Straight Blazing: Wrestlemania 25 Report For 04/05/09

Wrestlemania 25 Wrap up!
The 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania was one of the better Wrestlemanias we have had in the last few years. I can honestly say I came away after I seen it with a smile on my face and feeling like I got my moneys worth. Lets go through the wrestle mania match by match.. The sad part was Miz and Morrison v The Colons for the Unified Tag Title was not on the main show. Not only was it not on the main show but it was not streamed live on wwe's website before the PPV. The Colons defeated the best tag team in wrestling to become the unified tag champs in a match you can only see on the Wrestlemania DVD.
Match 1: Money In The Bank Ladder Match featuring: Christian, Finlay, Mark Henry, Kane, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin and MVP
This was a great opener and was a fairly decent match. CM Punk walked underneath every ladder on his entrance. Would he be unlucky? The match started out like a brawl as one would expect with various people brawling it out with one another. Some of the most memorable spots in this match were the amazing Shelton Benjamin diving senton from the 20 foot ladder in the entrance aisle. Before this though we seen a suicide dive fron Finlay and double suicide dives from Kofi Kingston and CM Punk to the outside on the big group. One of the funnier spots was when Hornswoggle got under the ring and brought out a stepladder which looked exactly like the real ladders. Mark Henry was on top of the turnbuckle after Finlay knocked him down onto it and Horny proceeded to do a tadpole splash off of Henrys back using the stepladder onto the group on the outside. After the outside the ring chaos settled down we seen quite a few good spots on the inside. Shelton Benjamin ladder walking from one ladder to another set up ladder which was horizontal on the ropes and propped into the other ladder creating a platform. From the platform he hopped on the other ladder and saved the match from ending by CM Punk. CM Punk got the upper hand when Christian came in to make the save. They were battling on the platform ladder and Punk went for a Go To Sleep and Christian reversed and did a botched Impaler off the platform onto the mat. Looked bad but stuff happens. Kofi's two big spots were when he was being teamed up on with a ladder he hopped over the ladder as they charged him with it and delivered a dropkick and the BO BO BO combination using the ladder as a weapon. He also then climbed a ladder while it was standing straight and NOT unfolded to climb up while Mark Henry held it. Kofi got within grasp and mark whipped the ladder out and caught him then proceeded to give the Worlds Strongest Slam through the ladder. The end sequence of the match seen CM Punk get his foot hooked in the ladder and falling back so he couldn't reach. Kane took the upper hand and almost had it until Punk regained his composure and delivered several kicks to the chest and head of Kane until he finally pushed him off with his foot and grabbed the briefcase.
Winner: CM Punk for the 2nd year in a row! Match Rating: 7/10. Not the best MITB but it delivered and was a good opener.
Match 2: Divas Battle Royal
The amount of divas is too many to name but the returning women were Victoria, Molly Holly, Sunny, and Jackie Gayda. NO TRISH STRATUS… Sadly.. Now moving on.. Before this match we go the medley from Kid Rock which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. For the record Layla was the first diva eliminated while Lilian was announcing. The match was what is to be expected from a Diva's battle royal. Beth Phoenix seemed to dominate and Santino who was wearing a bad wig and dress just walked around aimlessly not throwing a punch or anything. It came down to Beth Phoenix and Melina at the end with Santino still in there. While Beth and Melina were battling by the ropes Santino came over and eliminated them both to become the first Ms. Wrestlemania. In the post match interview he said he was Santina the twin of Santino. All around disappointing match but at least Santino made me chuckle..
Winner: Santino.. Err.. Santina Marella Match Rating: 3/10. Were you expecting a masterpiece?
Match 3: Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and Snuka w/Ric Flair v Chris Jericho
Well to begin with Mickey Rourke was in the audience and they made sure it was known on the program. The legends looked out of shape besides Steamboat of course. Roddy Piper looked drunk and started off the match and backed up what I just said by the way he was performing. The only memorable spot from Piper was doing a flying cross body on Jericho that took them both over the rope but Piper tried to hang on and really did a poor job. He tagged in Snuka then who went to work on Jericho for a little then Steamboat came in and worked on him as well. Steamboat did an amazing job flying off the top rope. Snuka comes back in and Jericho quickly dispenses of him with the walls of Jericho. He then pushes steamboat to the ground and begins his assault on Piper. Jericho hit's the running enzuguri on Piper and picks up the pinfall. As he is getting back up Steamboat awaits from the top rope and delivers a flying cross body and gets the near fall. The next few minutes showed why Steamboat should still be wrestling as he hung with Jericho wonderfully. Until Jericho hit's the code breaker and picks up the win over the legends. He then proceeds to code breaker flair and get on the mic and trash talk Mickey Rourke until Mick gets in the ring with Jericho. They exchange some sparring punches with one another and Mickey lands a left hook that "knocks Jericho out" to a good pop and him and Flair celebrate as Jericho scampers to the back.
