| Welcome to Da Wrestling Board. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| WrestleMania 26: A Trip to the Unknown | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 15 2014, 07:53 PM (488 Views) | |
| Scrooge McSuck | Mar 15 2014, 07:53 PM Post #1 |
|
I'll get you next time, toilet!
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I've never seen the majority of WrestleMania's from 21-Present, as I slowly lost touch with wrestling, and even in the two years since I've become a regular viewer, I still haven't gotten around to watching WrestleMania 29, with the lone exception being Undertaker vs. CM Punk. I caught a few matches on the Network, but my feed died after roughly 15 straight hours of viewership. Watching a show like this would be the equivalent of a 13 year old me watching the 1st WrestleMania for the first time. I have no idea what's going on, and hopefully each match will be explained to me via video packages and recaps. - Unified Tag Titles: Truth/Morrison vs. ShowMiz - I always found it weird that Truth came back to WWE after a fairly successful tenure in TNA, and was actually featured in semi-prominent roles for a while. You'd think he would've been repackaged and buried as K-Kwik or something. Cute team name combining Big Show and the Miz. I guess it's not something new with the current "RybAxel" or "FoxSana" combos. I guess Miz is also the US Champion. Ugh, thinking of Miz carrying that many belts must make Ultimo Dragon spin in his grave. Super-excellerated match. I have a hard time figuring out why with a 9-10 match show, 3-4 of them are pressed for time on a 4 HOUR SHOW. OK for a token match on Monday Night Raw. (*1/2) - Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase (Jr.) vs. Cody Rhodes - I missed the entire saga of Orton and his Legacy stable, so I have no connection to this. I didn't really find Cody interesting until his Phantom of the Opera inspired mask gimmick, and Dibiase, while a solid hand in the ring, was dull as dishwater. After intros, I'm still unsure who's the face. The crowd pops for Orton, but commentary puts over Dibiase and Rhodes breaking away from Orton's tyranny. Huh. Finally caught it that Orton is the babyface. Fairly uneventful, paint-by-numbers formula: Heels 2-on-1, heels fight because each wants to win, Orton makes big comeback and squashes both like bugs (Super big pop for the Double DDT). It's Wrestlemania, and Orton is clearly levels beyond what Dibiase and Rhodes were offering, so Orton definitely had to win here. I didn't mind Babyface Orton up until this past SummerSlam, but surprised to see the babyface reactions he was getting four years ago, immediately after a lengthy period as a douchy-heel. (**) Weird Note: Any reason the referee is wearing latex gloves in this match? - I am so happy I missed out on the Jillian Hall; Awful Singer gimmick. Jillian Hall; Girl with Ugly Growth on Her Face was actually a step up. Santino shows up plugging Slim Jim's, and turns Jillian into Mae Young. Then Mean Gene (also in a dress). Then finally Melina. MITB Ladder Match - Who the fuck is Savannah? Could they have crammed more people into this match? It's practically a Battle Royale, with 10 participants! Seems to be lacking star power from the earlier MITB matches. I guess Drew McIntyre was rockin' a "loser who gets his way 'cause he's Vince's boy" gimmick. Feels like Kane is in this just to get him on the card. Everyone else has a "fresh, young talent" feeling around them... well, then there's Matt Hardy. And Christian. OK, so I guess no one would buy this match as meaningful if it were just Kofi, Dolph, McIntyre, Bourne, and Swagger. Still an over-bloated mess. It's a fun spotfest, but the quality is far below some of the earlier MITB Matches. Spots seemed too choreographed, rather than a natural flow and structure. Swagger wins, because... he was getting over at the time? I don't know. Swagger, Losing Streak, and Swagger, Tea Party Wannabe are all my exposure to him since 2011. (***) - Class of 2010 includes Stu Hart, Gorgeous George, Antonio Inoki, Mad Dog Vachon, Ted Dibiase (the good one), Bob Uecker, and Wendi Richter. Wow, that's not too bad of a group, actually. Even the celebrity was an AWESOME participant of two WrestleMania's. - Triple H vs. Sheamus - How the HELL did Hunter's ego allow him to work this far from the top of the card? Seriously? It's Triple H in a practically meaningless match that I'm sure nobody remembered by the following year. Sheamus, the smiling babyface, needs to go, and this douchebag version heel Sheamus needs a comeback. Also weird seeing the unnamed Brogue Kick not being the be-all, end-all finisher it's become. Match is unremarkable but solid (**1/2). What wouldn't be called unremarkable is the build up reminding the world of Triple H's awful match with Warrior at WrestleMania XII. Who would've thought that would ever happen!? HHH wins, because he's HHH, and only loses to A+ players at the Showcase of the Immortals(tm). At least he didn't Booker T him, and looked more flukey than anything. - Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk - Oh, how I love douchebag, trolling heel CM Punk... so much more inspired on the microphone. If Punk wins, Rey has to join the Straight Edge Society. Sorry I missed this era... I would've been trolling message boards declaring my love for Punk back then, too. The pre-match video tells us this match is more like a beginning than an end. I only know Luke Gallows for his work in Deep South Wrestling as the Freakin' Deacon (and a fake version of someone else... I don't