WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII Discussion Thread

[undercover elephant]

So Rock is booked for Raw tonight, so what's the big announcement. A rematch at Summerslam, A-train debut, Heyman, Lesner or Batista sat at ringside, or even Triple H announcing his retirement??

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

The 6 man tag match was inoffensive filler but was fun seeing Zach Ryder made to look like such a bitch. Future endevours on the horizon?

 

Yes, because the last person to get kicked in the balls by a Diva at WrestleMania didn't do much afterwards.

Refresh my memory, who are you referring to?

 

Jericho at Mania 20?

 

Bingo.

:$ Should have known, when the angle happened I was actually thinking of Jericho and Trish vaguely, slipped my mind by the time of I got here.

[C-Rock]

I really enjoyed the show as a whole, I agree the production and fireworks were brilliant, I much prefer when the sun went down as you were then able to really appreciate the production, lighting and fireworks etc.

 

The opening match between Bryan and Sheamus was disapointing for me not in the sense of character builiding or damaging or anything like that but more I was disapointed at what the World Heavyweight Title has become and how it was used last night, as more of a prop than an actual representation of a World Heavyweight Champion. Ric Flair must have been dis-hearted if he was watching backstage, to see a title he in some form held on numerous occasions lost and defended in many wars over the past couple decades, be reduced to they opening match on the biggest wrestling show of the year and further more being switched in only 18 seconds. Sheamus didn't earn the title and makes him look a fluke, it made Bryan look weak and crashed and burned in my opinion any hope that in fans minds he is deserving of a top spot in WWE.

 

Randy Orton v Kane was solid, Kane needed the win, his comeback has hardly been exciting. Even though he won lastnight it didn't evlevate him in my mind. No damage was caused to Randy Orton the match was forgotton about by the time show ended.

 

the Diva's match was okay I was really disapointed that Maria was booked on the WrestleMania card she didn't deserve her spot espessially with her being injured. Obviously she hasn't got a lot of talent to begin with but adding in the fact she was injured going into it made it cringing to watch. I'd of much prefered to see Kelly/Natalya vs Beth/Eve at least we would have had a better match instead of watching Maria 'Can't Sell for Shit' Menounus.

 

Triple H vs Undertaker....the most engaging match of the night and the best. My big problem with the match is I got sick of seeing chair shots to the back, I hate watered down WWE...no blood...no chair shots to the head. In a huge, climatic, drama filled match you want more and something you have never seen before but the match lastnight felt like there match last year except with a Cell around it and Shawn Michaels thrown into it which didn't add anything as you knew Taker was going to win anyway. What really pissed me off as well was the way Shawn acted during his entrance and in the ring before Triple H entered. This match was built to be an emotional drama filled end of an era match and you had a key part of that story who had all that like he said in the palm of his hand...dancing around like a school kid with not an ounce of seriousness, id of much prefered to see a serious more sedate Shawn lastnight it would have in the minutes before the bell rang in what was being built as an end of an era match added a little more emotion and drama which wouldn't have hurt.

 

The match was good and you could feel each and every chair shot but in all honesty I wasn't excited for the match. WWE have rules in place that limit straight off the bat what can and can't be done and that straight away takes away from the excitment. You can't have rules in place in pro-wrestling and certinally not at WrestleMania....FUCK PG! or whatever WWE is rated at the minute! I wanted an all out war like it was being built to be and I didn't get that, I got Taker vs Triple H at WrestleMania 27 with a couple more ingredients thrown in. The Cell might has well been inviciable it played no exciting role in the match what so ever. All 3 men played their roles incredibly well, sheer brilliant and you can see why they are still 3 of the top guys in the business but I didn't want Eastenders in a cage I wanted Mick Foley vs Undertaker at King of the Ring!! We got Sweat and Tears but I wanted Blood!

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Triple H vs Undertaker....the most engaging match of the night and the best. My big problem with the match is I got sick of seeing chair shots to the back, I hate watered down WWE...no blood...no chair shots to the head.

Chair shots to the head have fuck all to do with the PG rating. Its got more to do with the fact nobody wants to end up with Parkinsons. Its such a weak argument when people say shit like that. Who wants to see people getting their heads battered with chairs? It was stupid in 1998 and its stupid in 2012. Chairshots to the head could be used in WWE. They use sledgehammers to the head. The fact that chairshots actually hurt is the reason they dont use them. Not the TV certificate.

 

And there was blood. Made no difference to the drama at all. They didnt need it. Nobody reacted to it and nobody is talking about it post match. The story of the match far outweighed the shortcuts.

