So I checked out WM at the Galaxy Cinemas instead of home, because $30 beats $60 and it's a more fun atmosphere, and it was pretty good overall, I guess. The stadium setting was certainly something to behold, a far cry from the days of relative bingo halls like Trump Plaza, that's for sure. I didn't take notes, so this is from memory.
- JBL d. Finlay in a standard garbage brawl in the opener with the Clothesline From New York. Weird that they played up the emotional nature of the match and then put the heel over, but JBL is the bigger star and they want to push him, so that's what you get. Honestly, I don't mind the cheap looking weapons any more because I've seen enough chairshots for one lifetime. Match was kind of short and wasn't a good choice to open, but it was fine for what it was. Needed blood or stiffness or some kind of emotional payoff. **1/2
- CM Punk wins Money in the Bank, which is a bit of a shock and I think a total waste if they're gonna use it on the ECW title. I don't see him getting either of the big belts because they just don't see him as That Guy, so he'll probably end up dropping the "title" ala Kennedy to move it to someone else who CAN cash it in and have a good shot. That match of course was a trainwreck, most of which I already have forgotten, so call it ***1/2. Big reaction from the theater for Matt Hardy's return, but this would have been the perfect place to elevate him and instead he gets stuck with MVP again.
- Batista d. Umaga with the demon bomb in a dull mess of a match. Umaga is like the anti-Shawn at Wrestlemania, taking things down a notch for the big one last year and this year. Too much resting, no real story told. *1/2
- Kane d. Chavo Guerrero in about 5 seconds to win the ECW title in a "who cares" moment for me. DUD
- Shawn Michaels d. Ric Flair with two superkicks in a long match that wasn't quite what I was looking for both in the execution of the match and the post-match ceremony, but it was certainly the best Flair match I've seen in a long time. They did a lot of tribute to Flair's past, but I was waiting for the crazy Flair counters like going low to block the superkick or having Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard run in and save the pin one last time. I liked the story of Shawn being reluctant to put away his hero, but the finish needed more drama and it was more sad than dramatic, especially after the effort that Flair was putting into his last match. Flair trying the pinfall reversal sequence one last time and not being able to bridge was pretty telling in itself. Not a classic, not a disappointment, basically just what I expected. ***1/4
- The chick match saw Beth Phoenix pinning Maria to win. Ashley looked HORRIBLE and it was an embarrassment with her in there, but it was watchable with everyone else in there. *1/2
- Randy Orton d. John Cena & HHH by stealing the pin. One nice thing about having three World titles is that you can screw the fans on one of them and still have another shot for the happy ending. Felt short to me, but it probably wasn't, which means it was a pretty good match but not off the charts or anything. John Cena continues to steal the focus of any match he's in, as fans chant for him and against him and ignore everything else, which once again makes Orton look like a chump and that's why Cena should be champion again. I appreciate what they're trying to do with Orton, but I'm not buying it and not many others are, either. ***1/2
- Floyd Mayweather d. Big Show with a three-ring circus, chairshots and a pair of brass knuckles. Meltzer was a lot kinder to this than I'd be, as I didn't get the psychology at all, with Show switching from heel to face mid-match and Mayweather not really doing anything from a standpoint of working a match. I don't get why it was booked, I don't get what the motivation was supposed to be, and I don't get what was proved by it.
- Undertaker d. Edge with the triangle choke to win the World title and go 16-0. Hey, finally he gets someone to tap to that damn thing. I was bored to start, but they went nearly 30 minutes and it got more and more dramatic as it went along, doing the kickouts of the big finishes and the tease that MAYBE Edge would screw him out of the title and end the streak with the ref bump and the run-in. My only complaints would be that Edge just doesn't have the main event big move to really put doubt into people, and that Cole and Coachman blow as a commentary team and would have been better served by JR in there to hold their hand through it. Other than that, fabulous stuff after the initial slow start and a good finish to the show. ****
Overall, I'd call it worth the $30 but fairly far down the ladder as far as recent Wrestlemanias go. Flair's retirement should have had a bigger moment than just waving goodbye after an ovation and the outdoor stadium gave it a weird atmosphere at times, but I left satisfied with what I'd seen and I'd call it a thumbs up.
