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Official WWE/TNA Wrestling Thread

Discussion in 'Other Sports Forum' started by alen1, Mar 25, 2008.

  1. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    I got bored and made a thing for Wrestlemania. If you're hosting a party it's something you can do as for fun. Or rip off your friends. I don't care. Click here if you want to download it.
     
  2. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Cool may print some of these out, having some peeps over! Will be fun! Thanks.
     
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  3. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I'm only watching WrestleMania to see Triple H vs Sting.. I was a huge WCW fan when I was a kid, and Triple H is still a WWF throwback so to me this is the only match worth watching. Should have been Undertaker vs Sting last year but I'll take it. I'm pretty sure, 90% sure Sting wins this match, Sting has too much pride for the work he did in WCW, he hated how The Rock treated Booker T when Booker T first introduced himself to him, he hated how Vince McMahon is rewriting history, WCW kicked Raw's *** in the 90's, not the other way around like Vince wants the new generation to think. I don't think Sting would have accepted this offer if they told him he's booked to lose and have Triple H put the final nail in WCW's coffin.
     
  4. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    No way Sting loses. No way.
     
  5. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    [video]https://youtu.be/h8vgiC8xjEc?t=21m54s[/video]

    I fast forwarded it to 21:54 if it doesn't go through, this is the part where Sting talks about how he didn't trust WWF when they acquired WCW, and the Booker T moment.
     
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  6. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει


    Not to start an outdated argument, but WCW kicked WWE's as for about two years total, of the 90's. To say they kicked their *** the entire decade is the very definition of re-writing history.
     
  7. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Wyatt sprained his ankle supposedly. Up in the air if he will wrestle. Metsfan on reddit says Shameus is backup which I find laughable. We will see.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  8. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    This was pretty funny.

    [video=youtube;wZ88SIbkCus]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ88SIbkCus&spfreload=10[/video]
     
  9. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Roman Reigns is praying that happens as the fans would be all burnt out booing the crap out of Sheamus.

    Seriously unless his ankle is cut off or broken don't you have to go out there and try to fake a match?
     
  10. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    So yeah just what I thought WM this year was just ok. Nothing really memorable minus the cash in.

    I really enjoyed the IC ladder match, although is Dean Ambrose ok? Taking bumps like that is seriously stupid. I'd be shocked if he didn't get knocked out. Glad Bryan won to get another moment. I also really liked the Orton/Rollins match, that RKO to end the match was outstanding. I didn't agree with that decision as I thought Rollins should have won (especially with the cash it later in the night) but it was at least a good match.

    So does anyone really want to see Sting wrestle anymore? He was really showing his age in the match and almost falling over during the Death Lock, having to hold himself up by his arm was bad. The nWo/DX thing was ummm interesting, but a guess you needed smoke and mirrors in a match like that. Triple H looked like crap too. Both guys were off and in slow mo. Love how even after 14 years Vince still won't give "WCW" a win.

    The divas tag was just there, typical divas match.

    I didn't see much of the Cena/Rusev match but glad Cena won the U.S. title.

    Undertaker/Bray match was kind of sloppy too, Taker looked ok starting but slowed down big time by the end. Anyone that wants to see a Taker/Sting match because they actually think it was be good are insane.

    Brock/Reigns match went exactly like it should have and it was much better than it should have been. Glad Vince came to his senses and realized they jumped the gun on Reigns as it was clear the fans weren't buying into him at all. Interesting twist with Rollins in there but I still would have kept the title on Lesnar especially with all the press he and the WWE was getting all week. But it was a better way for Lesnar to lose the title without "losing" it but I don't know. Happy for Rollins and hope he gets a long run with it, as he's a better choice than anyone other than Bryan right now, until Brock comes back of course. I will say at least it made things unpredictible and they had the stones to try something different.

    As far as Extreme Rules, I bet we see Cena/Rusev 3 and Bryan/Ziggler and maybe Rollins/Reigns like those matches were rumored last week. Wonder what's next for guys like Bray Wyatt, Orton and Ambrose.

    At least we have a real reason to watch and look forward to RAW tomorrow.
     
