Post by fallenhero on May 15, 2008 5:24:31 GMT -5
Just got the Blu-Ray yesterday, watched it, figured I'd throw this review out there. Note: The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone. I am not speaking on behalf of anyone on this board, or the IWC in general.
ECW Championship Contender Battle Royal:
Well, was there any doubt as to who was winning this match? I mean, for what it was, this was kinda entertaining. I marked hard when I was watching the stream and Kane won the battle royal. Nothing to really talk about.
Rating - dud
Finlay vs. JBL - Belfast Brawl:
Now this match is a mixed bag for me, I found it at points to be hella entertaining, but at some points, it just didn't hold my interest. JBL owning Hornswaggle with the trash can was one of the high points of the match for me. But all in all, this seemed to be a generic brawl with some periodic bouts of neatness.
Rating - **1/4
Chris Jericho vs. MVP vs. Ken Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison vs. Carlito - Money in the Bank:
I'm a sucker for ladder matches, and I'm a sucker for multi-man matches, so obviously I was going to enjoy this. I guess it's a staple now in MITB to have a guy fall from the ring through a ladder, and at least this one had some 'holy crap is he alright' factor to it. Hardy returning kinda takes away from this match. in my opinion. Other than that, I think this was a highly enjoyable match with enough 'holy crap' factor to keep most people's attention.
Rating - ***
Batista vs. Umaga - Smackdown! vs. RAW:
Two of my personal favorites going at it here, and I expected a total, balls to the wall brawl. I did not get what I expected. Instead, I got a relatively short, somewhat boring match with a decent, albeit botched finish. I expected something to remember here, and until watching it yesterday, I probably couldn't have told you anything that happened.
Rating - **
Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane - ECW Championship:
Well, it sure as hell made me happy as a fan to see Kane win a title again. But as a match..well, you pretty much know what's coming next..
Rating - dud
Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair - Career Threatening Match:
In a word: Amazing. I expected a classic match from these two, but what I got was so much greater than I expected. Flair goes out of his usual chop/chop block/figure four routine and works with Michaels to give the fans a really good, long (by most fan's standards), and memorable match that Flair can look at and be proud to call his last match. Michaels was just great in this match, his hesitation to finish Flair off when he had the chance, and then the ending was just phenomenal. This will definitely end up in the top 5-10 of most people's MOTY list, I have a feeling.
Rating - ****1/2
Beth Phoenix and Melina vs. Ashley and Maria - Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match of doom:
Well first off, I dislike most women's wrestling by default, but I was actually entertained by this match. I mean, it wasn't MOTY or anything, but it was decent. The lumberjacks didn't do a whole lot in this match, so that kinda defeated the purpose of them being out there. The power going out half way through was lolable, but other than that, it was a passable match.
Rating - *3/4
Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena - WWE Championship:
I'll say it now: I'm a huge fan of Cena and Orton, so this particular match review may seem biased in a way, but I thought this was a decent triple threat match. The crowd was so into the apparent fact that Triple H or Cena was going to win the title, that it makes the finish just that much better, because nobody saw it coming. They kept a somewhat decent pace in the match, and had a number of decent close calls. Not the best match of the night, but it's still pretty good.
Rating - ***
Floyd Mayweather vs. The Big Show:
Well...it's not the abomination that I expected it to be, and rewatching, it's still not that bad. Mayweather and his posse play their parts perfectly, and The Big Show pretty much goes above and beyond the call of duty to make Mayweather look good. And let's be real, I think the finish we got is the only way anyone would REALLY except Mayweather beating Show.
Rating - **
The Undertaker vs. Edge - World Heavyweight Championship:
Other than Flair/HBK, this was probably the best match of the night. Edge gets in enough offense to look like he's REALLY going to end the streak, and Taker gets in all his key offense. Factor in the ref bump, and the finish, this match was pretty much the best possible main event for the show after HBK/Flair.
Rating - ***3/4
Overall Thoughts:
A pretty solid WrestleMania in my opinion, definitely the best since XIX. I think the WWE's been on a roll with good PPVs this year, and out of the four that's happened so far, this is the best show. A lot of good/great matches, and just overall a lot of fun to watch.
