A look back at WrestleMania 27…
Well the biggest event has come and gone and all I can say is that it wasn’t exactly what I expected. Before people think I’m writing a column saying that I know how to do it better then you are wrong, I paid for a PPV last night and yes I enjoyed it, I just didn’t understand some of its direction.
The Rock took a vital 15 minutes in the opening segment to start the show which turned out to be costly for some of the other matches later in the show.
Undertaker and Triple H displayed a wonderful effort. Both men will be sore today as they really did throw themselves about in that match. Triple H had the crowd and the wrestling world silenced as we watched his limp hand gradually lose life and eventually tap out. The match was far better than expected and they completely solidified WrestleMania with Undertaker’s streak.
A lot of people felt Undertaker was legitimately hurt after the contest but I think having him carried out only showed the brutality of the match and gives Undertaker the chance to disappear again for a while.
I was really surprised that Alberto Del Rio (This year’s Royal Rumble Winner) opened the show in the World Title match with Edge. I know they would want to get off to a solid opening match but even so I felt a little frustrated that they seemed to halt Del Rio’s push to allow Edge to retain the title. This rivalry will more than likely continue but it seems to frustrate me these days that WrestleMania is used to further rivalries where as in the past you used to see rivalries finish on that night and start new ones after the show. These days Extreme Rules just seems to be WrestleMania again but with stipulations added to all those matches.
Cole and Lawler had an interesting twist with the anonymous RAW GM reversing the decision. Booker T and Mathews got stunned just purely to make room for Lawler and JR at ringside and the matchup seemed to go on too long. They tried to give Cole some ring time but it didn’t go down too well with the live crowd.
Snooki’s match was short and didn’t give much chance for the other talent to display their abilities. Snooki seemed to do a better job in the ring that Cole but in the end that was what we were expecting.
Randy Orton and CM Punk had a solid match which was quite early on but delivered what we expected. Whether they continue this rivalry will be interesting.
Kofi Kingston was added in place of Vladimir Kozlov in a match that seemed to last about 30 seconds in the 8 man tag. I was disappointed that fellow Englishman Wade Barrett didn’t get more ring time but this match seemed to be another victim of time limits.
Cody Rhodes got the push he deserved in a solid match with Rey Mysterio. I think this gives room to push Cody further and he took the spotlight well.
Then we had the main event. This by most standards fell completely flat with the crowd. The match ended in a double count out which Rock restarted. He then proceeded to give John Cena a Rock Bottom and cost him the WWE Title. After the match he gave Miz the peoples elbow and the show ended with him standing on the ropes celebrating.
This main event was always going to be difficult. They had set something up which was always going to disappoint some fans. Rock wasn’t in the match yet he had to be involved hence the double count out. It seems a little annoying if WWE felt this was a good way to poke TNA in the eye by acknowledging their recent poor displays with count outs. Everyone now says that Rock and Cena is a give and my first thoughts were that it wouldn’t be. Cena had lost the match in the first place by count out so the sheer fact of Rock restarting the match could give Cena’s character enough to forget about The Rock’s involvement. Cena’s character is designed not to whine about things so I could have seen him forget about the whole thing and just want a rematch. However, Rock is scheduled to appear on RAW tonight and we’ll have to see what direction they take.
The entire travesty of the event was the fact that the US Title match never made it to TV. They had the match as a lumberjack match before the event and then turned it into a non title battle royale? Strange thought process but again it seems to be time restraints and ways to get talent displayed that night.
The event had promise and in some ways it delivered but I felt it could have been handled with better time management. Cutting times down on Rock’s opening segment and the Cole Lawler match would have given enough time for Bryan and Sheamus to have actually had a match and possibly for the 8 man tag to seem less rushed.
The backstage segments were 50/50. Rock’s encounter with Mae Young and Steve Austin were pure gold compared with Snoop Dogg’s terrible auditions backstage.
WWE seemingly tried to fit everything in and to a degree they did, with casualties.
Fans seem to be divided 50/50 on the event. Some felt robbed from apparent “lazy booking” and some were just happy that John Cena didn’t leave the show as WWE Champion.
Will I be too critical of the show? No because I did enjoy it, will I remember it as a classic WrestleMania? Probably not.
Last night to me felt too much like a normal PPV which could have happened on any other show, the only standout difference was having Triple H and Undertaker solidify the show.
I’m sure the debates will continue but it will be interesting to see the direction they take coming out of RAW tonight.
If you want to send me your thoughts of last night’s show or debate my opinions then email me at [email protected] or get in touch through Twitter at @BeansOnToastUK.
Martyn.
