WrestleMania aftermath

How Soon Is Now

So after all the waiting it turned out to be very very average. To be honest this is the best where gonna get unless some people back stage wake the feck up and sort things out.

So many things were done wrong tonight.

Degag

Taker and HHH stole the show... after that it was pretty meh. Whoever booked the ending to the Cena Miz match should be shot. Terrible stuff.

chuckliddell

horrible horrible stuff

el dude

It was poo.

Even the Taker HHH match. Three pedigree chums, a stell chair to the head, a bloody TOMBSTONE! And he still won, using a submission where his shoulders were on the mat the whole time?

Lame sauce.

Bounty Hunter

Taker nearly Killed himself trying to take as much punishment as possible in his match to atleast give people something to talk about, but the main event dissapointed. Miz retained which I liked but despite us all loving The Rock it was dissapointing that he essentially squashed the 2 current WWE main eventers to finish the show. He know has to have Rock vs Cena atleast imo. Speaking of Cena given his tendancy to be superhero like it was quite surprising he was out completely after the Rock Bottom. i dont mean that he was out long enough to be pinned but that he didnt get up and seek retaliation as Rock did his peoples elbow and posed as the show went off air. The commentaters did keep saying he seemed off his game and hurt, maybe he did get injured and the end was in part an improvised finish.

ill add a poll to this after catching up on an hour or 2s sleep

J. Marston

Edge/ADR was good.
Rey/Cody was okay, nothing special.
8 man tag was ****.
Punk/Orton was alright, wrong person won though.
Cole/Lawler went on far too long.
Taker/Triple H was brilliant.
6 person tag match was nothing but Trish was in it so that makes it better than 8 man tag. Also, Snooki can flip like no-ones business!
Cena/Miz was boring. Rocky did what he could at the end.

Be interesting to see Raw tomorrow though.

GTR63

Taker vs HHH was Great but I never believed Triple H could win.Del Rio vs Edge as the opener what a insult to the World Title,the match was good but nothing special.Cena vs Miz was booked by Vince Russo.Overbooked with some Painfully average wrestling for a Main Event of the biggest show of the year.Wonder was Bryan vs Sheamus good it wasn't even on we instead got a load of inferior matches.

Glico Man

New writers and bookers are badly badly needed. It was such a poor show, and the first nail in the coffin was to put the US title match as the dark match... for what reason I cannot imagine. Even have a battle royale with all of the lower card stars but not a title match...

Very poor show and I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I streamed it and still feel as though I'm owed a refund :mad:

barura

RAW will sort all out, I hope. Until then, I'll keep my opinions to myself.

G'night all.

spiralism

Edge v Del Rio : Decent start, too early in the event though and wrong person won. Hate to see a vintage Rolls getting made bits of like that though, it seemed stupid and childish
Rey v Cody : Not too bad a match at all actually, pleasantly surprised that cody won
8 man tag: Spot fest. Didn't even care.
Punk v Orton: Great match imo
Sheamus v Bryan: ?????
Cole v Lawler: Entertaining but went on far too long (Vince clearly did not learn his lesson after his bout with Bret last year). Made a bit of a balls of.
Taker v HHH(or how to sell multiple finishers and weapons) : Classic. Slightly below his two bouts with HBK but a great match nonetheless. Taker was imo hurt legit and it slightly detracted from it though
Snookifest: emm? Dunno, expected nothing, didn't watch, went to get a drink instead
Miz v Cena(or how to no-sell multiple finishers and weapons): The Good: Miz won. Actual wrestling action was alright. The Rock at the end. The Bad: Cena's entrance. Cena getting dog's abuse at the biggest ppv of the year as the WWE's top face. Cena in general. Miz being made look weak by Rocky despite winning in the main event of Wrestlemania. The Double Countout. Crowd was dead from the Taker match on, the incredible predictability of the Rock Bottom to cost Cena the title.... could go on

Did Miz get any mic time in the whole event, come to think of it?

Liam O

thought it was average. It had all the ingredients but wasn't executed right as far as I'm concerned.

Why did they cut the US title match and then have 15 minute entrance/closing scenes? There was poor time management and some matches should have been given much more time.

The WHC shouldn't have been the first match. End of.

The Rock and Stone Cold go face to face and shake hands. Wow. Also Rock got about 15 minutes of face time in the whole 4 hours, hardly enough to make it the 'most memorable Mania of all time'.

Taker and HHH was a bit of an anti climax and really showed up HHH's lack of moves that the only thing he could do was the pedigree which shouldn't have happened 3 times. Also HHH sitting in the corner for about 2 minutes after taking next to no punishment and being completely in control was stupid.

There were more bad points but there were also some good points. Miz and Cena did have some good moments before it capitulated. Quite liked the Snoop Dogg promo and Edge and Del Rio and Rey and Rhodes were good matches. I'll probably be able to reflect on it better tomorrow but they're my initial thoughts.

jaykhunter

Rock's promo went on far too long. Ten minutes is enough, we lost Danielson/Sheamus for that?
Too much vignette sh!t. Good to see Ryder but wow the terrible writing makes me ashamed to be a wrestling fan. Even Rock was spouting Gerwitz sh!t. AWFUL SKITS apart from Ryder (WWWYKI)
What's with the religious overtones? Rock/Cena's speeches on RAW about the Good Lord, Rock's speech 2n, Cena's entrance?? Am I missing something?
Edge/ADR was alright. annoyed at it's position on the card
Rey/Cody was okay, nothing special.
8 man tag wasn't a match.
Punk/Orton wasn't great, it was good though. Nice finish, Punk should've won.
Cole/Lawler didn't have enough shortcuts. Flat match unfortunately.
Taker/Triple H was great. The last half of the match was HBK/Taker with the big move/kick out/replay-rest and repeat.
6 person tag match was nothing, trish was quite awkward, Snooki was impressive - well done!
Tripper's entrance was AWESOME. Miz's build-up video also was awesome.
Cena/Miz was a very poor match, it was a f**king angle.
Rock had his feel-good angle with Miz and building with Cena. Nice but wow, we're using a mania to build to another mania. Sigh

Overall, it was good, but not great. Most of the matches fell below their potential and my hopes. No MITB and no Bryan/Sheamus and an awful main event = meh.

spiritcrusher

Very disappointed after I kept telling my friend who hasn't seen much WWE in years to "Wait until Bryan and Sheamus come on! They will be fcuking fantastic!". I was looking forward to that as much as The Rock as they're two very talented wrestlers, then they (and we) got screwed.
As for The Rock/Cena/Miz... Well, for sure this time it was the writers that got that baaaadly wrong. I know when things go right it's the wrestlers, when things go wrong it's the writers, but for sure that was a booking clusterfcuk/brain fart . The Rock got nothing except the blindingly obvious ending, Cena's character went nowhere despite a glorious opportunity for change and The Miz... actually I think the Miz came out the best. He kicked out of the AA and didn't cheat to win. Although I fail to see what giving him a people's elbow sets up.
Either he's sticking around and it's Rock/Cena or backstage shat their collective pants.
Biggest shock of the night was Cole being awarded the win.

seandotcomm

Just back from it now. Enjoyed it as it was my first wrestlemania but yea, diabolical booking. US title match was annoucned as the dark match and it was a lumberjack match. I thought why are they gona do 2 US title matches..
It was only when the event was over I realized they just took it off the main card completely. When a brawl broke out with the 20-something lumberjacks, Teddy came and made it into the usual battle royal. Which turned out not to be for the title. Poor Sheamus. What an insult. And all the time wasted on Cole / Lawlor. 8 man tag was a joke too. How did the crowd sound on tv? Seemed dead enough although coulda been due to the size of the place...

Jazzy

yeah me and my mate thought the crowd was very subdued. think vicky and drew carey got the biggest heat of the night. really was a sham of a mania. HHH - taker was better 10 years ago, the match tonight was the "lets watch taker kick out of things" experience. they actually barely wrestled each other which is such a shame for 2 greats.

cena - lol. totally glad the rock screwed him. anything bad that happens to cena in the ring i like

edge vs del rio.... um? wtf? nothing happened. and since when are faces dickheads? not only does edge beat him but he smashes his car for no reason. then later on rey tries cheating with the mask (and is also dressed as captain america even though hes mr mexican heritage. hey rey, how about a tribute mask to Blue Demon or heck, even your dad instead of a blockbuster movie or upcoming blockbuster movie). orton goes around kicking ppl in the head, snooki is on the face team, santino is an italian clown.... it all leaves me to believe that yes, in fact, being a dickhead is cool.

no titles changed. no fueds were started that we didnt already know about. NO KEVIN NASH!. and 2 of the guys who could make a good match get shoehorned into a battle royal. a soul choir intro for cena. jesus, the **** list has filled right up tonight

johnnycnandy

I didn't think it was that bad. Taker/HHH was good. So was Cody/Rey and Edge/Del Rio. There was nothing predictable about the show. Hell, they even made me believe Taker was about to lose after the tombstone. The video package for the Miz before the main event was fantastic. Fair play to the lad, from being a joke to main eventing WM and looking like a bad ass in a few years, all of his own doing. I have literally been waiting for that Rock Bottom to Cena for years. That sent me to bed happy. Rock/Cena has to happen now

Ridley

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

ill add a poll to this after catching up on an hour or 2s sleep

Elimination Chamber was out of ten.

Bit of a mixed bag, really. I'd say none of the matches were bad, but the two tag matches were just not good enough. The Corre steamrolled again, and Ziggler and Morrison didn't do anything.

Bryan and Sheamus got screwed. It was either going to be them or the eight-man tag off the card if it happened even though there was plenty of time for them to have a ten minute match if Rock's initial promo was shortened and the Snoop Dogg shenanigans never happened. Tempted to say what was the point but it's nothing WWE haven't done before (backstage dancing with Ron Simmons's damn for example) though I think it was grossly misjudged. It was something that has been and would be done on Raw. Zack Ryder singing Friday doesn't save it.

Steve Austin does nothing for me so the staredown with Rock didn't but I can say I at least enjoyed Rock's reactions to Mae Young. I hope something will be resolved with the anonymous GM now.

Happy with Mysterio/Rhodes and Orton/Punk. Cole/Lawler did what they were supposed to and I'll take that over Hart/McMahon, as did HHH/Taker. Edge/De Rio was fine.

As for Miz/Cena... without The Rock and the religious ballyhoo, it was really pedestrian. I hope that isn't the resolution to Cena/Rock but the match was a Raw main event. Cena beaten down for the majority of the match only for a double count out finish so the champ retains.

