Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. We are back again for another Wrestlemania on our Road to Wrestlemania tour. So far we have made stops at Wrestlemania 2, Wrestlemania 7, Wrestlemania 19, Wrestlemania 23, and now we are going for the back to back and doing Wrestlemania 24. I was at this show as well and I don’t really remember it being as good as Wrestlemania 23 but based off a lot of other reviews it gets pretty high praise. We have some different things on this show, compared to 23, that I am looking forward to. So without further ado lets get this thing going.

Event Information:
Date: March 30th, 2008
Location: Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 74,635
Main Event: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

Show Opening:

The show opens up with a pretty sweet fly over as Lilian Garcia welcomes us to Wrestlemania 24. She then introduces John Legend who is going to be singing America the Beautiful. After that gets wrapped up we head into the hype video to welcome us to Wrestlemania. We get some nice highlights, great voiceover work, and pretty much everything you would expect from a Wrestlemania opening video. They focus on how much can change in just a year. They highlight the returns of Big Show and Jericho, the injuries that Cena and Triple H have gone through, as well as a few other things. Just a really awesome video here especially the ending of it.

They bring it back into the building and shoot off all the pyro and hoopla to get this show kicked off. The overcast crowd was really nice and helped while you were there because it was hot as hell that day for the most part.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Finlay and JBL.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This feud was setup based off the idea that Hornswoggle was the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon. Vince hated the idea of this so he brought in JBL to take care of his dirty work in Finlay. This was a dumbass storyline but the match should be good because both of these guys know how to brawl pretty well.

Match 1: Belfast Brawl: John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Finlay

This one starts off quickly as Finlay charges into the ring but JBL blasts him with a knee and we are off. JBL and Finlay brawl on the outside. Finlay throws JBL back into the ring and the bell finally rings to get this one officially going. Finlay goes right back outside and throws in some trash cans as well as some kendo sticks. Finlay gets back in the ring and gets blasted with a trash can. That looked brutal there.

JBL takes the lids and just blasts Finlay with them a few times before he drops him with a short arm clothesline. JBL goes to the outside and grabs the steps and throws them into the ring. JBL goes for a piledriver on the steps but Finlay reveres it into a back body drop. Finlay then takes the cookie sheet and blasts JBL in the head twice and then punches the cookie sheet into his face for a third time. Finlay goes for the cover and gets a 2 count.

JBL gets Finlay into the corner and lays in brutal right hands to Finlay. JBL then picks up Finlay’s shillelagh and is about to blast him with it but Hornswoggle comes in and nails JBL in the back with a kendo stick. JBL turns his attention back to Finlay and ends up getting nailed with the shillelagh and this sends JBL to the outside. Finlay heads back outside and pulls out the table and throws it back into the ring. Finlay sets the table up in the corner and he tries to whip JBL into it but they both reverse it a few times and nobody ends up going into the table just yet.

JBL rolls to the outside to catch a breather and ends up slapping the taste out of Hornswoggle until Finlay comes out and rams JBLs face into the announce table numerous times. Finlay goes for a suicide dive through the middle rope but JBL blasts him with the trash can lid and Finlay goes crashing to the ground. That looked brutal and sounded just as bad.

JBL picks up a trash can and throws it right at Hornswoggle and lays him out again. JBL goes for the Clothesline from Hell but Finlay grabs the trash can and blasts JBL with it. Finlay then hits a rolling DVD but he doesn’t go for the cover. Finlay then picks up JBL and throws him into the table in the corner and gets a 2 count out of it. Finlay picks up the stairs and is about to hit JBL with it but JBL hits Finlay with the kendo stick to trip him up and Finlay hits his face on the steps. JBL follows that up with the Clothesline from Hell and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….John Bradshaw Layfield!

Recap:
This was just a brawl and it was a pretty good one. Finlay pulled out all the stops to try and get the win and JBL was JBL. Not a bad opener at all. There was a lot of cool spots and I always did like the Clothesline from Hell so it was cool to see that. This wasn’t a technical masterpiece but not everything has to be. This served it’s purpose and got the job done.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Kennedy

They head backstage to the guest hostess of Wrestlemania, Kim Kardashian. She talks about the atmosphere backstage and then starts talking about the Money in the Bank match. Mr. Kennedy interrupts her and does his gimmick. Kim then says the match is coming up right now and Kennedy comes back and says Kennedy again.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Just like last years show it’s just a mix of guys who qualified for the match and thats about it. Theres a lot of great athletes in this one so the action should be pretty damn awesome. I always liked this match and wish it would be brought back to Wrestlemania because it can really get things going. Anyways, lets get to this one.

Match 2: Money in the Bank: CM Punk, Carlito, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, & Shelton Benjamin

The bell rings and everyone heads outside to get a ladder. MVP stays in the ring and just dumps everyone who tries to get back into the ring. Pretty smart there for him to do that. Somebody already setup a ladder on the apron and barricade. Jericho gets in the ring and they have dueling ladders but Jerichos ladder is bigger so he takes out MVP with it. Morrison comes in and throws another ladder into Jerichos ladder to take him out. Morrison then climbs to the top rope and grabs a ladder and does a backflip on to the rest of the participants. At this point my cousin got a holy shit chant going because this spot was ridiculous and awesome.

Kennedy and Jericho are the only ones left in the ring. Jericho goes for the Walls on Kennedy but instead sling shots Kennedy into a standing ladder but Kennedy grabs a hold and climbs up the ladder and nearly gets the briefcase. Morrison takes out Jericho with one ladder and then starts to work over Kennedy at the top of the ladder. Shelton then sets up another ladder right next to them and nearly gets the briefcase. We then get a sunset flip superplex off of the ladders. What an awesome spot there.

Shelton had an awesome spot there but the ladder gave out from under him so it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Carlito tipped the ladder over on him but Benjamin just walked the top rope and threw the ladder back into Carlito. Benjamin then jumped on to the ladder but the ladder fell down and he went crashing pretty hard to the mat. Would have been awesome if he landed it.

Punk tried going up the ladder twice but he gets stopped both times. Benjamin is climbing the ladder but Punk grabs him down and gets him in the GTS. Kennedy then picks up Punk and drops him with the Kenton on to a ladder and lays out both guys. Carlito heads up the ladder but Benjamin ends up pulling him down and hits him with a spinning leg kick. Benjamin heads up again but this time Kennedy and Carlito tip the ladder over and Benjamin goes crashing through the ladder that was setup on the apron and guardrail. What a brutal spot that had to be to go through. No thanks on that.

Carlito, Kennedy, and Jericho are all going for the briefcase but MVP ends up dumping them and sending them into the ropes. Morrison then comes in and throws a ladder at MVP and the ring is cleared for Morrison to go get the briefcase. Jericho then climbs up the ladder and stops him and ends up getting Morrison in the Walls of Jericho on the ladder. No thanks on that spot either. Kennedy sets up another ladder and goes for the briefcase but Jericho dumps. Morrison so he and Kennedy can brawl over the briefcase. Punk and Carlito then join them and all four guys are brawling on two ladders. Punk and Kennedy fall off the ladder and Jericho pushes Carlito off but he gets back up and hits the back stabber off the ladder onto Jericho. Wow what a move!

MVP is the only guy left standing and he heads up the ladder but ends up getting stopped by Matt Hardy who jumped the rail. Matt then hits the twist of fate off of the ladder and takes out MVP. They setup a teeter totter type contraption and Morrison tries to climb it but gets racked on the top rope. Jericho then sets up a ladder in the middle of the ring and is near the briefcase but Carlito joins him on the ladder and spits in the face of Jericho with an apple. Carlito has the briefcase but Kennedy pushes Carlito off and he goes crashing into a ladder.

Punk then picks up a ladder and nails Kennedy with it and then Jericho hits a Codebreaker on to Punk who was holding a ladder. Jericho climbs the ladder but Punk starts shaking the ladder and prevents him from getting the briefcase. Both guys grab a hold of the briefcase and they get it swinging. Jericho hits Punk in the face with the briefcase and Punk falls down a few rungs but he ends up tripping up Jericho and he gets his leg caught in the step and Punk climbs the ladder and grabs the briefcase for the win. Your winner and Mr. Money in the Bank….CM Punk!!!

Recap:
This match had a lot more wow moments in this one than Wrestlemania 23 but I felt like 23 was an overall better match. This was all ladder spot after ladder spot and all of them were amazing. Just a brutal and dangerous match and these guys took it up another level. Between the Benjamin spot and the Tower of Doom move they did it was just ridiculous. A really great match here that really got the crowd hyped and ready for the rest of Wrestlemania.

They show Cena, Orton, and Triple H in the back in their locker rooms.

They recap the Hall of Fame class of 2008.

They bring out the Hall of fame Class of 2008 to get one last standing ovation.

Backstage Interview: Snoop Dogg

They ask how he is enjoying Wrestlemania. He says he is having a great team seeing all of the great wrestlers past and present. Snoop says he likes seeing the bunnies doing their thing. Festus then joins the interview. Santino Marella then joins the interview and he wants Snoop to know that he will be at the Playboy match and if Snoop tries to do something funny. Snoop then rings a bell and Festus chases off Santino. Snoop then says he knows a friend and he brings in Mick Foley and he says have a nice dizzle.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was billed as a battle for brand supremacy. Basically, Assistant Smackdown GM Teddy Long picked Batista to defend Smackdown while Raw GM William Regal chose Umaga. Really nothing between the two other than being on separate brands. Thats about it for this one.

Match 3: Inter-promotional Match: Batista (Smackdown) vs. Umaga (Raw)

They start it off exchanging right hands until Batista gets the upper hand after hitting a shoulder block on Umaga that sends him to the outside. Umaga ducks early on a back drop so Batista nails him with a kick but Umaga returns the favor with a big time spinning wheel kick. Umaga then lays in a big ass kick that knocks Batista off of the apron and down to the floor. Umaga gets Batista in the ring and starts to work over the back of Batista.

Umaga continues to work over Batista with a nerve hold and then a body slam. Umaga heads up to the middle rope and goes for a flying head butt but Batista moves out of the way and Umaga goes crashing to the mat. Batista goes for a body slam but his back gives out and Umaga lands on him for another 2 count. Back to the nerve hold we go. Batista breaks free but Umaga pushes him into the ropes and drops him with a Samoan drop.

Umaga drags Batista over to the corner but Batista gets back to his feet and starts laying in the boots and right hands. Batista charges at Umaga but Umaga catches him and goes for the Samoan Spike but Batista blocks it. Umaga then goes for a splash in the corner but goes crashing into the steel post and gets dropped by a spine buster. Batista then gets Umaga in a terrible looking Batista Bomb for a 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Batista!

Recap:
These are two of my favorites from this time frame so I was looking forward to this one. It was an okay match but nothing special. There was a lot of stalling and rest holds that slowed down the pace of the match and really got boring. The finish came quick and it really made Umaga look weak to just go down to a spine buster and Batista Bomb. Not a bad match but nothing special either. You aren’t missing anything if you don’t watch this one.

They show Floyd Mayweather and the Money Team getting ready in the back.

They show highlights of Kane winning the battle royal earlier tonight.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Well since this match was basically set the day of the show there really is no back story. Kane won the dark match battle royal to gain a title shot against Chavo Guerrero. Thats really all there is to this one.

Match 4: ECW Championship Match: Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Kane


Kane ends up coming in from behind and doesn’t come down the apron as Chavo is waiting for him. The bell rings and Kane drops Chavo with the chokeslam and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and new ECW Champion….Kane!!!

Recap:
Theres nothing to recap. This was a sham and a farce and if WWE didn’t give 2 shits about the new ECW going in they sure as hell don’t heading out. Congrats to Kane I guess but why would a near 7 footer need to sneak up on a cruiserweight to win a title?

They show a vignette with Carlito and Maria on a date and he is trying to get with Maria but seagulls start to attack him. They then show a wish you were here post card for Wrestlemania 24.

Raven Symone gets in the ring and screams and sounds ridiculous. She says she is here to help WWE grant wishes. They then show the 50 kids from 50 states that WWE granted wishes for at the show. Pretty cool stuff.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.

Backstage Interview: Ric Flair

My boy Mike Adamle is in the back interviewing Ric Flair. Adamle tells Ric that tonight his career can come to an end. Adamle asks Ric what’s his game plan. Ric Flair says his game plan is to be the man….wooooo!

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Vince gave Flair the ultimatum that he can keep wrestling as long as he keeps winning. Vince tells Flair that if he loses a match his career is over. Flair says that there is only one thing that can make his career even bigger and that is to fight the man who’s name is synonymous with Wrestlemania and thats Shawn Michaels. Shawn reluctantly accepts the match after Flair says if he can’t compete against the best then he doesn’t need to continue his career. This was a perfect build to his last match. It’s a shame he ruined it with garbage in TNA.

Match 5: Career Threatening Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair

We start off with some chain wrestling between the two as they feel each other out. They keep exchanging hammerlocks and take downs. They end up in the corner and Flair pushes Shawn and starts saying “old yeller” to him and then Shawn slaps the taste right out of his mouth. Flair hits Shawn with a knee then lays in a few vicious Flair chops. Shawn reverses it and lays in some knife edges of his own as the crowd starts to boo him. Everything Flair does gets a cheer while everything Shawn does gets a boo. What a great atmosphere.

Flair hits Shawn with a back elbow and then drops the patented Flair knee drop to the forehead. Flair goes after Shawn in the corner but Shawn drops him with a back elbow that drops Flair. Shawn then heads to the top rope but Flair catches him and body slams him off the top rope. Flair then goes up to the top rope and Shawn tries to slam him but Flair finally, after all these years, hits Shawn with the cross body. Flair then goes for the knee and tries to get Shawn in the Figure Four but Shawn kicks Flair to the outside. Shawn then hits Flair with a baseball slide. He then goes for a spring board moonsault but Flair moves out of the way and Shawn goes crashing stomach first into the announce table. The table didn’t break so that looked like it hurt a little bit.

Shawn gets back into the ring at the 8 count and Flair starts to lay in some more chops as well as work the midsection area of Shawn. Flair hits Shawn with a side suplex and then a butterfly suplex and after each one he gets a 2 count. Flair then gets Shawn in a delayed vertical suplex for another 2 count. Shawn hits Flair with a swinging neck breaker and then a backdrop to the outside to stop all of Flair’s momentum. Shawn then heads up to the top rope and hits a moonsault on Flair to the outside. Looks like he hit the floor more than he did Flair so that couldn’t have felt good. They both get back in the ring and exchange vicious sounding chops until Shawn gets the upper hand with his flying forearm. Shawn nips up and Flair gets up as well and Shawn hits him with back to back atomic drops.

Shawn hits a body slam and then goes to the top rope and hits his big elbow. Shawn goes for Sweet Chin Music but he couldn’t pull the trigger and Flair takes advantage by doing a leg take down and puts Shawn into the Figure Four Leg Lock. Both guys get up and exchange chops and then they go to the ground and Flair gets a cover but only gets 2 out of it. Both are back to their feet and Shawn gets whipped into the corner and he goes upside down and then Flair hits Shawn with the chop block.

Shawn goes for the enziguri but Flair ducks and he ends up getting Shawn in the Figure Four again. Shawn tries to get to the ropes but Flair drags him back to the middle of the ring. Flair continues to work the leg but when he turns around after posing to the crowd, he gets blasted with Sweet Chin Music. Shawn goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2. Shawn is tuning up the band but Flair is to slow to get it up and it makes Shawn frustrated so he goes over to pick up Flair and Flair hits him with a low blow for a 2 count. Shawn then gets Flair into an inverted figure four but Flair drags himself to the corner and pulls off the padding to distract the ref so he can poke the eye of Shawn to break up the hold.

Both guys are on their knees and they exchange chops to play the boo cheer game with the crowd. They get to their feet and Flair is laying in the chops but Shawn has enough and hits Flair with Sweet Chin Music again. Shawn then gets up and tunes up the band. Before going in for the kill he says “I’m sorry and I love you” before delivering the knock out shot and getting the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Shawn Michaels!!!

After the match Shawn lays on the ground and embraces with Flair. He then gives him a kiss on the forehead. Shawn quickly exits the ring and doesn’t really celebrate anything. For once, Shawn is giving the spotlight and the moment to someone else. Flair gets up and acknowledges the crowd with tears in his eyes. He then goes outside and embraces his family as they are all crying. We have David, Reid, and Charlotte as well as a few others. Just a great moment.

Recap:
What a match. The emotional rollercoaster these two put everyone through was just amazing. Everyone knew Flair was losing but they made you think he wasn’t and thats what greats do. Flair put on one hell of a last performance and had nothing to be ashamed of. He went toe to toe with Michaels and outside of a few things he looked excellent. Obviously he wasn’t the 1980’s Flair but he was pretty damn good. Like I stated earlier, it is a shame he went on to TNA and had meaningless matches for 500 people when this should had been his swan song and his farewell moment. It sucks he ruined. Anyways, an excellent match, a great moment, and a wonderful Wrestlemania moment. Great job to both guys.

Backstage Interview: Edge

Todd says a lot of history can happen here tonight. Edge says we have already seen history be made by one career ending. Edge says he is going to make a lot more history being made later on tonight. Edge says he wants to take us back to him being in the crowd at Wrestlemania 6. Edge says he was the biggest Hulkamaniac in Canada and that Hogan lost that night. He said that wasn’t the only thing that was lost that night because according to Edge, he lost his innocence. Edge says it has come full circle because people rely on the Undertaker to win at Wrestlemania.

Edge says everyone can count on the Deadman but that changes tonight because they all get slapped in the face with a cold hard dish of reality. Edge says there is a kid in that crowd that is relying on the Undertaker and assuming 16-0 is going to happen. Edge says tonight he is going to crush that kids soul and pluck his innocence from him when he defeats the Undertaker and he leaves Wrestlemania as the true phenom and World Heavyweight champion.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
I really have no clue what started this feud but this match was just used to get all of the divas on the card at the same time. I’m pretty sure Beth and Melina were on the side of not needing Playboy to get a spot on the card where Ashley and Maria took offense to that. Throw in Snoop Dogg and you have yourself a winner.

Match 6: Playboy Bunny Lumberjill Match: Beth Phoenix/Melina vs. Ashley/Maria

The bell rings and Beth immediately throws Ashley down with a pie face type gesture. Ashley gets up and starts throwing some elbows and then she gets Beth in a hurricanrana for a 1 count. Beth throws Ashley into the corner and Maria tags herself in. Maria kicks Beth in the butt right into Melina, who tags herself in. Maria throws Melina to the outside and the Lumberjills throw her back in right away. Maria hits a back splash in the corner and then a bronco buster on to Melina and she goes for the cover and gets a 2.

Ashley tags back in as Maria just drops Melina on the top turnbuckle. We get a tilt a whirl take down and a shitty looking clothesline. Ashley then hits a face buster in the corner that looked kind of cool but the execution was terrible. Ashley ends up getting tossed to the outside and they start beating up Ashley before she gets thrown back in.

Beth gets tagged back in and Melina ends up hitting a sling shot into Beth who gets Ashley into a bear hug. Melina gets tagged in and she gets on the shoulders of Beth who then turns around and Melina does a back flip off the shoulders of Beth on to Ashley for a 2 count. That was a pretty sweet looking move there.

Maria gets tagged back in and all of the lights in the building go out. You can’t see shit but they get some spotlights on and Maria drops Beth back first on her knee and then goes to the top with a cross body for a 2 count. Beth picks up Maria and gets her in a double arm chicken wing but when she goes to drop her face first Maria holds on and gets a bulldog on Beth. She gets a 2 count before Melina breaks it up. Melina is on the apron and Beth spears her off of it.

Ashley then gets on the apron and does a cross body to all the heel divas. Maria comes off the top rope with a bulldog on Beth and she goes for the pin but Santino pulls the leg of Maria. Lawler then leaves the commentary table and he goes over and floors Santino with a big time right hand. Beth attacks the distracted Maria and she ends up dropping her with the fisherman suplex for the 1-2-3. Your winners of the match by pinfall….Beth Phoenix & Melina!