Related Posts:
- Hell in a Cell Q’n’D
- The SmarK 24/7 Rant for WWE Wrestlemania 24
- More DVDs…
- Flair putting people over
- History of the World title
Tags: Arn Anderson, Batista, Cinema, CM Punk, ECW, Edge, HHH, JBL, John Cena, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton, Rants, RAW, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Sting, Tully Blanchard, Umaga, Undertaker, Wrestlemania
John Cena will end Undertaker’s win streak eventually.
http://www.the-newsroom.com/2008/03/best-wrestlemania-ever.html
I guess wrestling must be subjective just like movies because with the exception of the ladies, ecw title, and Batista/Umaga(which I was hoping for so much more than they delivered) I thought everything was fantastic. I personally thought this was the best MITB match thus far, I thought Flair/Michaels was perfect, and Big Show vs Mayweather was so much better than I expected. And while it may not be the best booking decision Orton retaining was a holy shit moment for me. All in all thumbs way up!!!
I enjoyed it as a whole. I’m a little more generous on star ratings than most. By my count I would give four matches, MITB, Flair/Shawn, and the two title matches about **** or so. And everything else was good enough for what they were supposed to be, and that’s all I need to feel satisfied in a show.
How in the hell can you say the ending of Flair/HBK wasn’t dramatic? My friends and I were on the edge of our seats wondering if they’d actually pull the swerve and have Flair win. And then when HBK went for the 3rd superkick, but mouthed “I’m sorry. I love you,” we all marked like crazy. Add to that the fact that Flair started crying as soon as he hit the mat, and then HBK cried with him, and you have the makings of one of the most classic WM moments ever. The announcers were silent for the entire time after HBK left the ring, and the moment sold itself.
Plus there’s RAW for a final goodbye (although we did think it would be nice if the entire roster had come out and applauded after the match.
I understand “to each his own,” but I swear, some people just never are satisfied. Sometimes people just need to put aside what they wanted and what they thought should have been and find value in what actually was.
I did find value in the finish, I just thought that the previous false finish, with Flair getting cocky and strutting and then walking into the superkick, would have been better served as the end because that pretty much encapsulates his whole career. Not at that point in the match, but if you move it to the end it’s perfect — he’s low coming in, gets some offense on HBK, survives one superkick and kicks out, works the leg and goes all old-school heel, but then struts one time too many and it costs him his job. I thought the finish presented was good and Shawn’s facial expressions and acting were off the chart, but for me sad old Ric getting superkicked out of the WWE after his comeback fails was just too true to life and sad.
I jumped completely out of my chair for Orton’s win. I’m a big fan of his, but it wasn’t a great shock moments, more of a what the fuck were they thinking moment. I’m guessing they move Punk to RAW after backlash and have them feud.
That’s not a triangle choke that Taker’s using, Scott. It’s Taker’s new pseudo-MMA submission hold (that STILL has no name, at least from the commentators) which he’s been using a lot lately on Smackdown, and with a lot of success, BTW.
Although there’s no “wrestling” name for it, in MMA circles the hold is apparently called the “gogoplata”. Or at least that’s what Meltzer and Lance Storm called it.
Yeah I really enjoyed the Flair Finale. Some of the girls I was around at the bar who had no clue about wrestling got into the story at the end. As much as I think it would have been nice to have Arn/Tully and the rest of the roster out there…sometimes it is nice to just let him be by himself and say goodbye.
All in all a decent WM not the classics the last few have been but still worht the $15 I spent tonight instead of the $55 on my own.
