Topic: Wrestling?

I know this is an emotional moment for hardcore wrestling fans, but we should be glad that he finally retires. The man did his very best all the time, but he should in my opinion already have retired when the streak was still intact. Being a large guy with a hip damage is not really something you want to suffer from. People should not be wrestling after achieving a certain age, not even Ric Flair, Terry Funk, the Undertaker, Bob Backlund or Sting.

That...was a pretty damn good show. It had it rough parts, but overall it was a pretty damn good show.

The parts that were bad (Goldberg/Lesnar mainly, and the last bits of Undertaker/Reigns, where Reigns courageously beat on a helpless old man for ten minutes) were the parts that I figured would be bad. Undertaker's send-off itself was absolutely perfect though.

The only real complaints I have are that 1) Fuck off Pitbull and fuck off Flo Rida, no one wants to see you guys, and 2) FUCK OFF with the Orton/Bray match. The match was pretty obviously rushed, the ending was bad, and there was no reason at all for Bray to lose that. What the actual fuck?

Overall, a pretty damn good show, certainly the best 'mania they've had in years.

Goldberg vs Lesnar was amazing. Sure, it was only four movrs, but fuck, it only NEEDED four moves. It was just pure and utter fun.

I disagree, but eh, I'll be nice and not get into it.

I was pretty intense for the short burst of a match that it was.

Old_Man_Tai wrote:Goldberg vs Lesnar was amazing. Sure, it was only four movrs, but fuck, it only NEEDED four moves. It was just pure and utter fun.

THAT LEAP FROG. THAT GODDAMN LEAP FROG..


Besides a few hitches (Ambrose being repaid for his service with a 10 minute pre-show match, the Battle Royale losing credibility so they could get a local pop, Bray/Orton in general, and Sasha's cause of exit from her match not being clear enough) I'm gonna go out on an EXTREME limb here and say this is my favourite WrestleMania of all time.

Also, a curious thought, but ignoring the character of Roman Reigns, I wonder what it feels for a guy to retire the single greatest wrestler of all time (he is, and I will fight you on this) with just under a month of build-up in a match Undertaker's body clearly couldn't do.

Heel or face regardless, Joe Anoaʻi must be feeling right now.

The reason for Orton's win is simple. It was WWE's way of saying: "Sorry about the whole, "We let Brock Lesnar legit fuck you up" thing...we cool bro?"

Which, fuck, Orton deserves it just for that. That being said, REALLY hope Bray wins the eventual rematch or gets a longer run in the future. Also, I LOVED the "ring turns into maggots" mind game stuff, that was fun.

As for the retirement of Undertaker...no, it's not the way we would have all booked it in our heads. But there's two things that I thought of seeing it.

1. in ye olden times, warriors never retired in a big "blaze of glory", fighting at their peak and taking on all comers and burning the world around them. They had one of two retirements. 1. They were killed by younger/stronger warriors. 2. They were defeated by a younger and stronger warrior, OR they SOMEHOW won a fight that was incredibly difficult, and made them realize they were simply too old and broken down and unable to go anymore, and with that, retired on the spot.

In Taker's case, he knew full well his body couldn't go anymore and he wouldn't be having any final "match of the night/year" matches, and that he had pushed and given enough of himself, far more than he should have, and so, he decided this match, no matter what, would be last, probably after the Rumble.

2. to steal a line from What Culture: "Undertaker is Old School, down to his bones." Much as I hate to say it, and hated to see it, the simple truth is this: The proper way for a veteran to go out is to put over a young buck on the way, and use it to make him a star.

Undertaker losing this match to put over a newer talent was the right thing to do, and frankly, Reigns is the right guy to be there. He has passion for this, he isn't planning on leaving, and, barring any critical injuries, he's only 31, he has like 15 more years he could spend in WWE, and he's CLEARLY the person they want to push and make the face of the place, and, on top of that, he's ALREADY booed and hated by everybody anyway, so its not like him beating Taker will "ruin" his being a babyface when everyone boos him anyway.