After the match Santino is standing in the ring looking over Maria. Snoop ends up getting in the ring and he drops Santino with a big time clothesline. Snoop then helps out Maria and he gets a nice make out session out of it.

Recap:
This match was trash. Maria looked solid for the most part but Ashley was still terrible and could only do the same 2-3 moves that she did at Wrestlemania 23. Beth Phoenix and Melina were solid workers but they needed good opponents and these two were not it. The lights going out didn’t help anything when it comes to this match. Snoop looked completely bored during the match when they showed him as well. Nothing much to see here and it is definitely not worth checking out.

They show a highlight vide of the feud between Randy Orton, John Cena, and Triple H.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
They built this around Triple H having to miss Wrestlemania 23 as well as John Cena getting injured and possibly missing Wrestlemania 24. Cena ended up winning the Royal Rumble by last eliminating Triple H. Orton was on a rampage beating all comers. This was a really good build and one of the better lead ups to a title match going into Wrestlemania. I am not going to lie I was a little disappointed when John Cena came out at #30 and won the Rumble. By this point I was so tired of Cena so it would have been nice to go to Mania and not see him but then he showed up at the Rumble and the rest was history.

Match 7: Triple Threat WWE Title Match: Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena

We get some marching band and cheerleaders to help with John Cena’s entrance. I remember this live and I thought what the hell was going on. Then Cena showed up and I had no clue he even came out until he started running to the ring. The bell rings and this one starts with Orton nailing Triple H with the WWE title. Cena then takes control with a flying forearm and then a suplex on Orton. Triple H gets up and tosses Cena to the outside as this one is starting off fast and furious.

They head to the outside as Orton and Triple H brawl on the ECW announce table. We get back in the ring and Triple H gets a sleeper hold on Orton and then Cena comes in and picks up both guys but Hunter slides down and then kicks Cena in the nuts. Orton has the control early and he is putting the boots to Cena and Triple H. Orton hits a high knee on Cena and goes for the cover and gets a 2. He does the same to Hunter and again he gets a 2 count. Orton heads to the top but Cena stops him and climbs up for a superplex but Triple H gets under Cena and puts him on his shoulders and then Orton comes off with a cross body on Cena. However, Cena rolls through and puts Orton his shoulders and goes for the F-U but Orton slides out of that.

Cena rolls to the apron on the outside and Orton is about to go for DDT but Triple H gets up. However, Orton gets him and he hits both of them with a DDT. Orton tries to cover Cena and gets a 2 and then he turns around and tries to pin Hunter and gets a 2 as well. Orton goes for the RKO on Cena but Cena blocks it and throws Orton on top of Triple H.

Cena hits the Snap Back on Orton and then Cena goes to the top rope and hits a leg drop on top of a prone Orton. Orton rolls out of the ring and Cena starts chasing him but Orton slows down and ends up taking Cena and throwing him into the steel post. Hunter gets the upper hand on Orton as he starts to work over the leg of Orton. Triple H is walking around and when he turns around Orton drops him with an RKO. Orton gets up to his feet and Cena gets the STFU on to Orton right in the middle of the ring. Orton is reaching for the rope when Triple H gets up and drags him over to help him break the hold.

Hunter then goes back to the Indian death lock. Its amazing Hunter is doing what he did against Booker T at Wrestlemania 19. He did the Indian death lock and the same knee to the knee move in the corner. Anyways, Cena whips Hunter into the corner and he goes flying over the top rope. Cena then puts Orton in the STFU again. Triple H comes in and he grabs the arms of Cena and gets him in the crossface. Cena ends up getting to the ropes to break it up. Cena and Triple H exchange right hands as the crowd does the boo cheer gimmick again.

We get the three moves of doom from Cena and then the five knuckle shuffle as the crowd starts booing the hell out of him. Cena then picks up Triple H for the F-U but Hunter slides out of it and goes for the Pedigree but Cena reverses that into the STFU but Triple H kicks him off. Triple H then hits the knee to the face spine buster combo. Orton gets up to the apron and Hunter drops him with a chop block. Triple H blocks the F-U again but this time he nails the Pedigree on Cena and he goes for the cover but Orton comes out of no where and blasts Triple H with the punt to the face as he falls down on to Cena and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall and still WWE Champion….Randy Orton!!!

Recap:
This was a solid match here as well. The action never really stopped and they had a lot of sweet combinations and sequences throughout. The last 3-4 minutes was really good with all of them going for their finishers but getting countered. The ending was unexpected and surprising but it was pretty damn awesome. I wasn’t expecting Orton to win this one but when he nailed that punt and got the win I was pretty happy. I remember my cousin wanting Triple H to win really bad and when Orton came in with that punt at the end and getting the win he was pissed off. Me and my brother in law just looked at him and laughed and this pissed him off even more. Anyways, a solid match with a damn good finish and an unexpected winner. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This one started when Big Show came back at No Way Out in Vegas. He was talking shit to Floyd who ends up getting in the ring and laying in the left right combo that legit broke the nose of the Big Show. This started the feud that would lead to the biggest match on this card. This is the classic boxer vs. wrestler and big guy vs. little guy. The promotion leading up to this match was great and it really got you excited for this one. You can’t expect much because they were going to do nothing that would risk Floyd getting injured but it should still be a decent match.

Match 8: No Disqualification Match: Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Big Show

The bell rings and Floyd is just trying to stay away from the Big Show. Big Show tries to get Floyd in the corner but Floyd moves out of the way and starts laying in the left/right combo on the midsection of Big Show while Big Show is swinging and missing. Floyd continues to use his speed and nail Big Show with some rights and lefts. Floyd then gets in the corner and gets help from one of his handlers and he gets a drink of water. Big Show then gets pissed off and destroys this Mayweather body guard.

Big Show tosses the guy into the ring, rips his shirt off, and lights up his chest with a huge chop. Floyd goes for a right and this time Big Show catches him. Show puts Floyd’s hand on the ground and Big Show goes to stomp on it but Floyd gets out of the way. Floyd tries to run away again and this time Big Show grabs him by the throat and elevates him to the top rope. Floyd nails Show and he releases the choke. Floyd then jumps on the back of Big Show and gets him in a sleeper hold that Big Show can’t get out of.

Big Show breaks out of the sleeper and grabs the arm of Floyd and this time he holds it down as he stomps on the wrist of Floyd. Big Show gets Floyd in the corner and he blasts him with a massive chop. Big Show then stands on the back of Floyd. Big Show backs away and then comes back and does it again. Floyd nails Big Show with a few kicks and goes in for a right hand but Big Show catches him and drops him with a side slam. Big show is having a good time with this one. Big Show then drops a leg drop on to the arm of Floyd.

Big Show then walks across the chest of Floyd. Big Show drops Floyd with a head butt and then drops an elbow to Floyd. He was going for another one but the Mayweather team pulls Floyd out of the ring and they say they are out. Big Show leaves the ring and heads out after him. He destroys Mayweather’s people on his way to Floyd. Big Show finally gets Floyd back into the ring and he goes for the Chokeslam but another handler comes in but he gets dropped. Another Mayweather guy comes in and nails the Big Show with a chair but that guy gets dropped with a steel chair.

Mayweather then takes the chair and nails Big Show in the chest and then in the back with the chair. He was going for a head shot but Big Show grabs him by the throat but Floyd hits a low blow on Big Show. Floyd then nails big show 3 times in the head with the chair. Floyd then takes off his glove and grabs the brass knuckles off the chain of one of his guys. He lays in the right hand to the Big Show and knocks him out. Your winner by way of knockout….Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather!!!

Recap:
Like most celebrity matches, there is only so much you can do. They were going to do nothing that would risk Floyd getting injured during this match. If you didn’t notice, the majority of the big spots were taken by Floyd’s team of guys. Floyd took some bumps but he didn’t do much of anything and he didn’t take much of anything. Again the risk of injury is far to great so they weren’t going to do anything stupid. Big Show is a pro’s pro so Floyd was in good hands. The match itself wasn’t bad and Floyd is such a natural heel that the fans loved seeing him get his ass kicked so it didn’t really matter what happened. For what this match was it was pretty damn good and fun to watch every now and then.

We get another we wish you were here vignette, this time featuring Batista.

Kim Kardashian announces the attendance for Wrestlemania.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Edge and the Undertaker.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
The feud started when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on beaten down Undertaker. Edge also cost Undertaker his match against Batista at Survivor Series. Taker wants his revenge and his belt back while Edge wants to end the streak of the Undertaker. A lot at stake here in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Match 9: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker

This one starts with Taker cutting his throat but Edge is having none of it and he shoves the Undertaker. Taker quickly gets the upper hand and clotheslines Edge over the top rope and to the outside. Edge gets back in the ring and he goes after Taker before he could get in but Taker drops him across the top rope. We get some back and forth action until Taker hits his flying clothesline for a 2 count. Taker starts to work the arm of Edge with shoulder blocks into the arm. Taker then goes up to the top rope and goes for Old School but Edge pulls him down but Taker still holds on and hits Edge with an arm drag.

Taker hits a running knee to the face in the corner on to Edge but aTaker goes flying over the top rope and to the outside. Taker gets on the apron trying to get back in but Edge nails him with a spear that sends Taker into the barricade. Edge hits a baseball slide to Taker that sends him into the barricade again. Edge then starts to work the lower back by driving Taker back first into the apron.

Edge continues to work the lower back of Taker and you can see it’s working when Taker goes for a body slam but he can’t get Edge up. Edge drops Taker with a nice drop kick and then quickly goes to the outside and up to the top rope but Taker gets up and pushes Edge off and to the outside. It looks like Edge’s foot nearly got caught up and broke. That looked brutal. Undertaker then does his awesome suicide dive over the top rope to the outside on to Edge. Two awesome spots back to back.

Undertaker gets Edge back in the ring but drapes his head over the apron and he ends up hitting Edge with the jumping leg drop and he gets a 2 count out of it. Edge stops Takers momentum with a big boot. They then head to the outside and Edge hits Taker with a belly to back suplex and drops him lower back first on the barricade. Edge has a single leg crab and drives the other leg into the back of Taker. Taker rolls out of it and nearly gets a 3 count on Edge. Taker gets back to his feet and we get the cheer boo right hand gimmick again. By the end of this show this crap was played out.

Taker finally gets the upper hand and he lays in two big clotheslines in the corner, snake eyes in the corner, and he goes for the big boot but Edge ends up nailing Taker with a beautiful drop kick and he damn near gets a 3 count out of it. Edge counters the chokeslam temporarily but when Taker goes for it a second time Edge reverses it into his implant DDT for another 2 1/2 count.

Edge goes for the spear but Taker hits Edge with a knee to the face and then a big time choke slam for a 2 3/4 count. Taker gets up and goes for the Old School again and again Edge counters it by racking Taker on the top rope. Edge then climbs to the top rope and hits a big time super plex that leaves both guys laying. Edge starts laying in the right hands from the middle rope and Taker goes for Last Ride but Edge counters it and drops Taker with a neck breaker for another near fall.

Taker goes for Last Ride and this time he plants Edge with it. Taker goes for the cover and only gets a 2 count. Edge counters the Tombstone with a sit down slam and he gets another rear fall. Taker goes for Old School for the third time and this time he hits it. Taker goes for a running big boot but Edge moves out of the way and Taker lays out the ref. Edge talks shit to Taker and Taker ends up grabbing Edge by the throat and is about to choke slam him again but Edge kicks Taker in the nuts to stop that.

Edge heads to the outside and grabs a camera, similar to what he did at Survivor Series, and blasts Taker with it right in the face. Edge goes for the Tombstone on Taker but Taker falls back and ends up getting Edge in the Tombstone himself but there is no referee to make the count until Charles Robinson hauls ass to get into the ring. By this point Edge has enough time to kick out at 2. Hawkins and Ryder then come out and Taker disposes of both with a Chokeslam to one on top of the other. When Taker turns around Edge drops him with the spear and gets a 2 3/4 count.

What a match. Edge goes for another spear but Taker grabs the arm of Edge and gets him in the Hells Gate triangle choke. Edge is trying to get to the ropes but he can’t make it and ends up tapping out. Your winner by way of submission and new World Heavyweight Champion….The Undertaker!!!

Recap:
This was one hell of match and one of the best main events of all time if you ask me. These guys countered the shit out of each other the entire night. Edge did everything he could to get the win and it wasn’t enough but he did make you believe he was going to get the job done. Just a lot of great action, great sequences, and everything that was done had a purpose. Also, a lot of the things they did were things that were done that lead up to the match such as Hawkins/Ryder interfering, the camera, and things like that. Just an awesome job by both guys to put on a show like that. The finish was awesome as well. This was a great finish to a great show over all.

They show a highlight video of Wrestlemania 24.

Final Thoughts:
What to say about this show. The show started off with a nice little hardcore match between Finlay and JBL and it set the tone for the rest of the card. A lot of the matches on this card were really good and really entertaining. The Money in the Bank match was nothing but a brutal spot fest and was very well done. All of the spots were great and meant something and the finish was up in the air until the very end. I like the spot with Jericho hanging on the ladder while Punk got the briefcase. That was a pretty sweet looking spot.

The triple threat for the WWE Title was really good as well. Triple H went back to his Wrestlemania 19 playbook and worked the leg of Orton the same way he worked the leg of Booker T at 19. The punt at the end came out of no where and Orton getting the win was a pleasant surprise as well. The Floyd vs. Big Show match was executed perfectly if you ask me. Floyd didn’t get much offense in and Big Show was able to rag doll Floyd and a few of his henchmen in the process. Everybody loved seeing Floyd get his ass kicked so job well done there.

The retirement match between Ric Flair and Shawn was an emotional roller coaster that was very well done as well. Shawn really made it look like Flair was going to come out on top and thats what you want out of these matches. Even if you feel like you know what the outcome will be, it is always good to have that belief that the other guy may pull it out. Thats a kudos to Shawn because later on in his career he became the master of having you believe that he was going to pull it out or allow the opponent to feel like they are going to pull it out even though they aren’t. Great work all around and the production value on this match alone was just phenomenal.

The main event was the match of the night and one of the best main events that I have seen. Being their live adds a little to it but it was an excellent match and again you thought Taker had a great chance of losing. Like i stated before that really enhances a match and makes you get entrapped in the story and believe what you are seeing. Edge delivered on the biggest of stages so kudos to him. Undertaker was his awesome self per the usual and it really made for a great main event.

Theres some other matches on the card that weren’t as good but not bad either. The main event matches delivered and thats all you really go to these shows for. A lot of people say this show was better than Wrestlemania 23 and I can see where they are coming from but I feel like Wrestlemania 23 was better. I just prefer that card to this one but this card is no slouch. You have 2-3 matches that stand the test of time and if you can get that out of a 9 match card then you are doing something right.

So, there we have it. We have finally reached the conclusion of our trip down memory lane and we have finally reached the stop sign on our road to Wrestlemania. I hope you have enjoyed this long journey because I have enjoyed every minute of getting this reviews out to you guys. The reviews, the graphics, the screen caps, the gifs, and everything else that goes into these is all worth it to see the final product so I hope you enjoy and appreciate it as much as I do. I am going to take a short break from reviews then come back with something new and fresh that this site may have seen before or may not. Who knows but be on the look out for that. In the mean time, enjoy all these great Wrestlemania’s.

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. We are back again for another Wrestlemania on our Road to Wrestlemania tour here. So far we have made stops at Wrestlemania 2, Wrestlemania 7, Wrestlemania 19, and now we are heading to Detroit for a show that is 20 years in the making. Thats right we are heading back to Wrestlemania 23 to witness one of the better cards the WWE has produced. I went to this show live and it was my first ever Wrestlemania. I was in aww the entire time and can remember just looking around in amazement. There is nothing like being at a Wrestlemania live so if you ever get the chance definitely take advantage. Anyways, enough about the personal side of things so lets get this thing going.

Event Information:
Date: April 1st, 2007
Location: Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 80,103
Main Event: WWE Title Match: John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

Show Opening:

The show opens up with an awesome video package where they show all of the big moments from the prior Wrestlemania’s. They then show a shot of the Silverdome and say that 20 years later the WWE returns all grown up. They then take it back to Wrestlemania 3 and show Vince McMahon welcoming everyone to Wrestlemania 3. They then head to Wrestlemania 23. They play the voice over from Wrestlemania 3 where Vince McMahon introduces Aretha Franklin to sing America the Beautiful.

We then head to another video package focusing on the wrestlers who will take part in Wrestlemania. They have little kids portraying the wrestlers and they are talking about how they dreamed of this day. Just an overall really great opening video. One of the better ones they had for a show. Really well done.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Most of these guys won qualifying matches to get entered into the Money in the Bank match. Theres side feuds going on but nothing major that one should focus on. Orton and Edge’s relationship is starting to fray a little bit so that is something to look forward to here Also, we have the Hardy Boyz in here so it would be interesting to see them go at it to prevent one another from winning the briefcase. Other than that you have a few mid card guys thrown in just to add more people. Thats about it here.

Match 1: Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Mr. Kennedy, CM Punk, Edge, Finlay, Jeff Hardy, King Booker, Randy Orton, & Matt Hardy

The match starts with all 8 guys just staring at the brief case in the ring. Then the brawl breaks out with all 8 guys. 6 of the guys are brawling and then Finlay goes off the top rope and does a splash on all of them. Edge then gets a ladder and quickly climbs up it but Matt Hardy stops him from getting the brief case. Orton and Finlay try the same thing but they just beat the hell out of each other. Now Jeff Hardy tries to get the briefcase but Kennedy tips the ladder over to stop it.

Booker then gets under the ring and he happens to pull out a step ladder but CM Punk ends up taking it from him and he starts hitting everyone with it. Edge steals the step ladder from Punk and throws it at him and he gets busted open from it. Edge then takes a big ladder and sets it up on the apron and the guard rail. I think that will come in to play at some point. Booker T then takes out 4-5 guys with a spine buster and then he does the spin-a-roonie. The Hardyz then work together against Edge. They setup a ladder on the side and then one on top and then Jeff goes to the top rope and he goes for the same move that injured Mercury but Finlay pushes Jeff off the top rope to the outside. Edge then suplexes Matt on to the ladder setup that he and Jeff had.

Kennedy goes for the Kenton to Matt Hardy on the ladder but Matt moved out of the way and Kennedy smokes his head on the ladder. Jeff then hits Kennedy with the Swanton Bomb. Matt and JeFf go up for the briefcase but they end up fighting each other over it until Finlay tips the ladder over. Edge gets back in the ring and he drops everyone with a spear until he goes after Punk but Punk jumps out of the way and Edge goes crashing into the corner. Punk puts the ladder on his head and is taking everyone out with it until Edge drops him with a spear and it sends the ladder into Finlay and Orton and he takes out all three guys. That was a pretty sweet spot there.

Edge then gets out a huge ass ladder and heads up for the briefcase but Orton ends up stopping him from getting there by tipping the ladder over and Edge goes crashing to the floor on the outside. Matt ends up setting Edge up on the ladder that was draped across the barricade and apron. Jeff then sets up the giant ladder and climbs up to the top and ends up jumping on to Edge as they both go crashing to the mat. What a dangerous ass spot and I remember the crowd jumping up and it getting as loud as possible at this point and then it just got quiet because they had no idea what was going on with these two. Just a really cool moment here.

The stretchers end up coming out and sends Edge and Jeff both out on stretchers. Back to the action as Orton starts dropping everyone with RKO’s. Orton sets up a ladder but Punk ends up hitting him with a ladder of his own in the back. Punk then sets up the second ladder as he and Orton brawl on the ladders. Orton then takes Punk and drops him with an RKO off of the ladders. That was pretty damn awesome there.

Booker and Orton then end up on the ladders and Booker T ends up dropping Orton with a Book End off of the ladders. Booker and Matt brawl on the ladder until Sharmell comes in and interferes. Matt threatens to drop Sharmell with the Twist of Fate so Booker jumps down to save his Queen. Matt then drops Booker with the Twist of Fate. Matt then climbs up the ladder but Finlay comes in and dumps the ladder backwards and Matt smacks his head on the ground. This match is just brutal. Finlay then picks up Matt and drops him with the Celtic Cross on to the ladder.