My idea before the Shawn thing materialized was to have Flair and Steamboat go one last time. Steamboat was still in alright shape last time I saw him and all they had to do was 7 or so minutes of chops and armdrags. Do the Flair bumps. Steamboat goes off the top with a crossbody. Arn, Windham, and JJ break it up. Dusty comes out and cleans house with elbows. Flair takes that opportunity to get in a low blow. He works the knee and gets in a figure four. Steamboat reverses. Steamboat limps up and they go back to the chops. Steamboat gets in the chickenwing (the one he beat Flair with in the first fall of the Clash match). Flair gets out. He goes for one more figure four, but Steamboat reverses into a small package for the win. Flair has a couple minutes to soak in the loss and say goodbye to the fans before Steamboat, Arn, Tully, Dusty, and JJ come in and give him a hug. It would have been a great send off to both Flair and the NWA in general.
My idea for Michaels (if anyone was wondering) was to have him face Jericho after Jericho gets pissed about losing his big title match to Orton and tries to get his win back from WM 19.
I see where you’re coming from and it’s a good thought, but I think giving the win to Shawn was probably better. Steamboat is retired. At least give the chance to retire Flair to an active wrestler, not someone who’s just going to go off like Flair and work backstage.
I’m actually surprised they didn’t do Orton/Flair for the WWE title. Flair has to win the big one or retire, you know? Plus, what bigger name for Orton to notch on his “Legend Killer” list than the Nature Boy?
I was at WM24 tonight, the atmosphere was great, the event was also great, not as good as recent Mania’s, but considering this years weak build, it overachieved. The crowd was really into it, except for the first half of Taker/Edge(match of the night, in my opinion)and Batista/Umaga. During the Batista match, my section(206) was more interested in Linda being in the luxury box above us. I thought Flair/Michaels was decent,but should have gone last. Kane and Matt Hardy had some of the best pops of the night.
The Orton/HHH/Cena thing made zero sense: yeah Cena’s going off to film a new movie, so why not at least try and build towards the future by way of having HHH win the belt and hold it until Cena comes back for the HHH/Cena feud? Maybe even toss into the equation Cena being “injured” by HHH during the match to ensure he would be the one who pinned Orton for the belt?
I think it was a mistake not putting Flair on last – everything after that seemed very ant-climatic, a bit like Wrestlemania 8 when Flair and Savage stole the show early on. Flair retiring and milking the moment would have been a better ending to the PPV in my opinion.
The Cena/HHH/Orton was the biggest disapointment of the night. Less than 15 minutes for the Raw main event title match, on a 4-hour PPV, at Wrestlemania, is seriously under-valuing the match, especially as it didn’t even go on last or second to last. I have no problem with Orton winning, but the match just didn’t have that Wrestlemania feel to it.
Edge v Undertaker was great, but there was no suspense. With Orton winning earlier, there was never a doubt that Undertaker would win this one. One of the reasons i wanted the Raw title match to go on last was because there was no certainties who might win.
I HATED the Big Show stuff. I didn’t know who Mayweather was when this feud started, i still don’t know much about him except that he’s a cocky wee guy i wouldn’t tire of slapping. To put him over the Big Show is pretty disrespectful to the wrestling product. If Mayweather insisted on winning, they would have been better having some sort of botched finish to at least save Big Show the embarrassment of being jobbed to a horrible little boxer.
I disagree with Scott on Money In The Bank. I doubt they’d have given Punk the win unless they had big plans for him. Expect him to be drafted to Raw in the upcoming split.
Chavo v Kane was pointless and had no place on a show like this. Likewise Batista v Umaga. Finlay v JBL was fine, but i wish they’d let Finlay win a big match now and again.
If by big plans for Punk you mean “jobbing to Jericho on RAW”, then I agree.
All I can say is I thought Wrestlemania was boring as Hell. There was just nothing I got into and nothing I cared about the outcome of. I think I’m done with the WWE now because I just can’t find a reason to care anymore.
I think Vince and Triple H will do fine without you.
