WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII
From SunLife Stadium in Miami, FL
April 1, 2012

BACKGROUND
It’s been purported that each WrestleMania event is generally planned a year in advance, and the booking is written backwards to support what they want to present on the grandest stage. While recent WrestleManias seem a bit more thrown-together at times, owing to an increasingly frenetic Vince McMahon being known to make constant changes, WrestleMania XXVIII was an event where a year-long plot was used, this time as an actual storyline.

One night after WrestleMania XXVII in Atlanta, John Cena called out The Rock. Rather than thrash the previous night’s guest host for costing him his World Title match against The Miz, a calm and happy-go-lucky Cena simply challenged Rock to a match at next year’s big event, giving both men one year to prepare for the clash of the ages.

The idea was unique for a modern time frame in which that $45 secondary PPV that you’re being offered has but two matches booked sixteen days before the event. It’s a little hard to get up for those shows (and buyrates seem to agree), but a WrestleMania where the main event is entrenched in everyone’s brains for 363 days?

Those “in-the-know” fans who balked at WWE’s most overexposed star, and most overexposed part-timer, getting a full calendar of non-stop billing would be rewarded by the successes of their heroes.

WWE was becoming a different place, as CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, who’d each passed through Philadelphia’s Murphy Rec Center on the way to the top, won the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships in 2011.

In spite of all of the social media blitzes, irksome moments from Michael Cole, and use of gimmickless FCW/NXT castoffs, it seemed WWE was crafting a WrestleMania unique among the pack. Between a year-long main event build, and two “workrate” champions, the everyday mold was finally being broken.

THE EVENT
Cena and Rock crossed paths prior to the WrestleMania main event, as Rock’s movie schedule allowed him to wrestle at Survivor Series 2011. That night at Madison Square Garden, he and Cena formed a super-team that annihilated The Miz and R-Truth. Afterward, Rock dropped Cena with a Rock Bottom as a reminder that, in four months, they’d each engage in a defining match in their careers.

After Cena was sidetracked by a hard-boiled feud with Kane through early 2012, he and Rock criss-crossed on the remaining road to WrestleMania, insulting each other in their typical juvenille fashion. Rock would host one of his trademark “Rock Concerts” laden with entendres and jibes toward the current company flagbearer, while Cena reinstituted his “Doctor of Thuganomics” persona, ripping into Rock with some lines that would make the kid-friendly sponsors cringe.

The match was even given a TV special on USA Network to promote the history of the icons, giving this match, dubbed “Once in a Lifetime”, a super fight feeling like no other in recent memory.

As if the dream match wasn’t enough to churn buyrates, the “end of an era” was also promised. The Undertaker, 19-0 at WrestleMania, wasn’t happy with how he barely eked the win out over Triple H one year earlier, and demanded a rematch with COO of the company.

Hunter initially balked, but The Dead Man persisted, eventually goading the man technically his boss into a fight. The Game agreed on one condition: that it be a Hell in a Cell match. Shawn Michaels, who’d had his career ended by Undertaker, was made guest referee as one last twist of the screw.

Sheamus was the winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble, last ousting a quizzically-acting Chris Jericho. The Celtic Warrior waited three weeks before deciding which championship to challenge for, ultimately deciding on the World Heavyweight title held by an increasingly-self-indulgent Daniel Bryan.

Bryan was an anomaly, winning the title as an underdog hero on December 18 via briefcase cash-in, but slowly took on a portrayal as an egomaniac jerk. Not only did he ignore the affection of girlfriend AJ Lee, but Bryan began to praise himself more and more for minor victories, many of them tainted. He even allowed AJ to be injured by a stampeding Big Show, all just to keep his title.

As for the WWE Championship, anti-hero CM Punk would face the winner of a ten man battle royal that took place on February 20. Jericho would win, and thus be afforded a chance to continue his vague “end of the world” crusade via the company’s top champion.

Jericho first began the mind games with Punk by claiming the “Straight Edge Superstar” had stolen his “Best in the World” moniker, which Punk gladly challenged Jericho to try and take back. With the champ not fazed, Y2J resorted to revealing the ugly family history of Punk, complete with the addictions his family members all once had. Jericho promised to lead Punk down the road of self-destruction en route to taking his title.

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were the evening’s commentators, joined by a now-goateed Jim Ross for the Hell in a Cell match. For the third time, Lilian Garcia performed America the Beautiful. The Hall of Fame Class of 2012 consisted of Edge, The Four Horsemen (dual induction for Ric Flair), Ron Simmons, Yokozuna, Mil Mascaras, and celebrity inductee Mike Tyson.

THE RESULTS
World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds to win the title
(And we stumble out of the gate. Boy the fans at SunLife dumped on them for this decision. I’ve said it in other mediums: it’s not the treatment of Bryan that made this moment suck; it was the belief by the company that Sheamus was going to look stronger as a result. The people who run WWE couldn’t find the pulse of the fans if they had a GPS)

Kane def. Randy Orton in 10:56
(I don’t know who this “Daniel Bryan” fellow is, but he sure got a lot of chants during this match. Decent contest that ended with a flying chokeslam)

WWE Intercontinental: Big Show def. Cody Rhodes in 5:18 to win the title
(The build was entertaining, with Rhodes showing film of Show’s WrestleMania embarrassments to psyche him out, but the match was all too brief. Rhodes actually reigned as champion for eight months)

Maria Menounos/Kelly Kelly def. Eve Torres/Beth Phoenix in 6:49
(All of these women are gone from WWE, which is a commentary on how women would rather do “something else” than work there. But I’d take a stinkface from Miss Menounos, at least)

Hell in a Cell/”End of an Era”: The Undertaker def. Triple H in 30:50
(Opinions of this one are a little divided. Some call this the greatest match in the history of the galaxy. Others think it was stupid to have Triple H assault Undertaker with basic moves, and have Michaels nearly “stop the match” because Taker couldn’t continue. Because Hunter’s so bad ass. Eh, 20-0 is 20-0, even if was slower and more plodding than Heaven’s Gate)

David Otunga/Mark Henry/The Miz/Dolph Ziggler/Jack Swagger/Drew McIntyre def. Kofi Kingston/Santino Marella/Great Khali/R-Truth/Zack Ryder/Booker T in 10:38
(As a result of this, John Laurinaitis won complete control of Raw and Smackdown from Teddy Long. Oh, and Zack Ryder looked like a useless tool. That’ll learn em)

WWE Championship: CM Punk def. Chris Jericho in 22:21
(A highly physical and intense battle that took some time to find second gear, I still found it to be the best match of the night. The battle at the end over the Anaconda Vise, with Punk refusing to give up on the hold, despite Jericho’s vicious struggle, was a nice touch)

“Once in a Lifetime”: The Rock def. John Cena in 33:34
(Nice throwback to the big-time WrestleMania main events of old, even if it was preceded by a six hour concert featuring Flo Rida and anorexic Shannon Moore. Cena’s undoing came as he tried a People’s Elbow, only to be Rock Bottom’d. Some said it was boring, but I actually liked it. Whether Rock has the endurance for another 30 minute match is another story)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
It’s hard to argue with 1.22 million buys, a WWE record, so some would say that a year-long build is the way to go. Rock would remain a part of WWE in a limited capacity, sticking around to challenge for the WWE Title at the 2013 Royal Rumble, but we’ll get to that next year.