Finlay struggles to climb up the ladder so Hornswoggle shows up and starts to climb up the ladder for him until Kennedy climbs up the ladder next to Hornswoggle. Kennedy then hits the Plunge on Hornswoggle off of the ladder. Everyone else is laid out so Punk gets a ladder and tries to get the briefcase until Kennedy meets him at the top. They brawl on the top of the ladder until Punk pushes Kennedy off of the ladder. Kennedy then picks up a ladder and blasts Punk with it. Kennedy then climbs up the ladder and retrieves the briefcase. Your winner and the Money in the Bank….Mr. Kennedy!!!!

Recap:
This match was a glorified train wreck with spot after spot after spot and it was all awesome. I miss having Money in the Bank on Wrestlemania because it sets the tone and gets people into the show early on. After having something like this you can have a 2-3 match cool down and the crowd would be fine. Now you just have match after match and it drags forever. Anyways, the spots in this one were awesome and were spaced out enough to where it didn’t become overwhelming. I like how they didn’t really do a whole lot with the ladders but instead focused on each other’s finishing moves and really hammering them home. I thought that was a nice touch considering the Edge and Jeff Hardy spot was really the only ladder spot you needed. This was a great way to get the crowd hyped and to kick off a Mania and is one of the better matches on the card that is definitely worth watching.

They show footage of the world premier of the Condemned.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Kennedy

Kennedy cuts Todd off and says blah blah blah blah. Kennedy said he would like to first and foremost congratulate himself on becoming Mr. Money in the Bank. Kennedy said he wants to send a message to anyone who has a belt in the back because he is coming for them anytime, anyplace. Kennedy says he realizes that nice guys always finish dead last so thank God he is not a nice guy. Thank God he is Mr. Kennedy and thank God he is Mr. Money in the bank……bank!

They show the Batista all grown up video.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was thrown together to get a monster vs. monster match based off of Hogan vs. Andre from Wrestlemania 3. They couldn’t have picked a worse opponent for Kane than Khali. This has shit fest written all over it.

Match 2: The Great Khali vs. Kane

We get a tie up to start this one but Khali quickly uses his power and throws Kane to the ground. Kane goes for an irish whip but Khali just tosses him to the outside like it’s nothing. Kane hits the ropes again but again Khali drops Kane with a clothesline. Khali then body slams Kane and goes for the nerve hold and we are only 2 minutes in. Khali works Kane over in the corner until Kane moves out of the way of a punch and he starts to lay in the lefts and rights in the corner.

Kane heads up to the top rope and hits the clothesline on Khali but Khali just staggers around until Kane gets back up and kicks Khali into the ropes and he gets tied up in them. Kane just lays in the right hands until the ref makes him break it. Kane heads to the outside and grabs a hook and chain from See No Evil but Khali quickly stops Kane from using it by laying in some right hands. They then exchange shitty rights and just slug it out until Khali hits the chop on Kane to drop him. Kane hits a low blow on Khali with the chain and then ends up body slamming Khali but he only gets a 2 count.

Kane ends up going for the chokeslam but Khali goes for the chokeslam as well until Kane breaks free. However, Khali ends up picking up Kane and drops him with a double handed chokeslam. Khali then puts one boot on Kane and pins him for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Great Khali!

After the match Khali takes the chain and chokes Kane out with it.

Recap:
This was the complete shit and it totally killed the crowd. I have no idea how in the hell this match got on the card but here we are. Khali couldn’t even bend down to pin Kane and they allow him to pin him with 1 foot. How in the world did this guy last as long as he did. This is a 5 minute piss break and worth skipping all together.

They show the WWE Divas all grown up video.

Backstage Segment: Cryme Tyme & Eugene

Shad says that he knows Eugene is upset with what Stephanie McMahon did to him. JTG says that Eugene still looks like a player. Shad tells Eugene that they still have love for Eugene so they got something setup for him. They then turn off the lights as Kelly Kelly, Layla, and Brooke are dancing for Eugene. Eugene then flips out because Moolah and Mae show up. Slick then shows up out of no where and starts dancing with them. Dusty Rhodes says that they can’t have a dance party without the American Dream Dusty Rhodes. He then starts dancing as Slaughter, Jimmy Hart, IRS, and Gerald Brisco show up and they all start dancing. Then Ricky Steamboat shows up and starts dancing with them. Finally, Ron Simmons shows up and does his damn gimmick as this shit segment is finally over.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
MVP signed the “largest” contract in sports entertainment history so essentially he’s the main man on the show. He is getting thrown to the wolves leading up to this point and thats what has led him to a match with Chris Benoit. It’s the grizzled veteran vs. the young pup and it’s time for MVP to be taught a lesson. Thats how they booked this one so it should be somewhat decent.

Match 3: WWE United States Title Match: Chris Benoit (c) vs. M.V.P.

They start on the ground with some submission wrestling and mat based wrestling. MVP does a nice looking slide out until a leg lock and then into a head lock. Both guys exchange some blocks until MVP has enough and tosses Benoit out to the floor. Benoit gets back in and they roll through some blocked submission attempts and Benoit gets a little frustrated because MVP seems to be one step ahead. Both guys take turns getting control momentarily until they both get on the top rope. Benoit goes for a super plex but MVP blocks it and ends up grabbing the arm of Benoit and dropping it across the top rope as MVP falls to the ground on the outside.

MVP gets back in the ring and continues to work the arm of Benoit. MVP gets cocky and goes for a round house kick but Benoit ducks and ends up hitting the triple German suplexes on MVP. Benoit then heads to the top rope but MVP stops him and ends up hitting Benoit with a superplex of his own off the top rope but Benoit holds on and hooks the legs and damn near gets a 3 count. MVP quickly gets up and goes back to the arm.

MVP gets an arm bar submission move on Benoit but when Benoit breaks free he holds up on a kick attempt by MVP but when he charges in MVP hits the kick anyways. MVP then body slams Benoit and goes for his ballin’ elbow drop and gets a 2 count. MVP goes for a kick to the head in the corner but Benoit moves out of the way and goes for the three germans again but after the second one MVP blocks it and tries to get a German of his own but Benoit blocks it. MVP then hits the ropes and Benoit catches him with the triple germans again. Almost sounds like a broken record at this point. Benoit then goes to the top rope and hits the diving head-butt to MVP and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner of the match and still WWE United States Champion….Chris Benoit.

Recap:
I’ve said it time and time again that I have no interest or desire to watch or enjoy anything that Chris Benoit done. I can’t separate the man from the wrestler and I feel like no one should. Benoit’s whole career was based off the struggle of getting to the top and getting the respect he earned long ago. He was always on the short end of the stick until he finally broke through and got that title opportunity. So to take a person who had a career like that and then think about what he did it kind of ruins everything. You feel bad for him because he never got a fair shake and then you think about the son that he killed he never got a fair shake at life either. You can do the same for his wife and so on. So to separate one from the other is not possible and therefore I will never “watch” or enjoy anything this guy does or give an opinion on what he does for review purposes. His matches are what they are and if you enjoy watching them great but you won’t get that from me so if you are looking for something else then I aint your guy for that. Rants over so lets move on.

They show the Undertakers all grown up video.

Backstage Segment: Donald Trump & The Boogeyman

They go backstage and Trump is on the phone talking shit on Vince McMahon. Trump says Vince hasn’t given him any food, drink, or sandwich. He also has Tara with him, former Miss USA, and he says she has gotten nothing as well. The lights then turn red and the Boogey Man’s music starts to play. Boogey Man comes up behind the couch and he starts singing Old McDonald with worms in his mouth. Trump no sells the shit out of the Boogey Man and he tells him if he is going to get him then he needs to get him some food and a drink because he is hungry. Then Lil Boogey Man pops up and Trump says who the hell are you as he walks off. That was classic and awesome.

They show highlights of the WWE Hall of Fame from the night prior.

They announce the attendance figure for the show at 80,103.

They then bring out the Hall of Fame Class 2007.

They show highlights of the feud between Batista and the Undertaker.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
The feud started after Undertaker won the Royal Rumble and chose Batista as his opponent. Undertaker then hit Batista with the chokeslam and this pissed Batista off. They then had a match at No Way Out where they were partners against Cena/Shawn. Towards the end of the match Batista ended up turning on Taker and dropping him with a spine buster. It’s title vs. streak at Wrestlemania and it should be one heck of a match.

Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Title Match: Batista (c) vs. Undertaker

The bell rings and Batista drops Taker with the spear right away and then lays in some right hands in the corner. Taker quickly turns it around and tosses Batista into the corner and lays in the rights. Batista then drops Taker with a clothesline as the crowd starts to boo Batista every time he does something. Batista then clotheslines Taker to the outside as they brawl on the outside. Batista whips Taker into the steps and he goes flipping over them. Taker gets back in the ring and Batista heads to the top rope and he hits a shoulder block on to Taker for a 2 count.

Batista keeps control of the match with clotheslines, body slams, and kicks before Taker blocks a boot and lays in some piston rights and lefts and an uppercut. Both guys then exchange rights as the fans cheer and boo each guy respectfully. Taker then hits two big clotheslines in the corner and then he hits Batista with snake eyes and a big boot. Taker drops a leg drop and goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Taker then grabs the arm and heads up top for Old School. Taker then goes for a chokeslam but Batista powers out of it. Taker then hits a terrible looking flying clothesline that Batista was out of position for but Taker goes for the pin anyways and gets a 2 count.

Taker lays in a few right hands that eventually send Batista out to the floor. Taker then hits a few elbows with Batista’s head draped off the apron. Taker then drops a big time leg drop that sends Batista back to the floor. Taker then goes inside and goes for a big time suicide dive over the top rope right onto Batista. What an awesome looking move. Great stuff from the Undertaker.

They continue to brawl outside the ring and then finally Batista gets a little bit of the upper hand by reversing an irish whip and sending Undertaker into a shit ton of chairs at the time keepers table. Batista then clears one announce table and then beats up the Undertaker on another one. Batista then picks up the Undertaker and hits him with a running power slam through the other announce table. That was awesome as well.

Batista picks up Taker and puts him back in the ring and goes for the cover only to get a 2 1/2 count. Batista gets frustrated and just lays in a bunch of lefts and rights before getting another 2 count. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb but Taker drives him into the corner and starts laying in the elbows to Batista. Batista reverses an irish whip into a belly to belly suplex for a 2 3/4 count. Batista is laying in the rights and lefts in the corner until Undertaker catches him and drops him with the Last Ride for a 2 1/2 count before Batista kicks out.

Batista drops Taker with the spine buster and then starts shaking the ropes like the Ultimate Warrior. Batista then goes for a whip but Taker ducks under and then hits Batista with the chokeslam for another 2 count. Taker ends up calling for the Tombstone. Batista slips down the back of Taker and ends up hitting a spear on him and then the Batista Bomb. Batista goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2 count. Batista is shocked that Taker kicked out so he ends up picking him up again for another one but Taker ends up backdropping Batista.

We head to the finish with going for a Tombstone but Taker slides down and pushes Batista into the corner and then gets Batista in the Tombstone himself and he goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and NEW WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION….THE UNDERTAKER!!!!

Recap:
This was a really good match and being there live was awesome. You really felt like Batista had one of the better chances of ending the streak and so you were really on the edge of your seats throughout the entire match because you really thought Batista may win. Just a really good match and Taker delivered. Batista held his own as well and you can’t take anything away from him. Just a really good match and one of the best ones on the card.

They show the Bobby Lashley all grown up video.

Backstage Segment: Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon

Vince is shown looking at himself in the mirror and he says “what a sexy son of a bitch.” Stephanie then walks in with a baby stroller and Vince starts talking to his granddaughter. Vince says he is going to beat up Donald Trump just for her and he is going to bash his head in. Vince says he is going to give Trump a skull fracture and then he is going to bloody him up big time. He also says he is going to pull his hair out by the roots. Vince then starts smelling around and he asks Stephanie if she smells what he smells and then he says “She just dropped a Trump.”

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This was your typical feud between the old guard vs. the new breed. The New Breed wanted the Originals to step away and give them the spotlight they deserve but the originals aren’t quite ready to give up that spot yet. Basic writing here but it was affective.

Match 5: 8-Man Tag Team Match: Rob Van Dam/Tommy Dreamer/Sabu/Sandman vs. Elijah Burke/Kevin Thorn/Marcus Cor Von/Matt Striker

This one starts off with Sabu doing his finger point but Striker nails him with a right hand. Sabu then starts using all of his high flying moves with spring board clotheslines and leg drops. Sabu tags in the Sandman and he comes in by dropping a leg drop on to Striker off the top rope. Burke gets tagged in and so does Dreamer. We get a double team elbow drop before Sandman leaves the ring.

Ariel distracts the ref so Cor Von can cheat to get the upper hand. Cor Von gets tagged in and he lays in some boots and suplexes to Dreamer. Burke and Cor Von hit Dreamer with a double back body drop and then Burke lays in a double knee drop in the corner and he gets a 2 count. Thorn comes in and he works the lower back of Dreamer and then drops him with a sit down power bomb for a 2 count. Cor Von gets tagged back in and he drops Dreamer with a float over suplex for a 2 count.

Burke gets tagged in and they try to double team Dreamer but Dreamer drops Burke and Cor Von with a neck breaker reverse DDT combo. Dreamer finally tags in RVD as well as Striker. He comes in and lays out Striker with a spinning wheel kick and then takes care of the others in the New Breed. He heads up for the 5-Star Frog Splash but Thorn comes in and and gets nailed with a single leg drop kick. Striker gets hit with a monkey flip and then Rolling Thunder before Cor Von tosses RVD to the outside.

Sabu goes flying with a front flip over the top rope onto Cor Von. Dreamer drops Striker with a DDT and then Burke kicks out Dreamer. Sandman then takes care of Burke and that leaves Striker alone in the ring for Rob Van Dam to nail him with the 5-Star Frog Splash for the 1-2-3. Your winners of the match by way of pinfall….the ECW Originals!

Recap:
This match was just kind of there. Coming off the high of Undertaker vs. Batista was going to be tough for anyone but sending out the crowd favorites from ECW definitely helped. I remember about an hour after this match was over some drunk idiot in the crowd said “damn I missed the ECW match?” Thats a pretty good summation on how good this match was and how memorable it is. It was nothing special as each of the Originals got their spots in and then it went to the finish. It was nothing terrible but it was nothing special either.

They show the Stone Cold Steve Austin all grown up video.

They announce that Wrestlemania will be heading to Orlando for Wrestlemania 24….best part about it is so was I!

They show a highlight video of the feud between Vince McMahon and Donald Trump and what has led to Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match was built on Donald Trump always upstaging Vince McMahon including on Vince McMahon appreciation night. Trump showed up on the screen and said he wanted to give everyone what they all want and that is money. Money poured down in the arena. Vince then picked Umaga to go to battle for him while Trump picked Bobby Lashley. They then got the special referee of Stone Cold Steve Austin to really up the stakes on this one. This match had absolutely everything and was built up perfectly. The people were interested and that is why it is the second highest PPVs sold for Wrestlemania. You had the billionaires, two young up and coming superstars, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Nothing more you could ask for.

Match 6: Battle of the Billionaires: Umaga (w/ Vince McMahon) vs. Bobby Lashley (w/ Donald Trump)

Both guys charge at each other to start this one off. They then exchange lefts and rights with each other until Lashley gets Umaga in the corner and nails him with a clothesline. Austin pulls Lashley off of Umaga in the corner and then Umaga nails Lashley with a big boot. Umaga goes for a splash in the corner but Lashley moves and Umaga goes crashing into the post. Lashley then comes off the top with a shoulder block for a 2 count because Armando puts Umaga’s foot on the rope. Lashley then picks up Armando and gets him in the ring and hits him with a power slam and then throws him over the top rope and sends him packing. Umaga tries to attack Lashley from behind but he falls down and Umaga goes flipping over the top rope and lands right on his back on the floor. That looked brutal.

Lashley was going for a spear in the ring and Umaga just side steps him and Lashley goes crashing through the ropes to the floor. Umaga gets him back into the ring and drops a big time splash on Lashley for a 2 count. Umaga starts choking out Lashley until Austin slaps him in the back because Umaga won’t break the hold. Umaga and Austin stare each other down but again Umaga goes back to the choke. Austin counts to 5 and Umaga doesn’t break so Austin grabs Umaga by the hair and they stare down again.

Umaga continues to work over Lashley with a big time clothesline and then a couple of butt drops by jumping off the middle rope. Vince is on the outside taunting Trump saying it’s about that time to where Trump is going to get his head shaved. Anyways, Lashley charges at Umaga and he ends up getting caught with a Samoan drop. The crowd is booing Lashley here. Lashley goes for a body slam on Umaga but he can’t get him up and Umaga lands on top of him for a 2 count. Vince ends up on the apron talking shit to Vince and Lashley ends up hitting the ropes and Vince goes flying off the apron to the floor.

Umaga heads to the top but Lashley catches him and body slams him off the top rope. Lashley then hits a big time clothesline that turns Umaga inside out. Austin starts counting both guys out and he gets to 9 and then just walks around the ring and tells them to get their asses up and refuses to count the 10. Shane comes out and checks on Vince and helps him get back to his feet. Umaga rams right hands to Lashley in the corner and again Austin pulls Umaga off of Lashley until Shane gets in the ring and stops Austin and when Austin turns around Umaga nails Austin with the Samoan Spike and sends him packing to the outside.

Shane then gets in the ring and lays in the left and right hands to Lashley. Umaga and Shane then both work over Umaga in the corner as Umaga hits the butt drop in the corner to Lashley. Lashley is laid out in the corner and the put the trash can on Lashley as Shane gets set up for coast to coast. Shane nails Lashley with the coast to coast. Shane then takes off his jacket and shirt and reveals a referee shirt. Umaga heads to the top rope and nails Lashley with a big time splash and he gets a 2 before Austin gets up and beats the brakes off of Shane McMahon and throws him into the steel steps.

Austin gets back in the ring and Umaga drops him with a chop to the throat again. Trump then comes over to McMahon, who is cussing out Austin, and he drops him with a clothesline. Trump then lays in a couple of right hands before he let him go. In the ring, Austin ducks the Samoan Spike and drops Umaga with the Stone Cold Stunner. Lashley then follows that up with a big time spear and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner of the match….Bobby Lashley!!!

After the match McMahon tries to get out of the way but Austin goes out after him and throws him into the ring. Shane gets in the ring to help Vince but Austin drops him with the Lou Thesz press, elbow drop, and a Stone Cold Stunner. Vince again tries to crawl his way out of the building but Lashley goes out after him and catches him and takes him back to the ring. When he gets into the ring Austin drops him with a Stone Cold Stunner. They finally strap Vince into the barber chair as Trump, Austin, and Lashley take turns cutting the hair of Vince McMahon.

After they get done cutting the hair of Vince McMahon Austin starts to celebrate with the beer and then he ends up dropping Donald Trump with the worst Stone Cold Stunner of all time. That was brutal.

Recap:
This was a solid match but it was all about the story and the billionaires involved and they delivered. The crowd was pretty much loving every minute of their interaction and Trump did pretty damn good. He was a natural out there and he played his part well. Austin being involved was the icing on the cake and really makes the match stand out. It wasn’t a classic wrestling match by any means but for what it was it definitely got the job done. Kudos to everyone involved on this one.

They show the John Cena all grown up video.

They show highlights of the dark match. It was a tag team lumberjack match featuring Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Chavo Guerrero/Greg Helms

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match started when Ashley posed for Playboy and she ended up getting a title shot. Melina thought it was beneath her to pose for Playboy and she felt like the only reason Ashley got a shot is because she did pose. Throw in the lumberjills to get all of the women on the card and this is what you get.

Match 7: WWE Women’s Title Lumberjill Match: Melina (c) vs. Ashley

This one starts with Ashley throwing Melina face first into the mat and then getting on top of her and throwing the right hands. Melina tries to roll outside and get a breather but the Lumberjills throw her right back into the ring. Ashley charges at Melina but Melina ends up throwing her into the ropes. Ashley then gets in the corner and Melina chokes her out with her foot before Ashley turns it around and she slaps Melina around before choking her out with the boot.