Winner: Chris Jericho, but gets knocked out by Mickey Rourke(who didn't see this coming??) Match Rating: 5/10 purely for Steamboat..
Match 4: Hardy v Hardy
It was a decent match that I believe needed the hardcore element into it to succeed. Jeff did a few Poetry In Motions off steps and chairs. As well as he did the running clothesline off of the apron he is famous for it seems. Matt delivered a nice Side Effect on a chair and also had the best spot of the match, but we will get to that. Jeff had two epic spots, as you would imagine. One was through two tables that were stacked and had Matt placed on the bottom one with a chair on it. It was a great spot and looked like it legit hurt. The other was Matt laying on the floor in the ring and Jeff set up his Leapfrog leg drop ladder thing, he went to hit it and came crashing down hard. Matt then proceeds to wrap a chair around the throat of Jeff and do the sickest Twist Of Fate I have ever seen which basically decapitated Jeff. Matt pins and picks up the victory in a better match then I expected at least.
Winner: Matt, Who's new pants were AMAZING Match Rating:7/10
Match 5: JBL v Rey Mysterio for the IC Title
Lets just say one thing.. Rey Mysterio won in 21 seconds of the official match starting.. This was a travesty to me because its becoming a trend for once a year that WM has a squash match.. I don't believe that your biggest PPV of the year is a place for a squash contest. JBL beat the crap out of Rey, who was dressed as Joker from batman, and then he demanded the ref ring the bell and when the ref did Rey exploded with a little bit of offense. A 619 and that splash he does sealed the deal on JBL who proceeded to tell everyone he quit..
Winner: Rey Mysterio. New Champion.. Blah.. Match Rating: 0/10
Match 6: Undertaker v Shawn Michaels. Streak v Mr. Wrestlemania
The beginning of this match showed an amazing entrance from HBK as church type music played and he descended from the top of the arena on what seemed to be a cloud. It was a podium with smoke coming from it. He was dressed in all white and it looked like an awesome entrance. He got to the bottom and his regular music hit and then taker made his way to the ring and the match was on. People may hate my description of this match.. But I have no words for it. I have watched wrestling for the past 25+ years almost 30 and that match was one of the most fundamentally sound and beautifully done matches I have ever seen in my life. The last match that captured my attention and dragged me in like that my personal choice for best match of all time at WM 12. It reminded me so much of Steamboat v Macho and I have never seen Taker or HBK look that good before. I cant describe it because you have to witness it. If you missed Wrestlemania please look this match up because THIS IS WHAT WRESTLING IS. Kudos to taker and HBK for an amazing performance.. Damnit I hate Undertaker though…
Winner: The Undertaker off a beautiful sequence, one of many beautiful finisher sequences of the match Match Rating: Perfection. 10/10
Match 7: Big Show v John Cena v Edge for the WHC
This was a solid little triple threat match which seen a good few spots. Big Show did the Andre the Giant thing where he got tied up in the ropes and watched Edge and Cena battle it out for a good bit. The best spot of the match in my opinion was the amazing strength showed by John Cena when he lifted Show and Edge on top of his shoulders and Edge then slipped off and he gave the Attitude Adjustment to Big Show. Edge then tried to get the upper hand and Cena gave him the Attitude Adjustment to Edge on top of Big Show and he pins Show and the Best Wrestler in the World wins the WHC
Winner: John Cena Match Rating: 7/10
Stone Cold then came out and celebrated in the ring and toasted to the fans and JR. I wanted to take this part to say thank you to him, not that hes gonna read this, but even though I didn't like Stone Cold… He revoltionized this industry and made a hell of an impact on this business. I hope we havent seen the last of him like he said, but if we have… Give me a HELL YEAH if you thank Stone Cold…
Main Event: HHH v Randy Orton
By far the most disappointing besides the Rey Mysterio match in my opinion. I don't have much to say on it besides I feel that they dropped the ball majorly. Most of the fans there seemed to agree with me and just felt like the intensity wasn't there as much. One big flaw was starting the match out with both people hitting their finisher right away. HHH destroys Orton towards the end and wins.. Yay…
Winner: HHH.. Duh.. Match Rating: 2/10
Overall PPV Rating: 8/10 and this is mainly cause of Taker/HBK. Hope you enjoyed the Wrestlemania Wrapup. And Remember I have to keep it under 2000 words so SORRY!!

A Painful Truth: Backlash Report For 04/26/09

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the second ever issue of my article series, A Painful Truth!
The first article came out to some good feedback, with people liking my writing and liking the subject. I would like to thank you for this; it gave me the confidence to continue!!!
