The Official WrestleMania XXVIII Thread

[James Steele]

HHH squashed his momentum by making it about him at NOC. He should have carried the title into that PPV instead of having the Del Rio/Nash MITB BS bring him down.

The MITB could have been cashed in at NOC instead of Summerslam. That would eliminate the need for HHH's buddy to come out and make Punk even more credible instead of having him be the second to top "face" draw next to Cena.

Hunter didn't completely "bury" Punk, but you have to admit he was the wet blanket that was thrown on a LOT of his momentum. And for what?

He was buried by giving him an interesting storyline to work with while getting away from Cena/Punk, make him chase the belt some, and eventually make him the #2 man in the company and eventually become the #1 merch seller? They made it HHH/Punk because they realized Nash/Punk would be fucking horrible.

[el bobbo]

He admitted he got MITB'd by Del Rio, but after Nash left there was nowhere for Punk to go. Bad Booking can probably be chalked up to this.

right after the HHH vs Punk match they had the walkout angle which had a good premise but didnt last because there was no good leader like Punk to take control of....

they put him on commentary during that segment/shit

[#BROKEN Hasney]

That was a fantastic period. I don't think it was booked badly at all.

[RaginRonic]

He was buried by giving him an interesting storyline to work with while getting away from Cena/Punk, make him chase the belt some, and eventually make him the #2 man in the company and eventually become the #1 merch seller? They made it HHH/Punk because they realized Nash/Punk would be fucking horrible.

Really, huh? X-)

[Shadrick]

He was buried by giving him an interesting storyline to work with while getting away from Cena/Punk, make him chase the belt some, and eventually make him the #2 man in the company and eventually become the #1 merch seller? They made it HHH/Punk because they realized Nash/Punk would be fucking horrible.

I love you Steele, and you're (clearly) biased, but HHH/Punk was not interesting. And the end? HHH went over with a crotch chop. Next day on RAW Punk changes his tune? "U know what maybe ur right someone else is pullin the strings" Terrible booking, and I never say that.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

HHH/Punk was great. Probably enjoyed it more than anything from Survivor Series up until last night.

[Shadrick]

Great though? To each his own, I suppose.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Yeah, I loved it.

Now if you take a WM to WM as a season, what was the best Punk match of the season?

I loved Jericho last night, but I'd have to give the nod to Punk/Cena at MITB. Even if you take the amazing build-up and crowd away from it, the actual match itself was better. Might have to re-watch it again later.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Just woke up from last nights antics. I made the right decision going to my friends house to watch it. Great night.

I pretty much enjoyed every match bar the womens match. Triple H v Taker was great. Had such an "epic" feel to it. Might even watch a couple of matches again which I never do because I missed bits of Punk v Jericho and I want to watch Cena v Rock again.

Gonna read through this thread now, fuck you if you moaned about stuff. Love you all.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Oh and yeah, our booking didn't through instantly so we had the first ten minutes previewed then got cut off just as Sheamus and Bryan were about to square off, so we got a stream up while we waited for the full booking to process and by the time we got the stream working it was a backstage segment. Was pretty funny.

[Tazz Dan]

Yeah HHH/Punk was good. Can't see why people can't see the benifits of the feud. Punk/Cena would have worn thin quick and killed punks momentum more than the whole HHH/Nash angle.

[Tazz Dan]

Also, I'm about to finish watching the show for the third time today. Best thing about it starting at 9am here our time, replays all day!

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Oh and yeah, our booking didn't through instantly

Still sounds like better booking than DB/Sheamus.

[Skippord]

hey I for one would have liked for Taker/Triple H to last 12 seconds so I could have gotten more footage of that Deadliest Catch guy, Mick Foley, and Santino to have a hilarious Three Stooges with crab legs esque bit.

[Skippord]

that is the longest post I have made in 3 years I think

[Autobahn]

WM was great, bar the Sheamus/Bryan "match". Such a cheap match that devalues the WHC and the credibility of both competitors.

Also dissapointed that Funaki is in Miami and he didn't Sho...

[Corporate CockSnogger]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler">HEELZiggler</a> and his father at # Wrestlemania <a href="http://t.co/rLuSUUrP" title="http://twitter.com/WWERoadDogg/status/186629519631859712/photo/1">twitter.com/WWERoadDogg/st…</a></p>&mdash; Brian G.James (@WWERoadDogg) <a href="https://twitter.com/WWERoadDogg/status/186629519631859712" data-datetime="2012-04-02T01:42:00+00:00">April 2, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Probably the best post ever on TPWW/best picture ever in the universe.