The show began disastrously, and the fans largely didn’t come out of their anger-induced coma until the Hell in a Cell match. As many people who remember that match, and Rock and Cena’s epic showdown, equally remember how the show opened with the misstep of Sheamus and Bryan, possibly the worst WrestleMania booking since Hogan went over a tired Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX.

It wasn’t a terrible show, but it wasn’t a home run in any way except financially (undoubtedly important, despite our gripes). For the official “portrait” of the show, my pick will be a split screen. On one side is Shawn Michaels and Undertaker holding up a semi-conscious Triple H on the stage, while The Rock stands tall on the other side. WWE more than ever lives off of the past, as it can’t create an exciting present. Logically, their imagery should make you think you’re in 1998.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer who splits time between this site, WrestleCrap.com, and FootballNation.com. He can be found via his wrestling Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wrestlecrapjrh

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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Well, I hope my readers enjoyed the first part of my adventure down in Miami, Florida over WrestleMania weekend where I discussed attending the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony. Again, I want to say that I was so honored to have attended the event, and met some people. It was a blast. I also attended Ric Flair’s induction ceremony when he went in as a singles wrestler, so to have attended both of his inductions, as well as my beloved Edge’s, is mind blowing.

Well, enough about the Hall of Fame, this second and final part will be dedicated to the WrestleMania PPV event itself, so I hope you will enjoy it, so here we go.

I decided to lay around in my hotel and chill out as I stayed out way late after the Hall of Fame downtown. Miami is a nice city, but I do wish WWE had picked another city besides Miami, as the state of Florida just hosted a WrestleMania four years prior. Yeah, Miami has a lot of hotels, and is a tourist spot, but it is so ultra expensive. Also, when I decided to go to the Sun Life Stadium, I nearly had a coronary when I saw what the price was for parking at the Stadium: FORTY DOLLARS. Good Grief. I never paid that much for anything like that as far as parking. I was sickened to death. When ESPN’s Michael Wilbon of the show, Pardon the Interruption says Sun Life Stadium where the Dolphins play is a “dump,” he was not kidding. Outside of the luxury boxes, this stadium had to be the ugliest stadium I have ever been to. I mean, it was just blech. It was old, and broken down. No wonder Peyton Manning didn’t want to play there. Earth to Stephen Ross: You can spruce up your stadium , you know. I mean, WWE could have picked nicer stadiums like Gillette Stadium, Heinz Field, or even where Super Bowl 46 was just played in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. Those cities also could have been great hosts for the WrestleMania week events as well.

Anyway, I walked around before going to my seat, and bought Edge’s Hall of Fame shirt. It is really cool. It has all these expressions that have described Edge and there is a grey silhouette of him doing the devil sign. I then went to my seat which was in 106 and it was behind the stage. The ring set up was cool with the Palm tree gimmick, but the Palm trees blocked people’s views.

Lilian Garcia came out and sang “America the Beautiful,” and they did the flyover. In my opinion, the PPV was awesome. The top matches delivered for the most part. The undercard was just that, the undercard. I am so glad that I attended. I originally was going to go to the Hall of Fame only and then go home, but the match that sold me was the Taker/HHH match. It was when they put Shawn Michaels in as the referee and made it the Hell In A Cell Match, that really closed the deal. I was like “I am buying a ticket.” I am so glad I did.

(Matches may be out of order)

The pre-show match was just an entertaining tag match. Too bad Justin Gabriel got hurt though. Fun match though.

1. Daniel Bryan (C) vs Sheaumus for the World Heavyweight Championship

What kind of booking was THAT? Now I am aware they want to put over Sheamus’ broque kick, but I just don’t think that is the way to do it. Of course, if you watched Smackdown, it looks like Bryan is going to get a huge push out of it. When I saw the match, I was annoyed to see Sheamus (who I like a lot) win in 18 seconds just like that. Rating: *

2. Randy Orton vs Kane

I wondered why Randy Orton was in a filler match with Kane instead of being in the World Title picture. I still am wondering. Anyway, chants of “Move the Palm tree” were heard during the match. The match was pretty decent for Kane. I am surprised that Randy lost. Again, the show was on his birthday (April 1) ,so that could explain it. Rating: **

3. Big Show vs Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Title

Here I am waiting for an Intercontinental Title match on Mania for ages, and this is what I get. The match was just passable. Cody did the best he could with the Big Show. I mean, they could not get a better opponent for Cody to drop the IC title to other than the Big Show? I mean, let’s get real here. The Big Show does not need a title. I am sure they could have done the match with R Truth, or some other face. I was not expecting the second coming of Macho Man vs Rickie the Dragon Steamboat at Mania 3 or anything, but WWE could have come up with something better than Show. It was a fun match though. Rating: **

Throughout the PPV, they had some backstage skits. One of them had Foley and Santino doing a “World’s Deadliest Catch” skit where Hall of Famer Ron Simmons came in and did “DAMN.” They did the announcement of how many people attended, and announced that the next WrestleMania was going to be at the New Meadowlands Stadium on April 7, 2013.

4. Diva Tag Team Match: Beth Phoenix/Eve Marie Torres vs Kelly Kelly/Maria Menounous

It was a fun Diva match. Maria did not take many bumps due to her broken ribs suffered from “Dancing with the Stars,” but the Divas did a pretty good job. The crowd saw that the stagehands were setting up for the Hell In The Cell Match, so during the Diva match, they chanted “Let’s go Stage hands.” Well, I am sorry, but I thought that was rude. Those women in that ring bust their rear ends much like the men, and in my opinion, deserve the same respect. It is bad enough that WWE uses them poorly as it is, especially Phoenix and Natalya, who can actually wrestle a match. The baby faces won, of course. Rating: **

5. End of an Era: Hell in a Cell between the Undertaker and Triple H with HBK as referee

This had to be one of the best matches I have ever seen in person. Great HIAC match as well. Great ring work by both HHH and Taker, but what was even better was the storytelling. At first, HBK was pretty neutral, even at times wanting to stop the match because it looked like Undertaker could not continue. However, HBK was showing partiality towards Hunter. From Hunter’s defiance, to HBK’s facials, to Taker’s constant punishment of HHH, this match was phenomenal. There was even a little color (cut above HHH’s eye). The coup de grace was Taker, HHH, and HBK all walking off, and doing that group hug at the top of a ramp. It certainly was an “end of an era.” Rating: *****

6. General Manager Match : Team Johnnie vs Team Teddy. Winner runs both shows

This was just a filler match that I honestly thought did not belong on the show. I mean, I care about the wrestlers, not non wrestling characters. Last year, as a fan, I put up with feuding announcers. I didn’t care about feuding announcers. I don’t care about Michael Cole putting himself over. This year, I don’t care who runs SD or Raw or whatever. I am guessing this was a way of getting guys on the PPV. Too bad Christian who was supposed to be on Team Johnnie, had to be replaced due to injury. Anyway, the match was something that could have been on Raw or SD. You had Team Teddie screwed over by Eve when she pretended to be supporting Zach doing that Woo chant causing the distraction, and Miz hit Ryder with the Skull Crushing Finale for the win for Team Johnnie. Eve then kicks Ryder in the balls. Sorry, that belongs on TV. Rating 1/2 *

They brought out the Hall of Fame Class of 2012. Everyone got a good sized pop, especially Mike Tyson for some reason. Edge came out to his own music, and did his devil horns sign, and was fighting back tears.