I'll give it 6/10. I'll take it over the let down that was WM26's short-match-a-thon but yeah, average is about right. If the pattern continues I'll be happy with Extreme Rules like EC and TLC but going "wha?" at the so-called big PPVs.

ayatollah

have to say that was one of the worse Wrestlemanias i've ever seen.

seriously i wasted my time and money - could've had a good nights sleep - ****in annoyed.

was actually looking forward to the danielson seamus match and all - the following all got fu<ked in the ass - miz looked so weak it was unreal - what was he going to shoot super cena next - ****in stupid.
cm punk - super orton now is it?
seamus - 2 time world champ to dark match - wow
danielson - dark match - are you kidding me?
the corre - what was the point of this match?
dibiase - where are you?

i was honestly looking forward to this but it was poor to say the least

JP Liz V1

I am very surprised Edge and Miz both retained their titles

CMpunked

For anyone wondering about where Daniel Bryan v Sheamo went;

Not only was it not on the card, it was turned into a battle royal!!

WZ's own Chris Cash is live in Atlanta for WrestleMania, and is reporting that Sheamus (c) vs. Daniel Bryan for The US Title has been taken off the main PPV card and the match is taking place right now as a lumberjack dark match. More details on this developing story as they become available.

In an update to the story we just broke, the Lumberjacks interfered in the US Title Dark Match between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, Teddy Long came out and made the match a non-title Battle Royal with Sheamus, Daniel Bryan and all the Lumberjacks involved. So it appears that Sheamus vs Bryan could still take place on the main PPV card.Obviously it didnt..

In an update to our previous stories, The Great Khali won the non-title dark match Battle Royal. It came down to Sheamus, Bryan and Khali, and after Bryan eliminated Sheamus, Khali eliminated Bryan. Chris Cash reported that Khali got a huge pop from the crowd. He also noted that Sheamus got about as good of a pop as Daniel Bryan did.

SlickRic

right...time to give a run down, and probably a rant by the end of it....

firstly, if this show doesn't cause me to give up on wrestling, then nothing ever will. and for those who go for a simplistic answer of "it's because it's PG", it's got absolutely nothing to do with that. it's got everything to do with writers trying to book wrestling. that's it. they've no idea how to do it properly.

ok...

when The Rock came out for his promo, and had the crowd in his palm i thought it was going to be an epic night. it set things up perfectly, and i just hoped that he'd actually host WM properly. alas, he was completely underutilised, and in the end, misused completely. but i'll get to that later...

Bryan and Sheamus were screwed not getting on this card. there was only 2 hours of wrestling FFS. loads of room for a quality 8 minute starter from them. and it would have been a sweet start, no question. instead, we get a World Title Match - the quality of which was just fine - but the winner of the Rumble should never open the night. i have a feeling Vince has lost a bit of confidence in Alberto. a decent match though, and i'm glad we didn't get the expected Christian heel turn.

i'm not going to talk about the skits as they came up during the show. suffice to say they were mildly entertaining, but not worth it. bar Rock's face off with Austin, which was an awesome touch for us older fans.

The Corre getting annihilated - nice. very meh match, but what do you expect for 3 minutes?

Cody against Rey was a great little match, and i was happy to see Cody go over. a super outing by both of them, and Rey went out of his way to give Cody a rub. nice stuff.

Cole/Lawler was a huge letdown and i felt sorry for Jerry having to sell that ludicrous offence from Cole - offence which absolutely killed the match stone dead. the swerve for the DQ was dumb at best, downright shameful at worst.

Punk/Orton was probably MOTN. Punk really is compulsive viewing and made this. i can't get into Orton's character at all, but the story told with the leg was a smart touch, and the RKO was a great spot, even though we've seen the 'RKO out of nowhere' a million times before. this match, given more time, would've been brilliant.

HHH/Taker, perhaps controversially, IMO, was pretty fúcking shíte. you could see that Taker is absolutely crippled and shouldn't be near a ring anymore in all honesty. and it was just a mini-spot fest. there was no psychology to any of it. and the 3 Pedigrees and Tombstone by HHH on Taker was a depserate attempt to get a reaction from the crowd, but IMO, just ended up looking stupid in the grand scheme of things. the Tombstone did make me believe HHH would win it, so they did well there, but that was it. the submission made sense in that you couldn't have Taker Tombstone him after the pummelling HHH gave him, but still...i hate Hell's Gate. it'll get MOTN with many because of who they are, but in reality it was slow, and just impossible to really get into. and Taker's selling at the end, if it wasn't legit, was an absolute joke of the highest order - 7 FÚCKING MINUTES to get out the ring.

Snooki-mania was as expected, but i must commend her on her performance. she did well. but moment of the match was easily Trish's ass-crack. damn she is fúcking fine.

the Main Event was ok, but it was just not a 'main event at Mania' standard event. i say it was ok ignoring the booking, which was horrendous. the two put on a decent little match, nothing special, i don't think they had the time they should have. and i thought we'd get a Wrestlemania standard moment after Miz kicked out of the FU. the crowd was into it at that point and so was i. but that bullshít ending ruined everything.

are they serious? they couldn't come up with a better way of using Rock than that? i've no problem him screwing Cena over, it was to be expected, but to have Miz keep the title (by the way, a Mania Main Event should never EVER go to count out under any circumstances), then have Rock come out, restart it, and essentially help him retain it again, was just stupid. and what was the point in killing Miz? the only reason was to send the fans home kind of happy, and on a sort of high. but the People's Elbow got booed...that says it all...

basically WWE put over Rock at WM, over 2 of their top guys. now, i'm sure Cena, maybe even Miz, will get ultimate retribution, but WM is where stars are made. the only star made in that main event, was the Great One. a joke. they should've been made look at his level. they did not. not in the slightest. he basically just had his way with them as he wished.

it was so confusing, which meant that the Rock Bottom meant very little and the crowd just couldn't connect. the story all has to make sense, at the very least, for us to care.

it all reeked of writers trying to be clever, but it just not working in actualisation.

a huge, huge letdown.

oh, and the perfect reference point for how much of a letdown it all was...JR and the King....

1. i don't remember one classic call, and
2. they both sounded bored off their tits, and in completely sombre mood.

CMpunked

Tweet from Chris Jericho:

Two thoughts about Mania-
1-Taker/HHH told a brilliant story and stole the show
2-Mitchell Cole has the worst collection of tattoos ever

And really, that's all that happened.

SlickRic

i really don't think Taker/HHH told a great story until the very end. maybe i'm thick.

but a final 5 minutes of HHH destroying Taker, and Taker just simply being 'unbeatable' at WM and desperately hooking in Hell's Gate, for the win, is not a great story told IMO.

there were 15/20 minutes beforehand which were just boring. plain and simple. very little of the rest of the match made sense IMO.

Xinkai

Best part of the night:

*Laptop tone*
Rock : *Le walk to laptop*
Rock: AND I QUOTE!!!
*Reading Email*
Rock: I think hfaeiu.....

.................

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!!!

Made me jump and say fk yeah! GF got scared when I jumped lol.

I though WM was great, had it's share of bad matches no doubt, but I think all the stars stepped up. At what, 43? Taker can take that punishment, and HHH botched the TSPD, his head really collided with the mat. I was happy, neigh, DELIGHTED Cena lost, and now we build towards SS for a possible Rock V Cena match.

I'd give it 8/10 just because I like the corre, and the prerecorded session with snoop was god awful... Also the amount of botches was something else...

Mr. Guappa

SlickRic wrote: »

right...time to give a run down, and probably a rant by the end of it....

Fantastic post which pretty much nails my thoughts on WM.

Edit: The laptop GM should have been nowhere near the main event.

CMpunked

I'd be very surprised if that was the planned finish for taker.
He seemed beat up and in bits at the end so its possible that the planned finish didn't happen.

And if so, I don't mind the finish.

Mr. Guappa

CMpunked wrote: »

I'd be very surprised if that was the planned finish for taker.
He seemed beat up and in bits at the end so its possible that the planned finish didn't happen.

And if so, I don't mind the finish.

It looked to me like it was the planned finish. From the story they tried to tell with the match a submission win for 'Taker made sense but the Hell's Gate is such a sh*tty looking move that it takes from the drama. Compare it to an ankle lock or sharpshooter where the facial expressions play a big part in adding to the drama.

parker kent

I'm giving HHH/Taker match of the night and no Slick, I'm not being deluded and basing it on who they are. I enjoyed it more than anything else. It was a top match and does what I like wrestling matches to do. It told a great story and had great moments. I liked having the submission ending it as it was different. HHH showed why he is where he is in that match. His expressions, demeanour etc really sold the match. It made sense in the story of the match as it was all Taker had left in him. They had some pretty good spots throughout the match.

Edge/Del Rio was OK. But it just seemed like a TV match, nothing special. Punk/Orton was very good and I guess they needed a face to win. Not that Orton is a decent face, but that's another days discussion. Cody/Rey was excellent and was very well laid out. The build up really paid off.

Cole/Lawler was too long, had too much in-ring stuff considering Cole in a non-worker. I wouldn't have an issue with the DQ angle, as we still eventually got to see Cole get his comeuppance. But there should have been less than 1 minute of Cole offence once it hit the ring. Less shít wrestling and more of Cole's facial expressions.

And I have to add that other than the shameful waste of Ziggler/Morrisson, the Snooki match was OK. It was what it was. People are being too precious about it because it was Snooki.

And lastly with regard to the actual matches, and definitely least. The main event was terrible. It better articulated every issue I have Cena than any of the posts I've had on him. Terrible booking, terrible wrestling, no connection with the majority of the crowd. On all those threads when Rock came back, I have said things like "The Cena/Miz match needs The Rock" or how I said Cena/Miz would be terrible, I hope watching it shows why I said that. Both need a good worker in the ring with them. Without a decent wrestler, they are lost. It doesn't matter what build up you could have given them. Cena/Miz simply could not carry a main event level match without gimmicks to rescue them. I seriously hope I never have to read anybody else on here claim Cena is an all-time great.

They definitely wasted too much time. The Snoop Dogg stuff has no place on Mania as it was both pointless and more importantly, shít. The Rock was damned either way. Some people say he took up too much time. Others say he didn't get enough. Basically the Guest Host idea is terrible and there is not much you can do with it. If they had brought him in as Special Enforcer for the WWE title match it would have been better. Even if they just had him commentate for the night it would have been better. The guest host gimmick will nearly always fail as it is based around backstage skits. That may work on TV, but fails more often than not. And on a PPV, it is doomed to failure.