[Schlomey]

UNCLE SCHLOMEY'S 5 STAR WRESTLEMANIA 28 REVIEW

Match 1 – World Heavyweight Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus
All the lights and the pageantry couldn’t save me from being utterly pissed from the moment this show started. I honestly think the powers that be chose this format to be a top trending topic on Twitter.
Winner by pinfall: Sheamus

Rating: N/R – more of an angle than a match. I want to mention that the D. Bri chants that echoed in the Sun Life Stadium for the next few matches did give me some comfort.

Match 2 – Randy Orton vs Kane
I was already pissed and now they had to follow that with the match I was least looking forward to on the card that doesn’t involve Diva’s. The pacing was all wrong for a Mania match (as is the case with Orton every year in my opinion). These 2 never got off the ground. The work was solid but lacked any “big match” feel…well..because they knew and everyone else knew it wasn’t a big match. The ending was underwhelming albeit surprising. Underwhelming in the sense that Orton really didn’t put up much of a fight it felt like.
Winner by pinfall: Kane

Rating: * ½

Match 3 – Intercontinental Championship Match
Big Show vs Cody Rhodes
This match, must like this whole feud, is a love it or hate it type of thing. Personally, I felt like the build up to the feud was better than the actual match. The presentation was underwhelming and sloppy by both men. I wasn’t expecting a clinic to be produced but it, much like the previous match, lacked that big match feel that is pretty much necessary to get over at Wrestlemania these days. The match had it’s high points (including Cody’s wonderful outit) but also had a new promos worth of blunders (including Shows “you can’t see me” camo gear).
Winner by pinfall: Big Show

Rating: **



Match 4 - Eve & Beth vs Maria Menudos & Kelly x2
The video package pretty muched summed up the Diva’s for me. Hey we are a bunch of models who are getting awesome opportunities because we smile and have perfect tits. The match didn’t suck like years past all thanks to Kelly Kelly’s front flip senton thing she did. I was actually impressed and she even stuck the landing. The finish was expected but kudos to Maria for sucking it up and earning her payday.
Winners: Maria and Kelly x2

Rating: *1/2

Match 5 – Hell In a Cell
Undertaker vs HHH – HBK special referee

I expected Taker to be bald. Not at all let down by the Mohawk until the end when he flung his head back in his trademark way to make the pin and sadly there was no hair to flip. I made a comment during the match to a buddy “they are focusing way more on the storyline than the actual action”. That doesn’t always work but by gawd it did here. The Undertaker/HBK/HHH have been putting on clinics the last few years. And while they basically did the same thing again I feel like the majority of the match was special and unique from the HBK and previous HHH battles. The story is what shown here and not at the actions expense. Both the story and action took center stage and basically battled it out as hard as Taker and HHH did. Brilliant match but in a totally different arena than the HBk and HHH matches of years past. Kudos to all men involved and to the WWE team for writing a beautiful script.
Winner by pinfall: The Undertaker

Rating: **** (included in this rating is the emotional walk to the back. I originally gave the match 3.75 stars but the emotional ending brought me to tears and raised my results in the process).

Match 6- Team Teddy vs Team Johnny
I figured this match would be next. A somewhat silly storyline filled with midcarders to take away the emotional sting of the previous match. And while this one is not going to be considered the highlight it did exactly what they needed it to do. To give the people a breather and also to remind people to smile. Khali didn’t suck tonight either…headliner right there. I’m not going to do a big write up on this one. The right team one and it was fun.
Winners by pinfal: Team Johnny

Rating: **

Match 7 – WWE Title Match
CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
The expected opener is going on next to last. This gave me hope that we would get a properly showcased match that we didn’t get earlier. At this point in the show I am still stewing over Daniel Bryan being Jew’d (yep) JEW’d out of a real Mania match. Needless to say this match did not disappoint. It was everything I expected it would be and lasted just about as long as it needed to. These are my 2 favorite wrestlers..I didn’t care who won. I went back and forth on this one the entire match. All the way up until the end I was wavering my support but I really feel the finish was just and the right man won. Great job by all and easily the best wrestling match of the night. Takes me back to the old Angle/WWE Mania days….
Winner : CM Punk