Now let me move on from the introduction. I was going to do D-generation X but, me being me, I completely forgot about the PPV, Backlash. Don't worry; I haven't dropped the D-generation X article.
Forethoughts on Backlash:
Looking at the card, I felt that this was going to be a pretty solid WWE PPV. Nothing major should happen, and nothing truly spectacular, but a good, entertaining watch, none the less.
The card looked solid, with all three titles being defended that night. We had Jeff and Matt in an I quit match, and also Chris Jericho taking on another legend in Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. With CM Punk vs. Kane as well, we had some definite potential for matches. I hope that they would do themselves justice.
For those unaware, here was the 'official' match card for the night.
1. Jack Swagger (c) Vs. Christian - ECW title match. 2. Chris Jericho Vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - This would be Ricky's final match. 3. CM Punk Vs. Kane - No stipulation. 4. Jeff Hardy Vs. Matt Hardy - I Quit Match. 5. Santina Marella Vs. Beth Phoenix - Miss Wrestlemania on the line 6. Triple H (c), Batista and Shane McMahon Vs. Legacy - WWE championship match 7. John Cena (c) Vs. Edge - Last Man Standing for the World Heavyweight Championship
The Backlash Show, and my Thoughts:
Match one: Jack Swagger (c) Vs. Christian for the ECW world title
As the show kicked off, we heard Christian's theme for the first match of the night. I hoped that "Captain Charisma" would win, as I am a general fan of him. I liked his work in singles and his work with Edge against The Hardy Boyz. It was a great move for him to return to the WWE. Swagger dominated the first part of the match really, with the best spot being when Christian was body pressed to the outside, over the turnbuckle. Even as the match continued, Christian was dominated, being put in constant submissions. However, Christian rallied as the fans got behind him, and with a piece of light hearted humour, won. As Jack Swagger went to expose the turnbuckle, Christian was on the other side of the ring, in the corner. Jack was stopped by the referee but Christian, whilst acting hurt and tired, exposed the other. Jack ran into it, before walking right into a Killswitch. Christian got the three count and became the new ECW champion!!!
I thought this match was a good start for the PPV, with a few good spots and a good ending. The moves were sold well, and it got the crowd hyped. Surely things could only get better?
Next, we see Edge and Christian backstage. Christian called Edge a bitter raving lunatic, and Edge defended himself. The promo had good chemistry, due to Edge and Christian working together before, and gave Christian exposure as a champ whilst building hype for the Edge Vs. Cena match later on.
Match two: Chris Jericho Vs. Ricky Steamboat
This match was a serious Wrestlemaina repercussion match, after Jericho's match against the legends. The match started pretty evenly, with Rick getting the better of Jericho mainly. The match kept slowing down due to submission attempts, though. Jericho insulted Ricky throughout the match, which was a nice touch. The match became back and forth and eventually, Ricky became the dominant star. Throughout the match, finishers were traded, with things like the lionsault being blocked. Walls of Jericho got locked in right in the centre of the ring, and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat tapped out.
This was a much better match than I anticipated. I expected that Jericho was going to have to carry the match, and I'm glad I was proven wrong. Ricky pushed himself to the limits for his final match, and there was always an edge of tension involved, be it from blocking the Lionsault to being hit by the Codebreaker.
Next we see Santino in "Santina's" locker room, arguing with Beth Phoenix. She accuses him of not revealing Santina's true identity, and that he should own up. Santino argues back, and the promo is over.
Match three: Kane Vs. CM Punk
Kane and CM Punk had been built up for a while, and I haven't been massively impressed. However, with the competitors involved, I expected something good here. Early on, CM Punk was in control, focusing on the right side shoulder of Kane, with some good exciting offense. Then, the match became more realistic, with Kane's natural size and strength showing through. He hit Punk hard with each move, and you could hear each one of the impacts. CM Punk was kicking like crazy, but when he tried a move off the ropes and Kane caught him with a punch, it was almost finished. Cm Punk tried to rally, but when Kane caught him with a chokeslam, the three count was easy.
This was another solid match, which had its highs and lows. Not the best, but then, it didn't have to be. Kane and CM Punk got good reactions from the crowd. Once again, a good, entertaining match.
A quick recap of the Jeff and Matt angle next. This was a great video promo, not only giving the viewer something to catch up with the history, but it really built the hype already surrounding this match.
Match four: Jeff Hardy Vs. Matt Hardy in an I quit match
This match was portrayed by the WWE as a very, very personal rivalry. Jeff and Matt are brothers, and this feud has been building ever since Jeff's huge push. This, apart from the WWE championship match, would be my pick of the night beforehand.
