Scott, how would you rank the main events of wrestlemania as far as which had the best build, money drawn is not a factor, just from a storyline perspective, what was the best?
Well, which one are we still talking about 25 years later? MEGAPOWERS EXPLODE, motherfuckers. Everything about wrestling done exactly right at exactly the right time. Except Savage was so ridiculously hot as a heel that they should have delayed the Hogan win until Summerslam, but that's picking nits as far as the storyline goes.
Hogan-Andre was tremendous as well. Last gasp of the giant and Hogan cementing himself as an all-time legend, blah blah blah.
Flair-Savage "She was mine before she was yours" had me dying to order the show, so throw that one in there too.
In short, they used to know how to promote shit. And now, fuck them.
Have to show some love for Triple H/Batista
ReplyDeleteRock vs Austin at WM17.
ReplyDeleteA build so good that they were able to make Limp Bizkit bearable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srhd2fZyDB4
WM III, V, and VI were basically perfect.
ReplyDeleteWorst was WM XII. Fuck that dopey build that made Shawn Michaels look obnoxious and Bret look like an old man.
Anybody else was happy as I was when Cormier lost last night? I love the tears of his fans.
Daniel Bryan vs HHH/Orton/Batista.
ReplyDeleteShawn Michaels vs Ric Flair. That 'Old Yeller' promo has to have locked most the buys.
the first "once in a lifetime" was done well to get me pumped up for WM for first time in a while.
ReplyDeleteWM10: Both Bret and Luger had Yokozuna beaten in the previous year but didn't come out on top. Throw in the Owen storyline and overall that's my favorite. WM14 is up there for me too.
ReplyDeleteI will say the 30 build is definitely top 10, maybe top 5. HBK/Taker was great too. That's about it for modern Manias.
ReplyDeleteMichaels vs. Flair should have gone on last at WM24. Edge and Undertaker had an excellent match that kind of made up for it but nothing really could follow that moment emotionally and the crowd was drained.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right on with some of the recent main events. Most of the 20s era WM main events had good builds while some of the older ones like 7, 9, and 12 were really shit.
Video package was amazing (probably the best ever) but the Video package was amazing (probably the best ever) build was pretty underwhelming for a while, especially when Debra was involved as Rock's manager. Having two stars of that magnitude means the match will always be hugely anticipated but I remember at the time that the build could have been better.
ReplyDeleteThe build was actually shit. All the good bits are in that video.
ReplyDeleteMost underrated build to a main event is Hogan/Slaughter. Sure it was distasteful but it was well done.
ReplyDeleteI thought Orton/HHH had the worst WM main event build.
ReplyDeleteKinda hard to rally a lot of nationalism around around a war that was a week long destruction by the U.S.
ReplyDeleteAnd also hard to pull off a turncoat angle for a guy who was a despicable heel most of his career.
I can't imagine a heel holding onto the title at one of those early Wrestlemanias. Most of Mania 5 was pretty bad, throw in a screwjob finish and you're looking at one shitty card.
ReplyDeleteThat had a great build, but lacked the proper payoff at WM.
ReplyDeleteI'd give most of the credit to Bush and Saddam rather than WWE.
ReplyDeleteThey built it up like it was going to be the ultimate blood feud with lots of color and destruction, instead they had a PG heatless, airless match. Haven't both guys gone on record by now saying that was a failure?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to toss Backlash 2009's hat in the ring as being like Backlash 2000 where that was the real Wrestlemania that year and if that one was done in a stadium as the top show of the year it'd be fondly remembered. What a great show that paid off the long building Edge/Cena rivalry.
Orton/HHH was a pretty good build, it was the match that sucked.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone tops WM III - Hogan/Andre, Savage/Steamboat, Piper/Adonis. Three of the best builds ever on the same card.
ReplyDeleteModern day - Daniel Bryan, HHH-Batista
I read that Bush's peculiar pronunciation of "Saddam" in interviews was a sly bit of disrespect and not a regional accent. Bush was on some wrestling shit.
