 Wrestlemania 28 came and went last night with a bang, maybe, or was it more like a whimper? Depends on your outlook I suppose. When I posted my Wrestlemania Preview a day ago, I mentioned a lot of the reasons why I have a hard time loving Pro Wrestling anymore. Pro Wrestling and I have something of an open marriage I suppose, where I am free to pursue other interests but we always come back to one another in the end. Wrestlemania 28 was a perfect case study in why I have that internal debate.
So what happened on the actual show? Here's a quick recap:
Dark Match:
Primo and Epico defeated The Usos and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel via pinfall to retain the Tag Team Championship
Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan via pinfall in 0:16 to win the World Heavyweight Championship
Kane defeated Randall Keith Orton via pinfall in 10:57
Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes via pinfall in 5:16 to win the Intercontinental Championship
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres via pinfall in 6:49 (Maria pins Beth)
End Of An Era:
The Undertaker defeated Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match via pinfall in 30:51
For Control of RAW and Smackdown:
Team Johnny defeated Team Teddy via pinfall in 10:36 (Miz pins Zach Ryder)
CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho via submission in 22:21 to retain the WWE Championship
Once In A Lifetime:
The Rock defeated John Cena via pinfall in 30:33
There were a few other things thrown in here and there. A few backstage interviews, a stupid segment with Mick Foley, some guy from Deadliest Catch (credit to people I watched with that knew who he was,) Santino, and Ron Simmons, an AWFUL segment with Brodus Clay, and two of the worst live music performances in Wrestlemania history.
I can't under or overstate that at all. Besides not knowing who either of the musical acts were, the performances were lame and the whole "Cena is the underdog, I'm an underdog" thing didn't seem to resonate with anyone. I guess the idea is "Hey, I'm a white rapper, nobody takes us seriously, I'm an underdog." Guess what, nobody cares. For that matter, why was Cena labelled the "underdog?" Isn't Cena the guy who has been on the road the past 8 years, wrestling every night, dominating the entire WWE and wrestling industry? Wasn't his opponent the guy who has appeared sporadically the past 8 years, made a bunch of low rated family movies, and largely was a non factor in the film industry? Tell me again why he's the underdog? Cena should've been the favorite, was the favorite to me, and it was slightly more than disappointing to me that he lost. Yes, WWE did deliver one of the first genuine shockers they have in years but at what cost? It's hard to tell what long term damage Cena's character takes by being made to look second rate to a guy who has spent 8 years involved in non-athletic endeavors. Let me also mention that, while VERY obvious, I loved the ending of this match. Can you remember the last time that Cena showboated? He showboated, got caught by the Rock, and the match was over. Losing like that definitely gives you an out for a Cena heel turn. While I don't see it coming, it's good that the "Super Cena" character took a huge hit last night. It should be interesting to see where that goes.
As for the other match involving guys who wrestle once a year, Undertaker and Triple H. I've heard a lot from both sides on this one, some people who thought this match was great and some that thought it was somewhat of a disappointment. Here's where I stand on that. I wasn't a huge fan of their match last year but maybe that's because I wasn't there live, or was still coming down from the decent matches that Shawn and Taker put on the two years before that, I'm not entirely sure. Point is that I thought that match, the one that I wasn't a huge fan of, was better than the match we saw last night. In my opinion, they failed to live up to the standard they set for themselves with their good match at WM17 and their so-so match last year at WM27. Making it a Hell In A Cell and making Jim Ross the announcer for the match doesn't change anything for me. They are still just two veteran workers that are slightly out of shape now and can't go like they used to. Just because these two are allowed to do things that no one else is, get the announcer nobody else does, and get a gimmick that never plays into a match anymore doesn't make that match a good one. It was a decent match, for what it was, but it was overshadowed -twice- by themselves AND later in the same show. I get that this was more about story than competition but the drama was too overdone for me and it just didn't resonate. That is not to discredit anyone's opinion, if you liked the match, that's awesome, I'm happy you got something out of it. For the people who didn't think it was special though, your opinion isn't necessarily wrong either.
CM Punk versus Jericho, for me, was the match of the night. The ending was a bit ruined for me because of who I watched the show with but it was overall a great contest. It started really slow, it was really clunky in the beginning, but the last 10-15 minutes, upon repeat viewing, got better and better for me. These two put on an absolute clinic for people who want to see perfect mat wrestling. A big part of the lag at the beginning of the match I blame on the backstage segment before it. Johnny Ace telling Punk a DQ would still mean a title change IMMEDIATELY leads the home audience and the live crowd to conclude that Punk will be losing the title by disqualification. I'm not saying we are right to draw that conclusion but it is the natural point to go to. With that in mind, I can see the crowd not immediately being into the match, feeling like the result was telegraphed and definite. Once they got beyond that initial hiccup, this match really excelled down the stretch. Plenty of near falls, the element that a DQ could be the end of Punk's title reign, possible Jericho shenanigan's, the return of the TRUE Lion Tamer, a submission victory via Anaconda Vice... It was good to see how great they treated Punk with a star's entrance setup, pyro, and a crowd that was absolutely on his side 100%. I can't say enough about how good this was.
