Before WrestleMania kicked off yesterday night, I was commenting in these parts about how Pulse Wrestling was in a bit of a boom period thanks to the Road to WrestleMania. All of our columnists had come out swinging with their best material, and even some old favorites made it back here to participate in special features and this year’s super-sized WrestleMania 27 Rasslin’ Roundtable.
Yet here I am, the morning after what should have been one of the best PPV offerings ever based on the advertised card from top to bottom, and I can’t help but feel underwhelmed if not insulted by what we all shelled out 60 bucks to see.
Sure, there were some bright moments. Most notably, I was surprised by how amazing of a match Triple H and the Undertaker put together. They might have used everything in their bag of tricks to make their clash feel like an epic encounter, and it all worked for me. And for a split second, I actually, honestly thought that Triple H had the Deadman down for the count after Triple H nailed a Tombstone Piledriver that felt like it really could have been the final nail in Taker’s coffin after he had already survived THREE pedigrees and numerous chair shots.
When the Undertaker did kick out, I realized that in that moment my belief had been truly suspended (as Rey Mundo would say), and that’s what WrestleMania is all about. I also loved the finish to this match, with the Hell’s Gate simply being too devastating for Hunter to overcome, finally forcing his limp hand to tap out after he couldn’t get in one last shot with his “Wonderboy” sledgehammer (look it up kids).
However, what really sold me was how much the match took out of Taker, leaving him nearly unconscious and unable to walk up the ramp because while he was able to preserve THE STREAK and move to 19-0 at WrestleMania, he did so at what cost? As a whole — and I am not an expert by any means and this is a first for me after 11 years in the IWC — I give this match ****3/4.
I honestly thought it was almost perfect for what we could have expected, just as good as last year’s HBK-Taker match but not as flawless as the first HBK-Taker showdown at WrestleMania XXV that was ***** in my book.
The other real highlight for me last night is not a surprise if you have been reading my opinions the past few weeks. I thought that Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio had the best midcard match of the night, and I absolutely LOVE the fact that Cody went over in this spot. Cody’s credibility will get a huge boost for scoring such a big win over the likes of Rey Mysterio on the WrestleMania stage, and Rey did the right thing at the end after a solidly executed bout.
Aside from those two matches, I was extremely underwhelmed by the rest of the show, and to me it actually felt like an extended episode of Monday Night Raw than Wrestle freakin’ Mania. Here’s why:
What did The Rock actually bring, anything?
Plus, a DOUBLE COUNTOUT DRAW in the main event, really? Really?!?!
And also, how do you EVER CUT AN ADVERTISED TITLE MATCH FROM WRESTLEMANIA?!?!?!
The Rock brought a 15 minute promo at the beginning of the show that fell flat for me because it was simply his old material recycled yet again. Then, he has a backstage skit with Eve and Mae Young that wasn’t funny and wastes even more minutes that could have been used elsewhere. In fact, they could have had more of a “wow moment” with Rock and Austin face-to-face, and instead that was kept to a very brief and nearly pointless interaction.
Lastly, we have the horrible double countout draw in the MAIN EVENT (really? REALLY?!?!) followed by The Rock restarting the match after cutting a promo on a computer (it didn’t work with Edge and it didn’t work here). And finally, The Rock hits a Rock Bottom on John Cena (fine and actually understandable), but then does he have to make The Miz look bad too? The answer is not in the least.
Oh, and the icing on the cake is this: You’re telling me that Daniel Bryan and Sheamus couldn’t have warmed the PPV-viewing crowd up with their ADVERTISED U.S. Title match instead? There is NO REASON an advertised WrestleMania title match should EVER get cut from the PPV lineup, and it is a disgrace that this happened.
Taking The Rock’s allotted time aside, It’s even more disappointing that Sheamus-Bryan got bumped considering some of the time wasted on a backstage skit like the god-awful Snoop Dogg talent contest and also a way-too-long, we-didn’t-get-what-we-wanted-anyway stretched out affair between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler.
Lawler vs. Cole, how WWE threw it all away
Plus, it is my DESTINY to open WrestleMania and lose in a shortened, watered down match!
Speaking of Cole and Lawler, what could have been the feel-good moment of the year turned into an overbooked train wreck that no amount of Stone Cold Stunners could save.
Actually, that’s not true, if Austin actually stunned the ONE GUY we all WANTED him to stun, maybe this would have been worth it. Throw in the fact that Lawler probably was banned from using the Piledriver on Cole since it was saved for Taker-Triple H, and you have a situation where Michael Cole simply did not get punished enough during this match.
Honestly, there is no reason Cole should have had the upper hand for so long, and then to have the decision reversed means that Cole’s mouth was not shut once and for all, and he will now brag about this (ugh) forever.
Lastly, and even more embarrassing, this match got more time then Edge vs. Del Rio, with was a WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH!
That’s right, we got more in-ring time from Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler then we did from Alberto Del Rio and Edge, which just proves my point that actual wrestling took a backseat to the “sports entertainment” elements of the show. For once, couldn’t we have had an even split?
As for the outcome of Del Rio vs. Edge, I was actually shocked that Del Rio didn’t leave Atlanta with the Big Gold Belt. I don’t know why WWE changed their minds on the outcome of this match, or perhaps it’s our fault for actually believing a guy who has been pushed as the next big thing on SmackDown!, who has had a million guest appearances on Raw, and who had sufficiently set up his opponent for his finishing maneuver by blasting his arm each and every week, was actually logically going to win the title in a way that would pay off serious dividends for his character and the company as a whole.
Oh well, the joke is on us!
Final Passing Thought for 4.4.11:
The feel-good moment of WrestleMania 27
OK, now that I got that all out of my system, I do have one final passing thought for today, aside from the fact at the very least, with all the Cole-Lawler disappointment I am feeling today, it was AMAZING to see J.R. call some big matches again last night (had to sneak that in).
But since Cole and Lawler did disappoint me, I posed myself the following question: What was the actual feel-good moment of WrestleMania 27?
The answer didn’t come in the form of a match outcome or a pre-advertised skit, nor was it the smile that Howard Finkel gave me when he announced the Hall of Fame Class of 2011, thereby keeping his streak alive of being a part of every single WrestleMania.
Instead, what really made me feel what I should have felt all night long was the pre-match video package featuring The Miz before he made his entrance into the arena.
The video package showed The Miz in a suit, his back to the PPV audience, watching a bunch of television screens that showed his entire journey, from creating “The Miz” persona on The Real World to being a Tough Enough contestant to serving as the host of SmackDown! to winning Money-In-The-Bank to becoming WWE Champion to headlining WrestleMania 27.
It was a video package that must have made The Miz extremely emotional backstage before coming out, and if you look close you can even see the tracks of his tears as he made his entrance onto the WrestleMania ramp with Alex Riley last night.
It’s also a video package that made me feel good about The Miz actually retaining the WWE Championship, because when someone works that hard to achieve the seemingly impossible dream, you can’t help but root for them, storylines be damned……….
That’s all from me this week — CB.