[Mr.Showtime]

John Cena v The Rock was an abomination. A few of us stayed up to watch the whole show and nobody was tired, nobody was burnt out after the amazingly entertaining Hell in a Cell match, and we could just about forgive the musical performances leading up to the main event. But John Cena v The Rock just did not deliver a thing. I am not a Cena hater but we just couldn't believe what was happening in the ring because he can't execute a damn thing correctly. A match a year in the making should not be a merely passable affair with chunks of it ripped off from old classics.

 

Why was Cena "shocked" after a couple of Rock moves, when 1) Rocky did exactly the same thing in the tag match at Survivor Series and 2) Cena's had a YEAR to prepare for The Rock and he's only had one match in that time?! It was just ridiculous. Cena is meant to dislike The Rock and vice versa but there was no animosity from Cena's side - it reminded me of HBK taking the piss during his match with Hogan. Part of the bout was Rock/Hogan, but not as good, another part was Warrior/Hogan, but not as good, the rest was Cena's rubbish attacks, his woeful STF, his nonsensical grins, his failure to take moves in a way that makes you believe. It's not all on Cena either - The Rock seemed to have more about him at Survivor Series, last night he was just...there, there was something missing. And the wrong man won.

 

Divas match apart, the rest of the show was quite enjoyable. Even the Bridge Club! Reminded me of Shelton Benjamin's momma. As mentioned Punk v Jericho built up into something decent. The Sheamus debacle would have been ok if they didn't put it on first and followed it with the match nobody cared about (Orton/Kane) but in storyline terms it does make good sense for the quick win. It also explains why hardly any effort was made to build the match up in the first place.

 

On a final note, it was touching to see Edge on the stage get a round of applause for his efforts. I was never a huge Edge fan but I felt happy for the man.

[windoesnot]

Triple H vs Undertaker....the most engaging match of the night and the best. My big problem with the match is I got sick of seeing chair shots to the back, I hate watered down WWE...no blood...no chair shots to the head.

Chair shots to the head have fuck all to do with the PG rating. Its got more to do with the fact nobody wants to end up with Parkinsons. Its such a weak argument when people say shit like that. Who wants to see people getting their heads battered with chairs? It was stupid in 1998 and its stupid in 2012.

 

And there was blood. Made no difference to the drama at all. They didnt need it.

 

Couldnt agree more. I never, ever want to see another Rock / Foley Rumble 99 type match with head chair shots like that match. On a very rare occasion a chair shot to the head is fine so long as its not completely unprotected. Doing it week in, week out like what used to happen just made it meaningless.

[JLM]

Triple H vs Undertaker....the most engaging match of the night and the best. My big problem with the match is I got sick of seeing chair shots to the back, I hate watered down WWE...no blood...no chair shots to the head.

Chair shots to the head have fuck all to do with the PG rating. Its got more to do with the fact nobody wants to end up with Parkinsons. Its such a weak argument when people say shit like that. Who wants to see people getting their heads battered with chairs? It was stupid in 1998 and its stupid in 2012. Chairshots to the head could be used in WWE. They use sledgehammers to the head. The fact that chairshots actually hurt is the reason they dont use them. Not the TV certificate.

 

And there was blood. Made no difference to the drama at all. They didnt need it. Nobody reacted to it and nobody is talking about it post match. The story of the match far outweighed the shortcuts.

 

Exactly. I actually meant to mention in my initial post how a flurry of chair shots to the back created just as much drama and contributed as much to the story as needlessly dangerous unprotected shots to the head used to.

[Retro Red]

The Cell match last night really kills any argument that a chair shot to the head is 'needed'. I'm surprised TommyBoi isn't in here protesting that wrestlers should risk concussion and brain injury for your

[Superplex]

A few moments aside this was a rather forgettable Wrestlemania. Maybe it's me getting older and therefore not as emotionally invested but Wrestlemania always used to represent the culmination of the hers most compelling story lines. This year WM seemed hollow, the streak is it's own entity and the icon versus the current superstar is pass

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

absolutely loved mania last night, i did get a bit leggy watching it near the end but i was right off my seat when rock won

 

bryan/sheamus i can see why some are complaining about it but i saw the bigger picture in that it was an explosive way to kick off the event and that bryan will come out of it a bigger cock by complaining that he wasn't ready and it was aj's fault

 

orton/kane was meh for me, suprised kane won and the top rope chokeslam was a decent spot

 

made up show won the ic title, but it was a tad short imo

 

the divas match was ok, got to give props to maria for doing it with cracked ribs and a stress fracture in the foot

 

HITC was an absolute belter, so glad they got jr to announce it as it added so much more to the drama, the ending with all three embracing on the ramp will be a spot that gets replayed for years to come

 

the 12 man tag was decent, much prefer to see johnny as full gm. the eve turn was so obvious when she come out with ryder but they should have done it for the finish rather than post match

 

punk/jericho was a great match, think jericho should have won it but glad punk did

 

rock/cena, i've seen on a couple of sites people calling this boring and an abomination but i thought it was awesome, didn't need the mgk and flo rida performances though and as i said at the start i was off my seat for the finish

 

overall i'd give it 8/10

[alanchiz]

Add me to the list of people miffed by the opener.