Backstage, a jubliant Johnnie Ace tells Punk that if he (Punk) gets DQ’d, Jericho get’s the Title.

7. Punk (C) vs Jericho for the WWE Title

This was an awesome match. It started a little slow for me, but once it got going, I just loved it. Jericho is such a wonderful heel, by trying to get Punk to snap and get DQ’d. Punk and Jericho did a great job with the holds and counter holds. I figured they would have a great match together, and they didn’t disappoint. Rating: **** 1/2

The Funkasaurus comes out, and has his momma , and her bridge club do a whole dance routine. That was fun, actually. There was a backstage segment with Heath Slater and Flo Rida which saw Slater being beat up. MKG came out and played Cena to the ring, and Flo RIda came out and performed a song for the Rock.

8. Once In A Lifetime: The Rock vs John Cena

Well, it wasn’t a catch as catch can (as Jim Ross would say) type of a match, but I really enjoyed it. When Rock was on the offense, the match was awesome. When Cena was on offense, though, the match was just alright. The Rock is a great seller, but Cena’s offense seemed off, in the very beginning. Once the match got going, everything was fine. There was a lot of heat, obviously, and all the chants came out from the fans. I know in my predictions column, I said we were going to have Cena win (zzzzzzzzzzzzz). However, as the match continued, I started to think that Rock was going to win. What clued me in was late in the match, I noticed Cena acting heelish. I saw him trying to win by short cuts, and things. It was near the end when Cena attempted the Rock’s patented People’s Elbow that I thought Cena was about to lose, and lose he did. I was shocked, and happy. Excellent Match Rating: ***1/2

I honestly had NO problem with the Rock winning. Yeah, I have heard comparisons to David Arquette winning, and how Cena is a WWE talent and should have gone over. Well, here is what I have to say to that. I have no problem with Rock winning because I think it would be more interesting to see what happens to the Cena character now that he has lost. I think you get more of a storyline out of Cena down the road with his losing than if he won. I mean, I remember during the buildup how Cena kept saying how he HAD to win, and such. Well, let’s see what he does now, and he has Brock Lesnar to deal with on top of dealing with his loss to the Rock. I mean, seriously, it is very easy to have Cena win. Cena beats Rock…..well, where do you go from there? Anyone can book that ending. As for the comparisons to David Arquette, now really, contrary to popular myth, The Rock busted his rear to make it in the wrestling business also…just like those who came before him. To compare him to Arquette is just ridiculous.

Well, that is the end of my experience at Mania 28. I hope to make it at Mania 29.

Terri Bey currently blogs for CamelClutchBlog.com about Wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture related subjects. Her work has appeared in BleacherReport and for F4WOnline.com. Terri can be found here at Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/TerriBey and at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/missedgehead

WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania XXVIII [Blu-ray]

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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Sunday, April 1st, 2012 – Sun Life Stadium – Miami, Florida – The shocker of WrestleMania isn’t Brock Lesnar signing a one-year contract with the WWE or him not making an appearance, Batista tweeting that he’s in Miami and not doing a run-in, or Johnny Ace is the General Manager of both shows on WWE television, but the Rock, Dwayne Johnson, defeating John Cena in the last match.

The reason why that was the biggest shock for me is we don’t know if Rock is guaranteed for any more matches with the WWE. Granted we were in Rock’s back yard at Mania 2012, it was expected that the Miami fans would riot if Cena won, but what if Rock doesn’t come back and put over Cena in a match, clean? How does that make Cena in the casual fans that he lost to a guy who had his first match back a few months back in almost eight years?

Either way, I was overjoyed to see the Rock go over clean against Cena. To that respect, I give Cena respect for being willing to “lay down” for the Rock. Cena gained more respect from me, an hardcore fan turned casual fan due to the storylines the past few years.

That match, for me, didn’t live up to the hype like the build-up for it. It wasn’t “the greatest WrestleMania match” or anything like that. In my eyes, it came third behind the Undertaker/Triple H III inside Hell in a Cell (my favorite of the night) and the Chris Jericho/CM Punk/WWE Championship match. In my eyes, it was an okay match for what it’s worth; to Cena’s wrestling ability and Rock being out of the ring for almost a decade, I’ll give the match *** ¾* out of five.

To the number two match in my eyes on the card, I was utterly pissed that Chris Jericho tapped out to CM Punk in the WWE Championship match, to be honest. I know I hadn’t been a regular contributor on this site due to losing interest in the business, but I’ve been a huge Jericholic since 1999.

On a technical standing match, this match is the best on the card, as expected. It had me and my half-dozen friends who went to Cold Spring, Minnesota, to watch the card live at one of my best friend’s apartment.

I know that the crowd, as well as my buddies were getting burnt out of watching WrestleMania when this match was going down (the match finished just minutes before the three hour mark).

Podcast I’ve listened to for build-up for WrestleMania (partly to help give me entertainment at work and partly to keep me updated with the business for I don’t have to pay for cable just for a two hour show once a week) have been saying that the Jericho/Punk match was going to be the Steamboat/Savage match from WrestleMania III, compared to Rock/Cena to Hogan/Andre.

Did the WWE Championship match live up to the hype? Honestly, I don’t think the Steamboat/Savage match was the “all-time classic” people say it is. So no, it wasn’t, but that’s my opinion. Like said, I feel like this match was the second best match on the card, giving it ****.

So, the Hell in a Cell match was the best match of the night? I feel like the Undertaker and Triple H, along with Shawn Michaels as the special guest ref, tied in the storyline from last year’s match and their match from Mania X7, and even tying the last straws together with the Michaels/Undertaker/WrestleMania matches together.

Undertaker brought it up a few times during the build-up saying that Michaels is better than Triple H, which pushed Hunter over the line on accepting the match offer. Adding that little story and Michaels nailing both men with a Sweet Chin Music during the match, I feel like this had to be tied with the Michaels/Taker II at Mania 26.

The couple times Michaels asked the Undertaker if he wanted to stop the match, Taker told him he better not, even with Michaels pleading with him to stop the match. There were a couple times when both Hunter and Undertaker were on the mat due to the beating, Michaels was sitting in the corner with tears in his eyes. Michaels sold the match by his facial expressions!

