Wrestlemania 25

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

All these WWE Divas look the same, seriously, you couldn't tell who was in the ring and who was being eliminated.

Seriously. The only close ups I remember seeing was of Victoria and Santino(a).

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

Close ups or not, when there's a battle royal happening with male wrestlers you can still tell who is who. All WWE Divas have the same hairstyle, blonde, brown or black it doesn't matter, the same stupid bikini... ergh. Even Beth Phoenix and Nattie are hard to tell a part from each other.

 

[King Cucaracha]

As I said in chat, worst thing about the show was, nobody got over.

Kofi kinda advanced himself in MITB. Maybe Matt advanced himself a little by beating Jeff. But besides that? Benjamin didn't get over, Christian didn't get over, Punk didn't get over despite winning, none of the returning divas got seperate entrances to alert anybody that they might actually be there, Santino's coming close to jumping the shark, Jericho didn't get over whatsoever by barely surviving his match, Orton didn't get over, Rey didn't get over, Edge didn't get over, Show didn't get over.

So the big winners of Wrestlemania with any sort of momentum now for Backlash and beyond?

Undertaker. Shawn Michaels. Ricky Steamboat.

THAT's just not good enough. The star making show failed to make any stars. Gotta go from average WM to kinda bad WM on that alone. MITB was good, but aside from 2 spots nothing anyone'll remember in 3 months. Hardys was better but I felt zero 'hatred' out of them. Triple Threat was good but forgettable aside from Cena's strength spot. HHH/Orton was utterly forgettable. Give it 4 months and Taker/HBK will be the only strong memory of the show.

 

[Silence]

All these WWE Divas look the same, seriously, you couldn't tell who was in the ring and who was being eliminated.

I thought they were going to go in one at a time like the Royal Rumble, but since they all came out together, I was also confused.

I noticed Molly Holly with the old "Holly Cousins" look though.

Actually, too many people in WWE look the same for the most part. Not just the divas.

 

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

Wow.... Sunny looks great! Good for her.

 

[Perfxion]

The biggest problem with the Hardy match was Jeff spending half the match looking under the ring. Killed whatever pacing they had. MITB live is going to be a strong memory, Dragon vs Jericho will be too(they should have done and 1 on 1 match), and Taker vs HBK. Too bad half the match was just laying there. After 20 years in the business, Taker just can't go 30 mins.

 

[MillenniumMan831]

Yall mothafuckas see Frank Shamrock with Mickey Rourke?

Wasn't 100% sure that was Frank at the time. I was waiting for him to smile to see if I could spot any braces on him.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Close ups or not, when there's a battle royal happening with male wrestlers you can still tell who is who. All WWE Divas have the same hairstyle, blonde, brown or black it doesn't matter, the same stupid bikini... ergh. Even Beth Phoenix and Nattie are hard to tell a part from each other.

I don't disagree. I'm just saying that was the only time you had a close up of anyone. Also, the Kid Rock performance was horrible and went on for too long. To have the Divas come out during that was bullshit. This didn't really need to be a joke match, especiLly with hypng it up the way they did. For all the talk about Vince not liking the Tag Team Division, this shows he doesn't care about the Divas as well. But at least they got a match.

 

[BruiserBrody]

Camera work was bad tonight, several missed spots. Steamboat's Skin the cat (they cut away I assume thinking he would fail to do it) Cena getting booted by Edge, Some spot in the Taker match that we saw Taker's chest and face vs whatever spot they missed (I forgot)

 

[King Cucaracha]

Good point, I definately noticed that. Didn't they miss Kane's pyro too?

 

[Sex Machine Gun]

I almost feel like they hire a different director for Wrestlemania each year. Stick with whoever does the other shows, yeesh. Just quit with the jump cut every time someone hits a move.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

During Taker's entrence, instead of cutting to a wide shot to show that he was coming from Hell like Michaels' coming from Heaven, it was a close up from Taker's chest up. You really couldn't tell that was the idea, and I think it lost the meaning. It would have been a very cool contrast, but the director did a horrible job at choosing camera angles.

 

[Scroby]

As I said in chat, worst thing about the show was, nobody got over.

Kofi kinda advanced himself in MITB. Maybe Matt advanced himself a little by beating Jeff. But besides that? Benjamin didn't get over, Christian didn't get over, Punk didn't get over despite winning, none of the returning divas got seperate entrances to alert anybody that they might actually be there, Santino's coming close to jumping the shark, Jericho didn't get over whatsoever by barely surviving his match, Orton didn't get over, Rey didn't get over, Edge didn't get over, Show didn't get over.

Please explain how all these people didn't get over and whose fault that is.

Did you really want to see all 25 divas entrances leading up to the battle royal? Granted if they had all separate entrances we'd know who they were all in the ring, but really, you would want to see all 25 entrances? The main problem I had with the battle royal was that Cole, Lawler, and JR pretty much ignoring it until it was almost over and also the camera crew missing a lot of eliminations and not really showing who got eliminated by doing a close up on that person.