Not that Im a big ROH type fan or anything, Ive only really came to appreciate Bryan in the last few months, as he's clearly been working on his act, while Shamus just seems to have been treading water since the rumble. Basically D-Bry deserved a win there I felt, although I appreciate that this gives him plenty of material for the upcoming weeks.

My main problem with it though is that I had 2 seperate accumulators on, and they were both scuppered within 18 seconds of the show's opening bell. Most of my other picks came in too - A D-Bry win would have netted me

[Big Jock Knew]

All in all, I thought this was a really good WrestleMania. I was entertained for the entire four hours and bar some minor gripes I'll go into a bit, I thought it was a solid show from top to bottom. I've seen some pretty absurd comments in this thread that it was the best ever; I think on a repeat viewing you'd come down a bit from that. As others have said the stage set-up, pyro, production etc were all pretty spectacular and rose to the occasion.

 

- Put me in the camp that was supremely disappointed by the Sheamus/Daniel Bryan match. I don't buy into this crap that Bryan would have "loved the finish" and that the finish was the right one because it keeps the storyline ticking over. Yes, it might give the Daniel Bryan character some fuel for the next couple of months, but this would have been a bitter disappointment to both men I reckon. This is two years in a row they've been deprived the opportunity to have the cracking match I'm sure they would have had. Who cares if they can do it at Extreme Rules/Over the Limit/every PPV for the next six months? It's not WrestleMania, and it's especially not going to be in front of a 70,000+ crowd that was white-hot for both of them. The amount of "YES!" signs in the crowd was staggering and there was a really loud, organic "YES!" chant sweeping the arena just as things started/ended simultaneously. Sheamus will be gutted as well I reckon. For someone who has been on Mania with Triple H and capturing the World Heavyweight title, he hasn't half been shifted to the side.

 

- Orton/Kane was fine as a match. Neither are particularly great in the ring so I thought they had quite a decent contest for the time they had. Was this wrestling's first ever coupon buster? We've had shock results in the past but as far as I'm aware, never have so many people had real money on it. Paddy Power must be laughing their way to the bank.

 

- The Hell in a Cell match was easily the best thing on the card and had that massive WrestleMania feeling to it. I said it during Undertaker's entrance, but he is still the best they've got and surely to God inspires zero apathy from any wrestling fans. His entrance sent the old shivers down my spine. I actually had a mark-out moment as the Cell descended to the Metallica track, a sporadic moment of feeling about 10 years old again. The match was quality. I completely bought into the story of it all and was wincing at certain parts. Who needs thumb tacks and all kinds of silly gimmicks when you have The Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels telling the story? I don't like the snowflakes system but this was 5 stars. Undertaker is the best Mania performer ever as far as I'm concerned. His run of belting matches in the last decade is so impressive for a guy of his age/size. I have always said that Taker/HBK I was the best they've done but I think this could equal or surpass it. I'll need to watch it again.

 

- Johnny's suit was fantastic. I am now considering asking my brother if I can wear a similar number to his wedding.

 

- The WWE title match was excellent I thought. I had an idea it'd be a bit of a slow-burner but a massive fuck you to the bellends in the crowd who were shitting on it from a great height just as it began. This probably could have ended up going the way of Edge/Jericho from WM26 where no-one was really bothered but after a while, they had everyone in the arena going. I still think Punk should be the focal point going forward. Jericho deserves a lot of credit for his role in the match, I loved the Lion Tamer making a return.

 

- I wasn't as impressed by Cena/Rock as some people seem to be. The feeling in the stadium must have been amazing and the hysteria at the beginning was pretty special. Other than that, I have a few complaints about it. I'm not a fan of modern rap music so to me, the performances before the match kind of hindered proceedings. Flo Rida is a big star but I couldn't care less. I was hoping that during the entrances before each guy's theme hit, they would do some kind of videos on the screen like what you see during the ring-walks in a Klitschko fight; one last opportunity to talk smack before the match began. I thought the match itself was pretty flat. Cena really does have the best entrance music for getting booed out of an arena. I love that moment of silence before you hear the first bars of his theme where you can tell everyone is preparing themselves to give him absolute dog's abuse. Last night's wasn't quite on Money in the Bank level of hatred but he got some pretty big heat. The crowd was going bananas and that helped things, I'm sure if you were in attendance it would have been awesome but I felt the mechanics just seemed really basic compared to the epic HIAC and the crisp nature of Punk/Jericho. I've gone sour on The Rock in recent months so I wasn't particularly happy with the result, although I'm waiting to see how things pan out before accusing anyone of anything.