At the end of the match, Michaels helped the Undertaker up and gave him a hug. Taker did his post-match taunts and all and Michaels was by Hunter, trying to get him up from the beating. The Undertaker helped Michaels with getting Hunter up and out of the ring, and carried him up to the top of the ramp, along with cheers from the fans. A WrestleMania memory happened when all three men gave each other a group hug. In my opinion, this was a **** ½* match.

For what it was worth, I was entertained during the whole card at WrestleMania 28. The ladies match was a bathroom break for me and the World Heavyweight title match being less than twenty seconds was shocking, but the whole presentation, I was entertained as a casual hardcore fan.

I’ll definitely buy the WrestleMania 28 DVD once it comes out and will watch the Undertaker/Hunter match, the Jericho/Punk match, and the Rock/Cena match over again. I want to see the Hall of Fame inductions because a lot of the class this year I love and were a part of my childhood while growing up.

I don’t understand why people would be upset with Cody Rhodes losing the Intercontinental Championship to the Big Show, they can easily continue their feud and the title gets brought up with former WWE and World Heavyweight Champion capturing the title at WrestleMania. To top it off, Orton lost to Kane! A total shock! I had to pick my jaw up from the floor when Kane picked up the pin fall victory with a second-rope chokeslam.

To conclude, this WrestleMania was definitely better than the past year’s Mania. The Cena/Rock match didn’t live up to the hype as built and the Taker/Hunter match was better than what people expected. The Jericho/Punk match was pretty well, wasn’t as good as I expected but was easily the second match of the night (or third, depending on your personal interest to judge wrestling matches). It was defiantly worth while paying $60ish bucks to watch live and defiantly work $20ish to buy on DVD. Go out and buy it when it comes out!

Eric Darsie is known as a ‘common-man’ among his peers, at least he thinks so. He works hard with his hands in the heart of Minnesota and on his free time, he thugs and a bugs with his family and friends. Whenever he doesn’t do that, he’s found to be writing. Now more of a rare thing, he’s gems could be found here. If you would like to see more of Eric’s work outside of the professional world, check him out at http://vintagedarsie.wordpress.com/, http://www.writerscafe.org/Darsie/writing/, and on Twitter @IAmDarsie.

WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania XXVIII [Blu-ray]

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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Now that WrestleMania 28 is in the books here are some of my thoughts on the show as I get ready for the “post WrestleMania 28 show” on this week’s edition of “The Still Real to Us Show!”

- The WWE can bring any singer for WrestleMania to sing “America the beautiful” and I will still take Lilian Garcia over them in a second. Her rendition is and always has been the perfect way to start off any of the WWE shows especially WrestleMania. Glad they had her do it again this year.

- I obviously am in the majority in voicing my displeasure over the World Heavyweight Championship match. I don’t get what it is about the WWE and not wanting to give these two a chance, at leas this year they made out to the ring for the main show. I understand the booking behind it but it would be better served for any other PPV show other then WrestleMania. It’s WrestleMania and two of your best in-ring performers are in the ring…let them go!

- On the bright side and yes there is one, Sheamus becoming the World Heavyweight Champion and Daniel Bryan being pissed about losing so quickly will continue this feud for a little while. They will eventually get a PPV stage but I think many people would prefer it to be showcased at Sun Life Stadium last night. Real tough break for Daniel Bryan who after being advertised on the WrestleMania card the last two years still hasn’t had a offensive move. Guess it will make for a good storyline at next year’s WrestleMania.

- In my WrestleMania 28 predictions blog I actually predicted Kane would defeat Randy Orton because the WWE needed one of their big heels to look dominate after the Cena feud. I was surprised to see that most people looked at Orton losing to Kane as a major upset. While I can understand where they are coming from after the way Kane has been booked recently, it needed to happen for storyline purposes and to make Kane look like a top heel again.

- One of the things that I find confusing to me about the win is the way Randy Orton has been booked in the last nine months or so. Since coming to Smackdown Randy Orton has been the best WWE solider on the roster. He continues to put people over and do “good” for the business. Orton putting over Kane tonight shouldn’t be unexpected due to what “good” Randy Orton has done for the WWE lately.

- The Big Show winning the Intercontinental Championship should’ve been expected after the vignettes they ran the last couple of weeks showing Big Show’s misfortunes at WrestleMania. Show got his “WrestleMania moment” last night and more importantly added another title to his huge list of title history. I just hope from a fan’s standpoint that they keep that cool looking “retro” Intercontinental Championship.

- While I would’ve liked to seen Cody Rhodes win and retain the Intercontinental Championship you have to hope this is just the beginning to him being elevated to the main event level. Rhodes is a future World Champion and it wouldn’t shock me if it happens this year. I already can see Rhodes in one of the big main event matches at next year’s WrestleMania. This loss should not reflect poorly on this future main eventer.

- No real shock in the Kelly Kelly/Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres match. The WWE wants to have that “celebrity moment” every year at WrestleMania so your local news, entertainment show or “gossip” website talks about it. Well they got that after Maria Menounos pinned Beth Phoenix for a second time in her short WWE match career.

- One thing I noticed from the match was how nervous Maria Menounos was before the match. Granted it was in front of 78,000+ but to see her visibly breathing heavy on the ring apron was something I couldn’t believe seeing. Props to her for having respect for the business, wrestling with some sort of rib injury and not making wrestling fans feel like crap watching a celebrity match like we have seen in the past.

- The “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H was amazing. The storytelling that was being done in that match was why I love watching wrestling. Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels told a story, pulled on your human emotion and made you believe in Wrestling. All the bashing the build up got went out the window as the match they put on in the middle of the ring was a WrestleMania classic, Triple H vs. Undertaker clearly stole the show and now the streak is at 20-0.

- The match in my opinion outshined what they did last year because it added another element in the match this year in Shawn Michaels. For the first time in his career Shawn Michaels told a story without ever throwing a punch or putting on his trunks, that’s how good he was and still is. They gave us an incredible WrestleMania moment at the end of it and I believe this is a match that we will be talking about for sometime.

- I wasn’t overly impressed with Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy and how could you be when you have a 6-on-6 tag team match. I would’ve liked to seen these talents be better used in another match…like, I don’t know…maybe a “Money in the Bank” ladder match!? This was just a way to make the “Interim” GM (why does he still have that title!) become the GM of both shows because John Laurinaitis has been successful as a heel authority figure. I hope this isn’t the last of Teddy Long on WWE TV as he has been a great personality in the WWE the last couple of years he has been on Smackdown.

- The moment of this match was clearly the Zack Ryder/Eve Torres post match spot as she once again (and actually does this time) kicks him in the “you know where” area. This storyline is going to be interesting to watch since it has played a pretty big part on WWE TV the last couple of months. Also another interesting thing to note is The Miz getting the pin after mostly being shunned out of WrestleMania, I wonder how this plays in his role on TV the next couple of months. Also, now that John Laurinaitis has control of both WWE shows look for “Lord Tensai” to debut tonight on RAW as expected.

