot on the rope. Valkyria goes after Rodriguez, who gets taken out by Bayley. Oblivion is loaded up but Valkyria holds Bayley to the ropes, allowing her to get a rollup pin on Morgan at 12:53.

Rating: C+. This was the best way they had to get ready for the title match at Wrestlemania as Bayley and Valkyria went over pretty much the entire division on Smackdown. Morgan and Rodriguez are the closest thing we have to an established team in the division, so going with a singles match made sense. I could see a title change taking place, but Bayley and Valkyria are such a new team that it would be a stretch.

We look back at CM Punk getting Paul Heyman in his corner at Wrestlemania, plus Seth Rollins threatening Heyman and attacking Punk last week on Raw.

Rhea Ripley sees right through Bianca Belair’s lies and knows what she is here to do. The reality is that Ripley will stop at nothing to get back what she loves. Then she used a page out of Iyo Sky’s playbook to get back to the title match at Wrestlemania. She’s getting the title back.

Rey Mysterio vs. Julius Creed

The LWO and American Made are here too. Creed backs him into the corner to start but Mysterio is back up with a running headscissors. A hard clothesline takes Mysterio down though as this is somehow Creed’s first singles match on Raw. Mysterio dropkicks the knee out but it’s too early for a 619. Brutus Creed offers a distraction so Chad Gable can pull Mysterio off the top, only for Dragon Lee to cut Julius off. The referee has had it and ejects EVERYONE (well not Rey and Julius) and we take a break.

Back with Mysterio hurricanranaing Julius to the floor (but seemingly losing his grip and crashing out as well). Julius is back up and pulls Mysterio out of the air into a suplex, walking him up the steps because that is something a human can do. Back in and Mysterio hammers away in the corner before a spinning DDT gets two. A missed charge sends Julius to the floor so here is El Grande Americano, with Mysterio going for the mask. Julius’ shot from behind is cut off and it’s a 619 into the slingshot splash to give Mysterio the pin at 10:19.

Rating: B-. Good match here with Julius getting to showcase himself in a losing effort. Losing to Mysterio is hardly the worst thing in the world for anyone and this should be a nice way to set up the Mysterio vs. Americano match at Wrestlemania. There is a lot more juice to this whole feud and that makes me interested in where they go for the match.

Post match Americano comes in to take out Mysterio and drops Dragon Lee before the save can be made.

The War Raiders are ready to face New Day at Wrestlemania and promise war. If WWE still did Kickoff Show matches, this would be a perfect choice as it does not feel Wrestlemania worthy. Or do it tonight.

New Day is ready for war and last week is just a taste of what they are willing to do.

HHH Hall Of Fame video, looking at the Cell match with Undertaker.

AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross

Scarlett is here with Kross, who is back to his old music and apparently got his tights made by the guy who makes Styles’ gear. That’s…odd. Kross yells at him to start and gets backed into the corner for his efforts. Styles charges into a boot and gets sent throat first into the middle rope. Scarlett even gets in some choking and Kross adds a suplex to send Styles flying. A hard whip into the corner drops Styles, who manages a dropkick out to the floor. Kross is fine enough to whip him into various things outside and we take a break.

Back with Kross getting two off a backbreaker, followed by a Death Valley Driver for the same. Kross: “Did you try to sandbag me?” Styles starts kicking at the leg and Kross goes down, but of course he’s just goldbricking (you have to be a special kind of moron to trust KARRION KROSS). Styles is fine enough to shrug it off and hit a sliding clothesline. The fireman’s carry onto the knee sets up the Phenomenal Forearm to pin Kross at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This was about as good as it was going to get as the Kross stuff has felt like little more than a side trip for Styles on the way to Wrestlemania. As has been the case earlier in the show, this was a fine way to boost a bigger star up to their match this weekend. That’s about all it needed to be and Styles looked fine enough, if you ignore him reaching Sting levels of stupid.

Post match here is Logan Paul to insult both Sacramento and Styles before promising to win at Wrestlemania. This involves a Paul highlight reel, which has Styles wanting to fight Paul right now. Kross gets back up to jump Styles, who lays him out, only to get caught with the big right hand. The Paulverizer leaves Styles laying.

Here is Jey Uso for a chat and the fans love him so much that we get his entrance a second time. Standing on the announcers’ table, Uso talks about how he heard Gunther sounding scared out here earlier tonight so he’s ready to take the title at Wrestlemania. Hit his music.

The Judgment Day jumps Bron Breakker.

Penta vs. Finn Balor

Penta wastes no time in diving onto Balor to start fast and they get inside for the opening bell. A high crossbody gives Penta two but it’s too early for the Sacrifice. Penta hits an enziguri into the corner and kicks him back out for two as the fans are rather pleased. Balor shrugs off a loud chop and hits a basement dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on before Balor stomps away and they head to the apron, where Penta is driven down hard.

We take a break and come back with Balor hitting a superplex for two, followed by the Fujiwara armbar. Penta fights up and starts the comeback, including the Backstabber out of the corner for two. A reverse Sling Blade drops Balor, who is right back with a regular version of his own. The Sacrifice cuts Balor off but the Penta Driver is countered into a rollup for two. Cue Judgment Day for a distraction and Balor hits another Sling Blade. Cue Bron Breakker (with Carlito crawling away to avoid another spear in a funny bit) to jump Balor for the DQ at 11:34.

Rating: B-. These two having a good match shouldn’t be a surprise and the ending is the right call as you don’t want either of them taking a fall before the title match. Penta losing via DQ is fine and it makes Breakker look like a monster who ran through Balor. Perfectly fine way to go here as everyone, including the interfering Dominik Mysterio, get involved.

Post match the big brawl is on, with Breakker spearing Judgment Day and Penta hitting a massive dive onto everyone.

Iyo Sky is tired of being disrespected by Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair because she is still the champion.

Wrestlemania rundown.

CM Punk comes up to Paul Heyman, who is waiting on Roman Reigns. Punk asks what Heyman sees when he looks in Punk’s eyes. Heyman: “A cult of personality?” Punk means a real friend, but Reigns comes in and won’t talk to Heyman.

Here is Reigns, with a nervous looking Heyman, for the big closing segment. Reigns knows that the fans here would never betray him, but not everyone is like that. Someone would betray him, and how could Heyman do that? The fans let Heyman know that he f’d up but Reigns wants them to be louder. Reigns asks Heyman why he did what he did but Heyman says it was not a betrayal because he was just paying back a favor. Reigns doesn’t get that because someone paying back a favor should be done yourself. The reality is that Reigns would never ask for a favor, so why is he covering Heyman’s tab?

Cue Seth Rollins to interrupt, saying Reigns is finally starting to put the pieces together. It’s too little, too late though because Rollins has to end him at Wrestlemania. This is going to be the most important triple threat match in wrestling history because the winner will define the future of the industry (that’s a nice stretch). It can’t be Reigns, who only shows up when it’s convenient and it can’t be Punk, who walks out when things get tough or this business will die.

Rollins will sacrifice himself for what is best for business so it has to be him winning at Wrestlemania. The one thing that Reigns has not figured out is that a favor is a choice. Last week, he chose to not take Heyman out so now Heyman gets to decide if he will pay that favor back. Heyman has made a choice to be in Punk’s corner at Wrestlemania and Reigns needs to find out why Heyman picked Punk over him. Reigns: “Wise man. He’s right.”

Reigns says Heyman has made his choice and now Reigns is making his, and he decks Rollins. Heyman acknowledges Reigns and says that was great…but Reigns shoves him down. Cue Punk to brawl with Reigns and check on a distraught Heyman. Reigns is back in to go after Punk but Rollins gets in a chair (Cole: “Rollins with a Shield chair!”) to Reigns, followed by a Stomp each.

Rollins stares at a scared Heyman to end the show. This was a good way to tie things together and cast some doubt about where things are going at Wrestlemania. While there is a chance that Heyman pulls a swerve and sides with Rollins, I’m not sure I can see it happening. For now though, good closing segment to the main event, but dang Reigns vs. Punk still sounds more appealing, even with Rollins stepping up in recent weeks.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is always a tricky one as it’s not about adding anything new or taking any major steps forward but rather polishing up everything for Wrestlemania. That’s what it should be, though it doesn’t make for the most thrilling show. The last segment was good stuff and there were enough important parts throughout. This weekend is going to be the big deal and next week’s will be a huge Raw as usual, with this show being about setting the pieces up for those shows.

Results
Bayley b. Liv Morgan – Rollup
Rey Mysterio b. Julius Creed – Slingshot splash
AJ Styles b. Karrion Kross – Phenomenal Forearm
Finn Balor b. Penta via DQ when Bron Breakker interfered

 

 

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Smackdown
Date: April 11, 2025
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from Wrestlemania and that means it is time for one of the final pushes to the show. That means we aren’t likely to be seeing much in the way of big time matches but the talking will get a lot of attention this time around. Your mileage may vary but it’s a special time of the year. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Kevin Owens announcing his neck injury and Randy Orton hitting an RKO on Nick Aldis to blow off some steam.

Here is Aldis to get things going with the fans being VERY pro Orton. Aldis is here to address what happened last week and while he is going to maintain his professionalism, he invites Orton to the ring. Cue Orton to say that he paid his fine double in advance because he knew what would happen. Right now there is nothing for him at Wrestlemania and Orton doesn’t care who he faces, but he needs to be on that show. Orton doesn’t even care if it is Aldis himself, but Aldis needs to calm down.

Aldis doesn’t need Orton to pay another fine because he needs his respect. Orton says Aldis earned his respect a long time ago but he can’t promise he’ll apologize to Mickie James if Aldis doesn’t give him a match. Cue Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga, with Sikoa promising that Jacob Fatu is leaving Wrestlemania with the US Title. Orton doesn’t like the interruption and issues the challenge so the brawl is on, with Orton getting beaten down. LA Knight runs in for the save and issues the challenge for the tag match later tonight. Aldis makes the match.

Women’s Tag Team Gauntlet Match

For a shot at Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (ringside) at Wrestlemania. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria are in at #1 and Shayna Baszler/Zoey Stark are in at #2. Baszler takes Bayley down without much trouble to start and it’s off to Stark for a running shoulder. Bayley gets up and brings in Valkyria, who is quickly dropped by Stark. Bayley makes the save so Baszler goes to stomp Valkyria’s arm. That’s reversed into a jackknife cover to give Valkyria the pin at 3:18.

Natalya and Maxxine Dupri are in at #3 and we take a break, coming back with Natalya hammering away at Valkyria. Maxxine comes in with a high crossbody for two on Bayley before taking the straps down (the fans approve). Some running clotheslines set up the reverse Worm but Bayley reverses a Sharpshooter attempt into a small package to pin Dupri at 9:14 total.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are in at #4 and rush Bayley, who gets her knees up to cut off a splash. The elbow drop gets two on Carter so it’s off to Valkyria, who gets caught with the Keg Stand for two. A quick Nightwing finishes Chance at 11:48 total and it’s Michin/B-Fab in at #5.

We take another break and come back with Valkyria kicking her way out of trouble and bringing Bayley back in. Michin cuts her off with a quick DDT and everything breaks down. Michin dives onto Valkyria but Bayley Rose Plants B-Fab for the pin at 17:31 total. Piper Niven and Alba Fyre are in at #6 (last) and knock the winded Bayley outside. A double suplex into a backsplash gets two on Bayley as we take a third break.

Back again with an assisted backsplash giving Fyre two as Bayley is in big trouble. Bayley counters a double suplex into a double DDT (the fans are WAY into the comeback) and the diving tag brings in Valkyria to clean house. A tornado DDT hits Niven, who is right back with a suplex to Valkyria.

Somehow Valkyria powerbombs Niven out of the corner and the top rope elbow gives Bayley one. A backbreaker/Swanton combination gets two on Bayley but Valkyria is back in for the save. Bayley dropkicks Niven into a powerbomb to the floor but Fyre kicks Bayley down for two. The Rose Plant hits Fyre though and Valkyria adds a top rope ax kick for the pin at 28:39.

Rating: B. Normally I don’t care for gauntlet matches but they were working hard here in front of a VERY hot crowd. Bayley and Valkyria are a thrown together team but at least they had to put in a hard fought performance to get the title shot. It’s not like there are any other teams ready to go after the belts and it is something fresh so I can go with this.

Post match the champs get in the ring for the staredown.

Apparently Charlotte and Tiffany Stratton got in a fight before the show. Which we aren’t seeing.

Damian Priest vs. Drew McIntyre is set for a street fight on Wrestlemania Sunday.

Classic Wrestlemania Moment: Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock. That works.

Here is Damian Priest for a chat but Drew McIntyre runs in and rams him head first into the apron monitor. Priest is carried out, leaving McIntyre saying we are starting to see now. McIntyre is the only one who tells the truth and Priest is the only person who benefits from McIntyre getting screwed. Their street fight is a year in the making and his eye is completely fine. He’s 100% cleared so Priest is 100% screwed. Cue Priest so the brawl is on but McIntyre goes to the eyes and hits him in the face with the steps. The Future Shock onto the steps leaves Priest laying.

DIY thinks there is a conspiracy against them and Pretty Deadly thinks they’re nuts. The Motor City Machine Guns come in to mock DIY as well.

We look at Rey Fenix’s debut last week.

HHH Hall Of Fame video, looking at him winning the 1997 King Of The Ring.

Berto vs. Rey Fenix

The rest of Legado del Fantasma are here with Berto. Fenix rolls him up for a fast two to start and spins around into another rollup for another two. Berto shoves him off the top and onto the apron for a crash. The big dive connects and we take a break. Back with Fenix chopping away and hitting a spinning top rope headbutt for a knockdown. Berto is sent outside for the big running flip dive but he’s back in with a springboard kick to the face for two.

A sitout powerbomb gets two more but Fenix is back with a springboard hurricanrana for two of his own. Berto is back with a fireman’s carry into another sitout powerbomb for another near fall. Fenix gets his boots up to stop a moonsault though and a running springboard kick to face in the corner rocks Berto again. The Mexican Muscle Buster finishes for Fenix at 10:41.

Rating: B. This was a good showcase for Fenix, who might not have the cool factor like Penta but he can do some crazy high flying stuff. That’s the kind of thing that is going to get someone noticed in a hurry and Fenix has made it work in two weeks. Note that commentary also mentioned Fenix and Penta are brothers, so they aren’t bothering wasting time with some big reveal.

Roxanne Perez is here to talk about how she doesn’t like Tiffany Stratton, who comes in to yell at her. They both want a match and Nick Aldis pops in to say he’ll think about it.

We get a video on Paul Heyman’s history with CM Punk, including OVW footage and their time working together to great success. Then Punk left and came back, with their relationship still being a thing, albeit in the background. Punk then helped Heyman a bit and Heyman will be in Punk’s corner at Wrestlemania, even with Roman Reigns in the same match.

Chelsea Green is annoyed that Piper Niven and Alba Fyre aren’t ready to help her. Zelina Vega comes in to mock Green for having to wrestle on her own.

We get another smoky vignette.

Zelina Vega vs. Chelsea Green

Non-title. Green stomps away to start and they go outside with Vega being dropped onto the announcers’ table. Green throws her back inside, yells at commentary…and gets counted out at 1:02.

Santos Escobar is disappointed in Berto for losing to Rey Fenix. Escobar and Angel are off to congratulate Fenix on his win.

After a look at what is coming in the rest of the show, Andrade comes in to give Berto a pep talk. Berto tells him to mind his own business.

Naomi can’t stand Jade Cargill, who she calls a snake for taking Naomi’s spot.

Jade Cargill says Naomi’s time has run out and revenge is coming.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat and there are a bunch of WWE Titles from throughout history in the ring. Rhodes puts his title on a pedestal in the middle of the rest and, after soaking in some cheers, Rhodes thanks the fans for always giving him a warm reception. These titles are the denotations of excellence and Rhodes has been blessed to hold the title. Wrestlemania is about the next twenty champions, who might be from NXT or the ID Program or maybe someone here in Seattle tonight. But there is one man who wants to take all that away and that man is John Cena.

Seattle is not part of Cena’s retirement tour so Rhodes brings up Cena saying Rhodes is nothing but a common fan. Rhodes has his tattoo and wears a suit because he wants to be someone. He goes down the titles and talks about various champions who held them, including Cena with the spinner title. Cena was someone who was trying to find himself, which is what he has said about Rhodes.

The reality right now is that Rhodes is the WWE Champion and Cena is not. Rhodes calls himself the captain around here and he is part of a stacked roster (which he lists off). The reality is that Rhodes does his best work when his back is against the wall and that is going to be the case at Wrestlemania. It would be clever for Rhodes to say Cena’s time is up but that has been the case for a long time. The reality is Rhodes is champion and it is staying with the people. I love a good props segment and this was very good stuff, with Rhodes making the title the focal point of the whole thing.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Street Profits are ready to retain their Tag Team Titles against the Motor City Machine Guns next week. Dawkins even mentions the IWC as the Guns’ fans, but Miz and Carmelo Hayes interrupt. They seem to want the titles for themselves and a staredown ensues.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez

Non-title. Stratton shoves her out of the corner to start and Matrixes her way out of a clothesline. A headscissors takes Stratton down but she’s back with some snap suplexes for two. The referee has to fix the ring skirt though and Stratton is sent into the post as we take a break.