I loved WrestleMania, an easy thumbs up from me. Taker/Edge shocked the heck out of me (I thought the crowd was burnt out) but it ended up being match of the night, ****+. The triple threat was about as good as I expected and Orton winning like that was pretty fantastic, it got a great upset pop from the crowd. HBK/Flair did what they had to and lived up to the hype. MitB was fun. The other stuff was kept short.
I have to be honest though, Mayweather/Big Show stole the show for me. Maybe it was lost on you guys because you don’t know who Mayweather is, but to see the absolute best boxer in the world heel it up like that was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed when he stopped to drink of his chalice, which pissed Big Show off. That’s what Scott missed…once Mayweather heeled it up…Big Show became the face, defending pro wrestling from the boxer.
A pretty good Wrestlemania and I have no problems w/ how it was executed.
For those not in the know, Floyd Mayweather is the best heel in pro sport – PERIOD. If you didn’t see Mayweather/ De La Hoya 24/7, Floyd’s performance as the heel of the program is the sole purpose as to why that fight had the PPV buyrate that it had. It was emmy award winning and the payoff was justified.
Translate that to a WWE ring and the guy can and will do HUGE numbers for the biz if he hangs around. The bad thing is he has no one to play off of as a face. The only person that can equal out is Cena and they have too much on his plate as a legitimate wrestler.
I am so glad they put over Orton last night. Not b/c I love Orton, but b/c I didn’t want to see HHH w/ another title reign w/ the top strap.
I first watched Ric Flair on World Wide Wrestling in the infamous one hour match w/ Sting back in 1988. 20 years later, I watch his last. It was emotional b/c all things come to an end and so to has the career of the best all around talent this business has ever seen.
I am a big fan of The Rock and Bret Hart, but Ric Flair was to wrestling what Wayne Gretzky was to hockey – a legend.
Goodbye, Nature Boy. You will never be forgotten.
The problem i had with Mayweather was that a) i didn’t know who he was and i have no interest in boxing, and b) there’s no long-term gain for anyone as i assume this was a one-shot deal.
I’m sure the financial people were glad to have him on board, and good luck to them. And i’m sure fans who enjoy both boxing and wrestling got a kick out of it. But it just did nothing for me and, as i said a few weeks back, i’d rather they gave The Rock $20 million just to cut a promo on the roster – a longer version of his Hall of Fame Speech would have been worth the PPV price alone!
It was a really good show, I thought. MITB was incredible, it had everyone I was watching with yelling and jumping. BaTitsa/Umaga, the ladies match, were pointless filler (which they always have), but the rest of the show – I don’t know what else they could have done except have some blood in the title match main event. Obviously, everyone has their opinion on how Flair’s final match should have been booked. I would have had him beat HBK, then challenge Orton/HHH for the title one last time at Backlash and lose. But I understand ending it at the Grandest Stage of Them All. That’s all I really have to say about the show, oh yeah and ECW is a joke
Color me shocked on Orton’s win. Never in a million years would I have thought that Orton goes over in that match. I’m glad the E had the balls to do something different. I found it very strange that the RAW title match went on early and immediately thought something was up.
Scott is 100% right about the Flair ending being sad; but it worked for me. It’s supposed to be sad, no? The greatest wrestler ever, with the most charisma ever retiring is going to be sad. I for one have no shame in admitting that I shed a tear or two.
Although knowing wrestling, he’ll be in a ring within a year in some sort of match.
I think I like this WM more than you did by the sounds of it. Felt like a classic big WWE PPV instead of a glorified Raw with one big match/angle/gimmick match.
ECW battle Royal
Didn’t catch it. Glad it was off the PPV.
JBL vs Finlay
I was waiting for the midget to turn and do a Virgil role to JBL’s MDM gimmick. I agree with your comments on this one. Not the best opener to pick from, face should of gone over, etc.
Money in the Bank
I thought it was OK. Nice to see Punk won, since I didn’t expect him. I read since he’s drug free, WWE wants to push him finally. Don’t know if that’s actually true. Glad KK didn’t win. What a waste if he had. Had Jericho, MVP, or Hardy had won, those would of been good choices too. With Hardy you could play up an angle where others felt he doesn’t deserve the title and have him have to fight each of the other contenders to keep the MitB.