Taker knows how to do business, he wanted to do business the proper way, the right way, the respectful way, and that was by him being defeated tonight and passing the torch on, in a match that, while sloppy, still has merit, as Taker gave literally everything he possibly had left in him for it, and he deserves respect for that.

...That moment where he took off his hat, and you saw him close his eyes and just sigh... I cried. That was it, right there, that was the moment where he finally put it behind him.

Sure, it's not the finale I or other smarks would have crafted. I would have had Kane pop up, or have Taker wear a version of his original outfit, with the tie or something, or, at the very least, have the Urn with him so he could put it with his gear, as a tribute to Paul Bearer or something.

But that's just fantasy, and the reality is simpler. The old warrior knew his time had come, so he dropped his weapons, cast off his armor, took one last look at his beloved battle arena, and went home.

From hell he came, to hell he returned. Rest In Peace, Dead Man, and thank you for everything.

I really liked the Undertaker, but he does not have the status of Hogan, the Rock and Steve Austin. Hogan turning heel was the best thing to happen in wrestling, the Rock and Austin made each other legends after becoming icons on their own. Undertaker is probably right in competition with Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, HHH and Ric Flair for that exclusive 4th place on the wrestling mount rushmore.

All right, since everybody is putting in their two cents, might as well...

Going to break down my opinions by match, I will not put in spoilers because there's no damn reason you should be here if you haven't already watched Wrestlemania:

Pre-Show
1) Cruiserweight Title Match Aries vs Neville - Great matchup to start the whole shebang. In an ideal world, all belts would be defended on the main show, but we have to get in Pitbull and John Cena's marriage proposal. That being said, there wasn't a whole bunch of in-ring buildup (maybe 4 weeks at most?), but the two men showcased what the Cruiserweight division needs to get on the level of doing with all of their matches and feuds.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-205: 175

2) Andre the Giant Battle Royal - Honestly, I hope the Mojo gets some sort of midcard push with the trophy in his corner, but I had high hopes after they pulled out a decent battle royal last year with one of the right guys getting the win. Thankfully, that was the most "surprise" celebrity involvement at the show. So I'm okay with it. The TV crowd (yes, this hour of the preshow was broadcast on USA Network for those unaware) gets to see a face they know in the ring. However, if this was Big Show's last hurrah, it was more of a whimper than a bang. Here's to hoping Braun and he go at it at Payback for a proper send-off.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-529: 205

3) IC Title Match Ambrose vs Corbin - I love Dean and am happy with how Corbin's progressed in the past year, but I'll say this now at the risk of getting blasted: this match belonged on the pre-show. The buildup for this "feud" felt more like it belonged on a regular old PPV and not "The Greatest Thrill Ride". You make it a hardcore stipulation of any sort (Forklift match maybe?) and it instantly makes more sense. Otherwise, the buildup was plain weak. That being said, good match to send the kick-off show crowd on. There was aggression and a few good spots to cap it off as a good bookend to the pre-show.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-120: 75

Main Show
4) Shane vs AJ - When Scorn showed me the leaked card from about a month or so ago, I wanted to punch somebody when I saw this on the books. "AJ deserves better than Shane McMahon as a Wrestlemania opponent." I still say that, but dammit if this may have sneakily been one of the top matches of the night. It was no technical marvel from Shane's side, but the guy pulled out some surprise moves for a man who doesn't get in the ring on a daily basis. Am I going to sit here and think AJ didn't help make it the match that it was? No. The match I expected for this one and the one we got are about 5 magnitudes apart from each other. Wrestlemania, 9 times out of 10, tends to put on a top match (of the night) contender first on the main card and this year was no exception. The right man wins in AJ Styles. I can only pray that he stays on the Smackdown roster and some good talent gets brought in to create a good feud while he waits for a chance at the belt again.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-BAH GAWD! HE BROKE HIS FREAKIN' NECK!: Holy Hell!