ReplyDeleteAnd worst main-event match. What was HHH thinking going on last with UT/HBK on the card. Didn't he remember WM18? Dumbass....
ReplyDeleteI know this is hard to believe for some people, but HHH had no say in the matter.
ReplyDeleteKind of surprised people showing love for the buildup. The main thing that stuck out at me was the home invasion angle that just came off as extremely hokey.
ReplyDeleteUnless he changed his mind in recent years, I remember he did an interview where he thought it was the right decision to let him go last for WM18.
ReplyDeleteWM14 has to be up there - 97/98 Shawn was one of the best heels ever and Austin was obviously on the verge of being a megastar. Throw Tyson into the mix and you have the complete package.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favourite is actually WM30. Watching the fans reject WWE's plans was incredible and once they finally embraced it, the build-up between HHH and DB was as good as it gets in my opinion. At WM30, I'd never wanted a wrestler to win the title so badly (discounting when I was younger than 12 and got upset anytime Bret or Warrior lost).
I don't think it'd be his call but if he went to Vince and said "we're gonna look like fools like Jericho and I did at WM18, Vince probably would take it into consideration. Shawn and Taker went on last the following year.
ReplyDeleteHuh? Their match at 21 is the definition of the term.
ReplyDeleteWM14 was great, but at the same time I think it failed to do it's job because during the buildup I wanted to see Austin v Tyson rather than Austin v HBK.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it because Trips tried telling them that the DQ stip was going to suck and was unable to get it changed.
ReplyDeleteBingo.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on the buildup to the main event of the first one, it was very well done and got the mainstream attention that made Wrestlemania the event that it is.
ReplyDeleteX-7 deserves some love ... the desperation in Austin's character after coming back and winning the Rumble, but then losing to Triple H planted seeds of doubt in his mind that he would ever get another shot again.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a sucker for 23 where it was basically Shawn telling Cena, "you aren't nothing until you've beaten me"
Not really, it was a lackluster match where HHH made Batista look like shit.
ReplyDeleteOther than WM5 against Rude, I can't recall Warrior ever really losing back then.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't.
ReplyDeleteAustin/Rock at WM15 wins with the beer truck alone, notwithstanding that the build arguably began when Austin lost the belt at Break Down. Just think of all the crazy stuff that went on over those six months.
ReplyDeleteHBK/Taker at 26 will always be one of my favorites along with Bryan and 30.
ReplyDeleteYou wouldn't know it from HHH's latest DVD...they act like it was a clash of the ages and not a complete wet fart that almost soured the entire show.
ReplyDeleteThat build was terrible. Half of it was centred around Debra, a motive that Austin and Rock both recognized as crap. They had to force a reboot with the sit-down "I have to beat you, Rock" interview.
ReplyDeleteWM25 was an irredeemable shit show to begin with. Kid Rock, Santina, I mean - it was a big turdbomb of Wrestlecrap and awfulness wrapped around the sole redeeming factor of Undertaker vs. Michaels.
ReplyDeleteI refuse to put Daniel Bryan on this list because that would give WWE credit for thinking it all the way through. They were really going to just leave Bryan with the Wyatts and then really just have him fight Sheamus in some shitty mid-card match. It took a complete revolt by the fans that embarrassed the company on screen to get them to change their mind.
ReplyDeleteIt would have meant Bryan wrestled Sheamus in singles matches at 3 Wrestlemanias which might be the record.
ReplyDeleteJones cutting a heel promo on him on Fox Sports 1 that left Stann speechless was great, too.
ReplyDeleteEh, I put it on par with WM27...there were good things peppered throughout. The Hardy's match was good, it's just no one wanted to see it. Shoulda stuck with Christian.
ReplyDeleteCormier was not the challenger they tried to build him up to be. Sorry man, you're too short, fat, and old. You wernt destined to win NCAA, Olympic gold or this. Bring on the Gustafson rematch!
