WrestleMania 29 Thoughts:
The Shield vs. Orton, Show, Sheamus
Was surprised to see this start the show but I think it was a good idea. The match was really good and The Shield are really fucking good at tag team action. This one doesn't follow the typical formula which is great for a change. Some great spots here particularly from Rollins, but the big one is the spear from Show knocking 4 people down at once where they crash all over each other. Crazy. Good idea to continue the Shield's winning streak and they quickly snap Show back to heel after the match which is also the correct idea. Orton turning heel would have been a nice surprise but he can turn at almost any time and it'll work. ***1/4
Ryback vs. Henry
Pretty boring big man match and was expecting a little better. I think it was a bad idea to have Henry win and then give Ryback his moment. It was soured by the fact that he lost and the only reason why Henry got the win was to swerve the audience. Shell Shock at the end was brilliant. *1/2
Zig E vs. Hell No
A great start to the match with the homage do Daniel Bryan's 18 second loss and him dominating in the early goings. Other than that I can't remember much about this. Kane did nothing, Big E didn't do much. It was just a decent match but very RAW-esque. Hell No get a predictable win. **
Del Rio vs. Swagger
Why the hell didn't they show Swagger's entrance? FAIL. Anyway, this match is decent and the Zeb Colter promo before it was great. In a PPV where there weren't many promo's or segments at all, I found this refreshing. It was a decent match, completely what I was expecting. Del Rio is making a good face. **3/4
Fandango vs. Chris Jericho
I think the match needed a little extra time because it was going extremely well in the early goings. The roll-up finish hindered the match completely as it looked sloppy and made no sense at all. Would have preferred to see Jericho get the win so that Fandango can continue this feud with another attack possibly on RAW. Jericho wrestled a good match but probably deserved better when you take into account he was in the WWE Title match last year. ***
Undertaker vs. CM Punk
MOTN. Whilst this match may not have had the brutality of the HHH matches, the emotion of the HBK matches, it had so much character and felt like a battle between two guys who legitimately hated each other. CM Punk is absolutely pumped for this match and you can see the excitement oozing out of him before the match even begins. A quick start to the match with CM Punk slapping Taker (awesome) and then the rest of the match was these guys going balls to the wall with a whole bunch of different exchanges and it never held up once. Taker using his classic moves to pander to the fans and they ate up every bit of it. The crowd was literally a 50/50 split, with both Taker and Punk receiving equal cheers and boo's which you can hear clearly when they exchange punches. It feels good to watch Taker vs. a heel at WrestleMania, because other than Edge, he's faced babyfaces since 23. I also love that they didn't drag out the finisher sequence like his other matches. They gave Punk his Tombstone kick out but that was it. Taker didn't need to hit 8 chokeslams and 3 last rides, the match was straight to the point and it was extremely well done. This may be my favorite match I've seen in a long time. Taker steals the show each and every year, and this was no different. The fast pace just worked so well here. ****1/2
HHH vs. Brock Lesnar
Personally, I don't understand the hate. This is a great brawl, and it is something the WM card needed and something we rarely get in modern day WWE. HHH and Brock both bump like crazy and it looks like it legitimately takes a toll on both men. It's a shame the WWE spaced the matches the way they did, because if they had Taker/Punk earlier then had a couple filler matches in between the crowd may have responded better to this. Dead crowd aside, this is a damn good brawl that I really want to see again. Lesnar is an absolute beast and I can't wait to see his next match because he's been on fire since his return. ****
Rock vs. John Cena
Once again, I don't understand the hate. We all knew this wasn't going to be a classic. We all knew Cena wasn't going to turn heel. I was pretty bored in the early goings but once they got things going this was a damn good match. Clean and crisp, there wasn't any Rock sloppiness as he looked the best I've seen of him since his return. Cena pulling off some heel-ish expressions really piqued my interest in this match and the finishing stretch was really good. Definitely better than Rock/Cena 1, this was a good Main Event that people don't seem to like because Cena didn't turn heel. It'll hold up well for people in the future. ***1/4
Overall
A much better Mania then 27 and 28. The undercard was solid and IMO the big 3 matches delivered with Taker/Punk being a classic, Brock/HHH being a great brawl and Rock/Cena delivering in the Main Event.
Somebody mentioned how there were no backstage segments which felt a little weird but gave off a professionalism vibe. The show was down to business and jam packed with action from start to finish with no bullshit in between. I think most people who disliked this show will come around on it eventually.
