WWE’s biggest show of the year — WrestleMania — is over! This year’s show contained tons of surprises, a few great matches, and a couple of disappointments. Here are the results of WrestleMania XXVII and my reactions. If you caught the show, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If you didn’t, please let me know what you think of the results.
Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan: Everyone got screwed here. This match was advertised for the WrestleMania card, but due to timing issues (I’m guessing) it became a dark match…and ended up being altered. It started out as a lumberjack match between two up-and-coming stars and got changed to a battle royal (i.e. throwaway) won by The Great Khali. Bryan Danielson is my favorite wrestler in the WWE and Sheamus has a tremendous future ahead of him. These two could have put on a show-stealing match. Sadly, they didn’t even get a chance.
Edge Beat Alberto Del Rio (Retains World Heavyweight Championship): I was shocked that this was the opening match for WrestleMania XXVII. I was also sure that Del Rio was going to get the win and have an excellent heel title reign. He has been getting a huge and well-deserved push from the WWE and I thought this was going to be his payoff. Ricardo Rodriguez, Brodus Clay, and Christian played bit roles in the match, with Edge eventually winning. After the match, Edge and Christian beat the crap out of Del Rio’s Rolls Royce. It was a good match that got the crowd warmed up, but most fans will forget about it in a month.
Cody Rhodes Beat Rey Mysterio (Raymond Stereo): I haven’t been watching much Smackdown, so I was thankful for the recap, but was still left with a feeling of, “I guess….” Rey Rey did his annual comics tribute by wearing a Captain America-like outfit. Rhodes had a mask and knee brace to play up his “disfigured” gimmick. The wrestling was actually pretty good. I haven’t watched Rhodes in a while. He has definitely improved. Rey is Rey. He has some dynamic spots and the kids love him. It was a good mid-card match, but again mostly forgettable.
Kane, The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, and Santino Marella Beat The Corre: This ring entrances took longer than the actual match. In less than two minutes, the faces did their finishers and beat the heels. This was pure filler.
Randy Orton Beat CM Punk: As expected, these two excellent wrestlers put on a very good match. Orton sold his knee injury well, which told the match’s story. Punk did an excellent job heeling it up. The match had plenty of back-and-forth action with several near-falls that the crowd bought into. It was definitely a cut above all the previous matches. I expected Orton to get the win and the crowd was happy that the face was victorious.
Michael Cole Beat Jerry “The King” Lawler: This match was a mess that took way too long. On the plus side, Lawler beat up Cole, Jim Ross was on commentary, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin played his part well. There were some fun comedic bits, like Cole warming up in his “Cole Mine” and moving to the first turnbuckle because he lost his balance on the second one, but the match was twice as long as it ought to have been. Bryan Danielson and Sheamus were cut for this and Snooki?!? Ech.
The Undertaker Beat Triple H: I loved hearing Metallica’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” during Hunter’s entrance. That was cool. It was even cooler that JR was still calling the action. This match actually exceeded my expectations. After two brilliant matches with Shawn Michaels at the last two WrestleManias, I thought that this would be a letdown. It absolutely wasn’t. I wouldn’t say it was as good as ‘Taker’s two victories over HBK, but it was close — really physical, great psychology, awesome near-falls, etc. The two put on a clinic on how to combine in-ring action with emotion. It was — by far — the match of the night. That’s especially impressive when you consider that Triple H is still shaking off ring rust and ‘Taker’s body is just a mess.
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snooki Beat Laycool and Dolph Ziggler: How do you follow up the best match of the night? With a lame match that generates mainstream press because a reality TV star is involved! Not even JR’s commentary could make this one interesting. I suppose I’m being unfair. The crowd got excited for Morrison’s starship pain and Stratus’ chick kick. Snooki came out to some boos, but shocked the hell out of the world with a springboard elbow and a cartwheel splash. Snooki’s surprising athleticism aside, I still wish Danielson and Sheamus had time to put on a match.
The Miz Beat John Cena: Cena was getting crazy heat for most of the match — not exactly the reaction you want your top face to be getting. The two put together some decent action, but you could tell the crowd was waiting for The Rock to get involved. The match ended with a double count out, but The Rock hit the ring and restarted the match with a no-disqualification stipulation. A few seconds into the restart, The Rock hit the rock bottom on Cena and Miz scored the pin. After a few minutes of The Miz celebrating, The Rock beat him up too. The show closed with The Rock posing and the crowd eating it up.
While The Rock definitely had to close the show, I was expecting a bigger reaction. He received a big pop, but I was expecting an enormous one. Perhaps the crowd peaked during The Undertaker and Triple H match. Some people hate the way the show ended, but I like that The Miz can move onto another feud. He’s drawing some great heat and doing extremely well on mainstream television. It also looks like The Rock vs. Cena is a strong possibility for Summer Slam 2011.
Well, that’s how WrestleMania XXVII went down. It’s the Super Bowl of pro-wrestling and I definitely want to hear your thoughts on the show. Please share!