ReplyDeleteI think Cormier calling Jones fake is hilarious. I love all the racist fans eating it. Their guy with "class" (e.g. acts white) was made to look average and then dissed and dismissed. Bring on Gustaffson who at least has the physical tools to make it a challenge. Little short guy didn't and even got schooled in wrestling. I thought he was an Olympian?
ReplyDeleteHe's the modern day Ali.
ReplyDeletethe video the night after db won the title.. on of the best video packages imo.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY29w6SuwZI
Yep. And don't get me wrong, they are money in the ring together. Sheamus, despite being a complete goof as a character, has a great old-school strong style like Bradshaw used to do. He meshes well with Bryan, but come on. Can you imagine what that building would have been like if it was just Orton vs. Batista?
ReplyDelete8 year age disadvantage, 13 inch reach disadvantage, Jones out wrestled him even!
ReplyDeleteAustin v Rock lol
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm with you there. I loved it, and it was one of the best Manias and Mania moments ever, but it's not like it was ever the plan or what they REALLY wanted to do, which taints it ever so slightly.
ReplyDeleteI think Anderson gets that title but I've really started to love Jon Jones since all the bandwagoners from the boom era started to really hate him and bitch about him dominating all their one and done challengers.
ReplyDeleteI'm more interested in Rumble, honestly.
ReplyDeleteAt the end it looked like all Cormier wanted to do we try to same face by at least taking him down!
ReplyDeleteAnthony Johnson hits like a mack truck but has absolutely no discipline. I think Jones would work him and tire him out after a round.
ReplyDeleteYou know Jones will be bragging about all his take downs on the Olympian
ReplyDeleteYeah but once they went with him, it was pretty great. This isn't a "Best WWE WrestleMania Creative Plans" topic.
ReplyDeleteJust because it was mostly organic and two years in the making, WM30. There will likely never be another angle that is 90 percent fan angst against a tone-deaf company.
ReplyDeleteRicky Steamboat looking like he was 23 again was fun but that was about it.
ReplyDeleteHe put all that energy into that slam at the end trying to save a round he was getting owned in and the judges saw it for what it was and gave the round to Jones. Good score keeping last night. Good thing too since card was a shit show full of decisions. They charged an extra five bucks for that?
ReplyDeleteIf Punk had stated I believe he would have main evented WM with Hunter as even WWE acknowledged what a flop Batista was proving to be in the first month back in the company.
ReplyDeleteMakes me feel old that WrestleMania III is considered pre-modern day. But I know what you mean.
ReplyDelete"Olympic wrestling" is such an overrated credential. It's bullshit. Dan Henderson has some of the worst wrestling in MMA and went further in the Olympics than Cormier.
ReplyDeleteYep, I don't think I could be more emotionally invested in a WM title match.
ReplyDeleteHHH shits on that match, what DVD are you talking about?
ReplyDeleteBut to me that's what made it awesome, because it was WWE having its hand forced by the crowd.
ReplyDeleteThe revolt by the fans and the company being embarrassed is why it was so awesome though. Intentional or not, that's still a great build.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and Austin vs. Rock that feud ain't.
ReplyDeletehe was bragging that "the wrestling community is watching." He def wanted to prove something to Cormier.
ReplyDeleteAli never lost because he let a guy punch him and pretended to be hurt, then actually got KO'd. Anderson has tarnished his own legacy, IMO. I dunno about this comeback, could do even more harm than good.
ReplyDeletethe best MMA wrestler (in their primes) I ever saw was Matt Hughes and he never sniffed the Olympics. He just had an unstoppable double leg and when he took you down he finished it.
ReplyDeleteThat was a dude getting sat down at what he is best at. That's what Anderson Silva did to people in his prime.
ReplyDelete...until next year.
ReplyDeleteI agree, but man that was a scary precipice to be dangling from for a while...
ReplyDeleteTERRIBLE show. UFC are running so many shows that their undercards have become weak as hell. Most of those matches were guys ranked 10 or lower vs guys no ranked at all? What the fuck?
