WrestleMania XX Thoughts/Discussion Thread

[Supremo]

If i ranked all the Manias this was definitely not in the top 10 - but it was much better than last years. It seems liek this show will be sitting on the shelf for a long time.

I toally diagree. Sure, it wasn't the greatest event of all time like was being billed to be, but it would easilly rank as one of the top ten. You can't deny that Jericho Vs Christian, Rock and Foley Vs Evolution, Eddie Vs Angle and the Triple Threat main event were all great efforts, those matches alone putting this Mania in my opinion second to only Mania 17 and 19. The hype going into this event was the downfall, there was never going to be any event that could live up to the hype, but saying that it wasn't one of the top ten is a bit extreme. Edited March 18, 2004 by ELsupremo

[Guest GreatSas]

Just what is it with Wrestlemania and botched shooting star presses?

[frank]

lokmad-

Undertaker's attire, in my eyes, was A-O-K. He was buried in that stuff, so isn't it logical that he came back wearing the stuff he died in?

Good point, never thought of that

Maybe, but he should of had some form of a beard too, or black goatee.

[MackemMan]

Me thinks that Vince announcement just filled up the time they shaved off Goldberg and Brock due to the crowd crapping on it.I think we're supposed to go "oh, fatal four way under sudden death rules, how exciting," instead we're all going, "ooh sudden death rules, it'll be over quicker, thank god."

During the Vince segment, they changed the (beer soaked) canvas on the MSG ring...

[Supremo]

During the Vince segment, they changed the (beer soaked) canvas on the MSG ring...

Really? I've never heard of them doing that before. I still think they took some time from the Brock Goldberg match since they saw that the crowd weren't gonna accept anything those two did.

[dopper]

Dunno if anyone else mentioned this but after the PPV ended Woman (Benoit's wife Nancy), Benoit's dad, and Benoit's kids got in the ring with him.I was a little disappoitned when I saw the tape that this wasn't shown, but ending it with the two (deserving) World Champions together in the ring was a good idea.See my sig for when I got on TV. Shane, Marissa and Linda McMahon all sat in thw crowd about 10 rows back on the hard camera side. Shane & Marissa were there for the whole show and Linda joined them for the last three matches.Got nothing much to add to what's already been said except Goldberg/Brock rivals Rock/Hogan as the most amazing live atmosphere I have ever witnessed at a wrestling event.

[pmy008]

Quite enjoyed the matches that meant something, the tag bouts and the cruiser match seemed to be cobbled together contests that were simply there to pass the time and make Vince feel like he isn't wasting money on their salaries!Especially loved the big matches (Undi v Kane, Lesnar v Goldberg, Eddie v Angle and the 3 way Main Event) as they either had some great action or they had the spectacle that IS WrestleMania.Best mmatch, for me, was the 3 way as the final submission was so well drawn out that I started to think that HHH might have pulled it out of the bag and gotten Vince to OK him winning. Fortunately, the correct result ensued (albeit with a surprising fall guy in HHH) to set up a class ending with Eddie and Benoit in the ring together. How many of you saw that happening back in 2000?

[Gatso]

During the Vince segment, they changed the (beer soaked) canvas on the MSG ring...

Really? I've never heard of them doing that before. I still think they took some time from the Brock Goldberg match since they saw that the crowd weren't gonna accept anything those two did.

They changed the ring mat at the Royal Rumble when I went.....its funny how they do it, they kinda roll it out and roll another one in.

[the_project]

Yay UKFF's back up. I'll post my thoughts now as well. Sorry for the all talk about what I did in NYC before Mania.I got back Tuesday morning, missing the Raw in NJ which I wanted to go to, seeing as our hotel was in NJ, but couldn't change my flight.Had a great few days leading up to Wrestlemania. Caught Smackdown on Thursday on UPN. There some good shows on UPN on Friday as well. A documentary about WMXIX and a show called The Mullets which was pretty funny, it was about Backyard Wrestling which featured a cameo from Roddy Piper.Some crazy women in Times Square came up to us and said "Hey, where are your belts?" We went to the Empire State Building, went on the Sopranos tour and met Vito. We went to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash and met the crazy guy that runs it. Ended up giving me a signed Randell figure for the price of a normal one cause he was "bustin' my balls". Toys R Us had an awesome display, loads of cool items to take pictures of. I'll upload some of them later actually.Cena/Show seemed good from where I was sitting. Nice little match that the crowd were into. I enjoyed the Cruiserweight Open even though it could've been a lot better. Favourite matches from the night were Christian/Jericho, Eddie/Angle and the Triple Threat Main Event. Didn't really enjoy either of the womens matches.The Goldberg/Brock match was quite surreal. Just watching the replay on Sky Sports 3 and the Hogan chants did come out on camera. There was a kid dressed like Hogan, doing all his mannerisms and the crowd started cheering for him. Awesome when the crowd booed Goldberg when he did the beer drinking on the ropes.The return of the Undertaker was done well. I was sitting behind the entrance and could see people just as they came out. They had a few problems with the fire sticks the druids had. Bits kept dripping off and causing little fires and we could hear fire extinguishers going off.With my digital camera that I got on my birthday I can take low quality films with sound. I've got some peoples entrances, Benoits celebration, the whole Undertaker entrance and a few others. I'll upload those as well soon.Like someone else said, if they cut out matches that were there as filler, it would've been an awesome PPV. But probably 8/10.