Back with Stratton hitting some clotheslines and a spinebuster gets two. Another spinebuster gets another two but Perez avoids a hip attack. Perez’s Lionsault hits raised knees but she breaks up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. A middle rope Russian legsweep gives Perez two and the crossface goes on. That’s countered with a Regal Roll and the Prettiest Moonsault Ever finishes for Stratton at 9:18.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here with Perez looking like she was getting squashed but turning it into a good match. That’s a nice thing to see as Perez could be quite the player on the main roster if given the chance. I’m not sure when that is going to start, but at least she is in the ring for something like this. Also of note: it’s a bit odd that both Women’s Champions both use moonsaults as a finish. Not a bad thing, but not something you often see.

Post match here is Charlotte, who had been sent home, to jump Stratton.

We recap CM Punk picking his favor from Paul Heyman, which did not sit well with Roman Reigns. Then Seth Rollins attacked Punk and teased attacking Heyman, saying Heyman owed him a favor as a result. They wouldn’t have Punk join Rollins, right?

We get the official Wrestlemania lineups, including the days:

Saturday:

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
Naomi vs. Jade Cargill
Raw Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. New Day
Rey Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano
US Title: LA Knight vs. Jacob Fatu
Smackdown Women’s Title: Tiffany Stratton vs. Charlotte
Raw World Title: Gunther vs. Jey Uso

Sunday:

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bayley/Lyra Valkyria vs. Liv Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez
Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest
Intercontinental Title: Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
AJ Styles vs. Logan Paul
Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Iyo Sky
Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena

That Saturday show is rather stacked, though I would assume Sunday gets another match to even things up.

Randy Orton/LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa/Tama Tonga

Tonga drives Knight into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs. Sikoa comes in and Knight fights his way out of the corner, allowing the early tag off to Orton. An early hanging DDT plants Sikoa but he comes back with a Samoan drop as we take a break. Back with Sikoa grabbing a chinlock so Orton belly to back suplexes his way to freedom.

Knight comes in for a running knee in the corner to Tonga and a neckbreaker out of the corner drops Sikoa. Back up and the Samoan Spike hits Knight, only for Tonga to walk into the RKO. Sikoa and Orton brawl into the crowd, leaving Knight to hit the BFT to pin Tonga at 9:01.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much a house show main event and that’s not a bad way to wrap up the night. We’re coming up Knight facing a member of the family for his title at Wrestlemania so having him beat one of the lackeys is a fine way to go. Orton vs. Sikoa doesn’t feel like much of a Wrestlemania showdown (and it might not be) but it’s not like they have anything else ready on such short notice.

Post match Jacob Fatu comes in and beats down Knight, including three triple jump moonsaults, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. We’re literally now to the point where the cards have been announced for Wrestlemania so there isn’t much left to do. With just the final Raw and next week’s Smackdown, which is pretty much just a big pre-show, to go, Wrestlemania really feels like it is here. This week’s show had better action than I was expecting and I really liked the Rhodes segment with the classic belts. Good stuff here (with one of the hottest American crowds in recent memory), as we’re starting to get the final touches ready for the biggest nights of the year.

Results
Bayley/Lyra Valkyria won a gauntlet match last eliminating Piper Niven and Alba Fyre
Rey Fenix b. Berto – Mexican Muscle Buster
Zelina Vega b. Chelsea Green via countout
Tiffany Stratton b. Roxanne Perez – Prettiest Moonsault Ever
LA Knight/Randy Orton b. Solo Sikoa/Tama Tonga – BFT to Tonga

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Wrestlemania XXIX
Date: April 7, 2013
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance: 80,676
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

With those matches out of the way, the only name left is the Undertaker, who will be facing CM Punk in a match that might have been better had it been for the title. This time it’s personal though, as Paul Bearer had recently passed away, leaving Punk to mock his memory and steal the urn one last time. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Intercontinental Title: Wade Barrett vs. The Miz

Barrett is defending and Miz is now a good guy who uses the Figure Four. Miz gets sent to the apron to start but slides in for a sunset flip for two. A hard kick to the ribs drops Miz but he’s still able to get his boot up to stop Wade’s running boot. The Reality Check (backbreaker/neckbreaker combo) gets two on the champ, followed by Winds of Change (spinning Boss Man Slam) from Barrett for the same. Barrett’s Bull Hammer (hard elbow to the head) is countered with the Figure Four, sending Wade into the ropes. Not that it matters as Miz sweeps the leg and puts the hold on again for the tap out and the title at 4:05.

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.”

We’re back in the company’s home area, hence the theme song called Coming Home.

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

Shield (Dean Ambrose/Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins. I’ll spare you a description of each.) comes through the crowd as is their custom. Show hasn’t been considered the most trustworthy partner so the question is whether or not the team will implode. Sheamus and Reigns get things going with Roman taking over in the corner and stopping a charge with an elbow.

It’s off to Orton to slam Rollins’ head into the mat and then stomp on his face. Some right hands in the corner and a slingshot suplex get two on Rollins and it’s back to Sheamus. Notice the lack of tagging in Big Show. Ambrose comes in and gets powered down by Sheamus as well, only to have Show tag himself in for a series of rapid fire (well as rapid fire as Show can reach) chops in the corner.

Shield starts going with what brought them to the dance with the fast tags, setting up the top rope knee to Show’s head for two. Dean has lost his shirt as he comes in to stomp Show down, followed by some knees to the head to give Rollins two. Reigns puts on a chinlock (he’s the only member of the team who could make that work) until Show easily throws him down and makes the tag off to Sheamus.

That means Rollins loses his shirt as well for the ten forearms to the chest. Not to be outdone, Ambrose replaces Sheamus and takes a string of forearms of his own. Reigns breaks up the top rope battering ram though as Orton and Show have been taken down off camera. Orton gets triple teamed and it’s a triple stomp on Sheamus back inside.

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.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here as Shield looked good and are clearly the future. Show turning on his partners doesn’t do anything for me as it happens at least twice a year. Orton and Sheamus were great choices to put in on the team as they can take a loss with no damage and are just good enough that you could see them pulling it off. Shield would have far better matches but that wasn’t the point here.

Post match Show knocks his partners out.

Music video on Rock vs. Cena. Haven’t we already paid for the match at this point? We really don’t need to have it hyped again. The theme here is Rock’s legacy vs. Cena’s redemption.

Ryback vs. Mark Henry

Ryback has been in a free fall since losing his undefeated streak and needs a win to get his momentum back. Henry hasn’t meant much in awhile but is still strong enough to be a threat to anyone. They slug it out to start with Henry as the strong crowd favorite despite being the heel. New York fans are smart you see. Henry runs him over and grabs a powerslam for one.

A “Sexual Chocolate” chant begins and Henry clotheslines him out to the floor before bringing Ryback inside again for some shots to the back. The bearhug doesn’t last long as Henry throws him outside again, only to put the bearhug on again. Just in case Ryback didn’t learn his lesson the first time. Ryback makes his quick comeback with the Meathook clothesline but Henry grabs the rope to break up the Shellshock. The weight makes Ryback collapse and Henry falls on him for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: D. What the heck was that? They’ve set Ryback up as needing a win and they have him lose here? The only answer would be a losing streak to set up a heel turn, because WWE thinks the best way to get someone over as a heel is to have them lose all their matches first. Really weird decision here but WWE had a lot of those.

Post match Ryback hits the Shell Shock. Henry would lose a World Title shot the next night and Ryback would indeed turn heel, leading a series of pay per view title shots. Why they didn’t have Ryback win here, then have Henry answer an open challenge for the title the next night and then let Ryback have his title series as the bigger threat. Instead they did everything backwards because they do a lot of stupid things.

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

HELL NO (Daniel Bryan/Kane) is defending. Langston is Ziggler’s new bodyguard and an awesome powerhouse. The bell rings and Ziggler kisses AJ (Now with him. As Lawler put it, AJ has been on more manhunts than the FBI.) and walks into a kick to the head from Bryan for two in a nice callback. Ziggler bails to the floor and eats a suicide dive followed by the YES kicks. That’s finally enough to send Ziggler over for the tag and Bryan does the same for the power vs. power match.

Langston throws Kane into the corner and powers out of a chokeslam before running Kane over ala Vader. It’s off to Ziggler who misses a splash in the corner and overshoots the Fameasser. Everything breaks down as Langston breaks up a cover, leaving Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag on Kane for two. AJ throws in the Money in the Bank briefcase, only to have Dolph walk into a chokeslam. Bryan adds the top rope headbutt to retain the titles at 6:17.

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.

Now we get Fandango’s real control as he drops his top rope legdrop for two. Yeah they really just had his finisher get two in his debut. Does that mean it’s still his finisher? Jericho breaks up a second legdrop attempt but the Walls are countered into a small package for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C. That’s one of the biggest upsets in Wrestlemania history and it really shouldn’t be that big of a surprise given that Jericho was only around to put people over at this point. The extra time helped a bit but everyone knew that a dancing gimmick was only going to go so far, though it did lead to the INSANE rise of Fandangoing (a dance done to the tune of Fandango’s music) that was the hottest thing in the company for about a week, starting the next night.

Clip of the pre-show match.

Another Rock vs. Cena video with fans quoting Rock’s catchphrases. This is the kind of stuff that really needed to be cut for the sake of more match time.

Here’s a montage of Wrestlemania moments set to music from the Rocky movies, leading to P. Diddy coming out for the musical medley. At least it’s shorter than Kid Rock.

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 is challenging and doesn’t even get an entrance. Did I mention that he had been arrested for DUI and marijuana possession about six weeks before this match? Before the match, Colter rips on New York for being a bunch of people who can’t speak English. Swagger recently broke Ricardo Rodriguez’s ankle but Ricardo limps out here. I had hoped they would get Ricardo deported and then have him make his big return here instead but it’s not that big of a deal.

Swagger bails to the floor to start so Alberto drops him with two boots through the ropes. Back in and a Colter distraction lets Swagger run him over and put on a very quickly broken chinlock. A Vader bomb gets a close two on the champ and Jack drives in some weak shoulders to the ribs. Alberto fires off some clotheslines and even stomps on Colter’s hand, only to have Swagger slam him down to break up the armbreaker attempt.

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.

WWE supports the National Guard, in case you haven’t been told how awesome the company is in the last half hour.

We recap CM Punk vs. Undertaker, which is mostly about the urn and Paul Bearer’s legacy. Undertaker had been paying tribute to him but Punk interrupted to say that Bearer was lucky enough to not see Undertaker lose his Wrestlemania perfection. Punk spent weeks disrespecting Bearer’s memory with manager Paul Heyman even dressing up like Bearer as a distraction so Punk could beat Undertaker down. Undertaker swore that even if the Streak ended, Punk wouldn’t live to tell about it.

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.

The chokeslam is broken up by a kick to the head so Undertaker takes him to the floor and throws Punk over the timekeeper’s barricade. It’s time to load up the announcers’ table but Undertaker throws him back inside. Old School is broken up as well and Punk actually does his own Old School for a new idea.

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.

The Macho Elbow gets the same and Heyman holds up the urn. A quick chokeslam gets two for Undertaker but the big boot is blocked by a leg lariat. They head outside with Punk escaping a Last Ride and kicking Undertaker onto the table. The Macho Elbow doesn’t break the table which had to feel horrible on Punk’s hip and knee. Undertaker beats the count at nine and a half and Punk is shocked. He’s shocked enough that Undertaker grabs Hell’s Gate, only to have Punk roll over into the Anaconda Vice.

In the spot of the match, Undertaker does the situp and stares into Punk’s eyes as the hold is still on. Punk’s confidence is shattered as he looks completely terrified with his best move getting him nowhere. A chokeslam is countered into a bad GTS but Undertaker shrugs it off (to be fair it really didn’t connect) and grabs a Tombstone for two on a hot near fall. They slug it out and there goes the referee.

Punk tries his running knee in the corner but gets countered into the Last Ride. Before he’s dropped, Heyman throws in the urn for a shot to the head and a very close two (done much better with HHH and the sledgehammer at Wrestlemania XVII). The GTS is countered into the Tombstone which is countered into the GTS which is countered into the Tombstone to make it 21-0 at 22:08.

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.

Here’s a video on Cena wanting his redemption tonight after losing a year ago. This makes over ten minutes spent on these things.

Sports commentator Michelle Beadle is here.

We recap HHH vs. Lesnar II. They fought at Summerslam 2012 with Lesnar making HHH tap out. HHH teased retiring as a result (again taking the focus off Lesnar as the last shot of the show was HHH standing in the ring alone) and after no one bought it, Lesnar attacked Vince and Shawn to set up the rematch here. To make it even more intense, it’s no holds barred with HHH’s career on the line. (which was announced with the same intensity as last year’s Cell match). Just in case you had any doubt that HHH was winning here you see.

At the end of the day though, everyone knew this was all about HHH getting his redemption over Lesnar because Lesnar is the latest monster trying to stop HHH’s precious legacy, even though Lesnar is anything but just another monster. Unfortunately that’s how Lesnar was billed and it made this feud even less interesting. The first match was fine, but this was the least interesting rematch in a long time.

HHH vs. Brock Lesnar

Shawn and Heyman are here as seconds and remember it’s no holds barred. HHH sends him to the floor to start and whips Brock hard into the barricade. You know, the same Brock who destroyed Cena when they fought about a year ago? Well HHH is beating him up a minute into the match. The fans are silent but it’s in awe of the awesomeness I’m sure.

HHH knocks a chair out of Lesnar’s hands but Heyman is smart enough to grab the chair before HHH can get it. A whip into the steps has no effect on Brock as he belly to bellys HHH on the floor (now that’s more like it). HHH gets suplexed through the announcers’ table and Brock is in Beast Mode. Brock throws him onto the pieces of the table and a single glare at Shawn sends him SPRINTING away. Yeah because a Hall of Famer and one of the best ever just isn’t good enough to stand up to Brock the way HHH did.

Back in and a series of suplexes gets a series of two counts. Brock goes after Shawn on the floor but the distraction lets HHH get in a clothesline to put Lesnar in the timekeeper’s area. That goes nowhere though as Brock Germans him again and elbows Shawn in the face. You don’t mess with HHH’s life partner though and he plants Brock with a spinebuster. The Pedigree is countered into an F5 but Shawn comes in for a superkick, only to take the F5 instead.

HHH grabs a quick Pedigree for two but the sledgehammer shot is countered with an F5 for another two. They go outside again with HHH going into the steps, which are then sent inside for more fun. Brock hits him with the steps for two and tells HHH to retire, igniting HHH’s comeback. Cole: “A little flame in the game!” The Kimura (Brock’s arm lock) has HHH in trouble but he breaks it up as the fans want to see a broken arm.

Brock gets it on for the fourth time in a row with his legs wrapped around HHH’s waist, only to get powered into a spinebuster for the break. HHH is MANLY you see. A low blow keeps Brock down and HHH wraps his arm around the post. He crushes Brock’s arm with a chair for good measure and there’s a Kimura from HHH. So he’s a submission guy too. Heyman tries to come in for the save but Shawn superkicks him down. See, Heyman isn’t some big monster that would scare Shawn.

Thankfully Brock doesn’t tap as he lifts HHH up and slams him onto the steps. HHH grabs the hold again so Brock counters it the same way. It worked so well that they do it AGAIN, but since HHH is so smart he counters into a DDT onto the steps. The sledgehammer to the head and a Pedigree onto the steps ends Brock at 23:58.

Rating: B-. This was HHH’s big thank you for putting Lesnar over last year, because a win over HHH means SO much at this point. Let’s recap: HHH is able to beat Brock in a slugout, knows how to do UFC submissions, isn’t a coward like Shawn (that Hall of Fame World Champion), can survive suplexes and F5’s and isn’t hurt by things like Kimuras.

HHH looked like a god here and it was so ridiculous for a long majority of the match. The fans’ silence was so telling as they just did not want to see HHH get his big moment, no matter how much HHH demanded that he get it. Oh and they had ANOTHER match the next month too, stretching their feud to a year. At least HHH was nice enough to put Lesnar over there, because he couldn’t do it here at the show people remember most.

Hall of Fame video, with a STACKED lineup.

Here’s the Class of 2013: Mick Foley, Booker T. (probably the lowest level wrestler in the class), Trish Stratus, Bob Backlund, Donald Trump (booed here but he’s been at five Wrestlemanias now) and the headliner: Bruno Sammartino (so long overdue it’s unreal). If there’s ever been a better class, I’ve yet to see it.

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 is defending. Cena is booed out of the building even worse than he was last year, which I didn’t think was possible. After the big match intros, Cena runs him over with a shoulder to start. Rock nails one of his own and it’s a standoff. They circle each other for a bit as the fans are restless, leaving Cole to explain Rock’s history.

Rock takes over with some right hands and a kick to the face but Cena grabs a belly to belly. A chinlock keeps the match slow until Rock reverses into a sleeper. Cena counters with another suplex and stomps down as JBL actually says Rock and Cena compete in movies. A release fisherman’s suplex gets two on the champ and good grief do something interesting already.

Rock comes back with right hands before ducking a shoulder. The STF is broken up but now some weak shoulders have Rock in trouble. Well they’re certainly doing something now. A much better Sharpshooter has Cena in trouble but he rolls away and hits the ProtoBomb. The Shuffle misses so Cena settles for the STF, only to have Rock reverse into a rollup for two.