Rating: ****

Match 8 – John Cena vs The Rock
The rapping shit bored me and I kind of missed the exciting John Cena entrance this year. I am not going to lie, I’m pulling for Cena on this one. Once in a lifetime indeed. I just personally identify with his side of the argument more so than I do with Duane. The match is finally underway and the energy and intensity is outstanding. That first collar and elbow tie up equaled the sound at the end of the HIAC match. I’m not saying this match was good because honestly it wasn’t. Rock looked sloppy and robotic and Cena did as well as he could within his moveset for someone I found to be underwhelming. There was a few great moments in this match but nothing spectacular like I expected. Side note: Not a single table was broken during this entire telecast. Mexicans rejoice. Anywho, the match itself was just ok but the energy and Mania feel was there more so than any other match on the card. It was like Hogan and Andre. The ending was pretty good even though Cena lost. I can’t believe I said that again. Shame.
Winner: The Rock

Rating: ** ½

Overall Opinion: Great Wrestlemania overall. A few glaring problems in the booking but by the 2nd half of the PPV I could see why they didn’t try and put on an amazing WHC match. It still would have been nice to have SOME kind of match. The comedy bits including The Funkasaurus and the Deadliest Catch guys were awful as usual but they were very few and far between and didn’t last long..thank god. The PPV really did have a nice flow to it and I’m very thankful that the Punk vs Jericho match got such a high placement..it really added to the importance to the matchup and all but guaranteed walking in to it that it would get plenty of time to tell the story. Cena vs Rock was electric but kind of disappointing. I expected to see old Rocky and what we got was def. Duane. His acting chops were shining through in his performance tonight which really overshadowed his work. What I mean is…I don’t think he did all that much. Overall I’m a satisfied and PAYING customer.

Overall Rating: 17.5 / 35

HILIGHTS OF THE SHOW:
The Cena vs The Rock stare down in the middle of the ring
The ending to the HIAC match. The posing, the hugging, the respect.

TOP 5 MANIA PERFORMERS:

1.HHH
2. Undertaker
3. CM Punk
4. Jericho
5. HBK
6. Honorable mention to Michael Cole for being awesome all night (minus calling a DDT a bulldog) THANK YOU for toning down your shit and commentating like a normal person.

TOP 5 WORST MANIA PERFORMERS:
1. Randy Orton
2. Kane
3. Eve
4. Big Show
5. The Rock (not because he was awful but because he was so far below expectation)
BEST MATCH
Taker vs HHH

WORST MATCH
Orton vs Kane (I am not considering Sheamus vs Bryan a damn match)

[MoFo]

Best WM since 17.

Only downer was Cena's STF, so fucking awful.

[Schlomey]

Oh yeah...5 stars for Punk's use of the Mongolian Chop!

[Fignuts]

Best WM since 17.

Only downer was Cena's STF, so fucking awful.

Rock's sharpshooter is worse.

[Triple Naitch]

I enjoyed the show overall. Really hate how they forced 20 minutes of musical performances down our throats. For those complaining about the Sheamus/Bryan match, just remember that this match lasted 18 seconds longer than their match last year.

[DAMN iNATOR]

http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2012/4/2/52e3b4db-ca93-42df-8b65-5af440ff1a1e.jpg
CENA (BEFORE [red attire])

[DAMN iNATOR]

http://i.chzbgr.com/completestore/2012/4/2/0dbea35f-a636-494a-a886-e8a8d1e355e8.jpg
CENA (NOW [green attire])

[CSL]

LOL IT'S BECAUSE HE'S WEARING GREEN

[#BROKEN Hasney]

HAHA, THE MUSTACHE CENA HAS MEANS THEY ARE SO ALIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DAMN iNATOR]

LOL IT'S BECAUSE HE'S WEARING GREEN

AND HE WEARS HATS!

AND HE'S A PLUMBER! :D

[Fignuts]

Great wrestlemania. Best in quite some time, imo. Jericho/Punk, Triple H/Taker, Cena/Rock were all fantastic. The rest of the matches were all really solid. Nothing great, but nothing bad.

Obviously the biggest flaw was the daniel bryan fail. I don't understand their thinking on that at all. Why have Sheamus win the rumble if he is just going to win in such an anti climactic fashion?

[Fignuts]

That said, I would pay money to see St. Jimmy's reaction.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Great wrestlemania. Best in quite some time, imo. Jericho/Punk, Triple H/Taker, Cena/Rock were all fantastic. The rest of the matches were all really solid. Nothing great, but nothing bad.