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  11. wpgfishfan

    wpgfishfan Member

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    Ok?? Thought it was a very good wrestlemania. NWO and DX was a good surprise. The rock showing up also added a nice punch. Money in the bank being cashed in like it was was good. I'm not a fanatic but again very entertaining show
     
  12. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    I only liked 3 matches. The other matches were take them or leave them. I really didn't care for the Triple H/Sting or Bray/Taker match. Seeing the nWo and DX in their late 40s/early 50s was kind of silly to me (and pointless storyline wise if you think about it) but can understand why fans would like it. The Rock/Triple H stuff was pointless and obvious stall so it would be darker for the Undertaker match and the show wouldn't end 20 minutes early.

    I think in a few years this WM gets completely forgotten other than the cash in at the end as there were no 5 star/blow away matches. Really it was a middle of the road WM. I didn't hate the PPV, it was entertaining but average.
     
  13. wpgfishfan

    wpgfishfan Member

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    @BillSimmons: Awesome WrestleMania. One of the best ones I can remember. Football stadium was cool and all the big wrinkles worked. So fun to be there.

    I think us dolphin fansa know bill and his pats love. He does have 3.4 mill followers


    @simmonssteve: Best. Wrestlemania. Ever.

    Steve is a newspaper sports guy in Canada. Might be the biggest name

    @ProWrestlingMag: BEST #WrestleMania EVER! http://t.co/Nk2ol4p9e7 http://t.co/Z9dcYoqgdS

    This guy has a bunch of wrestling followers.


    Not saying you are wrong because we all like different things but this event was above average in my opinion
     
  14. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Not sure the point of showing a few tweets of people in the media that liked the PPV. If they think its the best WM ever than they clearly haven't seen them all. Would love to debate WM31 vs. WM17, WM19, WM 10, WM20 or WM 21 for example. Would love to hear why they thought that in more detail then just a tweet.

    Like I said I was entertained by the PPV but thought it was an average WM. If I was ranking all of them this one would be somewhere in the middle for me as it had no blow away matches and only 1 big memorable moment. Just my opinion though. Will be interest to see if my opinion changes when I rewatch it in a few months.
     
  15. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    I will say I just rewatched the main event and really liked it more the 2nd time, definitely match of the night. And I think I am on board fully with the cash in.
     
  16. Jt0323

    Jt0323 Fins Up! Luxury Box

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    I thought WM was okay too. HHH/Sting match was awful but I didn't expect much, I dont get the whole NWO vs DX thing, I mean I get it, but Hogan is a WWE guy, not a WCW. Also when ever you say "This is a WrestleMania Moment" kinda takes away from it. Seems desperate. The best match was defiantly the Lesnar Match. Lesnar is fun to watch. Reigns was the perfect opponent for him, and as much as I would have liked Lesnar to stay a dominate champion, this was a great way to take the title away from him. The Rock/Rousey-HHH/Steph moment was awful imo.
     
  17. Jt0323

    Jt0323 Fins Up! Luxury Box

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    Also I for sure thought that Lesnar was going to win when Cena and Bryan won their titles. I thought they would make those mean something while the WWE title was out of the picture with Lesnar.
     
  18. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    I enjoyed the show.

    Lesnar- Reigns was WELL WRITTEN. Great cash-in.

    Brock + Heyman promos vs. Authority is gonna be fun.
     
  19. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    As someone who was in attendance, I can say that I enjoyed the heck out of this show. People may bag on the "work rate" of certain matches, but they are missing the point. The Sting/HHH match was probably the highlight of the night for many people in the audience.

    I will go into more detail about the show's production and overall appeal later this week.

    I watched this from the clubs level and one of thee bartenders turned out to be a listener of my podcast and was generous with the free beer, so I have to go to sleep now. But the show was a awesome experience and Brock Lesnar is the is biggest face in the company. Not sure if it came off on TV, but the pop was deafening.
     
  20. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    From a pure storyline perspective why wouldn't The Authority come out to help Triple H instead of DX? Especially when Sting had attacked The Authority on RAW leading up to the PPV. And you said Hogan is a WWE guy and the night before Nash was ripping on WCW. Plus the original nWo coming out to help Sting? Really? Why? And I thought the reason behind this match wasn't a WCW vs. WWE thing, that's what they kept saying during the build up and now it is? The whole angle was a mess and like I said before it was just smoke and mirrors to distract from the limitations in the ring.
     