ReplyDeleteWe'll see! It would be interesting if the pro-Bryan crowd hijacks another Road to WrestleMania.
ReplyDeleteThe entire show I just kept thinking "they're going to just give a giant middle finger to everyone" and put Batista over.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I don't think Orton gets enough credit for how awesome his performance was in that main event.
Nobody had any answer for Hughes whatsoever until all the weight cutting got nuts and guys who were five inches taller and 30 pounds heavier than him naturally started flooding the division. Hell, Hughes was competitive until the end of his career except getting caught early in the last Penn match.
ReplyDeleteGSP who never even wrestled in high school or college also deserves mention since we are talking about MMA wrestlers. GSP is far better at it than any Olympian I've seen.
HHH/Batista doesn't get enough love. Such a perfection storyline and the best example of how to make a star THE RIGHT WAY in this modern era. WM 21 is one of the most underrated WM's of all time too. The build for that PPV overall was amazing and their Hollywood vignettes made them a lot of money.
ReplyDeleteWatching wrestling during the road of WM 21 was a lot of fun. On RAW, you had Batista/HHH building up perfectly and on Smackdown, you had HBK/Angle storyline picking up the pace.
I give credit to his poor back vertebrae for not shattering after landing on that monitor...yeeeeeeeoooooouuuuuuuuuuuuch!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. It was pretty aggravating to watch them purposely try and sabotage Bryan.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good angle but I think it doesn't get mentioned because everyone was had HHH fatigue by then.
ReplyDeleteAlso just the way the show was booked. None of the matches looked like they'd have a lot of action or explosive finishes. Cerrone vs. Jury - Action Fighter vs. Cerebral Gameplanner. Horiguchi vs. Gaudinot...okay, who cares. Only appealing 125s are the little KO artists like Lineker. Lombard vs. Burkman - yeah, give a guy who has been out of the Octagon for 8 years a bullrusher who goes hard for the KO in round one and then gasses. So many matches guaranteed to cause inaction.
ReplyDeleteIf some of the stuff on the upcoming Fox and FS1 shows were on this card instead that would have helped. How about putting Gustaffson vs. Johnson on this show so you make the challenger that night.
I loved the build for WM21, much better than WM22 where it was basically "Cena's gonna beat HHH and then you'll REALLY love him! Hulk Hogan 2k6!"
ReplyDeleteBatista was great back then. Most monsters didn't dress up in fancy suits, he would have these quick looks or asides, sometimes even in the background, and I remember thinking by the fall of 2004 that this guy was going to swim past Orton.
ReplyDeleteYeah but that match was like six minutes and the segment after it was awful. They did the correct thing at Backlash the next month.
ReplyDeleteI might be HHH's biggest fan on this blog and even I was rooting like crazy for Batista.
ReplyDeleteShit we had HHH fatigue during Mania 19, much less 21.
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly it. It was during a time where people would shit on ANYTHING HHH did. I still remember reading posts from smarks that just KNEW HHH wouldn't put Batista over. Probably the same smarks who said that HHH wouldn't job to DB
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a pretty dismal show last night. I never bought into the Cormier hype, I kept being told by UFC how amazing he was, but it didn't seem to come across that often in his actual fights. And this was a very weak card. Tavares and Marquardt, two JTTS third on the bill of a major PPV? Outside of Cerrone and Jury there wasn't much of interest going in, and most fights actually under delivered. Still, there are some much stronger cards coming up in the next two months.
ReplyDeleteBest ppv build was wrestlemania 4. That was the one that made me a fan for life.
ReplyDeleteBy November, he was already getting huge pops. They executed that storyline so perfectly that I haven't seen them accomplish that since.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we'll see Bryan hijack Roman Reigns's push, honestly. He has enough fan support, is a legit badass, and hasn't been off TV for four years. It'll be interesting how the Rumble goes, I'd have them finish 1-2 to see what happens.