Obviously the biggest flaw was the daniel bryan fail. I don't understand their thinking on that at all. Why have Sheamus win the rumble if he is just going to win in such an anti climactic fashion?

Think it was probably the start to a huge program between them, that's all I could figure...other than that I have no other possible explanation.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

lolllllllllllllllllllllll

[Fignuts]

Best New Poster 2012

[Lock Jaw]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y195/Lilliana_sky/tumblr_m1u4bpcxjn1r2ahfqo1_400.gif

"Good Boy"

[Lock Jaw]

http://i.imgur.com/Ok7Hc.gif
http://i.imgur.com/kN5Wr.gif

[Lock Jaw]

http://i39.tinypic.com/1g5fzb.gif

[Triple Naitch]

Is there a gif of HBK making the count and then spinning around after realizing what he's done?

[Tommy Gunn]

Highlight of the night, Otunga looking like black He-Man in that little red top.

[Jordan]

LOL I don't think Otunga got the tag all match.

[Gertner]

I'm so glad that ratings killer Daniel Bryan got destroyed. He's the worst champion in Smackdown history and that includes the Great Khali.

[Gertner]

Taker/HHH match was incredible though. Pretty good Mania although I felt it had the potential to be one of the greatest ever.

[Big Vic]

– Several fans sent word last night and this morning that they had their views obstructed by the palm trees that were used in the corners of the ring at WrestleMania 28.
I was think this would be a problem too when watching the show last night.

[DAMN iNATOR]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f_x1Xc1eF3w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I tell ya that cell's gonna be somethin' special in a few years if it just gives 110% every night like it did at Mania...:shifty:

[Lock Jaw]

This was Kane's first "big" singles win at Mania.

He beat Chavo in like 8 seconds a few years ago. Then he had won a triple threat at X-Seven for the Hardcore Title. Beat Triple H, but by DQ, at XV.

This was the first "substantial" singles win.

[Jordan]

I liked that match. Kane was really good.

[Big Vic]

Orton always loses.

[Lock Jaw]

Found video

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D-yu6hspcjQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[XL]

Motherfucker! The site I usually use to stream PPVs is down. Can some kind soul PM me a link that they know of?

[#1-norm-fan]

You have Rock basically be a bully in the feud, cost Cena the title and pose at the end of WrestleMania, get the pie fall at Survivor Series before randomly attacking Cena again and it all culminate in a match where... The Rock wins.

Fuck this company.

[Cool King]

I though I'd do a quick summary of my thoughts on WrestleMania. I enjoyed WrestleMania but to me, it was pretty slow to start and it didn't really get properly good for me until about halfway through the event.

Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan

I was left with a ":wtf:" face after that, seeing as it was so quick. So last year they get bumped off the WrestleMania card and become the dark match, then this year, they make it on the card, but it's the first match and it's not even 20 seconds long. :-\

I was left asking myself, "what was the point in that?". I also wouldn't be surprised if the match was made so short to make time for MGK & Flo Rida.

Randy Orton vs Kane

Again, another match I wasn't really into. I've always felt that it was thrown together at the last minute due to Barrett's injury, so it's not had that much build up. The reason for the match, like I've said before, didn't make much sense, but the match was pretty much your standard match but I was surprised that Kane won.

I don't know what Kane is going to get from winning the match, though I'm sure Orton will get a win at their rematch at Extreme Rules, if this Kane/Orton thing continues.

The Big Show vs Cody Rhodes

Rhodes got a 441 lb spear to his groin, which had to hurt. But I enjoyed the match and Big Show winning wasn't really a surprise to me. It's good that he won though. It makes him a Grand Slam Champion now. A part of me thinks that Big Show might be on his way out and winning a singles match at WrestleMania and the Intercontinental Championship might be some sort of "Thank You" present to him.

So I wouldn't be surprised if Big Show leaves/retires after he loses his Championship.

Beth Phoenix & Eve vs Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos

Oh boy, where to start. I had zero interest in this match and again, this match left me with that ":wtf:" face and thinking "What's the point?"

I don't know why, but I feel the need to air my bitching about this match. I never thought I'd be bitching about a Diva's match though, but here it is.

So, Beth Phoenix becomes Divas Champion and becomes dominant in the Diva's Division. She has match after match and wins them all and claims that nobody can beat her, which she clearly proves. This continues for months and finally we get to the point where she's actually beaten everyone she can beat.