I didn't understand why people were excited about him in that role. Because ironically, guest host basically involved knowing your role and shutting your mouth. Anything involving him would have to be forced. And it has now just ended up as a set-up for a possible future PPV. Which is not what WM is supposed to be. Ideally The Rock would do something like that at the Royal Rumble, setting up a Mania match. They needed more moments to make it seem like Mania. Del Rio/Edge just seemed like a match setting up a future pay-off. Ditto many other matches. It just felt like a really long TV show that happened to have 2-3 good matches, and one great match. Taker/HHH and Cody/Rey were the only matches that felt like a WM match. Even Punk/Orton as good as it was, felt like a top notch TV match.

Riddle101

Here's my ratings of the matches out of 10, and my review.
1- Terrible
2- Bad
3- Poor
4- Below Average
5- Average
6- Above Average
7- Ok
8- Good
9- Great
10-Excellent

Edge Vs Alberto Del Rio- I was suprised to see this as the beginning match, would have thought it would have been a little later. Nonetheless, it was ok to say the least. It had it's moments and had some interest, also I'm glad Edge won. Got to say when Christian came out, I almost expected him to turn heel throughout the match. I'm guess this fued will lead to a Triple Threat match at next PPV, where i hope Christian become World Heavyweight Champion finally. 7/10

Cody Rhodes Vs Rey Mysterio- This match actually impressed me, a lot more then Edge/ADR. Nice strong showing from Cody who did really well and got a nice rub from beating Rey as well. Just wonder if WWE will continue to push Cody now, or will this be temporary, but WWE seems intent on making Cody into a star so hopefully he will do well after this. 7/10

Kane, Big Show, Santino and Kofi Vs The Corre- All I have to say is What the f*ck? 5 minutes is all they had, hell their entrances were almost as long a the match itself. Basically it was just a burial, which is a shame because I thought they would have made Corre look a little bit credible. In fairness to the match, I was a little interested in it when it started cause it had a good showing, but after the ending and the time of the match? 1/10, I was almost going to give it no rating, but I was happy with the start as I said.

Randy Orton Vs CM Punk- This proved to be a good match I thought. I liked how Punk worked Orton's leg, sort of giving the match some psychology. I actually missed a few parts because I was I was having a funny discussion with my friends about the all the crap low-cardmid-card wrestlers during the attiude era But it was good IMO. 8/10

Undertaker Vs Triple- Definetely the MOYN. Had a stong start out, with both guy just basically getting straight to the killing each other part, instead of starting out slow. Some good spots I thought. I have to admit though, even though I figured Undertaker was going over, I was at the edge of my seat towards the end. When triple H was just hitting him with those pedigrees, and then finally with the Thombstone. The Hells Gate at the end was sort of a poor finish I thought, but from a psychological standpoint I thought it was a fairly smart idea. Undertaker had been beaten to pieces and could barely stand, the Hells Gate was his last act of desperation because he could simply do nothing else. Finally the ending was pretty worrying. I found myself thinking either Undertaker is a really good actor, or something went wrong. My friend who was watching it with me also mentioned that ever since HHH did the Thombstone, Taker had not stood up, which led me to think that maybe HHH botched it or something. Although I was still thinking it was just for dramtic effect it was a pretty good selling job from Undertaker who looked like he was almost dead, definetely an oscar worty nomination. 9/10

Trish Stratus, John Morrison and Snooki Vs Laycool and Dolph Ziggler- I don't know why this was on after Undertaker/HHH, but nonetheless, it was what it was destined to be. It was just a little fun celebrity thing and nothing else. The match itself sucked, did John Morrison or Dolph Ziggler even get tagged in during the match? because it seemed to be just Trish and laycool in the match, with Morrison doing that one little spot where he did the Starship Pain out of the ring. 4/10- I'd give it even lower if it weren't for the fact that Trish was in the match, and is my favourite diva. Just her being in the match has actually what made me rate it a little higher. But not even Trish could save the match from being below average.

John Cena Vs The Miz- Firstly, Cena's entrance sucked. The Miz's was understandable, but Cena could have just walked to the ring. Also why is Cena coming out last? The Miz is WWE Champion and last I checked, the champion usually comes out last. As for the match itself, well it was fairly lack luster to say the least. I wasn't the least bit interested in it, and all I wanted to see was The Rock come out and lay the smackdown on Cena and Miz, which I guess he did. The ending was just poorly booked, and another reason of the terrible booking of WWE. But I guess it's to do with Miz's character being a sort of an un-derserving champion that he was booked to win like that. But sure we all knew WWE would never allow Cena to get beaten clean like that, so I guess this was why they had that ending. But they still could have come up with a better finish. Also I thought the match was a little rushed. 5/10- It was average at best, I wouldn't rate is a bad as Trish/Laycool but I wouldn't rate it higher as well.

Overall analysis
Of the matches a mania the ones that I think passed the test:
Edge/ADR
Cody/Rey
Orton/Punk
Taker/HHH

Matches that I think were lackluster or failed to pass the test:
Corre/Kane, Show, Kofi, Santino
Trish, Snooki, Morrison/Laycool, Ziggler
Cena/Miz

4 out of 7 ain't so bad.............. if you're watching Raw or Smackdown that is. But for a Wrestlmania you would expect better. This is one thing that annoys me about WWE now. In the old days, WWE used to make Mania a special event, and rightly so. It's the grandest stage of them and the biggest PPV of the year. So you would think WWE would go all out to make Mania Special, but this years Mania was more like watching just a common PPV like you Backlash, hell there have been Raw and Smackdown episodes that I thought were better then this year's. I also felt the same last year as well. So is it me or are the Wresltmania's just getting worse every year.

BTW, what happened to Daniel Bryan Vs Sheamus? I thought they had a match planned for Mania too. I don't know maybe it was a dark match but I felt a little unhappy, not getting to see our fellow Irishman get to be on the show, while that 5 minute tag team elimination match took up the card.

thebostoncrab

I'm abit suprised to hear so much backlash against the show. Ok, it wasn't amazing, but it was fun. I had such low expectations going into it so maybe that helped my enjoyment of the evening.

There isn't alot extra I can add that hasn't been said, so I'll just do a quick pros and cons:


Pros:
-Punk vs. Orton was MOTN and a great showcase for both men. It was a match I think will be looked back on with more praise once the dust cloud of what went wrong with 'Mania has settled. I'll be watching this one again when I get home.

-Rock and Stone Colds stare down. It won't go anywhere, but it was a great moment to watch.

-HHH vs. 'Taker, I was delighted to see them just go straight for it rather than have a slow build, it told a great story that HHH knew he needed to be on top from the get go if he wanted to win. The closest I have ever come to watching and Undertaker 'Mania match and thinking "The streak is over."

-Snooki! Fair play to her she wasn't half bad!

-Rey vs. Cody was a fun match, shame the crowd were dead for it.

-Realising that my tattoos are not even half as bad as Michael Coles.

Cons:

-WHERE THE **** DID THE US TITLE MATCH GO TO!?!?!?!?!?!?! YOU HAD HORNSWAGGLE AND SNOOP DOGG, THEN PEE WEE HERMAN DOING STUPID **** INSTEAD OF LETTING THE TWO GUYS WHO WOULD HAVE STOLEN THE SHOW PERFORM!!?!?!? ****. THAT.

-The end to Cena vs. Miz was just awful. I mean when Miz kicked out of the AA I thought "Oh **** yeah, this is going to be a brilliant end to the...oh they are outside now....double...double countout? Really???"

-The Corre getting buried. I usualy can somehow justify a burial but that was just horse****e.

-Jerry Lawler, the man who never got to have a match at 'Mania, and that's what he gets. Almost as bad as Bret vs. Vince. They should have had Swagger vs. Jerry instead.

-I liked Edge vs. Del Rio, but it shouldn't have opened and the wrong man won.

Snowflakes:

Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio ***
Rey vs. Cody ***
The Corre vs. Big Show, Santino, Kane and Kofi *
CM Punk vs. Randy Orton ****1/4
Jerry Lawler vs. Cole *1/2
HHH vs. Undertaker ****
Snookimania *3/4
The Miz vs. John Cena ***1/2

SlickRic

parker kent wrote: »

I'm giving HHH/Taker match of the night and no Slick, I'm not being deluded and basing it on who they are. I enjoyed it more than anything else. It was a top match and does what I like wrestling matches to do. It told a great story and had great moments. I liked having the submission ending it as it was different. HHH showed why he is where he is in that match. His expressions, demeanour etc really sold the match. It made sense in the story of the match as it was all Taker had left in him. They had some pretty good spots throughout the match.

ah ffs, you're not deluded if you enjoyed it. i would never allude to that. people are entitled to enjoy whatever matches they want. i mean Xinhai thought it was an 8/10 event. that's fine. i don't agree, but i'm not going to lambast him for liking it to that level.

my personal opinion is that people's judgment on the HHH/Taker match will be clouded by the fact that the 2 are undoubted legends. i might be wrong, and that may not be the case for you personally.....but for me, the spots, as decent as some of them were, didn't make much sense, and so didn't lend to the drama for the most part. the last 5 minutes were decent, and as i said, HHH's Tombstone made me believe the Streak would end, but that was about it.

but sure, that's just my opinion. Punk and Orton's storytelling was much better IMO, and the only reason i think it won't be deemed better is because it didn't have an extra 5 minutes or so.

Pyjamarama

People honestly don't like the finish to the main event because "the miz didn't go clean" or "the rock went over both of them" what did you expect? The miz is the heel and they obv wanted him to retain. If you put the match as the main event, and with how much they're obviously paying the Rock it needs to be or whats the point, then they have to send the fans home happy. The Miz retaining clean would have been an awful move. This way the fans go home happy and the Miz retains.

i didn't love the match by any stretch of the imagination (zero psychology and wasn't even a spot fest to attempt to make up for it...) but the show closing with The Rock standing tall and proud is more than enough to make me smile at the end of it.

He's the frickin peoples champ!!!

Overall a decent Mania, firmly entrenched in the middle of the table. No 17 but no 9.

parker kent

SlickRic wrote: »

ah ffs, you're not deluded if you enjoyed it. i would never allude to that. people are entitled to enjoy whatever matches they want. i mean Xinhai thought it was an 8/10 event. that's fine. i don't agree, but i'm not going to lambast him for liking it to that level.

my personal opinion is that people's judgment on the HHH/Taker match will be clouded by the fact that the 2 are undoubted legends. i might be wrong, and that may not be the case for you personally.....but for me, the spots, as decent as some of them were, didn't make much sense, and so didn't lend to the drama for the most part. the last 5 minutes were decent, and as i said, HHH's Tombstone made me believe the Streak would end, but that was about it.

but sure, that's just my opinion. Punk and Orton's storytelling was much better IMO, and the only reason i think it won't be deemed better is because it didn't have an extra 5 minutes or so.

