Wrestlemania XXIX Re-Do Review

Wrestlemania XXIX Re-Do Review



I've just reached over 5000 page views for this blog, which I consider to be a landmark for myself. So to celebrate, I thought I'd do my first re-do of a review, and what better than this years Mania? I think I may have totally overrated it anyway.

I'll copy the original review here, and then put my re-done thoughts below each match in brackets and bold italics coloured red, along with either a new star rating, or the original rating if my opinion stays the same. I'll be doing this for every re-do in the future. Ok then, lets try it.




(I still think it's kind of weird that they didn't have America the Beautiful sung by someone. Plus you don't really want to open up a wrestling show by talking about a tragic disaster like Hurricane Sandy do you?)



Randy Orton / Sheamus / Big Show vs The Shield
At Elimination Chamber, I predicted the Shield to lose. I predicted that they would lose this match too. Looks like I need more faith in the Shield. The match was a great way to kick off the show, with a mostly fast pace and everyone got their chance to show off. Roman hits Orton with a spear to end the match. ***1/4


(Man, the stuff with Big Show's betrayal never went anywhere did it? Just a couple of meaningless matches. Thought it would have even ended up with some sort of triple threat involving the World Title. Shield winning the match was still the right way to go. I'll stick with the same rating for this, since I still really enjoyed it. ***1/4)


I do wonder where the Shield go from here though. Maybe try and go for the WWE Championship? I could see Seth and Roman doing everything they can to get the belt on Ambrose. That would be pretty cool. And by the way, the crowd absolutely sucks tonight. They could only be heard during Taker/Punk and Rock/Cena. I was expecting more from New York.


(Well the Shield now holds the Tag Titles and the US Title, so they're doing pretty well. Plus they're the most interesting thing in the WWE at the moment besides Daniel Bryan. The crowd seemed louder this time around too.)


The stage setup looks fantastic though.


(Still agree with that astute observation)



Ryback vs Mark Henry
I was really looking forward to this one, but it failed to live up to my expectations. I was expecting a back and forth power match, but Ryback never really seemed to get any offense in until the match was over. Seeing him pick up Henry was impressive mind you. Henry picks up the win after a failed shell shock. *


(This one didn't seem as bad this time around because the initial disappointment wasn't there this time and I knew what to expect. Additionally, at this time of writing, this is Ryback's final PPV as a face. But yeah this match is still pretty boring, but not as bad as originally thought. I think I'll increase the rating to  *1/2)



Team Hell No vs Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston
I almost had a heart attack with the throwback to last years World title match. Amazing thing to do though. I knew that Bryan and Ziggler would be awesome, but I wasn't sure about the big guys. Turns out they were on their A-game tonight. Really good match as Hell No retain their titles. ***1/4


(Dolph Ziggler would end up having a much better night on Raw the next day anyway. I'm still confused as to why they didn't do the cash in on this show to make it even better. Maybe they wanted to try and surpass last years Raw after Mania. The match is a lot shorter than I remembered. Still a good match, but I think I'll bring the rating down to  ***)


Fandango vs Chris Jericho
Huge moment for Fandango here, as he gets his debut at the Showcase of the Immortals. He did quite a good job and got to show off some of his moves. Biggest of all, he was able to beat Y2J! The match was very entertaining throughout, but I think Jericho may have injured his leg at the finish. Fandango rolls up Jericho to win. ***


(This win didn't end up meaning much for Fandango, since Jericho got his win back at the Extreme Rules PPV. He would become rapidly popular after the Fandangoing craze though. Even if WWE made it lame a week later. Still, it's a nice debut for Fandango, but the match isn't as good as I previously thought. The botched finish doesn't help it. Still pretty entertaining though. I'll give it  **1/2)


(Fuck me, I forgot about the endless, time wasting Rock/Cena promos. Yes we know this match is happening for fuck sake. This time could have went to the Tag Title match)


(Goddamit, I forgot about the useless Sean Diddy whateverthefuckhisnameis concert. More time that could have went to the undercard)



Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger
I really wasn't looking forward to this match before the show, but they genuinely surprised me with a really good contest. Swagger made himself look like a contender for once. I especially loved the switches between the ankle lock and the cross armbreaker. Del Rio retains by making Swagger submit to the armbreaker. ***1/4


