2015 Pro Wrestling Thread

To think, I paid $9.99 for this, but paid $60 for WM27. Damn.

 

Seriously. I haven't marked out that hard in YEARS. Probably since HBK-Taker I. That was a perfect main event.
And, to think, they just made BOTH Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns main event stars and didn't diminish their monster in Lesnar one bit.
Great booking. Great, great booking.

 

So, raise your hand if you thought the build-up was awful. Being serious.

 

I still contend this was the worst built Mania of all time and I won't back away from that.
They did more in the what 20 minutes of the main event than in the two months leading up to it?
Tonight's pay off doesn't absolve them from an awful, awful job heading into this PPV but it makes me feel a lot better about tuning in tomorrow, that's for damn sure.

 

Hand raised.

Sorry, but as awesome as Heyman is, the buildup for the main event did cry out for some physicality.

 

The build was definitely awful, but I had a feeling the PPV itself was going to be pretty good and it lived up to those expectations. The match ups, on paper, were all really good. There weren't any matches you just dreaded having to sit through, and none on the card were terrible as executed. The Divas match and Cena-Rusev were so-so, but OK. Watching Lesnar kick the shit out of someone is always entertaining in a weird way, and even the train wreck potential of that match made it intriguing.
I think this will go down as one of the best Wrestlemanias ever.

 

Absolutely awful build, but a great show. I tried to stay rumor and spoiler free, so I'm happy. Not even bothered that nWo vs DX came 15 years too late. I just accepted it as the nostalgia moment. Sting's match wasn't half bad itself.

 

They could have gone the easy route, and just had Trips hit Sting with a sledgehammer, or Sting with the bat. They could have had Reigns win and stand among the confetti.

Instead, they got creative, for once. And it was great.

Also, as far as I know, it's only the fourth time we've seen a heel stand tall at the end of WM. There was Trips at the end of 2000, Austin after he turned on Rock, and, somewhat, Miz (for a few minutes).

 

Good show.....buildup almost makes it better. I had such low expectations that I find myself happier about the show somehow. I mean it wasn't a 10 but it feels like a high 7 because I was expected a 3-4.

What a waste to have Mizdow turn and then lose to Big Show. He should've used Miz to help eliminate the big dope and then turned. Those two matches were on the "preshow" for a 25-minute Rousey segment too? That's a money-maker and buzz-generator, I suppose, and I have to hand it to Steph she's a great heater.

Loved HBK.....hated the nwo though. Not only were Hogan and Sting mortal enemies but the inevitable clique stuff that gets dragged up every Hall of Fame made that whole thing make even less sense.

Taker looked good. Maybe it was the haircut or maybe he had legit injuries last year. I'm surprised he won clean though, curious to see where Bray goes.

Wondering how long before Brock gets the belt back. They followed the Bryan-Cena secondary belt plan, but if Rollins is on TV with the big belt every week that makes a lot less sense....

The main event was awesome. Lesnar has mastered the popping up and grabbing an F-5 to a huge pop. The triple-threat rule is tricky and will probably be one of Heyman's talking points.

Orton has an Owen Hart Wrestlemania 10 claim to the title too, since he beat Rollins. First time in a while I'm really interested to see which direction they go in with all these guys.

 

If I'm Vince, I'm leaving Lesnar off TV until the Raw following the PPV before Summerslam AND I'm keeping the strap on Rollins so that Lesnar gets his rematch then.
I'm excited to watch tomorrow though. The RAW after Mania is always great.

 

IC Ladder Match
The opener was every multiman ladder match ever with the only difference that D-Bryan was in there to win a headbutt war at the end to give it something different. It was a really solid effort people, I thought Harper stood out as the MVP, Bryan winning made for a great moment and was the right thing to do. I don't think this was that great, was par for the course of 7 man ladder matches, but it started the show on the right note.

Orton Vs Rollins
Orton Vs Rollins was good-very good, I think the finishing stretch takes it above a Raw main event to a solid PPV undercard match. That's one of the most iconic finishers to any match now, props to whoever thought it up, awesome awesome RKO.

Sting Vs Triple H
Right here's the only low point of the show for me, and I think this is a bit of a marmite match because I've seen people love this for what it was, not me. Sting Vs Triple H was a cartoon match, and I don't buy 'that's the best you can hope for with Sting's limitations' as an excuse to turn it into a DX Vs nWo jerkfest, BULLSHIT, they were having a fine little match. They started the match off well I thought and the crowd were super into Sting's big moment, he was one of the most over guys on this show, and I think the crowd were willing to go with the slower paced match. They set a decent foundation for a good match and as they headed to the first false finish, they aborted having a match in the name of attitude era overbooking. I was taken out of the match as soon as X-Pac and the outlaws showed up, it flatlined at that point. Why is the nWo helping Sting out when Sting was their number 1 adversary?, why would Nash and Hall help Sting rather than help their Kliq buddy? why was there a rope break for the Scorpion Deathlock in a No DQ match? why did the fucking sledgehammer split perfectly in half from one baseball bat shot? What did this have to do with the storyline they were telling about Sting wanting to take COO Triple H down? DX Vs nWo weren't apart of the build at all and why is Sting shaking his hand at the end, what respect was there to of earned in that match? If this was the big plan for this match, then Triple H went above and beyond in trying to make Sting look great over the past few months. I don't hate Triple H winning because he's the younger man and he's the guy who is there every week, but in the end, my take home message from this is that Sting's moment got overshadowed by their desire to run with a DX Vs nWo nostalgia act and Sting was 100% right not to join WWF after WCW closed down.