Apart from Kharma. I'm sure I was like the majority of people and was thinking that Phoenix would finally be defeated by a returning Kharma sometime down the line. That would actually be a good match to see.

I was wrong. Instead of finally being defeated by Kharma, Beth Phoenix, the woman who has came across as insanely dominant and unbeatable for the past five or six months, gets pinned by a celebrity who's having only her second match, via a roll-up.

Because that makes sense? :-\

Triple H vs The Undertaker

This is where WrestleMania started to pick up for me. Undertaker's entrance gear was awesome and I instantly thought of Shredder. The match was great and I had no idea what was going on sometimes. For example when Undertaker randomly attacked Shawn Michaels and then Charles Robinson. It seemed like Triple H just gave up at the end though when he did his crotch chop and pretty much walked into a Tombstone.

What happened after that match though, was something. I liked the respect shown between the three men and from the fans in attendance. Seeing that actually did make me think that it was an end of an era and I wouldn't be surprised if by WrestleMania XXX, there's no more guys on the roster who were active during the 90's. I'm sure it was both Taker's and Hunter's last match, and leaving the streak at a nicely rounded 20-0 is good, and finishing both men's career's at WrestleMania and in a Hell in a Cell match is a really good way for both men to go. :y:

Team Johnny vs Team Teddy

Another good match, but I was under the impression that it was elimination rules so I was a bit disappointed when I realised it wasn't. :-\

With so many people in the match, not a lot of people got much ring time so it made most of the guys pointless. By the way the match went, it could have been just a 6-Man Tag Match. I'm happy Team Johnny won though, and I can't wait to see what happens on Raw and SmackDown this week.

More Johnny = :y::y::y::y::y:

Also, like I said in last weeks Raw thread. I'm sure Christian will have some sort of involvement with either Team Johnny or CM Punk, which a Christian/CM Punk feud would be good to see. Also, over the WWE Championship.

*Segway*

Chris Jericho vs CM Punk

A great match with great back and forth action. I'm interested to see where Jericho goes after this, and his comments to Punk during the match was awesome. Just the way he said them and then followed quickly by a sick/cheesy smile was great. Also, Jericho's reversal of Punk's hurricanrana, fantastic. Also, seeing the Liontamer was awesome too.

John Cena vs The Rock

I felt that this match was slow to begin with and if I'm honest, it wasn't that great of a match but it was still good. It just didn't really live up to the expectation/hype. The ending was great though. Cena copying The Rock and then out of nowhere, he eats a Rock Bottom. I had gotten into the match about halfway in though. Also, I'd like to say again that MGK looks like a dickhead I know. MGK also looked to be pissed off that people were booing him when he mentioned Cena. After he finished, it looked like he just stormed off, unlike Flo Rida, who stood there, waved to the fans and accepted his applause.

But overall, WrestleMania XXVIII was enjoyable and compared to WrestleMania XXVII, I would say it was slightly better.

[CSL]

no way Sheamus/DBD got little time because of other stuff, that's just how it was booked. They'll get 15/20 minutes elsewhere. Can't really say I was at all surprised by it given the "nature" of the character

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yep. It was just to serve as part of the basis of their inevitable Extreme Rules re-match where D. Bry will ask for a (insert gimmick match here).

[Rock Bottom]

You have Rock basically be a bully in the feud, cost Cena the title and pose at the end of WrestleMania, get the pie fall at Survivor Series before randomly attacking Cena again and it all culminate in a match where... The Rock wins.

Fuck this company.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Seriously though, do you not see that Cena is on his way down? Are people having trouble keeping John Cena in context?

He is not as good as the guys that have come before him, period.

[#1-norm-fan]

What? Cena's gonna continue making money for the company regardless. Not the issue. The whole feud was to put The Rock over? It doesn't make sense.

From a pure booking standpoint, they just had a guy get the upper hand pretty much every time to the point of being the "bully" in the feud at WrestleMania and Survivor Series. And then in the final showdown, he wins. How does anyone see that as good booking?

[Blakeamus]

Cena losing CLEANLY in The Rock's HOMETOWN...good booking.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Better booking than Cena winning and then nothing changing. Hey I'm John Cena and now I'm going for the title!

This might lead to some Cena self-doubt or a slight personality change. That can only be good.

This doesn't hurt Cena or boost the Rock, much like if it was other way round, their "reps" would not have changed. No-one needed to "go over".