remember). I recall his gimmick of Fetus, but may have seen one match of his during that time. No clue about Serena before or after this. It's amazing how much came and went that I don't recall much of, if anything, about. Yet I still feel at home, even in my absent-minded viewing. Weird. Michael Cole has to tell me Mysterio's attire of the year is inspired by Avatar. OK. Never saw it, so thanks, for once. Took me a while to notice that's not tattoo's on Punk's chest, just a Scott Hall inspired jungle of hair. Incredibly rushed, unfortunately, but they pack in some decent action. To my surprise, Mysterio wins, but I guess it just adds fuel to the fire for Punk. (**1/2) - Bret Hart vs. Mr. McMahon - I've seen this match, and I've made my opinion quite clear about it: It's heart-breaking and horrible to see Bret Hart try and work a match, considering his physical limitations. Maybe it's the acoustics, but the crowd seems uninterested in the poor excuse for brawling, and only pops for the Sharpshooter teases. The inclusion of the Hart Family made zero sense, and is one of those completely unnecessary decisions. I guess having the Hart Dynasty there for a big spot doing the Hart Attack was cool, but that's all. It was booked how it should've: a 10-minute ass kicking, but it was so poorly done, you just kind of wished it would end sooner than it did. I love Bret Hart and I love his legacy, but this match did nothing but tarnish it. He never needed an in-ring closure. Just coming back to give a real goodbye was all we needed. No Rating, but if I absolutely had to... 1/2*. That's being generous. I would take it away for Matt Striker arguing the use of a weapon and needing to be corrected by Michael Cole that it's NO HOLDS BARRED, where apparently homicide is legal. Remember what Rip did to Zeus? - Edge vs. Chris Jericho - Edge made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble, winning the Rumble Match, and returning months earlier than anticipated for (Edge's Injury of the Year). Him and Jericho appeared to be good buddies and co-holders of the UNIFIED Tag Titles before the injury occurred, and I guess Edge didn't take a joke at his expense from Jericho too kindly. Much like Punk being a heel, Edge is MUCH better off as a weasel-like heel, but I guess the same is said about Jericho, so you kind of have to make certain people faces, at least for the short term. The "big question" entering the match... can Edges surgically repaired Achilles tendon hold up? Good match, feels like it was building up to go longer than it's 15-minute run-time. Surprised Jericho retained, but then he went and jobbed to Jack Swagger the next night, so I guess Edge was better off losing to someone worth a damn. (***1/4) - 9 Diva's and Vickie Guerrero work a piss break match. Poor Vickie gets ridiculed as she wins the match with the WORST Frog Splash and pins Kelly Kelly so hard she pulled her shoulders off the canvas (classlessly called a "Hog" Splash, because fat people aren't humans, and fuck the fact she's the widow of EDDIE FUCKING GUERRERO). Sometimes you have to wonder if WWE is written by 9 year olds with poor upbringings. I'm so thankful I missed out on the entire "LayCool" era and the horrible treatment of Mickie James. How has Alicia Fox remained on the roster for so long, with no end in site? All these other "Diva's" (with the exception of MIA Layla) are long gone. When did Gail Kim come back? In between TNA stints? - John Cena vs. Batista - Funny how both the WWE and Heavyweight Titles changed hands between the Rumble and WrestleMania. Batista appears to be rocking a Super-Douche Heel persona, one that seems to make the most sense for him. Cena's "spectacular" entrance of the year is a synchronized drill routine courtesy of... Marines? I don't know if Michael Cole even knew. I'm surprised by the amount of attempted chain wrestling in the first half of the match. Seems a bit rushed, but Batista was never Mr. Cardio, so it's cool with me this didn't go 20+. Typical Main Event formula we've come to expect. Not memorable, but still good enough to make the grade. I was expecting more, and was a bit disappointed. (***) - Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker - I want to say this first: I LOVED the story from the Rumble Match, with Shawn desperate to win just to get another shot at (then World Champion) Undertaker, and the heart-breaking moment where he lost his chance. Of course, through circumstances over the next few weeks, it became reality again, and we have the most anticipated rematch in WrestleMania History since Austin/Rock. It's an amazing match, and remains the best way for Shawn's in-ring career to end. Some say WM 25 was better, some say this, I say both matches are all-time classics that can be enjoyed today and 10 years from now. I'm not going to list highspots and all that stuff, I just think it rocked, and have to say I'm disappointed in myself in never watching the match until a couple of months ago. (****1/2 - I didn't think it was 5-stars, and I really dislike giving out 4 3/4, because I either think it's 5, or I think it sits at a solid 1/2. If I'm thinking 3/4, I'll go the full monty). Overall, a good show from start to finish, but without Michaels/Taker II, this might've gone down as one of the most unremarkable WrestleMania's of all time. Nothing really bad, nothing that really stood out, otherwise. |
| |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · Reviews and Columns · Next Topic » |





![]](http://z5.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)




12:06 PM Jul 11