5) US Title Match (fought by two Canadians) KO vs Jericho - Did we honestly expect anything short of greatness from these two? I've been salavating at these men going at it since the first time they teased a breakup. Jericho's entrance was golden: not too over the top, but with enough flair (woo!) and showcase of all of his gimmicks during this run to make it seem special. I can't think of the last time Jericho had a "special" Wrestlemania entrance. The ring psychology in this match was great. The emotion could have been a tad more elevated. The crowd could have used a cool down match before hand, but overall it was one of my favorites of the night.
Enjoyment on a scale of 10- Light-up Leather Scarf: LIGHT IT UP, MAN!

6) Raw Women's Title Match Bayley vs Nia Jax vs Sasha Banks vs Charlotte - I'm starting this with: After last year's instant classic of a triple threat, how does WWE book two sad excuses for women's title matches at Wrestlemania? You have the talent in both matches. You have more of a story leading into this one, and you do JACK FUCKING SHIT with it. The three women ganging up on Nia to eliminate her: smart. That's the last nice thing I can say about the booking. Sasha vs Charlotte for the umpteenth time, while Bayley lays on the outside of the ring, is stupid. If you want to have Charlotte vs Sasha to be showcased, then have her and Bayley team up against Charlotte like the friends they supposedly are and have Sasha surprise eliminate Bayley. Instant heel turn. Instant story progression. Instant things making some semblance of sense. No. You have Charlotte nearly rip the middle turnbuckle off in one go (that was admittedly cool) and knock out Sasha with it to roll her up. STUPID. This shit belongs on the pre-show if you're going to do it this way. Bayley winning is the right move between her and Charlotte, but now who is a credible threat to Bayley's reign? You've cornered yourselves in the same place you were after 'Mania last year. IDIOTS. I'm happy for Bayley, but my god is the Raw women's division in need of a redrafting and new creative team.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-10: 6

7) Raw Tag Title Ladder Match The Club vs Sheasaro vs Enzo & Cass vs THE HARDY BOYZ! - I heard the rumors going into this weekend. I wanted them to be true, but deep down I thought it wasn't likely. Thank the good lord that I was wrong. Ladder matches are always fun, and you add in the only remaining active team that helped define the ladder tag match? Yes please! It was no barn burner by any standards, but it was a decent Ladder match with everybody getting the right spots. You have the returning hottest tag team win it? That was the best booking option available. If it had been a triple threat as originally booked and anybody but Sheasaro walked out with the belts, the fanbase would be divided right down the middle. Here's to hoping this leads to some good booking and stories for all of the teams going forward, but it's Raw's writers. So chances are slim.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-100: 92.5

Miz and Maryse vs John Cena and Nikki Bella - This doesn't even belong on the pre-show let alone Wrestlemania. The ending was wrong, predictable, and god I just hope this means we can put the mushy gushy John and Nikki on the shelf forever now. NEXT
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-100: 2...if only for the Miz doing what we all wish we could do: beat up John Cena and bang Maryse later on.

9) Unsanctioned Match Seth Rollins vs Triple H - Can we just appreciate how HHH's entrances are great every year? Can we also appreciate that Seth's entrance would have been better if the ring posts spouted fire? This was the match we deserved. I can't think of a spot that I didn't enjoy. The constantly teased pedigrees, Rollins teasing the use of the sledgehammer, Stephanie going through the table, all great. This was what we could have gotten last year if Rollins didn't get hurt. Hell, I have no doubt that we could have gotten an even better match last year. Sometimes a slow burn just works.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-100: 95

10) WWE Championship Match Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton - Sometimes a slow burn doesn't work. I get that you have a rough time limit to work with, WWE, but this is the matchup of your next big supernatural star and the Royal Rumble winner. You just let Seth and Trips go for 26 minutes. You can't spare 15 for "The Main Event"? Wyatt and Orton are both capable of doing so much in the ring. Instead you have neither do anything particularly special with their entrances, rely on Wyatt ragdolling Orton for a bit with some neat projections of unrelated story creepy things on the ring before letting Orton essentially hit his 5 moves of doom? This is not the payoff either of these men deserve. Not to mention having Orton with the belt does nothing to help your brand other than give AJ a "face" to take on. Wyatt loses another big PPV match, the title belt, and any momentum. WTF Vince?
Enjoyment on a scale of..oh fuck it