ECW Championship Contender Battle Royal:
Well, was there any doubt as to who was winning this match? I mean, for what it was, this was kinda entertaining. I marked hard when I was watching the stream and Kane won the battle royal. Nothing to really talk about.
Rating - dud
Finlay vs. JBL - Belfast Brawl:
Now this match is a mixed bag for me, I found it at points to be hella entertaining, but at some points, it just didn't hold my interest. JBL owning Hornswaggle with the trash can was one of the high points of the match for me. But all in all, this seemed to be a generic brawl with some periodic bouts of neatness.
Rating - **1/4
Chris Jericho vs. MVP vs. Ken Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison vs. Carlito - Money in the Bank:
I'm a sucker for ladder matches, and I'm a sucker for multi-man matches, so obviously I was going to enjoy this. I guess it's a staple now in MITB to have a guy fall from the ring through a ladder, and at least this one had some 'holy crap is he alright' factor to it. Hardy returning kinda takes away from this match. in my opinion. Other than that, I think this was a highly enjoyable match with enough 'holy crap' factor to keep most people's attention.
Rating - ***
Batista vs. Umaga - Smackdown! vs. RAW:
Two of my personal favorites going at it here, and I expected a total, balls to the wall brawl. I did not get what I expected. Instead, I got a relatively short, somewhat boring match with a decent, albeit botched finish. I expected something to remember here, and until watching it yesterday, I probably couldn't have told you anything that happened.
Rating - **
Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane - ECW Championship:
Well, it sure as hell made me happy as a fan to see Kane win a title again. But as a match..well, you pretty much know what's coming next..
Rating - dud
Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair - Career Threatening Match:
In a word: Amazing. I expected a classic match from these two, but what I got was so much greater than I expected. Flair goes out of his usual chop/chop block/figure four routine and works with Michaels to give the fans a really good, long (by most fan's standards), and memorable match that Flair can look at and be proud to call his last match. Michaels was just great in this match, his hesitation to finish Flair off when he had the chance, and then the ending was just phenomenal. This will definitely end up in the top 5-10 of most people's MOTY list, I have a feeling.
Rating - ****1/2
Beth Phoenix and Melina vs. Ashley and Maria - Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match of doom:
Well first off, I dislike most women's wrestling by default, but I was actually entertained by this match. I mean, it wasn't MOTY or anything, but it was decent. The lumberjacks didn't do a whole lot in this match, so that kinda defeated the purpose of them being out there. The power going out half way through was lolable, but other than that, it was a passable match.
Rating - *3/4
Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena - WWE Championship:
I'll say it now: I'm a huge fan of Cena and Orton, so this particular match review may seem biased in a way, but I thought this was a decent triple threat match. The crowd was so into the apparent fact that Triple H or Cena was going to win the title, that it makes the finish just that much better, because nobody saw it coming. They kept a somewhat decent pace in the match, and had a number of decent close calls. Not the best match of the night, but it's still pretty good.
Rating - ***
Floyd Mayweather vs. The Big Show:
Well...it's not the abomination that I expected it to be, and rewatching, it's still not that bad. Mayweather and his posse play their parts perfectly, and The Big Show pretty much goes above and beyond the call of duty to make Mayweather look good. And let's be real, I think the finish we got is the only way anyone would REALLY except Mayweather beating Show.
Rating - **
The Undertaker vs. Edge - World Heavyweight Championship:
Other than Flair/HBK, this was probably the best match of the night. Edge gets in enough offense to look like he's REALLY going to end the streak, and Taker gets in all his key offense. Factor in the ref bump, and the finish, this match was pretty much the best possible main event for the show after HBK/Flair.
Rating - ***3/4
Overall Thoughts:
A pretty solid WrestleMania in my opinion, definitely the best since XIX. I think the WWE's been on a roll with good PPVs this year, and out of the four that's happened so far, this is the best show. A lot of good/great matches, and just overall a lot of fun to watch.