Umanga vs Dave
I thought it was more Dave who brought the match down. I thought Umanga should of gone over to set-up a feud with Taker, and keep his heat.
ECW
Kane still sucks
HBK vs Flair
I thought it was pretty good. Would of liked to see Ric had won. Those two could be tag champs till Summerslam, where they could have the real retirement match.
Playboy match
Terrible match, just awful. Ashley is awful. Why they haven’t let her go by now? Santino was awesome as usual.
WWE Title
Should of just gone with Cena, but I suspect they’re setting up a Nature King Huntor the Hunter and Orton feud while Cena filming his straight to DVD movie.
Money vs Big Show
I actually enjoy this match and its story. The only dumb booking was having Mayweather run away. Shouldn’t he had push his handlers aside and ran back to the ring? I did feel Show looked like a top star for once. His diet real paid off I guess.
Smackdown Deputy World Belt
Good match. By the end of the match had Edge won I felt it would of been fine and about the only moment they could of ended Taker’s run, cause it would of set up a great feud for next year’s Mania (just keep them feuding but apart). But of course Taker wasn’t going to lose. I just hope Kane won’t be his first feud.
Last night was one of my favortie Mania’s ever. Holy crap, what a show. Best Money In the Bank ever. The whole room (all 16 of us) were glued to our seats, and yelling “no way” and “holy crap” for the entire twenty minutes. The Flair match was awesome. We were all convinced that HBK bruised a rib in the asai moonsault that missed. The following ten minutes of that match either proved that he did, or that HBK does better selling than anyone in wrestling. The Flair retirement even had my girlfriend (a non-fan) getting choked up. The Orton win was a shocker that none of us saw coming (8% of the vote for crying out loud – now THAT’S an upset), and for my money, the Taker match was his best one in Mania history. Show/Meyweather far surpassed any of the expectations that I had for it, and everything else at least lived up to what I was expecting. Plus, it was a really nice touch that Taker got to close the show. I was hoping it would either be him or Flair, as they both deserved it (and that’s coming from a non-Taker fan). I’m said the mighty SK (no sarcasm) isn’t a bigger Umaga fan. I actually feel like he always gets really good matches out of people, and probably had a better match with Batista & Lashley than would be possible for anyone outside of the main event picture.
Sorry this is forever long, but man, I’ve been loving the Mania’s since 21, and I thought that this year’s wouldn’t be nearly as good as the last three. I’m so glad to say that I feel I was wrong. IMO, one of the best shows the E has ever put on, and I’ve been watching non-stop since Mania 3, so I’ve seen almost all of them. Everything either lived up to or surpassed expectations. MITB was my favorite of the four so far, Taker/Edge rocked, Orton’s win shocked, Show/Meyweather was ten times more entertaining than I figured it would be, and Flair/HBK was, to me, the best match Flair’s had in ten years, and was a great way to go out on.
I know I keep saying it, but this show blew me out of the water. Can’t wait for the dvd. Thumbs up as high as I can reach.
I think the Flair match should have been a bit more Flair-esque. I think they should have gone 50-50 the entire match or even slightly more generous to Flair because of the passion and what he has on the line involved. It seemed like it was really like that Old Yeller thing where HBK put Flair out of his misery. Not really fitting for a legend.
I think the real finish should have been like Perfect-Bret at King of the Ring. Flair goes for a small package, HBK reverses and gets the three just before a kick-out. That way the career is over and Flair loses with dignity after giving it his all.
That would’ve worked as well; but it is hard to ignore that Flair is close to 60 and can’t work the way he used to. I think they did an admirable job for what his physical limitations are these days. I would’ve loved to see more “heel” moves from Flair such as grabbing the ropes during the figure four or some chair shots on the outside.
