Evan Bourne vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Kazarian vs. The Miz vs. Elijah Burke vs. Colt Cabana vs. Jamie Noble vs. Stevie Richards vs. Colin Delaney vs. Little Guido vs. Super Crazy vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Gregory Helms vs. Jesse vs. Homicide vs. TJ Wilson vs. Kenny Dykstra vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Zack Ryder
(Over the Top Rope Battle Royale)
Vince McMahon decided to revive the title for the ECW brand and this match was decided on the Raw before Wrestlemania, with no superstars announced for it.
This epic pre-show match was set to crown the newest Light Heavyweight Champion following the title’s resurrection. There was much quick elimination, and it ended with the final eight competitors being Bourne, Chavo, Kazarian, Burke, Richards, Kendrick, Yang and Helms. With this number of people in the ring, Kazarian took advantage and hit a missile dropkick into the middle of a crowd, eliminating Burke, Kendrick and Yang immediately. Helms then threw Kazarian over the top rope, but he skinned the cat. As Helms celebrated, he was tossed over by Richards who was just as soon tossed over by Chavo. With the final three men being Kazarian, Bourne and Guerrero, they all set about eliminating the other two. As Kaz had Chavo in a head scissors over the apron, Bourne lifted Chavo’s legs to aid Kazarian. However, Evan was put in a head scissor position by Chavo, meaning Kazarian eliminated both Chavo and Bourne. He was celebrating with the title post match.
WINNER- Kazarian by ELIMINATION in 8:30
MATCH 1
Open Challenge
Jeff Hardy vs. ???
(Single)
Jeff Hardy felt he needed to stand up and prove himself so he issued an open challenge for Wrestlemania. He said he would only wrestle somebody who had his respect.
Jeff Hardy made an open challenge as he came out with no Wrestlemania opponent. He waited, and eventually his brother Matt Hardy answered the call, and the match was made. The match was very back and forth, with Jeff scoring a near fall after a Whisper in the Wind, and Matt almost winning after a top rope Side Effect. The finish came when Matt went for the Twist of Fate but Jeff reversed it into one of his own. He went for the Swanton but Matt dodged and went up top for the leg drop. He jumped, but at the last moment in a photo finish, Jeff moved out of the way and rolled Matt up for the win. After the match, the brothers celebrated together and shook hands to show respect for each other.
WINNER- Jeff Hardy by PINFALL in 14:07
MATCH 2
World Tag Team Championship
Kane +Abyss © v Rey Mysterio +El Generico
(Tag Team)
After a very long feud with Rey Mysterio, Kane put his mask back on. They both then found partners and began a tag team feud, with many brutal matches. After Kane and Abyss won the titles, they began fighting over the championship which would climax tonight.
This match was made after three months of feuding. The heels dominated most of the match, as they targeted Mysterio. Eventually, Generico was tagged in after Mysterio reversed a Black Hole Slam into a tornado DDT. The finish came soon after, as Generico gave Abyss a Brainbustaahh. He turned around, only to eat a Chokeslam. Mysterio ran in and tried to fight off Kane, but he was thrown off the Big Red Machine and right through to the outside, landing hard on the floor. As Abyss scrambled slowly into the ring, Kane tagged himself in and delivered another brutal Chokeslam to Generico for the win, retaining the tag titles.
WINNERS- Kane +Abyss by PINFALL in 10:59
MATCH 3
Raw v Smackdown
Chris Jericho vs. Christian Cage
(Single)
After the Raw v Smackdown match was again announced it was made annual, Christian Cage returned and immediately became Smackdown’s representative. After hearing of this, Chris Jericho became Raw’s representative, wanting to face his former tag team partner in action.
After the Raw v Smackdown match was declared annual, these former tag partners were chosen as their brands representatives. The match was very grounded and submission based, and Christian almost submitted to the Walls of Jericho early on. The match took a turn after this, and Jericho dominated for a while. Cage got back in as Jericho missed a Lionsault. Cage went for the Unprettier but it was reversed magnificently into the Walls of Jericho. Christian went extremely close to tapping, but eventually grabbed the ropes. The finish came as Cage was up top, but Jericho had been playing possum and quickly got up. He went for a top rope Codebreaker, but Cage pushed him off to the mat below and delivered a Frog Splash followed by an Unprettier for the win.
WINNER- Christian Cage by PINFALL in 14:21
MATCH 4
ECW Championship
Rob Van Dam © v Sabu v Tommy Dreamer v The Sandman
(Extreme Rules 4-Way Dance)
An all ECW original match was made with 6 originals returning with 3 qualifying and the other 3 leaving without a contract. Sabu, Dreamer and Sandman beat Tazz and Mick Foley, who stayed as commentators and Jerry Lynn respectively?