Cena catapults him into the corner and now the Shuffle connects. The AA is broken up and Rock plants him with the spinebuster, only to have the People’s Elbow countered into another STF. Rock rolls onto his side and separates Cena’s hands for the break in a good power display. Back up and a Rock Bottom out of nowhere gets two. There’s an AA for two with almost no one buying the near fall.

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.

Just like last year (again), Cena tries the Elbow but is ready for Rock, only to take too much time setting up the AA and getting countered into the Rock Bottom for two. They counter each others’ finishers about five times in a row (with little energy on any of them) until Rock plants him with a DDT. Another Rock Bottom is countered into another AA to give Cena the title back at 24:00.

Rating: B-. While it’s still entertaining, there was almost no emotion in this. It felt like both guys were just going through the motions to get to the obvious ending and that’s not good. As we’ve seen over the years, there are ways to have an entertaining match with an obvious ending but that’s not what happened here. Instead this was a bunch of finishing moves over and over after about ten minutes of nothing to start. It’s still a good enough match, but they really needed more intensity here. At least look like you’re giving it everything you have even if you really aren’t.

One last thing of note: at some point, Rock ripped his abdominal muscle and suffered a hernia. Reports vary about when it happened (ranging from in the opening to the first AA to the final AA) but it’s a major reason why Rock hasn’t had a match since. This is WAY too dangerous for him to be doing when he’s needed on movie sets and it will probably keep him out of the ring for good, save for maybe one more farewell match.

They shake hands post match and say something to each other than the cameras can’t pick up. Cena leaves Rock in the ring to pose until Rock comes up to the stage to raise Cena’s hand and end the show.

Overall Rating: C. In a word, this show was just there. There’s good stuff on it but nothing feels like it matters. Instead we have a bunch of good to decent matches with the crowd (and remember a good chunk of it is a New York crowd) not caring. The last two matches are especially bad about this as they were rematches that people didn’t want to see. The HHH vs. Lesnar rematch was even worse about this as there was no need to have a rematch other than to make HHH look good. Rock vs. Cena wasn’t as bad about that but it also wasn’t as entertaining of a match.

Undertaker vs. Punk is definitely the best match of the show due to the good story behind it and the execution helps even more. I still didn’t believe that Punk was a real threat to the streak but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining. Punk got in a lot more offense than I was expecting and had some near falls to make it good. There was no way Undertaker was going out in his tribute to Bearer though.

The rest of the card is where the show falls apart. There’s some watchable stuff but so much of it feels like it belongs on Raw. None of the first five matches break eleven minutes and I really didn’t have much interest in seeing Chris Jericho lose to a newcomer, even if it was one of the biggest upsets ever. The first half of this show had the problem of not feeling like a Wrestlemania, which is one of the worst things that can happen. The second half is a huge improvement, but nowhere near enough to make this required viewing.

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.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

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/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Wrestlemania XXVIII
Date: April 1, 2012
Location: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida
Attendance: 78,363
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

As big as HHH vs. Undertaker is, everything pales in comparison to Rock vs. Cena. This was the biggest match since Rock vs. Austin’s heyday and the money it brought in more than validated an entire year spent setting everything up. There’s no way the match isn’t going to be great and everyone was ready to see it. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Primo/Epico vs. Tyson Kidd/Justin Gabriel

Primo and Epico (Carlito and Primo’s cousin) are defending and this is one fall to a finish. Primo, Jey and Kidd start things off and you have to tag your partner. Kidd sends Primo to the floor and jumps into a rollup for two. The champs start stomping Tyson gets caught in a DDT for two more. Primo loads up a superplex on Jey but Kidd springboards up to make it a Tower of Doom in a cool spot.

Jimmy and Epico get hot tags and everything breaks down. Jey throws Gabriel up for a Samoan drop but Justin kicks out. Epico gets backdropped over the top and out onto Primo, setting up a dive from Jey. Gabriel moonsaults out onto all three of them, leaving only Jimmy on his feet. Jimmy throws Gabriel back in for a cover, only to have Epico come in for a Backstabber to Jimmy for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. Fun tag match here and much better than most of the pre-show matches in recent years. Epico and Primo certainly weren’t great champions by any stretch but there were far worse options out there. This wasn’t meant to revitalize the division or anything but it was very suitable for a quick match to fire the crowd up.

Lillian Garcia sings America the Beautiful. The show is outside again and the stadium looks amazing.

The opening video shows the paths that Cena and Rock took to get here in a really nice concept. We also see the montage of Wrestlemania moments before focusing on HHH vs. Undertaker as the last of a generation. Just like two years earlier, they’re making no secret of the fact that this is a two match card.

World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

Notice that the Raw and Smackdown names have been dropped as the Brand Split officially ended in August 2011. Sheamus is challenging after winning the 2012 Royal Rumble and choosing to fight Bryan, who won the title by cashing in a Money in the Bank contract at Tables, Ladders and Chairs 2011. Bryan also has his girlfriend AJ Lee with him. The bell rings, Bryan kisses AJ, and it’s a Brogue Kick to give us a new champion at 18 seconds. That fall would haunt Bryan for over a year and indirectly lead to his rise up the card which we’ll get to later.

Team Johnny (as in John Laurinitis, one of McMahon’s longtime yes men) is ready for the ten man tag later tonight. Miz tries to captain the team but they’re not interested in listening. David Otunga (a wrestling lawyer) introduces Johnny in his white suit. Johnny talks about what a big moment this is going to be, just like Austin not submitting and Hogan slamming Andre. There’s no punchline or anything here and it’s just building up the match later. It’s Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy with the winning GM controlling both shows.

Kane vs. Randy Orton

Kane is upset that he shook Randy’s hand last year after a street fight and needs to become a monster again. Cole explained that as Kane made his entrance and it was simple, to the point, and told you everything you need to know. Why is that so hard the rest of the year? The fans chant for Bryan as the sun is starting to set.

Orton pounds him down to start and loads up the elevated DDT (which Cole calls a bulldog), only to get draped over the top rope. A big boot to the face sets up a chinlock as the match slows down a bit. Kane’s side slam gets two more and we hear a weak BORING chant. Orton gets taken down in a vertical suplex and Kane puts on his third chinlock of the match. They get back up and Orton hooks his backbreaker, followed by the elevated DDT (AGAIN called a bulldog by Cole).

It’s Kane up first though and he tries the top rope clothesline, only to dive into the dropkick. The Punt is countered into a chokeslam for two (Do they really need to have finishers kicked out of so often? This is a midcard match, not a main event.) so Kane heads up top. Orton breaks it up and tries the superplex, only to get countered into a super chokeslam to give Kane the pin at 10:57.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t bad and it’s nice to see Orton lose a match after getting dominated and not just nail a quick RKO for the pin. You can tell this is designed to set up a bunch of rematches, which is part of the problem with Wrestlemania: it should be the big ending to a feud, not the start of one. I liked this more the first time around but the chinlocks really hold it back on another viewing.

Santino Marella talks to a cast member from Deadliest Catch and Mick Foley is there eating crabs while talking like a pirate. Mr. Socko and the Cobra make cameo appearances and destroy the crabs until Ron Simmons comes in for his catchphrase.

Intercontinental Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show

Show is challenging but more importantly he’s in search of his Wrestlemania moment. Cody had made fun of him for weeks over being a joke at Wrestlemania because in this universe, Wrestlemania XVI where Big Show was in the main event doesn’t exist. Yeah he lost quick but how many main events has Cody been in? Cole makes it even worse by saying Show has won some tag matches but was never involved in the pinfall victory. I guess that quick match last year doesn’t count either.

Cody gets Show to chase him to start but dives into Show’s arms, meaning it’s time for the beating to begin. There are the loud chops in the corner and Show adds a Stinkface to make up for some of the humiliation. Cody comes back with a series of dropkicks, including one to the leg for a smart move.

Show gets his leg cranked as Cole says he isn’t as big when he’s on the mat. As usual, this is inaccurate. Actually Show is the same size but he can’t use it to his advantage. I know it’s stupid but that always gets on my nerves. Show fights up and the Disaster Kick doesn’t even knock him down. Cody tries another but gets “speared” (more like a shoulder block which went very low), followed by the WMD (KO Punch) for the pin and the title at 5:20.

Rating: D. So Big Show has the title now, but I guess the whole Wrestlemania moment is the real prize. It’s not like the title had meant anything in years anyway so that makes as much sense as anything else. It makes more sense than saying being in the main event of a Wrestlemania doesn’t count as a major moment at least.

Video on what it means to be a WWE Diva, which seems to translate to wearing very little clothing and dancing a lot.

We recap the Divas tag match. Kelly Kelly had been a guest on Maria Menunos’ (a good looking TV host) Extra when Eve Torres and Beth Phoenix came in and said they should be interviewed. The solution was a tag match of course.

Maria Menunos/Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres

Beth is Divas Champion (and has wings on her head for no apparent reason) while Maria has cracked ribs and stress fractures in her feet. A quick rollup gets two for Kelly but her cartwheel into an elbow hits feet to the legs. Eve’s moonsault is broken up and Maria comes in for a double Stinkface. Off to a bodyscissors on Maria until Beth comes in for a bearhug from the side.

Eve tries another dancing moonsault but gets kicked out to the floor, allowing for the tag off to Kelly. The screaming headscissors puts Beth down and a top rope seated senton gets two. Beth’s Glam Slam is countered into a bulldog (actually a bulldog this time) and the tag is made to the still injured Maria. Kelly saves her from getting slammed and Maria rolls Beth up for the pin at 6:50.

Rating: D+. I know Kelly is supposed to be this big deal but her theme song is still about hollering in a club to a hot beat. Then you have the Divas Champion lose to a celebrity, who to be fair was clearly trying. The match could have been worse but the division was just dying at this point and this was great proof. Watchable match, horrible ending. You really can’t have Eve get pinned here? Really? Also: only Maria would be involved with the next Wrestlemania.

Shawn Michaels says this next match will be the end of an era. It’s ironic that he gets to decide which era that will be.

The attendance record is announced.

Jim Ross, now with a goatee, comes out to do commentary.

There’s no recap for the Cell match (if you were watching the show you probably knew the story already) but as I said it’s the final chapter in the story between these three men. HHH wanted one more shot at the Streak (though the way he talked you would think he already broke it) and Undertaker agreed if it was inside the Cell. Shawn is guest referee to add some more drama.

Undertaker vs. HHH

Inside Hell in a Cell with Shawn as guest referee. Shawn takes a quick lap around the stage before coming to the ring. HHH comes out through a miniature set designed like a war helmet and shoulder pads. Undertaker’s hair now now shaved into a mohawk with the first reveal coming here, much to the crowd’s shock. The Cell is lowered to The Memory Remains by Metallica, allowing JR to talk about how the Cell is morally corrupt.

Undertaker slugs him down to start (with carcinogenic right hands according to JR) and HHH can’t hang in a fist fight. They head outside instead with Undertaker backdropping him onto the floor. The announcers talk about how this is the end of an era and we’ll never return to it. Undertaker sends him into the cage as Cole’s latest stat is HHH winning every match in which Shawn is a guest referee. So he’s what: 2 or 3-0?

Back in and the facebuster has no effect on Undertaker and it’s Old School putting HHH down again. The steps off HHH’s head surprisingly don’t draw blood. The apron legdrop keeps HHH in trouble before we get to the real violence. HHH finally gets in a DDT for a breather but the Pedigree onto the steps is quickly broken up. The spinebuster onto the steps works a lot better and Undertaker is in trouble.

HHH walks right into Hell’s Gate from the steps so he lifts Undertaker up (JR: “Sinful strength by HHH!”) into a powerbomb onto the mat for the save. The steps are sent to the floor and it’s time for the chair shots to Undertaker’s back. Shawn tries to pull HHH off but JR accurately says that there are no rules (unfortunately with no strange word choices). Michaels tries to talk Undertaker into quitting (out of sympathy, not cheating) but Undertaker demands that it not be stopped.

That earns him a chair to the ribs and the back for a pretty slow two count. HHH goes to get more weapons and tells Shawn to end it before he does. That means sledgehammer time but Undertaker says keep it going. There’s a sledgehammer shot to the face for two (we’re getting close to that ridiculous point). Shawn breaks up another one to the back of the head to avoid being a murder witness and thinks about calling the match to save Undertaker.

You don’t threaten the Undertaker though so he chokes Shawn out to break it up. That earns him another sledgehammer to the head but there’s no referee. Undertaker is still able to kick HHH low, despite probably having about 18 concussions at once. The Hell’s Gate has HHH in trouble and here’s another referee to take Shawn’s place. A chokeslam gets two so Undertaker chokeslams the new referee (barely getting him above shoulder high).

Shawn gets back up and superkicks Undertaker into the Pedigree for maybe the hottest near fall of all time, sending Shawn nearly into tears in the corner. I totally and completely bought that it was over on that cover. HHH gets the sledgehammer and throws an intervening Shawn to the floor…..and Undertaker sits up with that look in his eye. You can take your Brock Lesnar, your old school Vader, your Mankind and your Mr. McMahon at his craziest. For me, ticked off Undertaker is the scariest thing in wrestling.

The big boot and Snake Eyes set up a Tombstone for a very close two and Undertaker’s adrenaline comes to a sudden stop. They slug it out from their knees and then their feet until a quick Pedigree gets two. Shawn is still on the verge of tears. Undertaker sits up again but falls when he tries to get to his feet. HHH gets the sledgehammer again but Undertaker steps on it before unloading on HHH with a chair.

The chair is bent over HHH’s back and now Shawn has to try to stop Undertaker. All those shots are only good for two and Shawn begs HHH to stop. HHH tries to get the sledgehammer back up but Undertaker easily blocks a swing. Barely able to stand in the corner, HHH fires off a crotch chop as Shawn turns his head. A sledgehammer to the head means it’s time for the straps to come down and the Tombstone finally ends HHH at 30:54.

Rating: A+. What a ride. Those are the first words to come to my head after seeing this again because that went from one end of the roller coaster to another with every kind of emotion you could find in the middle. This is one of the best stories ever told in a match and a perfect way to conclude a four year saga between these three men. I’m glad the Streak didn’t end here, but that superkick into the Pedigree had me ready to believe that it was over. This is an absolute masterpiece and the definition of wrestling as art. There’s nothing left for these three to do and they left it all in the ring. See this if you haven’t before.

Shawn has to pull Undertaker up as HHH is still unconscious. They eventually help HHH out and get him up the ramp where they all hug to truly end this in a show of respect. That’s what the entire story was based on, even if they went to war for years. It was never a war based on hatred and it’s very good that they showcased that at the end.

We get the Hall of Fame video from last night with the Four Horsemen being inducted as a team so Flair could be put in twice. This wound up biting them though as Flair was officially still under contract to TNA so WWE had to send Christian to Slammiversary 2012 as compensation (while Christian was still Intercontinental Champion).

Here’s the Class of 2012: Mil Mascaras, Yokozuna (represented by his children), Ron Simmons, the Four Horsemen (Flair, Arn Anderson, JJ Dillon, Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham. I believe it’s just this incarnation and not the group as a whole), Mike Tyson and Edge.

Heath Slater wants to sing a duet with Florida (“That’s Flo Rida.”) but Rida isn’t interested in any sort of partnership. Slater gets beaten up.

Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny

Teddy: Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, Great Khali, Booker T.

Johnny: David Otunga, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, The Miz

The winner’s team gets to run both shows. Johnny has Vickie Guerrero and Brie Bella, Teddy has Hornswoggle, Eve Torres, Brie Bella and Aksana (Teddy’s would-be girlfriend). Ryder is fresh off becoming a grassroots hero who won the US Title, only to lose it all (presumably because he isn’t what WWE wanted as a star, as brilliant an idea as that is). Johnny is in a white suit and red tie, making him look like a thin Colonel Sanders. All of the wrestlers (including Captains Otunga and Marella (US Champion)) are in red or blue shirts.

Kofi and Ziggler start (makes sense as they’ve fought literally about thirty times on TV alone over the years) with Kofi grabbing a headlock and bringing in Truth for a double hiptoss. Ziggler comes back with a dropkick and it’s off to Drew as Cole and Lawler bicker over who would be the better GM.

Khali comes in for the big chops before handing it off to Booker (a last minute addition to the team) for two off a side slam. Booker gets in trouble though and it’s time for the face in peril (along with Vickie screaming). Mark comes in and throw Booker into the corner before Miz comes in, much to Cole’s delight. Booker fights out of a chinlock as the discussion turns to Vickie’s looks.

The World’s Strongest Slam drops Booker and everything breaks down. A double flapjack drops Khali but Kofi, Ryder and Truth hit triple flip dives to take out most of Team Johnny. Aksana and Vickie brawl which gets the Bellas into it. The hot tag brings in Santino to clean house, including his saluting top rope headbutt.

There’s the Cobra to Miz (Cole: “Oh my God, oh my God.”) but Ziggler breaks it up at two. Ryder comes in and takes down Miz and Ziggler, including a Rough Ryder (leg lariat) to Dolph. Eve gets in the ring for no apparent reason other than to distract Ryder, allowing Miz to hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the pin on Zack at 10:38.

Rating: D+. Big mess here but that triple dive was really cool looking. This was another step towards Ryder’s complete burial after he ran from Kane, was destroyed by Kane, lost his US Title and lost Eve (the woman of his dreams) a few months ago. It was depressing how bad things got for him and he never recovered. As you probably guessed, this was your annual get everyone on the show match.