Melina then gets Ashley in a giant swing for a 2 count. Melina then gets a modified surfboard type move on Ashley and then she kicks her off and drives her face into the mat. Ashley ends up hitting Melina with a head scissors take down and then whipping her in the corner to do a monkey flip. Ashley goes for an elbow off the second rope but Melina moves out of the way and then Melina goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Ashley ends up rolling up Melina for a 2 but Melina rolls through it and gets Ashley in a roll up with a bridge and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner of the match and still WWE Women’s Champion….Melina!!!

After the match Ashley attacks Melina and kicks her out of the ring. The Lumberjills throw her back in the ring and then they all get in the ring and brawl it out. Melina sneaks out of the ring and gets out of the mess.

Recap:
This match was the complete shits and the crowd was completely dead for it. This was the worst possible position for a match like this because the crowd just got done with Vince vs. Trump and then the main event is next so they couldn’t care less about this one. Ashley had no business being in the ring because she was sloppy as hell and just couldn’t work. She was all looks and not much else. Melina was decent if she had a good opponent but she was no where good enough to get something good out of Ashley. Only bright side to this one is it was only 4 minutes long.

They show the Shawn Michaels all grown up video.

They show a highlight video on the feud between John Cena and Shawn Michaels.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
The initial plan for this one was John Cena vs. Triple H but Triple H got injured so they had to make a few changes and we ended up with Shawn Michaels in the spot. I was pretty pumped when this match got announced because even though I am not a huge Shawn Michaels fan I always did want to see him main event Wrestlemania live and I did. The feud was built around Shawn saying he is different and how he has turned on all of his friends and his tag partners but Cena was different. However, on the last Raw before Mania John and Shawn teamed up against Undertaker/Batista and when Shawn had a chance to win he ended up hitting Cena with Sweet Chin Music to put a little heat on this match. This should be great and I can’t wait to see it again.

Match 8: WWE Championship Match: John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

John Cena has a pretty sweet entrance where he crashes through some glass in a bad ass looking Ford Mustang. I actually seen this car pull up in the morning and thought it looked awesome. Shawn calls for John to meet in the middle of the ring and he ends up offering him a shake of the hand. Cena declines so Shawn slaps him in the face and then starts laying in the right hands until John falls down and Shawn tells him to suck it. We get your basic headlocks and whatnot to start this one as well as Shawn using his speed to dodge punches only to land a couple of right hands of his own on Cena. We get an extended head lock as Shawn continues to keep control of the match and keeping Cena off balance.

The speed finally picks up as Shawn runs the ropes but he eventually gets dropped with a big time clothesline by Cena. Shawn cowers down in the corner as Cena just stares him down. We get some more back and forth action as Shawn is on the outside of the ring on the apron while Cena is still in the ring. Shawn then picks up Cena and just hip tosses him over the rope to the outside. Shawn hits the kick to the back of the head and then hits a spring board moonsault on to the announce table. That was just beautiful.

They get back in the ring and Shawn continues the fury with chops and punches and then he whips Cena into the corner and comes charging in. Cena gets the boot up but Shawn catches it and then lays in a forearm to the knee. Shawn then works over the knee of Cena by ramming it into the steel post. Shawn continues to work the leg as well as continuing the chops. Both guys go back and forth with chops and punches until Shawn gets blasted with a big right hand but Shawn gets up and drives his shoulder into the stomach of Cena to keep control of this one.

We go through the same sequence again but this time when Shawn delivers the shoulder block, Cena moves out of the way and and Shawn goes shoulder and face first into the post. This causes Shawn to get busted wide open. Shawn is a little unsteady but Cena takes advantage with a big time clothesline and then some clubbing right hands on Shawn. Cena does his shoulder blocks, sit down side power bomb, and then a 5 Knuckle Shuffle on to HBK. Cena goes for the F-U but Shawn slides down. Cena ends up whipping Shawn into the corner and he goes upside down in the corner. Cena then goes for a right hand but Shawn ducks and goes for Sweet Chin Music but Cena moves out of the way and Shawn takes out the ref with it.

Cena goes for the F-U again but Shawn counters out of it into a DDT and both guys are laid out. Shawn goes out and sets up the steel steps to where he took the top two steps off. Shawn then goes and gets Cena and he ends up dropping Cena with a spike pile driver on to the steel steps. The thud there was brutal sounding. This busted open the back of the head of Cena. Shawn gets Cena back in the ring and goes for the cover but he only gets a 2 count.

Cena reverses an irish whip but Shawn ends up hitting Shawn with a flying forearm. Shawn then nips up and heads to the top rope for his big elbow. Shawn then tunes up the band and he goes for Sweet Chin Music but Cena drops Shawn with a clothesline instead. Both guys get up and they exchange right hands as the crowd does the cheer, boo gimmick. Shawn hits the ropes but Cena catches him in the F-U but Shawn slides out of it into a rollup for another near fall.

Shawn goes for a leap frog on Cena but Cena catches him and turns it into the F-U and now both guys are laid out again. Cena finally gets over to Shawn and goes for the cover but only gets a 2 1/2 count. Shawn gets put on the top rope and Cena goes up with him and goes for the F-U off the top but Shawn breaks free and pushes Cena off of the ropes. Shawn then comes off the top rope with a cross body but Cena catches him, rolls through, and then throws him on the shoulders and goes for another F-U but Shawn lands on his feet and goes for Sweet Chin Music but Cena turns that into the STFU. They continue to brawl over the STFU until Shawn gets a roll up for a 2 count.

This is when the match really picked up live and everybody was on the edge of their seat. Shawn goes for the kick to the back of the head but Cena ducks and quickly gets Shawn in the STFU. Shawn reaches the ropes and the crowd erupts. The ref admonishes Cena for not letting go and when he turns around Shawn nails him with Sweet Chin Music but he only gets a 2 1/2 count. Both guys are laid out on the mat and the ref gets to 9 before both guys get to their feet but they are holding each other up.

Cena goes for the F-U again but Shawn slides down but Cena quickly hits Shawn with the drop toe hold and back to the STFU right in the middle of the ring. Shawn acts like he is going to tap but he holds off until Shawn can’t take it anymore and taps out. Your winner by way of submission and still WWE Champion….John Cena!!!

After the match is over Cena raises the belt in the air as the pyro goes off in the background. Shawn is heading towards the back but Cena sees him and he goes and turns him around. Shawn just walks away from him but Cena salutes Shawn then back to the ring we go for Cena to celebrate.

Recap:
What can you say about this one. The last 8-10 minutes of the match were phenomenal. I remember being on the edge of my seat and feeling like a little kid all over again and that was because of Shawn Michaels. We all knew going in that he didn’t have a chance to win the belt but by the time they got to the finishing sequence you really bought in that he was going to do it. It was an awesome feeling to be able to experience that live and to be honest I haven’t had that feeling since this show. It speaks volumes to how good Shawn Michaels is as a performer and I give him all the credit in the world. I am not a huge fan of the person but the performer is unquestionably one of the greatest to ever do it. This was the perfect main event to an overall excellent show.

They show a highlight video of Wrestlemania 23 as well as showing some footage from Wrestlemania 3 as well.

Final Thoughts:
So that wraps up another Wrestlemania edition of the Event Center. This is one of my favorite Wrestlemania’s as well due to the fact that I was there for the most part. Being a part of the show live is an experience that I encourage every wrestling fan to experience at least one. It is a spectacle and you are in awe of the place the entire night. I caught myself just looking around at all of the work they put into the design of the building to make it feel like a wrestling arena. Just a wonderful experience and memories that I will cherish forever.

Now to the card itself. The matches that were supposed to deliver did deliver. Batista and Undertaker was awesome because you really felt like Batista had a legit shot of winning. That always made the Undertaker matches feel special back when he had the undefeated streak. When you thought his opponent had chance really enhanced the match. Lashley and Umaga was very good as well and when you throw in Vince and Trump you can’t really go wrong. The haircut segment was awesome and it really came across great even all these years later.

The Money in the Bank match was just insane. One of the better aspects of this ladder match was the little use of the ladder. Yeah it was used but not like it was at Wrestlemania 24 or other ladder matches. It was a lot of ring based things and finishers by the opponents than going to spot after spot after spot. The one spot between Jeff and Edge was really all you needed for the match because it took your breath way seeing him do that. Also, nothing would top that spot so why even bother? Kennedy winning was a surprise but one that a lot of people got behind. Too bad injuries derailed his run.

The main event between Shawn Michaels and John Cena was just amazing live and after watching it again it was just as good the second time. I put a lot of that on Shawn because he really made you believe. He made me feel like a kid again just enjoying the show instead of over thinking all of it. I really felt like he had a legit shot of winning the title and it was just awesome to suspend belief and get into the moment. I give the majority of that credit to Shawn because he was the chaser and he was easy to get behind. Just a really really good match to end the show.

All in all this is, again, one of the better Wrestlemania’s out there and it is really one that is worth checking out for sure. There are 4-5 matches that are fun as hell to watch and ones that you can definitely enjoy over and over. I would give this one a high recommendation, stealing from my buddy Ian, and one I would recommend watching each year if you get the change.

So that does it for this Wrestlemania Event Center. This is #4 out of 5 that I have planned. The next one that we will go to will be Wrestlemania 24. This is another show that I attended live so there may be a little bit of a bias to it but thats okay. It’s my review and if you don’t like it then thats okay because we can all have our own opinions here. Anyways, look forward to that one real real soon and thank you again for reading this one. Until next time, stay safe and have a good one.

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. So, since it is Wrestlemania season I figured we would do another one. We are going to head back to 2003 and check out Wrestlemania 19. I haven’t seen this show in a long time and after looking over the card and match time it looks like a really good show top to bottom. I remember getting the show live on pay per view and really enjoying pretty much all of it outside of a couple of things. It should be interesting to see what I think about it all these years later. So without further ado lets get this thing going.

Event Information:
Date:March 30th, 2003
Location: Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 54,097
Main Event: WWE Championship Match: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

Sunday Night Heat Recap:
Before we get to the show opening just want to make a quick comment on what happened during Sunday Night Heat. They had a tag team title match between Chief Morley/Lance Storm vs. Kane/RVD where Morley and Storm retained the tag team titles after the Dudleys turned heel and helped Morley and Storm keep the tag titles. John Cena also came out and destroyed Fabulous and Jay-Z with a brilliant rap. Other than that it was just a bunch of hype so lets get to the main show.

Show Opening:

Show opens up with an awesome video package with all the main event guys talking about the importance of Wrestlemania. We hear from Angle, Austin, Taker, Brock, Booker, and others. They show highlights of past Mania’s as well such as Mania 1 and 3. Towards the end they discuss the importance of their individual matches as they continue to show highlights from past Mania’s. Pretty awesome opening there. One of the best. We get some Limp Bizkit music plus the pyro as we head into Safeco Field. What an excellent venue and it looks awesome setup as a wrestling arena. One of my favorite venues ever for a Wrestlemania and I am pumped they are going to more and more baseball fields for shows.

Jim Ross leads us in and he is pumped up. He lets us know that he is just as excited today as he was back in 1993 for Wrestlemania 9. Lawler points out Ross’s John Wayne cufflinks that he busts out every Mania. Ross sends it down ringside to Michael Cole and Tazz to kick this one off. And since I am watching the Network version and it appears they have cut out Ashanti signing America the Beautiful. Probably didn’t want to pay her for it. Anyways, Cole sends it up to the ring where we are starting off with the Smackdown Cruiserweight Championship.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This feud was based off the Cruiserweight Title, duh, and Matt trying to get under the 220 weight limit. Shannon Moore was helping Matt get under the weight limit so he could actually defend his title against Rey at Mania. Really not much else to this one but it should be a great opener because both of these guys can go at this point in their careers.

Match 1: WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Matt Hardy (c) vs. Rey Mysterio Jr.

The Matt Hardy V1 graphics are awesome and I figured I would get that out of the way first. This match starts off hot with Matt trying to get the upper hand early but Rey is ready for all of it and he ends up nailing Matt with a beautiful cork screw plancha on to both Matt and Shannon Moore. Rey continues the quick pace with a leg scissor takedown off the middle rope and then a spinning wheel kick. Rey goes for a sunset flip power bomb off the apron but Matt holds on and Shannon ends up interfering and nailing Rey in the gut to prevent the move from happening.

Matt keeps control with some nice offense until he goes for a splash on the middle rope but Rey moves out of the way. We get some more back and forth action as Rey goes for some more high flying but Matt ends up blocking it into the Side Affect for a 2 count. Matt is doing a good job of staying one move ahead of Rey here. Matt goes for a shoulder block in the corner but Rey moves out and Matt smacks the post.

Rey then hits a springboard butt drop and some more highflying moves including a tornado DDT that leads to a near fall. Rey gets Matt in position for the 6-1-9 but Shannon trips Rey up and Matt nails Rey with the Twist of Fate for a 2 1/2 count. Matt is livid that Rey got out of that one. Matt puts Rey on the top rope and he goes for the Splash Mountain Bomb off the rope but Rey reverses it into a hurricanrana for a 2 count again. Shannon gets blasted by Matt and then Rey hits Matt with the 6-1-9. Rey goes for the West Coast Pop but Matt moves out of the way and then Rey ends up on the shoulders off Matt and he just drops down and gets the 1-2-3 ala Bret vs. Owen. Matt cheats by holding the bottom rope. Your winner and still WWE Cruiserweight Champion….Matt Hardy!!!

Recap:
This was a really good fast paced opener. It’s a shame it got roughly 6 minutes so they could have time for a shitty Limp Bizkit concert. Anyways, Matt and Rey worked awesome here and they did really well with the time they had. The ending was a little surprising but was good for me. Just a really good quick match that really got the crowd going early.

They head to the back where a limo pulls up and out steps the Miller Lite CatFight Girls. They get in an argument over Hogan/McMahon or Rock/Austin.

They show highlights of what happened to Nathan Jones during Sunday Night Heat. Big Show and A-Train left Jones laying in the bath room after Nunzio lured him in there.

We get the Limp Bizkit concert for the Undertaker entrance.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
The feud between Undertaker and Big Show started the Smackdown after No Mercy when the Big Show attacked the Undertaker after Undertaker gave props to Lesnar for their match they had at No Mercy. Undertaker then had a match with Big Show at No Way Out in which Taker won. After the match Big Show, with the help of A-Train, attacked the Undertaker. Nathan Jones came out and helped out the Undertaker and thats pretty much what led us to this match here at Wrestlemania.

Match 2: Undertaker vs. Big Show/A-Train

Limp Bizkit sings Rollin’ before Undertaker comes out for his match. The crowd is absolutely DEAD for Limp Bizkit and then they hear Undertaker’s bike and they go nuts for him. Pretty hilarious if you ask me. This one starts off fast as well with Big Show trying to attack Taker from behind but Taker is ready for it and Show goes flying over the top early. A-Train comes in and gets caught with a chokeslam right away and Taker nearly gets the win before Big Show pulls Taker out of the ring at 2 1/2.

Taker fends off both guys with the soup bowl rights and lefts as Big Show gets flustered and tags in A-Train. Taker bringing it at Mania with a leap frog, hip toss, and old school in succession. Taker gets caught up with Big Show and then gets dropped with the Derailer by A-Train. Show and Train work the chest and mid-section area of Taker with work on the outside and then the decapitator on the bottom rope.

Show goes for the choke slam but Taker gets out of it into a Fujiwara arm bar on Big Show. Taker then starts working the arm of A-Train until Big Show drops a big ass leg drop to regain control of the math. Show and Train take turns getting Taker in the abominable stretch because both are blown up and can’t do shit else. I feel for Taker having to be in this match at Mania, what garbage. Taker stops the momentum with a side suplex on A-Train but it’s not for long as Big Show nails Taker from the back and then a clothesline from A-Train for a 2 1/2.

Taker and A-Train exchange some lefts and rights and then Taker drops A-Train with the jumping DDT for a 2 1/2 count. Taker has finally had enough and decides to take out both guys with big clotheslines in the two corners. Taker hits the flying clothesline on Big Show and then gets dropped with the bicycle kick by A-Train. Big Show drops Taker with the chokeslam and then Nathan Jones comes out and drops Big Show with a big ass spinning wheel kick. Jones gets in the ring and drops the A-Train with a big boot and then Taker drops him with the Tombstone for the 1-2-3. Your winner and still undefeated at Wrestlemania….The Undertaker!

Recap:
This match was kind of shitty for the most part. Nathan Jones not being in it kind of sucked but Taker did his best to get something out of Show and A-Train here. Taker really looked good but his opponents just do nothing for me and never really did. Thank goodness WWE realized the importance of Taker’s undefeated streak and took advantage later on down the line but it’s a shame they didn’t do it here because a nice Taker match here would have been pretty nice.

They go to the back where the Miller Lite Catfight Girls meet up with Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson. They say Torrie looked great in Playboy and that Stacy is a marketing genius and one of the girls says she loves Testicles.

They show us what happened during the WWF Tag Team Title Match from Sunday Night Heat.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Trish and Victoria were feuding dating back to Survivor Series and continued that feud leading into Wrestlemania. Victoria was jealous of Trish’s good lucks and her being hand picked as the chosen one. They had a lot of brawls and hardcore type matches so they could add another dynamic to Trish’s character. Jazz returned a little before Mania and went after Trish, whom she got injured by 9 months prior, so she got thrown into the match. So here we are with the triple threat Women’s title match at Wrestlemania.

Match 3: WWE Women’s Title Triple Threat Match: Victoria (c) vs. Trish Stratus vs. Jazz

A theme here at Wrestlemania 19, these matches are starting fast and furious with Jazz dumping Victoria to the outside and quickly going after Trish. Jazz then gets a beautiful looking submission move on Trish before she breaks free and drops Victoria on the outside again. Trish gets back up and drops Jazz with a Thesz press and some right hands. Victoria pulls Trish off the apron and then throws Jazz to the outside until she throws Trish back in and then nails her with a front flip leg drop to the inside. That was a pretty sweet move there.

Jazz and Victoria then work together and work over Trish with a double shoulder breaker. Victoria and Jazz go at it and Victoria drops Jazz with a power slam for a 2 1/2 count. Jazz picks up Trish and drops her with a nice power slam move but Trish gets out at 2 1/2. Jazz then nails Victoria with a vicious open hand slap and then Trish rams their heads together. Trish then works over both of them until Victoria grabs her and Jazz goes for a spin kick but Trish moves out of the way and she drops Victoria.

We get a Chick Kick and then the hand stand head scissors by Trish. She then kicks Victoria to the outside and Jazz gets the half Boston Crab on Trish in the middle of the ring. Trish nearly gets to the rope but Jazz ends up turning it into the STF. Victoria distracts the ref and Richards comes in and throws Jazz to the outside. Jazz gets Trish in the standing chicken wing and then Victoria ends up going for the moonsault on Jazz but she misses.

Richards comes in with a chair and tries to hit Trish with it but he ends up hitting himself after it bounces off the rope. Trish hits Stratusfaction on Richards but Victoria goes for Widow’s Peak and Trish gets out of it and ends up dropping Victoria with the Chick Kick for the 1-2-3. Your winner and new WWF Women’s Champion….Trish Stratus!!!

Recap:
This was a solid women’s match right here. All three ladies looked pretty good and the mistakes were at a minimum. Jazz was really good here and controlled the majority of the match. All three women had their moments to shine and they all delivered. Not a overly great match but not a bad one either. Good stuff here.

Backstage Interview: The Rock

Coach asks the Rock how excited he is for Wrestlemania. Coach says there are 54,000 people but the Rock cuts him off and says the same people that booed him at Wrestlemania last year and the same people who booed the Rock who sang and gave a concert of a lifetime. The Rock says that he is a sellout because he has sold out this and every Wrestlemania he has been in. Rock says the people have hurt the People’s Champ and tonight he could care less about the people. Rock says he is here for one reason only and that is to fulfill his destiny of beating Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania.

