WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII Discussion Thread

[Vice]

Good show, but not spectacular.

 

It's a shame that Bryan and Sheamus didn't get to have a proper match and that kind of soured me, but I can appreciate that what we did get was a funny and unexpected opening to Mania that fits perfectly with Bryan's character and will continue nicely from here.

 

Maybe it's because I expected it to be a lot worse, but I quite liked Orton vs. Kane. It wasn't anything memorable or great by any stretch, but I thought it was a good effort and they managed to put on something fairly entertaining given the uninspired situation they were in.

 

Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes was decent enough.

 

Maria Menounos was bad even for a celebrity.

 

Undertaker vs. Triple H was show-closer material. It was a terrific dramatic, blockbuster match. As someone else pointed out too, the little things were very nice touches, like both men exhausted on the mat and Taker grabbing at Triple H's hair and Triple H swatting his hand away. As great as this match was, I still prefer last year's match. This year's did tip into overkill; there was too much 'dialogue' and too many attempts to create lasting images. Last year, Triple H crossing The Undertaker's arms for the pin, only for Taker to kick out and then Triple H backing away in shock as if he was fighting an indestructible monster, stands way more than anything in this match.

 

The multi-man match served its purpose.

 

The opening moments of CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho were fucking awful. Jericho's acting was cringeworthy; "How's your FAATHERR, Punk?!" Thankfully, they dropped that shit pretty quickly and then it became about the wrestling; this match was like its own build-up in reverse. It delivered well enough in the end, even if it wasn't quite the show-stealer I'd hoped for.

 

Rock vs. Cena was an odd one. It didn't give me goosebumps the same way that Rock vs. Hogan did at all, nor did it have me on the edge of my seat, but it was a great spectacle and an enjoyable match. I wanted Cena to win, but a Rock victory is what the night needed and it opens up more opportunities creatively. Cena deserves a lot of credit for a fine performance, too.

 

I'd say Mania was certainly worth the money, but it wasn't out of this world or anything. The top 3 matches delivered, the other matches were relatively good and there wasn't really anything excruciatingly bad (I'll forgive the Brodus Clay segment for being short). People are saying there wasn't too much filler, but I do think there was a little bit too much come-down stuff. While nothing was particularly bad or boring, the practically uneventful stretch between Triple H vs. The Undertaker and CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho was prolonged more than it had to be. Same leading into Rock vs. Cena; 3 songs, some video packages AND Brodus Clay. It's not all a major complaint, however. It was still one of the better recent Manias.

[Slapnut]

Well that was a treat. I don't there there was a match I didn't enjoy (except the divas match, which was expected).

 

The thing that annoyed me about the opening match was that Sheamus and Bryan could have had an absolute stormer if they were given time, even if it was just 10 minutes. Bryan's reaction was brilliant though, it'll be cool to see what happens next. They'll probably have another match at Extreme Rules, but it would've been good to see them go here.

 

I thought Orton vs. Kane was quite good, especially since I wasn't expecting much from it. Same with Cody vs. Show too, plus I was absolutely thrilled to see Big Show win. He looked genuinely chuffed and I felt chuffed for him.

 

Undertaker looked pretty shit last night. His mohawk was stupid and I couldn't stop staring at his gut. However, he made up for it in the next half hour with Triple H. I absolutely fucking loved this match. Much better than their match last year which is saying something. As much as I tell myself Taker won't lose at Wrestlemania (which he won't), they still had me with that Superkick/Pedigree combo. Spectacular.

 

Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy was fun enough. That's the most I've enjoyed The Miz in a while as well, he's been shit for a while now.

 

Punk vs. Jericho - at this point I was in and out of sleep. I'll rewatch this later.

 

There's not much left to say about Rock vs. Cena. It was pretty much exactly as I anticipated. They could have had a shit match and it still would've been brilliant. It leaves so much open going into the next year as well, as loads of people have said Cena can't just go and feud with Del Rio or Mark Henry now.