Eve kicks Ryder low to make sure you get the idea: don’t cheer for people WWE doesn’t pick.

Alex Rodriguez and Torrie Wilson are here.

Wrestlemania week video.

CM Punk is ready to defend his WWE World Title but Johnny comes up to say the title can change hands on a DQ.

We recap Jericho vs. Punk. Jericho returned again and accused Punk of ripping him off when Punk called himself the best in the world. Punk eliminated him from the Elimination Chamber by knocking Jericho out due to injury without pinning him. Jericho then won a battle royal to earn this shot and started accusing Punk’s family of being a bunch of alcoholics and drug addicts. That’s too much for Punk and now he’s out for blood.

WWE World Title: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

Punk is defending if that wasn’t clear and he can lose the title on a DQ, just in case they didn’t hammer the idea in well enough at Wrestlemania XXV. The champ takes it to the mat to start before taking Jericho down again with a knee to the ribs. Jericho gets sent into the corner where he shouts “HOW’S YOUR FATHER” to send Punk over the edge again. Punk beats him down again but the threat of the top rope elbow sends Jericho to the floor.

That’s fine with Punk as he dives onto Jericho, who then asks about Punk’s sister. Punk grabs a chair but opts to kick Jericho in the ribs instead. Just like three years ago, these pauses are killing the flow of the match. A quick dropkick gives Jericho a breather and he suplexes Punk over the top and out to the floor for a big crash. You don’t often see that work. Jericho starts working on the back to set up the Walls with a kick to the spine and a backsplash for two. A double arm crank keeps Punk in trouble until he dropkicks Jericho into the corner.

The running knee in the corner sets up the bulldog but Jericho slams him down instead. Punk has to counter the Walls and gets two off the high kick to the head. The Macho Elbow hits Jericho’s knees though and a Codebreaker puts Punk on the floor. Back in and a GTS out of nowhere gets two (no way a title match ends on the first finisher). Jericho drapes him ribs first over the top rope and the Lionsault gets two. Cole: “Not often you see somebody kick out of the Lionsault.” I don’t remember the last time it pinned someone.

The Walls have Punk in trouble but he makes the ropes as you would expect. A knee to the head staggers Jericho but Punk springboards into another Codebreaker for another two. Punk kicks him down again and tries the GTS (Punk: “BEST IN THE WORLD!”), only to be countered into the Liontamer (kneeling Boston crab) and then the Walls. Punk counters into a small package and then the Anaconda Vice. Jericho counters THAT with knees to the head but can’t hook the Walls again, allowing Punk to hook the Vice (and duck his head this time) for the tap out at 22:20.

Rating: B+. This got so much better once they got away from the stupid DQ stuff (which would be remedied at the next pay per view with an awesome street fight). I really don’t get the thinking behind the DQ idea. I know it’s the evil GM screwing with Punk but it cripples whatever the match could get going. Either let them do the violent stuff that fits the story or just have it be an awesome match like they’re clearly capable of having. This half and half stuff almost never works and this only succeeded because of how good both guys are.

Wrestlemania XXIX is in New Jersey.

Here’s the still mostly new Funkasaurus Brodus Clay to tell us to call our mamas. Brodus calls his own mama and finds out that she’s here, complete with the bridge club. Cue mama and said bridge club (all a bunch of older women (clearly in makeup) and matching dresses) for a massive dance number. This got twelve times the length that Sheamus vs. Bryan had.

Video on G.I. Joe 2, which wasn’t released for over a year due to re-shoots.

After all that, we recap John Cena vs. the Rock. This has been built up for over a year now and both guys have spent so much time heavily insulting each other that it actually is epic, as described by a bunch of legends in the video. Several years back, Cena had been on a radio show where he talked about Rock saying he loved WWE and then leaving. Cena on the other hand was here every single day because this is what he loved more than anything.

This turned into a back and forth war until Rock finally returned over a year ago. This is the match that has been set up by both guys trading huge bombs on the mic with Rock saying Cena wasn’t serious enough and Cena calling Rock out for using wrestling to become an actor. They flat out did not like each other and made that very clear, setting up this match as the biggest in a generation, which it certainly was. The tagline for the match and the show: Once in a Lifetime.

Since we haven’t dragged it out enough, here are Machine Gun Kelly and Skylar Grey to perform the show’s theme song and define the word underdog.

John Cena vs. The Rock

Cena is booed out of Miami the second his music hits. And wait again because here’s Flo Rida to perform two songs and eat up even more time. Of note: he has a bunch of backup dancers, who I’m assuming are the bridge club after a costume change. After that eats up WAY too much time, Rock’s ovation is thunderous. Ignore him having to walk through the posing dancers to look out at the people. They talk trash after the big match intros and we finally get the opening bell, nearly twenty minutes after the video package began.

We get the big lockup and Cena shoves him away. Rock does the same as we’re firmly in Hogan vs. Warrior territory so far. Some quick armdrags and a majistral cradle get two for Rock, sending Cena into the corner with a stunned look on his face. Rock can’t get a Sharpshooter and Cena bails to the floor for a breather.

Back in and Cena takes Rock’s head off with a clothesline for one and we hit a bearhug on the mat. That goes nowhere so they head to the floor with Rock being dropped ribs first over the barricade. Cena stays on them with a belly to belly and now it’s off to a bearhug. Rock fights back with right hands and the spinebuster but Cena grabs the leg for the STF to break up the People’s Elbow. He can’t get the hold on so it’s a ProtoBomb instead, followed by the Shuffle.

Back up and it’s a double clothesline to give us another breather. Another slugout goes to Rock but he tries his own You Can’t See Me and walks into the AA for two. The Rock Bottom gets the same but Cena comes back with a side slam. The top rope Fameasser gets another two and both guys are spent. Something like a spear (it was supposed to be a spinebuster) sets up the Sharpshooter (with Rock pulling back with his hands instead of his arm), only to have Cena quickly make it to the ropes.

Rock sends him hard into the steps to keep Cena in trouble but he grabs the STF (with almost no torque). The hold stays on WAY too long and Rock starts to fade, even drawing an arm check. Rock finally makes the ropes after about two minutes and grabs a Samoan drop to get a breather.

The AA is countered into a spinebuster (Rock might have said “Yabba dabba” on the way down) and the People’s Elbow for a really close near fall. A catapult of all things sends Rock into the buckle (as opposed to a Buick sending him into it), only to have Rock break up a superplex. Rock goes nuts with a high cross body but Cena counters into an AA for two more. With nothing else working, Cena tries his own People’s Elbow but charges into the Rock Bottom for the pin at 30:54.

Rating: A. Just because it’s not quite as good as the Cell. That was the main event of Wrestlemania. What else can you ask for from these two, especially after all this build and the Rock having one match in eight years? This was almost all about the atmosphere coming in and then they had a great match on top of it. It’s one of the best main events ever and certainly one of the biggest, which is exactly what it needed to be.

So did the right guy win? I really don’t think so the more I look at it. Everything that Cena had said over the year was true: win or lose, Rock was going back to Hollywood to star in another blockbuster so why should he win here? It really doesn’t help Cena either as he got beat by a guy who hasn’t wrestled in eight years, though at the same time I don’t want to imagine how bad the reaction would have been if Rock had lost in his hometown. I would have gone with Cena, though I think I can understand their reasons behind going with Rock. Maybe.

Now for the second iconic image of the show: Rock poses on the ropes and Cena sits on the ramp, totally lost.

Overall Rating: B+. This is almost all about the two main events which ate up nearly half the show when you consider buildup and fallout. Those two matches were both home runs and that’s all you need to make this a good show. Jericho vs. Punk is good but not great….and that’s about the extent of the positives on the show. Everything else is just ok at best but again, nearly two hours of great is more than you get on several months of shows most of the time, which easily makes this a very good show.

Ratings Comparison

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

Kane vs. Randy Orton

Original: B-

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: C-

Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Kelly Kelly/Maria Menunos vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres

Original: C+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D+

HHH vs. Undertaker

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A+

Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy

Original: C

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D+

Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk

Original: A

2013 Redo: A

2015 Redo: B+

The Rock vs. John Cena

Original: B+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A

2015 Redo: B+

The top matches on this card are as good as WWE has done in a long time.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/04/01/wrestlemania-xxviii-one-of-the-best-shows-of-all-time/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/04/06/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xxviii-this-show-got-me-excited-all-over-again/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: April 4, 2025
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re back stateside and that means it is time to really hit the gas on the build to Wrestlemania. Most of the show is either set or all but set but there is still time to build some things up for the big weekend. This week we are on CM Punk’s home turf, which should make for some interesting moments. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

After seeing some people come to work, we recap last week’s contract match between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the Night One main event of Wrestlemania.

Here is Punk to the eruption you would expect. Punk gets the big entrance and poses on the barricade for a bit as you know this is a special night for him. He says he doesn’t know where to begin but talks about the Chicago audience and steals the camera to show them. With the camera back where it should be, Punk talks about how it is his goal to make new fans anywhere he goes.

Tonight though, he wants to thank the fans here in Chicago because he has always been told he isn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s not sure if you’ve heard it, but he’s in the main event of Wrestlemania. Punk has taken all kinds of steps throughout his career, including being on John Cena’s gangster call at Wrestlemania in this very building, but everyone said he wasn’t supposed to be here. Now though, he’s right here in his hometown and he has to thank his beautiful wife first.

After an AJ LEE chant, we get a Larry the dog reference and now the hard work begins. He is getting ready for Wrestlemania but here is Paul Heyman to interrupt. Heyman apologizes for being late and he says it was no disrespect to this city or his best friend, the best in the world, CM Punk. The fans (and Punk) chant ECW and Heyman can’t help but smile. Heyman says that Punk belongs here and he belongs in the main event of Wrestlemania.

The last time they were int his ring together, Heyman asked Punk to take him with him. Then the Bloodline attacked Heyman and put him out longer than any time when he wasn’t fired. Punk was considering leaving after Hell In A Cell but Heyman begged him to come back at WarGames. For now though, Heyman has one favor to ask him: let him know what the favor he owes Punk is going to be. Punk says it’s going to involve Roman Reigns, so he’ll tell them both to their face.

Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

This is Fenix’s debut. They fight over wrist control to start and Fenix sends him into the ropes to a nice reaction. A spinning kick to the head gives Fenix some near falls but Frazer sends him outside for a dive. Back up and Fenix hits a big middle rope dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Frazer running the corner for a superplex into a suplex neckbreaker for two. Frazer misses his Phoenix splash so Fenix runs the ropes for a kick to the face, setting up an over the shoulder tombstone (Fire Driver) for two. A kick to the head sets up the spinning Muscle Buster (Mexican Muscle Buster) for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: B-. It was a good debut with the two of them getting to do enough stuff to make Fenix look like a star. Fenix is the kind of guy who can do some great high flying stuff and he got to showcase himself well. I’m not sure if it did as well as Penta, but Fenix is a different kind of high flier who is going to get over with a different style.

Post match Fenix says he has a history here in Chicago and this was a big step. He did it with passion and rage and now he is happy to say that he is WWE.

Legado del Fantasma thinks Fenix would fit in well, though Berto says he is better than Fenix. Santos Escobar says go prove it.

Drew McIntyre, with an eye patch, says no one cares about Damian Priest unless he’s feasting off of McIntyre’s scraps. That’s what he did last year at Wrestlemania and this year at the Elimination Chamber. Then last week he put McIntyre through a windshield, resulting in his eye injury. McIntyre swears vengeance.

We look back at Jacob Fatu attacking LA Knight and Braun Strowman last week.

Strowman is ready to crush Fatu in a Last Man Standing match. Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga come in to laugh at the concept, but Knight comes in to make fun of Tonga’s weird noises.

LA Knight vs. Tama Tonga

Non-title and Solo Sikoa is here too. Knight slugs away to start and drops him with an elbow but gets sent into the corner. A belly to back suplex drops Knight, who comes right back with some rams into the buckle. Knight even hits his own running Umaga attack before taking Tonga outside for the rams onto the announcers’ table.

Sikoa offers a distraction though and Knight gets knocked off the apron as we take a break. Back with Tonga hitting a heck of a clothesline for two but he misses a middle rope elbow. Knight grabs a neckbreaker out of the corner and hits a powerslam, setting up the jumping elbow. BFT is broken up and Knight has to deal with Sikoa. Now BFT can connect to finish Tonga at 9:12.

Rating: C+. This was a nice win for Knight, who gets to beat both Tonga, even with Sikoa’s help. That’s the kind of win that he needs every so often, as Knight is still supposed to be better than most people on his level. There is a good chance that he loses the title at Wrestlemania, but it’s nice to see him getting a win here to set him up a bit better.

Paul Heyman is in the parking lot and says no matter what CM Punk wants, the answer is yes. A car arrives and it’s….Seth Rollins, which has Heyman disappointed. Rollins wants to see Roman Reigns when he arrives.

We get the smoke vignette again but this time it looks like someone with coins over their eyes.

Here is Charlotte for a chat but before she can say anything, Tiffany Stratton interrupts. Wade Barrett is serving as moderator and introduces both of them, with Charlotte saying the mixed reaction is power. Charlotte is asked why she chose Stratton and if she still thinks it is the right idea. She talks about how she wanted to prove the smartest fans wrong, including those here in Chicago. Stratton: “Did she get her WOO in?”

Stratton talks about how Charlotte’s real competition is in the crowd. The saddest thing is that if Charlotte breaks all of the records, she’ll always be second to her dad. Charlotte says Stratton is saying the same things that her opponents have been saying for the last ten years, but the fans boo her out of the building.

Stratton says Charlotte was in her dad’s basement drinking at 25 years old while Stratton is the Women’s Champion at 25. Stratton calls her a nepo baby, but Charlotte says “Nepo Queen”. We get a not so veiled reference to Charlotte’s divorces (Stratton: “What is it? 0-3?”) and Stratton bails, with Charlotte asking why Kaiser is in her DM’s. Stratton no sells the line and leaves, which is nice to see as she owned Charlotte here and left her ranting.

Nick Aldis announces a women’s Tag Team gauntlet match for next week (Raw teams will be included), with the winners getting a title shot at Wrestlemania.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. DIY

For a title shot at the Street Profits, who are here as well. Gargano and Sabin trade wrist control to start before Ciampa comes in. That means an armdrag to take him down just as fast and everything breaks down. Shelley chases Ciampa on the floor and gets caught on the way back in. We take a break and come back with Sabin hitting a high crossbody onto both of them. A tornado DDT drops Ciampa and a big suicide dive takes out the villains again.

Back in and double basement superkicks drop Ciampa but Gargano breaks up the Skull & Bones. A turnbuckle pad is taken off and Ciampa knees Sabin for two. The superkick/Fairy Tale Ending combination gets two on Sabin with Shelley having to make the save. Meet In The Middle doesn’t work and it’s the Dream Sequence to Ciampa. Skull & Bones is cut off again but Ciampa’s rollup with feet on the ropes is cut off. Instead Sabin avoids a charge to send Ciampa into the exposed buckle and gets a rollup for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B. The more I see from these two, the more amazed I am at how badly their Royal Rumble match went. They had another good match here and you would think that they are capable of doing it anytime they want. For now, it sets up the Guns for their rematch, though I’m still expecting a big multi team mess at Wrestlemania.

Post match the Guns have a staredown with the Profits.

The Miz and Carmelo Hayes mock Pretty Deadly for losing in their hometown last week. Pretty Deadly doesn’t think much of Miz and make fun of his acting record. Miz isn’t impressed and shouts the catchphrase as a match seems likely.

B-Fab vs. Naomi

Michin is here with B-Fab. Hold on though as Jade Cargill jumps Naomi in the aisle before the bell. Naomi gets in the ring and the bell rings so B-Fab hits a clothesline. A spinning kick in the corner drops Naomi and B-Fab gets to hammer away even more. B-Fab hits a Rock Bottom for two but another kick misses in the corner. Naomi grabs her arms and pulls her into a one knee Codebreaker for the pin at 2:05.

Post match Naomi calls out Cargill, who runs in with a pump kick. Nick Aldis comes out to make Naomi vs. Cargill at Wrestlemania. Why? Cargill has crushed her every time so why should I believe it’s going to be any different?

Damian Priest calls out Drew McIntyre for being distracted time after time and Priest took advantage. Then McIntyre cost him his chances at going to Wrestlemania so next week he wants McIntyre face to face.

Another HHH Hall Of Fame video, focusing on his time in Evolution.

Here is a rather upset Nick Aldis to make an announcement. There is a reason we say “don’t try this at home” and he brings out Kevin Owens, in a snazzy Bret Hart jacket, for a chat. Owens talks about doing this for twenty five years but there is a price to pay for doing things how he does them. Now it seems like it is his turn and after the last few months of issues, he needs neck surgery.

The timing couldn’t be worse and it means he won’t be facing Randy Orton at Wrestlemania. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back but he will never take this for granted. Owens even shakes Aldis’ hand and goes to leave but here is Orton to interrupt. Orton goes to get in the ring but Owens bails, leaving Aldis to say Orton doesn’t have a Wrestlemania match. The RKO lays out Aldis. I’ll believe Owens isn’t wrestling at Wrestlemania when it doesn’t happen, but hopefully it’s not an actual injury.

Our classic Wrestlemania moment: the first one.