  21. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Maybe because you saw it live you have a different view of the event, which is understandable. I get the nostalgic factor to finally see Sting in a WWE ring but much like Flair in the mid 2000s still wrestling it was sad to see watching on a HD TV. He looked incredibly old once the fair paint and hair got messed up, slow and had trouble performing certain moves. I think he even had rope burn under his arm from running the ropes too. It took away from the match, especially with the over booking, as did the end result.

    It had nothing to do with "work rate" as I doubt anyone thought it would be a 5 star classic. It wasn't unwatchable by any means but I just didn't really pop outside of the initial "holy crap Sting is really going to wrestle".

    But if that was yours or someone's highlight of WM that's cool and I get it.

    I actually thought Undertaker looked much better this year vs. last's, I think it was the hair. He can probably go one more match but I think he needs the right opponent for that.
     
  22. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Taker and Wyatt was a fantastic story. Wyatt is the best actor in the business. He doesn't have to speak a word yet you know his feelings and thoughts based on his movements, body language and facial expressions. It was like a son trying to prove hes better than his father....or a younger brother trying to best his older bro....Taker took him down a peg. It was fantastic.

    Sting and HHH looked old, guess Rock and HHH are doing WM next year? Wonder where that leaves Brock?

    Reigns spear on Lesnar holding Rollins was ****ing brutal as hell! Rollins was fantastic.

    So now we have Bryan IC champ.....Cena US Champ.....fulltime heel WHC....man its been a long time since you didnt have a coluded mess at the top, but now a fleshed out tier of feud possibilities and they all make sense now that you have top stars with the mid belts. So its not a "step down" for anyone to feud with them.....and its a big deal for a younger guy (neville, balor, owens etc) to step up and challenge for the belts. Good work WWE.
     
  23. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    Eh that match was terrible.. I had a feeling it would end with a sledgehammer though if Triple H wins. Goldberg didnt win his first match with triple h either, in that elimination chamber it was another sledgehammer finish .. Guessing a rematch might come or not.

    I dont get the WWE on this though, for example in WCW Chris Jericho was almost always a heel but he would still win matches fair. In the WWE, the heel always wins unfairly, i get that it was a no DQ match but if they wanted Triple H to win they could have made him look better than just a sledge hammer finish. Lol btw when is triple h ever going to be a face.. I swear every time i tune in hes never liked. I guess McMahon mustve got some research that the villian role is the only thing that fits him.
     
  24. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    I know the popular theory going around now is The Rock vs. Triple H or Rock/Rhonda vs. Triple H/Stephanie but I don't know. If The Rock is going to wrestle it's gotta be against Brock because that's the draw. Remember Vince wants 100k in that stadium and I don't think another Rock/Triple H would do that.

    One interesting name to throw out there as a potential Brock opponent would be Batista. A face Brock vs. heel Batista could do some business.
     
  25. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Sting told the AP last night that was most likely his last wrestling match however he would be interested in a WM32 match against The Undertaker.
     
  26. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    First thing that showed sting's age was that bald spot on his head when his hair got messed up.. Hes a few years awayfrom that Hogan hairstyle..

    Time for WWE to look for new talent... And i suggest they look at Lucha Underground... Enough recruiting american bodybuilders that cant do a single flip or barely jump off a turnbuckle.. Unless theyre talented like Billy Kidman was they need to pass. Bunch of wrestlers in Lucha Underground that are doing things WWE fans havent seen..
     
  27. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    The WWE has plenty of young talent in their current roster (Rollins, Ambrose, Reigns, Bray, Ziggler, Paige) and at NXT (Balor, Owens, Zayn, all the Divas). The problem is those talents aren't showcased well because of the writing/booking.

    Outside of Cena everyone else is consistently winning one week then losing the next. It's the 50/50 booking that kills the talent.
     
  28. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    One thing that I didn't mention that I think hurt visually was that because WM was on the west coast and outside some of the entrances like Sting, Bray and The Undertaker weren't as spectular as they could have been or should have been because of the sun being out or the stadium not dark enough.
     
  29. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    Here are my thoughts on WrestleMania ... it got a little longer than I intended.

