Read on for my thoughts on WrestleMania 29.
Pre-show:
The hype is always pretty good, so I'll just focus on the match.
Disregard that. The Miz/Barrett/Snooki segment wasn't my cup of tea at all. This isn't a show about wrestlers wrestling anymore. It's a show about using social media and having guest stars.
Mark Henry had a good promo as he generally does.
Not a bad IC Title match by any stretch. There's something to be said for starting the show with a babyface win. Maybe something will come of the Title now?
Not a bad 6-man tag, either. Some good workers in there. I'm glad that The Shield is keeping their momentum.
I'm a little surprised that they went with the predictable post-match. We're right back where we started with Show as heel, Orton and Sheamus as faces, and The Shield undefeated. Followup will be critical to see where everyone's careers go.
What? Seriously? That match was made for Ryback to win. They had an opportunity to further elevate a new star there, but didn't do it. It's a shame.
The post-match somewhat corrected the problem, but Ryback still just lost clean. That could have been booked better.
Pretty good tag team title match. I wish the result had been different, but maybe they have something else in mind as to where it made sense for Hell No to retain. And where was Kaitlyn?
Not really what I was hoping for between Jericho and Fandango. They established that Fandango's finisher isn't good enough to get the win. That's not something you want to enforce in a debut match. If there's no rematch to settle the score, Fandango looks like a fluke who's not in Jericho's league. And yes, Jericho lost, but he had a good showing and he got surprised so it really doesn't hurt him if the followup is good. It's always about more than wins and losses.
Skipping the non-wrestling parts of the show. This isn't Ramblings About Concerts.
Nice evil promo by Colter. I'm sure someone's upset with the character's controversial remarks. To parts of the IWC, heels are supposed to be people the "smart" fans cheer. However, if they were really smart, they'd boo so the characters get over as heels.
Damned solid World Title match. Everyone was used well. I'd love to see a rematch, though they didn't really set one up there.
That was awesome. Good story told with Punk, Taker, and Heyman. All three "get" the business and what makes a match memorable. I can't put over their work enough. I don't think the loss hurt Punk; he looked pretty good in defeat.
Good post-match as well. I hope we get some kind of promo from Taker about what Bearer meant to his career before he disappears.
HHH vs. Lesnar was an absolute war. Definitely Mania-worthy. Very good story told.
Nice that they broke the attendance record.
Pretty good main event. My only complaint is that it might have been overkill for Cena to kick out of that many finishers. All in all, though, they told a nice story. It cracks me up that people think Cena "can't wrestle" as he continues to show that he can.
Nice ending to the show. I'm under the impression that this wraps everything up storyline-wise.
Overall, a really good show. Hats off to everyone.
More wrestling coming up, and a Blue Echo podcast later in the day.
This is the big one!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I missed the pre-show and my internet connection has been less-than-stellar as of late. They love their social media, branching out to an even wider audience, getting speedy audience feedback and reactions.
Can't go wrong with the smack talk of the World's Strongest Man!
Lovely start to the show (of shows) proper. Shield getting some cheers and support, I don't think any other match could have started the show. The Shield have been unstoppable! Show *straight* back to heel, agreed, let's see what happens on SmackDown.
Looks like they have something else planned...Ryback is down on his PPV record but has a knack for making a statement post-match. Seems as if Ryback's time isn't *quite* yet.
Solid Tag Team action, I had fun with this one. *What a Chokeslam* on Dolph! Ha that guy call sell like savvy business person! Where *was* Kaitlyn? A shame and a waste not bringing her out. same for Cesaro, and the 8 person match.
This is WrestleMania, hitting your finisher one time often fails to get the job done on this stage but I get your point, seeing as this is his debut. What an entrance by the way hahahaaa! You're right, these two are long from done, I understand these reax are immediately following 'Mania though, you didn't have the luxury of watching Raw after before commenting.
For some strange reason I can hardy remember the promo, Colter is fab on the mic of course but I just don't remember, shame on me. Hehe you're right, booing is the way to show support to heels hahaha.
Absolutely agreed, when you've got stars with the amateur backgrounds of Del Rio and Swagger, mixed in with their pro personas and their respective over managers, you've got a recipe for a WrestleMania main eventer. My only gripe was the length, I would have loved to see another 5, 10 or even 15 mins added but call me gluttonous.
And once again, pre-Raw.