ReplyDeleteYeah...but honestly, it was, and still is, kind of surprising/jarring to see HHH lay down clean for anyone.
ReplyDeleteMarquardt has been done in the sport for like five years. I have no idea how he has a spot in the UFC right now. They have cut people off way less humiliating losses than he's had this run. Tavares lost like three of his last four too. What the hell were they doing on the main card?
ReplyDeleteCerrone vs. Jury under delivered. I actually felt bad for Jury since Cerrone will NEVER win the title and Jury might some day, it was just a bad matchup for him since Cerrone gets up for gatekeeping but sleeps when it comes to title contention.
The title matches at WM21 weren't that great. If one of them was 4 stars then I think WM21 would go down as one of the best. If both of them were 4 stars then it may go down as the best ever given that we also had Angle-HBK, the first MITB, Taker-Orton and Eddie-Rey (Rey's mask notwithstanding).
ReplyDelete19 was the killer for me. Making Booker looking like a chump after doing the racist angle was terrible.
ReplyDeleteYep, it was great because Orton the babyface was just terrible and Batista just kept it so simple. He relied on his look and slowly starting showing his personality and people just loved it.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget beating Goldberg in the Chamber at Summerslam with like 5 ripped quads.
ReplyDeleteWorst build was 18. Treated jericho like shit; one wrestler nearly killed his opponent and the fans were cheering for the killer.
ReplyDeleteJBL should have retain via chacanary. Their I Quit match two months later is a lost classic and would have been a much better way to launch Cena. In my opinion, at least.
ReplyDeleteBut at least we got to see Harley Race again so there's that.
ReplyDeleteThe Rumble is in the smarkiest of smarky towns. They are going to turn on any Reigns over Bryan shenanigans so hard.
ReplyDeleteHell yes we are. I sure am.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of weird that people shit on Roman Reigns here when Batista wasn't exactly a technical marvel in the ring back then. Of course, we didn't have other wrestlers we'd rather cheer for in 2005 and the storyline of Batista vs. HHH was more compelling than the piece-meal push that Reigns is getting.
ReplyDeleteThey protected him too. He kept his words brief and relied on his facial expressions. Roman Reigns can EASILY be the modern day Batista but instead he's a modern day Diesel.
ReplyDeletewasn't their a dog being run over involved in this?
ReplyDeleteYep lucy
ReplyDeleteThat poor dog.
ReplyDeleteYeah, JBL vs. Cena was a snore-fest and should have had a stronger storyline considering Layfield had held the title for nearly a year.
ReplyDelete18 was awesome. I really wanted to see that HHH v Stephanie match.
ReplyDeleteThat's no way to talk about Stephanie.
ReplyDeleteIf you assume Sid-Taker was the main event then I'd say WM13 had the worst build, as it didn't really have a build at all. But I guess everyone considered Bret-Austin to be the real main event to that show and, in that case, the build was amazing. The video package before their match was incredible.
ReplyDeleteBryan coming out to talk in a plaid shirt gets a bigger reaction than anything Reigns has ever done, ever. If Trips got Vince to change his mind last year I have faith he'll steer the ship right again this time.
ReplyDeleteCena should have won in an overbooked russoriffic match with JBLs entire cabinet running out to interfere at various points but Cena just overcomes the odds.
ReplyDeleteInstead they just had a fairly bland match
I don't think anyone really expected the title matches to be great. Batista and John Cena weren't known to be great wrestlers at the time. It was all about bringing a new generation in and taking over. I certainly think WM 21 has one of the best undercards of all time.
ReplyDeleteI just don't see the crowd reactions shitting on Reigns the way they did on Batista.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Bryan coming out in a plaid shirt gets a bigger reaction than anyone in wrestling.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Philly is smarky but Reigns isn't hated like most on this blog seem to think he is.
ReplyDeleteThey should've done the I Quit match for Mania. Cena losing at Mania would've been terrible. People forget that JBL was going into his 9th month as champion during this time.
ReplyDeleteNot the best, but I haven't seen it mentioned...