Deluded was just one word, maybe a better one could have been used. I just meant to emphasize that I was not basing my opinion on who the wrestlers were.

krudler

Cant remember the last time a title didn't change hands at a mania, theres always at least one. Seemed lacking....something. Opening the show with a promo was a big mistake, Rock did nothing on it he hasnt done already on Raw in the last few weeks, and for the supposed host he was only really involved in one match, thought he would have been out doing more throughout the night.

best moment of the night? Rock and Austin, the reaction of the crowd said it all, says volumes about the current WWE product when the highlight of the biggest ppv of the year is two guys who havent wrestled in 7 and 8 years respectively had a brief exchange of words backstage and got the biggest reaction of the night.

Taker and HHH was good, started brilliantly, they were never going to keep up that pace all night though but overall a good match, HHH was never going to win but a good match overall, just not a patch on the previous two Taker mania matches.

CMpunked

Taker/Trips was built around who each guy was, what they have achieved, the big respect they had for each other.

So I watched the match with that in mind. If you tried to watch it as "just two guys and they're having a good time" (lonely island reference) then I think your bound not to enjoy it as much IMO.

Ridley

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

It looked to me like it was the planned finish. From the story they tried to tell with the match a submission win for 'Taker made sense but the Hell's Gate is such a sh*tty looking move that it takes from the drama. Compare it to an ankle lock or sharpshooter where the facial expressions play a big part in adding to the drama.

I'm not a fan of submission finishers but I liked that Hell's Gate. It was a pure animalistic hold until prey passes out to eaten.

thebostoncrab wrote: »

-Snooki! Fair play to her she wasn't half bad!

Yeah. The good thing to come out of that match was the reaction to her:

*tag* "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" *flippy dips* "Oh."

Dohnny Jepp

I thought it was amazing. I thought the matches were really good.. . well most of them. But what really did it for me, during the event those little moments that really bring you back to when you loved wrestling. Hearing the glass break and stone cold coming in on a quad. Seeing May Young was a huge nostalgia moment. When the Rock and Stone cold came face to face and all that was really said was "nice seeing you again" and then a handshake.

All those moments mixed with good matches, mixed with the amazing atmosphere just did it for me.

Headshot

Anyone got a video of what happened in the lst match?

Bounty Hunter

Ridley wrote: »

Elimination Chamber was out of ten.

The op made the poll, I'd assume after I made that post

JP Liz V1

Source

TNA Wrestling performer Kurt Angle, a former WWE Champion, posted numerous messages on his Twitter account during WrestleMania XXVII criticizing Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for using his trademark finishing maneuvers during their respective matches.

The tweets are as follows:
“To WWE wrestlers, Don’t use my Finish. Get more Creative. Hmmmm- Orton. Did I say that.”
“I heard Orton had an Awesome match though. Ur welcome. Lol.”
“I guess Swagger will use my Ankle Lock as well.Very creative. I’m the Best in the World. You Guys will never be Kurt Angle.can I get an AMEN.”
“Kurt Angle will never die. TNA. WWE. I’m a leader. Not follower.”
“Why would WWE use my finishes? Is it because I won’t go back? R Orton- Angle Slam. M Cole- Ankle Lock? They have some nerve.”
“Jerry Lawlor did it too. But He is a Legend. WWE really stuck it to Me.No Love lost. I’m glad that I helped Your biggest Event of the Year:)”

Penn

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Source

TNA Wrestling performer Kurt Angle, a former WWE Champion, posted numerous messages on his Twitter account during WrestleMania XXVII criticizing Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for using his trademark finishing maneuvers during their respective matches.

The tweets are as follows:
“To WWE wrestlers, Don’t use my Finish. Get more Creative. Hmmmm- Orton. Did I say that.”
“I heard Orton had an Awesome match though. Ur welcome. Lol.”
“I guess Swagger will use my Ankle Lock as well.Very creative. I’m the Best in the World. You Guys will never be Kurt Angle.can I get an AMEN.”
“Kurt Angle will never die. TNA. WWE. I’m a leader. Not follower.”
“Why would WWE use my finishes? Is it because I won’t go back? R Orton- Angle Slam. M Cole- Ankle Lock? They have some nerve.”
“Jerry Lawlor did it too. But He is a Legend. WWE really stuck it to Me.No Love lost. I’m glad that I helped Your biggest Event of the Year:)”

Ken Shamrock called. He wants his ankle lock back.

parker kent

WWE WrestleMania 27 PPV Results
April 3, 2011
Live from Atlanta, Ga. at the Georgia Dome
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

WWE's 27th annual WrestleMania PPV, hosted this year by The Rock, started with a live shot inside the Georgia Dome from high up inside the building. Justin Roberts introduced Keri Hilson to open the PPV with America the Beautiful. WWE went to various shots of the stage area, which has a giant videotron, classic-looking WrestleMania text above the video screen, and "WrestleMania" written across an elevated entrance ramp to the ring.

Opening video: An SNL-sounding voice-over man introduced a video package hyping WrestleMania hosted by The Rock... Back live inside the Georgia Dome, Rock's theme music was cued up to bring out The Rock wearing a track suit. Rock slowly walked out on-stage as they cut to a shot of a giant videoboard spelling out "THE ROCK." Rock stood on the massive stage soaking up the audience response for a good while. The production set-up looks amazing.

Interesting to note no announcers were heard as Rock completed his ring entrance. He took the mic seven minutes into the PPV. In the ring, Rock smiled as the crowd applauded and chanted his name. Rock had to take a breath and step away from the mic before opening with, "Finally, The Rock has come back to Atlanta." Followed by, "And, finally, The Rock has come back to WrestleMania." Rock promised this will be the most memorable WrestleMania of all-time. He said the electricity is everywhere. "Can you feel it? Can you taste it? Can you smell it?"

Rock paused and said they're going to have some fun with this. When he says "wrestle," you say, "mania." Rock then cut a promo on John Cena, saying he's in the back right now deciding which rainbow-colored Fruity Pebble t-shirt he's going to wear. The crowd popped, then Rock paced the ring. Rock laughed as a "Fruity Pebbles" chant took about two minutes to get going. Rock then took a swig of water and said this is going to get good. He said this isn't just any water, but the people's water. Next, when The Rock says "Yabba," the people say, "Dabba." And the last one, of course. The Rock is with the millions...AND MILLIONS.

Rock took off his sunglasses and said WrestleMania is hosted by (and the usual catchphrases). He rhymed Dirty South and Shut Your Mouth, Brahma Bull and Andre the Giant, and then Santa and Atlanta for the close. He started If You Smell, but cut himself off. He said that catchphrase is the most famous, electrifying in the world. He said that phrase belongs to the people, not just The Rock. He told the crowd to get on their feet and assume the position with Rock doing the mic tilt and If You Smell routine. Cue up the People's Eyebrow and Rock's music to conclude the intro. Rock hopped out of the ring and made his way up the entrance ramp as they faded out.

Video package: A full-blown WrestleMania hype video aired taking viewers through the history of WrestleMania leading to this year's events with the top feuds and matches hyped. 16 minutes in, they went to a regular TV/PPV intro with pyro blasting on the stage. The lights were turned down to create more of an arena setting after Rock's intro was fully-lit. Michael Cole's voice was heard 17 minutes in throwing out hyperbole like mad about the significance of WrestleMania.

In-ring: Justin Roberts introduced the World Title match to start the PPV. Alberto Del Rio rode onto the stage with an amazing background and color scheme filling the video screen. Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Del Rio, who stood on the stage playing to the crowd. Josh Mathews was heard, joining Cole on commentary. Cole struggled to get the word "philanthropist" out, then Jerry Lawler was heard. Let the bickering begin. Brodus Clay joined Del Rio ringside once Del Rio made it to the ring.

Cue up Christian's theme music to bring out Christian with a giant "C" logo spinning on the giant video screen. They cut to Mathews and Lawler formally dressed ringside to call WrestleMania. Cole was next to them in the Cole Mine. And the Spanish announce table was tucked away ringside to the right of Cole's box.

Edge's music hit to bring out the World champion as a giant "E" logo spun on the video screen. Full pyro blasted behind Edge as he made his way half-way down the ring entrance. Edge sold full determination walking to the ring, then Edge and Christian posed in the ring. A giant cube-like video screen flashed Edge's logo above the ring. Justin Roberts handled formal ring intros, starting with Del Rio. Edge's left elbow was taped up to sell Del Rio's pre-PPV work. First bell 24 minutes into the PPV.

1 -- World Hvt. champion EDGE (w/Christian) vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO (w/Brodus Clay) -- World Hvt. Title match

The announcers noted Edge has never successfully defended the World Title at WrestleMania. Del Rio quickly targeted the left arm, then Edge knocked Del Rio to the outside. Edge tried a baseball slide, but Del Rio side-stepped him and rammed Edge into the ring steps. They went in and out of the ring trading control of the match while the cornermen shouted encouragement. Del Rio teased the cross arm-breaker at 7:00, but Edge countered with a sit-out slam for a close nearfall. Edge then lifted Del Rio to his feet and tried a pin, but Del Rio rolled Edge into the cross arm-breaker. Edge grabbed the ropes for a break, though, after a teased finish.

Edge went up top, but Del Rio caught him with a step-up enziguiri. Ricardo tried to get involved during a subsequent pin attempt, then Christian got involved ringside and was smashed on the floor. In the confusion, Edge scored a close nearfall with a roll-up from behind. Edge then implant DDT'ed Del Rio and got that crazy look in his eyes. Time for the finishing sequence...

The crowd cheered for the spear as Edge backed away to the corner. Huge reaction for the spear tease, which led to Del Rio side-stepping Edge. Clay then rammed Edge into the ringpost behind the ref's back and Del Rio slapped on the cross arm-breaker. Edge was in trouble, but he countered into a Edge-u-cation submission. Christian fought off Clay ringside. Del Rio then countered into the cross arm-breaker, but Edge slipped right out and nailed the spear mid-ring. Edge made the cover and he retains the World Title. The crowd popped huge for Edge retaining.

WINNER: Edge at 11:09. Nice opening match. Good finishing sequence after a lot of moving parts kept the crowd invested. Surprising to see Del Rio not take the title, but when it was announced for the opening match, it seemed to indicate Edge would retain since they like to start WrestleMania on a positive babyface note. (**1/2)

Post-match: Edge left the ring still in possession of the World Title belt. He stopped at Del Rio's vehicle and considered damage he could inflict. Edge teased a running boot to the window, but stopped, then kicked the side of the car. Edge hopped onto the hood of the car and dropped an elbow Ric Flair-style. Christian then emerged on-stage holding two tire irons. Edge then bashed the car over and over in a somewhat heelish move. Del Rio begged Edge to stop as Cole called it an outrage. E&C left, then Del Rio shed tears kneeling over the hood of his ride.