[#1-norm-fan]

A year build where the part time wrestler dominates, bullys and plays the heel at WrestleMania and Survivor Series just to put him over in his hometown and cater to the live crowd... bad booking.

[#1-norm-fan]

Better booking than Cena winning and then nothing changing. Hey I'm John Cena and now I'm going for the title!

This might lead to some Cena self-doubt or a slight personality change. That can only be good.

This doesn't hurt Cena or boost the Rock, much like if it was other way round, their "reps" would not have changed. No-one needed to "go over".

Come on. Really? You don't think it would have boosted Cena to have him go over Rock?

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Not even slightly. Might make people who wanted Rock to win boo him more, but the guy has won multiple word titles, he's the biggest star in WWE right now. Where else was there to go other than that?

[#1-norm-fan]

And yes, when you basically make Cena look like a bitch in the previous physical altercations and then lose the big match at the end, it does make him look even weaker.

[#1-norm-fan]

Not even slightly. Might make people who wanted Rock to win boo him more, but the guy has won multiple word titles, he's the biggest star in WWE right now. Where else was there to go other than that?

It's an image thing. Within the company is one thing but as far as transcending wrestling... The whole idea was to draw in a little cross-over crowd with Rock. If people tuned in with a vague idea of who Cena was, he's now that random wrestler Rock beat.

And like I said, you just don't have a guy bully and dominate constantly and then win in the end. Yes, it makes Cena look like shit.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I must admit: I was super-pissed about the World Heavyweight Title match. For the second year in a row, I put money down to watch Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania, and for the second time I am screwed. It left a sour taste in the fans' mouths, too. Gertner and co. can talk all the shit they want about Bryan, but the thing is, he's a tremendous worker and no one paid to see Sheamus for only 18 seconds. Even Sheamus fans didn't get to see him really kick ass.

The positives are this:

* It shows that the WWE sees Daniel Bryan's character as far more important than his ring skills, in that they felt it would be more effective to have Bryan lose so quickly and get his comeuppance than wrestle an actual match. They were wrong, but that shows how Daniel Bryan has become valuable to the company.

* Randy Orton and Kane were bombarded with "Daniel Bryan" chants, which is sort of fitting giving that Orton made those comments about people essentially not caring as much about Sheamus and Bryan as himself and Kane.

* The WWE has built to an actual Bryan vs. Sheamus match quite effectively. In fact, I would probably buy WrestleMania NYNJ in a heart-beat if they announced Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan in a match that can only end after the ten-minute mark even a year in advance.

But as a fan, I felt pretty annoyed. They had Flo Rida perform two songs; they gave the Divas pointless time; there were crappy backstage segments and videos of the WWE sucking its own dick.

[Lock Jaw]

I would have said that it leads to Cena turning "quasi-heel" and going nuts because he is supposed to be "the man", and he fights day in and day out... and then he goes and gets beat by a guy who hasn't wrestled in nine years.

Pushes him over the edge and he "snaps". Does not become a badass submission machine, though.

Anyways...

That's what I would have said was going to happen. Had Cena not debuted a new T-Shirt. Now he has to stay as he is in order to sell the T-Shirt. So he is probably just gonna come out on RAW, do a cheesy smile, tell some jokes at his own expense, and then say he now respects The Rock.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

It's an image thing. Within the company is one thing but as far as transcending wrestling... The whole idea was to draw in a little cross-over crowd with Rock. If people tuned in with a vague idea of who Cena was, he's now that random wrestler Rock beat.

And like I said, you just don't have a guy bully and dominate constantly and then win in the end. Yes, it makes Cena look like shit.

Good, for the last several years Cena has been basically untouchable. In terms of character evolution it's fine for him to be a bitch. If he beat The Rock he;s done everything, what would his next challenge be? Another Punk feud, or Orton? As they're the only 2 booked at his level. He'd just come out tonight and go "HEY I'M CENA AND I'VE ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING. SICK OF ME YET? LOL".

[#BROKEN Hasney]

That's what I would have said was going to happen. Had Cena not debuted a new T-Shirt. Now he has to stay as he is in order to sell the T-Shirt. So he is probably just gonna come out on RAW, do a cheesy smile, tell some jokes at his own expense, and then say he now respects The Rock.

Yeah, that's what I expect to happen, despite the awesome possibilities they could have from this.

[Tazz Dan]

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus at Extreme Rules in a Submission match. First thing I thought after their 'match'.