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Shawn/Cena build where Shawn was threatening Cena with a kick every single week, until the go home RAW where he finally nailed him with one. Effective storytelling from one of the greatest.
They did because they saw Batista was clearly winning and Bryan wasn't in it. When Batista came back 2 weeks before he got a huge pop, people were happy...then they realized it was at the expense of the TRUE hero of the company and that's why/when they turned.
ReplyDeleteWM13 didn't have a traditional build, but the tv product was improving and getting to be entertaining.
ReplyDeleteI loved the build for hogan-Yokozuna. It was so good that it felt like the entire build lasted thirty seconds.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree. It should've been no DQ. Let them have an intense brawl to launch Cena's run.
ReplyDeleteIt would be better if he WAS...the fact is, he doesn't get much of a reaction at all beyond girls squealing at first when he comes out. The silence during his match with Rollins (in DC mind you, a usually invested wrestling crowd) was a VERY ominous sign.
ReplyDeleteTrips was the one to change Vince's mind? What evidence is there of that?
ReplyDeleteIt's true...but outside of DB, everyone is getting sad reactions nowadays.
ReplyDeleteThat wrestlemania felt like it was just a normal ppv and not a real wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteAnother underrated build, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but was Bret Hart and Yokozuna. Bret, the first champion to regularly wrestle on television, was really put over as a guy who was working almost too hard as champion and the question was "how can he beat this guy" and "can he put the sharpshooter on this guy." He got beat down at the contract signing, then knocked out by Luger. It was pretty compelling for the era.
ReplyDeleteThere was some story where he sat down with Vince on a flight and pointed out just over Bryan was and all the evidence for focusing on him. It definitely helps that even though Bryan is small, Vince admires his character and toughness.
ReplyDeleteI have a fondness for the WM XX and XXVI builds.
ReplyDeleteIn WM XX, You had HHH/HBK in their blood feud, then there was Benoit. Benoit, did not cared about the feud, he just wanted fulfill his dream. In the end had a ***** match and the best match I've seen.
In WM XXVI it was kinda like western, two old gunmen, one of them is desperate to prove that he's the best(HBK), the other wanted just to be in peace, so when HBK interfered at EC, I knew that feud would be off the charts.
The build-up for Angle/Lesnar was awesome and terrible in equal measures.
ReplyDeleteAwesome because of the great matches and promos leading up to it, but terrible because for a moth beforehand every single week, all the fans were wondering is whether Lesnar would lose the belt to someone else before Wrestlemania as he's too injured to compete.
the fans try, too. Wyatt, Cesaro, Ziggler - the fans want to get behind these guys. But the company just shits all over them.
ReplyDeleteSee, this is how bad it is with HHH and public opinion. You tell me that story, which is plausible and makes a lot of sense, but the first thing that pops in my head is, "Of course, HHH said that...because it's HIS angle with Daniel Bryan and he's getting a marquee match at WM with the best wrestler in the world."
ReplyDeleteNo one knew HBK v. Taker was going to be so mindblowlingly awesome. And the build to HHH v. Orton was great. I would've had HHH v. Orton go on last too
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, if you're matches aren't exciting and investing, you don't stay over. It's the biggest thing about Vince that frustrates everyone...hell Austin pointed it out during the live podcast, they don't do RASSLIN', but everything they do is still BUILT on and predicated ON wrestling.
ReplyDeletePeople were shitting on the build at the time
ReplyDeleteI would agree, but Philly.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the ridiculousness of the Orton/HHH buildup for WM 25. The best part being when Orton kissed Stephanie on the lips while HHH was handcuffed. That's some fucking professional wrestling shit right there.
ReplyDeleteHa...can't argue there.
ReplyDeleteTrue - I think he's the only guy in WWF/E that has never lost cleanly on a TV show or PPV?
ReplyDeleteI was mainly thinking about the loss to Slaughter - dude didn't even get his rematch.