    Fatal Four Way Tag Team Championship: This was good for what it was designed to be, a car crash type of match designed to get the crowd into it. This wasn't exactly a cohesive match as much as it was a series of spots and finishing moves, which is fine. I was glad to see that Cesaro and Kidd retained, although the tag titles are about as low on the pecking order as they can get right now. Inoffensive but not great.

    ARMBAR: As Battle Royals go, this was fine. Some folks are going to be upset that Big Show won, but I was okay with the booking decision, as he's always booked as a contender in these things but never actually wins them. My guess would be that this kicks off the Big Show farewell tour, but I could be wrong. I did enjoy the payoff to Miz/Mizdow, although I didn't really like the tag team champs and competitors being treated like chumps. Fine for what it was.

    Intercontinental Ladder Match: I had a sinking feeling that a certain Irish Superstar was going to get added to this match at the last minute. Happily this didn't happen. In a lot of ways, this match felt like the opening Fatal Four way, in that it wasn't a super cohesive match, but more of a series of big moves and stunt work. Again, fine for what it was. I thought that Stardust having his own ladder was both awesome and hilarious. The Bryan/Ziggler exchange went on a little bit too long for my tastes, but I liked seeing Bryan win the belt. The video package and post-match interview have me hoping they're going to elevate the title, but we've seen that before from WWE - so the important thing will be for them to follow through.

    Orton vs. Rollins: Following the formula of the other matches on the show, this was a solid-but-not-spectacular match that had one of the best finishes that I've ever seen, with Orton popping Rollins into an RKO mid-air as a counter to the Curb Stomp. Outside of that the match was simply okay. It seemed a bit odd that this was on so early, but given how the show ended made a bit more sense.

    HHH (WWE) vs. Sting (WCW): For as much as this match relied on nostalgia, the announcers really missed the boat by not pointing out that you could see some of these classic moments on the very Network that you were watching the show on. Both Sting and HHH had elaborately overblown entrances that were ridiculous or awesome, or ridiculously awesome. I'm still not sure which. This was a slow and plodding affair, as you might expect, with HHH sporting a gnarly thigh bruise that was more interesting than the match itself. I did quite enjoy the (intentional?) nod to Wrestling isn't Wrestling, with HHH having a credulous entrance, referee intimidation, rampant interference, and of course, sledgehammer usage. While I enjoyed the DX vs. NWO showdown, in the grand scheme it made little to no sense, as the NWO was sold as an invading (i.e. WWE) force during their run with Sting in WCW. Not to mention they always hated Sting. A generally slow match that was overbooked to compensate for Sting's deteriorating skill set. Fine for what it was. Just try not to think too hard about Hunter's buddies all getting a WrestleMania pay day.

    The Frenemies vs. The Bellas: I feel like I'm damning this with faint praise when I say that it was better than I thought it would be. Neither of the Bells is especially great in the ring, although Nikki has improved somewhat over the past few months. If WWE is serious about re-establishing their Divas division they have to start giving their women more than 6:42 to tell a story. A match that would have benefitted from an extra 5 or 10 minutes, which is saying something on a 4 hour show.

    Rock / Ronda Rousey Segment: This whole exchange was pretty awesome. HHH coming across as smug because he had just "cleanly" beat Sting was great. Ronda was clearly nervous but she has a natural sort of badass charisma - it's lazy to compare her to Lesnar but that's sort of what it feels like, and Stephanie was simply awesome. She is quite simply the best heel on the roster today. Oh, and the Rock showed up. He was phenomenal as always. Assuming they go somewhere with this angle, it was really fun and cool. If they drop it, then it seems sort of pointless. Entertaining and, if not for the main event, probably would have been the most memorable part of the show.

    United States Championship Match: This was a match I just couldn't get into. I think that's because it's really hard for me to have any stakes in a John Cena match at this point - as his winning seems like a foregone conclusion. The jingoistic video package at the beginning was pretty ridiculous, and of all people who could benefit from pulling out the stunner, John Cena is about the last person I would expect to see use it. (Although, I guess it could lead to a confrontation with a Rattlesnake in Texas next year, if you want to go that way) I felt that this was a fine match with a few too many rest holds for my tastes.