Atlanta: They went to a fly-over shot of Atlanta with the Georgia Dome in the middle of the shot. Back inside the dome, Michael Cole started taunting Lawler by shadow boxing inside the Cole Mine. Lawler no-sold, then called him a moron. "What are you talking about?!" Cole asked before noting his credentials. Cole stood up in the box, then Cody's dreary music hit.

On-stage: Cody Rhodes slowly emerged on-stage as the giant video board flashed various headlines like "Grotesque" and "Disfigured." Cole recapped the origins of the Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes feud as Cody slowly made his way to the ring. Back live, they went to a close-up shot of Cody peering down at the ground, his face covered by a dark hood attached to his black jacket. Next, Rey Mysterio's music hit and he popped out on the stage dressed like a comic-book character, Captain America. Cole heelishly told Mathews to hurry up and describe the origins of Rey's character. Cole and Lawler continued to bicker about the Rey-Cody feud before the opening bell sounded.

2 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. CODY RHODES

Rey forced Cody to remove his jacket to start the match and landed a quick huracanrana. Cole heeled on Rey that the rumor is perhaps he doesn't even need the kneebrace and uses it as a weapon. He then laughingly noted Cody's facemask has been "approved by the board of commissioners." Cody began working on Rey's upper body before landing a Hardcore Holly-influenced Alabama Slam for a close two count. Cody continued to work over Rey with a nervehold. Cody then took Rey up top and held Rey up in the air for a good 10-15 seconds for a super delayed vertical suplex. Great move that drew a polite applause from the pro-Cody fans in the building.

Cody then went back to work on Rey's upper body. "This is my face!" Cody shouted at Rey. Cody did a lot of in-ring work continuing to punish Rey, who bumped around before landing a head scissors. Rey then teased the 619, but Cody grabbed Rey's feet mid-619 to block. Cody followed with a slingshot across the bottom rope for a close two count.

Cody lost his mask at 10:00 and Cole shrieked horror. Moments later, Rey smashed Cody in the face with the 619. Rey tried to hit a springboard dive, but Cody blocked by getting his knees up. Rey then smashed Cody in the face with a kick strike for a two count. Rey proceeded to retrieve and place on Cody's hard mask, which he used to deliver multiple head butts. The crowd didn't respond too well to the bit. Rey then nailed a top-rope diving headbutt using the mask for a close two count. Rey removed Cody's mask, then the ref tried to take it away from him. With the ref's back turned, Cody smashed Rey in the face with a knee brace. Cody followed with Cross Rhodes for the pin and the win. Cole hyped Cody's win and knocked Rey for his "dirty, dirty tricks."

WINNER: Cody at 11:58. The match fell flat. There seemed to be a hint of anti-Rey sentiment in the crowd and some of the bits didn't go over well with the crowd. Good win for Cody to give him bragging rights going forward, but Rey's stock has dropped a bit. (*1/2)

Announcers: Cole and Lawler fed to a backstage shot of Snoop Dogg, who was greeted by Smackdown GM Teddy Long. Dogg said he's looking for talent for his tour. Long and Snoop sat down at a table to evaluate the contestants. William Regal was first doing a rhyming poem-reading as a beat played in the background. Great Khali and Beth Phoenix sang "Summer Loving" from Grease. Zack Ryder sang "Friday" by Rebecca Black as Roddy Piper stepped in giving him a look. Piper then smashed Ryder with a coconut. Next were Chris Masters and Yoshi Tatsu. Masters danced his pecs to "We will, we will rock you."

Hornswoggle, dressed like he was going to the club, did his mutterings. Dogg said he thinks they have a winner. Long said they have a problem that Hornswoggle can't talk. Horny tried explaining and Long said they need to leave. Horny waved good-bye and the crowd aaahed. Suddenly, the lighting changed and Horny put on some shades. The Bellas danced as he started rapping, his voice heard for the first time. He sounds normal, imagine that!

In-ring: Next up is the eight-man tag match. The Corre came out first as a unit as Cole talked them up. Big Show & Kane came out as a united front next. Santino then did a sort of aerobics speed-walk down the ramp to the ring. Cole and Mathews noted Corre took out Kozlov at Axxess, then Cole acted like they would find out who was replacing Kozlov. Of course, the already-announced replacement of Kofi Kingston came out. Kingston came out excited and sporting neon green and black colors.

3 -- THE CORRE (IC champion WADE BARRETT & EZEKIEL JACKSON & WWE tag champions HEATH SLATER & JUSTIN GABRIEL) vs. BIG SHOW & KANE & SANTINO & KOFI KINGSTON

Big Show, fresh from a spray tan, started things off smashing Slater until Jackson came into the ring and blindsided Show with a big clothesline. Bodies started flying as men came out of nowhere in sequence smashing the opposition. Suddenly, Santino was alone in the ring. He smashed Slater with The Cobra, then Show KO punched Slater square in the face. Santino with the cover and that's all she wrote. That was fast. Cue up the trumpet celebration and slow-mo replay of Slater taking the KO Punch.

WINNERS: Team SantinoShow at 1:32. Another virtual squash of The Corre, although Slater was the only one who looked weak in such a limited match. (n/a)

Backstage: The Rock was shown talking to Divas champion Eve. He quizzed her on WrestleMania Week before talking about magical moments. Rock said that whoever comes around the corner next, he will create an incredible, unforgettable moment next. Rock turned around and it was Mae Young. That was an awkward set-up. Rock called her a "Diva-sauras." Mae said she wants the people-strudel. Rock made some old jokes, including Mae knowing Eve...as in Adam & Eve. Mae said she will never get old. Rock told Eve to escort Mae to her seat. Mae hung around long enough to slap Rock on the rear end. "Frisky Mae, inappropriate Mae," Rock mock noted.

Rock shouted out to no one in particular there could have been anyone else coming around the corner. Suddenly, Rock turned around to find Steve Austin. Huge pop with Rock and Austin face-to-face in the same camera shot, ten years removed from their encounter at WrestleMania 17 in the Astrodome. Austin locked eyes with Rock and coldly told him it was good seeing him. They shook hands and Austin walked off.

Twitter WrestleMania Take-over report #1: Currently trending on Twitter - #wrestlemania, Cody Rhodes, Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, William Regal, Rey Mysterio, and Hornswoggle.

In-ring: A recap of the feud between C.M. Punk and Randy Orton brought out Punk to the ring for the next match. Nice camera work showing Punk emerging from his lightning-bolt yellow & black logo and walking down the entrance ramp. After a pause, Randy Orton's music hit to a strong reaction. Orton paused on-stage and bounced up and down to show his knee is fine. Mathews said Orton just removed Punk's psychological advantage. "Nope!" Cole retorted as they showed Orton's right knee taped up. Orton made his way into the ring and the giant cube-like video screen dropped down to serve as a backdrop for Orton posing in the ring.

4 -- RANDY ORTON vs. C.M. PUNK

The match started with an aggressive attack by Orton. He then clotheslined Punk over the top rope and followed with European uppercuts. Punk then played cat & mouse and jammed the ring steps into Orton's knee. In the ring, Punk scored with a top-rope cross-body block, then pretended to limp around the ring to mock Orton. Orton then ducked a clothesline and landed a fallaway backbreaker. Both men sold the effects as Orton pulled himself up in the corner. Punk then targeted the right knee with multiple offensive attacks as Lawler and Cole continued to trade verbal barbs.

Punk advertised the G2S as he slowly dragged Orton to the middle of the ring. Punk took his time setting up to execute, then Orton slipped out and teased the RKO, but Punk countered with a kick strike that decked Orton for a two count. Punk then slowly made his way up top, balanced himself, readied, and Orton crotched him at the make-or-break moment. The camera zoomed in tight on Punk selling the effects while gasping for air. Orton then climbed up top, stood up there forever balancing himself and playing to the crowd, and then landed a superplex for a two count.

Punk rolled to the floor to recover, then trapped Orton in the corner to ram him knee-first into the ringpost. Punk followed with a figure-four around the ringpost that drew Ric Flair whoos from the crowd. Back in the ring, Punk went to work on the knee some more. They were locked together on the mat selling a struggle for leverage on the mat. Orton then exploded on Punk with clotheslines, followed by a snap powerslam. "Here comes Orton," Cole noted in a deep voice. Orton smashed Punk with a right hand assault before executing an Angle Slam for a nearfall.

At 10:00, Orton slowly made his way to his feet and stood over Punk, who surprised him with kick strikes, then a leg sweep into a neck vice submission. Cole sold that Orton was in jeopardy not able to use his bad leg to push away. "He's tapping!" Cole heelishly declared with no hint of Orton tapping. Orton then rolled both of them to the ropes and forced a rope break. Punk, standing on the apron, tried to pull up Orton, who blocked by ramming Punk head-first into the ringpost. Orton capitalized with the trademark spike DDT off the second rope. The crowd popped as Orton "went to that place" teasing the RKO. The camera zoomed in tight on Orton's eyes as he measured Punk. Orton then left his position as Punk continued to sell on the mat. Orton backed up to the corner looking for The Punt, but he sold that his leg gave out.

Punk smiled as Orton sold the knee work center-ring. Punk continued to smile as he pulled himself up in the corner. He slowly approached Orton, who suddenly teased the RKO after playing opossum, but Punk just barely slipped out of Orton's trap. Punk smiled again, then went to the corner for a trademark springboard forearm smash, but Orton caught him with a mid-air RKO that popped the crowd. Orton with the cover and the win.

WINNER: Orton at 14:46. Nice match. The finish was well-done getting over Orton as this generation's cerebral assassin outsmarting his opponent. (**3/4)

Backstage: "Mean" Gene Okerlund was with The Rock. Rock said he heard John Cena's #1 fan is upset with him and he's come here to confront him. Okerlund told him he's already here. Rock turned around to talk to Cena's #1 fan, who was off-camera. The camera swung around to show Peewee Herman. Of course. Herman repeated You Can't See Me over and over. Rock asked Herman if he wants to be a Man on Team Bring It or a little boy on the Fruit Loop Troupe. In walked Mean Gene sporting Cena gear. Herman told him he looks like a tool. "I know you are, but what am I?" Gene asked. Herman said he gets Rock's point and he wants to be on Team Bring It. Herman did If You Smell, asking if you smell what the Pee is cooking.