 

I think I'll conveniently take a trip to New Jersey at this time next year.

[FLips]

Undertaker/HHH was easily MOTN and as far as I'm concerned will end up being MOTY. I sat gobsmacked during the entire match, and every near-fall was perfect. When he got hit with the Sweet Chin Music & Pedigree combo I actually thought that was it.

 

Fantastic Wrestlemania, the best in years.

[Magnum]

I've deliberately avoided the rest of the thread so I can post my initial, unfiltered thoughts on the show. For me, it was the best Wrestlemania in years. The last 3 or 4 years have left me either generally underwhelmed or with the feeling (in the case of the Taker/HBK matches) that one fantastic match saved a poor show, but this one really felt like the Wrestlemanias of old to me, from the star power involved to the open air arena.

 

I absolutely loved Taker/HHH and Rock/Cena, and thought the booking was pretty near perfect in each case without springing any major shocks in either match. I also surprisingly enjoyed Jericho/Punk, considering I'm pretty ambivalent to both men and the only bits of WWE TV I've seen for months are the Rock/Cena promos, so I had little to no clue what their feud was about. The only thing I thought pretty much sucked about the show was the lack of highlight packages before matches to fill casual viewers like me in on what's led up to each match - usually Wrestlemania is the best show of the year for these sorts of things, but they seemed lacking or absent last night. As I say though, that's a minor quibble - I came out of that show feeling like a kid again rather than a jaded cynic, and that's exactly what I want out of Wrestlemania.

[tiger_rick]

The only thing I thought pretty much sucked about the show was the lack of highlight packages before matches to fill casual viewers like me in on what's led up to each match -

I think that's fair comment. On the flip side though, I thought the Cena/Rock & Punk/Jericho packages they put together were the thing that was absolutely missing from Raw last week as a selling point.

[LariatTom]

At the time, I was really pissed off at Bryan/Sheamus. The initial shock of the match being over in 18 seconds was a huge one and everyone in the group I was watching with were just as annoyed. Looking back at it now and even just thinking about it over the rest of the show, it's a brilliant move. Whether we see it tonight or on Smackdown, Bryan is (hopefully) going to get some time to cut a promo and gain back any heat and momentum he may have lost because of that match, which is something I'll really be looking forward to. Bryan will most likely come out of this with even more behind him than he did going into Wrestlemania which can only be a good thing. For that, I can forgive an 18 second match.

 

HHH/Taker was fantastic and I thought it was much better than last year's match. Even though the cell wasn't as used as much as it could have potentially been, just the spectacle of having a Hell in a Cell match between these two added to the match. Some of those chair shots sounded nasty as hell, and Undertaker's back looked like a mess afterwards. HBK's involvement in the match was better than I'd hoped for, and I quite liked the idea of the two guys beating other and trying to get Shawn to stop the match knowing that neither man would stay down. The finish was really good for me, and all that I think it was missed was a jumping tombstone like Shawn got to send him into retirement. The post-match stuff was a thing of beauty.

 

Rock/Cena was another really good match that delivered what I expected. The atmosphere was electric and both guys worked their arses off in the match. In my eyes, tonight's Raw will be one of the most important shows in John Cena's career. Everything hinges on how he reacts to the loss. The finish suggested that maybe he got a bit cocky going for the People's Elbow and it cost him the match. Cena was the man who said that he had everything to lose if he didn't win this match. He lost...it's going to make for fascinating viewing to see how/if he bounces back and what comes next. I might be feeling tired and have to be on a coach back to Leeds tomorrow morning, but I'm seriously tempted to stay up to watch Raw live to see what happens.

 

At the start of the show, we said that we wouldn't watch it like internet fans and instead watch it like the marks that we are deep down inside. That child that fell in love with wrestling had a fantastic Wrestlemania, and that's what matters. To a fan of WWE and wrestling in general, you couldn't really ask for a better show than last night.