Jacob Fatu vs. Braun Strowman

Last Man Standing and the winner gets a US Title shot at Wrestlemania. The brawl is on in the aisle with Strowman getting the better of things. They get inside where Fatu breaks out of the running powerslam and puts him down. The triple jump moonsault connects and Fatu hits a second to send Strowman outside.

We take a break and come back with Strowman dropping him for a change, meaning it’s time for a table. That takes too long (it often does) and Fatu is back up with a big suicide dive. Strowman beats the count so Fatu posts him, only to charge into a chair to the head. That’s good for five before Strowman gets a running start and knocks him through the barricade.

We take another break and come back with the two of them fighting in the crowd, where Strowman suplexes him through a table. They get back inside, where the table is set up in the corner. Strowman takes too much time getting up though and the running Umaga attack sends him through said table. Only Fatu can beat the count and Strowman is done at 15:12.

Rating: B-. Maybe it was the two commercials but I couldn’t get into this one. The problem here is Strowman has been beaten up by Fatu over and over again so there wasn’t much of a reason to believe Strowman would pull it off here. It was a good, hard hitting match but it never got to the level that these things can reach.

We recap the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw, with Rhodes laying Cena out.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Paul Heyman says Roman Reigns will be here soon. After the break, Reigns arrives.

Reigns comes to the ring (and he makes great time for once), with a somewhat nervous Heyman behind him. After hitting the catchphrase, Reigns asks Heyman if “he” is here and acknowledges that it’s CM Punk. Reigns wants to know about the favor but first, he wants to share a secret with Chicago. The reality is that Punk would not be back here without him.

Reigns mocks the idea that people cheer for Punk because they’re both from Chicago before asking for some chants of his own. He wants Punk out here right now to find out about this favor. Instead, here is Seth Rollins to interrupt and he hits his catchphrase as well. Rollins wouldn’t miss this for anything and wants to know about the favor as well. Rollins rants about Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania, which he blames on Reigns for not stopping him when he had the chance.

Reigns says that he made a promise to Heyman and he keeps his word. He called Punk out here but got Rollins instead, but Rollins wants to know about the favor as well. Cue Punk, who says this is about promises being made and promises being kept. Punk talks about meeting Heyman at 4400 Shepherdsville Road (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky and how Heyman knew that Punk would be a star. Heyman said that when Punk main evented Wrestlemania, force WWE to deal with them.

That is what Punk is going to do to Reigns now, as he wants Heyman in his corner at Wrestlemania. Reigns is a bit stunned and laughs off the idea, saying he saved Heyman. Even if he let Heyman do it, he knows Heyman wouldn’t and tells Heyman to let Punk down gently. Instead, Heyman looks at Reigns and starts crying. Reigns gets serious and says to tell Punk no but Heyman doesn’t say anything. Heyman says no….to Reigns, which has Rollins laughing. Reigns yells at Heyman and gets taken down with a GTS. Punk stares Rollins away to end the show.

That’s an interesting way to go for the Favor, as Reigns’ success has been built on the idea of Heyman giving him the mental side of things. Getting under Reigns’ skin has been his downfall before and Punk capitalizing on it makes sense. At the same time, my goodness does Rollins feel like a total afterthought in this whole thing. I had forgotten he was there and it was annoying to remember it after he showed up again.

Overall Rating: B-. As has been the case in recent weeks, this show wasn’t about the wrestling, even though it wasn’t that bad this week. Instead, this was about pushing things forward for the matches that have either already been set up or are likely to be set up in the near future. I’m not wild on some of what we got, but it’s nice to be able to see the Wrestlemania card coming together. Now just make things more interesting, which is what we’ll be doing in the next few weeks. That was the case here and it went fairly well, though the lack of a focus on action can be a bit annoying.

Results
Rey Fenix b. Nathan Frazer – Mexican Muscle Buster
LA Knight b. Tama Tonga – BFT
Motor City Machine Guns b. DIY – Rollup to Ciampa
Naomi b. B-Fab – Codebreaker
Jacob Fatu b. Braun Strowman when Strowman could not answer the ten count

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

 

Wrestlemania XXVI
Date: March 28, 2010
Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Attendance: 72,219
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker
America The Beautiful: Fantasia

So last year at Wrestlemania XXV, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker had one of the best matches ever. That means it’s time for a rematch, with Michaels career on the line. That is more than big enough for a special match, to the point where it makes John Cena vs. Batista for the WWE Title feel that less important. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Battle Royal

Mark Henry, Shad Gaspard, JTG, Goldust, Yoshi Tatsu, Santino Marella, Primo, Kung Fu Naki, Slam Master J., Jimmy Wang Yang, Chris Masters, Vladimir Kozlov, Great Khali, Finlay, William Regal, Luke Gallows, Carlito, Tyler Reks, Zack Ryder, Lance Archer, Mike Knox, Caylen Croft, Trent Beretta, Tyson Kidd, David Hart-Smith, Chavo Guerrero

Prime is out within seconds, followed by Beretta and Croft at the same time. Henry launches Chavo out but then gets tossed by Khali. A bunch of people get together to toss Khali before Cryme Tyme gets rid of Gallows. Then Shad tosses JTG because that’s how battle royals work. Regal and Finlay slug it out for old times’ sake before everyone breaks off for fights of their own.

Masters keeps putting people in the Masterlock and is eliminated for not being that bright. Kozlov eliminates Kidd and Hart-Smith before being tossed out as well. Funaki, Goldust, Regal and Shad are out in a row, with Reks following them. Santino starts using the Cobra and thankfully is tossed out by Finlay.

Archer gets rid of Yang and is quickly dropkicked out by Tatsu (Striker continues to try and get “The Poison Fist Of The Pacific Rim” over as a nickname for Tatsu. This is because Striker is really annoying.). Knox gets to clean house for a bit but cue Hornswoggle for a distraction, allowing Finlay to get in a shillelagh shot. The Tadpole Splash hits Knox and Finlay tosses Carlito. Ryder eliminates Finlay and Knox at the same time, leaving Tatsu to kick Ryder out at 8:43.

Rating: C. It’s a battle royal to get a bunch of people on the show. They didn’t waste time here and it gave the fans something to see during the pre-show, which is about all you can ask for here. Tatsu was someone who seemed like he was ready to move forward more than once but it just never came together. It’s not like this was some big win but he was as good of a winner as you could have had.

Fantasia sings America The Beautiful. Not well but she does sing it.

The opening video talks about what it means to be at Wrestlemania and how important it is to be here. This is the big chance and the stars will seize it.

The set has something of an ancient pyramid theme with another over the ring, both of which look cool. If nothing else, I’ve always liked I Made It.

Tag Team Titles: ShoMiz vs. R-Truth/John Morrison

ShoMiz is defending and there isn’t much of a story here, save for Truth and Morrison winning a triple threat match to get the title shot. Miz and Morrison start things off with Morrison getting the better of things. Truth comes in with a top rope legdrop for two into a WHAT’S UP. It’s off to Show, who sends Truth flying with a fall away slam. What looks to be a Vader Bomb is broken up via a Morrison kick to the head, followed by Morrison’s knee to Miz’s head. Show breaks up Starship Pain though, leaving Truth’s dive to Show to fail miserably. Back in and Show KO Punches Morrison for the pin to retain at 3:25.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one and it really would have been better off as a pre-show match. They didn’t even get four minutes and there is only so much you can do with the amount of time you might get on a regular TV show. ShoMiz was a fairly forgettable team and while it was nice to have the titles on the card, it’s not like this was anything remotely memorable.

Video on Wrestlemania Week, which always looks cool.

Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes

Legacy implodes as Orton has had it with the two of them screwing up and turned on them, setting up this for some revenge. DiBiase and Rhodes go after him to start and it doesn’t go well early on. Orton gets smart by dividing and conquering but walks into a dropkick from DiBiase. The double teaming is on with both of them taking turns to punch Orton while the other holds him back. There’s a double suplex to put Orton down but he fights out of the corner (the fans approve).

The comeback doesn’t last long though as DiBiase hits a clothesline, setting up a High/Low to put Orton down again. Rhodes snaps off an Alabama Slam for two and the save from DiBiase means it’s time for the young hooligans to fight. Orton fights up and sends DiBiase to the floor, followed by a snap powerslam back inside. There’s the backbreaker to Rhodes but DiBiase pulls Orton outside. Rhodes’ dive only hits DiBiase so Orton hits the double hanging DDT. With DiBiase down on the floor, Orton Punts Rhodes and then RKO’s an invading DiBiase for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much in the way of drama here once DiBiase and Rhodes got in their offense. Orton looked like he was toying with them at the end, which was part of the reason why he was turning into a popular star all over again. This was about Orton smashing through his former lackeys and showing them who the real star was, which he did in quite the destruction by the end.

Vickie Guerrero and company are ready for their ten woman tag. Jillian Hall comes in for a song and whole thing turns into a Slim Jim commercial, with Santino Marella having a bite to change Jillian. First she’s Mae Young, then Gene Okerlund (yes in the same dress) and finally Melina. Wacky….I guess you could call it fun? This isn’t on the Network due to the music.

Money In The Bank

Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin

This is the last Wrestlemania MITB match before it would go on to get its own show this same year. It’s the usual melee to start with almost everyone going outside. The first ladder is sent inside about thirty seconds in but a bunch of people stop to go after McIntyre rather than climbing. Almost everyone tries to go up but gets stopped, with Kane chokeslamming Bourne over the top for a crash onto more people.

Swagger and Hardy get trapped behind a ladder in the corner and Christian monkey flips Kingston into the ladder onto them. Ziggler breaks it up and makes the climb but MVP pulls him right back down. Kingston hammers on Kane in the corner, earning himself a powerbomb onto a ladder. Benjamin goes up this time so it’s Swagger spearing him with another ladder to break it up.

Swagger gets caught under a ladder so Hardy and Christian hit him with a ladder each. One of the ladders is bridged into another, with Bourne kicking Christian off the bridged version. Air Bourne hits Christian and Bourne goes up, only to be cut off by Hardy. Swagger cuts Hardy off though and shoves him onto the bridged ladder for the huge crash. Shelton and MVP go up but come crashing down, leaving everyone on the floor for a bit.

Kane goes up but has to cut off Ziggler, including a chokeslam onto the ladder. With Kane distracted, Kofi comes back in to kick him in the head but the only ladder available is broken. Kofi gets crazy creative by using the pieces like stilts and jumping up the rungs, only to have McIntyre make the save.

McIntyre goes up but Hardy shoves the ladder over for the big crotching on top. It’s Matt going up this time until Christian is there as well but they both have to knock Kane down. That’s not enough for Christian, who hits the reverse DDT off the ladder to plant Matt again. Christian goes up again, only to have Swagger make the save and pull the case down for the win at 13:29.

Rating: B-. It was a wild match as usual but there is only so much you can do with ten people in a match trying to get in as much time as possible. The stilts spot was very unique and stood out more than anything else, though the rest was little more than the usual big spots and crashes. Swagger winning is a surprise, but WWE was trying something new and that’s often a good idea.

We look back at last night’s Hall Of Fame ceremony.

The Class of 2010 is introduced:

Stu Hart (represented by eight relatives)
Wendi Richter (seems very happy to be there)
Mad Dog Vachon (sadly in a wheelchair)
Antonio Inoki (not the strongest reaction)
Bob Uecker (nice reception)
Gorgeous George (represented by his former wife)
Ted DiBiase (by far the strongest reaction)

Sweet goodness that Hall of Fame theme is always awesome.

We recap HHH vs. Sheamus. After debuting on Raw and winning the WWE Title within a few weeks, Sheamus was knocked out of the Elimination Chamber by HHH, costing him the title. Sheamus then went on to talk about how much he loved watching HHH while growing up. Then Sheamus laid him out, which HHH liked because it’s what he did when he went after the Ultimate Warrior in 1996 (and yes they explained how badly it went). That plus a need for revenge makes for a Wrestlemania match.

HHH vs. Sheamus

HHH’s entrance goes on for a good while, as you might have expected. Sheamus drives him into the corner to start but HHH hits him in the face. It’s way too early for the Pedigree though as Sheamus bails out to the floor. Back in and a suplex drops Sheamus again, setting up the knee drop for one.

HHH goes old school (shocking I know) as we hit the Figure Four, with Sheamus going straight to the ropes. The fight goes outside with HHH being whipped into the steps, followed by the (yet to be named) Irish Curse back inside. An ax handle to the head cuts HHH off again and Sheamus grabs the armbar.

We’ll make that a chinlock but HHH suplexes his way to freedom, sending Striker into a FAR too long….whatever you call what he does. HHH grabs a DDT and they’re both down, followed by the expected slugout. There’s the running knee into the facebuster for two and a neckbreaker drops Sheamus for the same.

The yet to be named Brogue Kick misses so HHH tries the Pedigree, only to be reversed into the Brogue Kick for two. The fans are rather behind HHH, who fights out of the High Cross (Razor’s Edge) and gets two more off a spinebuster. Sheamus rolls out to the apron and manages another Brogue Kick…but takes too long and gets Pedigreed out of nowhere for the pin at 11:47.

Rating: B-. This is the type of match that will work almost every single time as you had two big strong guys beating the fire out of each other until the ending. That’s the kind of brawl that both of them know how to do (though Sheamus would get WAY better later on) and it worked here. That being said, Sheamus is the up and comer and loses to HHH, which seems to be a bit counterproductive, but this would hardly be the first time that happened.

We recap CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio. After Mysterio cost Punk a spot in Money In The Bank, Punk scared the heck out of Mysterio’s daughter Aliyah. They then traded various attacks before Punk creepily sang Happy Birthday to Aliyah, which was too far. Now it’s time for their fight, with Mysterio having to join the Straight Edge Society if he loses.

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

Punk has the Straight Edge Society (Luke Gallows and Serena) with him and talks about how these 70,000 people here are going to drink or try pills to make their problems go away. He can be their savior and lead them to a better place because he chooses to be drug free and better than everyone here. Mysterio is one of the Na’vi from Avatar, which isn’t quite the same as the superhero gear he tends to use.

Gallows offers an early distraction and Punk gets to stomp away in the corner before tying Mysterio in the Tree of Woe. A missed charge results in a crotching against the post though and they head to the floor…where Punk drops him face first onto the steps. Back in and Punk hammers away for two and we’re already in the chinlock. Mysterio fights out like he’s a top star who was in a chinlock and hits the springboard seated senton.

Punk snaps off a powerslam for two before hitting one heck of a kick to the head for the same. Four more near falls have Punk rather frustrated until Mysterio is up with a springboard moonsault DDT for two of his own. Mysterio’s frog splash misses to give Punk two more, meaning it’s time for even more frustration. Back up and Mysterio loads him up for the 619 but has to take out the Society. Not that it matters as the 619 into the springboard splash finishes Punk at 6:30.

Rating: C+. Another match that was good but they didn’t have the time to do very much. It had the stakes and they work well together, but there is only so much they can do when they have less than seven minutes. It makes perfect sense to have the loudmouth holier than thou heel get what’s coming to him and who better to do that than one of the resident superheroes?

We recap Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon. Hart returned after thirteen years of bitterness after the Montreal Screwjob and of course Vince McMahon couldn’t let it to. Hart wanted to fight Vince at Wrestlemania but got turned down, only to have his leg broken in a car wreck in the parking lot. Then Vince agreed to fight him….and then Hart revealed he was gold bricking, because that’s just what Hart does.

Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart

No Holds Barred. Hold on though as Vince grabs a mic and says he’s hired a bunch of lumberjacks, in the form of various members of the Hart Family. As a bonus, Bret’s brother Bruce can be guest referee! Bret isn’t overly shocked and says what’s done is done. If there is one thing about the Harts though, it’s that they got paid up front and the money is already in the bank.

If there is one thing he’s learned from the Montreal Screwjob, it’s there’s nothing better than a good double cross. The Harts, including Bret, are united, and tonight is the night that Bret screws Vince. The bell rings and Bret punches him down and chokes in the corner, with Vince bailing to the floor. That means the Harts can make it even worse, including a slap from Natalya (Striker: “Best luck in your future endeavors Natalya.”).

The Hart Dynasty hits a top rope Hart Attack to the floor and it’s time to throw Vince back inside. Bret works on the leg, which sends Vince outside again. This time he comes back in with tire iron but Bret knocks it away again and takes it away. Bret hammers away with the tire iron…and then does it some more…and more, to the point where unless Bret has the strength of a two year old, Vince should be in a coma.

The Sharpshooter is teased but Bret lets it go so he can use the tire iron again. Some low blows have Vince down again and let’s get a chair in there too. Bret sits down and then hits some hard chair shots to Vince’s back. The chair is bent up so Bret finally (and I do mean finally) grabs the Sharpshooter for the win at 11:08.

Rating: C. Ok so I’ve called this an A+ before because I love what they did with Vince being absolutely destroyed and not getting in a single bit of offense. This was never supposed to be anything but a massacre until the Sharpshooter…but my goodness how long did they go with the tire iron/chair shots? The thing here is that this is really only a match in name only so I’m not going to call it bad, but Bret couldn’t have mixed it up with some different stuff other than hitting him over and over with the same stuff?

A big Hart celebration ensues.

Wrestlemania XXVII is coming to Atlanta, Georgia.