People say that but has Philly done anything remotely smarky lately? I can't seem to remember and WWE visits the area a lot, don't they?
ReplyDeleteYou mean Angle.
ReplyDeleteEddie/Lesnar should've been at WM XX, way better than what we got in the next month.
ReplyDeleteThe problem isn't so much with Reigns but that Bryan is so far above the rest of the roster as far as being over with live crowds it's almost embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteWith Cena moving down the card hopefully to face Rusev they could end up with Bryan as a bigger star than Cena in a few months.
Nah, if you have Lesnar v. Goldberg, you do it at Wrestlemania.
ReplyDeleteThe build was great, they shot themselves in the foot not making a street fight. This was a moment where it had to be a huge sports entertainment brawl.
ReplyDeleteNot really, but then the shows they've had here lately have been rather toned down anyway. Still, any Tri-State Area crowd is gonna be mostly smarks.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Wrestlemania 4 tournament? The whole storyline about the Dibiase buying the belt, title held up, Hogan/Andre part 3. Every big name in the tournament for the belt.
ReplyDeleteDude, Daniel Bryan is in the Rumble. If he doesn't win, they'll riot.
ReplyDeleteCena's victory was as anticlimactic as they come. Didn't help that it was in front of the customary shitty LA crowd, too.
ReplyDeleteNo. I went to a PPV in Philly a few years ago, and it was the usual WWE PPV crowd. A lot of kids. People are really overthinking this. It's not ECW anymore
ReplyDelete>In short, they used to know how to promote shit. And now, fuck them.
ReplyDeleteYou mean like they did just last year?
See, that's what I'm thinking.
ReplyDeleteBut DB is the guy who can draw in the smarks again...
Actually it was pretty obvious as HBK/Taker always had tremendous chemistry whereas Orton/HHH never had that spark in their matches plus their buildup was the best built up feud for WM and I believe it was the feud that drew the most buys for the show.
ReplyDeleteReigns is weird because I don't think he would have a hard time getting over himself just beat looking badass and fucking shit up on his own. Fans are so smart now, they just hate shit being manufactured on them. They can tell the good versus the bad.
ReplyDeleteChicago is the current reigning and defending. I wish they'd had the Rumble there this year.
ReplyDeleteLast year's Rumble wasn't in a smark city, but they made Philly and Chicago proud.
ReplyDeleteIt made me a fan 4 life
ReplyDeleteWhat city was it?
ReplyDeleteThreadjack
ReplyDeleteMan this Stuart Scott passing sucks.
Fuck Cancer.
Pittsburgh
ReplyDeleteWell it was supposed to orton/Batista until the fans revolted
ReplyDeleteIt was great, it just built up to a boring ass show...though I think the Savage/Dibiase final is a lot better than it gets credit for. Plus the crowd goes apeshit when Savage wins.
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal, when they let Reigns be himself (the silent badass) he's great, he's a no-nonsense asskicker, there's no problem with that. Vince & Dunn want him to be Hogan 3.0
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was too bad. He was ESPN for me.
ReplyDeleteNot to sound like a semi-heartless dick, but it's definitely affecting me more than I would have thought.
ReplyDeleteThat's not semi-heartless at all.
ReplyDelete"It was cancer."
ReplyDelete"Well you tell Cancer I'm lookin for him, and when I find him, I'ma shoot him in the face!"
Yea, but once they figured it out, the build was tremendous
ReplyDeleteTito Santana vs. the Executioner. After years of Tito being dominated by the Execu-lock, he finally got his revenge. Classic main event to kick off the Wrestlemania era.
ReplyDeleteThey want him to be HoCena! Or Cenogan!
ReplyDeleteThere were a bunch of shows in late 13/early 14 where the crowd just wasn't having it. Constant boring chants during Cena and Orton promos, Bryan chants all over the place. It wasn't just that Rumble.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Stuart Scott was freaking awesome. Think of how borrrrring Sportscenter would be had he not come along
ReplyDeleteThe buildup to Orton v. HHH ruled. They had the closing segment on the go-home RAW. That's the match you put on last.