    Undertaker / Wyatt: Less disjointed than the Lesnar match last year, this was a back and forth type of match telling the story of the Undertaker questioning himself throughout the match. It would have been nice if that was how they had positioned this feud to begin with, but that would have required the Undertaker to be on TV. Neither man embarrassed himself, and Wyatt acquitted himself nicely. I'm not sure where they go with Bray from here though, as he's now 0-2 in high profile WrestleMania matches.

    WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: I really enjoyed this, for all intents and purposes, with Brock Lesnar taking Roman Reigns to "Suplex City" and generally making him his ***** for 15 minutes. Along the way they basically made Roman out to be this dude who knew he was getting his *** kicked, but was going to keep coming back for more. While I was a bit miffed to see Reigns kick out of 3 F5s, I did enjoy the drama, and seeing Brock cut open (in what looked to be a hardaway cut) added more suspense and drama to the match. This was a pretty brutal match, actually, as both guys appeared to be working extremely stiff, and is probably as close to a "strong style" match as you will see in WWE. Lesnar ate something like 3 Superman punches and 2 spears but still managed to kick out, because he isn't human. The Rollins cash-in was surprising but executed perfectly, and while I would have preferred to see Brock continue to hold onto the belt like Gollum with the ring, I understand the logic of putting the belt on Seth. A rare match that saw all 3 men come out better on the other end of it.

    Overall, I would call this a "workmanlike" WrestleMania effort. All of the matches were good, with the Main Event crossing over into great territory. Some folks are calling this one of the best WrestleManias of all time, which I think is more an overreaction from lowered expectations. For me, most of the matches were decent, the Rock/Ronda angle was memorable, and the main event was awesome. I'd call it good but not great. That said, the ending to this PPV deserves all the kudos it is getting. Vince and company somehow painted themselves out of the corner they found themselves in with Roman Reigns, and now we have a fresh new champion on top with the potential for multiple challenges. Orton, Reigns, Lesnar, heck even Dean Ambrose will all likely have issue with Rollins holding the strap. They hit the reset button in a big way, so it will be interesting to see where they go from here, and if anything truly changes.
     
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  30. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Really great write up Vengeful Odin. Thanks for sharing. I pretty much agree with you word for word.

    I think I may have been a little light on it at first as a knee jerk reaction because like you said all the matches were good and the main event was great. I still don't think this is a top WM by any means but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, especially with how poor the build was to the event.

    I do wonder how this show will age with time.
     
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  31. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    I honestly have not paid attention to know any of them that you listed. I did listen to Reigns talk once at some promo between him and Brock I think, and I think it's best they cut the soap opera and just go into more wrestling. Listening to him talk is so uninteresting and boring, and I would probably bet the rest of them are not very good at talking either. Cut the soap opera, do more wrestling to showcase the talent if they have any...
     
  32. Vengeful Odin

    Vengeful Odin Norse Mod

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    Considering that the build for this WrestleMania was piss poor, IMO, they did a good job of tying it together. Having Ambrose be taken out during the the ladder match (and having it mentioned subsequently on a WWE article), was a rare nod to continuity that it usally lacking these days. Maybe this is when the youth movement truly starts - but it's WWE, so I'm not getting my hopes up.
     
  33. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    We can hope. I mean the WWE is starting to realize that Cena isn't getting any younger, neither is Orton, Undertaker probably only has 1 more match in him, Triple H only goes once a year and Brock wrestles 4 or 5 times a year. Now is the perfect time to do it but it won't matter until the writing/booking improves. Much like a professional sports team, you can have all the talent in the world but if they guys on top (GM, manager, writer or booker) does their job poorly it's not going to matter or make a difference.
     
  34. Samphin

    Samphin Κακό σκυλί ψόφο δεν έχει

    Okay, I think the fog has lifted enough to recap my experience at WM31. I also recorded a post-Wrestlemania version of my podcast that I will probably put out later today or tomorrow, where me and my friend discussed the show in a rambling, tired fashion.

    First off, this is why it is hard to hold outdoor events on the west coast in the Spring/Summer. It was probably about 80-85 degrees, but inside the stadium, it was way hotter. And yes, the entrances are less impressive without the cloak of night, especially for the traditional guys like Undertaker/Wyatt, etc. I will say that I think the entrance of the night goes to HHH. It was an impressive display and visually stunning.