Hall of Fame intros: The Fink stood mid-ring to introduce this year's Hall of Fame class. Abdullah the Butcher came out on-stage first. Sunny was out next, followed by Animal & Paul Ellering representing the Road Warriors. Drew Carey was mildly booed and he smiled. "Bullet" Bob and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan were next. They paused before introducing Shawn Michaels. After an "H-B-K" chant, the stage lit up with H-B-K in bright red letters to bring out Shawn Michaels dancing to his place at the center of the stage. Michaels clapped toward the crowd as the fans applauded. After another look at the Hall of Fame class, they focused on Michaels again. Mathews then plugged Monday's schedule on USA Network with the Hall of Fame, Raw, and Tough Enough premiere.

WrestleMania Recall: They went all the way back to...Raw on Monday for a recap of Jerry Lawler bashing Jack Swagger with a chair, then Michael Cole taunting Lawler ahead of their WrestleMania match.

Arena: Back live, Josh Mathews introduced Booker T to help call Cole vs. Lawler. And, next out, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross to a nice reaction. On the video board, clips of the Texas vs. Oklahoma game from the Cotton Bowl played. Ross tipped his cowboy hat to the crowd as he made his way to the ring to call the match with Booker and Mathews.

Michael Cole then emerged on-stage cutting a promo on Ross. Cole was sporting amateur wrestling headgear, a Team Cole sweatshirt, black kneepads, and biker shorts in Oklahoma St. colors. Cole continued to cut a promo on Ross and Jerry Lawler as he made his way to the ring. Cole said he's been thinking. Lawler has been in this business about as long as he's been alive, yet this is Jerry Lawler's very first WrestleMania. Cole said afer this is all over, Ross is going to go back to making bad BBQ sauce, Lawler is going to be embarrassed, and Steve Austin is going to raise his hand in victory. Then, all of the fans all over the world are going to proclaim him, the "new Mr. WrestleMania!"

Jack Swagger, complete with white towel in hand, was out next to be Cole's cornerman. Cole danced around in the ring with his gut protruding through his singlet. Swagger was mid-push-up on-stage when the glass broke and Steve Austin's music played to bring out the guest referee. Austin was sporting an ATV and he nearly ran over Swagger flying down the entrance ramp. Austin flew around ringside on the ATV, then chased down Cole, who flew into the Cole Mine to hide from Austin.

Austin slipped into the ring and bounced off the ropes as Cole stood up in the Mine. Austin continued his standard ring intro playing to all corners of the ring before Jerry Lawler's classic WWE music played to bring out Lawler. Lawler was sporting a warrior-like outfit complete with a black & red battle-ready jacket. Very noble. Lawler entered the ring as Cole continued to "warm up" as Swagger gave him encouragement. Cole said he's not ready yet. "I'm still warming up!" he told Austin. Austin had enough and called for the bell.

5 -- MICHAEL COLE (w/Jack Swagger) vs. JERRY LAWLER -- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin special referee

Lawler slipped to the outside and ran Swagger into the ringpost, then barricade. Lawler then stalked Cole, who continued to stand in the Mine. "Jerry, please, I'm begging you. I didn't mean what I said. Can we talk about this?" Cole said. Cole extended his hand through a hole in the Cole Mine begging Lawler to let bygones be bygones. Lawler shook his hand, but maintained his grip. Lawler then yanked Cole head-first into the Cole Mine. Ross noted Cole's face was being distorted. Lawler climbed into the Cole Mine and rammed Cole into all corners of the box. Apparently it's a No Count-out match.

Lawler dragged Cole out of the box, then rammed him head-first into the Raw GM podium. "The King, and I quote, just rammed Cole's head into some...hallowed ground for Michael Cole," Ross said. Lawler slipped Cole into the ring, then Swagger blind-sided Lawler. Austin turned around to see Lawler on the ground and Swagger nowhere to be found. It's worth noting Cole is covered in these weird little tattoos on his upper body. Cole then told Austin he had something in his eye and Swagger grabbed Lawler ringside with an anklelock.

Cole told Austin to count out Lawler, but Austin was having none of it. Austin started the slowest ten-count ever as Lawler slowly made his way into the ring. Cole then completely botched the spot on the ropes trying to make it look like he was applying pressure on Lawler's legs using the ropes while holding the ropes as a diversion. Booker noted he was doing calf raises. The crowd responded with a "You can't wrestle" chant. Cole continued a "methodical attack" targeting the leg. Cole then sort of folded Lawler's legs in the corner and backed off. "I have no idea what Cole is doing," Ross said in the understatement of the evening. Cole then executed Swagger's Vader Bomb on the legs. Cole scored a nearfall and Booker said his heart skipped a beat.

Cole continued his "methodical attack" in slow-motion as the crowd chanted, "boring." Swagger then stood up ringside calling for the Anklelock. Cole then stood over Lawler and smiled before dropping one of the straps. Ross said for the sake of the children, don't drop the other strap. Cole then applied the An-Cole Lock as Ross encouraged Lawler to fight back. Lawler rolled over and pushed Cole away to draw a reaction from the crowd. Lawler came to his feet and finally scored some offense with multiple stomps to the chest. Mathews asked for a classic call of Lawler stomping a mudhole.

Swagger then threw in the towel, trying to end the match and save Cole. Austin no-sold the towel as Swagger screamed at him to end the match. The crowd chanted for a Stunner and Austin delivered to a big reaction. Cole then begged and pleaded with Austin, who checked his watch and Cole slapped his wrist away. "You don't know who I am!" Cole told him. Austin spun Cole around into a right hand from Lawler. Cole sold it awkwardly, then Lawler teed off on Cole with right hands.

A dropkick was next, then Lawler went to the second rope, pointed to the heavens, dropped the strap, and landed a right hand fist drop. Lawler made a cover, but Lawler pulled off as Austin did a dramatic nearfall call. Everyone had a good laugh, then Lawler slowly picked up Cole. No piledriver, but Lawler applied the anklelock and Cole tapped out furiously. Austin mockingly asked Cole if he wanted to give up. Cole continued to tap furiously, asking for the bell. Austin looked at Lawler, who shrugged his shoulders and Austin called for the bell.

WINNER: Lawler via submission at 13:45. About a 6/10 satisfying for people who ordered the PPV to see Cole get his. The lack of an emphatic piledriver or a Stunner for Cole took down the satisfaction level a notch. Also, Cole trying to apply holds was comical, but not necessarily engaging. (n/a)

Post-match: Swagger scooped up Cole like a small child and carried him off, then Austin's music played. Austin and Lawler shared a few drinks, then Booker threw down the headset to join the party. Booker warmed up the Spinarooni, then his Harlem Heat music played and Booker danced. More drinks, then Austin and Booker celebrated. Suddenly, Austin dropped Booker with a Stunner and Booker did a great sell spitting up beer mid-Stunner. There goes the "Tough Enough" cast.

Suddenly, the Raw GM buzzed as Austin horsed around with Booker, who recovered from the Stunner. Josh Mathews walked to the podium as Ross dryly said he's not up on this email stuff. Mathews read that the referee over-stepped his boundary in this match. Therefore, Lawler has been DQ'ed and the winner of the match is Michael Cole.

WINNER: Cole via reverse decision. At the end of the day, it was a nostalgia trip for fans to get a kick out of Steve Austin's classic spots. Now, for the next several weeks (months, years), Cole will brag about beating Lawler on TV.

Austin cussed toward the podium as they cut to a shot of Cole bleeding on the stage. Lawler walked to the podium and asked Mathews to read it again. Austin threw down his beer and cussed some more. Lawler asked for another reading. Mathews apologized and said Michael Cole is the winner. Lawler threw Mathews into the ring where he accepted a Stunner from Austin. Ross said he's just the messenger. Austin's music hit again and he cussed out the podium some more. Austin then hopped on the ATV as Ross said he can't believe he has to announce Cole as the winner. Lawler remained dumbfounded ringside as Austin sped off on the ATV.

WrestleMania Week video: They went through various clips of the activities in Atlanta for WrestleMania Week.

Announcers: Ross remained on-commentary as Lawler joined him fresh off the "defeat." They cut to a shot of the National Guard ringside and Ross thanked them for their service. And now, it's time for Triple H vs. The Undertaker. Interesting placement. It's in that "WrestleMania sweet spot" of being at the end of the third hour of a PPV when a PPV typically crescendos before the crowd is burnt out.

In-ring: Justin Roberts introduced the No Holds Barred match. A bell tolled, which usually means The Undertaker, but it signaled the start of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" for Triple H's custom ring entrance tonight. On-stage, a bunch of men holding shields assembled to create a wall. They fell down to reveal Triple H standing on-stage in his King of Kings outfit. The arena went black, then Hunter's classic Motorhead theme hit and Hunter marched down to ringside as the arena was bathed in green. Hunter stood on the ring apron and did his water-spit before posing in the ring. WWE incorporated a variety of different camera shots to show the full scope of the arena as Hunter posed in the ring and surveyed the crowd.

Once Hunter's entrance was done, he looked toward the entrance ramp and held up a "1" to signal being "the one" to end The Streak. Taker's classic bell tolled and the arena flashed in a variety of different colors. The music transitioned into "Ain't No Grave" and the lighting transitioned to the classic black & blue look. Taker slowly emerged on-stage and Roberts formally introduced him as Hunter crouched in the corner. Taker looked straight ahead at Hunter slowly making his way to the ring as ominous clouds moved on the videotron over Taker's shoulder. Taker eventually made his way into the ring and stared at Hunter out of the corner of his eye. Taker slowly removed his hat, rolled his eyes, and lightning flashed in the arena. The jacket was gone next, then they came face-to-face. The ref separated them, then called for the bell.

6 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. TRIPLE H -- No Holds Barred match

Taker and Hunter came running toward each other with right hand blows and strikes. The fight quickly moved to the floor where Hunter landed right hand bombs before Taker threw Hunter into the ring steps. Taker wasted no time deconstructing the Spanish announce table. Hunter then charged Taker with a spear through the Cole Mine, crashing the box into pieces. Hunter got up and re-entered the ring, then Taker pulled himself together and glared into the ring. Taker re-entered and popped Hunter with a right hand blow to answer Taker. Taker teased the Old-School walk-the-ropes, but Hunter countered with a hip toss.

On the floor, Hunter threw Taker into the gimmicked guardrail in front of the timekeeper. Hunter then cleared the regular announce table and teased the Pedigree through the table, but Taker countered with a huge back-drop sending Hunter flying through the air before landing with a thud on the ground. The crowd then started up a dueling chant of "19 and oh" vs. "18 and 1." Taker was the first man back in the ring as Hunter slowly pulled himself up ringside. Taker then built a head of steam and launched himself over the top rope with a big splash onto Hunter, sending both men crashing to the floor. On a replay, it was clear Taker's knee just bumped the top rope, causing him to nearly dive head-first onto the floor, but Hunter caught him just in time to absorb the blow.

