That WrestleMania XXIX program

[Crippler]

The Shield vs. Sheamus, Orton & Show
I was pretty shocked this opened the show, but I feel it delivered a fun and energetic start to the show. They did a number of good spots like when Seth tagged in and jumped over the top rope just to get dropkicked in the face, also Seth’s suicide dive to out looked sick at it looked like he went head first into the barricade was nasty and lastly the finish was great as Orton was stalking Dean for the RKO but Seth came off the top rope and got caught with the RKO, but then Orton gets caught with a spear from REIGNS! for the 3 count. My only real problem with this was the story of Sheamus and Orton not trusting show so they wouldn't tag him in which let’s be honest made zero sense as for the past 3 weeks they've been getting along fine but as soon as it’s time for the big match now they don’t ***

Ryback vs. Henry
This was borderline AWFUL and they went about it all wrong, now I’m not saying they should of come out and did a bunch of unnecessary spots but why would you book the match completely slow with a bunch of rest spots which basically killed the crowd. The should of took notes on how the Sheamus/Mark match from SSLam 2011 and Show/Sheamus HIAC 2012. Oh and the finish was terrible too with Mark in position for the shell shock but falls on Rybacks head for the 3, at least JBL tried to put over RYBACK must have been out cold even though you can all see him moving on the mat. I did however LEGIT laugh out loud at the post match antics with Ryback getting his revenge back to WWE have something to remember the match for. *

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Team Hell No vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston w/ AJ Lee
I did pop huge for the homage to the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 28 spot with the false finish to start. I did find this weird, Dolph and KANE was in the ring for the majority of this and it felt like this was only 7 minutes long, which is a shame but I did think they handled it well Bigg E showing his power against KANE and Dolph’s doing all he can to show people how great he bumps. I just with it would have had more time and more Bryan. But I’m guessing we get the rematch on Raw tonight which goes longer. **3/4

Chris Jericho vs. FAN-DAN-GOAT
Fandango's entrance with all of the dancers was EPIC. And the head dancer was seriously hawt. This was a total Jericho carry job he was in “WCW, Just push me mode†and made FAN-DAN-GOATS look like million bucks. The finish was a pretty way for a heel to win as Jericho was pretty much been out smarting him because of the experience edge he was over him but as soon as Jericho misses the Lionsult and tweaks his knee this allows FAN-DAN-GOAT to get the cheap heel roll-up finish. **3/4

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Alberto Del Rio w/ Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Jack Swagger w/ Zeb Colter
So Swaggers punishment for the DUI is getting the jobber entrance, or was it because they didn't have enough time to add one because Puffy needed time? The only reason I’m pissed about this is because I wanted to see Zeb drive the “Patriot Patrol ATV†but at least I got a nice RACIST! promo from Zeb. Oh and I said during the live thread and this will also be the last time I say something bad about Ricardo but that cheap bastard couldn't even get a new over the top suit for mania, FUCK THAT GUY!. Anyway rant over, as for the match is was average. It felt a bit weird at first, but later on in the match things ran smoother. They did everything perfectly by the numbers from Swagger's reversing a submission hold into his own submission hold to the manager shenanigans but I kinda expect more, I was surprised Del Rio wasn't as flashy with his moves like he’s been in his matches recently. Oh and I know I probably sound like a broken record at this point but it really is pissing me off more each week when Del Rio wins match without working on the arms of his opponent. I was fully expecting a Dolph cash in but I wasn't surprised when it didn't happen. **1/2

The Undertaker vs. CM Punk
As much as I loved the Living Colour playing Punk to the ring, Taker’s entrance is just phenomenal with the zombie arms grabbing at him from heel, that was a sign that this will be the MOTN and boy did they deliver. The opening 3 maybe 4 minutes were brilliant with Punk showing he’s not scared so he would mock him and slap him twice in the face. I did mark for so much in this like Punk’s sinister smiley every time he was offense, him doing “old school†twice but the second time FAIL’ing. The counter and near falls off the chokeslam and top rope elbow drop in the middle were great. Also I loved the elbow on the announce table but I couldn't help but laugh that the table didn’t break just to have BROCK! Break it on a simple suplex. OH! And Taker sitting up after the vice just to have Punk hit him with the GTS just for Taker to bounce off the ropes and hit the tombstone! FUCK! ME! Them paying homage to the WMX-Seven spot with the urn instead the hammer was another great moment then we get to the finish with the back and forth counters with the GTS & Tombstone but Taker used his bigger frame and power the end it with a hilarious tombstone. The only slight problem I had with it was Taker missing the big boot but went shin first into the top turn buckle but they that in the match and everyone knows Taker’s weakness is his knees. ****1/4