Absolutely agreed, for me Undertaker vs. Punk was definitely the Gold Medal Match. You said it, they "get" the business, they love the business and that showed not just in the match but in the entire storyline. *Standing ovation* It was awesome seeing Living Colour perform live and Taker's entrance really did creep me out, they go all out for WrestleMania. The sequences in the match, Taker sitting up and staring Punk square in the face, Punk pinning Taker, Taker style, Punk's leap of faith and the final thunderous Tombstone to end it - Marvelous!
"It's a bad night for Paul E. Dangerously" My funny brother uttered as Triple H scored the pinfall on a truly epic (not "epic meal time" "epic" - Lord of the Rings epic!). You said it, it *was* a war, easily the Silver Medal match in my eyes. A treat for "hardcore" fans especially.
"Ah this year's 'Mania sucks" "It's the worst ever" "Predicatble, predicatble, predicatble" (yes I can't spell that word) tell that to 80,000+ screaming fans.
Should Diddly have done Rock's entrance like Flo Rida did last year?
You're right, what was it, three Rock Bottom's? I'd say that's too much. My funny brother especially praised the moment where Cena almost emulated the move that lost him last years match. Absolutely.
And we bid adieu to The Showcase of the Immortals till next year, XXX, I would have liked to see Cena face The New York City Bear but...you can't win 'em all (you can ignore that part). I'm not too sure if we've seen the last of The Rock, if he returns again it'll be at one of the big four of course with WrestleMania XXX being the absolute limit.
Thank you very much!
I'm doing a paper on the social media reach of WWE and TNA (I'm a Mass Communications major). They are really on the ball with it. Out of curiosity, what are you in school for? It's ok if you're not sure yet. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. I was told to find a combination of what I'm interested in and what I'm good at, and this seems like the right path.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to me that I used to write Henry off. He has come a LONG way from his early days, and even a good deal from where he was before the Hall of Pain gimmick. It's like Big E Langston now. Yes, he's big and strong, but could he be a big force in the company? Henry seems like he has a lot of respect for the business, too. It's not just a way for him to make money or a launching pad for something else like acting. Some of the younger guys get that criticism.
I think WWE might to do something good with the competitors in the 6-man in the future. I'm trying to be more patient with stories not going how I want them to. Instant gratification is big these days.
They haven't done the best job with Ryback. It felt like they rushed him into the feud with Punk, then didn't know where to go afterward. If Rock wasn't set for the Rumble, it wouldn't have surprised me too much if Ryback had beaten Punk for the title. I think they might have something up their sleeve with him, though.
Dolph's ability to put his body on the line is unparalleled. A SUPER hard worker. That can be dangerous if you push yourself too hard. I would definitely have liked to have seen Kaitlyn, Cesaro, and Kofi on the main show. I see why they cut the 8-person tag, though. Timing issues.
I just hope they don't cut Fandango's legs out from under him. The act has potential. I think it's pretty certain that we're going to get a break from Fandango vs. Jericho, at least temporarily, as Jericho goes off to tour with Fozzy. There's no set date for him to come back to WWE yet.
Sometimes I forget things from the previous night until I see the blog again. I'm dealing with SO much info with school that I can't keep it all straight at once. This is one reason why Vince McMahon has a really tough job. He has to keep track of all kinds of business things AND the creative side of the company. He thrives on it, though. Serious workaholic.
It was set to go longer, but they wanted to give more time to the last three matches. I think they could have torn down the house at Extreme Rules, but now Ziggler's involved so who knows if we'll see them go the distance.
I like that the spots and moves they did meant something beyond "check out my cool moves". They told a good story with memorable moments.
Surprisingly (or perhaps not so) some people weren't crazy about HHH vs. Lesnar. I think some people go into a match with preconceived biases ("I hate HHH using his backstage power to get big matches") and it ruins their view of the matches. I TRY to avoid this, but it might be inevitable. I think I might have had it with Darren Young in the NXT: Redemption days since the other commenter was so high on him and I didn't see him as amazing. Seriously, we talked about Darren, Titus, and Derrick Bateman in detail like every week and I got burned out.
The stereotypical IWC member is WAY too hard to please. They expect wrestlers to practically kill themselves with dangerous spots at breakneck speed. Yet they don't spend nearly as much money on the product as the families who just want a good story. Some of Mick Foley's ECW promos are spot on in some ways: http://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=6&page=6
I don't really care about the non-wrestlers for the most part, though I liked Living Colour and Motorhead (previously).