 

[Steviekick]

They could have introduced the Divas like how they announced the participants in WMX7's gimmick battle royal. Just all of them coming out and being name dropped.

 

[Obi Chris Kenobi]

I wonder if they'll have edited 'corrected' camera angles in the DVD?

 

[King Cucaracha]

As I said in chat, worst thing about the show was, nobody got over.

Kofi kinda advanced himself in MITB. Maybe Matt advanced himself a little by beating Jeff. But besides that? Benjamin didn't get over, Christian didn't get over, Punk didn't get over despite winning, none of the returning divas got seperate entrances to alert anybody that they might actually be there, Santino's coming close to jumping the shark, Jericho didn't get over whatsoever by barely surviving his match, Orton didn't get over, Rey didn't get over, Edge didn't get over, Show didn't get over.

Please explain how all these people didn't get over and whose fault that is.

Did you really want to see all 25 divas entrances leading up to the battle royal? Granted if they had all separate entrances we'd know who they were all in the ring, but really, you would want to see all 25 entrances? The main problem I had with the battle royal was that Cole, Lawler, and JR pretty much ignoring it until it was almost over and also the camera crew missing a lot of eliminations and not really showing who got eliminated by doing a close up on that person.

Ok then.

First, the battle royal. No, I didn't want all 25, just the returnees. The regular divas you'd imagine the fans would be familiar with, so bring them all out in a group (you couldn't have had Santina come out alone anyway). Then give the likes of Sunny their moment in the spotlight as a thanks for agreeing. What's the point in hiring and booking nostalgia acts if there's no chance for them to get the nostalgic reaction exactly? Was it really worth hiring Sunny for the night so some guy in the fifth row could peer through a sea of bodies and go "oh hey, it's Sunny, I remember her, cool!"

As for the rest, MITB was won by Punk and that's pretty much what it'll be remembered for. Punk won it already, he's a former World Champion, winning it a second time didn't do much for him. Benjamin had the big ladder dive, his usual ladder climbing spots... great. Where does that leave him? Same place he was before the show, no better no worse. Ditto Christian, who was just one of 8, no advancement.

Jericho got beat up by Piper and Snuka and beat them both with one or two moves, which kinda made his "will I beat them or will I annihilate them?" promo a waste of airtime, since there was never any suggestion of him annihilating them. He survived, basically. The talking points of the match? Steamboat looked awesome and Rourke got his moment. Where does Jericho go from here exactly? What did he gain from the whole thing? I know he had to lose as the heel and the post-match gave him a moment in the spotlight, but that's about it.

Rey came out dressed as a comic book villian which was just bizarre. And then he won the IC Title in 20 seconds. The only reason for this was to advance JBL's storyline, Rey's now got the belt but not much momentum.

Edge ended up with another short, transition title reign and both he and Show were involved in a good but not particularly memorable match. Cena had the big spot, he had the big entrance, he won the title. So maybe add Cena to my "positives" list. Nothing really happened to advance Edge/Show that we hadn't seen before. They're not much worse off for it, but certainly no better.

Orton's match was a bit of a damn squib. And again, is he any better off than he was before Wrestlemania? No. There was nothing memorable to take from the match, no defining moment that people could look at and say "wow, that was cool". The big spot was the Pedigree backdrop spot on the tables which we've seen dozens of times. It's not that he lost, it's how he lost.

I don't think with any of the guys I mentioned, you can look ahead to Backlash or even Raw tonight and say "I'm excited to see what's next for ____ after Wrestlemania". None of them are in a better position, better standing with the crowd or have better momentum. When they come out tonight, nobody will be enthused by what they saw on Sunday enough to give them a better reaction than usual. None of them will be higher or lower on the card. No gain.

 

[JHawk]

Here's my biggest gripe with the tag title match not being on the card:

WOuld it have fucking killed them to have JR say at the top of the show "In order to make sure the main events gets enough time, we had the tag team title unification match before we went on the air. We'll show it time permitting, but if not, it will be on the DVD release."

Wow, 15 seconds to acknowledge the match did actually take place.

 

[alkeiper]

Here's my biggest gripe with the tag title match not being on the card:

WOuld it have fucking killed them to have JR say at the top of the show "In order to make sure the main events gets enough time, we had the tag team title unification match before we went on the air. We'll show it time permitting, but if not, it will be on the DVD release."

Wow, 15 seconds to acknowledge the match did actually take place.

I miss the days when announcers would bother to kayfabe the unpredictability of match times.

 

[TSA09]

The problem with not introducing them is we honestly didn't know what the fuck was going on. They could have named them off and it would have helped. But honestly our section took a piss break because no one gave a damn about it. We were able to spot Beth, Melina, Santino, and Torrie....other than that it was quickly forgettable.