[Guest Penis Suplex]

If i ranked all the Manias this was definitely not in the top 10 - but it was much better than last years. It seems liek this show will be sitting on the shelf for a long time.

Stop watching WWE TODAY.

[Rob Lowe]

i thought mania was great.

 

top 3 wrestlemanias

 

1.wrestlemania X7

2.wrestlemania 14

3.wrestlemania XX

 

I loved the crowd and most of the matches. mania moments

flair strutting + attempting peoples ewlbow

brock vs goldberg crowd reaction

seeing paul bearer (quite dissapointed with seeing undi in old attire )

eddy vs angle finish.

benoit winning title.

 

overall a great show.

[Guest Dino Crocetti]

I agree with denim rob in his ranking of the top 3 manias of all time, with mania 10 at no. 4 as well i.m.o.i actually enjoyed mania 20 and i dont watch raw or smackdown much at all, as im mainly a fan of roh and nwa-tna .i got the trish heel turn correct and most other stuff as well.i personally thought the crowd were a disgrace in the way they treated the brock-bill match.glad benoit got the strap - he deserves it for a long great consistent career. he probably wont draw and it'll got back to hunter in a few months, but for now its all good.

[The Mighty LC]

During the Vince segment, they changed the (beer soaked) canvas on the MSG ring...

Really? I've never heard of them doing that before. I still think they took some time from the Brock Goldberg match since they saw that the crowd weren't gonna accept anything those two did.

I can't remember which show it happened at, but I've seen this happen at a WWE event I've been at (either the Rumble, or Insurrextion)...(Didn't see earlier post on this, which confirmed that it was infact the Rumble)... Edited March 19, 2004 by The Mighty LC

[Stylin_and_Profilin]

I think the main question of the night is:Did you scream 'Tap out, bitch' or 'Tap out, motherfucker' at the end?

The real question is who else heard Flair shout, "don't think so Motherfucker!" at the Rock when he went for a tag and he intercepted. I marked for that.

LOL yes! Glad someone else noticed it.First time i've managed to get onto this thread all week and i'll post a more in depth list of my thoughts later once i've had a drink or two and watched it again. To be fair though the two title matches saved it for me. As far as the event goes they were superb and besides that there was very little else which was good and it was going along the lines of being a massive disappointment overall especially with the Undertaker which i have to say was one of the most underwhelming things i have ever seen. Paul Bearer, the druids, the music...........it was like being 7 years old again.And then out comes a bloody fancy dress stunt double from Jeepers Creepers Everyone i was watching it with was spewing at that even the casual fans who aint watched wrestling in years, absolutely gutted.Also, during some of the duller moments of which i felt there were a few, we were kept entertained by what became known as the 'red tshirt guy'. He was sitting just to the left of the aisle (as in the aisle they used for WM-X and Rumble 2000) right next to the entrance at the top of the stairs and was clearly visible throughout looking like the most depressed man ever and sporting a 'this is the family holiay budget i've spent on this' look. He got excited about 7 or 8 times throughout the whole PPV and it was absolutely hilarious A bit sad and worrying noticing things like this when such an event is on, but still amusing. Edited March 19, 2004 by Stylin_and_Profilin

[The Mighty LC]