Had to cut the comment in two:
ReplyDeleteYeah, some "know it alls" were saying that Rock vs. Cena was bad, which is totally ridiculous. Back to that idea of preconceptions (they don't like Cena or Rock's gimmicks or catchphrases and would rather see someone like Bryan or Cesaro, so they're not going to give them credit as performers).
I think we'll see Rock again, just not for a while as he heals up and has more movies to film. The original plan for the night after Raw was to set up Rock vs. Lesnar, but Rock was too hurt to be there.
And thank you for commenting! It gives me a distraction from this homework. Ugh.
Fabulous! Ah I've always waned to write about wrestling in school, there's so much to learn from it! Psychology, oh don't worry, this is the *only* course for me, I simply need to know it all, what is human behaviour all about? That's good, very good that you found a course to combine your strengths and preferences, I'd imagine some would be disappointed or torn, unable to find the correct mix.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right, what a difference a heel turn makes! He could, as long as Big E. learns from his successful peers and keeps the drive the want, to be to make his mark (no pun intended) then heck, one day he could be holding the same Title Dolph has.
I'd never heard of that - no doubt you have to be devoted to wrestling to get in the WWE most of the time.
Indeed, it's easy to be impatient in this world, a world where a dozen people are all chasing one thing, but yes, Ambrose especially shines for me, I believe in the Shield!
You're right, especially considering who they could have had feud Punk between SummerSlam-ish and the Royal Rumble; Kofi, Truth, heck even Orton, maybe.
Hmm we'll soon see.
Hahaaaa too right! He does it well, *so well* but yea as you say he could end up overshooting it one time and seriously hurt himself. Indeed, that was the case?...Hmm, sorry I dunno what else to say of it.
Ah, I totally forget about Fozzy, how soon is he looking to leave d'ya know? You said you could see Miz/Fandango in the future, Fandango's recent popularity only makes that prediction more plausible.
It's always good if you write (or type) as much of all of your goings on down, as possible. That way you you don't have to rely on your memory for everything. Manage your and you'll be fine. It's true, sometimes so many people (including me) forget that he's running an international business.
I see, fair enough it's WrestleMania and they want the focus on the Legends/Part-timers, that's why I'm always so hopeful about post-'Mania and why I agree with my funny brother referring to it as a new year. Absolutely, the pure *wrestling* ability of those two, of those three! Is a Triple Threat too much to ask for?
You're right, they worked together to give the fans a true WreslteMania experience, and in the end, that's how it's it's done, it's World Wrestling Entertainment.
I *do* find that surprising, even if Triple H "married his way into power" Brock isn't a star pupil himself! There's a big difference, D Young at the time had only been on TV - fleetingly, hard to form a solid opinion on him as he hadn't shown you too much. Triple H on the other hand has been in every conceivable match against almost every conceivable opponent for over a decade - like him or not there's no denying the guy is a 1st first wrestling machine!
Ain't that the truth - And thankfully as is that. If IWC and the like were the only fans, WWE would be screwed financially. Cool website! (Goodness, I was just a wee lad when he made these promos) Right the "You're a disgrace to professional wrestling, Tommy!" one indeed, it's wrestling not self-destruction -funnily enough last year Punk cut a similar promo against Mick Foley "You'd even set yourself on fire if you thought it's get you the adulation of these people. And the only thing I want outta them, is to bring them to their *knees*!! And I will do that - i do that with a *microphone*"
But for WrestleMania, when they're trying to break into as much media and audiences as possible, isn't it good to have celebs? Of course they shouldn't take time form the wrestlers though; the real stars of the show.
Aha Triple H - WrestleMania X7! It can work to their advantage if they have a theme song that could call for a live performance.
Size matters!
ReplyDeleteIt's just annoying, they vilify the match before it's even occurred then fail to pick up on the any of the positives when it does happen.
In the end only time will tell - that and Twitter. Oh yes I did hear of that plan, Rock and Brock - talk about a callback.
Ah the pleasure's mine, like I said, it's a good environment to simply talk wrestling! Heheh don't fret, take some more time out to relax before you finish it...if you haven't already.
It might be a while before Big E shows us everything he's capable of. He's still relatively new.
ReplyDeleteI know Finlay said (paraphrasing) that most WWE wrestlers aren't in it to be wrestlers, and Bryan said in Punk's DVD that there are people who hide from Management so they won't end up in matches and can just collect a paycheck.