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos beating Beth and Eve isn't really a shocker, I think we all knew this was coming, and it was the right call. Sure, having a D-List celebrity pin the Pink Butterfly champion probably isn't good for credibility, but at this point, what credibility does that entire division have anyway? There's nothing lost her. Beth's character looks a bit weaker like they consistently do to her, Eve got to look hot, Kelly Kelly got to smile and wave at the crowd, and Maria got to look tough fighting a legitimate injury and Eve's makeup stain on her white pants. And in the end, the WWE is still the big winner. Wrestling should be all about making money and reaching living rooms and by gaining free publicity through a network entertainment show, they are definitely making small headway into those regions. It was a smart, and solid move.
I had a feeling that I would get the winner wrong in the Sheamus versus Bryan match and I definitely did. I have no real issue with Sheamus winning and becoming the new champion but I really do question the reason they did it this way. Did they have to cut some time for later in the show, you know, for all of those AWESOME music acts and Brodus Clay segments? Was one of the guys hurt and they couldn't work a full match? Whatever the reason, I'm sure WWE had a logical motivation for doing it. I just question how much it actually does for the Smackdown brand. By losing in 18 seconds, Daniel Bryan essentially loses nothing. Yeah, he lost his title in under a minute, nobody is arguing that. Leading into Wrestlemania though, Bryan absolutely dominated this feud at every step while Sheamus didn't look particularly great. Also, the crowd was decidedly pro Bryan, at least in the ringside area. Sheamus' win got the crowd to pop but there was a non arguable segment of the crowd that wasn't happy, proofed by their consistent "YES! YES! YES!" chants throughout the night. Top that all off by the fact that Sheamus winning in this fashion didn't do anything for making him look strong. Yes, he won, but what did he actually do to win? He didn't have to overcome anything, he didn't have to make a furious comeback to beat the champion that was dominating him, he just walked out, kicked someone in the face, and got a half assed celebration in front of the former champion (who didn't seem to care) and a TV side audience that was STILL rooting for the former champ. This kind of finish really makes me wonder if Bryan is going to quickly get the belt back or if they have bigger plans for him to move to RAW during the draft and finally have his storyline with CM Punk. If that is the case, positive move. Time will tell.
Team Johnny versus Team Teddy was exactly what you probably thought it would be. It was a bit of a clusterf--- but it got guys involved in the show for all the hard work they put in the past year. It had a decent storyline behind it of the power struggle between Johnny Ace and Teddy Long and the right team won in the end. The ending was a little stupid with the Zach Ryder and Eve drama continuing while everyone sits on their hands. Eve definitely drew some heat from the crowd but all this does is make Ryder look like a total tool. The WWE never treats guys well who get themselves over without the WWE hype machine and Ryder is no different. All he did was make one of the most unlikely rises to fame of a wrestler in a LONG time and they continually are punishing him for that. Great reward WWE, way to show faith in your workers. I can't say too many other things about the match itself aside from Dolph doing what Dolph does best and taking a RIDICULOUS bump in this match to make someone look like a star. Aside from that, the only thing I really loved about it was the great ending with Johnny and Miz jumping up and down like they just won the Tri-State High School Bowling Championships. It was completely perfect and fitting for their characters. Bonus like: Johnny Ace's "Brother Love" suit was one of the best things I've seen in awhile. I don't know how he did it but Johnny has become one of the most consistently entertaining guys they have on either show. He can't cut a promo without flubbing a line and he doesn't know how to properly sell a move (see Go To Sleep, CM Punk) but the guy can entertain and lay it on really well. Kudos.
As for the rest of the card... I'm not really sure what can be said. If you read my predictions, I got most of the matches wrong. The reason for that, in my opinion, is some of the most questionable long term booking decisions I've seen in awhile. Kane beating Randall Keith Orton is an absolutely baffling decision. Kane should be a novelty act at this point, not a feature performer who defeats one of your top stars CLEANLY on your biggest show. I really don't get the logic of this. Even if they continue this feud and Orton gets his heat back by beating Kane in the end, does it really matter? As the old Vince McMahon credo goes "if it doesn't happen at Wrestlemania, it didn't happen." If Orton wins in the end, he is still the guy that lost to Kane at Mania and he can't get that back. The same can be said to a certain extent for Big Show versus Cody. Look, I can sympathize with wanting to give Big Show his first true Wrestlemania moment. The guy has had a long career, he's won every title there is (by finally winning the Intercontinental last night,) and he's probably a Hall of Famer. I just question why you have him win over a guy that is clearly one of your future top performers for a mid card title. Does Big Show really need the Intercontinental Championship? Does this mean Vince McMahon no longer sees Show as a top performer? I'm not sure we have the real answers to those questions but I lean No, then Yes, in that order. Cody Rhodes is now free to move on to bigger and better things, if they chose, like having him challenge and eventually beat Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Championship, which is good, but I think it's more likely that Cody takes back the white strap within the next month or so. Big Show doesn't need the throwback paper weight to still be relevant and I think this was just a case of giving a guy his moment. This isn't a questionable booking as much as a booking that muddles up the water for no reason.
And there we have it, that was Wrestlemania 28. Like I've indicated, I think this is one of the best Wrestlemanias in years but that's not saying a whole lot. The match had 2 REALLY good matches in Rock vs. Cena and Punk vs. Jericho, a decent match in Undertaker vs. Triple H, and a bunch of stuff that was adequate, confusing, or both. Certainly not their worst effort, by far. Let the speculation about where they go from here run wild. What do you do with John Cena now? What about the rumors of a match being booked on RAW for next year's Wrestlemania? Where was Brock Lesnar? For the first time in awhile, I almost can't wait to see what comes next.
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