    I encourage everyone to try and get to a Wrestlemania at some point because you can't help but get caught up in everything going on. The fans are both amazing and annoying, which makes for a great experience and the WWE really does have, for my money, the best live produced show on the planet. The amount of coordination and timing needed to pull everything off is quite incredible.

    However, if you go, I suggest you try to avoid looking at the stage during the matches. The reason being that the camera men, and production staff have their marks they need to hit and I found myself watching them set up the stage for the next segment. And they would do so regularly with about a minute or two left in the current match, so it sort of telegraphed the endings for me, as well as the surprise run-ins and entrances. For example, I knew Seth Rollins was cashing in because right before his music hit, a camera man sprinted up the ramp and got into position. I knew people were running out for Sting-HHH because the exact same reason. It didn't bother me much, just sort of tipped me off as to what was coming next. It was also interesting to see how and where they store all of the props.

    The show started at 3 P.M (Pacific) with the Tag Team Fatal Four-Way, which was a complete spot fest and a wonderful one at that. Cesaro/Kidd got one of the largest pops of the night on their win. Not sure if it came across or not, but the crowd was almost universally behind them. The triple decker superplex was obviously the spot of the match, but what was also impressive was Cesaro suplexing Big E from outside the ring, in. One of the Usos left early, I think due to an existing shoulder injury that they worked into the match.

    The Andre The Giant Battle Royal was also good for what it was. Curtis Axel was the last guy to get into the ring and probably the crowd favorite (he and Mizdow were neck and neck). I laughed when he was tossed first and was sort of crowd surfing on everyone prior to being dumped. He also hung around the entrance for awhile (off camera) and was interacting with the fans which was cool. Personally, I would have had him come out at the VERY end after in appeared Big Show had won and have him try to eliminate Show at that point. Would have been a bit more impactful and made Show even that much more hated by eliminating Mizdow AND Axel. Speaking of which, the Miz/Mizdow split happened as it should have, and I was extremely surprised at how many "Stunt Double" shirts were being worn. Dude has himself a cult following, very similar to Zach Ryder a few years back. Let's hope he goes further with it than Ryder did. I have no problem with Show winning as A: he deserves to add some stuff to his resume and B: HE. IS. A. GIANT. Sometimes you have to take advantage of that and play the obvious hand that has been dealt. There was no rub to give anyone else. Let him have it, and be happy that the big lug can still go in the ring and is fine putting anyone over. One of the most professional guys to ever be in the ring. Plus...he skinned the cat! How awesome was that, right? I also liked his revenge on Cesaro with the repeating end game spot from last year and Show being able to thwart it. Great piece of storytelling and psychology.

    WM started proper with a really well timed coordination of all the ladders being stood at the same time. Sort of synchronized, which I know isn't that exciting, but it was interesting that that much planning goes into it. Good match, with some incredible spots. Ambrose is a maniac for the ladder-bomb, and Bryan winning was the right call (also telegraphed by him losing to Dolph last week). Bryan leading the IC level Superstars like Dolph, Ambrose, Barrett and Stardust should help them all out. The Stardust ladder was incredible and the crowd ate it up. Biggest surprise was a fairly audible chant for R-Truth during the middle of the match. Again, not sure if it picked up on TV, but about 1/4 of the crowd randomly got behind him.

    Orton-Rollins was exactly what it was supposed to be and was the first tip off that Rollins was cashing in later. The placement as the second match gives Rollins ample time to recover and come back out later. The second tip off was Rollins' attire, as he came out in his regular tights, but with a GOLD trim. This is a tactic Randy Savage used to use to tip of folks that he was winning the title. Rollins being a student of the game, and with Savage going into the HOF the night before, did the exact same thing. And the nail in the coffin for me was him actually losing. Standard fair for MitB cash ins. Lose your scheduled match first, cash in and be champ later. Now Orton has a legit reason to chase the title, if they go that route, as does Brock and Reigns. Also, as others said, that RKO off the curb stomp was a thing of beauty. Orton made new fans with that move, alone. Solid match.