[Cobra1000]

Well here comes a whole lot of negativity. I though Wrestlemania was pretty much a disaster this year.

 

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus - This set the tone, I was so hyped for mania and then, 10 seconds in heres a kick in the balls. Pretty sure every fan wanted to see these guys go at it. not saying give them half an hour, but an opener to set the tone, not fucking kill any enthusiasm i had! It does nothing for either of them and makes Daniel Bryan and his World Title reign a joke. They had the change to establish him at mania as a top heel and re establish Sheamus who has been floundering of late as a top face, but no this was awful. people expected to see these guys go at it. I'm so gutted.

 

Randy Orton vs Kane - this was not good, it felt like the were going at half pace or something. Kane was slow and lumbering and I expected a bit better from the two of them.

 

Cody Rhodes vs Big Show - again, this wasn't great. I think it was also the wrong result as Cody could have gone intot he upper midcard role with a victory, but a match that didn't really take off.

 

Maria M and Kelly Kelly vs Eve and Beth phoenix - Shit. Nothing more can be said.

 

an absolutely woeful first hour, and why didn't they have many video packages throughout the night? Oh and Heath Slater was rather humerous, and Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins made an appearance, woo.

 

Triple H vs The Undertaker - I didn't like it. i'm sorry. i've read all the praise on here and I just thought it was boring. Why was the Cell even there? I'm not saying "get on top of the cage", "throw him off etc" but at least use it...I really didn't like this match, it felt like Bret Hart smacking Vince a few years ago and i didn't enjoy it, the near falls were just the same as last year really, I didn't feel any excitement and I actually though HBK took away from the match with his expressions and generally acting like a twat.

 

Team Johnny vs Team Teddy - Pet peeve, i hate when they wrestle in t shirts. Dolph did his best to bump like a mad man, and i'm pleased for Zach Ryder and The Miz for the contributions the two got. Did any one else noticed David Otunga was never officially tagged in? Not great, but actually a bit better than I expected.

 

Chris Jericho vs CM Punk - I really like the second half of this match, it took a good while to get going, but I really like the drama and when Jericho dropped down from the top rope into the Walls was class. Decent match but i think maybe everyone had the expectations too high

 

Brodus Clay and his Momma - Oddly I didn't mind this, it was obviously shit but they needed something to let people chill before Rock - Cena.

 

John Cena vs The Rock - This was decent, but it wasn't a classic. it has nowhere near the same level of passion as RVD vs Cena or Punk vs Cena. I guess there just wasn't enough bitterness between Rock and Cena. Cena went from great to awful and back to great again. Some of his expressions are awful but then some are spectacular. So The Rock won, thats basically saying "hey see these guys today, the aren't as good as the Rock so why bother watching anymore?" (which you know is true, but please don't say it!)

 

overall it was a bad show for me, i'm sure people loved it and i'm glad, maybe WWE just isn't for me anymore, I'm really gutted as I was so excited the whole of last week for this. Oh well.

[FUM]

I have a feeling I'm sleeping on the couch tonight...#wrestlemania

 

AJ on Twitter. Daniel Bryan is going to be awesome over the next few weeks.

[Fliff]

Managed to stay awake for about an hour through it, drifted off to sleep during the Divas match, woke up to see the Rock celebrating and Cena looking bummed out, typical.

 

Sheamus vs Bryan left an awfully bitter taste. I was kind of hoping that after Big Johnny's team got the win he would have had the match thrown out and re-started, alas it wasn't to be. Bryan was an excellent Champion and i would have loved to see him continue his reign, although as a Sheamus fan i am looking forward to see what he will bring to the table as champion. Hopefully they do something on Smackdown to keep the ball rolling with Bryan and keep him in the title picture.

 

Orton vs Kane wasn't the best match of the night but was a lot better than i thought it would have been. Surprised Kane got the win, that top rope Chokeslam was pretty cool though.

 

Foley & Santino's skit was just cringe worthy, thank god for Ron Simmons.

 

Big Show vs Cody alright as well, i would have loved to see Cody hold onto the strap a bit longer but having Show loose would have just made him look like a chump. Hopefully Cody can start moving up the card and into the World Title Picture.

 

Divas match put me to sleep, standard.

 

Waiting for the show to download so can watch the rest. So far so good.