11) Universal Title Match Goldberg vs Lesnar - Nobody went into this expecting a barn burner. This was going to be a brawl at best. Did I love the clash of the titans part 3? You bet I did..especially after the disappointment of the match before... This was ruthless aggression at its finest. Goldberg took way more suplexes than I thought he could without being dead weight for the rest of the match. Lesnar finally took more than 2 spears. We got some barrier destruction (that thing would only explode more if Braun ran into Big Show full force). As Tai put it: THAT LEAP. Golden. Let's just hope WWE has a plan beyond Lesnar vs Reigns at 'Mania 34.
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-10: 8.9...Who's Next?

12) Smackdown Women's Title 6-Pack Challenge - So the match as whole was about what would be expected when you don't have a ton of time to let 6 talented ladies and Carmella do their thing. It was more enjoyable than the Fatal 4-way Elimination earlier, but it's still a disgrace given the talent and what they let the women do last year. Alexa Bliss's flexibility will never cease to amaze me. Becky's entire outfit and exploder to Ellsworth was straight fire. Natalya was smokin' (wish she could have gotten that double sharpshooter cleanly, but she made it work!). Mickie hopefully gets a chance at a solo run against somebody (dug the nod to her Native American heritage, but have no clue whether the headdress is part of her Powhatan background). Carmella...well at least Ellsworth got to live a boyhood dream. Naomi was the right choice to win it in her hometown, but goddamn that submission move. I was tapping for Alexa just watching it. The match length-to-quality ratio definitely screamed pre-show and maybe, in the long run, the Raw match was better on paper with at least 2 'Mania-caliber moments, but fuck logic, this is my opinion dammit!
Enjoyment on a scale of 1-10: 7.51

13) Undertaker vs Roman - I don't want to review the match. We know what it was. A match like this with any other two men would be deemed piss poor for the final match of Wrestlemania. This was a mix of what Tai said. The story was of an old warrior fighting to his last breath against the young, strong warrior. I'd like to think that he picked Roman for this. We all have our ideal final match for Taker, but this, as much as I don't want to admit it, felt right. As Tai said, Taker is old school, through and through. Like hell though if he's going to let his retirement match look like anything other than a slaughter. Using wrestling physics, Reigns needed what, 6 spears to take him down at HIS show? The last one he "built momentum" in order to lay the deadman to rest. The only thing more appropriate would be if Reigns and Taker could have properly pulled off that clear attempt at a reversal into a Tombstone by Reigns.

On the note of Reigns. The character can now be a good heel on the level of Brock post-Wrestlemania win if done correctly. The man behind the mask, I don't think could have been a better choice. After hearing his interview with Jericho on the 3/31/17 Talk is Jericho, I have nothing but respect for the man. He sounds very humbled by where he is, but he's not stupid. He knows that some of it is because of his lineage. Just like Cena, he welcomes the boos and cheers alike, but he understands the business and that he's still learning and has much to learn. I'll gladly boo Roman Reigns, but I will not boo Joe.

As for the post-match Undertaker farewell. That was the true end of an era. I was in a room full of grown men, including my dad. We were all dead silent as 'Taker did his farewell. It was surreal. To a certain point, this is the exact way I pictured him saying goodbye. Having been a WCW kid growing up, I didn't get to experience Undertaker until about 17 years ago, but he's been my number 1 guy ever since then. To see him have his (likely) last match and say goodbye to the event that he helped to make special through the good and bad matches, especially when he's made the last 10-15 of them so special, is a tough reality to face, but here we are.

Enjoyment Level: There is no enjoyment in seeing your heroes ride off into the sunset. Thank you Undertaker.