    Sting/HHH. Probably the highlight of the night for most in the crowd (other than the cash in and Rock). The crowd was super into this and I think the WWE booked it the right way, having the members of DX/NWO come out. Did it make sense for NWO to fight DX? Not really, no. But the reason they did is because wrestling fans everywhere always dreamed of a day that those two factions would square off with one another, so the WWE gave them what they wanted. Yes, it is 15 years later than we wanted, and yes everyone looked super old (watching DX run down the ramp and taking about 5 years to do so was sort of depressing and funny), but the crowd ate it up. The ONLY thing I would have loved to have see would have been for Ric Flair to come down, do his routine give HHH some knife edge chops, before dropping a low blow on Sting allowing HHH to end it. Flair meant a lot to both of those guys and I think it would have been appropriate for him to have been a part of it. I also have no problem with HHH winning. It actually makes more sense than Sting.

    I don't care about The Divas match.

    The Hall of Famers section was cool as always.

    John Cena vs. Rusev was okay. The crowd was sort of meh on this one. Usual Cena chants and the match itself was fine. Quite honestly, I was staring at Lana's *** the entire time so I wasn't paying too close attention to anything else. She has a great ***.

    StepHHH/Rock/Rousey was a fun segment. Again, I knew someone was coming out for a couple of different reasons. I believe this segment was added earlier in the week because I got an alert that the Andre The Giant battle royal was being moved to the pre-show. My guess was to make way for this once WWE confirmed Rock/Rousey for their appearance. Fun atmosphere and the crowd went bananas. They were a bit disappointed in Ronda's lack of physicality, but I am sure she was only allowed to do so much.

    Undertaker/Wyatt was probably the low light of the night in person. The audience wasn't terribly into it and the outcome never seemed in question. A better story would have been for Wyatt to win and claim that while Brock beat Undertaker, Bray broke him. But I was under no assumptions that that would happen. The visual of Bray doing his crab thing and Undertaker sitting up was pretty good. Everything else was forgettable.

    Main Event was tremendous. Brock Lesnar is the most over face in the company. The crowd absolutely loves him. Story was good with Brock destroying Roman and for a minute, I thought they were going to tell the same story as they did at Summerslam where Brock rampages through Roman and his reign of dominance continues for a long, long time. But then the cameraman sprinted up the ramp and I knew what the end game would be. The crowd appreciated it as they simply wanted anyone but Roman to win. Anytime they showed his face on the screens, he was booed heavily. The WWE didn't do that kid any favors and their best bet is to turn him heel. This isn't a Cena situation where he can endure. If they want to salvage their protege, they need to embrace this hate and roll with it. He will come out the other side better, because of it.

    Overall, I thought it was a very solid show. I thought the buildup going into it was lackluster, but the performers did a great job of putting on a tremendous show. Ray may be correct in that I am not sure what will be remembered the most in a few years, but my guess is the NWO/DX showdown, Dean Ambrose's bump through the ladder will be replayed forever, Seth winning his first title and possibly the last match of Sting's illustrious career.

    I will let you guys know when the podcast goes up.
     
  35. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Nice write up Samphin. Thanks for sharing.

    Definitely would be interested in hearing your thoughts in the future on this show while watching it on TV vs. being there in person. Most of the stuff you mentioned with the crowd came off the same on TV (minus R-Truth chants). And completely agree Ric Flair should have been involved in the Sting/Triple H match. Kind of shocking he wasn't considering what he meant to both guys.
     
  36. Ray Finkle

    Ray Finkle Member

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    Apparently there might be some issues with the WWE/Vince and Steve Austin, possibly over Austin's podcasts. Austin was suppose to be at WM31 but decided not to go and now the WWE is promoting Chris Jericho's live podcast on 4/6 on the WWE Network with John Cena. Jericho will have a monthly podcast on the Network now.
     
  37. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    I think Ray and I have discussed this a long time ago, but it's rather interesting:

    (Stolethis from squared circle on reddit) "Seth Rollins' WWE Championship victory last night marked the first time in history that a heel challenger has won the title in the last match of a WrestleMania"

    Also, Seth was the very first NXT champion, and now the first NXT alum WWEWHC.

    And.....Seth is the first ever competitor to win the World title at Wrestlemania and be younger than the event itself. Rollins is 28. Mania is 30.