Rock says this is the holy grail and the one thing the Rock has never done. He says it consumes him and he thinks about it all the time and this is everything to the Rock. Rock says the first two times they fought Austin got the win. Rock says the one thing he learned from Hollywood is that act 1 and act 2 don’t matter. Rock says the only thing that people remember is act 3 because it is the climax and the grand finale. Rock says it is the ending of the greatest rivalry this industry has ever seen.

Rock says that Steve Austin is going one on one with the jabroni beating, pie eating, not afraid to sweat not afraid to bleed, gonna beat that bald headed bastard guaran-damn-teed. Rock says then he would have done it all…..finally…..finally.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Team Angle won a #1 contenders match against Chris Benoit and Edge. Edge got injured at some point and ended up needing neck surgery so Benoit found himself a new partner in Rhyno. Team Angle ended up taking advantage of the match with Los Guerreros and won the tag team titles from them. Los Guerreros got their rematch and Benoit gets his shot at redemption in this 3 way dance for the tag team titles.

Match 4: WWE Smackdown Tag Team Title Match: Team Angle (c) vs. Los Guerreros vs. Chris Benoit/Rhyno

And the theme of the night continues with all 6 men in the ring going at it as soon as the bell rings. Match gets under control with Chavo and Charlie Haas starting off. Chavo starts off with a big back drop and a belly to back suplex and he follows that up with a big time drop kick as Haas tags in Benoit. Eddie gets tagged in and Chavo drops him with a belly to back suplex and Eddie hits Benoit with the tope into the ring.

Benoit and Eddie go at it until Benoit tags in Rhyno as they start slugging it out. Rhyno drops Eddie with a nice running power slam and gets the 2 1/2 count. Benjamin gets tagged in and Rhyno meets him right away with some right hands. The action is fast and furious with a lot of quick tags and nobody staying in longer than a minute or two. Benjamin tags in Haas as they hit a double drop kick on Rhyno and they get a 2 count before Chavo breaks up the pin.

Benoit gets tagged in and he comes in and lays in some brutal sounding chops to Haas and he follows those up with a snap suplex for a 2 count. We get some suplexes and near falls before Benoit tags Rhyno in again. Benjamin gets tagged back in by Haas and he comes in and slugs it out with Rhyno again. Rhyno hits a big time spear in the corner on Benjamin and he gets a 2 count out of it. Benjamin tags in Eddie and he squares off with Rhyno. Eddie hits a beautiful drop kick as he suckered Rhyno in for a test of strength. That was such an awesome looking drop kick.

Eddie gets driven into the corner as Benoit tags back in. He comes in and nails Eddie with nasty sounding chops but Eddie turns it around and drops Benoit with a back suplex on to the neck of Benoit. Eddie then goes up to the top rope but tags to much time and Benoit catches him and hits a super plex off the top rope. Benoit then throws Eddie into the ropes and throws him in the air and gets him right into the crossface but Haas breaks it up quickly. Eddie ends up getting the advantage with a brain buster for a 2 count but Haas breaks it up again.

All hell is breaking loose as all 6 guys start coming in and out but Benoit ends up catching Chavo with the rolling germans. Benoit got 4 of them this time but Benjamin gets tagged in and he comes in and drops Benoit with a side kick for a 2 1/2. Eddie and Benoit clunk heads and knock each other out. Benjamin goes for the cover but Eddie comes off the top with the Frog Splash to break up the pin. Chavo tags in as he and Charlie Haas go at it. Haas hits a nice release German but Rhyno ends up dropping him with a Gore and then he drops Chavo with the Gore as well. Shelton sneaks in and gets the 1-2-3 for Team Angle. Your winners and still WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions….Team Angle!!!

Recap:
This match was really good. It started off fast and never really stopped. All 6 guys delivered the goods and took advantage of the small time they head in the ring. It’s a shame some of these matches early on were rushed because of the matches that went on last. They should have cut some of the times in some of the other matches and gave these a little more time but all these guys took advantage of the short time they had. Just a solid tag team match with 6 guys that can really go. Kudos to them.

They head to the back again where Stacy Keibler & Torrie Wilson are with the Miller Lite Catfight Girls again. The Girls were going over how excited they were for being at Mania. Stacy and Torrie start arguing over who is responsible for the birth of Wrestlemania, Hulk Hogan or Vince McMahon. The Catfight Girls start arguing the same thing. One of the girls says lets settle this in the ring and the other argues with settling it in bed.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match all started with Chris Jericho saying that Shawn was his childhood hero. Jericho went on a crusade to try and accomplish everything that Shawn has done in his career. Shawn started this off by dropping Jericho with some Sweet Chin Music on Raw. Jericho then wanted to be #1 in the Rumble but Vince gave that spot to Shawn and when Jericho got in the Rumble he low-blowed Shawn and ended up dumping him early on. They continued to feud after the Rumble until Jericho finally challenged Shawn to a match at Wrestlemania and Shawn accepted so here we are.

Match 5: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

The little things at the start of this match that they did were just awesome. Jericho coming out to hardly any pyro where Shawn comes out with blasters down the ramp, his normal in ring pyro, plus the pyro behind the Safeco sign. It’s complete opposites and you can tell it is getting under the skin of Jericho. The little things like that go a long way in building a dramatic match and getting heat. Well done to both guys. Also, Shawn’s pyro here is some of the best and a lot of that has to do with it being inside Safeco Field. Great looking visuals here.

We get a feeling out process with take downs and very quick rest holds until Shawn gets bored and lays on the top rope as if Jericho needs to do better. Some more feeling out as they exchange takedowns and kick outs until we get a stand off. Enough of the feeling out as Jericho slaps Shawn and then Shawn returns the favor with a right hand and then throws Jericho to the outside. Shawn goes for a plancha but Jericho moves out of the way and Shawn ends up stopping himself by rolling back into the ring and he eventually ends up hitting Jericho with a baseball slide.

Jericho gets the upper hand with a roll through on a cross body off the top rope by Shawn and he follows that up with a spinning leg kick. Jericho goes for his running bulldog but Shawn reverses it by throwing him into the turnbuckle. Shawn then gets Jericho in the figure four leg lock in the middle of the ring. Shawn continues to work the left leg of Jericho until Jericho ends up kicking Shawn off of him and right into the steel post shoulder first. Jericho tries to throw Shawn out but Shawn skins the cat and hits Jericho with a head scissor take down to the outside followed by a plancha.

They brawl on the outside as Shawn goes for a drop kick but Jericho blocks it and gets Shawn in the Walls of Jericho on the outside. Jericho then picks up Shawn and rams him back first into the post a few times as Jericho gets the control and starts to work over the back of Shawn. Jericho continues to work the back with a belly to back suplex and then a delayed vertical suplex. In the meantime Jericho is talking shit to Shawn saying that he is better than him. We get the cocky pin after a backbreaker. Such a heel move but it’s so awesome. Jericho then drives the knee in the back of Shawn while pulling on the neck.

Shawn breaks free and ends up hitting Jericho with a nice looking delayed DDT as both guys are laid out. Shawn gets dropped with the flying forearm as Jericho does a nip-up to get back to his feet. Jericho then does the Shawn pose but Shawn ends up doing a nip-up of his own and then floors Jericho with some right hands once Jericho realizes Shawn is back on his feet. That was a pretty damn cool sequence there. Awesome stuff from these two.

Shawn hits the flyin forearm, nip-up, atomic drop, and then a back body drop as Shawn starts to feel it. Shawn catches Jericho coming in and then he goes up to the top rope and hits a moonsault for a 2 3/4 count. They then exchange near falls 4-5 times until Jericho rolls out and goes for the Walls of Jericho on Shawn but he blocks it. Jericho hits a northern lights suplex but Shawn kicks out and then Jericho goes for another pin but Shawn pulls himself up and bridges out of it but Jericho ends up hitting Shawn with the forearm to slow it down here.

Jericho hits the bulldog and the Lionsault on Shawn and takes a little bit of time to go for the cover but Shawn kicks out at 2 1/2. Shawn ends up going for a hurricanrana but Jericho catches him and gets him into the Walls of Jericho. Jericho goes for the Walls again but Shawn rolls up Jericho for a 2 count. Jericho then hits a double under hook back breaker on Shawn. Jericho ascends to the top rope and hits a spinning elbow off the top rope. Jericho then gets in the corner and starts tuning up the band for some Sweet Chin Music and he nails Shawn with it for a 2 1/2 count.

Both guys exchange some rights and lefts as well as some kicks until Shawn attempts the Walls of Jericho but instead goes for a sling shot right into the post on Jericho. Shawn ends up getting put on the top rope as Jericho goes for a belly to back suplex but Shawn counters it in mid-air into a cross body for another near fall. Shawn heads to the top rope to go for his elbow but Jericho kicks the ref into the ropes and ends up racking Shawn on the top rope. Jericho then climbs to the top rope and goes for a superplex but Shawn throws him off and ends up hitting Jericho with the big elbow.

Shawn gets right back up and starts tuning up the band himself for Sweet Chin Music but Jericho dunks out of the way and Jericho ends up getting Shawn into the Walls of Jericho for the third time. Shawn nearly gets to the ropes but Jericho pulls him back into the middle of the ring but Shawn finally gets to the ropes anyways. Jericho gets frustrated but when he comes after Shawn he gets dropped with Sweet Chin Music but Jericho ends up kicking out at 2 1/2.

Shawn kicks whipped into the corner and does his flip up and back over gimmick. Jericho then grabs Shawn and goes for a belly to back suplex but Shawn rolls out of it and ends up rolling up Chris Jericho and gets the sneaky 1-2-3 for the win. Your winner by pinfall….Shawn Michaels!

After the match Shawn offers his hand as a sign of respect. Jericho avoids the hand shake and ends up hugging Shawn instead. When they release the hug Jericho ends up kicking Shawn right in the nuts. Jericho then catches Shawn as he collapses. Jericho then flips off the fans as he heads towards the back. Shawn really sold that low blow there and it looked like it damn near killed him.

Recap:
This was a damn good match and arguably the best one on the card. Only one that really comes close is Austin/Rock but that one was good for other reasons. The story told through the feud and throughout this match was just top notch and Jericho played his part perfectly. He was always good as the jealous chaser and this match and feud is no exception. He hated everything that Shawn did with his entrance, in the ring, and everything else. Both guys really told an excellent story and captivated you throughout the entire match. Just a really great match by two really great wrestlers and it is one that you must watch at least once. Really really good stuff here.

They head to the back where Sylvan Grenier goes into Mr. McMahon’s office.

Tony Chimmel announces a new Safeco Field attendance “record”.

Limp Bizkit is back for another song that is getting no reaction. Crowd cheers when it’s over probably because it’s over.

Match 6: Catfight: Stacy Keibler vs. Torrie Wilson vs. Kitana Baker vs. Tanya Ballinger

Torrie starts this one off by taking off her shirt and then ripping off Stacy’s top. Torrie then rolls up Stacy and starts spanking her bare ass. The Catfight girls are on their knees in the bed ripping the tops off of each other until Torrie joins in. Coach ends up falling down and Torrie and Stacy roll over on top of him. All four of them then drop Coach’s pants and ends up getting rolled up and pinned by Stacy Keibler to end this atrocity.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Triple H and Booker T.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This all started when Booker T won a battle royal to become the number one contender. They then turned this into a race feud and Booker T got super over because of it. Triple H made comments that people like Booker don’t become World Champions and that he will never be one. They also brought up Booker’s past and called him a common street thug and that his type will never be champion. This all lead to the match that we have now. Booker got super over and Triple H used common stereotypes to progress this feud. One can only imagine how this one turns out.

Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Booker T

We get the nice stare down with Nick Patrick going over the rules. Booker tells Hunter that his punk ass is in trouble as the bell rings and we get this one started. I already can’t stand Lawler’s commentary here. The whole racial overtones over this feud and in this match are a joke even for 2003. Both guys exchange chops in the corner as they have a short feeling out period here. Triple H heads up to the top rope but Booker catches him and arm drags him off the top rope and this sends Hunter to the outside where Booker goes out after him. Booker rams Hunter head first into the post as this one starts to pick up the pace a little bit here.

Booker goes for the spinning leg kick but Hunter blocks and ends up backdropping Booker to the apron but Booker hangs on. Hunter then throws Booker into the post as Hunter gets control of the match. Hunter drops Booker with a neck breaker and this gets him a 2 count. Booker ends up getting dropped with the Arn Anderson spine buster as he was just about to regain control of the match. Hunter then lays in a vicious sounding clothesline to Booker in the corner for another near fall. That sounded brutal as hell.

Booker reverses a suplex into a DDT and then both guys exchange rights and chops until Booker hits Hunter with a side kick and a sidewalk slam. Booker follows that up with a nice forearm for another near fall. Booker hits the ropes and Hunter hits the high knee for a 2 1/2 count on Booker. Booker gets dropped with the knee to the face but when Hunter hits the ropes Booker catches him and drops hi with a spine buster. Back to the corner and back to the chops we go. That is all this match is.

Hunter goes to the middle rope and goes for an ax handle but Booker catches him with a nasty looking drop kick that nearly got him the victory. Booker goes for the scissor kick twice and both times Hunter moves out of the way. On the second one Booker goes flying to the outside and once out there Flair grabs him and drops him knee first on the steel steps. Booker gets back in the ring and Hunter gets him in the Indian Death Lock in the middle of the ring. It’s a sweet looking move if you ask me. Hunter then stands up and rolls over and applies all of the pressure on the legs of Booker T. A really great submission move here.

Hunter continues to work the knee and when he tries to whip Booker into the corner Booker just collapses and doesn’t even make it to the corner. Hunter goes for the pedigree but Booker reverses it and Hunter ends up kicking Booker into the ref but he doesn’t go down. Booker then gets another roll up for a 2 1/2 count. Back to knee we go for Hunter but it doesn’t take long for Booker to hit a flying elbow followed by the scissor’s kick for a 2 3/4 count. Booker heads to the top rope but Flair goes after him and Booker drops him with a right hand. This allows Triple H to get up and go for a superplex but Booker blocks it and ends up pushing Hunter off the top rope.

Booker then hits the Harlem hangover on Booker T and he landed right on Hunter’s head. That didn’t look good at all. Booker goes for the cover and Flair puts Hunters foot on the rope to break up the pin. Booker tries to hit the ropes but he falls down again and this time Hunter grabs him and drops him with the Pedigree. Hunter crawls over the pin and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and still World Heavyweight Champion….Triple H!!!

Recap:
What to say about this match. I remember being invested in this match because of how over Booker T was during this build up. The way the built it up it almost felt like Booker was going to get the title and they were going to wrap this up with a positive ending. Boy was I wrong then. Hunter’s soul purpose during this match was to destroy any and all momentum Booker T had. He trashed WCW on the build up, they brought in race and made him look completely inferior to Hunter, and he put on a boring ass match that the fans wouldn’t remember. What a joke. This match is the epitome of what was wrong with Triple H and WWE at the time and it’s sad someone like Booker T had to be at the brunt of this shit. Fuck this guy seriously. The guy never wanted to do the job when it mattered but he sure as hell is just fine doing it now since everyone knows he’s there just to do the job.

I will never understand why they would build something up to an apex just to take a right turn instead of going with what they should have gone with. It’s like they don’t want to make stars or make others top guys because the top guys feel threatened. I will never understand that about this business and it is a conversation to have at a different time. However, if you ever want to know what is wrong with this business then look no further than this build and this match.

They show a highlight video on the feud between Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This feud and story writes itself over the years. Vince felt betrayed by Hogan for testifying against him in the steroids trial. Vince also felt resentment for Hogan leaving him to go to WCW and trying to put him out of business. Hogan is in it because he feels like he was the one who created Hulkamania and he is the one who is responsible for all of this. Both men can’t be right so they decided to settle it in the ring. On paper it sounds awesome seeing these two go at it but in reality theres no way they can do anything thats worth seeing at this point in their careers.

Match 9: 20 Years in the Making: Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon

So the first 4-5 matches start fast and furious and the next 3 start with a stare down. Vince slaps the shit out of Hogan and then Hogan tackles and starts laying in the right hands to Vince. That looked terrible. Hogan and Vince take turns with control by doing some right hands and kicks but not much else. These dudes can barely move to be honest. Vince works the arm with knees to the shoulder blade and then ramming the arm into the steel post. We then get a test of strength of here and Vince is absolutely jacked. Vince gets bored with the test of strength and ends up tossing Hogan to the outside.

Vince continues to work the arm until he grabs a steel chair and tries to blast Hogan with it but Hogan gets out of the way and now Hogan takes control and rams Vince into the post. Hogan then picks up the chair and blasts Vince with the unprotected chair shot. How freaking dumb of anyone to take one of those. And now Vince is busted open as Hogan lays in the right hands to get that blood flowing. Back to the outside we go as Hogan picks up another chair and he blasts Vince in the back a few times with the chair. Hogan goes for another shot but Vince ducks and Hogan blasts Hugo with the chair and he does a blade job and is busted open. Vince stops Hogans momentum with a low blow and now it’s Hogans turn to take the unprotected chair shot.

How could anyone think it is a good idea to take these chair shots? Anyways, Vince gets under the ring and pulls out a ladder. What the hell can these two old shits do with a ladder? Vince then clears off the Spanish announce table as Vince sets up the ladders in between the two announce tables. Vince then drops Hogan with the television monitor and lays him out over the table. Vince then climbs up the ladder and mocks Hogan before sending him through the table with a leg drop off the ladder. What a sweet spot for an old guy. Vince’s head takes a thud off the ground so that can’t be good.

Both guys get in the ring and McMahon goes for the pin but Hogan kicks out. Vince goes for it again and again Hogan kicks out. Vince then gets under the ring and grabs a steel pipe. Vince does this sadistic smile as he pulls himself up over the apron. He looked scary as hell and Tazz on commentary mocks the Shining and says “Heeeeeres Vince!” Classic shit there.

Vince gets in the ring and goes to use the pipe but Hogan drops him with a low blow. Then some random person gets in the ring with a trench coat and hat on. They take off the gear and it’s none other than RODDY PIPER! Piper then picks up the pipe and stands in the middle of Vince and Hogan as he sells it up as to who he is going to hit. Piper then takes the pipe and blasts Hogan with it and lays him out. Piper then gives the f-u symbol and walks off as the crowd boos the shit out of him. Vince crawls over to Hogan and goes for the cover but Hogan gets the shoulder up at 2 1/2.

Vince goes to grab the pipe again but Brian Hebner stepped on the pipe and stopped Vince from using it. This pisses Vince off and he throws Hebner out of the ring. Vince then calls for his ref to come out, Sylvan Grenier, and he takes out another ref on his way to the ring. Vince then drops Hogan with the pipe again and then drops the Hogan leg drop. Hogan kicks out and he starts to hulk up much to the disbelief of McMahon.

Hogan lays in some right hands to Vince and then he goes after Grenier and tosses him to the outside. Vince goes for right hands but Hogan blocks him and hits him with 3 right hands, big boot, and the leg drop x3. Hogan goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Hulk Hogan!

After the match Hogan is posing in the ring and Shane McMahon ends up walking down to the ring. Shane wants to get into the ring to check on his dad and Hogan gladly lets him into the ring to check on him. Shane lifts up the head of Vince and Vince flips off Hogan.

Recap:
If you were expecting a classic then you will be disappointed. However, if you are in it for more than that then you wouldn’t be disappointed. The story that led up to this match as well as the brutality of this match really delivered. The interference by Piper was a nice touch that I forgot about but even back then it was a pleasant surprise. Vince doing the leg drop off the ladder through a table is damn impressive for his age. Hogan couldn’t do much but he did what he could and the story that was told was pretty good.

They show a highlight video of the feud between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Again this is another match that writes itself. Austin came back after leaving for 7 months and the Rock challenged him. Rock wanted to avenge his 2 losses at Wrestlemania at the hands of Austin. Nothing more to it than that. This is pretty much the culmination of one of the greatest rivalries of all time so it should definitely be a classic. This is the match that sold me on this show way back when and I am sure it is going to deliver one more time.