Ambrose and Rollins have been around the block, so I think they appreciate where they are now.
Jericho's already off touring. He's set for next week's Smackdown (this might be off-camera), but other than that he's free from WWE.
I leave notes/emails for myself. I have to!
I think WWE evens looks at it as a new year.
I can't recommend Cagematch highly enough. I use it pretty frequently.
Of course it makes sense to use some celebs from a business perspective. I'm just not crazy about some of them personally.
It's fun to talk wrestling. It's just... you know... I have to do other things. O.o Thankfully, the semester's over in about 3 weeks.
Oh no doubt, it'll take a while but if he maintains focus and is used well then the sky is as they say the limit.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough I can't remember that in the documentary, gotta watch it again and look for Finlay's quote too.
Goodness, seems rather intrusive but heck he's a hard-working guy. D'ya think Fandango will kayfabe injure Jericho?
Absolutely right.
Aha I'm glad you do, it's a useful technique.
There you go, I'm sure the WWE Universe at large does actually.
And I can see why, scribed promo's, that's good work!
Fair dues, you are a WWE fan after all, not a P. Diddy fan.
Hence why you made this blog! C'est la vie, really? Did you just finish your break/holiday?
Bryan said something about guys avoiding Superstars matches. Finlay's quote was from some shoot DVD. I don't remember which.
ReplyDeleteI think they might have already written Jericho off with the beating from last week's Smackdown.
I wish they had even more promos. I was trying to find more of Cody Rhodes' stuff from when he had the mask, but no such luck.
Spring break for me was the middle of March for some reason.
Where have you looked, YT and Dailymotion often come in handy with this sorta stuff.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzWHtRY9744
Goodness when it was still snowing like Christmas!
I kind of miss that version of Rhodes. The story goes that the Dashing character and its aftermath are based on Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho" - one of the creepiest characters around because he's like Dashing by day and like masked Rhodes by night. It's a good movie/book but it is VERY graphic.
ReplyDeleteThere was a decent amount of snow this semester, but it's been fairly warm this semester.
been fairly warm these past few weeks**
ReplyDeleteOhhh yeah, now I see the resemblance, hehe my funny brother called him the Phantom of the Opera, which is also quite similar but not as...weird as American Psycho like you implied.
ReplyDeleteAh groovy, that's good to hear.
Oh, it was definitely Patrick Bateman. The couple of times he wrestled in a suit, the beauty tips, not wanting his face to be hurt. Here's part of Bateman's morning routine: "After I remove the ice pack I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower I use a water activated gel cleanser, then a honey almond body scrub, and on the face an exfoliating gel scrub. Then I apply an herb-mint facial masque which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion."
ReplyDeleteThe only major thing missing (that they could actually get away with on a PG show) was his obsession with music and having the best of everything. In the book, Bateman goes on and on about what people are wearing, what he's eating at a fancy restaurant, what's in his apartment, his favorite musical acts, etc.. Cody would fit that role pretty well I think. He's young and handsome enough.
Wow, goodness, yeah that certainly sounds like Dashing Cody Rhodes, I didn't know WWE followed the story so well. What does the wrestling in a suit have to do with Bateman though?
ReplyDeleteYea, definitely that could have been incorporated into Cody, especially for a heel; the audience wants to see them wrestle, not talk about they had for dinner, he could even interrupt face promos to point out his favourite musician, certain heel heat.
Bateman was always very well dressed. The book goes on and on about what people are wearing, including brand names and such. It's a very weird read.
ReplyDeleteI was mainly thinking of vignettes like the beauty tips or backstage promos. Bateman just goes on these tangents about certain CDs/musical acts.
It'd also be great if they incorporated the business card scene somehow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoIvd3zzu4Y
Bateman's so obsessed with status, his looks, etc.. All those business cards look really similar, but to him there's a HUGE difference. How dare someone have a better business card than him!?
Okay, understood. Sounds good, very detailed, very meticulous which seems to fit Bateman's character.
ReplyDeleteOh, fair dues, in that case Cody did a good job of it.
Aha that is serious! So he's like a connoisseur in *everything* even font!
The Meticulous Maniac! My goodness, yes Cody could have run with that, he did a good job no doubt but a parody of the business card scene would have been inspired.
There's a reason the character (Bateman) is still talked about all these years later. He's memorable for sure. That's Kaitlyn's favorite movie for some reason. Not exactly date-friendly fare.
ReplyDelete