- I don’t know what it was about the CM Punk/Chris Jericho match that never really connected with the fans. I don’t know if it was because maybe the crowd was rode such an emotional high after Undertaker/Triple H or if it didn’t translate well in the ring but it looked like it stalled until the final five minutes of the match. These two are without a doubt two of the “best wrestlers in the world” and had high expectations for WrestleMania, maybe that’s what made this match be looked so closely by the “wrestling fan microscope.”

- The final sequence to close out the match was terrific. I really liked the back and forth spots they did because you just didn’t know who was going to get the upper hand and that’s what made the final part of the match really fun. Hopefully this is the first installment of a great CM Punk/Chris Jericho feud as these two will put on a tremendous show every time they get in the ring. Great to see CM Punk retain because a win over a wrestling legend like Jericho is a great thing for Punk’s prospering Wrestling career.

- On April 4th, 2011 this match was announced, nearly one year before the actual event and last night was finally the night we saw The Rock vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 28.

- I don’t know what the big fuss was all about when it came to the musical entrances before the match. To me it made it feel like a big match and it certainly was. It may not be everyone’s “cup of tea” but it set the table for making it feel like the big match the WWE has hyping it as the last year.

- Because of all the hype the match received it felt like this match feel just a little bit short of the expectations fans had for it. I don’t know who’s to blame but it just felt like The Rock and John Cena never got in sync with one another, the chemistry was off from the opening bell to literally the last spot where The Rock hit “the rock bottom.” They just didn’t seem to flow together so smoothly to make a great match.

- One thing that I noticed was how much stronger Cena was booked over The Rock. For a good portion of the match Cena got the offense and this was a guy who moments before coming out was said to be “the underdog.” I don’t know why Cena got so much offense but if you are going to book him to look strong then don’t bill him to the fans as an “underdog,” it was very surprising booking to be honest.

- The finish was pretty good as it told the story that John Cena was “so close” to beating The Rock but made the mistake of getting cocky and looking to do The Rock’s move “the people’s elbow.” Cena slipped up, Rock caught him and won the match. The storyline is definitely set for another (or a couple more) Cena vs. Rock match and I’m fine with that because it gives us an Ali/Frazier feud in professional wrestling the next couple of years.

- Say what you want about the show, give it a letter grade, give it a numerical grade on a scale, give it stars or give it thumbs up or down but no matter what you say WrestleMania 28 was a fun show and something that every single wrestling fan looks forward to on a yearly basis. I had fun watching the show and look forward to it every year. Many thanks go out to the WWE and their wrestlers tonight for entertaining millions of their fans on the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania.

- For more Post-WrestleMania 28 thoughts please download “The Still Real to Us Show’s” Post-WrestleMania 28 show starting this Thursday at wheelhouseradio.com & wrestlechat.net!

For more on this topic join us for the Thursday April 5th edition of “The Still Real to Us Show” and download the show at www.wheelhouseradio.com or www.wrestlechat.net.

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WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania XXVIII [Blu-ray]

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

It was the old WWE guard that ruled WrestleMania 28. The Rock returned and finally settled his score with John Cena after a year, but it was Triple H and The Undertaker that stole the show and pulled off one of the most dramatic WrestleMania matches in WWE history.

Before I get into anything I have to say something here about the WrestleMania 28 stream on WWE.com. I bought it for $54.95 and it was the first time I have ever bought a stream through the site. The quality was terrible! It was like a stream from 2004. I will never buy another pay per view through WWE.com until they update the technology. I’d expect better in 2012 from a company charging $55 for a stream.

The Rock pinned John Cena in a match that was made by the awesome crowd reaction in Miami. The crowd was about 75/25 in favor of The Rock. The atmosphere alone will certainly make this one a classic. The two opened up trading headlock combinations to a lot of Cena booing. The Rock went for a Sharpshooter early that was countered by Cena rolling out of the ring.

Back in the ring Cena wore The Rock down with a few shoulder tackles and then a clothesline. A “wicked clothesline” according to Michael Cole. Cena then applied an awkward looking bear hug to The Rock. The Rock punched out of it but wound up hitting the floor.

Cena dropped The Rock on the announcer’s table. The Rock was holding his ribs. Cena kicked the ribs and rolled The Rock back inside the ring for a two-count. Cena hit a belly-to-belly suplex on The Rock for another two-count. The Rock powered out but Cena went back to the bear hug. Yes, another bear hug. 1981 called and they want their rest-hold back. The Rock finally hit a DDT to break Cena’s momentum, yet he continued selling the ribs.

The Rock finally hit his usual set of moves and went for The People’s Elbow but was cut off by an STF attempt by Cena. Cena wound up regaining control and dropping a Five Knuckle Shuffle. The Rock slipped out of an A.A. and the two double downed on a clothesline.

Both guys got back up and traded punches. I should point out that Cena was in control for most of the early going here in the match, almost making this look like a squash match. Cena had an answer for everything while The Rock struggled. The fans stayed with it though which kept it strong.

The Rock hit a Rock Bottom out of nowhere for a close fall. Cena recovered again. I don’t even know why they bothered booking the match if they weren’t going to give The Rock much. It really came off like a big squash at this point.

The Rock tackled Cena and applied a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Cena broke the hold on the ropes. Rock went back to the hold. Cena broke the hold again on the ropes. The People’s Champ went to the floor and dropped some elbows and punches on Cena. The Rock sent Cena into the steel stairs. Cena then flipped into the ring and caught The Rock in the middle with an STF.

Once The Rock got out of the STF he hit a Samoan Drop on Cena. Both guys were down. On their feet, both guys traded punches and kicks. The Rock hit a Spine Buster on Cena. It was People’s Elbow time! Cena rolled up The Rock for a near fall. Cena dropped The Rock and hit a slingshot into the turnbuckle, followed by a near fall. The Rock blocked what looked like a Superplex attempt by Cena. The Rock then hit a cross body block off the top, Cena rolled through, hit the A.A. and got a near fall. The crowd went absolutely nuts for this sequence!

Cena then went for a People’s Elbow. The Rock caught him with a Rock Bottom and dropped him for the three-count and the win! The place went nuts for the unexpected finish.

Obviously they are setting up a rematch here. I have to be honest, I have very little interest in seeing that. This was a fun match for the atmosphere alone but the match itself was a bit disappointing to me. To be fair, it is possible that they are saving their best for the rematch.

The Undertaker went 20-0 defeating Triple H in one of the most dramatic WrestleMania matches you will ever see. I can’t rave about this match enough. A bald Undertaker and Triple H started off the match with The Undertaker dropping Triple H with several right hands. They had a nice back and forth in the open in your typical pro wrestling brawl. The explanation about The Undertaker’s bald head was that he cut his hair off until Triple H accepted a rematch.

Triple H was the first to hit the cage as the Dead Man threw him to the fence while both were on the floor. The Undertaker pushed Shawn Michaels out of the way early as Michaels tried to check on Triple H. Triple H took the brunt of the punishment early on. The Undertaker also went “old school” and walked the ropes early as well.