Match 10: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Another stare down to start this one off but the crowd is super pumped for this one. Austin starts this one off early with the big time right hands and then he ends up going for the Stunner rather quickly but the Rock slides out of the ring. Austin doesn’t take long to go out after him and drops Rock with a clothesline on the outside. They brawl around the outside of the ring and are all over the place. Austin hits the Rock with a clothesline, drops him across the barricade, and then whips him into the steel steps viciously before sending him back into the ring.

Austin works the lower back with a side suplex and then some irish whips into the corner before Austin drops him with a clothesline and chokes him across the middle rope. Austin is hashing out with the ref when the Rock chop blocks Austin from behind to get control of the match. Rock continues to work the leg with another chop block, kicks to the leg, and wrapping the knee around the ring post. Austin ducks early so the Rock kicks him in the chest and the kicks him in the knee and drops Austin. Rock then points his finger at his head as if he is a genius and it was hilarious looking. Great shit from the Rock here.

The Rock then puts Austin in the sharpshooter and believe it or not it wasn’t all that bad. Rock then works the leg around the post again before picking up Austin’s vest and putting it on. Rock gets in the ring and they both get laid out with a double clothesline as the ref counts them down. Both guys get up and Austin gets the upper hand with the Lou Thesz press and some piston like right hands. Austin then drops a nice looking elbow drop for the first 2 count of the match. Austin then stomps a mud hole on the Rock in the corner until they both get up and Rock ends up hitting a flying clothesline on Austin and he follows that up with a nip up.

When the Rock turns around Stone Cold hits the Rock with the Rock Bottom and he gets another 2 count. Austin goes for the Stunner but the Rock catches the boot and ends up dropping Austin with his own Stone Cold Stunner. The Rock goes for the cover but only gets a 2 count. Rock starts laying in the right hands before he spits on it and goes for the big one but Austin ducks and ends up dropping the Rock with a nice looking Stunner that the Rock damn near flips out of the ring for. Austin goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2 count there.

The Rock ends up hitting a low blow on Austin and then he gets up and does the People’s Elbow on to Austin but Austin moves out of the way and he gets up and goes for another Stunner but the Rock pushes him off and hits him with the spine buster and then the People’s Elbow for a 2 1/2 count. Austin staggers to his feet and the Rock catches him and drops him with the Rock Bottom for a 2 3/4 count this time. Rock gets up and waits for Austin to get up again and again the Rock drops Austin with the Rock Bottom and again Austin kicks out. We are going for this for a third time and this time the Rock hits the Rock Bottom and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner of the match….The Rock!

After the match you can clearly see the Rock talking to Austin and thanking him for everything. The Rock celebrates with his family ringside as he heads out. WWE then gives Austin the recognition he deserves and lets him get that standing ovation for what would be the last time. Great reaction from the crowd as well.

Recap:
What can you say that was a classic. Not a wrestling clinic but the story that was written made this must watch tv. This is the match that made me buy the show and it didn’t disappoint at all. Both guys went out and gave it their all and put in a really good match that was on par with all their other work. Not going to lie but I got goosebumps watching it over again because of the fact that this was the culmination of something special and it would really be the last time that we would ever have something like this where to mega stars were in the company at the same time and had their careers parallel each other. This was the culmination of all of that and they went out with a bang. The amazing part about this match is the fact that the crowd was so invested in it after following Hogan/Vince. That tells you all you need to know about how much respect and admiration these guys had. Kudos to both of these guys for going out there and putting on a show one last time.

They show a highlight video of the feud between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Brock Lesnar ended up winning the Royal Rumble and got his title match with Angle at Wrestlemania. Leading up to the match at Mania they had quite a few in ring confrontations that led to Angle not getting touched by Lesnar. Lesnar had to go through a gauntlet to get his hands on Angle but after he beat Team Angle, Heyman got Angle disqualified. They then did the switch with Angle’s brother and Angle got the quick pin on him. They then hyped up the NCAA records and the Olympic gold Medals and their collegiate wrestling background. They also made it to where if Angle gets counted out, DQ’ed, or anything else then he would lose the title.

Match 11: WWE Title Match: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

We get one last stare down as the main event of Wrestlemania 19 is upon us. Match starts with some head locks and chain wrestling on the ground to where it’s almost like a feeling out process. We get some more chain wrestling and head locks as both guys continue to feel each other out. More of the same until Angle hits a knee to the midsection and goes after the injured ribs of Lesnar. They continue to trade moves until Lesnar drops Angle with a power slam for a 2 count.

Lesnar ends up going for a clothesline but Angle drops him with a release German suplex but when Angle turns around Lesnar drops him with a clothesline. Angle was about to whip Lesnar but he lets go and ends up drops Angle with a press slam while Tazz calls him the “vanilla gorilla.” Too bad that nickname didn’t stick. Angle ends up getting Lesnar in the corner and hits him with a release German right into the turnbuckle. That looked freakin awesome. What a move by Angle there.

Angle heads to the outside and continues to work the lower back of Lesnar. Angle continues to work the lower back and midsection with a side suplex, kicks, and another suplex that gets a 2 count. Angle then locks in a free style bow and arrow to continue to work the mid-section of Lesnar. Angle continues with a rear chin lock until Brock gets to his feet and rams Angle into the corner two times. Angle then picks up Lesnar and hits him with an over head belly to belly suplex. Angle ends up sending Lesnar to the outside by hitting him with a knee to the back twice. They get back in the ring and Angle ends up charging at Lesnar but Lesnar catches him and drops him with a beautiful looking spine buster.

Lesnar gets control of the match with a flying forearm, a kick to the head, and then some shoulder blocks in the corner. Brock then catches Angle and hits him with a couple of release over head belly to belly suplexes for a 2 count. Angle ends up reversing another belly to belly into four German suplexes onto Lesnar. Angle goes for the Angle slam but Lesnar reverses it. Lesnar then goes for the F-5 but Angle lands on his feet and ends up getting a single leg and goes right into the Ankle Lock.

Angle tries to hit another knee to the back but Lesnar ends up back dropping Angle over the top rope and to the floor. Angle did a complete front flip and damn near landed on his feet when going to the outside. Lesnar goes for the short arm clothesline but Angle ducks and ends up hitting the release German suplex that Lesnar does a complete back flip on. That was freaking insane.

Angle then gets Brock up and he drops him with the Angle Slam for a 2 count. Brock gets up and Angle goes for another Angle Slam but Brock turns it into a roll up for a 2 count. Angle gets right up and Brock drops him with the F-5 for another near fall. Brock goes to pick up Angle but Angle was playing possum and ends up getting Lesnar in the Ankle Lock. Brock tries to get the ropes but Angle pulls him to the middle of the ring and lays down on the hold to prevent Lesnar from being able to crawl to the ropes but Brock gets to the ropes anyways. Brock goes for the F-5 again but Angle rolls him up for a 2 1/2. Angle goes for the Angle Slam but Brock rolls out and picks up Angle for another F-5. Angle is laid out in the middle of the ring as Brock heads up to the top rope and goes for his Shooting Star Press. Lesnar totally misses and jacks his shit all up.

Angle quickly rolls up Lesnar but he only gets a 2 1/2 count. Angle picks up Lesnar but Lesnar ends up picking up Angle and drops him with a 3rd F-5 and this time he goes for the cover and get the 1-2-3. Your winner and NEW WWE Heavyweight Champion….Brock Lesnar!!!!

After the match Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar embrace with a hand shake and a hug.

Recap:
This was one hell of a match and it is a shame that Lesnar missed the Shooting Star because if he would have nailed that and the match ended like it should have then it would be a memorable moment for the ages. Since he missed it it kind of changes things but man what a freakin move by a guy that size. Also, what a great match this one. Both guys showed off their real wrestling ability and showed off their greatness in that aspect. The suplexes and the amount of punishment both guys gave each other was awesome. The fact that Angle took some of the moves he did with the injuries that he had is ridiculous but he is a true champion and a pros pro. Also, kudos to both of these guys who had to follow Rock and Austin and they delivered like the majority of this show.

Show Closing:

The show ends with them playing another Limp Bizkit song as they show highlights of the entire show.

Final Thoughts:
So, there you have it with Wrestlemania 19. This is one of my favorite Wrestlemania’s and it has been a long time since I watched it and needless to say I wasn’t disappointed. The top matches delivered and the undercard, even though they didn’t get a lot of time, put on a heck of a show as well. They opened up with a fast paced cruiserweight match and it felt like the show never slowed down from there. They had a few stinkers, like the 2 Limp Bizkit concerns/Miller Lite Cat Fight Girl segment/Taker match, but other than that this show was excellent.

The last 5 matches of the card were all built perfectly, for the most part, and the matches themselves delivered all in different ways. You can expect certain things from certain matches and if you go in with those specific expectations then you won’t be disappointed. The only match I had a major issue with was the Triple H/Booker T match because of the build. The build made you really get behind Booker T and Triple H essentially took it upon himself to totally kill all momentum Booker got. Booker went from a title match at Mania to a tag title match in 2 pay per views. That tells you all you need to know about what Triple H accomplished on this night.

The rest of the matches were very good to excellent and were awesome to enjoy again. Shawn/Jericho was the match of the night as far as in ring work goes. Vince and Hogan had such a great story that you didn’t really care how the match went, you just wanted to see Hogan rip McMahon to shreds. Then you had the culmination of one of the greatest feuds of all time in the Rock and Stone Cold that didn’t disappoint. Then Lesnar and Angle, two guys you wouldn’t think would main event the show, go out and put on a wrestling clinic. If only Lesnar would have hit that Shooting Star Press, people would still be talking about that match to this day if he had done that.

As you can see this is one of the more complete Wrestlemania’s of all time and arguably a top 5 Wrestlemania of all time. It is definitely in my top 5 and one that I can enjoy year in and year out. Just a really great show all around and one that is worth checking out. Anyways, thanks again for reading this episode of the Event Center. This is stop 3 out of 5 as we head down this Road to Wrestlemania. Next up on the list is Wrestlemania 23 so look out for that one soon. Thanks again and I will catch you all later.

Introduction:
Hello everyone and welcome back to the Event Center. We are continuing with our Wrestlemania season reviews with a trip back to 1991 and Wrestlemania 7. Theres a lot of things that swirl around this show with the whole Iraq exploitation and all that goodness. However, this is one of my favorite shows and I have a lot of fond memories of it from my childhood that I look to share with you throughout this review. So without further ado lets get this thing going.

Event Information:
Date: March 24th, 1991
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 16,158
Main Event: WWF Title Match: Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan

Show Opening:
Before the show even kicks off they ran a match between Koko B. Ware vs. the Brooklyn Brawler. Looks like Koko got the W in short fashion. So with that we go to the live show.

The show opens up with Vince McMahon hyping up Wrestlemania 7 the only way he know’s how. We then head into the ring where Willie Nelson is waiting to sing his rendition of America the Beautiful. Dude is hocked out in so much Wrestlemania merchandise and it’s ridiculous. He has the Hitman shades, the Wrestlemania 7 shirt, the Hogan bandana, and the WWF foam belt around his waste. He’s a walking billboard for the merchandise stand. We then head ringside where Gorilla Monsoon is standing by and he introduces us to his guest commentator for the opening match, Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Dude is decked out in red, white, and blue plus a USA flag type top hat. Stars and stripes forever baby. Gorilla runs through the card a little bit and focuses on the big ones like Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage as well as the main event featuring Sgt. Slaughter and Hulk Hogan.

Backstage Interview: The Rockers

Mooney says that the force that Haku and Barbarian have is unmatched by any team in WWF history. Marty says it’s true that they are big dudes but the Rockers since the beginning of time have been defying odds and that they are tag team specialist. Mooney reminds us that Haku and Barbarian are a part of the Heenan Family so they know each other quite well. Shawn says that those two are two of the biggest and baddest in the WWF but what’s it going to make the Rockers when they put them away. Shawn says the Rockers are going to turn heads, turn on crowds, and come away on top.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Like most of these matches there isn’t much leading up to this one. The Rockers were the perfect tag team to open up shows because of how fast they worked and they can really get a crowd going. Haku and Barbarian were thrown together since they were both in the Heenan Family and they actually made a pretty good tag team if you ask me. Not much build to this one but it should be good based off the four individuals involved.

Match 1: The Rockers vs. Haku/Barbarian

This one starts off with Haku and Shawn as the first match of Wrestlemania 7 is off and running. Shawn tries to use his speed and agility early on but Haku is ready for it and is blocking the majority of those moves. Shawn goes up and over numerous times until he drops Haku with a flying shoulder block. Shawn tags in Marty and they hit Haku with a double hip toss, double nip up, and then get floored with a clothesline by Barbarian and the Rockers go inside out for it. That was a pretty sweet spot there.

The Rockers get back up rather quickly and they end up hitting Haku and then Barbarian with double crescent kicks that send both guys to the outside. We get back in the ring with Marty and Barbarian as the legal combatants. Marty uses his speed by sliding through Barbarian’s legs but he goes for a sunset flip and Barbarian doesn’t go over but Barbarian misses the punch. Marty then jumps on the shoulders of Barbarian and Shawn ends up drop kicking Marty over and he does a hurricanrana to the Barbarian for a 2 count. Marty tries the same spot again on Haku but when Shawn comes in the ref stops him and Barbarian ends up taking Marty and dropping him across the top rope with a clothesline move. That was awesome.

Haku and Barbarian take turns working over Marty with moves like a power slam, chops, head butts, and pretty much everything else you can think of that Haku and Barbarian did. Haku does an awesome double back breaker before tagging in Barbarian who comes in and gets a 2 count on Marty. Barbarian continues to work the back with a bear hug and irish whips into the corner. Marty ends up going to the top rope but Barbarian catches him in mid-air with a beautiful power slam. Barbarian then heads to the top and goes for a diving head-butt but Marty moves out of the way and finally gets the hot tag to Shawn while Barbarian tags in Haku.

Shawn comes in with fire and energy and takes care of both guys with right hands and flying elbows among other things. All four guys end up in the ring as the Rockers double drop kick Barbarian to the outside. They both head to the top rope and Marty hits Haku with a flying drop kick and Shawn hits a flying cross body for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….The Rockers!

Recap:
What a fast paced awesome opener. All four guys handled their business and had awesome spots throughout. The heels didn’t keep control for that long so it really helped the match keep going. The Rockers were great, like always, when it comes to opening the show and their finish here was pretty sweet. Shawn’s cross body looked really awesome with the elevation and the way he contorted his body for the cross body. Just a really cool looking move for the time. All in all a really good way to open this show and kick things off right.

Backstage Interview: Regis Philbin, Marla Maples, & Alex Trebek

Regis tells us that he has had all the WWF guys on his show including Hulk Hogan, Macho King and others but the one guy he is afraid of is Earthquake. Regis said that Earthquake tipped over a pizza delivery truck and ate everything inside it. Gene says Regis is beautiful but they broke the mold when they made Marla Maples. She says she is excited to be the guest time keeper and locker room reporter for Wrestlemania 7. Alex calls Gene Jim. Alex says the answer is guest ring announcer for the main event. Gene gets it all confused and Alex says they are going to have to penalize him as they send it back ringside for our next match.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Really not a lot behind this one other than a battle of muscle heads really. Kerry was still over at this point and was a pretty big name still and Bravo was on his way out so not a lot to be expected with this one other than you hope it’s short.

Match 2: Texas Tornado vs. Dino Bravo

This one starts off fast with Bravo attacking Tornado before he can even get in the ring. Bravo quickly clotheslines Kerry out of the ring to the floor and Tornado can’t even get his jacket off. Kerry ends up getting control with an atomic drop and a clothesline before he goes for the claw but Bravo blocks it. Bravo ends up picking up Tornado for one of the worst atomic drops I have ever seen. What a piece of shit move that was.

Bravo ends up catching Tornado with his side suplex and he goes for the cover and only gets a 2. Bravo then comes off the middle rope with a terrible looking elbow to Tornado. Bravo tries it again and this time the Tornado catches him with the claw hold and he follows that up with the Tornado Punch and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Texas Tornado!

Recap:
Thank goodness this match only went 3 minutes. Bravo looked like total shit and botched damn near every one of his moves. Thankfully Tornado looked half way decent and the crowd cared about him. Other than that this was a shit match and nothing worth watching at all. You can skip this trash.

Backstage Interview: Warlord and Dr. Of Style Slick

Slick guarantees that Warlord is going to collar the British Bulldog and take him down. Slick says that the Bulldog is about to be fixed and when it’s time for a dog to go then they have to go. Warlord says no wrestler has broken his full nelson and Bulldog will not be the exception. Slick then says it is a dog eat dog world so Bulldog should be prepared because he is about to be devoured.

Backstage Interview: British Bulldog

Gene reminds us that every dog has his day and he wants to know if today is the day for the British Bulldog. Bulldog says today is his day. Bulldog says that he will break Warlords full nelson and that there isn’t a guy in the WWF that he can’t power slam or beat. Davey then acts like Winston is talking to him and says that Winston wants everyone to know that there is no bull in this British Bulldog.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This feud is based off the fact that they are both roided up monsters and Vince threw them together. It was a battle of power vs. power here as well and it was a battle of the full nelson vs. the power slam. Bulldog was jacked but not to the point where he could hardly move so he was still entertaining as hell to watch. I never had an issue with the Warlord but he is kind of trash so I am not expecting much out of this one either.

Match 3: British Bulldog vs. Warlord

Warlord shows off his power early as they test each other’s strength early on. Bulldog hits all four sets of ropes and hits Warlord with shoulder blocks until he finally sends him flying out of the ring. Warlord goes for a clothesline but Davey Boy gets Warlord in the crucifix but Warlord holds and drops him with a samoan drop type move. Warlord follows that up with 3 elbow drops and he gets a 2 1/2 count. Warlord then goes right to the back and puts Bulldog in a bear hug. *Yawn*

Bulldog breaks free and tries to hit the ropes and take down the Warlord with a cross body but Warlord catches him and drops him across the top rope for another 2 count. They exchange forearms until Warlord rakes the eyes and then drops Bulldog with a nice belly to belly suplex. Warlord picks him up and back to another rest hold we go. Bulldog breaks free and ends up hitting a nice looking drop kick on the Warlord prior to driving Warlords head into the corner 10 times. Bulldog heads up to the middle rope and hits the Warlord with a double fist and then a high cross body for a 2 count.

Bulldog tries to get a pile driver but Warlord ends up back dropping but Bulldog hangs on for a sunset flip where both guys exchange near falls. Warlord goes for his Full Nelson but he doesn’t get the fingers locked so he didn’t get the full affect of the Full Nelson here. Bulldog ends up powering out of the hold but Warlord goes for the power slam but Bulldog slides out of it and ends up picking up the Warlord for the power slam of his own and he gets the 1-2-3. Your winner by way of pinfall….British Bulldog!

Recap:
Not a terrible match here at all. Not a lot of rest holds outside of a chin lock, which is surprising for a Warlord match. They had a lot of good back and forth action and the ending came across pretty good. Nothing special but not bad either. A solid little match here.

Backstage Interview: Nasty Boys

Jimmy Hart says they are mean and nasty and they will be the next WWF Tag Team Champions and they are the Nasty Boys. Saggs says the time is now for the Hart Foundation to find out what Nasty sensation is all about. Knobbs says it is time to put an end to the stink and pink and they are going right for the foundation. Knobbs says when you crack the foundation everything comes crumbling down. Knobbs says when the smoke clears they will be looking up at the new WWF Tag Team champions.

Backstage Interview: Hart Foundation

Anvil says that to crack the foundation they would have to be at the bottom and that is where the Nasty Boys are. Bret says that the Nasty Boys are at the bottom of the barrel and thats where they are going to say. Bret says they don’t think they are nasty but they are scum. Bret also says they don’t have the heart and that is what is needed to take the WWF Tag Team belts from the Hart Foundation.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This one started after the Nasty Boys won a tag team battle royal to become the number one contenders for the tag team titles. They ended up getting some help from Power & Glory to eliminate the Legion of Doom but they won the match none the less. Other than that there isn’t much more to this build that I can remember but this should definitely be a decent match just because the Hart Foundation is involved.