[Fatty Facesitter]

Just to add my two pennies worth about the chair shot to the back stuff, JR described it magnificently on commentary. He said something along the lines of "Not the head, the SPINE." Really sold the impact of it and you didn't give a hoot about it not being head shots.

 

An absolutely fantastic Wrestlemania. Ian hit the nail on the head when said this art from does still exist. The Hell in a Cell was just masterful. I do disagree with Ian on one thing though. HBK, 'Taker and HHH are not masters of their craft. They ARE the fucking craft. Three legitimate wrestling icons. I'm not sure where this leaves 'Taker and HHH, but what a way to bow out of the limelight if that was the case. And 20-0? That's absolutely staggering, pre-determined results or not.

 

Rock/Cena was brilliant. For Rock to come back and perform like that just shows how supremely gifted he is. I'd go as far to say it's one of his best ever matches. Credit too to John Cena, and I can't wait to see how he responds to it after the whole "I HAVE to win" business.

 

With the Daniel Bryan thing, the only thing that dissapointed me was that I wanted to see the crowd get a bit longer to shower him with "YES! YES! YES!" chants. Those signs at the start were fucking brilliant!! Sheamus looks like a complete badass, so I was pleased for him to get the win. They need to give him some more merch to shift now and he'll be set for life I reckon.

 

As brilliant as the show was, I couldn't help but feel supremely jealous. I'm sure many UKFF'ers will attest to this, but once you've been to Wrestlemania you want to keep coming back every year. The year you can't is an absolute sickner. All the same, I'm deadset on attending 'Mania 29 and I'm hoping to for some announcements tonight to whet the appetite!

[tiger_rick]

In my eyes, tonight's Raw will be one of the most important shows in John Cena's career. Everything hinges on how he reacts to the loss. The finish suggested that maybe he got a bit cocky going for the People's Elbow and it cost him the match. Cena was the man who said that he had everything to lose if he didn't win this match. He lost...it's going to make for fascinating viewing to see how/if he bounces back and what comes next. I might be feeling tired and have to be on a coach back to Leeds tomorrow morning, but I'm seriously tempted to stay up to watch Raw live to see what happens.

 

Trying not to get my hopes up for Raw. I said ages ago that losing to The Rock could put another layer on the Cena character, lead to him becoming more driven, more aggressive and more serious. I've got a horrible feeling that they'll just brush it aside and he'll cut one of his awful jokey promos or worse still, he'll shake hands with The Rock.

[spotlightmagnet1]

Watched it this morning, my thoughts:

 

I was so pissed when Bryan got kicked and pinned. It stuck in my craw thinking how great Bryan has been and the fantastic ovation he got plus the sea of YES signs. Sheamus won and I'm guessing this will lead to a load of more Bryan bullying AJ but considering this match was bumped once before what a bullshit move.

 

Orton and Kane was alright, but it wasn't really anything special.

 

Big Show and Cody was alright too, but this would've been the match I cut to a few seconds. It would've made more sense, Cody laughing at Show, one punch and Shows now laughing. Anyway, sour grapes aside, good match but awful promo video at the start.

 

Skipped the divas match as I wasn't interested.

 

Hell in a Cell match was epic. It was back and forth and I loved it. The little touches were fantastic as ws Shawn's performance, I genuinely felt like he was being torn apart inside. Real gripping stuff, glad Taker kept his streak but HHH was great throughout. Great match. Crap haircut.

 

Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy was alright. Nice triple somersault spot. Miz deserved the win, especially after Otunga cocked up the 'throat on rope' spot. But why couldn't Ryder keep some dignity? Getting nutted by Eve was just a bastard move by the booking team.

 

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho I thought was very good. The start was a little slow but it built and built. I thought it was close to being a great match, I really did.