Triple H finally got the upper hand using steel steps that The Undertaker brought into the ring. The Undertaker reversed a Pedigree attempt on the steps. I want to note how great the crowd was during this match. The audience was super hot and popping for everything they did. Hunter regained the upper hand after dropping The Undertaker with a Spine Buster on the steps. The Undertaker then grabbed Triple H in a triangle choke or “Hell’s Gate” as the WWE calls it which Hunter broke by slamming him.

Triple H then proceeded to absolutely brutalize The Undertaker with several chair shots to the back. Michaels told Hunter to cover him but he didn’t. Hunter then shoved Michaels aside and continued pounding The Undertaker with chair shots, telling Michaels to end it or he would. The Undertaker told Michaels not to stop the match as Hunter yelled “stay down!” Triple H finally went for a cover with no avail.

The story here was Hunter continually asking Shawn to end the match or he would. Triple H then brought the sledgehammer into the match and told Shawn he was ending it one way or the other. The Undertaker kicked out of a sledgehammer shot to a big ovation. Michaels finally grabbed the sledgehammer out of Hunter’s hands.

The Undertaker wound up choking Shawn Michaels with the “Hell’s Gate” when HBK went to check on him. The Undertaker did this to stop Michaels from stopping the match. Michaels was out at this point. Now Hunter was caught in the triangle choke but the match had no referee at this point. Hunter grabbed the sledgehammer and dropped it. Hunter was choked out at this point but Michaels was still out cold as well.

New referee Charles Robinson ran out to get into the match and take over. The Undertaker then choke slammed Triple H for a near fall. These guys had great drama going at this point. The Undertaker then choke slammed Robinson. The Undertaker pulled Hunter up for a Tombstone, Michaels nailed Taker with Sweet Chin Music, Triple H Pedigreed him, and Undertaker kicked out in a classic WrestleMania moment.

Triple H then tossed Michaels outside of the ring. The Undertaker nailed Hunter with several shots and dropped him for Snake Eyes and a big boot. The Undertaker Tombstoned Hunter for a near fall in another classic moment. The match was at a level above last year’s at this point and I loved last year’s match.

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After a back and forth Triple H nailed a Pedigree for another close three count. They had 60,000+ on their feet. The Undertaker had a chair and Hunter had his sledgehammer at this point. The Undertaker then proceeded to brutalize and pay back a Hunter with chair shots. The chair shots were so hard it bent the chair up. Triple H kicked out once again.

Triple H gave Taker a crotch chop sign and was then immediately dropped by the Dead Man. The Undertaker went for the Tombstone, dropped Hunter, and got the three-count for his 20th WrestleMania win in an absolute classic. I didn’t think they could do it but they topped last year’s match and more. Great match!

Both guys were laid out due to exhaustion as the cage went up. Michaels looked down at both men. Triple H was out cold and The Undertaker could barely get to his feet. Michaels pulled Undertaker up and the two hugged. There was a fireworks celebration that followed to celebrate 20-0. The Undertaker staggered around a bit after the fireworks. He and Michaels pulled up Triple H and walked him to the back.

CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE championship. John Laurinaitis told CM Punk in the back before the match that he would change the WWE championship if Punk lost his temper and got disqualified. Jericho spent the early portion of the match trying to lure Punk into getting himself disqualified. Eventually the two wound up breaking into a pretty good match. The highlight of the match was Jericho suplexing Punk over the top from the ring to the floor.

The match was really hurt by following the Hell in a Cell match. It was a good match but the crowd really took awhile to get into the match. In all fairness the crowd seemed to be pretty into it towards the end. Punk won the match with the Anaconda Vice in the center of the ring. Jericho tapped out.

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus for the WWE world heavyweight title opened the show. I loved the choice of going with Bryan vs. Sheamus, great way to set the pace of the show. Behind the scenes it was a great spot for them as they don’t have to worry about match time being cut. Bryan had a ton and I mean a ton of “Yes” signs in the house.

The match was over in a matter of seconds. Sheamus nailed Bryan with a Brogue Kick right after the bell was sounded for the win and the WWE world heavyweight championship in 18 seconds. I hated this. What a waste of one of the best workers in the company here. It reminded me of when I went to see a New Japan show live in the 1990s and was pumped to see Jushin Liger vs. Ultimo Dragon and yet they ended the match in about 90 seconds. I have one word for the booking here, “No!”

Kane defeated Randy Orton in a bit of a surprise. Orton was going for the RKO from the top but was instead chokeslammed from the second rope. I am not sure what is going on with Orton but it almost appears that the guy is getting buried. Quite frankly he was treated much better when he was an undisciplined troublemaker. I wouldn’t call it a bad match but it was certainly a waste of Orton in my opinion.

The Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes to win the WWE I-C title. Not a bad match, but more like your typical television bout. Most of the match saw Show throw Cody around until Cody worked over Show’s knee. The finish came on a second Disaster Kick attempt by Cody who was caught and dropped by The Big Show. Big Show pulled the strap down ala Jerry Lawler and knocked him out with the right hand. Show ends Cody’s 233 WWE intercontinental title reign. Show cried after the match and really put the win over nicely here.

Maria Menounos pinned Beth Phoenix to win the Divas tag team match. This was actually a bit better than I expected, not that I expected much. The biggest disappointment was the unflattering pants attire of Maria Menounos. Hey if you are going to force me to watch her wrestle, at least stick her in a bikini

The Miz pinned Zack Ryder to win the 12-man tag team match. John Laurinaitis will now have total control of SmackDown and Monday Night RAW as the G.M. The finish came when Zack had The Miz set up for the finish and Eve Torres came into the ring. The referee turned around and told Eve to leave. Zack confronted Eve, turned around, and received the Skull Crushing Finale. Eve kicked Zack in the groin after the match. I was expecting a lot more here, although to be fair they were following the Hell in a Cell match.

Overall I’d say it was a one match show. The Undertaker vs. Triple H match was so good that I would recommend the show simply for that. The Rock vs. Cena felt flat to me as a match, although the atmosphere made this at minimum a WrestleMania classic moment. The rest of the card was good but nothing else really stood out to me. I’d rate this one slightly better than last year but that isn’t really saying much now is it?

The elephants in the room here are Batista and Brock Lesnar. It was reported by numerous sources over the weekend that both were at WrestleMania. Most fans assumed that they would be a part of the show, specifically Brock Lesnar. I would be absolutely shocked if Lesnar does not appear on RAW tomorrow night in some major angle. The plan at this point appears to be to announce a big match tomorrow or at least set up a match tomorrow for next year. The WWE would generally shake up RAW the night after WrestleMania in the past with big angles. Look for that this Monday on RAW. Otherwise I have no explanation for the absence of Lesnar and Batista.