Jeff starts off in control, using his typical style to throw matt into the barricade, then bouncing off the steel steps to fly into him and send him to the same barricade. A high risk move from Jeff is countered, and Matt takes the advantage, driving his leg into the steel ring post. Matt then utilizes the figure 4 a few times to continue the damage to the leg. A few attempts at getting the other to quit, and each is replied with 'No!' I wouldn't expect this match to end so quickly anyway. Jeff hits the whisper in the wind and the Swanton Bomb, then a twist of fate in the outside. Jeff then tapes Matt to a table with duck tape, and ties him down with a rope. Add in a ladder, and Matt begins to beg Jeff, saying 'I'm sorry' constantly. He then quits, but Jeff continues, hopping over the ladder to land on him!!!
This was a great match. It had great extreme spots, and it finished in an excellent way. Where will this lead, I wonder? Next, Randy Orton in an interview!!! Woooooo!!!!
He speaks about Batista and tries to work some mind games, telling him that he is 'all about the game'
Khali's Kiss cam. I don't want to waste words from my limit on this, so I'm not gunna write that much. He calls out Santina who declares he 'love' for JR. She is told she has to kiss JR, but Beth Phoenix comes out and interrupts and challenges Santina, just to be hit by Khali.
Match five: Santina Marella Vs. Beth Phoenix for Miss Wrestlemania title
Beth is already down, Santina hooks the leg for the cheap win. Waste of time, if I'm honest with you.
Next up, we have a video promo for the WWE championship match. It recaps how Triple H got involved, along with Batista. This video was a nice refresher, but nothing like the Hardy's one.
Match six: Triple H (c), Batista and Shane McMahon Vs. Legacy for the WWE championship
A number of stipulations on this one, which I won't explain. Basically, Orton just needed a pin. This was my pick for match of the night beforehand, and I hoped it would deliver.
Before the match, Triple H chases Orton from the ringside, so it becomes a 3 on 2 handicap match to start with. Interesting start. As to be expected, Legacy gets beaten up a bit without Orton there, and Batista, Shane and Hunter team up well. This continues for a long, long time. It shows that without Orton, Legacy really aren't up to much. Eventually, the two members of Legacy get a little bit of domination, but after a quick spell, Batista kills it with a Spinebuster. Then, finally, Randy Orton returns!!! He slams Batista's head into the ringpost, and gets tagged in. With Orton there, Legacy constantly risk a DQ, attacking people from behind! Legacy continue to dominate Batista Shane turns things around when he is tagged in, flying high to inflict pain. After a beating, he tags in The Game, as Orton is tagged in. They go at it for a while, then as the battle between the other four spirals to the outside, Triple H has to stop Batista from getting himself DQ'd. As he does so, Orton gets the RKO but only a 2 count!!! Punt to the head however and we have a NEW WWE champion!!!
What a match. Simply awesome, nothing else to say.
Match 7: John Cena (c) Vs. Edge in a Last man Standing for the World Heavyweight Belt
The main event!!! I thought it would be a good match, but it would be tough to stay on a par with the match before.
Cena outthinks Edge constantly in the opening of the match, showing some athleticism. Both superstars attempt their signature moves early, as well. Edge then starts to fight his way into it, getting a couple of mid-length counts on John Cena. A long sleeper hold from Edge gets a count of seven, but then Cena comes back strongly. It doesn't last long, as Edge gets the Sharpshooter in, and when Cena gets up he knocks him out of the ring. The steel steps come into play, and Cena dodges a charge from Edge, planting him into them. Cena picks up the steel steps after a while, and gets them into the ring; Edge counters and drives them into Cena's head when he is in the ring corner. After an exchange, Cena gets Edge to the outside and launches the steel steps onto his head! Edge gets up at eight, and they go on to trade blows in the ring, leaving both men down for the count; both get up at 8 however. A set of counters, and suplex from Edge!!! Cena then hits and Attitude Adjustment from the turnbuckle, leading to a nine count!! Cena gets speared in mid-air, but it is an 8 count. Cena then Attitude Adjusts Edge to the crowd, but he gains a nine count only!!! The fight spills to the outside of the arena, and they re-enter with a bulldog off the steps in the crowd! They get onto the ramp, after Edge gets up at 7 and Edge gets a chair from backstage, smashing it into Cena! Out comes the Big Show, who chokeslams Cena through a giant spotlight!!! 10 count, and a NEW Heavyweight Champion, Edge!!!
Backlash Conclusion:
Well, there you have it. Despite what critics might say that was an excellent PPV, I think. The last two matches were great, even if at times they were slightly slow. I loved the WWE championship match, but it was easily matched by the Main Event. The other matches were good and entertaining, but easily outshone by those two.
A good multitude of storylines can easily come off from this PPV as well, so we're in for a treat, I think. Until next time, my friends, stay safe.