Undertaker/HBK was be far the best match. Seeing it live was unreal. We thought we had the end pegged numerous times and each time it was a kickout. Great job all around.

HHH/Orton was beyond dead. People were starting to file out to the parking lot way before the match ended. If you heard crowd yells in spurts it was due to a camera being out in a section and they were all trying to get on TV.

We had a drunk chick in our section probably 30 minutes into the show. Her and her husband/boyfriend were ordering 3 beers at a time (even though they guy was only supposed to sell 2 at a time. They spent the whole night stumbling up and down from their seats and finally watched the last 2 hours from the bottom of the stairs.

Getting home was a nightmare and a half. We got into our car at 10:15 (after we fought the masses to get to the parking lot) and after 15 minutes we managed to move maybe 3 feet. Finally after almost an hour (and moving about 20 yards) some guys got out of their car to grab beers and one walked over to all the traffic cones and moved them all to make an alternate way out (The Houston police loves to close roads after any event so they can control traffic). Once the parking lot attendants saw that the traffic cones were moved, they quickly sent a guard to direct people out as they saw traffic was not moving at all. We finally got home at midnight after being at Reliant at around 1pm. The fans were all great, some a bit weird (as expected). The gates were to open at 3:30 and for whatever reason they weren't ready so our side of the building was getting alittle testy. We were in the front but once we got inside we quickly saw that the line to get in was well into the parking lot almost wrapping around the Astrodome.

 

[OG]

Steamboat looked great and made me wish they just did Ricky/Jericho. I'm happy for the guy getting one last time in the sun the day after his HOF induction. That is all.

 

[Silence]

We were able to spot Beth, Melina, Santino, and Torrie....other than that it was quickly forgettable.

Are you sure it wasn't Tiffany? Seriously, as said before, the divas looked too similar.

 

[King Cucaracha]

http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/wrestlemania/2009/april1-7/9797012

Miz and Morrison greatness.

EDIT: Promo, not the match before anyone gets excited.

 

[TSA09]

We were able to spot Beth, Melina, Santino, and Torrie....other than that it was quickly forgettable.

Are you sure it wasn't Tiffany? Seriously, as said before, the divas looked too similar.

We saw her on the tron that's how we knew She was the last in the diva line. She didn't even get a home welcome

 

[mellow]

Be still, my beating heart.

 

[Sex Machine Gun]

She lives around here, or at least used to. Never bumped into her though, but it's cool since I don't get along well with religious types.

 

[mellow]

I could learn to.

 

[Steviekick]

Molly looked absolutely gorgeous last night.

 

[LuckyLopez]

I suspect new feuds are in a holding pattern until next week's Raw so we probably won't know until after that show.

Isn't there a PPV coming up in Chicago? Why do I have the feeling they're going to try and have Punk prove himself as being able to win the belt against a fresh opponent only to come up short in his hometown?

Yeah, Judgment Day is in Chicago.

I think the best way to play it would to be to drag up the "Punk didn't earn the title thing." Punk takes offense, sets out to prove himself in Chicago, fails (since it does seem like this is the year for that), and then let that push him bitter and heel. And I realize saying Punk should go heel might be like a lessened version of saying Cena should because he's popular, but at this stage I'm really not sure there's anything Punk has to do as a face unless WWE's prepared to push him full fledged main event. A heel run could really revitalize him and be the thing that makes him a star, given his abilities.

The problem with not introducing them is we honestly didn't know what the fuck was going on. They could have named them off and it would have helped.

Right. Besides the point others brought up that nostalgia guests like Sunny and Torrie serve zero purpose if you don't at least let people see them and get that nostalgia kick. Besides that it just would have made the battle royal make sense if I could have registered in my head "Sunny is the one in black pants... Torrie's in orange... Kelly Kelly's in the punk trunks... Tiffany's in the green top... etc" I don't think anyone really expected 25 separate sole star entrances, but that battle royal entrance they so often use where Lillian intros them in 10 seconds intervals? Just long enough for each contestant to get a little solo screen time and a graphic of their name? Really doesn't seem unreasonable, would have made the match easier to follow, and would have ensured that I actually SAW Sunny last night rather than hear Jim Ross say she's in the ring as Lawler yells "Where? Where?"

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

My favorite WrestleMania moment was Undertaker hitting the tombstone on Michaels, covering him with the tongue sticking out and everything, and MICHAELS KICKS OUT! Undertaker has a WTF look on his face.

 

[luke-o]

So where does this leave us going into Backlash?

Randy Orton and Legacy vs McMahons/HHH
Edge vs Show
Hardy vs Hardy (with Jeff going over)
And
Cena vs... oh let's say... Moe.

But who is he going to fued with now?

Jericho? Got punked by an actor he called into the ring. Not a great amount of momentum for him.
JBL? Retired.
Kane? Probably not, but wouldn't hurt.
Punk? Too soon, needs to be re-built.

Who else is there?