 

Rock vs. Cena was pretty much what you'd expect. I have to ask what's wrong with the bloke singing that song for Cena? He kept shaking like Rainman with parkinsons. Anyway it was a good showing for both men, but the crowd was a little dead. Rock looked good and I jumped a little when he hit that last Rock Bottom and won. So sue me, I like Rock over Cena. But Cena really looked crushed which sold the match's importance.

 

Worth the money but I'm still fuming over Bryan-Sheamus, it's quite sad I get this annoyed by a wrestling match but I thought at least Bryan who's hard work has been the highlight of Smackdown. Anyway still enjoyed the show.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Anyway it was a good showing for both men, but the crowd was a little dead.

You need new speakers.

[LariatTom]

In my eyes, tonight's Raw will be one of the most important shows in John Cena's career. Everything hinges on how he reacts to the loss. The finish suggested that maybe he got a bit cocky going for the People's Elbow and it cost him the match. Cena was the man who said that he had everything to lose if he didn't win this match. He lost...it's going to make for fascinating viewing to see how/if he bounces back and what comes next. I might be feeling tired and have to be on a coach back to Leeds tomorrow morning, but I'm seriously tempted to stay up to watch Raw live to see what happens.

 

Trying not to get my hopes up for Raw. I said ages ago that losing to The Rock could put another layer on the Cena character, lead to him becoming more driven, more aggressive and more serious. I've got a horrible feeling that they'll just brush it aside and he'll cut one of his awful jokey promos or worse still, he'll shake hands with The Rock.

 

Oh, I really hope not. Cena has to become more driven, aggressive and serious following this. I'm not saying he'll drop the jokey side altogether since that's not likely, but he needs to be more intense on a regular basis. If they go for a rematch, Cena will be the one chasing it and he needs to prove that he NEEDS it. If he cuts a jokey promo, then that'll be like last night never happened which he really shouldn't do.

[buba3d]

"camera men talking" lolz

 

I really felt sorry for the poor sods still stuck outside 40 mins into the show.

[FLips]

Anyway it was a good showing for both men, but the crowd was a little dead.

You need new speakers.

 

I wouldn't say the crowd were dead, but they weren't as hot as I expected. They were making noise, but it wasn't even close to being Hogan/Rock noise, which is this era's version of that.

[ColinBollocks]

In my eyes, tonight's Raw will be one of the most important shows in John Cena's career. Everything hinges on how he reacts to the loss. The finish suggested that maybe he got a bit cocky going for the People's Elbow and it cost him the match. Cena was the man who said that he had everything to lose if he didn't win this match. He lost...it's going to make for fascinating viewing to see how/if he bounces back and what comes next. I might be feeling tired and have to be on a coach back to Leeds tomorrow morning, but I'm seriously tempted to stay up to watch Raw live to see what happens.

 

Trying not to get my hopes up for Raw. I said ages ago that losing to The Rock could put another layer on the Cena character, lead to him becoming more driven, more aggressive and more serious. I've got a horrible feeling that they'll just brush it aside and he'll cut one of his awful jokey promos or worse still, he'll shake hands with The Rock.

 

Oh, I really hope not. Cena has to become more driven, aggressive and serious following this. I'm not saying he'll drop the jokey side altogether since that's not likely, but he needs to be more intense on a regular basis. If they go for a rematch, Cena will be the one chasing it and he needs to prove that he NEEDS it. If he cuts a jokey promo, then that'll be like last night never happened which he really shouldn't do.

It's Cena though, he'll be back to smiling and joking about the loss and moving on - it's what he does. Cole was even spouting some pish about 'both are winners/Cena never really lost' etc just after the pin. I can see Raw being about making Cena look like the Don again.

[spotlightmagnet1]

Anyway it was a good showing for both men, but the crowd was a little dead.

You need new speakers.

 

I wouldn't say the crowd were dead, but they weren't as hot as I expected. They were making noise, but it wasn't even close to being Hogan/Rock noise, which is this era's version of that.

That's more what I meant, considering the reactions in say Taker/Triple H, it wasn't quite as loud as I would've expected.