After all ECW Originals qualified for this match, it was made extreme rules and elimination. The first elimination came when the Sandman grabbed a Singapore Cane and went for his signature Black Russian Leg Sweep on RVD, but it was reversed and Van Dam performed the Leg Sweep on the Sandman, eliminating him with his own finisher. Next eliminated was Tommy Dreamer, who fell victim to an Arabian Facecrusher through a chair and table. This left RVD and Sabu, who both fought at it with various weapons and maneuvers. The finish came as Sabu was laid outside on a table after a missed suicide dive. Van Dam took a ladder from the outside and set it up in the ring, before giving a Five Star Frog Splash to Sabu who was outside of the ring. He pinned him after they were both out for at least 20 seconds.
WINNER- Rob Van Dam by ELIMINATION in 16:59
MATCH 5
Grudge Match
Edge vs. Mr Kennedy
(Single)
This feud began when Edge cost Mr Kennedy a shot in the Money in the Bank, resulting in Kennedy claiming this was the second and final time this would happen. Many brawls and battles would occur, with the end prize being only respect.
Before the match began, Edge delivered a cheap shot to Kennedy and hit him with a chair, before rolling him into the ring and officially starting the match. Due to this pre match attack, Edge dominated the beginning of the match and almost won after an Edgecution. He continued to get the upper hand but this changed as he went for a spear against the ropes but Kennedy moved and Edge was sent crashing and burning to the outside. Kennedy then dominated this match, but Edge fought back numerous times, illegally getting the upper hand once again after using the ropes for leverage in a submission. The finish came as both men were on the turnbuckle and Edge was pushed off. Kennedy went for a crossbody but was caught with a mid air Spear for a victory to Edge.
WINNER- Edge by PINFALL in 12:02
MATCH 6
Money in the Bank
Booker T vs. Lance Cade vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kevin Steen vs. John Morrison
(8-Man Elimination to Triple Threat Ladder)
Qualifying matches were held for this MITB match. Booker T beat Mr Kennedy in an inter-brand match, and then Kofi Kingston beat Edge in a huge upset. Lance Cade beat D-Lo Brown on Raw and then the unlikely team of MVP and R-Truth beat Priceless in a tag qualification match. Morrison beat Matt Hardy and Kevin Steen beat Chris Harris in ECW qualifying matches and Shelton last qualified by cheating to beat Jeff Hardy.
This year the Money in the Bank ladder match was changed to an elimination extreme rules match where it would be like a TLC match until the final three competitors. In this final three, the men would fight to grab the briefcase. Eliminated first was Kofi Kingston and then Lance Cade, who both fell off a ladder simultaneously after brawling on top. Next eliminated was John Morrison who took a Bookend on to a table leading to his demise. In the final 5, first eliminated was Kevin Steen through being thrown off a ladder and through a table courtesy of R-Truth. Next out was Shelton, who went for a Paydirt off the top of a ladder but crashed and burned after a reversal. Thus the final three would be Booker, R-Truth and MVP. The finish came when R-Truth threw MVP out of the ring before ascending the ladder. He was about to grab the briefcase but the Booker T climbed the ladder and dragged Truth down to being seated on top of the ladder. Booker went for a suplex, but Truth reversed it into a vertical suplex right off the ladder. He reached for the briefcase, but out of nowhere MVP ran up the ladder and landed the Drive by Kick at the top. Truth fell back, but he was still on the ladder, but then MVP kicked the ladder away with Truth stuck in it. He grabbed the briefcase however, and pulled it down as he fell to the ground, before celebrating with it.
WINNER- MVP by EVENT in 25:12
MATCH 7
Grudge Match
Batista vs. John Cena
(Single)
After months of teasing this feud, including being in the same Survivor Series team and being part of the final 3 in the Royal Rumble. Eventually, after a controversial main event on Raw, they decided to make a one on one match to decide who was truly the greater of the two. Stipulations were made that if Batista did not use the figure 4 leg lock, John Cena would not use the STFU. This was not made official, but the two men wanted a pinfall victory so it was agreed with each other.
This match billed for the ages began with 5 minutes of back and forth action, in which neither superstar gained an advantage. After this, Batista landed a Spear to change the momentum. He then proceeded to land a Spinebuster and get in control. Batista stayed in momentum until Cena landed an FU but only got a two. The match was then even for a while again. The finish came with Cena having the momentum as he lifted Batista for the FU, but the Animal floated over and picked Cena up for the Batista Bomb. He was about to bring Cena down but the move was then reversed into the STFU. Cena kept Batista in the hold for a good 30 seconds and Batista almost made it to the ropes, but in the end he had to tap.
WINNER- John Cena by PINFALL in 15:47
MATCH 8
Losers Pose Nude for Playboy
Beth Phoenix +Katie Lea Burchill vs. Melina +Mickie James
(Tag Team)
When Katie Lea defeated Mickie James for the Women’s Championship, she and Beth Phoenix sided in a faction against Melina and Mickie. A heated feud came of it, and Playboy eventually found itself in the equation. None of the 4 women wanted to pose for Playboy but nevertheless two would have to after this match.