8/10
The Shield vs. Orton, Show, Sheamus
Was surprised to see this start the show but I think it was a good idea. The match was really good and The Shield are really fucking good at tag team action. This one doesn't follow the typical formula which is great for a change. Some great spots here particularly from Rollins, but the big one is the spear from Show knocking 4 people down at once where they crash all over each other. Crazy. Good idea to continue the Shield's winning streak and they quickly snap Show back to heel after the match which is also the correct idea. Orton turning heel would have been a nice surprise but he can turn at almost any time and it'll work. ***1/4
Ryback vs. Henry
Pretty boring big man match and was expecting a little better. I think it was a bad idea to have Henry win and then give Ryback his moment. It was soured by the fact that he lost and the only reason why Henry got the win was to swerve the audience. Shell Shock at the end was brilliant. *1/2
Zig E vs. Hell No
A great start to the match with the homage do Daniel Bryan's 18 second loss and him dominating in the early goings. Other than that I can't remember much about this. Kane did nothing, Big E didn't do much. It was just a decent match but very RAW-esque. Hell No get a predictable win. **
Del Rio vs. Swagger
Why the hell didn't they show Swagger's entrance? FAIL. Anyway, this match is decent and the Zeb Colter promo before it was great. In a PPV where there weren't many promo's or segments at all, I found this refreshing. It was a decent match, completely what I was expecting. Del Rio is making a good face. **3/4
Fandango vs. Chris Jericho
I think the match needed a little extra time because it was going extremely well in the early goings. The roll-up finish hindered the match completely as it looked sloppy and made no sense at all. Would have preferred to see Jericho get the win so that Fandango can continue this feud with another attack possibly on RAW. Jericho wrestled a good match but probably deserved better when you take into account he was in the WWE Title match last year. ***
Undertaker vs. CM Punk
MOTN. Whilst this match may not have had the brutality of the HHH matches, the emotion of the HBK matches, it had so much character and felt like a battle between two guys who legitimately hated each other. CM Punk is absolutely pumped for this match and you can see the excitement oozing out of him before the match even begins. A quick start to the match with CM Punk slapping Taker (awesome) and then the rest of the match was these guys going balls to the wall with a whole bunch of different exchanges and it never held up once. Taker using his classic moves to pander to the fans and they ate up every bit of it. The crowd was literally a 50/50 split, with both Taker and Punk receiving equal cheers and boo's which you can hear clearly when they exchange punches. It feels good to watch Taker vs. a heel at WrestleMania, because other than Edge, he's faced babyfaces since 23. I also love that they didn't drag out the finisher sequence like his other matches. They gave Punk his Tombstone kick out but that was it. Taker didn't need to hit 8 chokeslams and 3 last rides, the match was straight to the point and it was extremely well done. This may be my favorite match I've seen in a long time. Taker steals the show each and every year, and this was no different. The fast pace just worked so well here. ****1/2
HHH vs. Brock Lesnar
Personally, I don't understand the hate. This is a great brawl, and it is something the WM card needed and something we rarely get in modern day WWE. HHH and Brock both bump like crazy and it looks like it legitimately takes a toll on both men. It's a shame the WWE spaced the matches the way they did, because if they had Taker/Punk earlier then had a couple filler matches in between the crowd may have responded better to this. Dead crowd aside, this is a damn good brawl that I really want to see again. Lesnar is an absolute beast and I can't wait to see his next match because he's been on fire since his return. ****
Rock vs. John Cena
Once again, I don't understand the hate. We all knew this wasn't going to be a classic. We all knew Cena wasn't going to turn heel. I was pretty bored in the early goings but once they got things going this was a damn good match. Clean and crisp, there wasn't any Rock sloppiness as he looked the best I've seen of him since his return. Cena pulling off some heel-ish expressions really piqued my interest in this match and the finishing stretch was really good. Definitely better than Rock/Cena 1, this was a good Main Event that people don't seem to like because Cena didn't turn heel. It'll hold up well for people in the future. ***1/4
Overall
A much better Mania then 27 and 28. The undercard was solid and IMO the big 3 matches delivered with Taker/Punk being a classic, Brock/HHH being a great brawl and Rock/Cena delivering in the Main Event.
Somebody mentioned how there were no backstage segments which felt a little weird but gave off a professionalism vibe. The show was down to business and jam packed with action from start to finish with no bullshit in between. I think most people who disliked this show will come around on it eventually.
8/10