Full WWE WrestleMania 28 results & winners…
Primo & Epico defeated Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd and The Usos in a Triple Threat Tag Team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres
Team Johnny (David Otunga (captain), Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, and Drew McIntyre) (with Vickie Guerrero) defeated Team Teddy (Santino Marella (captain), R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali, and Booker T) (with Hornswoggle)&Aksana vs. in a 12-Man Tag Team match to determine General Manager of both the Raw and SmackDown brands
Kane defeated Randy Orton
The Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho to retain the WWE Championship
The Undertaker defeated Triple H Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee
The Rock defeated John Cena

WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

WWE: WrestleMania XXVIII [Blu-ray]

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Even though there’s no sign of the Funkasaurus, Alberto Del Rio is still sans working groin, and Chris Jericho has more or less been mailing it in the past month, I remain ecstatic for a WrestleMania 28 card where wrestling fans of several generations will come for the glitz and glamor of guys like The Rock and The Undertaker, but stay for the new wrestling crop.

I’ll be honest–I don’t have many of these matches pegged, a fact that I always love because it usually means we are in for a wild ride. While some are easier to predict and less significant than others, this card is top to bottom the best I’ve seen since I started watching WWE again. And yeah, I’m including the Divas tag match. Maria Menounos is pretty attractive, guys.

John Cena vs. The Rock

Usually there is a stipulation attached to the main attraction, like “for bragging rights and such,” but this epic showdown boils to one of the last Attitude Era stalwarts trying to edge out the company’s current poster child. A lot of people like to break down the promos each ran, and if we do that, I’m calling Cena the winner on that front. The Rock’s timely delivery and hilarious alarm clock littering were few and far between, buried under retreads about pie, lady parts, and turning balls sideways.

John Cena, on the other hand, really switched it up and finally admitted that his character in this long soap opera is “wrestler.” If you haven’t come to accept this and still roll your eyes whenever Cena’s talking, I just don’t know what to tell you. A win here would confirm Cena’s place as the WWE’s ace and the buffer to make sure he drags some of those midcard guys up to his level in the next few years.

This is what should happen, but what if The Rock scores a win, clean or interrupted? I mean, it could happen, but what do they have to gain by seeing a guy who never wrestles punk their prized commodity? I think that’s the draw here; we haven’t seen The Rock and Cena interact physically all that much, giving us the feel of an old school match where we have to pay to see the fight instead of having the first four acts play out on USA cable every Monday.

I feel pretty confident that John Cena will win clean over The Rock on Sunday. In addition, the Miami crowd should probably be treated to Rock accepting Cena as “the guy” and offering a handshake to end the night. What I can’t account for is some sort of run-in or event to springboard us to whatever Cena’s next adventure would be, but I just can’t imagine Cena being laid out two Manias in a row.

CM Punk (Champion) vs. Chris Jericho – WWE Title

Was Rock understudying at Jericho’s school of regurgitation this Winter or what? Those family attack Titantron promos got really old fast, leaving me to wonder if the writers had anything of value for him to do after he won that predictable No. 1 Contender’s Battle Royal.

I really want to get behind this being a match with a solid build up, but Jericho’s been all over the place while Punk has seemingly worked out his “racist, balls-in-purse” kinks and taken back his spot as the must see guy on the show. But seriously, how has whatever Jericho done justify him as a threat? He came out to a vow of silence for a month, wore a funny jacket, and eventually became an afterthought among the other main events at Mania. While this still stands to be an excellent in ring match, it’s the fourth best draw on this card.

It’s all good to Y2J, though; he’s getting paid and will be out of wrestling by June. This is my lock of the night as Punk will win in what I’m going out on the limb and saying it’ll the first match of the four main events. Goodbye, Chris, and good riddance.

Daniel Bryan (Champion) vs. Sheamus – World Heavyweight Title

Only one time since the brand split have both the WWE and Heavyweight title holders retained their titles at Wrestlemania, and it was last year. So is there a chance that the faces dominate this event or will Daniel Bryan continue his reign of self preaching and chauvinistic tendencies?

When it comes to the actual wrestling and story potential, this is my go to match, and not just because of AJ. I wasn’t really on board with Bryan when he turned, but over the last month his shtick has become so over the top and subtlety demeaning that he’s really grown on me. I still think the guy throws way too many kicks, but that’s beside the point. Sheamus is great for all the right reasons, and Bryan is now great for the reasons to have every good guy punch his face in.

While everything leading up to and including the match should be gold, this one reeks of a messy finish, whether it involves AJ, Lord Tensai, or some other force at play. These two have a good thing going and I can see this as a stepping stone in a very long rivalry. I’m saying Sheamus wins by DQ and Bryan sneaks away with at least the belt. The girl, though? That’s a rocky situation.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H – Hell in a Cell w/ Shawn Michaels as guest referee

When you think Hell in a Cell, who is the first guy you picture? The Undertaker, right? Well, turns out Taker has a losing record in the event, going a mere 5-6 since it’s inception in 1997.

I’m not entirely sure that I need to see a rematch of these two from last year, but for story’s sake it’s pretty important. Taker won by a hair last year and only Triple H got up after the match and, y’know, stayed active with the company. We haven’t seen The Undertaker wrestle since, so it begs the question, how much does Taker have left and will this be it?

Bigger than Taker, Triple H, and guest lackey Shawn Michaels is clearly the streak. It’s kind of evolved into it’s own Wrestlemania draw and brings in the older fans, who can go back as far the early 90′s to remember The Undertaker as a force to be reckoned with. If you do believe Taker has a couple more victory laps left in him, you’re probably taking him to push his record to 20-0. However, all indications are that this is his last stand and I think the perfect twist here would be a finish that mimics last year’s, but with HHH overcoming the conditions and finally handing Taker his first loss at Mania. As a fan, I could go either way, but I live by the mantra “nothing gold can stay.” It’s the end of an era, you guys.

Cody Rhodes (Champion) vs. The Big Show – Intercontinental Title

So, in my best Chris Berman voice, “evvvvveryone’s on The Big Show, huh?” I’d love to jump on that train and just accept that Rhodes will get his just desserts, but sometimes I get the feeling the writers just like to mess with us and switch up the ending to prove us all wrong. It’s weird to think this is for the title–I can’t remember a time where the title has actually been overshadowed by the story swirling around it. This has been abetted by Rhodes basically treating the gold like an NFL franchise tag and it never being defended, which I’m okay with. With two headlining titles being contested, the IC belt serves as good promise to a bright young star while also holding the lineage of a belt that matters.

This mid card match should serve it’s purpose, with the ending going one of two ways. Either Show gets a ton of offense in early before succumbing to a Disaster Kick at around the six minute mark and loses, or he just loses his marbles after a while and destroys Cody while getting disqualified. I would prefer the latter, because you get to see Cody getting mauled while also keeping his belt. However, I’m actually calling for the clean, fluke finish and win by Cody, with shenanigans later. Show doesn’t actually care about the IC belt, and not just because it doesn’t fit him.