My thoughts as posted on the wrestlingclassics messageboard (cos this one was fooked):The thoughts of a mark from across the pond...3:30am. I managed to stay awake until 3:30am. And that's no comment on the quality of the show- just that I was darn tired. To save you the math(s) that means I fell asleep just as Kurt V Eddie was getting underway. I watched the rest when I woke this morning, and it truely was a rewarding experience. I've been trying to figure out where this goes in all time Wrestlemanias, and I'm not sure. Was it as good as last year? Or the year before? Or before that? Not too sure yet.I liked the opening, though I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks the newest member of the McMahon clan will be involved in a main event angle with 6 months.Cena V Big Show: I can see what they were doing in bringing Cena out first, what with his ability to warm a crowd, but his in-ring skills are still not really up to scratch, and he certainly couldn't rely on his opponent to carry him. A plodding match, which threatend to lose the crowd, though the finish was a good one. Let us hope Cena defends the US title more than Show (I count 2 televised defences)Evolution Interview- very well done I thought. Gave a great history (albeit one sided, but that was the point) of the feud, and made Orton look a million bucks. If he can bring his ring skills a bit further on, he's going to go as far as HHH lets him (both from a Kayfabe point of view and otherwise).Raw 4 way tag title- nothing impressed me too much in this. Seems to be a waste of RVD and Booker T, though what to do with them is anyone's guess (shocking lack of reaction for them during their entrance as well)Coach segment with Mean Gene, et al- Funny enough, and great line by the Brain ("I've not been well")Jericho V Christian- Decent match. The little messed up suplex spot actually worked in their advantage. I had a feeling Trish would turn, and what a well executed turn it was (and I don't think I've ever seen Trish look hotter than her vampish look at the entrance way)Evolution V Rock and Sock- Good atmosphere covered over the cracks. Orton going over was the right move. Legends Ceremony- I shed a little tear when Bobby Heenan was talking about Gorilla earlier in the night, though he was back to form in the actual ceremony. Nice reactions for everyone.Playboy Match- Quite frankly people wanted to see someone's top come off and it never happened. The actual wrestling wasn't anywhere near as bad as I'd feared, though the finish looked botchedCruiserweight Open- Whilst not bad, it was hardly brilliant. Perhaps because of lack of time on television or otherwise, a few of them looked very nervous. I feared Billy Kidman had killed himself at one point- he really needs to give up doing the SSP. Ultimo Dragon's dream was to wrestle at Wrestlemania in MSG. He's done that. Now he should end what has been a spell that has done no-one any good. Rey looked cool. There was really no-one in this match that you thought anything surprising would come from: the beauty of the cruiserweights in WCW was that they really were something different from everything else. WWE cruiserweights are just the same as everyone else, only smaller. Paul London was missed badly in this match.Brock V Goldberg- Absolutely surreal. Brock looked like he was going to cry at one point. I was surprised at how many people seemed to know about his NFL thing, as I'd assumed that it was just net talk. Apparantly not. Stone Cold was always going to come out of this the hero, though it was somewhat justified here. Just a strange situation all-roundWrestlemania in LA- Seems a small arena to put it in, though I don't suppose they want a situation like 91 all over again. I have relatives in LA, so I should be able to get to this quite easily. Yippee!Vince speech- I sat up, thinking that this would be a big announcement. "Where it all Begins, Again" had to mean something more than a promotional slogan. I honestly thought for a second that this would be Vince's retirement speech; that he'd acheieved all he could, and would be handing it on to Shane and Stephanie. But no. Nice of him to thank everyone, though.Smackdown 4 way Tag Title Match- See Raw match. Fairly pointless, and nothing memorable.Edge Video- EnigmaticJesse and Donald- Nice link back to WM's of old, but essentially pointless. Would have been nice to have Jesse comentate one of the matches, though who with (Vince?)?Molly V Victoria- Match wouldn't have been much without the stip. Molly still looked pretty hot without hair (Demi Moore in GI Jane thing going on)Kurt V Eddie- Tremendous match. Crowd was into them most of the way with the mat work, which I liked. Creative finish, which leaves much space for rematches. Good.Undertaker V Kane- Did it live up to the months of hype? Not really. Taker's entrance was cool, though I think everyone was expecting more. The mix between Deadman and Redneck gimmicks works well, and match wasn't terrible. Wouldn't like to see this one drag on too much, though.HHH V Shawn V Benoit- Awesome match, which I have at MOTY so far (just about better than Brock V Eddie). All 3 worked really hard, including HHH (who looked a little like some guy who was in WCW in 94. Anyone else remember Terra Ryzing?). Finish was incredibly dramatic, and great to see HHH tap cleanly in the middle of the ring. I shed more tears during the embraces between Benoit and Eddie, though in the cold light of day the emotions do seem over the top when you consider that the belt Benoit just won doesn't really mean a whole heck of a lot, and that HHH will have it back within about 3 months.So overall I'd have to give the event a thumbs up. Maybe it didn't live up to the year of hype, though it would have been very hard to have. There was nothing terrible on the show, and some of the matches were very good (2 of them execellent). Much of the matches were built up for a good 3 months, and the anticipation surrounding them proves that storylines can be done long-term in this day and age. I'm all for that. Though I've little doubt that there will be the traditional post WM slump, I think WWE is safe enough for now...