After that spot, Taker walked around the ring catching his breath before ramming Hunter into the ring steps. Taker teased a move on the steps, but Hunter blocked and headbutted Taker away. Taker then built a head of steam charging Hunter, who took Taker's momentum through the Spanish announce table with a big spinebuster. Another big spot ringside here. After everyone caught their breath, Hunter rolled Taker into the ring. Hunter slowly re-entered, then walked into a mid-ring chokeslam. Taker made the first cover of the match at 9:50, but it was good for a two count only.

Hunter took control moments later and set up Taker for ten punches, but Taker teased the Last Ride powerbomb instead. Hunter slipped out, though, and they went through a series of counters that took the crowd on an emotional rollercoaster that resulted in Hunter countering a Snake-eyes big boot into a spinebuster for a two count. For his next trick, Hunter went to the floor and retrieved a chair, but Taker kicked Hunter in the gut to send the chair flying. Taker then picked up the chair and cracked it across Hunter's lower back. Taker wanted Part 2, but Hunter kicked Taker in the gut and nailed the Pedigree center-ring. Hunter made a cover rather quickly and Taker kicked out just before three. The crowd oohed the close call.

Hunter stalked Taker in the corner and placed him up top to land right hand blows. Hunter then went for a superplex, but Taker countered with a mid-air Last Ride powerbomb. Taker made the cover, but Hunter kicked out. Taker angrily threw Hunter's hand away and shouted obscenities, selling frustration that Hunter kicked out. A little show of emotion from Taker, who stood up and called for the Tombstone. Taker set up Hunter center-ring and delivered the Tombstone mid-ring. Taker made the classic arms-folded cover, but Hunter kicked out just before three. Big pop and Taker angrily threw Hunter's arms away again.

Next, Taker slammed the chair down center ring and scooped up a lifeless Hunter. He set up for the Tombstone onto the chair, but Hunter slipped out and DDT'ed Taker shoulder-first into the chair. Both men remained down on the mat selling as the crowd murmured and expressed nervous energy. They pulled themselves up on opposite sides of the ring, then Hunter kicked Taker in the gut and landed the Pedigree. Hunter made a cover near the ropes, but Taker kicked out just before three. Another big reaction as both men sold on the mat.

At 20:00, Hunter scooped up Taker and delivered yet another Pedigree. Hunter made a cover, but Taker kicked out again and Hunter sold frustration unable to put Taker away with the tit-for-tat exchange. Hunter angrily dragged his body toward the chair, which he picked up as Taker remained face-down on the mat. Hunter popped the chair over Taker's back, then again. Ross suggested the chair be inducted into the Hall of Fame with these two men. Hunter with two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight more chair shots to the back, which drew a few boos from the crowd. Lawler said in a solemn tone that could be it for Undertaker. Hunter pulled himself to the corner and breathed heavily before screaming, "Stay down!"

Hunter pulled himself up again with chair in-hand as Taker pulled himself up on the other side of the ring. Hunter charged Taker and smashed him in the face with a chair. Geez, a chair shot to the head. Well, on a replay, it looks like Taker got his hand up at the very last second. Still, a chair directed to the head should be a no-no. Hunter backed off to a corner as Taker teased a sit-up, but he could not. Lawler said his nervous system is not right. The nervous system! Hunter approached Taker and screamed at him, "Just die! What's wrong with you?!"

Hunter got in Taker's face to ask him again, but Taker clutched his throat. Hunter shook his head no as Taker stumbled to his feet. Hunter threw off the chokeslam grip, then Taker threw up his hands like a fighter asking for more. Hunter then did the throat-slash and set up Taker for the Tombstone. Hunter paused in mid-air, said, "It's over," then dropped Taker with the Tombstone mid-ring. Hunter did the arms-folded cover, did the tongue ala Taker, and Taker kicked out. The crowd went nuts for the nearfall. Hunter was great recoiling across the ring in disbelief that Taker kicked out. Lawler played up Taker being a supernatural being who can't be beaten.

Hunter slipped out of the ring and retrieved a sledgehammer at 27:00. Ross said it's desperate times. Hunter re-entered the ring with sledgehammer in hand and told Taker it's time. Taker grabbed Hunter's arm, though, and trapped him in the Hell's Gate submission. Hunter lost control of the sledgehammer trying to fight off the hold. Hunter stopped writhing trying to escape and the announcers said he was fading. Hunter then positioned himself as if he were going to lift up Taker in the air for a powerbomb, but could not. So, he reached for and found the sledgehammer. Hunter dropped it, though, his body motionless. Taker continued to maintain the hold as Hunter's arm dangled in the air. Hunter then lightly tapped on Taker's shoulder and that was it. Taker is 19-0.

WINNER: Undertaker via submission at 29:23. Amazing, epic encounter. They certainly used a lot of bag of tricks, but paced the match perfectly to maximize each big move and sequence. It was WWE's main event style match at its finest. Having Ross on the call took this to the next level just below the first Taker-Michaels encounter two years ago. (****1/2)

Post-match: Both men remained motionless on the mat, the remains of their bodies somewhat entangled. Fireworks shot off as giant 19-0 text flashed on the video board over the stage. Ross said Taker once again rose to the occasion at WrestleMania. They cut to a crowd shot where a section of fans were holding up a ton of Tombstones symbolic of Taker's WrestleMania victims. One tombstone read: "2012: ?"

WWE's ringside doctor slipped into the ring to check on Taker, who continued to sell. Meanwhile, Hunter pulled himself up, a cut forming on the bridge of his nose. The doc checked Taker's pulse as Taker licked his lips. The announcers were silent as Taker rolled onto his stomach to exit the ring. Meanwhile, Hunter slowly left the ring clutching his left forearm. He looked back to Taker, who fell off the ring apron. Hunter went to check on Taker, but the ref waved him off. Taker then clutched the WrestleMania ring apron to pull himself up. The ringside doctor spoke into his mic to ask for additional help as Taker remained motionless on the floor. Taker continued to sell before a cart was wheeled down to ringside. Mike Rotundo and Dean Malenko made their way to ringside to help Taker onto the cart. The camera continud to follow Taker up the entrance stage as the crowd chanted, "Under-taker."

WrestleMania 28: A video package showcased Miami, the host of WrestleMania 28 next year.

Arena: Back live, Ross said the crowd is still buzzing over what just happened with Undertaker vs. Triple H. Justin Roberts then introduced the six-person tag match up next.

Suddenly, Vickie Guerrero's voice was heard screeching over the house mic. Vickie introduced "the greatest combination of beauty, talent, and intelligence ever assembled at WrestleMania," Lay-Cool and Dolph Ziggler. After the heels came out, John Morrison, then Trish Stratus, then Snooki came to the ring for the default semi-main event. Ross noted Snooki has a "low center of gravity," which was a nice way of saying she's short.

7 -- JOHN MORRISON & TRISH STRATUS & SNOOKI vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero) & LAY-COOL (MICHELLE MCCOL & LAYLA)

Before the bell sounded, a scrap broke out before order was eventually restored and the bell sounded. The crowd was quiet early on, still absorbing the Taker-Hunter match and post-match situation with Taker selling exhaustion. After Morrison took out Ziggler on the outside, Trish tagged in Snooki, which drew boos. Snooki then scored a handspring elbow in the corner on a surprised McCool. Snooki then made the cover as Morrison held off the heels to give Snooki the pin. They replayed Snooki's handspring elbow after the match as the faces celebrated. They cut to a shot of the Tough Enough contestants ringside soaking it in.

WINNER: Team Snooki at 3:16. They kept it short and sweet to bridge the gap from Taker-Hunter to Cena-Miz. Snooki's little involvement was fine and will give WWE the mainstream play they're looking for coming out of this. (n/a)

Extreme Rules plug: After clips of various "extreme sports" aired, they plugged the next WWE PPV in four weeks.

In-ring: Justin Roberts announced 71,617 as the attendance, which they claimed is the new record for any entertainment event held at the Georgia Dome.

Video package: Ahead of the WWE Title match, they went to a video package on The Miz. It started with Hulk Hogan as WWE champion. They showed Miz's origins on "Real World," then awful WWE start. Next, clips of Ric Flair, Steve Austin, and The Rock as WWE champion. They showed Miz sitting in a dark room watching video of the clips showcasing Miz's journey to WWE champion, joining Hogan, Flair, Austin, Rock, etc. A music video played hyping Miz as they continued to cut back to Miz watching all of this on multiple video screens. Very unique pre-match video package.

Arena: Back inside the building, they cut to a shot of "AWESOME!" spelled out on-stage. The Miz walked out alongside Alex Riley sporting a full-length black jacket. Miz marched to the ring as they went to a wide shot of the Georgia Dome that made Miz look like an ant walking to the ring. In the ring, Miz held up the WWE Title belt for the crowd. Once his music played, the crowd booed. The boos could have been more Miz or the anticipation of Cena's intro.

Dramatic music played and they showed a gospel choir standing on-stage humming a tune. Cena's voice was heard saying, "Let us pray." A very familiar voice (DMX, Tupac?) provided a voice-over prayer as footage showed Cena's childhood and WWE career. They're really playing into Rock's comments to Cena on Raw that only the Good Lord will judge them. Back live, the gospel choir began clapping and singing. My soul is good. They transitioned into singing a gospel version of Cena's theme song. The crowd booed, then Cena's standard theme hit and Cena emerged on-stage sporting his new color scheme of Fruity Pebble red. It looks like the tint color to the Miami Dolphins's uniforms. After running to the ring, Cena smiled to the crowd as they booed him. During the formal intros, Cena was booed by the hardcore fans. Miz was also booed, but there were some cheers from the hardcores.

9 -- WWE champion THE MIZ (w/Alex Riley) vs. JOHN CENA -- WWE Title match

Ross noted Cena has never lost one-on-one at WrestleMania. The bell sounded, then sounded again. Odd. Miz and Cena circled the ring, then locked up. Miz took the early advantage as the crowd looked for something to emotionally invest in. Cena scored with a knee to the gut, then delivered a gutwrench suplex for a nearfall. Ross noted they were even at 1-1 in that department. They traded nearfalls again, then Miz landed a boot to the head for a two count.

They set up a spot where Cena went for a flying shoulder tackle, but Miz ducked and Cena kind of fell to the mat in a way that the crowd nearly laughed at. Miz then went back on the attack and Lawler said Miz did something to Cena early in the match to throw off Cena. Cena then fired back with a shoulder tackle, sit-out slam, and Five Knuckle Shuffle. Lawler noted Cena wasn't all the way into the comeback, though, still selling the injury angle aspect. Miz slipped out of the Attitude Adjustment, then dropped Cena with a DDT for a two count.