Team Johnny (David Otunga, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, and Drew McIntyre) vs. Team Teddy (Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, R Truth, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, and Booker T)

We all should know the stipulation by now: either John Laurinaitis or Teddy Long will have GM control of both shows based of the result of this match, so there’s actually a decent amount riding on this match chock full of mid cards. Logic would dictate that Johnny wins because he has been at it for only months while Teddy Long has seemingly GM’ed in some fashion or another since he left Harlem Heat and it’s probably a good idea for him to move on.

Also, until Christian bowed out and Alberto Del Rio never was announced as a team member (as teased by that photo op at the last PPV), Team Johnny blew the Teddy scrubs out of the water. Seriously, I think the writers had to put a jobber like McIntyre on the team to tease that someone could easily take the pin and give Teddy’s fans hope that he could win.

That won’t happen. I’m not sure how they will get there, but I’m pretty sure it’ll crescendo with an epic World’s Strongest Slam or Zig Zag on an unsuspecting, hopping Kofi. Thanks for trying, but Big Johnny is just way too entertaining to lose.

Randy Orton vs. Kane

Randy Orton has absolutely been killing Kane lately, who hasn’t looked like much of a threat past big booting Epico and fire burning Zack Ryder into a broken back and a fractured relationship. I really enjoy the time Kane’s taken into reinventing himself and a just reward here would be to upend Randy Orton, who really doesn’t have much to lose in dropping an undercard match here. He’d be losing to a guy who controls fire and killed The Undertaker twice I think. No shame in that. Kane wins.

Maria Menounos and Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve

This isn’t close to the draw that Snooki was last year but it still has some neat working parts. Remember when Kelly Kelly and Eve were best buds, then Eve got a job promotion, forcing Kelly to start hanging out with Alicia Fox (a move I’m rating between downgrade and push)? Well, later, Eve would turn into a “hoeski” and silently curse Kelly’s name. Meanwhile, Beth Phoenix is still the Divas Champion, Natalya seems to gotten lost on her way to FCW and Maria Menounos is thrown in for being famous for Dancing With The Stars and Mario Lopez. Caught up?

Don’t underestimate this one to be a “bathroom break” match. Kelly’s been getting better in the ring, while Beth Phoenix can run the point for the bulk of it while Maria picks her spots. I’ve seen her in a couple of those Troops specials and she’s actually not bad in the ring. Look for Kelly to hit a finisher on Eve and let Maria have the pin for Team Celeb/Smile and Point.

Joe Leininger lives in Jacksonville, FL via the greater Philadelphia area. He dabbles in all things sports, pro wrestling, and television, and more of his work can be found at The Playing Field Blog and DestiGeddon.

WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

With the big WWE event less than seventy-two hours away, it’s time to weigh in with picks on the eight matches at hand. We’ll do this quick and dirty style because, due to wearing myself out writing all week long, and this will help me maintain my sanity.

Off we go!

Randy Orton vs. Kane
Poor Kane. He came back with such promise as a masked nightmare once again, and the laughable feud with Cena made him just a crab-faced goof. But you know, I’m going to go out on a limb here and give Kane the win. I don’t foresee too many heels winning on this show, and you can always do a rematch at Extreme Rules to give Orton his heat back. Otherwise, Orton going over gives Kane very little to go on in 2012, except murdering Zack Ryder week in and week out.
WINNER: Kane

WWE Intercontinental: Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show
While many are looking at this to be the match where the heel wins, I just can’t see Show losing. He’s been embarrassed every single week, and this is exactly where he needs to give Rhodes his just desserts. In fact, I can easily see this being the annual thirty-second squash job, as Rhodes misses a Disaster Kick, and Show drills him with the WMD, just to give Cody his own humbling moment at the Grand Spectacle. I kinda hope not, since I’d love to see Rhodes break Honky’s record, but I get that feeling.
WINNER: Big Show

Winner Controls Both Brands: Team Teddy: Santino Marella/Kofi Kingston/R-Truth/Zack Ryder/Great Khali/Booker T vs. Team Johnny: David Otunga/Mark Henry/Dolph Ziggler/Jack Swagger/Drew McIntyre/The Miz
Conventional wisdom from many points to Laurinaitis’ camp winning, since Ace needs to be implanted as an evil boss, while Long is a bit expendable. On the other hand, I can see Long’s team winning after Miz somehow screws up (his recent MO), and R-Truth pins him. Laurinaitis can still wreak havoc, as the VP of talent relations, and he can screw with people’s contracts. Hell, he can FIRE Long, can’t he? I think Long gets both shows, but Laurinaitis uses his cunning to remain in the picture.
WINNERS: Team Teddy

Kelly Kelly/Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres
Fun fact: everyone but Maria was on the same team three years ago at WrestleMania. Their partners are in TNA, having matches longer than five minutes. It’s a celebrity match, so the faces win.
WINNERS: Kelly Kelly/Maria Menounos

WWE World Heavyweight: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus
One year, the Royal Rumble winner has to come through, and Sheamus I think will finally end the drought. This will play out a bit like Hogan/Savage at WrestleMania 5, with Bryan cowardly putting AJ in the way until his luck runs out, and Sheamus plows through him to win the title. Bryan can always blame the loss on AJ, and the disintegration can begin from there. Besides, WWE owes it to the Zack Ryder fans to do an angle for him they can get behind, like having him rescue AJ from D-Bry’s greedy clutches. That’s got potential.
WINNER: Sheamus

WWE Heavyweight: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
I really don’t think Jericho’s extension means anything; he’s still going to tour with Fozzy. I think Punk beats him here, and then Jericho tries to get revenge at Extreme Rules in Chicago, and Punk beats him there as well, just to really fortify his reign. And if the rumor is true that this match is opening the show, then would WWE really have a heel win a World Title in the curtain jerker? Not sure what that would do for the tone of the rest of the show.
WINNER: CM Punk

Hell in a Cell/End of an Era/Guest Referee Shawn Michaels: The Undertaker vs. Triple H
The Streak can never die, especially when it’s so close to 20-0. WWE would really make a killing with commemorative “20-0” DVDs, especially since the last six matches on there (Batista, Edge, Shawn twice, Hunter twice) are all excellent (assuming for this one). I think WWE will allow for blood in this one, just to up the ante, and I see all three men hitting one last gusher each. In the end, Undertaker hits one last Tombstone, and we get a curtain call for the trio as the mid-show epic.
WINNER: The Undertaker

Once in a Lifetime: John Cena vs. The Rock
If Rock’s going to split for a while after WrestleMania (as usual), I can’t see Cena losing. Cena has to be there through Extreme Rules, through Summerslam, etc, as one of the top guys, so for him to lose makes no sense. Unless Rock wins, and Cena succumbs to the aforementioned dark side for the next year, getting his revenge on Rock a year later. Still, it’s WWE, and Cena’s there for them every day. Rock loses, they shake hands, and we (hopefully) have an epic clash to look back on fondly.
WINNER: John Cena

Justin Henry is the Editor-in-Chief of Blue Bar Cage (http://www.bluebarcage.com), as well as contributor to CamelClutchBlog.com, WrestleChat.net, and WrestleCrap.com

WWE WrestleMania 28 DVD

The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

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