I realize Flair is nearly 60 and can’t do it the way he used to but I think they could have used some shortcuts to get around that. Having Flair destroy Michael’s knee some more or even targetting his always tender back could have worked.
I mean, it was a good match, no doubt about it…I just thought the story could have had a better sense of urgency and desparation to it.
There was no way they were going to please everybody with the Flair/Michaels match because so many wrestling fans got caught up in the fantasy booking of it leading up the show.
I thought the whole thing was done very well. The interview on Raw, with the Old Yeller comment, put it over the top and I think they did a great job putting over the emotion of the match. The peak came when HBK hestitated on that first Sweet Chin Music and Flair got the Figure Four. From there, I really thought Flair had a chance to win and then when it was over…it felt like the end. And I mean that it a good way. Flair’s career ending is sad and I thought they conveyed that moment well.
Yeah. I will say, Flair taking that long walk back to the dressing room, blowing kisses to the crowd and waving goodbye was a bittersweet moment.
That is a great point bignasty, the fact that Shawn hesitated on that super kick and Flair immediately put him in the figure 4 showed the desperation Ric had to win this match even if it meant taking advantage of his friend.
It’s funny though, as much as I love Flair and HBK and enjoyed this match, i can’t agreed with Keller giving it 5 stars.
That was an ok WM. I guess i’ve seen spoiled with some of the ones ive seen in the past 5-10 years.
But it was entertaining. What I liked:
-The MITB was good as usual. Shelton Benjamin gave up the body, but I gotta go with John Morrison. He pulled off that moonsault with the ladder, which no one has any business doing. But what got me was him getting crotched on the ropes from like 25 feet in the air. And he nailed it too, right up the middle. Most guys would have missed it and on fell to the apron, but he got it good. Prob one of the top 3 funniest things ive ever seen in wrestling.
-Flair HBK. I really though Shawn blew it by getting hurt minutes into the match. I thought he at the very least had broken ribs, and he very well may have. Not a mat classic, but very good and memorable. What made the match for me wasnt as much the “i’m sorry i love you” bit, but the part right after he pinned Flair when he brought their heads together and he said a few words. Thats what i’ll remember.
Mayweather Big Show was terrific, and IMO the 3rd best match of the night. I was a little worried after the first few minutes, but they wisely worked Floyd’s posse into the mix and it ended up great.
UT Edge, neither of whom i’ve ever really liked, turned out ok. Better than the triple threat by a mile. I guess UT gets his last (ha!) WM moment in the main event winning the title.
Better than last year.
I thought the show was decent, but the video packages and other build-ups were too long, the matches were too short, the decisions left much to be desired, and the show wasn’t quite worth $55–maybe the usual $40.
The commentary line of the night for me occurred during the Flair/HBK match:
King – “There’s nothing more dangerous than a rabid dog.”
For some reason, that line just struck me as ridiculous and funny. My dad and I just started reelin’ off a bunch of serious and not-so-serious stuff that was more dangerous than a rabid dog.
I would say this was one of the top 5 Wrestlemanias ever, with Flair-Michaels, the MITB, the Triple-Threat and UT-Edge all being excellent matches. I even liked the ECW squash and the Bunnymania match. Big Show deserves whatever they are paying him plus for carrying that match, since it was way better than it had any right to be and was probably the most entertaining celebrity match ever at a Wrestlemania. I guess I was probably most disappointed with the Batista-Youmanga match, but it wasn’t terrible or anything. If Umaga had won a pay-per-view match any time recently it might have been more dramatic.
Line of the night (paraphrased) – King: This is what I always imagined heaven would be like. JR: Well, you’ll probably never find out, so you might as well get used to this.
I’ve not seen the (complete) show, but if I had to guess, I’m thinking that line was spoken during the ladies match?
Yes.
Flair’s retirement should have been a passing-the-torch moment, which Shawn certainly doesn’t need, being an old vet himself. I wonder if it’s a commentary on the current roster that there was no one better to have Flair lose to.