No Holds Barred Match: Triple H w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman
This gets way too much hate, YES! It was slow but what was you expecting, BROCK to throw HHH around like he did to Cena or was you expecting a “hardcore, weapons filled†match? Thank God I only care about my option. I really enjoyed it was brutal and physical and showed that you don’t need weapons to show how intense a battle could be. Michaels was much of a factor but I did enjoy laughing at him running away ever time Brock move towards him and Michaels selling the F-5 for 10 just recover and hit Heyman with the superkick was hilarious, and then no-sell the effects of the F-5. Brock even in the losing effort was still the “MVP†of the match mainly because of his facial expression which showed how mentally unstable and crazy the fucker is. Brock lifting up the stairs fifteen minutes into the match and tossing them over the top rope like it was nothing. Not to mention, he was throwing Triple H around like a rag doll the entire match. It was extremely impressive. Brock looked to be in better shape than ever. The finishing sequence with the steel steps, the kimmura and the Pedigree was suspenseful, and each time Brock broke the hold I thought he was going to find a way to finish it, the only thing that shocked me was that they didn't have HHH break Brocks arm for revenge. Oh and the sledgehammer spot was just unnecessary and it felt like that’s all HHH matches are known for at this point. At least the pedigree on the steps was a cool ending. ****

WWE Championship Match: The Rock vs. John Cena
Wanna know why this match blew chunks of shit? Whoever put the match together, is clearly not watching the product. 1. Why would they have a 10 minute feeling out process to start the match, how much has either guy changed since last year? 2. If Cena is so desperate to win why did he spent the majority of the match staring at the fans or stealing Rocks moves, I was really hoping they did the Rock/Austin WMX-Seven root and just had a 0 rest hold and filled it up with a back and forth brawl to cover up the lack of skill both men have But NO! They had to do this. The only good things about the match was the brief counters of the signature spots in the middle and them finally playing off the from last year with Cena going for the People Elbow but almost makes the same mistake he did last year but he catches himself on the ropes and gives the “U CAN’T SEE ME†taunt. But then they ruined it attempted and countered the rock bottom and AA for the final 10 minutes. It’s like they couldn't think of any other moves to fill the time. *1/4

Overall: 7/10

Also No national anthem to open, no backstage pre-match interviews and no video highlight to end. WHO BOOKS THIS SHIT!
Awards!

Match of the night: The Undertaker vs. CM Punk
Spot of the night: GTS, then Taker bounces off the ropes into the Tombstone.
Sign of the night:

 

[PHX]

Glad someone disliked Cena/Rock as much as I did. Just were not consistent with the story and hardly did as good with it as they should have. Just don't think they work all that great together. There were a few moments in the match I liked such as the fake peoples elbow by Cena and a few of the counters but that is about it.

 

[Killz]

Agree on every single point except Ryback and Henry...I don't pop for big guys but they did alright with what they have in terms of physical attributes and Henry can work a crowd. I 2 *'d it haha

How freaking bad was Cena/Rock man, it was a match building to the fake-mistake spot and then a million consecutive finishers. When Rock hit his SECOND signature DDT of the match I remembered I was watching 'mania 'cause it was the first non-finishing move in about 10 minutes I'm sure. Apart from that and Cena's fisherman were their even any other moves? I was drifting in and out. Like rest holds, poor psychology and weakly executed facial expressions? Watch this match!

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Great review, but felt you were a bit generous. 7/10 wow, that's pretty nice for a predictable show with one memorable match. The main event was pretty brutal with the crowd being pretty indifferent.

Totally disagree about Lesnar-HHH, it had some good moments but it was pretty lackluster. They just don't work together and poor Brock is starting to look underwhelming to fans. His offense didn't get much of a reaction, which I blame booking for. I know it was after Punk-Taker, but still if the match was going to be great people would have reacted. At the end, it was just another Triple H moment in glory.

I had fun going there live, but the last two matches really was a buzzkill. Also as much as I love Henry, that match absolutely stunk. I was trying to get Lets Go Henry chants going but people started boring chants. It was nice to see Bryan win a Mania match, along with Shield going over. No Orton heel turn was lame, god nobody cares about Big Show anymore. Ending was so flat to a good match.

I give it a 6, but if I watched it at home it would have been a 5. Very average and mediocre. Jericho vs Fandango was very enjoyable before I forget to add that. People reacted to him and he managed to hang, despite being carried. He's got potential.

 

[Gimmick]

I'm in the same boat as you regarding the Lesnar/HHH match, I thought it was really good. The pacing was perfect, they told a good story, and it was extremely physical. Maybe if the crowd wasn't so dead the match might have been a bit more highly rated.

I actually agree with most of this review. Only thing I disagree with is the sign of the night, which I would give to #Pork.

 

[Crippler]

Skeletor is also my hero so it would win over anything, even if a guy had a "Fab is my hero" sign I still would put him above it.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

I have Brock/Trips at ****1/4 personally but then again I ignored the crowd for the most of the show. I didn't want them to dictate what I thought of the matches plus of course they were all recovering after Punk/Taker had a quality match before them. I'm sure if the three big matches were spaced out during the night things would have went a lot differently.

 

[Crippler]

I have Brock/Trips at ****1/4 personally but then again I ignored the crowd for the most of the show. I didn't want them to dictate what I thought of the matches plus of course they were all recovering after Punk/Taker had a quality match before them. I'm sure if the three big matches were spaced out during the night things would have went a lot differently.

i agree and it's the same reason why people didn't like Punk/Jericho from last year.