Match 4: WWF Tag Team Title Match: Hart Foundation (c) vs. Nasty Boys

They show Macaulay Culkin in the crowd prior to the bell ringing. Gorilla says “that youngster wouldn’t want to be home alone with the Nasty Boys.” He didn’t even mention his name but knew what movie he was from? Come on Gorilla be better than that. Anyways, this one starts off with Bret and Saggs. Saggs gets the upper hand early with a chop shot in the corner while the ref is trying to break up the collar and elbow tie up. Bret ends up getting control with a Thesz press and some right hands. He also takes care of Knobbs who tries to interfere. Bret ends up tripping the leg of Saggs and he drops a boot to the midsection of Saggs to keep control of this one. Knobbs tags and taunts Neidhart so Bret ends up tagging him in.

Knobbs and Neidhart take turns laying in right hands as well as forearms before Neidhart hits a shoulder block and sends Knobbs flying to the outside as the crowd erupts in applause. Man the Hart Foundation was over. Saggs ends up getting the tag and he gets dropped on the back of his head as Neidhart tags in Bret, who comes in and lays in the 10 right hands in the corner on Saggs. We get the Russian leg sweep and elbow off the middle rope before Knobbs comes in to try and interrupt but Bret ends up stopping him. Bret turns his back and Knobbs nails him from behind so the Nastys can get control of the match.

Saggs and Knobbs take turns working the lower back of Bret with knees to the back as well as a few trashy looking chin locks. Saggs ends up dropping Bret with a nice looking neck breaker and he gets a 2 count out of it. And back to the chin lock we go. Bret gets out of the hold and drops Saggs with a neck breaker of his own. Saggs tags in Knobbs who comes in and goes right after Neidhart, who distracts the ref. Knobbs drops a few elbows and then back to the chin lock we go. This time Bret gets to his feet and drops Knobbs back first. Saggs comes in and they try to double team on Bret but he moves out of the way as Knobbs crashes into the corner and he ends up dropping Saggs with a clothesline.

Bret finally makes the tag but the ref didn’t see it so he doesn’t allow it. Jimmy throws in the mega phone and Knobbs tries to hit Bret with it but he moves out of the way and he hits Saggs with it. Bret gets the tag and Jim comes in and body slams Knobbs into Saggs and then hits the with a double clothesline. Neidhart hits the Anvil slam for a 2 1/2 count but Saggs breaks it up. We have all four guys going at it in the ring. The Nastys run into each other and then the Foundation hit the Hart Attack on Knobbs but the ref tries to get Bret out of the ring instead of counting. Saggs then takes the helmet from Jimmy and nails Neidhart in the back with it as Knobbs rolls over and gets the pin for the 1-2-3. Your winners and new WWF Tag Team Champions….The Nasty Boys!!!

Recap:
This is a really good fast paced match. The crowd was hot from the opening bell to the finish. They really did love them some Hart Foundation. Bret and Neidhart looked awesome but the Nastys looked eh to me. I never really cared for them and I never thought they were that good but I guess it pays to be Hogan’s boys. Anyways, this was a fun and entertaining match and it was one of the better matches on the card. The crowd really enjoyed it and hung on every move. Just a really solid tag team match and one worth checking out especially if you are a fan of the Hart Foundation.

They show highlights of what has happened between Rick Martel and Jake Roberts.

Backstage Interview: Jake Roberts

Jake says the blind leading the blind. Jake says even a fool knows that man only has 5 senses but a snake has 6. Jake says they always do it better in the dark. Jake said so much in so few words. He was a master at the promo.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Jake was a guest on the Brother Love Show and Martel was out there. Martel was spraying Damien’s bag with Arrogance and when Jake confronted him about it, Martel ended up spraying Jake right in the eye with Arrogance. This caused Jake to temporarily to go “blind” and he even put in an all white contact lens to sell it. They had a few more run ins on Superstars and Wrestling Challenge as well as having teams at the Survivor Series. This all led to the blind fold match so Martel can experience what he put Jake through. A pretty sweet build up if you ask me.

Match 5: Blind Fold Match: Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel

It’s great that when Jake puts his hood on he sticks his hand in there and you can see his hand in the slot. Blind fold my ass. The fact that all they had to do was point at one another and the crowd would go nuts telling Jake where Martel was. Tells you all you need to do about how much the fans were invested in things back then. Anyways, no contact yet but they are just pointing to each other as the crowd is telling them where to go. Martel gets down on the mat and is searching on all fours. Jake finally makes contact but he can’t hang on to Martel. Martel ends up tripping himself up on Jake and Jake ends up getting a 2 count out of it.

Martel whips Jake into the ropes and instead of running into him he runs to the side and Martel has no idea where he went. Back to the pointing we go where the crowd is telling Jake where to go. They end up bumping into each other but they can’t make contact but Martel does run right into the ropes and falls down. Martel gets his hands on Jake and hits him with a body slam. He tries to follow it up with an elbow but Jake is already out of the way and Martel just crashes to the mat. The psychology and the flow of this match is just off the charts.

Martel is back on the mat grabbing around and he ends up in the ropes. Jake then claps to get Martel to come after him and then he was able to get him from behind but only for a few seconds. Martel then gets in the corner of Damien and he ends up grabbing it and it freaks him out. Jake gets knocked out to the floor and Martel goes out after him. Martel ends up picking up a chair and he is just poking away at the air. Martel then backs into the post and he ends up swinging the chair into the post and hurt his hands doing so.

Jake drags Martel back into the ring but Martel ends up hitting Jake with a back breaker. Martel then goes for the Boston Crab but it doesn’t last long as Jake kicks him off. They then hit back to back and Jake turns Martel around and drops him with the DDT for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts!

After the match Jake takes the Arrogance bottle and destroys it. He then takes out Damien and wraps Martel up in the snake before Martel high tails it out of there.

Recap:
This was a really good match. There wasn’t a lot of action, of course, but the psychology and the use of the fans was top notch. Every spot meant something and everything was just done perfectly. It was a testament to how good Jake and Martel were and it’s great that the fans bought into the match and really enjoyed it and participated. I know this match usually gets shit on but I really enjoy it and it’s hard to really appreciate how great this really was and how hard a match like this would be to put on. Just a really good job by both guys so kudos to them both.

Backstage Interview: Nasty Boys

The Nastys are celebrating their win in the locker room while Marla Maples is trying to conduct an interview. Saggs and Knobbs are trying to kiss all over her and they end up pouring champagne on her. I wonder how much she got paid to do this gig.The Mountie, Dino Bravo, and Earthquake come in to celebrate with them and all they keep saying is they are the champions. Maples had no chance there.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Another match with no build but one that will become legendary many years later. Snuka is on his way out so he ends up getting put in with the new guy, the Undertaker. Really not much else to this one but it should be decent.

Match 6: The Undertaker vs. Jimmy Snuka

This one starts off with a stare down between the two and Snuka looks baffled and unsure of himself. Snuka turns his back to fix his knee pads and Undertaker nails him from behind with a clubbing forearm. Taker hits a few right hands and then a choke before dropping Snuka with an awesome flying clothesline. He looked awesome doing that one.

Taker ends up getting the boot up when Snuka charges in and Snuka falls to the outside. Undertaker then suplexes Snuka back into the ring from the apron. Snuka dodges an elbow and he follows that up with chops, head butts, and right hands. Taker ducks out of the way on a splash attempt and Snuka gets hung up on the top rope and he falls to the outside. Snuka goes for a slingshot cross body but Undertaker catches him and ends up getting him in the Tombstone for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….The Undertaker!

Recap:
Really nothing special here from either guy but some of the things Taker did were pretty damn cool. That flying clothesline was top notch as well. Too bad he didn’t get a good catch on the sling shot to where he can just go right into the Tombstone. Other than that this match served it’s purpose. Also, little did we know that this would be the start of the greatest streak in Wrestlemania history. This is what started it all and wasn’t that bad of a start.

They show highlights of what has happened between Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Savage wanted a title shot from the Warrior if he won his match against Slaughter and the Warrior said no. This pissed Savage off so he ended up costing Warrior the WWF Title. Warrior then wanted his revenge and challenged Savage to a match. They ended up upping the ante by putting their careers on the line in the first ever Career Ending Match. Two of the biggest stars of this time period, and all time if you ask me, going at it with their careers on the line? Sign me up for this one.

Match 7: Career Ending Match: Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Before the match starts Bobby Heenan points out the fact that Miss Elizabeth is sitting ringside. Also, both of these guys were starting it early on with the psychology when the Warrior comes out walking to the ring, for the first and only time, during his career. Just a really great way to show how important this match really is to the Warrior and the fact that he wanted to save all of his energy so he can save his career. Just really great stuff and the match hasn’t even started. Also, the ring attire of both men is off the charts and phenomenal. The Warriors robe, tights, knee pads, and pretty much everything was the best of his career. Also, the glitz and the glamour of Savage’s attire was top notch as well. Just really good stuff from both guys.

Savage and Warrior take turns pandering to the crowd before we get the collar and elbow tie up. We get a short feeling out process where Warrior uses his strength while Savage uses his speed and agility. Warrior gets distracted by Sherri but it doesn’t last long before he drops Savage with a clothesline and then a choke toss. Warrior then picks up Savage and drops him with an inverted atomic drop and then a regular atomic drop. Warrior picks up Savage again in the choke but this time he throws Savage right into Sherri, who gets in the ring to interfere. Savage gets tied up in the ropes while Warrior lays in some kicks before he hits Savage with a shot to the mid-section.

Savage gets control and heads to the top and goes for a cross body but Warrior catches him and puts him back on his feet to just humiliate him instead of doing any damage. Savage gets frustrated and heads to the outside to take a breather. Savage ends up picking up a chair and launches it in the ring. Savage tries a sneak attack but it doesn’t work as Warrior drops Savage with right hands and clotheslines.

Warrior goes for a flying shoulder block in the corner but Savage moves out of the way and Warrior goes flying over the top rope and to the outside. Sherri is quick to come over and slap Warrior right in the face to help out Savage. Savage then comes off the top rope and drops Warrior with a double ax handle on the outside. Sherri continues to attack Warrior until the Warrior has enough and shoves her down to the ground but Savage ends up hitting Warrior with a knee to the back. He then rams Warrior right into the post.

Savage ends up going for a neck breaker but Warrior turns it into a backslide for a 2 count. Both guys get to their feet and they have a stare down before Savage spits in the face of Warrior. Sherri then gets on the apron to distract Warrior but it doesn’t work as Warrior catches the boot of Savage and he ends up dropping him with a clothesline. Warrior then hits the ropes 6-7 times and goes for a diving shoulder block but Savage moves out of the way and Warrior goes crashing to the mat. Savage then goes for the head lock as we get a little bit of a break here.

Warrior breaks out of the head lock and then they end up hitting each other with the double clothesline as both guys are laid out. Savage is the first one to his feet and when he goes to pick up Warrior the Warrior gets Savage in a small package. Warrior then confronts the ref as Warrior drive the knee in the back of Warrior and he goes crashing into the ref as the ref takes the bump. Savage then holds up Warrior for Sherri to hit him with the shoe off the top rope but Warrior moves out of the way and Savage gets nailed with the shoe.

Savage stops Warrior’s momentum by pulling him into the corner and then he picks him up and drops him across the top rope and clotheslines him. Savage then hits the running clothesline on the Warrior and then a clothesline to the back of the head of the Warrior. Savage picks up Warrior and drops him with a body slam. Savage goes for the cover and gets a 2 1/2 count. Savage then heads up to the top rope not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, but five times for the Savage Elbow drop and he only gets a 2 count. What a moment. Just awesome is the only way to describe it.

Warrior crawls to the ropes and starts to get the energy from all of his little Warriors. Warrior then lays in the right hands numerous times and then starts nailing Savage with clothesline after clothesline. Warrior then picks up Savage and gets him in a beautiful press slam and follows that up with the big splash to the back for a…..2 count! Warrior looks up to the heavens to look for answers. He can’t believe that Savage kicked out. Warrior then heads toward the exit as he starts talking to his hand. The ref tries to convince him that he needs to stay in the ring and finish it.

Warrior is busy looking at his hand but Savage ends up dropping him with a clothesline and they start to brawl on the outside. Savage drapes Warrior over the barricade on the outside. He then heads up to the top rope and goes for the double ax handle but Warrior moves out of the way and Savage goes crashing into the barricade head first. Warrior then puts Savage back in the ring and he sets him up for his flying shoulder and Savage goes flying to the outside. Warrior then goes out and does it again. Savage again goes to the outside and this time the Warrior brings him back in and does it one more time. This time Savage doesn’t make it to the outside so the Warrior drags him t to the middle of the ring and puts his boot on his chest and raises his arms in victory as the ref counts the 1-2-3. Your winner of the match….The Ultimate Warrior!!!

After the match is over Warrior puts his awesome jacket back on and celebrates in the ring temporarily. He heads out and when he does Sherri gets in the ring and she berates and lays in the kicks to Savage, who is still laid out. Elizabeth finally has enough and jumps the rail. She gets in the ring and throws Sherri out of it. Savage finally comes to and he is confused as to what the hell is going on. After a short pause he finally embraces Elizabeth as they reconcile and Savage gets to go out like the champ that he really is. We also get one of the most iconic moments in Wrestlemania history here and it is one that will last forever if you ask me. They show a few fans ringside who are bawling their eyes out over the moment. Savage lifts Elizabeth on his shoulders as the crowd embraces the Macho King.

Recap:
What to say about this one. I remember this match vividly from when I got the pay per view way back in 1991. I was only 4 years old but I still have memories of this day and specifically this match. I remember after it was all over I would set up cushions around a wall in the house and then I would act like Warrior with my fist in the air and do the running shoulder block. At this point I knew I would forever be a wrestling fan and this would be the match that would define it. Two iconic characters at their very best and they delivered. People can shit on the Ultimate Warrior all they want but he is one half of one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time. The story that was told from the very get go with the entrance of the Warrior to the very end with Savage and Elizabeth embracing again. It was all perfect and there really isn’t much more that they could have done. If people ask me why I am a wrestling fan then I would point to this match and tell everyone this is why. Thats the ultimate compliment.

We get the 5 minute intermission and when they come back they go to Gorilla and Heenan ringside where they discuss the Intercontinental Title match.

Backstage Interview: The Undertaker & Paul Bearer

Regis just rambles on and on and tries to ask them some questions but Undertaker and Paul Bearer just ignore him. Undertaker then starts measuring Regis side to side and up and down. Getting those measurements for the casket. Regis just keeps rambling so he sends it to Alex.

Backstage Interview: Demolition & Mr. Fuji

Alex calls Fuji Mr. Fuji and Smash quickly corrects him and tells him its Master Fuji. Alex quickly apologizes so he doesn’t get hurt. Smash asks Alex if he thinks he has all the answers but Smash says the only one around here that has all of the answers is Master Fuji. Crush says Fuji knows all about pain and punishment. Fuji then says here so the Jap opponent will know all about pain and suffering.

Backstage Interview: Tenryu & Kitao

Regis gets another group of guys who aren’t going to talk to him. Regis asks them to discuss a game plan or a strategy but they don’t say anything. Regis then says Toyota and Isuzu and they finally get a response out of them. Tenryu then says Kathy Lee. Regis then talks to them like they are stupid as hell and they just no sell it.

Backstage Interview: Jake Roberts

Jake has Damien with it and Jake asks Alex why he is so nervous and Alex says he is not to comfortable with snakes. Jake says that Damien is a fan of Alex and he enjoys the show. Jake then says that Damien’s favorite category is reptiles of the world. Jake then puts Damien right in Alex’s face and he heads out. Jake then says that Damien will have to enjoy the home version of Jeopardy.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
There really is no build to this one and the only reason Tenryu and Kitao are on this card is because they are doing a favorite for Vince since Vince is giving Tenryu some WWF guys to work his show in Japan. Kitao is on the card because he was going to be Tenryu’s next big star in Japan so he wanted to give him the rub. This is also the last time that Demolition will be paired together in the WWF. What a shame and what a missed opportunity they had when they had both Demolition and LOD in the same company at the same time.

Match 8: Demolition vs. Tenryu/Kitao

This one starts with Demolition attacking Kitao before the bell even rings. Smash quickly leaves the ring and we get Crush with Kitao. The ref ends up getting distracted so Fuji gets on the apron and nails Kitao in the back with the cane. Smash gets the tag and they come in and lay in the clubbing forearms to the back of Kitao. Smash and Crush continue to trade tags as they continue to work over Kitao with the most basic of offense. Kitao finally has enough and drops Smash with a big clothesline and then he tags in Tenryu who comes in and starts laying in the chops to Smash and a drop kick to Crush.

Tenryu then goes to the middle rope backwards and goes for an elbow but misses. Crush hits a nice back breaker on Tenryu and then tags in Smash who comes in and does a belly to back suplex on Tenryu. They go for the elbow off the middle rope but Kitao comes in and breaks it up. Smash just sits there with Tenryu laying on his knee before Crush goes up to the top rope and Kitao ends up pushing him off the ropes. Tenryu hits a kick to the back of the head and then a power bomb to Smash for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….Tenryu & Kitao!

Recap:
This match was the shits and was sloppy as hell. Demolition mailed it in because they probably knew this was it for them. Tenryu and Kitao didn’t impress me at all either. The crowd was still reeling from the last match so they weren’t really into this one at all. This would have been a tough spot for anyone but these two teams did nothing to try and get the crowd hot again. This is definitely skippable.

Backstage Interview: Big Boss Man

Gene says that Boss Man is a champion for justice and today he could be the IC champion. Boss Man says that Perfects belt is on the line and he will be champion when it is all said and done. Boss Man says the days, weeks, and months of insults hurting his moms feelings will be done. Boss Man says when you hurt his moms feelings then they hurt his feelings. Boss Man says that Heenan put all of the members of the Heenan Family and he took them all out except one and that is Mr. Perfect. Boss Man says today Perfect has to get in the ring with him and there are no more chances for appeal, stay of executions are up. Boss Man says that Perfect is going to make a perfect example of crime not paying.

Backstage Interview: Mr. Perfect & Bobby Heenan

Heenan says we are in sunny California. Heenan says this is the home of the LAPD and that we have all seen what has transpired here. Heenan says he has a treat for everyone because he is going to give it to us for zip. Heenan says that all you need to do his hit record on your VCR and then we can see our brand of justice the way Mr. Perfect is going to dish it out to that Barney Fife wannabe the Big Boss Man.

Perfect says that he will not just lay down and give the Boss Man 56 free swipes because he is cool and he is the Intercontinental champion. Most people would be on edge but not him because he is the IC champ and he has all of the tools to stay champion. Perfect says he is exactly what he says he is and that he is the only one and we are looking at him.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This was the culmination fo the feud between Bobby Heenan, the Heenan Family, and the Big Boss Man. Once Rude left the WWF in late 1990 Heenan had to fill in for Rude and do the feud with the Boss Man. Starting at the Royal Rumble Boss Man had to go through each member of the Heenan family before he could get his IC title shot at Mr. Perfect. Well Boss Man did just that and got super over in the process which lead to what should be a pretty good match here.

Match 9: WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Mr. Perfect (c) vs. Big Boss Man

What a great opening to this one. Perfect throws his towel at Boss Man who then wipes his ass with it and throws it back at Perfect. Perfect throws it at him again but this time Boss Man paint brushes him with it. Finally Perfect spits his gum out at the Boss Man and Boss Man decides to spit his out at him. Just a really good opening to this match that is quite entertaining.

Perfect heads to the outside and Boss Man follows him out and Boss Man just bitch slaps him and Perfect does a twist before falling to the mat. Boss Man then gets back in the ring and grabs Perfect by the hair and spins him around by it. Perfect sold that like a million bucks. That was awesome.

Boss Man then gets whipped into the corner but he slides out under the bottom rope and slides back into the ring and hits Perfect with a big boot and a clothesline and then tosses him out of the ring over the top rope. Boss Man goes for a splash in the corner and Perfect gets out of the way to get control of the match for a moment before Boss Man reverses an irish whip and then hits a splash to the back while Perfect is draped over the middle rope. It’s all Boss Man early.