[Blakeamus]

But it would of been okay for Cena to rip on the Rock and win it in the end?

[#1-norm-fan]

Good. The cocky "You all boo me, too bad I win ;)" thing was a good idea and would have helped him out in the long run.

But replace Cena and Rock. Forget about who they are and what they've done. If you just look at it as booking a feud, you can't tell me that the way they had one guy be a bully and attack the other unprovoked multiple times only to win the match in the end is good wrestling booking.

[#1-norm-fan]

But it would of been okay for Cena to rip on the Rock and win it in the end?

They both ripped on each other verbally.

If Cena had dominated the feud and made a habit out of costing Rock matches and attacking him and ending PPV's celebrating it and then Rock won last night, It would be completely understandable.

[Blakeamus]

If it makes you feel any better knowing this...but this won't be the last time they fight, and I assure you Cena will overcome and win. Which is why the booking was good in my view.

[Rammsteinmad]

I was also pretty pissed off about the Daniel Bryan/Sheamus thing, BUT, trying to think positively, a certain Paul LeVasque made his Wrestlemania debut 16 years ago in a squash match, and he's now a 13-time champion and future owner of the company.

Still pissed about it though. Especially as Sheamus was the Rumble winner. :foc:

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh, I'm not claiming the sky is falling with it. As I said, there are actually positives to it. It was just shitty because those two could have had done some amazing ring work. And to be honest, I don't think this helps Sheamus as much as the WWE thinks it does. Dude didn't even look dominant so much as it looked like he got a lucky shot in. Sheamus' title win needs as much validating as D-Bry's did.

[VSG]

Still waiting for the full WM Noid review.

[CSL]

it was less about Sheamus looking dominant and more about "LOL the coward got twatted and pinned straight away". Now they can go on and tear the house down for 20 minutes down the road

[#1-norm-fan]

If it makes you feel any better knowing this...but this won't be the last time they fight, and I assure you Cena will overcome and win. Which is why the booking was good in my view.

If they have a rematch, no one is going to buy that it will be for any reason other than for Cena to even the score. There won't be any drama.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

it was less about Sheamus looking dominant and more about "LOL the coward got twatted and pinned straight away". Now they can go on and tear the house down for 20 minutes down the road

I know, it's just that was one of the 3 matches that swung me into paying money rather than illegally stream it and they've talked me out of doing that ever again with that "match"

[#BROKEN Hasney]

ONCE IN A LIFETIME... Unless Rock gets a gap in his schedule.

[itsmeJD]

ONCE IN A LIFETIME... Unless Rock gets a gap in his schedule.

ONCE IN A LIFETIME... Until Summerslam...

Next year will be Wrestlemania 29, ONLY THRICE IN A LIFETIME...

[Indifferent Clox]

Excellent ppv. Would have liked danielson to have attacked Jericho in order to dq him. Setting up a feud between the three, but eh. It was all great except the first match.

[itsmeJD]

Excellent poverty. Would have liked danielson to have attacked Jericho in order to dwqx- him. Setting of a died between the three, but eh. It was all great except the first match.

what the fuck?:wtf:

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Excellent poverty. Would have liked danielson to have attacked Jericho in order to dwqx- him. Setting of a died between the three, but eh. It was all great except the first match.

Most excellent poverty. Danielson (whoever that is) really should have caused a dwqx of whatever.

Is Setting of a Died a band?

[CSL]

what they said

[St. Jimmy]

Rock Wins!
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/004/155/CornetteFace.jpg

[#1-norm-fan]

I hope Jim Cornette didn't actually follow that bus to this show. He'd probably kill himself after seeing that abomination. lol

[Jura]

Torrie Wilson still looking damn good.

[Xero]

May as well chime in.

I thought the first hour of Mania was pretty shit. The world title match left me :wtf: for much of it. Kane/Orton was okay. Show/Cody was pretty predictable, though I did like Cody's robe thing.

The Cell match was amazing. Match of the Night, will probably be Match of the Year. Miles ahead of last year's Triple H/Taker match IMO. Might also be ahead of the WM17 match. Amazing story, and Shawn added so much to the match.

The 12 man was what it was.

