What we did get though is a cracking match from Undertaker and CM Punk. Something I was quite concerned with as Punk didn’t look interested with the build up and Undertaker didn’t look to be in as good a shape as he has been in previous years. All those concerns were quickly dissolved though when the bell rang.
The entrances alone were fantastic as CM Punk was played to the ring by Living Color (See I even spelt it right for you all!) and Undertaker was just a Walking Dead theme away from making me think I was watching FOXHD (That’s the channel we get it on in the UK.)
Both men were on form and the match flowed better than I even thought could be possible. The first Tombstone was fantastic and the sit up moment was a classic moment for the event. The match was done with class and the closing moments with a clearly emotional Undertaker paying tribute to William Moody A.k.a. Paul Bearer with the Urn were completely fitting.
This unfortunately was about as special as WrestleMania got. The Shield got a good outing, Fandango dealt with the pressure of the big show but the Bellas, Tons of Funk, Rhodes Scholars and Funkadactyls were cut from the show entirely.
Everything felt a little weird. We got the Cena/Rock promo we’ve been watching for 3 weeks played again after the first match and got another two separate promo’s which were separately designed for each competitor throughout the show. However, that was it, before I knew it John Cena was coming down the ramp with no mention or final video prepping the crowd for the main event.
Jack Swagger seemed to be punished as we didn’t even get to see his entrance which completely threw the TV audience off and yet we were treated to commercials which meant nothing to fans outside of the USA.
There was no backstage moments and whilst that could be classed as a good thing I also couldn’t help feel that we needed something to break the action up a little as the crowd seemed a bit gassed by the time we was halfway through Brock Lesnar and Triple H.
I know WWE can’t provide us all with shocks every show and it made sense in business terms to have Cena win the WWE Championship but it also feels like WWE are just toying with everyone. We are all going to watch no matter how frustrated we get with Cena’s character and WWE knows it and takes advantage. The painful part is that we have to watch them do a build for 2 weeks where they tease a heel turn and throughout the match itself I even felt like there was a good chance of it happening with Cena’s face expressions and actions during the main event. Sadly that’s where it ended and the show ended on the usual boo’s and fans feeling disappointed. Not even Hulk Hogan seemed to dominate WrestleMania as much as John Cena has, but he’s still behind on appearances. That being said, when Hogan dominated the first 9 WrestleMania’s his character at that time felt fresh for most part, Cena’s only WrestleMania moments which seemed to be met well by the crowds were his first two where he gained the US and WWE Championships for the first time. Everything since then has just felt like the same thing.
Overall the show wasn’t poor but it didn’t feel ‘special.’ I would never call it the worst WrestleMania because the setup was fantastic and the wrestling was really good for the most part but I can’t help feel like WWE missed the boat with this one a little. When you consider how much they charge for the amount of content they provide they really should be sitting back and thinking whether that was worth $70 or £17.95.
I didn’t want to react straight away to the show because to be honest I felt a bit down by it all. I was getting ready for RAW and read Adam Gorzelsky’s piece here on WrestleZone on being enthusiastic about the future now they got the show out of the way and I wasn’t sure. But then something special happened, YOU.
Yes You the real WWE fans. The ones who has spent so much money to travel from everywhere around the globe to see the big show and attended RAW the night afterwards. You are the reason why I feel enthusiastic again because of what you did on RAW this past Monday.
I was in attendance for the RAW in Miami last year for WrestleMania 28 and was part of one of the biggest pops I’ve ever heard when Brock Lesnar returned but even I have to admit defeat in the crowd in New Jersey this past Monday. You the fans completely made your feelings heard and you also demonstrated how much power we have over the product. You fans made me feel proud to be a fan again and you have all started what seems to be the #FandangoRevolution here in the UK with making Fandango’s theme reach the top 20 in the UK charts from purchasing his theme online.
No matter how much Cena tried to turn the fans head with his comments of heel turn and dancing during the crowds singing he couldn’t cloud the fact that the fans was more interested in putting themselves over than the contests in the ring that night. Watching live at home and seeing Twitter explode with everything this crowd delivered took away the frustrations and pains of the night previous. For that alone the Wrestling Community is forever in debt to the efforts from everyone in that arena that night. You are the ones that paid your hard earned money to travel to globe for that event and you are the ones that got some spotlight for your efforts and you are the reasons why everyone is now sat at the desks at work whistling or humming the Fandango theme; thank you fans, thank you.
You can reach me @BeansOnToastUK on Twitter or email me at [email protected].