AJ and Paige Vs The BellasThis match was ok, Paige looked good and Nikki has improved. This was what it was, the two biggest babyfaces of the division getting a little payback on the two biggest bitches in the division. I believe AJ Lee now has the longest winning streak at mania in the current roster at 2-0

Rusev Vs John Cena
Come on now, John Cena was never going to fail America on the biggest show of the year. Move over Triple H, Rusev is now the king of the Wrestlemania over the top entrances with his mother fucking tank, that was so perfect. I loved this, I was so invested in the possibility of Rusev's streak ending, it was just missing that hot finishing streak to put it over the edge as a legit great match. I think the Lana bump works, they just undersold it a bit, the match should of continued another few minutes after it happened with Rusev showing ZERO compassion for her to play off his frustrations in her having compassion for him in accepting the match when Cena choked him out. I'm looking forward to presumably the next match between them at Extreme Rules with a suitable stipulation. Oh and I lost my shit for Cena's spingboard stunner.

I wasn't marking out to see The Rock, I'm not sure his presence was really needed this year, but when it turned into a Ronda Rousey segment, this became a legit great use of a celebrity at mania. I don't know if they'll ever be able to work out Ronda coming in for a match, but they held a little back in what she could of done to Steph, so perhaps that's just the set up for a potential mania match in the future.

Undertaker Vs Bray Wyatt
If Bray was hurt, then props to him for working a 15 minute match and managing to hide his pain so well. Taker legit looked years younger than Wrestlemaina 30, the short goatie and normal hair was a good decision. This wasn't great, but it didn't need to be, the days of the streak matches being MOTN are over, I'm just enjoying them for what they are now. I watched the Lesnar streak match the night earlier and that was a bit of a chore to get through, cool me crazy but I actually enjoyed this more. it was actually a little refreshing to have a Taker mania match where it doesn't end in a 5 minute finisher-a-thon, but at the same time there isn't that drama that used to be there in his matches. I got the crab walk/sit up spot that I came for anyway. Not the most thrilling booking decision, but it was pie in the sky thinking anyway that Bray could win.

Lesnar Vs Reigns
Bravo WWE, that might be the most impressive booking yourself out of a corner booking I've ever seen. This was phenomenally good, Reigns just eating damage for a good ten minutes and looking like he had no chance, then taking his chances when the opportunity arose to have his big comeback. Best use of blood in years, and Lesnar with some GOAT selling of those superman punches, supermanpunchdrunk I feared the worst when the double spear happened, they got me on that nearfall. From Reigns perspective it's a shame the cash in happened, because there would be a lot more positive talk about how good Reigns was here if Rollins didn't become the talking point of the match. Perfect cash in as well, Rollins would never catch Lesnar on a night like this again where he looked out of it, and Reigns was running on like 1% health, neither man would be able to sustain a curb stomp, and because it's never happened at mania before, it made for an excellent ending. This was the absolute best thing they could have done to get them out of the hole they dug themselves. Babyface Lesnar Vs uber heel Rollins has MOTY potential, Summerslam please, and they have a great opportunity to rebuild Reigns because there's still a star to develop there.

Overall, that was one of the easiest mania's to ever watch, there was nothing boring on this show, even the one match I hated still had it's positives and I couldn't take my eyes of it. There weren't any hidden gems on the undercard that stole the show, but the majority was solid. The main event was the show stealer.....WOW, what a fucking awesome main event that was. I said weeks ago, this mania was going to surprise people despite it's shitty build up, and I was right.

 

Damn good show. I enjoyed damn near all of it. The Rock/Rousey segment was a bit meh, but other than that, it was worth 4 hours of my life. The ladder match was insane. That Ambrose bump on the ladder....jesus. And the RKO on Rollins was pretty sweet. I loved every second of the Sting-HHH match/show. Sat out the Cena-Rusev for a few minutes of The Walking Dead. Sounds like I didn't miss much. Those two bore the fuck out of me. Wyatt-Taker was great, too. I've really done a 180 on Wyatt the last year or two. He's great.

Lesnar-Reigns was fucking awesome....right up until the Rollins cash-in. I mean, I get the storyline and why most people probably loved it, but I could have watched that match go on for another 30 minutes. What a brutal, magnificent match. Lesnar is such a talented performer and storyteller. He sold EVERYTHING, good and bad. He's unreal. I don't get cised for Reigns, but he was pretty damn good, too.

But it definitely has me interested in Raw and what's next, so.....job well done. Excellent show.