    Pretty cool stuff.
     
    Ray Finkle likes this.
  38. SICK

    SICK Lounge Moderator

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    Bryan is also now the 26th WWE Triple Crown holder, and has held every single WWE belt they have to offer (not including divas obviously, and 2002 retired European title).

    Awesome for DB.
     
  39. Vertical Limit

    Vertical Limit Senior Member

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    They should bring back the hardcore belt..
     
  40. Section126

    Section126 We are better than you. Luxury Box

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    My Review...... 1 to 5 stars. Overall Show: 4 stars. Production: 2.5 stars.

    Tag Title Curtain jerk: 1.5 stars. Only good thing about this match...Cesaro-Kidd retained and now Natty is pretty damn hot. Fatal Four-way Tag Matches are a complete cluster **** and hard to follow. As a curtain jerker...it was not very good.

    Andre Battle Royal: 2.5 stars. Nothing memorable from this event, but you have to like the finish. A Giant wins a battle royal (common), after NEVER winning one before (what?)? well..yeah..just makes sense, and I liked the Mizdow - Miz implosion.

    IC Title Ladder Match: 4 stars. Top Notch. Dean Ambrose takes an all-time great bump (crazy), and all of the participants had moments. The put upon and passed over Daniel Bryan continues to get nods in major PPV's and people still think he doesn't get enough of a push. Dude is damn near Cena already. Just stop it...Yes people.

    Orton vs. Rollins: 3.5 Stars. Low stakes, brief build up, so it won't be remembered, but Rollins and Orton are probably the best "pros" in WWE. These guys can flat out produce good matches. Great finish.

    HHH vs. Sting: 1.5 Stars. Historic, and it sure got off to a great start. Two things: #1, Sting needed to wet down his hair, and dye it black. The off color look and dry frizzyness REALLY showed off the bald spot. Sting ran out of steam in the match, although I did enjoy DX, and the NWO coming down to the ring. Best moment the match had, was HBK....sweet chin music to sting...false finish. Great moment. Match then just limped home from there.

    The Sexy weirdos vs. The Bellas: 1 star. Like, really, who booked this? The match just did not matter. Nikki vs. Paige should have been the match. Have AJ and Brie interfere and have them decide the match. A Tag match here...did not work.

    Rock-Ronda vs. the Power couple segment: 5 stars. Great. Just great. Rock is of course...great...Ronda Rousey is a BIG star (massive pop and chant), Stephanie is a great heel...and you are left with HHH as the "smallest" star of the 4.....a great recipe for a GREAT segment. Simple mathematics. Loved it.

    Cena vs. Rusev (US Title): 3 stars. GREAT entrance by Rusev. AWESOME. Cena needed to have a much better entrance. he got severely upstaged. THE DUDE RODE IN ON A TANK. Think of it. Lana blew a spot IMO. She throws her shoe in the ring...would have made sense for Rusev to try to use Lana's high heel and then have Cena...Cena his way out of it. In the end..Cena..Cena'd. I think they blew an opportunity to have Rusev remain "undefeated"...and set up a Big match down the line.

    Undertaker vs. Wyatt: 3.5 stars. Entrances got screwed up. It's freakin' daylight. Wyatt's entrance would have been creepy and great if it's pitch dark. Undertaker got carried...but what do you want? We did get "old school"...we got the leg drop on the apron...we got some tombstones and a Hells gate. All we really missed was the flying clothesline and a cool tombstone moment like he had with CM Punk or he had with Kane many times before. Wyatt is just great, He is incapable of a bad match.

    Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Title): 5 stars. VERY memorable. Brock beat the holly hell out of Reigns (like he should have), and got some color in a PERFECT setup. Ring post..meets head....crimson mask! Reigns takes a beating, but is not interested in giving up...he is gonna get some **** in. he made a classic baby face comeback...but it got stopped in it's tracks. Loved it. CASH IN! Very well done, and it happens at the hands of Roman Reigns unintentionally helping his former Shield brother. This sets up Heyman Promos w/ unhinged, crazed, and bloodthirsty Beast in Tow vs. The Authority. JUST AWESOME.
     
    wpgfishfan and Vengeful Odin like this.

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