Boss Man takes off his strap and lays it in to the back of Perfect. Boss Man puts it down and Perfect picks it up and wraps it around his fist and he nails the Boss Man with it to get control of this one. Perfect continues to work the lower back of the Boss Man. Perfect gets a few moves in like an abominable stretch and then some chops in the corner before snapping Boss Man over and hitting his running neck snap. Perfect then goes for the Perfect Plex but Boss Man blocks it and turns it into a small package for a 2 count.

Perfect then hits the ropes and does a reverse flipping neck snap for a 2 count. Perfect then heads to the top rope, which is unusual, and he goes for a splash but Boss Man gets his boot up and blocks it. Boss Man then takes Perfect and rams him head first into he turnbuckle and then he ends up throwing Perfect into the corner and then drags him nut first into the post. Boss Man than lays in piston lefts and rights to drive Perfect into the corner and then lays in a right hand that sends Perfect up and over to the outside. Heenan ends up distracting Boss Man and Perfect takes Boss Man and throws him head first into the steps.

Heenan is laying in the kicks to the Boss Man before the crowd erupts and Andre the Giant heads down toward ringside. Heenan sees him coming is scared shitless to see Andre. Perfect then takes off the turnbuckle pad while Andre grabs the title from the time keeper. Perfect finally rams Boss Man into the unprotected turnbuckle. Perfect wants Andre to put his belt back but Andre is having none of it. Perfect gets to close to Andre and he blasts Perfect with the IC title to get both guys laid out in the middle of the ring. Boss Man gets up first and he crawls over to Perfect and he only gets a 2 count. Haku and Barbarian then come out of no where and they attack the Boss Man. Your winner by way of disqualification….Big Boss Man!

After the match Boss Man and Andre the Giant clear out the Heenan Family. Andre starts to walk off but Boss Man chases him down and gets his attention. Boss Man then raises the hand of Andre as they embrace and walk back together.

Recap:
This was a really solid match until the last minute or so of the match. It looked like Andre or Perfect messed up the timing of their spot so it took longer than it should have for Perfect to get laid out with the belt. The finish was weak because of how hot Boss Man got during his feud with Heenan. He was super over by this point and deserved a shot at the belt to see what he could do with it. I am not a fan of DQ finishes on the biggest show of the year because this should be the culmination of the feud and not just a spot in the road to the finish. All in all it was a solid match with a lot of great selling and in ring work by both guys but it was a little disappointing due to the finish.

Ringside Interview: Donald Trump, Chuck Norris, Henry Winkler, & Lou Ferrigno

Gene asks Trump what he thinks of this madness here at LA. Trump said it’s a fantastic day and he is really enjoying the action here. Gene says we hope to see him back again one day with Wrestlemania back in Atlantic City. Trump says we hope very soon. Gene then interviews Chuck Norris. Chuck says they are great athletes and he has been watching wrestling since the Gorgeous George days as well as Argentina Rocca. Chuck says he has worked out with Hulk Hogan before and he did a movie with Professor Tanaka so he knows what great athletes these guys are.

Next up is Henry Winkler. Henry says he is so happy that Ultimate Warrior got his ultimate win tonight. Lastly, Gene interviews Lou Ferrigno and he is excited to be at Wrestlemania with his entire family and he is having a great time. Lou says its like seeing real super heroes right in front of you and he says it is better than the olympics and circus and anything else you can think of.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This match is happening because at the Royal Rumble Greg Valentine and Dino Bravo were 2 of the first 3 entrants in the Rumble. Valentine immediately went after Bravo and I believe ended up eliminating him and turning face in the process. The crowd didn’t really react to it and it didn’t really mean much at the time and it still doesn’t. However, Jimmy Hart wanted his revenge for what Valentine did to Bravo so he sent out the Earthquake to do his dirty work so here we are.

Match 10: Earthquake vs. Greg Valentine

This match starts with Earthquake driving Valentine into the corner and he lays in multiple shoulder thrusts. Earthquake then picks up Valentine and drops him with a power slam in the middle of the ring. Earthquake does his classic fat guy pose and gets a mild reaction from the crowd. I always loved the fact that he posed as if he was some jacked body builder. More fat guys should do that.

Valentine gets control briefly with chops and elbows to Earthquake in the corner but he runs into some problems when he tries to irish whip the Quake. Earthquake ducks early on an irish whip and Valentine drops the elbow on him to the back of the head. Valentine lays in some more chops, punches, elbows, and clotheslines but he can’t get Quake down until he goes off the middle rope with an elbow. Valentine does the wind up elbow and then tries to go for the figure four but instead he drops a head butt between the legs. Valentine goes for the figure for but he can’t get it so he starts to work the knee some more. He damn near gets it on but he stops to deal with Jimmy Hart instead.

Earthquake ends up throwing Valentine down and drops a big elbow to Valentine. Earthquake then calls for the Earthquake splash and he drops it on him for the 1-2-3. Your winner by way of pinfall….Earthquake!

After the match he goes for a second Earthquake splash but Valentine ends up rolling out of the ring to avoid it.

Recap:
This was a nothing match as most of these are towards the end of this show. They over booked these shows and then ran 2-3 minute matches so everyone could get a pay day. Can’t be mad at that but don’t expect quality action out of most of these matches. Earthquake was always awesome to me in spurts so this was the perfect amount of time for him to me. Valentine’s face turn amounted to nothing because they never really ran with it and I can’t say that I blame them with the way Valentine was working for the last 3-4 years leading up to this. Anyways, nothing worth seeing here but it’s not bad if you do decide to sit through it.

Backstage Interview: Legion of Doom

Mooney says tonight could be a night of reckoning for the Power & Glory. Animal says thats right because all of the people in the WWF know that they should have had the title shot against the Hart’s and they should be the champs right now. Animal says that Power & Glory stuck their nose in their business and now they are going to pay and when they are done with the Power and Glory they are going after the Nasty Boys.

Hawk states Power & Glory a couple of times and then he says after tonight they are going to be sour and gory……uhhhhhhhh what a rush!

Pre-Match Thoughts:
They had a battle royal on an episode of Superstars to determine the #1 contender for the Tag Team titles. Legion of Doom were in position to win it after they eliminated Power & Glory but Hercules and Roma stuck around and ended up helping the Nasty Boys eliminate the Legion of Doom. Now the LOD are out for revenge and theres no better place to get that than at Wrestlemania. A little side note here but both Hercules and Roma were pretty banged up and were kind of forced to work this show. Roma swears if he would have taken the bump wrong he could have had his arm amputated. Hercules was working with a pretty bad back so he couldn’t do any bumps either but they sucked it up and went out and put on a very quick and short match.

Match 11: Legion of Doom vs. Power & Glory

LOD are taking off their shoulder pads when Power and Glory attack both of them with their chains. They go for a double team but Hawk hits a double clothesline and you can clearly tell Hercules and Roma can’t work at all. Hercules and Hawk end up on the outside while Roman heads to the top rope and goes for a cross body but Animal catches him and drops him with a power slam. Roma then goes up and gets dropped with the Doomsday Device for the 1-2-3. Your winners of the match the Legion of Doom!

Recap:
This was a squash and nothing more. You can see that Hercules and Roma are both injured and Roma is doing everything he can to protect his arm. He is barely holding it and he is keeping it elevated. You can also see when he takes the clothesline he twists his body so he lands on the good arm and not the bad one. A shame they were forced to work under those conditions but it would have been bad to cost the LOD a worked match on the biggest show of the year. Kudos to Power & Glory for going out there and doing the quick job and good work on LOD’s part for not doing anything that could have injured them more.

They show highlights of what has happened between Ted Dibiase and Virgil.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Everyone knows this story and what led to this one. Virgil was the body guard and was asked to humiliating things over and over. He finally had enough at the Royal Rumble and he decked DiBiase with the belt. That leads us to the match here at Wrestlemania.

Match 12: Ted DiBiase vs. Virgil

Virgil starts off bouncing around and laying in some shitty looking left hands. He also uses his quickness to avoid the moves of DiBiase and he continues to use the fists to keep DiBiase out of sync. DiBiase tries to box back but he misses everything and Virgil hits some more lefts and rights to make DiBiase even more frustrated. Virgil gets control with a clothesline in the ring and then a clothesline of DiBiase to the outside. Virgil throws DiBiase back into the ring and when he gets in he gets caught with a boot and then a clothesline but Virgil gets right back up and hits DiBiase with a back elbow for a 2 count.

DiBiase has the ref check the fists of Virgil and when they finally go at it again Virgil decides to wrestle and ends up taking DiBiase down. They get back up and this time DiBiase shoots the leg and takes Virgil down and slams him head first into the mat. DiBiase continues to the control with clotheslines and a piledriver for a count. DiBiase hits Virgil with a suplex and then a gut-wrench suplex before throwing Virgil to the floor. DiBiase throws Virgil back into the ring and Piper gets in his face so DiBiase ends up pushing Piper down.

DiBiase gets back in the ring and drops Virgil with a power slam while Piper struggles to get up off the floor on the outside. DiBiase goes to hit the ropes but Piper uses his crutch and pulls the top rope down and DiBiase goes flying to the outside. DiBiase gets up and he lays out Piper with a right hand and then kicks him down while the ref counts DiBiase out. Your winner of the match by count-out….Virgil!

After the match DiBiase gets in the ring and attacks Virgil and he slaps on the Million Dollar Dream. Piper gets back to his feet and he gets in the ring and nails DiBiase in the back with the crutch. Sherri comes out of no where and takes the crutch from Piper and then DiBiase clotheslines Piper from behind. They then work the bad knee of Piper with the crutch before refs come out and stop them.

Virgil then gets on the mic and makes Piper get back to his feet without any help. Virgil then helps Piper as they head to the back.

Recap:
This match was eh and nothing special. Virgil got super over but this match just kind of sucked. The pacing was slow and boring and not even Piper could help it. The finish was weak and just came out of no where. The post match stuff was pretty good and really got the heat back on to the DiBiase with them attacking Piper and his bad leg which he suffered in a motorcycle accident a few weeks prior. The post match stuff is decent but everything leading up to that was kind of trash.

They show highlights of Sgt. Slaughter catching the Hulk Hogan shirt on fire from a few weeks ago.

Backstage Interview: Sgt. Slaughter & General Adnan

Adnan starts talking in gibberish and I have no idea what the hell he is saying. It sounds like trash no matter what language he is speaking. Slaughter tells Mooney to stand at attention and to listen up. Slaughter says that he is the new ruler of the WWF and that Hogan is playing by his rules now. Slaughter says he is the WWF Champion and there is nothing Hogan can do about it. Slaughter says they are playing by his rules. They show highlights of Slaughter taking a chair to the back of Hulk Hogan. Slaughter says its a great feeling hitting Hogan with a chair and it makes him feel good to see the immortal slime laying face down on the canvas. Slaughter says its going to be an even better feeling seeing Hogan lay on his back a defeated man at the hands of the new ruler of the WWF, Sgt. Slaughter.

Slaughter says he could get himself disqualified or counted out where Hogan may be the winner but he won’t be the champion. Slaughter says when it is all said and done he will still be laughing.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
Really no build leading up to this one either but I do believe these two had a match on Prime Time or Superstars where they went a little bit longer than this one but the finish was similar. Mountie got ahold of the shock stick and ended up getting the cheap pin. Mountie also said a lot of derogatory things about Tito being Mexican as they lead up to the match. We will see what happens here but I have a feeling it will be much of the same.

Match 13: The Mountie vs. Tito Santana

We start off with a tie up and then a leap frog by the Mountie but when he goes for it a second time Tito goes for the flying forearm and nails him with it. Mountie rolls to the floor and Tito rams Mountie head first into Jimmy Hart. Tito then hits an atomic drop and he follows that up with a big right hand. Mountie tries to leave the ring but he is hanging on to the ropes and apron. The ref pulls Tito off and when Tito goes back in to the Mountie shocks him with the shock stick. Mountie gets the cover and the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….The Mountie!

Recap:
There really is nothing to recap here. Tito looked fine and the Mountie played his gimmick perfectly. He cheated to win and they ended this one rather quickly. Nothing much more to it than that.

Backstage Interview: Hulk Hogan

Hogan says he heard everything Slaughter had to say. Hogan says he may be laughing now but after Wrestlemania 7 he won’t have the last laugh. Hogan says it’s not a laughing matter when he torched the banner of Hulkamania or when he tried to torch all of the dreams of the Hulkamaniacs. Hogan solemnly swears that will never happen again Sarge. Hogan says that Slaughter new rules and all Slaughter knows is ground warfare and hand to hand combat. Hogan says this is new technology and this is the Hulk Hogan of 1991. Hogan says he is going to be the new WWF Champion. Hogan says Slaughter has underestimated the enemy because he has no idea what he and his Hulkamaniacs have in store for Slaughter.

Gene asks Hogan if he is the same Hogan from a week ago. They then show Slaughter and Adnan attacking Hulk Hogan from the prior week. Hogan says he is not the same Hulkamaniac from a week ago. Hogan says he has done a 360 after he felt the new rules of Slaughter. Well if you done a 360 then that means you are back to where you started so you are the same Hogan as a week ago. Brilliant. Hogan says wait til he is in the ring to see what kind of man he is now. Hogan says as far as Slaughter keeping the belt he would need to tear out the heart of Hulk Hogan and America to remain champion. Hogan then starts saying the National Anthem, Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light Sgt. Slaughter that he will be the new WWF Champion and Slaughter will just be another victim of the twilights last gleaming! I swear it sounds like he said creaming but oh well. We will just move on and get to the main event here.

Pre-Match Thoughts:
This one was built off Hogan defending the honor of the United States of America against the Iraqi turn coat Sgt. Slaughter. WWF was playing off the Gulf War thinking it would rally the fans behind them but it was such a blatant exploitation of the war that it turned people away more than it brought them in. They had terrible ticket sales leading up to the show so they had to move it from the LA Coliseum to the LA Sports Arena. They say it’s due to security concerns but the reality is the Coliseum wasn’t selling so they had to go to the smaller venue. Anyways, the match itself should be decent but we will see about that.

Match 14: WWF Title Match: Sgt. Slaughter (c) vs. Hulk Hogan

They bring out all the celebrities so they can take their positions. Marla is the time keeper, Regis is the commentator, and Alex is the ring announcer. Slaughter comes out first with the Iraqi flag and then Hogan comes out with a giant American flag and the crowd goes nuts for him. Gorilla starts the hype train early with calling Hogan our national hero and really driving home the USA vs. Iraq narrative of this one. I bet that didn’t turn people off.

The match starts off with Hogan chasing Adnan and Slaughter around the ring. They then get back in the ring and they square off. The ref kicks Adnan out of the ring while Slaughter continues to talk shit to Hogan with the ref separating them. They finally tie up and and they roll around the ropes together until the ref forces them to break it. They take turns throwing the ref down so they can stay tied up and finally Hogan throws Slaughter down and he goes flipping across the ring. Hogan ends up hitting Slaughter with a big shoulder block and Slaughter goes flipping upside down into the ropes.

Hogan heads outside to get Slaughter and Adnan attacks him from behind before Slaughter grabs a steel chair and nails Hogan in the back with it but Hogan no sells it. Slaughter gets control by raking the eyes of Hogan and then he continues to work over Hogan with chops, eye rakes, and attacking the face. He then goes for a boot stomp to the hands but Hogan moves his hand and Slaughter totally misses it. That looked terrible.

Slaughter goes for an elbow drop but Hogan quickly gets up and lays in some right hands and then a big time clothesline. Hogan takes an elbow to the face and then an atomic drop. Hogan goes for the cover and gets a 2 count. Hogan rams Slaughter into the turnbuckle two times and then throws him into the steel post one time and then gets Slaughter in a back drop. Hogan continues the onslaught with a whip to the corner face first, a knee to the back, and then a slingshot to the turnbuckle post.

Hogan ends up keeping control until he decides to go to the top rope but Adnan grabs his leg to stop him and Slaughter ends up body slamming him off the top to get control of the match. Slaughter dumps Hogan over the top rope with a clothesline and then proceeds to hit Hogan in the back with 2 chair shots and then chokes Hogan out with a TV cable. Slaughter gets him back in the ring and starts to work the back of Hogan. Slaughter gets Hogan in the Boston Crab but Hogan is laying right next to the ropes. All Hogan needs to do is stick his arm out and he has the rope break but he doesn’t even do that. Just a stupid spot and it makes no sense at all that Hogan just didn’t grab the ropes.

Slaughter ends up going to the top rope and comes off with a boot to the lower back of Hogan. For some dumbass reason Adnan is standing on the apron distracting the ref while Slaughter could have had a 10 count. What the hell was the point of that? This match makes no sense at all. Anyways, Slaughter heads to the outside and grabs the chair again and blasts Hogan in the head with it. Slaughter goes for the cover and only gets a 2 count. Hogan is now busted wide open after the chair shot. Slaughter then gets Hogan in the Camel Clutch right in the middle of the ring. Slaughter breaks free of the hold and works over the back before putting it back on again.

Hogan gets to his feet with Slaughter on his back so instead of running backwards to ram Slaughter back first into the buckle, Hogan charges forward and ends up getting pushed right into the turnbuckle. Man the thought process and booking of this match is phenomenal. Anyways, Slaughter grabs the Iraq flag and drapes it over Hogan to go for the 1-2-3 but Hogan kicks out at 2. Hogan then Hulks up, rips the Iraqi flag, then and proceeds to do the three punch, big boot, leg drop combo and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and NEW WWF CHAMPION….HULK HOGAN!!!

After the match Hogan grabs the American flag and waves it around and poses as the show fades to black.

Recap:
This match was eh didn’t really deliver. After re-watching this match closely I can say for sure that Slaughter sucked and had no business being in this position. A lot of his offense was trash and he just wasn’t believable to me. The fact he got to go back to back pay per views with Warrior then Hogan is beyond me. It seems like this show completely lost its legs after Warrior/Savage and not even Hogan could bring it back. Hogan did his best with Hogan but this match just didn’t work with me and when you throw in the Iraq War shit show that this match was based on then you got the recipe for trash and thats what this match is. It moves way to slow for my liking and that has a lot to do with how terrible Slaughter is. This is the second worst Hogan main event, behind only his match a year later with Sid. Not the best of finishes to an otherwise decent show.

Final Thoughts:
So there we have it, Wrestlemania 7 is in the books. There is a lot of personal memories and nostalgia that makes me enjoy this show more than I should. The card isn’t the best outside of a handful of matches. The main event was a sham due to the circumstances surrounding and it really turned a lot of people off to the product. So based off all of that it should be given a negative review. However, I tend to look at the positives and there was enough good on this card to warrant watching it. We have the excellent opener with the Rockers vs. Haku and Barbarian, the tag team title match between the Harts and the Nasty Boys, Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage, Boss Man vs. Perfect, and Hogan vs. Slaughter. They all delivered for the most part and really make this show worth watching.

The best match on this card as well as one of the best in Mania history is by far Savage vs. Warrior. The storytelling, the moves, the moments, and pretty much everything about the entire match from entrances to the finish with Savage and Liz was perfect. It is one of my favorite matches of all time and I still remember being a kid and being mesmerized by these two and it made me fall in love with wrestling. For that reason alone it gets a pass in my book.

The one thing that really hampered this show was all of the emotion that the Warrior and Savage got out of the crowd. The reason that was a problem is because after that match the entire show just felt flat and the fans never really recovered. Hogan and Slaughter didn’t put on a good enough match to get them back until the very end when Hogan did what he does. The last hour+ dragged just because of how great Warrior and Savage was.

All in all this isn’t the best Wrestlemania of all time and it probably isn’t even in the top 10 for most people. However, there are a lot of great matches, moments, and memories that were made on this crowd so it is definitely worth checking out and one that can be entertaining if you enjoyed this time period of the WWF.

So, that does it this edition of the Event Center. Next up on the docket is Wrestlemania 19 as we continue to run through Wrestlemania’s as we head to the grand daddy of them all, Wrestlemania 35 on April 7th. Thanks again for reading and I will catch you all next time.