Official attendance: 72,219.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Edge for the Smackdown World Title. They were partners last year but Edge tore his Achilles. Edge came back at the Royal Rumble (at #29 in a great surprise) and won, setting up his title shot here. For some reason the build for this match involved Edge saying “spear” over and over until it lost all meaning.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending. They start slowly with Jericho grabbing a headlock (Jericho: “Ask him!”) but Edge is right back with some running shoulders. Jericho is back with some stompings in the corner before sending Edge outside. That’s good for a long count before Edge comes back in and gets chinlocked. Jericho slowly stomps and slaps away, which takes long enough that Edge manages to send him shoulder first into the post.

A running shoulder sends Jericho into the announcers’ table and there’s a clothesline off the apron. They head back inside and hopefully pick up the energy a bit here. Back in and Edge gets two off a super gordbuster, followed by a middle rope sunset flip for the same. Jericho goes simple by kicking him in the head but the Codebreaker is blocked. The spear is countered into a quick Walls but Edge slips out.

The Lionsault misses and Edge is right back up with the Edge O Matic for two. Jericho’s enziguri gets two more but so does the Impaler as things slow back down a bit. Jericho mixes things up a bit with a middle rope forearm to the back of the head (Edge was nice enough to look over his shoulder before Jericho jumped), only to have his own spear cut off by a big boot.

The real spear is countered into a Codebreaker for a rather delayed two. Jericho starts going after the ankle before switching to the Walls. We’ll make that a half Walls to stay on the bad ankle but the rope is grabbed. Edge’s rollup for two is also grabbed and they crash out to the floor for a breather. The frustrated Jericho grabs the belt and the referee gets distracted, allowing Jericho’s belt shot to get two. The Codebreaker to a limping Edge retains the title at 15:47.

Rating: B. This was good but it never hit that next level and it made things kind of disappointing. Edge only teased the spear once and never got a big near fall. I was expecting something a lot more epic than we got here and that just didn’t happen. There were some shenanigans due to the belt shot but this needed to be more intense and violent given what Edge was saying coming in.

Post match Jericho goes after Edge again but Edge hits a spear off the announcers’ table and through the barricade as the feud must continue.

We look at the pre-show battle royal.

Alicia Fox/Laycool/Maryse/Vickie Guerrero vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres/Gail Kim/Kelly Kelly/Mickie James

Get the women on the show special. Vickie bumps Gail to start and turns around to pose, only to run into Phoenix. The non-Vickie team takes turns beating on Vickie in the corner, who asks if Kelly knows who she is. That earns Vickie a kick to the ribs with McCool making the save. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of finishers, leaving Vickie crying in the corner as Beth comes up behind her. McCool makes another save and the Hog Splash (Cole’s name) finishes Kelly at 3:29.

Rating: D. Oh what else were you expecting here? A bunch of the people barely did anything, there were a bunch of Vickie fat jokes, Lawler drooled over most of them and Striker continues to try to make everything sound like the most important moment ever because it gets people paying attention to him. Terrible match and little more than a way for Vickie to keep her heat.

We recap John Cena challenging Batista for the Raw World Title. Cena got the title back in the Elimination Chamber but Vince McMahon allowed Batista an immediate title shot. Now it’s time for the fair rematch, with Batista talking about being tired of Cena being the star when they got big at the same time. You can pretty much ignore all of those details though and just go with “It’s John Cena vs. Batista for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania.”

Raw World Title: Batista vs. John Cena

Batista is defending and Cena’s big entrance is from the United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team. We get the Big Match Intros before they fight over a lockup. Batista grabs a headlock before running Cena over, only to have Cena come back with a headlock of his own. That’s broken up and Batista sends him hard into the corner for the running clothesline to the back of the head.

Some cranking on the neck has Cena down but he manages a release suplex (that didn’t look great) and the bulldog connects for two. It’s way too early for the AA though as Batista reverses into a DDT for two of his own. A chinlock with a bodyscissors keeps Cena down for a bit, only to have him power up and start slugging away. Batista sticks with what has been working by grabbing a neckbreaker for two more.

The front chancery keeps Cena in trouble until he powers up again. The STF goes on out of nowhere but Batista grabs the rope like a bad villain should. Batista is fine enough to hit a spear for two before loading Cena up top. The superplex attempt is blocked and Cena hits a super Five Knuckle Shuffle of all things.

Batista gets back up and hits his namesake Bomb for two, giving us a great shocked face. Back up Cena counters another Batista Bomb into the AA (toss variation) for two, leaving them both down. Cena goes up but dives into a spinebuster (how Batista injured Cena’s neck a few years ago), only to have the Batista Bomb reversed into the STF (with Cena giving him a LONG talk) for the tap at 13:29.

Rating: B. It’s good and they were getting to the big stuff but I was expecting longer than just shy of fourteen minutes. Cena getting the title back is the right way to go for him though as he can put someone else over rather soon. Batista was not quite what he used to be but these two instantly make for an epic feel. Not a classic match, though they didn’t do anything wrong with the setup and finish going rather well.

Cena poses with a guy in a WE HATE CENA shirt for a funny moment.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. Shawn lost to him the previous year before, leaving Shawn obsessed with having to get the win. It is so big that Shawn is willing to put his career on the line against the Streak, saying he doesn’t have a career if he can’t beat the Undertaker. Not that it matters as this feels absolutely huge and you know it’s going to go well.

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

No DQ. The entrances are absolutely epic and you know that you’re about to see something special. They also take their sweet time getting to the ring and it builds up even more, with Shawn staring at Undertaker the entire way to the ring. Undertaker charges at him to start but Shawn is right there with the chops. Shawn gets flipped into the corner, setting up Snake Eyes into the big boot.

Old School connects but Undertaker comes up limping a bit. The chokeslam is loaded up but the knee gives out, with Shawn wisely kicking away at the leg. The Tombstone is broken up as well so Shawn starts in on the shoulder, which is a bit of an odd choice given UNDERTAKER IS LIMPING.

Undertaker slips out but has to block a quick superkick attempt as things reset a bit. The logic kicks in as Shawn starts going after the knee in the corner but Undertaker clotheslines him to the floor. The Taker Dive is loaded up but Shawn comes back in to take out the knee in a rather smart move. It’s too early for the Figure Four and they head outside, where Shawn is rammed back first into the post. The apron legdrop connects but Shawn goes after the leg again to take over.

Now the Figure Four goes on until Undertaker sits up. Shawn: “No.” And Undertaker goes back down. Well that was polite of him. Undertaker turns it over so Shawn wisely lets go and they take a breather. Back up and they strike it out until Undertaker grabs a quick chokeslam for two. The Tombstone is escaped again though and Shawn grabs the ankle lock, complete with a grapevine.

Undertaker finally uses the good leg to kick his way to freedom so Shawn sends him outside. A springboard spinning crossbody is pulled out of the air so Undertaker hit the Tombstone on the floor to knock Shawn silly. Medics come out to check on Shawn but Undertaker isn’t having that and throws him back inside for two, meaning frustration is setting in. This might have more of an impact if MATT STRIKER WOULD SHUT UP for once, but instead he needs to keep shouting what he thinks sound like highlight reel worthy lines.

The Last Ride is loaded up but Undertaker’s knee gives out and they crash down, with Shawn getting two off a faceplant. Shawn’s top rope elbow only hits raised knees, which have Undertaker in even more pain. Hell’s Gate goes on but Shawn flips over into a rollup for two. Shawn hits a quick Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere for two but another attempt is countered into a heck of a Last Ride for two more.

They go outside and it’s time to load up the announcers’ table. That takes too long though and it’s a superkick to knock Undertaker onto the table instead. In something that couldn’t possibly go wrong, Shawn goes up and moonsaults down onto Undertaker, mostly hitting his feet/lower legs, which does tie into everything so far. Shawn realizes he has a chance and throws Undertaker inside and hits a clean Sweet Chin Music (that has to be the fourth or fifth) for two, with Cole telegraphing the kickout by screaming that Streak was over.

Another superkick is countered into a chokeslam but Undertaker can barely move, let alone cover. Instead it’s a Tombstone (with tongue) for two and we get another stunned face. Shawn can’t get up so Undertaker loads up the throat slit….but stops. Undertaker tells him to stay down as Shawn pulls himself up and then slaps Undertaker in the face, admitting that he can’t do it and basically telling Undertaker to finish him off. The jumping Tombstone does just that at 24:00.

Rating: A+. What do you want me to say here? This is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best matches either of them have ever had if not their best ever. The leg stuff played a role throughout until Shawn gave it everything he had but just couldn’t do it in the end. It told an amazing story with some great action, including multiple near falls where you could buy it being over. It’s better than I remember it being and one of the best main events in Wrestlemania history.

Undertaker needs the ropes to get to his feet and Shawn finally gets up. Undertaker says something to him we can’t see and they hug before Undertaker leaves him alone in the ring. Shawn gets to soak in the THANK YOU SHAWN chants before doing the long walk up the ramp. Shawn: “I’m gonna drive my kids crazy in three weeks!” He looks back again and walks off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is a weird show as there isn’t much that is Wrestlemania worthy. Edge vs. Jericho is just good, Money in the Bank is its usual ok self, HHH vs. Sheamus is a slightly above average power brawl and Batista vs. Cena wasn’t even fifteen minutes long. Those are the high points though, as the rest of the show is pretty much mediocre/forgettable to bad. That doesn’t make for a great Wrestlemania, but this show is usually pretty well remembered.

That’s because of the main event and my goodness does it deserve the praise it receives. I’ve seen it a few times now and it pulled me in again with how epic of a showdown they were having here. It felt like a Wrestlemania main event match and you do not get those very often. That match alone makes this Wrestlemania worth seeing, though I would definitely recommend fast forwarding a good bit of the midcard, as it was quite the miss in multiple places.

Ratings Comparison

Battle Royal

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: D+
2024 Redo: C

Awesome Truth vs. ShoMiz

Original: D
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D
2024 Redo: C-

Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes

Original: D+
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C
2024 Redo: C+

Christian vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kane vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP vs. Evan Bourne

Original: B
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
2024 Redo: B-

HHH vs. Sheamus

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
2024 Redo: B-

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: B-
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C
2024 Redo: C+

Mr. McMahon vs. Bret Hart

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A
2024 Redo: C

Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Original: A-
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B-
2024 Redo: B

Beth Phoenix/Kevin Kelly/Mickie James/Gail Kim/Eve Torres vs. Vickie Guerrero/Alicia Fox/Laycool/Maryse

Original: F
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
2024 Redo: D

John Cena vs. Batista

Original: A
2013 Redo: B+
2015 Redo: B+
2024 Redo: B

Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A
2024 Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A
2013 Redo: B+
2015 Redo: A-
2024 Redo: B-

That’s quite a drop for the overall rating but some of the lower matches just don’t hold up as well.

 

 

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Wrestlemania XXIV
Date: March 30, 2008
Location: Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 74,365
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, Tazz

This show has had a pretty strong build as the card has been all but set for a few weeks now. The bigger matches include Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Edge defending the Smackdown World Title against the Undertaker, plus the Raw World Title triple threat match as Randy Orton defends against John Cena and HHH. Throw in Shawn Michaels trying to end Ric Flair’s career and that’s a heck of a card. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Battle Royal

Elijah Burke, The Miz, Chuck Palumbo, Snitsky, Deuce, Tommy Dreamer, Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Kofi Kingston, Festus, Cody Rhodes, Lance Cade, Hardcore Holly, Jesse, Stevie Richards, Trevor Murdoch, The Brian Kendrick, The Great Khali, Jimmy Wang Yang, Domino, Mark Henry, Val Venis, Kane, Jim Duggan

The winner gets an ECW Title match later in the show. The bell rings so Festus snaps, allowing him to toss out Deuce and Domino rather quickly. Khali tosses Duggan and Burke gets rid of Richards, only to get eliminated by Kane. Miz, Yang, Moore and Jesse go out in a hurry, with Venis going out somewhere in there.

Murdoch, Festus, Kendrick and Cage go as well as the ring clears out VERY fast. Henry throws Kingston on top of the pile, followed by Noble (who tries to walk on the eliminated bodies but gets knocked down), Rhodes and Palumbo. A bunch of people get rid of Khali, Dreamer and Holly, leaving us with Henry, Kane and Snitsky. Kane gets rid of Snitsky, slips away from Henry and kicks him out for the win/title shot.

Rating: D. This is one of those “let’s get everyone on the DVD” matches and they didn’t bother wasting time with anything else. Kane winning is a fine way to go as he is pretty easily the biggest name in the match. There is almost no reason to not put the title on him later in the night and at least they didn’t waste time announcing the title match in advance, as Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane is hardly some huge showdown.

John Legend sings the America the Beautiful.

The opening video talks about how important it is to be here, as well how much has changed in a year. It’s not do much a sequel to last year, as much as it is the grand culmination of a rather eventful year. Cool video, as WWE nails these most of the time.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Finlay

Belfast Brawl (street fight) and kind of a weird choice for an opener. JBL gets the limo entrance and we look at a quick recap of JBL attacking Hornswoggle (Finlay’s son) as Vince McMahon’s mercenary. As you might expect, Hornswoggle is back as well. They start the fight on the floor with JBL getting the better of things before the bell. Finlay reverses a whip into the steps and they’re back inside for the bell.

That means it’s time to go outside for some weapons, with JBL grabbing a trashcan for a heck of a shot to Finlay’s head. The steps are brought in but JBL gets backdropped off of them for a crash. JBL hammers him back down and grabs the shillelagh but Hornswoggle gets in a kendo stick shot for the save. Finlay shillelaghs JBL down and the fans are rather pleased, with Finlay pulling out a table to make them even happier.

With the table up in the corner, a heck of a clothesline drops JBL again but he goes outside and slaps Hornswoggle. Finlay goes nuts and unloads on JBL, who manages to grab a trashcan lid. The suicide dive (oh dear) is lidded out of the air and JBL even kicks Hornswoggle down. Back in and a trashcan shot to the head puts JBL down for a change, setting up the spear through the table. Finlay grabs the steps but JBL knocks out his knee, sending Finlay face first into them. The Clothesline From JBL finishes Finlay off.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t a classic but they beat each other up rather well and started the show off pretty well. It’s a bit weird to see JBL win as the villain comes out on top, but at the same time he’s a much bigger star than Finlay. Even from fighting underneath, Finlay beating JBL would have been a big upset. It might have been the better result though, but at least it was a solid opener.

Kim Kardashian is the guest host and talks about the Money In The Bank ladder match. Mr. Kennedy interrupts to say he’ll win again this year to become the first ever back to back winner. Kardashian laughs at him repeating his name.

John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Chris Jericho vs. MVP

Money In The Bank. Everyone but MVP bails to the floor to go for a ladder to start, leaving MVP to steal one of the ladder that slides in. Some shots to the face put various other people down but here is Jericho with the big ladder. That means a ladder off (?) with MVP being knocked outside, leaving Morrison to pick up a ladder and moonsault down with it onto the pile (there’s a highlight reel moment).

Back in and Jericho cuts off Kennedy’s climb but catapults him into the ladder in a bit of a mistake. Kennedy can’t get the briefcase so Morrison jumps onto the ladder for the slugout. Benjamin sets up his own ladder and joins the two of them, setting up a sunset bomb into a Tower Of Doom (geez) off the ladders. Carlito breaks up Benjamin’s climb and hits him with the GTS. MVP comes in to knock some people down but misses a running boot in the corner.

It’s Carlito getting pulled down this time so Benjamin Dragon Whips him down. Benjamin goes up until Carlito and Kennedy shove his ladder over…sending him through a bridged ladder at ringside. Kennedy, Carlito and Jericho go up but MVP shoves the ladder over, only to be taken out by Morrison as the carnage continues. Jericho gets the Walls on Morrison on top of the ladder (geez that looks painful/scary) until he has to stop Kennedy.

Hold on though as Carlito and Punk springboard onto the ladders, setting up the big crashes, including Carlito’s super Backstabber to Jericho. That leaves MVP all alone so he goes up but Matt Hardy (in gear) runs in to make the save and reignite their feud. A super Twist of Fate brings MVP off the ladder and Matt runs off through the crowd, leaving Jericho to wedge two ladders together, making kind of a big V (Daddy not included).

Morrison goes up and gets knocked down just as fast, including a crotching on top. Jericho’s climb is cut off by an apple to the face but Kennedy shoves Carlito into a ladder in the corner. Punk makes the save but gets Codebreakered into a ladder to leave everyone down. That lets Jericho go up until Punk starts the slugout. Punk gets smart by tying Jericho’s leg in the ladder and gets the briefcase for the win.

Rating: B. Yeah these matches can be interchangeable but dang they are a lot of fun. This was another spotfest and Punk winning the briefcase is about as big of an endorsement as he could have gotten here. I’d still like to see one or two fewer people in there but Benjamin getting taken out softened things a bit. Heck of a fun match and that’s all it needed to be.

We see the video from last night’s Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Here is the Class Of 2008 (dang that music is still great):

Brisco Brothers (how Jack wasn’t in already is beyond me)
Gordon Solie (you can’t forget that voice)
Rocky Johnson (complete with a shuffle)
Peter Maivia (I hear he’s a family man)
Eddie Graham (had to be inducted in Florida)
Mae Young (again, how was she not in before)
Ric Flair (who thankfully isn’t here to tell us about how great he is)

Snoop Dogg is having a great time here so far and he has found someone he sees eye to eye with, from movies to food to cars to everything. That would be Festus but Santino Marella comes in to threaten Snoop….who whips out a bell to send Festus after Santino. Todd Grisham asks where the bell came from so here is Mick Foley, complete with Mr….would it be Snoopo?