Punk/Jericho was awesome. A little on the slow side, but the story was worked well into the match. Found the Laurinitis thing a little odd with the DQ stip, but I suppose they're reigniting the Punk/Laurinitis "McMahon/Austin" feud. Plus it added to the story. Amazing finish, and a lot of false finishes. Really bought the Liontamer as the finish, as well as a few other spots. Loved the little things, like at the end Punk repositioning so Jericho could no longer knee his head and get the submission.

Rock/Cena was pretty good. Cringed at the Sharpshooter, because that was the worst I've seen ANYBODY apply it, ever. The finish was great. Fun match with the unexpected outcome for me. This match is all about the followup now, though.

Overall, an enjoyable Mania and I was happy with it. If it were a three hour PPV (starting at the second hour) and they switched out the twelve man for a proper Sheamus/Bryan match it would probably be up there as one of the best. As it stands, it had two great and one downright legendary match.

[Mooияakeя™]

Anywhere got the vids online? Replays? Cannot find owt bar some crappy Youtube vids with musica.

[XL]

What? Cena's gonna continue making money for the company regardless. Not the issue. The whole feud was to put The Rock over? It doesn't make sense.

From a pure booking standpoint, they just had a guy get the upper hand pretty much every time to the point of being the "bully" in the feud at WrestleMania and Survivor Series. And then in the final showdown, he wins. How does anyone see that as good booking?
Cena didn't win = good booking
it was less about Sheamus looking dominant and more about "LOL the coward got twatted and pinned straight away". Now they can go on and tear the house down for 20 minutes down the road
And fans only have to shell out again to see it!

Pretty sure nobody is crying over the fact that the performers were short-changed (even if they were) and everybody understands the thought process behind the decision, it's the fact that people paid $60 to watch the match as part of the show and all it did was setup a potential rematch a month later for another $45.

[#1-norm-fan]

It doesn't matter if it was Cena-Rock or Tyson Kidd-Michael McGillicutty. The way the feud went was ass backwards if that was the intended outcome. It was shitty BOOKING as a feud. I don't care about your personal feelings towards who was in it. I really have no other way to get people to comprehend what I'm trying to say. Jesus. lol

[Shadrick]

Rocky going over was the smart move.

[#1-norm-fan]

Welp, that settles it.

[VSG]

Anywhere got the vids online? Replays? Cannot find owt bar some crappy Youtube vids with musica.

You still need it? I got links.

[Shadrick]

Lol, I wasn't being condescending to you, just posting my short opinion.

I do see what you're saying about the feud. Rock had the upperhand in it (although him costing Cena at Mania wasn't unprovoked). The way they had the feud going, I just knew Cena was gonna win at Mania.

But the last couple of months before Mania I started to say "ehhh..." because I saw where Johns character was going. He was smug, arrogant, and pompous about winning. It was past being confident, he made it seem like it was a foregone conclusion. THATS when I started saying "Rocky winning doesn't seem all that impossible now."

Cena winning does nothing for him. Rocky winning does nothing for him. But Rocky winning does a lot for Cenas character and its space to grow. I expect slight tweaks; he finally found an opponent he couldn't overcome and a situation where "rising above hate" didnt work.

I expect Brock to play into it by being on some "I did something, you couldn't do. Beat The Rock." Rock winning sets up so many things for the next year.

Besides, if Rock comes back and loses, him putting over other talent in the next year means a little less. Yes, its still The Rock, but he's not around every week to stay over as a dominant character. The win helps the roster when Rock, lets say, turns heel then puts over someone, a la Hurricane.

[#1-norm-fan]

Well all I'm referencing is the feud and how it was booked with the ending in mind.

[Mooияakeя™]

You still need it? I got links.

Yes! PM them :)

[VSG]

Done

[CSL]

And fans only have to shell out again to see it!

Pretty sure nobody is crying over the fact that the performers were short-changed (even if they were) and everybody understands the thought process behind the decision, it's the fact that people paid $60 to watch the match as part of the show and all it did was setup a potential rematch a month later for another $45.

how many people do you really think shelled out the first time to see Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus on a card with Trips/Taker, Punk/Jericho & Rock/Cena?

and half of the comments about it that I've seen have been whining about them being short-changed/insulted/disgraceful etc

[Shadrick]

Well all I'm referencing is the feud and how it was booked with the ending in mind.

I understand your point. If it matters at all, reportedly Cena was booked to win up until a couple of months ago.

[#1-norm-fan]

Yeah I assumed that. They needed to either do a quick fix or stick with it. That's the problem with booking a feud a year in advance when you struggle enough to book a feud a month in advance.