On the bright side, the Ric Flair character would be a perfect heel manager. He’s been one of the best mic men for decades, and he’s still in good enough shape to take bumps and deliver them.
There is someone on the current roster Flair could have lost to. His name is Shelton Benjamin.
But the storyline wouldnt have worked if ol’ mushmouth was verbally sparring with Naitch.
My turn, and no this isn’t a April fools joke.
JBL vs. Finlay was really a disapointment in my book. It had some good little moments, but the out of nowhere ending with JBL winning cleanly (as clean as you can in a hardcore type match) just took the wind out of me. *
Money in the Bank: It was different than the other ones, and I liked the unique spots and the comedy value of “The Natural” Shelton Butcherman killing himself almost three times in that match. Man that guy got sloppy, and yet no one has sent him home for drugs. Hmmmmmm. I don’t like Punk that much, and after seeing Jericho (Midcarder to the Stars) beat him on Raw – he’s not going anywhere. ***3/4
Tista vs. Umanga: I don’t watch Smackdown much anymore, but Batista isn’t the same anymore. The guy got a hot peak where he was actually getting good, and then Taker shocks us to get him back to that level last year, and now he’s Bobby Lashley (Maybe not, but damn does Tista suck now). I almost fell asleep during this 3/4*.
Kane vs. Chavo: LOVED IT! LOVED IT! LOVED IT! Then again, I’ve always liked Glen Jacobs and thought he needed to be pushed somewhere. ECW’s jobber heaven anyway in WWE-speak so give it to Kane.
HBK vs. Flair: I actually trashed the setup to this match, and trashed Flair saying “Unless he does the high cross body spot, the Flair Flip a couple of times, and the Flop – this match is going to suck.” I was really hoping since I knew this be it that Flair would “kill himself” one last time, but he just couldn’t do it — good news – he didn’t have to. He did get the high cross body spot (bad one, but hey its not 1983 anymore – Flair can’t fly like that anymore. It looked better than the 1994 he gave to Windham in WCW, though. Seeing Shawn almost kill himself with a botched table spot, kind of hurt the match for me as you couldn’t tell when Shawn was selling ‘I don’t want to end his career’ or if he was ‘really injured’ from the table spot. It was a good match with just enough classic Flair so people knew it really was Flair – and I think it was kind of the ending Flair needed. Flair being like the father, and HBK being the son in a ‘violatle’ relationship where finally the kid has had enough and beats the living holy sh-t out of his old man. “Flair nears tears when he knew he was about to job” just did it for me. I thought it was an anti-climatic ending . . . that needed a little more than that – but still good. Best match they ever did. ****1/4
BunnyMania: Lets see Snoop-Dog, the lights go out, and I’m in love with Beth Phenoix. /NA
Randall Orton vs. Hulk Cena vs. Steph’s Husband. Didn’t really watch the match, I was out of it after the Flair match – whcih I loved. Kind of what Vince had wanted Hogan/Rock to be – but because its “Hulk Hogan” we’re talking about . . . well you know . . . Nice to see Blandy Randy retain. I think Triple H has a bet that everytime he knocks up his wife, he won’t hold the title. So expect Orton to hold it about another month or two before Cena wins it back.
The Brother vs. The Giant: I guess Paul Wight saying he was “a slave to the WWE” was true, but hey Wight wanted money – so now he gets to job to a midget boxer he could have beaten in a shoot. Great way to ruin your career show, but hey you jobbed to Rey Mysterio – so its just same crap – different pile of sh-t. Hopefully Show gets another title change soon as reward for putting over that piece of garbage Mayweather. Good match regardless, though. ***3/4
Taker vs. Edge: We needed something to send the fans home happy with. Loved the submission ending. Different for Taker – who wins the title two years in a row – in a decent match.
MRobert21 returns!
“The Brother”? Not TOO racist there.
Coach was godawful on commentary last night.
Just a thought….
How about Flair as the new color guy for Smackdown?