Batista vs. Umaga

Smackdown vs. Raw so Theodore Long and William Regal are here. Batista powers him into the corner to start and a shoulder sends Umaga outside for a breather. Back in and a spinwheel kick drops Batista for a change, followed by a splash to the back for two. The nerve hold goes on, which seems a bit early for this one. With that broken up, a powerslam from Umaga sets up…another nerve hold. The Samoan drop gives Umaga two but the Samoan Spike is blocked. Umaga misses a charge into the post, gets spinebustered, and the Batista Bomb (with Batista falling backwards) finishes him off.

Rating: D. Oh this was bad, as it was Batista laying around a lot and then doing his two big finishers. They had built this up as a big match and Batista barely did anything for most of the match. While Umaga had fallen a long way, he was able to do more than this. Normally I would complain about their lack of time, but I don’t want to imagine how much worse this would have been if it had gone longer. Pretty awful match.

We look at the tale of the tape for Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

We look at Kane becoming the new #1 contender to the ECW World Title on the pre-show.

ECW World Title: Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane

Chavo is defending and loses the title to a chokeslam in a record eleven seconds. That’s how it should have gone as there was no reason to believe Chavo would be a threat to Kane.

Here’s the Carlito/Maria ad for the show you’re already watching. Weird.

Raven Symmone is very loud and introduces a bunch of Make-A-Wish kids. That’s always cool. The kids, not Symmone.

We recap Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels. Flair is still on his winning streak, as he has to retire whenever he loses his next match, so now he wants to face one of the best ever in Shawn, or he doesn’t want to be here anymore. Shawn thinks he has to put Flair down, but Flair isn’t about to go down without a fight. This include an AMAZING tribute video to Flair, set to Leave The Memories Alone. I’m not a Flair fan but dang this worked well.

Flair says his game plan is to be the man. WOO!

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Flair retires if he loses. Shawn takes him down to start and teases a strut but Flair is back up with a hammerlock. That’s reversed into one from Shawn and they get up for a standoff, complete with WOO. Flair takes him into the corner and brings up the Old Yeller line, earning a shot to the face from Shawn (busting a lip in the process).

A quick slugout goes to Shawn so he goes up top, only to get slammed off. Flair goes up and hits the high crossbody for two in a Starrcade 83 callback. Back up and Shawn sends him outside again, only to have an Asai moonsault hit the edge of the announcers’ table (as in not Flair) to do some serious damage to his ribs. The count is beaten so Flair goes right after the ribs, including a suplex for two.

Shawn knocks him outside again though and hits the moonsault off the top for another knockdown. Back in and they chop it out again until Michaels hits the flying forearm into the nipup. The top rope elbow hits Flair but Shawn can’t bring himself to fire the superkick. You don’t do that to Flair, who grabs the Figure Four, which is turned over without much trouble. Shawn sunset flips him for two more but Flair is right back to the leg, as is his bread and butter.

There’s the Figure Four again and this time it stays on a lot longer. The rope is grabbed to get Shawn out of trouble and he nails Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere. A very delayed cover gets two so Shawn loads it up again, only to have Flair fall down. Shawn’s attempt at picking him up earns himself the required low blow for two but Flair can’t follow up either.

Instead, Shawn pulls him into that inverted Figure Four of his, sending Flair to the rope for a change. They chop it out from their knees until Shawn hits another Sweet Chin Music. Shawn won’t cover so he goes to the corner, with Flair getting back up. Flair says bring it, so Shawn says “I’m Sorry, I Love You” and superkicks him for the pin.

Rating: B. This is a weird one to rate as it is a farewell for Flair, but not exactly a classic. At the end of the day, Flair has been able to wrestle a completely acceptable match for a long time now but there is a big gap between that and hanging in there on this level. It didn’t exactly feel like a classic and the drama was limited, but what we got was certainly good. The problem is that when you think of Flair vs. Michaels on the stage of Wrestlemania, you expect a bit more than “good”. That being said, Flair gets to out with a solid match on the grand stage against a legend. What more could you reasonably ask for?

Shawn immediately leaves so Flair can have the big moment. Flair kisses and hugs his family and makes the long walk up the aisle before blowing one last kiss to the crowd. Yeah it’s an emotional moment, as like him or not, Flair is still a legend and one of the last links to the glory days of the 70s/80s.

Edge talks about being at Wrestlemania VI and seeing Hulk Hogan lose in the main event. It was ok though, because it has come full circle and now he is here again. See, everyone can count on the Undertaker at Wrestlemania but tonight, he takes everything away from them, just like Hogan losing took it away from him. That makes sense.

Fireworks go off.

Maria/Ashley vs. Beth Phoenix/Melina

This is the Playboy Bunnymania match, meaning a lumberjill match with Snoop Dogg as the Master of Ceremonies. Naturally Snoop comes to the ring in what looks like a Mercedes golf cart, with most of the women following him. Santino Marella is here with the villains. Ashley drives Beth into the corner to start so Maria can come in. Melina gets sent to the floor for a quick beating from the lumberjills, setting up Maria’s Bronco Buster back inside.

Ashley comes back in and gets caught in the wrong corner. A trip to the floor goes badly for Ashley as well and Beth grabs the bearhug. With that broken up, Beth electric chairs Melina into a moonsault onto Ashley (not bad) for a near fall….and the lights go out. As in an actual lights issue, not an Undertaker cameo.

We get a spotlight as Maria (now legal) hits a crossbody for two on Beth. The Glam Slam is countered into a bulldog for two and Beth’s spear hits Melina by mistake. Ashley dives off the apron onto a bunch of lumberjills, leaving Maria to hit a top rope bulldog for two on Beth, with Santino making the save. Jerry Lawler gets up and decks Santino but Beth hits the fisherman’s buster to pin Maria.

Rating: D. Well ok then. This is one of those matches that was never going to be very good in the first place, but then it got a bit more time than I was expecting (even at five minutes) and the villains win. The match was supposed to be little more than goofy fun and you can’t have Maria get in a rollup for the pin? Just a rather weird choice and I’m not sure why they went this way.

Post match Snoop Dogg drops Santino and kisses Maria.

We recap the Raw World Title match, with Randy Orton defending against John Cena and HHH. Cena and HHH are both coming back from major injuries, with Orton having risen to the top during their absences. Now both of them are back to win the title at Wrestlemania, but Orton doesn’t quite see it that way.

Raw World Title: Randy Orton vs. John Cena vs. HHH

Orton is defending and Cena’s big entrance this year is a marching band playing him to the ring (that’s rather cool). The bell rings and Orton hits HHH with the bell before brawling with Cena. HHH gets back up and takes Orton outside to beat him over the announcers’ table, followed by the sleeper back inside. Cena picks both of them up but HHH slips out and kicks him low. Orton is back up as well and knocks HHH down to stomp away at both of them.

Cena catches Orton up top but a HHH distraction lets Orton reverse into a sunset flip for two. Another hard shot puts HHH down and Orton hits a double hanging DDT. The RKO to Cena is countered with a shove, leaving Orton to land on HHH. The Throwback hits Orton and the top rope Fameasser takes him down again. Back up and HHH goes after Orton’s knee and slowly stomps away. Cena’s distraction lets the RKO drop HHH but Cena pulls Orton into the STFU.

Orton is about to tap so HHH grabs his hand and pulls it to the rope in a smart move. A whip into the steps takes Cena down and HHH grabs the Indian Deathlock on Orton, because of course he has to do that. Cena sends HHH over the ropes and grabs the STFU on Orton again, only to have HHH make another save. HHH grabs a crossface on Cena but gets broken up, meaning it’s time for the slugout. The FU and Pedigree are both broken up so HHH hits a face/spinebuster. Another shot to the knee takes Orton down and there’s the Pedigree to Cena….but Orton Punts HHH and pins Cena to retain the title.

Rating: B-. It’s an interesting way to go to have Orton retain, but if you want him to have him feel like a bigger main event, giving him the win at Wrestlemania makes as much sense as anything else. Orton can drop the title to one of them alter if he has to but for now, he gets the win that he needs. The match wasn’t exactly great though and felt like almost any other big time triple threat, with one person being out for most of it so the others could fight. Then Orton stole the pin, which is far too common of a finishing sequence in something like this. Not awful, but I’d call it pretty disappointing.

We recap Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr., in a package that is cut from Peacock, likely for music. Mayweather broke Show’s jaw with a punch at No Way Out so Show is trying to take him out. This is billed as the Best Fighter In The World vs. the Largest Athlete In The World and is as McMahon Freak Show style as you can get.

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pinfall, submission or knockout only. Mayweather comes out with his entourage and makes money rain from the sky for a festive entrance. The bell rings and Mayweather, in boxing gloves runs away to start before hitting a few shots to the ribs. Hold on though as Mayweather needs water (from a chalice, because of course) so Show beats up part of the entourage.

Back in and Mayweather goes for the right hand to the face but Show pulls it out of the air. The big stomp on the hand misses so Show grabs him by the throat on the corner. A few right hands don’t do much to Show so Mayweather grabs the required sleeper. That’s broken up so Show goes after the hand again and stands on Mayweather, which has the entourage shouting that how THAT IS AGAINST THE RULES!

The big chop in the corner drops Mayweather again and there’s a side slam to crush him. Show gets creative by dropping a leg on the arm and that’s enough for the entourage to pull Mayweather out. That goes as well as you might expect and they go back to the ring, with Mayweather being mostly done.

The entourage tries to come in and gets dropped, with a chair shot having no effect on Show. Mayweather gets the chair and drops Show (after a guy twice his size couldn’t even stagger him), setting up a low blow. Some chair shots to the head stagger Show again so Mayweather grabs brass knuckles from the entourage to knock Show silly for the knockout win.

Rating: C+. This was a total mess and incredibly entertaining throughout. There is something fun about seeing Mayweather get beaten up, even if he won in the end. It made sense to not bother trying to do anything else here than having a goofy match and that is what they pulled off. Good enough stuff here, even if it was mainly Show doing slow motion stuff and Mayweather’s entourage getting beaten up. Still though, they knew what they had here and it worked.

The attendance, as announced by Kim Kardashian: 74,635.

We recap Edge vs. Undertaker for Edge’s Smackdown World Title. The focus is on both of them being undefeated at Wrestlemania, with Edge seemingly being more obsessed with giving Undertaker his first loss rather than retaining the title. Undertaker just wants to hut Edge, as tends to be the case to anyone who has hurt him before. Like Edge, who cost him the World Title and then stole it for himself.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Undertaker

Edge is defending and gets his neck snapped across the top rope to start. Undertaker hammers away back inside and starts cranking on the arm, as is his custom. Old School is broken up and Edge sends him to the apron for a shoulder into the barricade. A running neckbreaker snaps Undertaker’s neck across the top to even things up a bit, meaning Edge gets in some Wrestlemania worthy posing.

Undertaker finally gets back in, where he is caught with a missile dropkick. Edge takes too long to go up again and gets shoved to the floor, setting up the required Taker Dive. Back in and Undertaker’s banged up back means the Last Ride doesn’t work so Edge takes him back outside. There’s a drop onto the barricade, followed by the half crab to keep Undertaker in trouble back inside.

Make that a double leg crank until Undertaker kicks him away for a needed breather. Undertaker wins the slugout and Snake Eyes connects, only to have Edge hit a dropkick to block the big boot (that’s smart). The chokeslam is countered into the Edgecution for two and frustration is setting in. Back up and the chokeslam gives Undertaker two but Old School is countered again (as the theme of Edge knowing everything that is coming continues).

A superplex brings Undertaker back down but for some reason, Edge decides to punch away in the corner. The pose lets Undertaker try the Last Ride, which is countered into a neckbreaker to give Edge two. Another Last Ride attempt connects for two but the Tombstone is countered into the Edge-O-Matic. Undertaker is up again and Old School connects, only to have a big boot hit the referee (you knew that was coming).

Edge goes low and grabs a camera, which knocks Undertaker silly for….well nothing actually as the referee falls to the floor. For reasons of delusions of grandeur, Edge tries his own Tombstone, which is reversed into the real thing, with another referee running down to count the near fall. Cue the Edgeheads to get beaten up, allowing Edge to hit a spear for two. Another spear is pulled into Undertaker’s choke and Edge has to tap away the title.

Rating: A-. That felt like a Wrestlemania main event as you had Edge countering every single time but ultimately not being good enough to beat Undertaker, even with the interference. Edge had his game plan but got a bit too cocky a few times, allowing Undertaker to catch up fast. Undertaker getting his title back and vanquishing Edge in the process is a great way to close the show, and the fact that it came in an excellent match makes it even better.

Undertaker celebrates and pyro rains.

The big highlight video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where there is a lot of good stuff but the bad drags it down, with only the main event really standing out as great. Other than that you have Money In The Bank doing its usual stuff, Flair’s farewell as a special moment, a freak show match with Show vs. Mayweather and a just pretty good Raw World Title match. That really isn’t enough to carry a nearly four hour Wrestlemania, leaving it as a good enough show, but far from a classic or all time show.

 

 

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Smackdown
Date: March 28, 2025
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re still in Europe and this time around we’re in a rather big location. The major attraction this week is actually a contract signing between CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, which should make for some fireworks. Other than that, Braun Strowman is getting a US Title shot, which might attract some attention. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Various people came to work today.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. Naturally the fans sing his song before Cody asks what they want to talk about. We get the dueling John Cena chants before they switch back to singing (positively) about Rhodes. He’s ready for Wrestlemania but on Monday, he and Cena will be face to face in the same arena.

Cue Randy Orton to interrupt and the fans get to sing again. Orton says he isn’t the sentimental type, but for the sake of London, he looks at Rhodes and can’t believe the man he has become. He remembers Rhodes in his early 20s, working harder than anyone but Rhodes realized that he needed to go somewhere else to grow. That took some guts, which Rhodes displayed again when he was facing Seth Rollins inside of the Cell and again when he beat Roman Reigns.

That was the end of the story, but now Rhodes is in another story. Orton respects him and loves him and he’s very proud. Now though, it is time for Wrestlemania and Orton is going to kick Kevin Owens’ head off. After Wrestlemania though, Orton is going to come after Rhodes and the title, but he’s going to look Rhodes in the eye and say he’s coming for this. Cue Drew McIntyre to interrupt, saying he is sick of these nepo babies.

Orton has been back and took more time off, because people talk about McIntyre’s five minute World Title reign than Orton’s entire comeback. That’s why Wrestlemania should be McIntyre vs. Rhodes, but Damian Priest screwed that up. If Rhodes survives Cena, McIntyre is the one taking the title from him. The reality is that Orton looks great on the outside, but his back is hanging on by a thread. Orton tries a quick RKO but McIntyre bails out to the floor. This isn’t so much adding something new to Wrestlemania, but it’s teasing something for after Wrestlemania, which is important as well.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

The Profits are defending. Dawkins headlocks Prince to start but it’s quickly off to Ford, who gets double hiptossed down. We take an early break and come back with Ford knocking Prince down and handing it back to Dawkins. A whip into the corner crotches Ford on top though and everything breaks down. Dawkins grabs a spinebuster to set up the frog splash but Ford hits the illegal Wilson, meaning Ford can get a rollup for two. A four way collision lets Pretty Deadly hit Spilled Milk on Dawkins with Ford making the save. The Doomsday Blockbuster retains the titles at 7:56.

Rating: C+. Pretty Deadly was getting to be more serious tonight in their home country and it was nice to see them getting to do something like this. They weren’t about to win the titles but the fans liked them and were into the match. There are a bunch of teams going for the belts at the moment and I hope that doesn’t result in a ladder match at Wrestlemania.

Earlier today, the Green Administration annoyed Zelina Vega and Kayden Carter/Katana Chance, with a tag match being set for tonight.

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, as in the match from Wrestlemania XIII, is going into the Hall Of Fame. That’s a new concept.

Kayden Carter/Katana Chance vs. Piper Niven/Alba Fyre

Chelsea Green is here with Niven and Fyre. Carter and Chance take Fyre down to start for a basement dropkick to the head. Fyre is sent outside for a pop up crossbody but Niven is back with a running crossbody. We take a break and come back with Carter fighting back, including a springboard spinning legdrop for two on Fyre. Niven accidentally crushes Fyre with a backsplash but Carter manages to Samoan drop Niven for a breather. Everything breaks down but Green offers a distraction to break up the After Party. The Piper Driver finishes Carter at 7:01.

Rating: C. You need to give the new evil team a win or two and that’s what we got here. Chance and Carter aren’t a great team but they’re good enough that people know who they are. It might not have been a great match, but it was the kind that set things off in the right direction for Niven and Fyre.

Post match the beatdown is on so Zelina Vega runs in to clear the ring, only for the numbers game to catch up with her.

US Title: Braun Strowman vs. LA Knight

Knight is defending and gets shoved down to start. A belly to back suplex isn’t happening for Knight so Strowman runs him over for two. Strowman gets low bridged to the floor, where he easily cuts Knight off with a big boot. We take a break and come back with Strowman charging into a boot in the corner to give Knight a needed breather.

Knight sends him into the corner and now the belly to back suplex connects. The jumping elbow gets two on Strowman but the BFT is easily blocked. Strowman knocks him to the floor for the train but Jacob Fatu jumps Strowman for the DQ at 6:19. Not enough shown to rate but they didn’t get very far into it anyway.