This was the only Women’s match on the card, and it was a Raw tag team match. The stipulation was that the losers would need to pose naked for Playboy. Mickie James began in the ring with Women’s Champion Katie Lea. The offense was very balanced and quick until Beth Phoenix was tagged in and used her power to dominate both Mickie and Melina. The heels dominated through Beth for quite some time until Burchill was tagged in. Melina and Burchill went at it after a reversed Twisted Sister and the match became even again. The faces almost won after Katie broke up a pin by Mickie on Beth after a DDT. The end came when Mickie went for a Mick Kick on Katie but she dodged and Melina instead was hit by accident. As Mickie apologized, Burchill hit her with the Twisted Sister for the win.
WINNERS- Beth Phoenix +Katie Lea Burchill in 8:49
MATCH 9
World Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk © vs. Shawn Michaels
(30 Minute Iron Man)
After Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble, he officially decided that he would retire at Wrestlemania, win or loss. He challenged World champion CM Punk who immediately accepted, revealing that HBK was his mentor and he would be glad to crush him. The rivalry got personal and after Punk brought Bret Hart in, HBK decided to change the match to a 30 minute iron man match.
This match was billed as Shawn’s last match in the WWE. The match began with Punk taking the early advantage. This match was a technical masterpiece, with both Punk and HBK using technical moves and submissions early on. The first fall came as Punk was on the outside laid out. Shawn went for the springboard moonsault but Punk moved, and HBK crashed right through the announce table. Punk then rolled HBK into the ring, and hit a moonsault of his own for the first three count. The second fall came as HBK was on a roll. He went for the Sweet Chin Music but Punk ducked and hit the GTS for another fall making it 2-0. The next event happened as Punk set up Shawn in the corner and went for the Pepsi Plunge, but Shawn grabbed his legs and reversed the move into a Sharpshooter, in which Punk had to tap. The score was leveled soon after as after Shawn came back from Punk domination, he hit a Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere as Punk was flying through the air. At the 25 minute mark, HBK got ahead as he reversed the GTS into a Tornado DDT before hitting an Elbow Drop. However, later after a comeback by Punk, he slapped the Anaconda Vice on HBK in the middle of the ring, forcing him to tap and leveling the scores 3-3. With one minute to go and with Shawn just tapping, Punk decided to apply the hold again. After 20 seconds of fighting, Shawn managed to somehow reverse the submission into a Sharpshooter. His face went red from the pressure and he forced Punk to tap with just one second left on the clock, thus vacating the World Heavyweight Championship.
WINNER- Shawn Michaels by EVENT in 30:00
MATCH 10
WWE Championship
The Undertaker © vs. Triple H
(Last Man Standing)
As the Undertaker lost his WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble, he announced that he would retire at Wrestlemania. Vickie Guerrero decided to give him the perfect sendoff by giving him a final shot at the title. Triple H and played many mind games, including bringing in Kane and brutalizing him, but the Undertaker shot back by torturing Stephanie McMahon. The rivalry got so intense that it was decided that only a match as brutal as Last Man standing could resolve it and end the Undertaker’s career.
This match began in the ring and without weapons and stayed that way for 10 minutes. Both stars used everything in their arsenal during this time. Triple H hit a Pedigree but it only received a 6 count from the referee. After Taker crotched himself on the ropes trying to land a big boot, HHH pushed him off the apron and the action spilled to the outside. Taker was slammed into the steps and hit with a chair as Hunter got a vast upper hand. A holy crap moment happened when Triple H was going for a pedigree through the announce table but the Undertaker reversed it into a Back Body drop. He then went into the ring and ascended the top rope, before delivering a leg drop to HHH through the announced table, but this move only garnered a count of 8 from the referee. The finish came in the ring with a table set up inside and the Undertaker very groggy after a steel chair shot. HHH went for the pedigree, but the Undertaker reversed it somehow into a Chokeslam. He then placed Triple H onto the table before going to the top rope. However, Taker took a long time due to his tiredness, and HHH caught up to him and also descended the top rope. They traded punches and Taker went for a Chokeslam off the top, but he took a rake to the eye. HHH then went for the Pedigree, but the Undertaker flipped him upside down into position for the tombstone. He taunted cutting his throat before jumping from the top and delivering a diving tombstone, right through the table set up in the ring. Taker did a final taunt as the referee counted to ten, before the legendary dead man disappeared and left in his proposed retirement, never to be seen again. This meant that both of the major titles in the WWE would be vacated following this epic Wrestlemania.
WINNER- The Undertaker by EVENT in 21:19
Reviews for the matches would be a bit hard as the show is in recap, but could you please give feedback on the concepts and the overall show