At 9:00, Cena teased the STF out of nowhere, but Miz blocked and executed the Reality Check neckbreaker combo for a two count. Miz then removed the top turnbuckle pad and the ref tried to re-place it as Cena caught Miz with a small package. Cena had the visual three, then the ref came over to count a nearfall. Cena followed up with an STF center ring and Miz dragged himself toward the bottom rope to score a rope break. Cena recoiled backward, then Riley snapped Cena's head off the exposed steel behind the ref's back. Miz followed with the Skullcrushing Finale and Cena escaped a pin.

They set up a spot where Miz wanted the SCF again, but the ref was bumped. Cena then dropped Miz with the Attitude Adjustment, but the ref was down. Cena checked on the ref as Riley slipped into the ring and popped Cena in the head with the briefcase. The ref magically came to life, Miz made the cover, and Cena kicked out just before three. Riley screamed and shouted at the ref as Miz picked up the case. Cena ducked and Riley ate the case in the mush. Cena then sprung to life and dropped Miz out of nowhere with a super Attitude Adjustment. Cena made a cover, but Miz kicked out and the crowd popped big for the first time in the match.

Miz then went to the floor to recover and Cena followed to the floor. Cena got into a football stance and came flying at Miz with a clothesline over the guardrail to the ringside area. Cena then went over the guardrail to the floor to fight Miz. They eventually collapsed on top of each other as the ref applied a ten count. The ref reached eight and both men were on the floor. Nine, ten, and it's a double count. The crowd groaned.

WINNER: Double count-out at 14:45, Miz retains the WWE Title.

After the decision was rendered, The Rock's music played and Rock stormed the ring after throwing down his track jacket. Rock wasn't going to let WrestleMania end on a DCO. Rock kicked the briefcase out of the ring, paced around, and suddenly the Raw GM buzzed. Rock told Jim Ross to stay seated. Lawler got up, but Rock told him to stay put. Rock approached the podium and lifted the laptop. Rock said he just received an email. "And I quote. As Raw General Manager, I think..." Rock paused. "It doesn't matter what you think!" Rock screamed, then threw down the laptop.

Rock entered the ring and said that as the host of WrestleMania, there is no way WrestleMania is over. Rock said the match must re-start right now. It's now No DQ. No count-out. He said there's no way this match will end like that. They're pushing the four-hour time here. Rock said it's time to give the people what they want.

9b -- WWE champion THE MIZ (w/Alex Riley) vs. JOHN CENA -- WWE Title match -- No DQ

Cena brought Miz into the ring for the AA, but Rock yanked Cena away and dropped Cena with Rock Bottom. Rock moved Cena's hand wave, then Miz slid into the ring, draped an arm over Cena, and made the cover for the win. Miz retains the WWE Title.

WINNER: Miz at 15:21 total time (0:36 re-start) to retain the WWE Title. Eh. Over-booked for a WrestleMania main event. Not memorable and not a showcase match for anyone involved. (**)

Post-match: Rock stood on the outside staring into the ring as Miz celebrated with the WWE Title belt. Miz then caught Rock's glare and Miz's music stopped. Miz nervously clutched the title belt as the crowd chanted Rock's name. Rock ran into the ring and ducked a belt shot before landing right hands on Miz. Rock then dropped Miz with a spinebuster and stared into the hard camera to set up the People's Elbow. Rock delivered it, then Rock's music played and he posed in the ring.

Ross noted Rock hosted and dominated WrestleMania tonight. They went to a replay of the re-started finish with Rock dropping Cena with Rock Bottom. Ross said Rock came to Atlanta for retribution. The sign-off credits flashed and Ross said they all smelled what The Rock was cooking. They signed off with one minute to spare. A bit of an underwhelming finish after an underwhelming title match main event. It didn't feel like a WrestleMania ending.

http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_48996.shtml

Here's the PW Torch report of Mania. I'd largely agree, other than to say they are harsh on Cody/Rey. Although I would agree that the crowd were a little anti-Rey. Think their reaction to Taker/HHH is spot on though. It was awesome and epic. Everything a WWE main event should be. And everything Cena/Miz was not.

SlickRic

this should've been an iconic moment...

Diabhal Beag

I really enjoyed the show. So much good stuff.

Del Rio didn't manage to bore me. In fact he actually had a great match. Suprise result but a great start. Brodus was the highlight for me.

Cody-Rey was excellent. Rey was actually enjoyable but Cody was amazing. He needed the win and thankfully got it.

The **** Santino + other ***** match was very short so it wasn't so bad. Does anybody else hate Big Show?

Liked the Snooki match. Everybody freaked the **** out when she turned out to be able to do flips.

That Snoop Dogg segment. Worth the money I paid alone just for Zack Ryder doing the Friday song. He is so underused (breaking news I know).

HHH and Undertaker was OK. Not as great as I think people were making it out to be though. You all knew Taker wasn't losing and that takes a lot of fun out of the match. Some good spots though.

Miz-Cena was very good. Not match of the night and I was fairly annoyed by how they jobbed Miz out to Rock so easily.

Lawler-Cole was a bit too long. Still though loved the end where Swagger is crying and carrying out a lifeless Cole.

4 star show if you ask me. You won't get better than this lads so if you can't enjoy this I really don't think wrestling is for you. Not saying it was the best ever but I can't think of a better Mania in recent times.

parker kent

Good video from Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania diary. Shows HBK watching the Taker/HHH match and talking with HHH afterwards.

jaykhunter

SlickRic wrote: »

this should've been an iconic moment...

lol why did u plug imageshack? Anyway, this was the payoff to mania - Cena getting a rock bottom. After he got FU'ed on RAW, Rock was gonna deliver at least one rock bottom, it just hinged on whether he'd do it before or after the match.

Very flat match and a lacking ending though; building towards another match at the end of mania sucks the big one. It was always gonna be like that though. You can tell that Rock wasn't "supposed" to be involved in this year's mania to begin with!

Liam O

basically HHH and Taker showed up the weaknesses in both men. For Taker that he is just not up to it anymore. I was laughed at where I watched it for suggesting that carrying him out on a stretcher was for real and while it probably wasn't both scenarios are a joke anyway.

Triple H's lack of moves was shown up in a big way and it left too much idle time in the match. Pedigree, wait,pin, Pedigree, wait even longer, pin, Pedigree again. There was no intensity and ok he pulled out a tombstone in the end but it wasn't enough for me.

The match was so slow paced and bar a few moments lacked intensity that by the end I was completely nonplussed about Taker winning.

irish_stevo815

To me, this felt more like an extended episode of Raw than Wrestlemania. There was just no BIG STAGE feel to it at all, with the exception of the HHH/Taker match.

I knew things were gonna be a bit "off" when the first match up was Del Rio & Edge - so much for the Rumble winner Headlining Mania :eek: But saying that, it was an ok match, with an unexpected result, Del Rio was a certainty to win but glad to see Edge get the win at mania.

Rey & Cody showed off a couple of good moves, but once again was totally expecting Rey to get the win, I can see this feud ending with a cage match or something at Extreme Rules.

8 man tag match - what to say only the entrances went on longer than the actual match.

I was really lookin forward to see how the CM Punk/Orton mathc was gonna play out. I really like Punks work in ring, and he didnt let me down here. Orton even impressed me, specially with the RKO in midair, that along with Punks look of shock when he reveresed the first RKO was amazing.

I was expecting more out of Cole & Lawler but it was always gonna be more of a Vince vs Bret match than a Mania classic. Stone cold was his usual self and glad to see a few stunners (with josh matthews taking it better than the actual otehr wrestlers ). The reversal of the decision, giving cole the win was a bit naff, but does hint that Cole has something to do with the Raw GM.

So by now, I was wondering where the hell the US Title match had gone as was lookin forward to it so much. When they said Taker/HHH was up next, i was shocked that (I thought) it was gonna take place in the main event slot of the night:mad:

Anyway, was really excited for this match and was expecting a few big bumps. Taker really stepped up and put his body on the line yet again for Mania. The spinebuster through the announce table was feckin great and seeing Taker vault out over the top rope made me vault out of my seat. It got a bit quiet for about 5 minutes during the match and after HHH kicked out of the chokeslam and last ride, and landed the third pedigree, i thought the streak was over for sure. Loved seeing Trips heel side comin out. I thought the ending to the match was a bit meh, but Taker was always gonna win.

didnt take much notice of the mixed tag match, well except Trish's leathers
Cant believe Morrison and Ziggler only got like 5 seconds, and cant believe Snooki actually pulled off that cartwheel/flip thing.

Finally, the main event Cena vs Miz........................what a bloody shambles!!!!!! When i seen Riley coming out with Miz i was so pissed off i was just gonna go to bed, then Cena's choir really pissed me off. The crowd was dead, i was pissed off, and it a boring match. At least Miz kicked out of the AA which was pretty cool. He looked strong until Riley and his lunch box got involved, why do this in the Mania main event....................then the unthinkable happened, a double count out -WTF????
Whe nthe Rock came down i thought even he couldnt save this mess. I thought that he was either gonna restart the match with himself in it or come out and say hes the GM. So it restarted and when The Rock pounced on Cena with the Rock Bottom, i was jumping around the living room in excitment...then Miz won which was the Shock of the century - Super Cena doesnt win the WWE Title at Mania......................

Matches I enjoyed:
Edge Vs Del Rio
Cody Vs Rey
Punk Vs Orton.

All the other matches were pretty meh.

I didn't like the HHH/Taker match. Just seemed to be big move followed by 2/3minutes of just lying there. I hate these matches that are considered "classics" just because they kick out of each others finishers a couple of times (Like the 2 HBK/Taker matches that I consider to be 2 of the most overrated matches in history)


I definitely think the Cena/Miz match was pushed for time. The PPV finished at 3.59 on the dot so Id say the finish had to be rushed but all and all a poor match.


Lawler/Cole - Cole was getting in too much offense for too long. As others said it reminded me of Bret/Vince from last year.


8 man and Snooki's match were exactly what I thought they would be - crap.

krudler

I was looking forward to seeing what they'd do with Cena's entrance but all the religious nonsense was terrible. Miz's pre-match promo of him watching the monitors of the old WWE footage was fcuking immense though.

baldstuffandy

I'm just waiting for Kurt Angle to take credit for "inventing" the clothesline. at this rate he could do the warm-up for Charlie Sheen's Torpedo of Truth tour.