ReplyDeleteSame here.....actually kinda got choked up for a guy I only knew from TV
ReplyDeleteTGGI.
ReplyDeleteWhen Minneapolis shits on you, big problems. Minneapolis is a major, classic wrestling city but they were never as vocal as they were at Elimination Chamber. Bootista indeed, Minny.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fair to distinguish the build from whenever the decision was made to go with Bryan (presumably not too long after the Rumble), from the entire creative process in the several months leading up to Mania. Once it became Bryan vs HHH with the title match stip, it was a pretty good build.
ReplyDeleteI guess the positive from Mr. Scott's passing is when they engrave his headstone I can find out how to spell BOOYEAH!
ReplyDeleteSo sad. I remember watching the espy speech but didn't think that would be the last we see of him. Gonna miss him
ReplyDeleteD-Bry showing up on the go home show to attack Triple H out of nowhere was awesome
ReplyDeletePersonally I thought the buildup sucked with the home invasion angle just ruining everything they were building up plus HHH and the McMahons just make terrible faces.
ReplyDeleteThere was some great stuff. The period from Summerslam 2013 through Rumble 2014 is I think one of the worst WWE creative periods ever, but they sorted themselves out for Mania.
ReplyDeleteBest: Same ones Scott mention, but if I can add 3:
ReplyDelete13 - With the buildup for Stone Cold vs. Bret hart, and the Cage match having the possibility of making THAT the title match....the Slow build into the double turn
14 - Stone Cold v. HBK....when they added Tyson into the mix, I remember (ironically) Stuart Scott showing it on Sportscenter and thinking this is pretty huge
21 - The slow build of Batista's turn....I mean the seeds planted as far back as Elimination Chamber. So the match wasn't great, but that slow burn was awesome (have I said that 3 times?)
Worst:
The last 5 or so years
WM 2000 - Too much McMahon
WM 17 - The Rock v. Stone Cold. Should have been 2 guys just wanting to see who's the best. Then we got McMahon, we got Debra McMichael wanting to be The Rock's manager....just a mess
Damn....the down arrow doesn't work
ReplyDeleteI always thought it was booyah
ReplyDeleteI really do miss them giving a shit about building up to their ppvs. Now it's just another RAW that is 9.99.
ReplyDeleteI still love to Austin - Rock at 17.
I need to beat you Rock.
Boo-yeah.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean about WM 30 build? I thought it was thrown together within the last 6 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI like the WMXV buildup because it was so embedded into the Austin vs McMahon storyline.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of buildup, I'm loving this Lions - Cowboys buildup.
ReplyDeleteYou KNOW Vince wants the Roman Empire to kick off because he has a big fat clown heel named Circus MAXXXIMUS(tm) ready to go.
ReplyDeleteWM26's buildup was the best in recent memory. Taker-Shawn, Cena-Batista, Edge-Jericho and Vince-Bret were all awesomely built and intertwined.
ReplyDeleteWM26 is 2nd only to 19 in unfair box office bombings.
The build to Punk-Mysterio and the Legacy breakup were great too.
ReplyDeleteBTW here is how Wrestlemania 31 should be:
ReplyDeleteBrock Lesnar vs. John Cena - Career vs. Career
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns - WWE World Heavyweight Title
Rusev (c) vs. Ryback - United States Title match
The Usos (c) vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd - WWE Tag Team Title match
Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Bray Wyatt - Intercontinental Title match
Big Show vs. Randy Orton
The Miz vs. Damien Sandow
Goldust and Stardust vs. The Ascension
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Kevin Owens - NXT Championship
-Open the show with Zayn and Steen and see how that shit goes.
Yeah, back when Sportscenter showed highlights and didn't focus on some jerk trying to be a 'personality'. Screw Stu Scott, he's a racist scummer too.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to point at the obvious hole in your card: the absence of Daniel Bryan.
ReplyDelete