Post match Fatu easily takes both of them out, with the running hip attacks rocking Strowman in the corner. The Moonsault makes it even worse.

Jimmy Uso is fired up after slapping Gunther on Raw because he knows that Jey Uso can beat Gunther at Wrestlemania. He runs into Miz and Carmelo Hayes, the former of whose insults set up a match tonight.

Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga yell at Jacob Fatu for what he just did, but Fatu isn’t having any of that. Fatu promises to be the last man standing with Strowman and promises to bring the US Title home to the family. He’ll do it with or without Sikoa.

Naomi talks about being someone who always wants to do the right thing. This includes taking out Jade Cargill last year. How can Cargill just show up out of nowhere and take Naomi’s place? Naomi has been an influence on people for the last ten years but now she’s tired of being just another third wheel. Moving forward, if Cargill will continue to be in her way, proceed with caution.

Cargill is looking for Naomi, who hasn’t been seen here. B-Fab and Michin come in to know Cargill will give Naomi what she has coming.

We see a shadowy person with smoke and Roman numerals popping up.

Michin vs. Charlotte

B-Fab is here with Michin….and they’re both jumped by Naomi before Charlotte comes to the ring. Cue Jade Cargill to chase Naomi off, with B-Fab having to be taken out. Charlotte comes out and has a staredown with Cargill on the way. The bell rings and Charlotte gets an early two as we take a slightly less early break.

Back with Michin fighting out of a chinlock and managing a tornado DDT for two. Charlotte kicks her in the head but Michin manages a sitout powerbomb for another near fall. The cannonball sets up Eat Defeat for two as Charlotte gets her foot on the rope, which has Michin annoyed. Charlotte gets up and goes after the leg, with the Figure Eight getting the fast tap at 7:39.

Rating: C+. Michin got in some offense here but there was no reason for her to be a serious threat to Charlotte, who is on her way to another title match at Wrestlemania. Let Michin shine a bit, then have Charlotte win in the end. That’s all this needed to be and they made it work well enough.

Tiffany Stratton mocks Charlotte’s insults to her last week, because that little girl is going to retain the Women’s Title over Charlotte at Wrestlemania.

We look at HHH’s entrances over the years.

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

Orton grabs a quickly broken headlock to start and McIntyre starts in on the back. McIntyre gets sent into the corner for some right hands and his shoulder goes into the post. They go outside, where Orton drops him onto the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with McIntyre working on the arm but Orton fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. The powerslam looks to set up the hanging DDT but McIntyre snaps the throat across the top. Orton fights back but cue Kevin Owens for a distraction. McIntyre hits the Claymore for the pin at 7:56.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly their World Title matches from a few years ago but there is only so much you can do with about eight minutes. Owens coming out for the distraction is fine and gives McIntyre one of his bigger wins in a bit. That’s what he has been needing, even if it seems like he is heading for a showdown with Damian Priest at Wrestlemania.

Post match Owens goes after Orton but can’t hit the package piledriver on the announcers’ table. The Punt is loaded up but Owens gets away.

The orange luchador is confirmed to be Rey Fenix, who will debut next week.

Jimmy Uso vs. The Miz

Uso starts fast and hammers away but Miz is back up with some knees to the back. The running boot misses though and Uso clotheslines him to the floor. Another shot takes Miz into the timekeeper’s area and we take a break. Back with Uso fighting up and striking away, only to get caught with a short arm clothesline. The DDT gives Miz two and the Yes Kicks connect. Uso is right back with a quick superkick and the Superfly Splash finishes at 7:52.

Rating: C. Another fairly short match tonight, with Uso getting some momentum before his likely destruction at the hands of Gunther on Raw. Miz is the perfect choice to give Uso a singles win as he’s been a made man for so long. Uso might not have much of a chance against Gunther, but at least he’s being built up well.

Post match Uso promises to take Gunther out on Raw.

Drew McIntyre meets a singer and goes to leave but runs into Damian Priest in the parking lot. The brawl is on and Priest chokeslams him through the windshield of a car. With Priest gone, CM Punk walks by and I managed to avoid a “real glass” joke.

We look back at the John Cena/Cody Rhodes segment from Raw.

Here is Nick Aldis to run the main event contract signing. Roman Reigns, with Paul Heyman, comes out first and appreciates the fans chanting his name. Even Heyman gets in on the act and Reigns is basking in his own glory. Reigns signs the contract and seems to think his night is done but here is Seth Rollins to interrupt.

Rollins talks about their history in this building and how they are on the same mission. Reigns points out that THEY died a long time ago, but Rollins points out the evil that is CM Punk. When Reigns had the chance to take Punk out, he let it go, which is why Rollins has to clean up Reigns’ mess again. Rollins signs as well, giving us two out of three.

This brings out Punk, who says he has come here to chew bubblegum and sign a contract, but he is all out of bubblegum. Punk starts looking through the contract, which has Reigns annoyed. Reigns: “Go to page four. Clause five. Come on junior this is TV today.” Heyman goes over to Punk and says he knows what Punk is looking for….and it’s in there: the match will be closing the show, making Punk a Wrestlemania main eventer.

Punk starts crying but Rollins snaps, shouting about how Punk doesn’t deserve it. Rollins blames Heyman and Reigns for letting this happen but Punk thanks the fans here and in Louisville, Kentucky for making this happen. Reigns wants the thanks for making this happen so the fans chant his name again. Punk thanks him as well, signs, and says he’ll see him in the main event of Wrestlemania….but that’s not the favor that he is owed.

Like him or not, Punk being in the main event of Wrestlemania is far from a stretch. It’s a genuinely emotional moment for him and that’s a great thing to see. The favor aspect makes things more intriguing, and Punk’s delivery of that line made me a lot more interested.

Overall Rating: B-. As is usually the case for Wrestlemania season, the wrestling wasn’t the point here. This was about getting things ready for the show, with the contract signing giving the match the big fight feel that it needs. This was a solid enough show, with stories advancing in some very nice ways. Now just keep it up for a few more weeks and everything will go on fine.

Results
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Piper Niven/Alba Fyre b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance – Piper Driver to Carter
Braun Strowman b. LA Knight when Jacob Fatu interfered
Charlotte b. Michin – Figure Eight
Drew McIntyre b. Randy Orton – Claymore
Jimmy Uso b. The Miz – Superfly Splash

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 24, 2025
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole

We’re still in Europe with another show that is airing live in the afternoon in the United States. We are less than a month away from Wrestlemania and things should be getting interesting on the way there. John Cena and Cody Rhodes are both in the building again this week so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is John Cena to get things going (note the different color shirt from last week as he keeps up the merchandise shilling) and he immediately notes the JOHN CENA SUCKS chants. Cena talks about how the people have a spotlight on them now and no one is safe because he can rip any of them to shreds. Last week, he put a clueless kid on blast and his face was everywhere. Even WWE posted it and the people loved it!

Cena has listened to their lies and noise for twenty five years but he spent that time paying attention rather than being mean. The fans tell him to shut the f*** up, which Cena says is making it this much easier. Cena has been studying, questioning, prodding and rewarding the fans for playing along with their childish nursery rhymes. The reality is they know nothing about him but he knows everything about them. They have been nothing more than an experiment. Pick any moment from his career and you’ll see what he learned from them.

Cena lists off things that he’s done over the years and what he learned from it, right down to knowing how to get them to say WHAT when he speaks in rhythmic tones. Cena brings up the biggest thing of all with the spinner belt, which got a reaction when he turned the prized possession into a toy. That was their biggest mistake, because it showed the lack of respect.

Now Cena is going to ruin wrestling for every fan, every wrestler and for everyone. Cena is going to win his 17th World Title at Wrestlemania and create another toy title so he can retire as champion. He’s going to ruin your traditions and there is nothing you can do to stop him.

Cue Cody Rhodes to interrupt and, eventually, asks what Cena said. Rhodes made a mistake last week talking about old Cena because this is clearly the real, sincere Cena. That makes him the most dangerous Cena, who made his biggest mistake by saying these things while Rhodes was in the building. Rhodes has fought so hard to hold the title once and now Cena is willing to destroy wrestling to get it again. Rhodes lays the title down and opens his shirt, saying Cena can try to take it right now.

Cena goes to leave but Rhodes calls him back…and Cena leaves again. Rhodes says he can’t let Cena do this again, because he needs Cena to see him. Cena’s psychotic need to be the champion does not outweigh the people’s need to have it. This week, Cena is walking away empty handed and that’s how he’s going to walk away at Wrestlemania, and from WWE.

I’m not sure about Cena’s entire career being a big con, but it’s certainly an explanation. They’ve set up the story and the stakes here and that’s what they needed to do. Cena’s promos have been rather good, if nothing else because you can imagine how long he has wanted to do something like this.

We recap the recent issues with the Judgment Day and Bron Breakker, with Dominik Mysterio thinking Penta should join the team. Finn Balor isn’t happy, with Penta facing Breakker for the Intercontinental Title tonight.

Usos vs. A-Town Down Under

Jimmy is Jey’s surprise partner as the team is back together after over a year and a half apart. Jey knocks Waller around to start and it’s quickly off to Jimmy for a double elbow, followed by a double elbow. The villains are sent to the floor for the big dive from Jimmy. Back in and Jimmy knocks Waller down in the corner as the fans seem rather happy to have the Usos back together.

Theory comes in off a blind tag though and drops Jimmy as we take a break. Back with Jimmy fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Jey to clean house. Waller comes back in off a blind tag though and a double forearm gets two on Jey. The middle rope elbow misses and the Alley Uce plants Waller. The spear and 1D finish Theory at 9:28.

Rating: C+. That’s kind of a weird way to go for Jey, as he’s chasing the World Title but gets the tag reunion here. Maybe we get Gunther vs. Jimmy on the way to Wrestlemania and I’ve heard worse ideas, but this was kind of a random reunion. Granted it was a good one, as having the Usos together is way better than having them fighting.

Post match the Usos pose but here is Gunther to take Jimmy out. Jey fights back but slips on the spear attempt and gets beaten down. Jimmy grabs a chair to clear the ring.

The Judgment Day gets ready for tonight’s Women’s Intercontinental Title match, which makes Carlito want the men’s version.

We get a video on El Grande Americano, the greatest luchador of all time. He dominated Mexico and then disappeared without a trace.

The LWO thinks it’s Chad Gable, but Gable comes in to say that was El Grande Americano. Gable is officially medically out tonight (he has a doctor’s note) but suggests that El Grand Americano faces Dragon Lee tonight instead. Works for Lee, so Adam Pearce makes the match.

Women’s Intercontinental Title: Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez

Rodriguez, with Liv Morgan, is challenging. Valkyria can’t get a sunset flip to start and has to avoid a bit stomp. Instead, she sends Rodriguez outside but a dropkick through the ropes is blocked. They go outside where Rodriguez is sent over the announcers’ table, only to plant Valkyria back inside.

We take a break and come back with Rodriguez hitting a slingshot Jackhammer for two but the spinning Vader Bomb misses. Valkyria hits a top rope ax kick for two, only to get planted again. Now the spinning Vader Bomb connects for two, which has Rodriguez confused. Valkyria reverses a suplex into a DDT but Morgan puts the foot on the ropes. Back up and the Tejana Bomb is reversed into a victory roll to retain the title at 9:24.

Rating: C+. Nice match here as Valkyria gets a win to continue boosting up her title reign. That’s what she has been needing since she became champion in the first place and this was a more interesting match than anything she did with Zoey Stark. Valkyria vs. Morgan down the line could be a good way to go, but I’m not sure what is going to happen with the title at Wrestlemania.

Post match Morgan runs in to go after Morgan but Bayley makes the save. Respect is shown.

Pat McAfee has bought a kilt and shows it off to the crowd.

Video on Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair vs. Iyo Sky, despite contracts still not working like that.

We look at the Rock vs. HHH ladder match at Summerslam 1998 for HHH’s Hall Of Fame induction.

Jimmy Uso doesn’t think Jey Uso can beat Gunther. The Jey that Jimmy knows, the right hand man and Main Event Jey Uso? That’s the one Jimmy needs because he can beat Gunther. Jimmy goes off to challenge Gunther for next week. Works for Gunther.

Here is Adam Pearce to address the Women’s Title situation. Iyo Sky comes out to say she doesn’t care about contracts but Pearce needs her to hear him out. Cue Bianca Belair to interrupt, saying Rhea Ripley isn’t getting into the title match at Wrestlemania. Cue Ripley to say she doesn’t care about Wrestlemania or who she has to go through to get her title back. Belair says Ripley can face her after Wrestlemania but Pearce makes Sky vs. Ripley next week, with the winner facing Belair at Wrestlemania. The three way fight is on and Belair stands tall. The triple threat should be good, as they’re making it feel like anyone can win.

Dominik Mysterio pitches Penta joining the Judgment Day and says think about it.

Video on the War Raiders.

New Day wants a Tag Team Title shot at Wrestlemania. Adam Pearce tells them to get out but Bianca Belair comes in to say she wants to know her Wrestlemania opponent. Pearce makes her guest referee next week. Belair: “I don’t know how to referee!” Pearce: “WELL YOU HAVE A WEEK TO FIGURE IT OUT!”

Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano

Americano is billed from The Gulf Of America to really rub it in. They go to the mat to start with Americano working on an armbar and then armdragging Lee into the corner. Americano: “GRACIAS!” A hurricanrana and running headbutt get two on Lee and Americano sends him outside. We take a break and come back with Lee kneeing him out to the apron, setting up the top rope double stomp. Back in and Americano sends him hard into the corner with a toss for two but Lee fights up. Lee goes to the corner but gets his mask pulled off. The ankle lock makes Lee tap at 8:55.

Rating: B. They started going here and it was a good fight with the two of them both working hard. The Grande Americano stuff is fun and could lead to some funny moments down the line. If nothing else, it is nice to see…uh…whoever is under that mask winning some matches. He’s good at this wrestling thing and looked good in his debut here.

We look at the Roman Reigns/Seth Rollins/CM Punk brawl on Smackdown, which seemed to set up a Wrestlemania three way. The match is officially made.

Here is Punk for a chat. Punk talks about how rough things have been in recent days, including his uncertainty and his Road To Wrestlemania. Apparently he has a match at Wrestlemania, but what he wants, he isn’t getting. Or is he? What he wanted to do was to win the Royal Rumble or the Elimination Chamber, but things stay the same: he works with children.

Seth Rollins is the definition of a child as he screwed Punk at the Elimination Chamber. For two people, it’s clearly personal but to him, it’s just business. The other people have to go, because the shadow Punk casts on Roman Reigns (Punk does the one finger) overshadows everything Reigns has done. The reality is that Reigns’ wise man isn’t just his own. We’re going to have a three way contract signing in London on Smackdown.

The fans aren’t happy because they want it here, but Punk gets the issue. He wants to see the contract and see if it’s just another match or something that gets him closer to where he wants to go. Neither of the other two have ever beaten him without the other’s help, because they can’t do it. Punk brought them into this business and he can’t wait to take them out. Punk vs. Reigns still feels like a bigger match, but Rollins has to be on the card somewhere and this is about the only thing he can do right now.

Logan Paul sends in a video, saying he’s going to call out AJ Styles next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Bron Breakker is ready to take Penta out and doesn’t care what is going on with Judgment Day.

Intercontinental Title: Penta vs. Bron Breakker

Breakker is defending. Penta’s headlock is cut off without much effort and Breakker hits a hard clothesline. Something like a hurricanrana sends Breakker to the apron, where he knees a diving Penta out of the air. Breakker hits the apron clothesline over the announcers’ table as the Judgment Day comes out to watch.

We take a break and come back with Penta hitting a superkick but Breakker knees him again. Another superkick drops Breakker though and they get a double breather. The reverse Sling Blade sends Breakker to the floor and Penta hits a jumping Backstabber for two back inside. A gorilla press gutbuster gets two on Penta, who knocks Breakker outside again for a big dive. Back in and the Canadian Destroyer gives Penta two more but the Penta Driver is broken up. A super Frankensteiner pulls Penta down…and Judgment Day comes in to jump Breakker for the DQ at 11:26.

Rating: B. The ending felt designed to help boost up a big multi-man title match at Wrestlemania and that’s not the worst idea. The other thing though is that they kept Penta from taking a pin. I’m not sure I can imagine Penta taking the title at Wrestlemania, or anytime soon, but what matters the most here is that he didn’t take a clean loss. That’s the kind of thing that can hurt him going forward and it was nice to see him survive here.

Post match Finn Balor comes in for the beatdown and, after thinking about attacking his friends, chairs Breakker down. Mysterio hands Penta a chair but he throws it back at Mysterio for a superkick. Balor chairs Penta and Breakker down and Judgment Day stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Solid show this week as it felt rather quick and easy while also setting up/advancing things for Wrestlemania. We’re firmly in the area now where Wrestlemania is all that matters and now we are starting to see where things are going. That’s going to include a lot of talking and hyping up the matches, but there was good wrestling going on here too. Nice show here, and now we are getting to see the start of the last push towards the biggest show of the year.

Results
Usos b. A-Town Down Under – 1D to Theory
Lyra Valkyria b. Raquel Rodriguez – Victory roll
El Grande Americano b. Dragon Lee – Ankle lock
Bron Breakker b. Penta when Judgment Day interfered

 

 

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