(This is a feud that never really went anywhere after this, although we did get a nice I Quit match out of it, though only because Swagger injured Ziggler. This match was also pretty predictable thanks to Swagger being caught with drugs, and so they couldn't have put him as World Champ. Still can't believe that he didn't get an entrance. A little bit unfair. Then again, Antonio Cesaro didn't even get a match. Now that's unfair! Anyway the match was still very entertaining, but it could have done with a lot more time. I'll lower it to  ***)

                                                    Cartoon villainy at it's finest and funniest


The Undertaker vs CM Punk
These streak matches seem to be the biggest matches at Wrestlemania now. Before the show, most people said that this match wouldn't be very good or that it was too predictable. Well they were certainly proved wrong. I was actually very surprised at Punk kicking out of the tombstone. Awesome match and a great finish with each guy trying to get their finisher with Taker coming out on top. ****1/2


(Yes the storyline was silly, but people seemed to be crapping on this match before it even took place. Watch what you say because it may come back to haunt you. Living Colour was a great choice for a live entrance. I was interested to see how this one held up whilst knowing the outcome. And holy hell yes it holds up. Punk's facial expressions are incredible, he was working his ass off in there, as was Taker. Even better the second time. The Streak needs to be the final match of the night every time now, because nothing can follow it. ****1/2)

                                                                 One of the coolest Mania moments of all time

(Another idiotic Cena/Rock promo. Then again, we needed something to cool off the energy from that Punk/Taker match)


Triple H vs Brock Lesnar : No Holds Barred
Wow, the dead crowd really killed this match. Seriously it was almost complete silence except from a few pops from the bigger moves like the suplex through the announce table. The match itself was damn good. Brock Lesnar looked like an absolute beast. The Shawn Michaels parts of the match were well done as well. The final moments of the match were the best, with both guys arms being the focus of attack. HHH hits a pedigree on the steel steps to win. ***


(No wonder the crowd was dead after that amazing match. Before the show, I thought this would end up stealing the show. I was quite wrong about that. The brawl they had on Raw was the best fighting they had in their feud. They would top themselves with a surprisingly good cage match the next month anyway. Brock screams like a girl and doesn't seem to know it. What is it with Brock and being knocked out? Out of his 3 Mania matches, he's been knocked out in 2 of them. Well one was a concussion. Really long and boring match with only the finish being interesting. Rating is being lowered to  **3/4)


I have a feeling I might piss a few people off with my views on the next match. Maybe some people are just way too negative about something they say they're a fan of.


(I have a feeling that I overrated the next match, or maybe I've been led to believe that by the negative reviews I've seen of it)



John Cena vs The Rock
No way did I think this would be the best match on the show. I was wrong. The counters in this match were amazing like the spinebuster into an attempted STF, or a rock bottom into another rock bottom. This was what a Wrestlemania main event should be, with both guys giving their best performance with some great nearfalls. Cena is able to finally overcome the Rock and win the WWE Title with an AA. Awesome match and, in my opinion, one of the best ever. Phenomenal stuff. ****1/4



(I really don't think people gave this a chance going in. Yes it was repetitive, and the feud was uninteresting, but people said the same about Punk/Taker before it took place, and look what happened there. I'm still surprised that these guys weren't given huge entrances for the big event. The action was good, but as I watch this for a second time, I can hear them calling out the moves. You know, I thought for sure that I would be lowering this match to the three star level, but no, it's staying at the very same level. Let the rage commence! I guess the Rock/Cena series is my guilty pleasure. In my opinion, still awesome  ****1/4)



8/10. Awesome Wrestlemania and so far the best PPV this year. Only one match was sub-par and even that was a bit of a spectacle. The Diddy performance was also awful but it didn't last too long thankfully. The main events delivered, even with a dead crowd for HHH/Lesnar, and the other two even exceeded my expectations, especially the main event. All in all, a fantastic show worth ordering if you missed it.



(This stays at 8/10. I thought it might have lowered, but I still found this to be a fun, kick-ass show. Sure some ratings were lowered, but a couple were raised as well. It all evens out in the end.  You guys may think the show sucks and you're entitled to your opinion, and that's absolutely fine. All I know is that I loved this show, while many others shunned it. Maybe try and give it a second chance guys)




Well I enjoyed this re-do, and I believe I'll do more in the future. Feel free to request any, and even any that I haven't done yet! I think my next one may be Wrestlemania X-Seven (just an excuse to watch it again) or maybe even Wrestlemania XXVII or XXVIII.