Schmozzes & Screwjobs 03.27.2007 The WrestleMania Edition (Part 4 of 4)
Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 03.27.2007
STONE COLD... STONE COLD... STONE COLD! Plus my Mania predictions and a ton of other stuff.
WrestleMania week already, huh? Well doesn't time just fly; it seems like only yesterday we were all bitching about how bad the Vince/Shawn rivalry was, how offensive Randy Orton's "Eddie's In Hell!" comments were and how awful it would be with Triple H back at the top of the wrestling world. You'll all be pleased to know it's been a whole two years since Triple H was a champion. And for the record, I was one of the few that always knew John Cena would retain the title. As it happens this year is a whole different story as most people on the net are begging for Shawn Michaels to pull out the win, but they also expect Cena to pull out another miracle. I, on the other hand think otherwise, but more on that later. Seeing as it is WrestleMania week, I decided to go out this past weekend and get some new DVDs and I ended up coming back with WrestleMania IX, X, and XV. I would love to get the WrestleMania Anthology set but by now it is probably just as easy to wait until they release a 25 years of Mania set. I also picked up See No Evil which was released on DVD in the UK this week so I've got a fair bit of material to get through this week and then hopefully I'll be able to give you some brief reviews for next week. In other WrestleMania related stuff, I may not be able to catch the big show live this weekend. I had originally intended to go to a friend's viewing party but now I've been given tickets to a Fall Out Boy gig on the Sunday night, which I felt too nice to turn down, so I'm going to try and make a mad dash from London back to my home of Gloucester in about 2 hours in time to see Mania. Wish me luck.
On to content for this week's column. There's a lot of it. And just for kicks, I've decided to do the whole thing backwards. So in just a few ticks we're going to kick things off with some reader feedback and the winner of the Double D Typo War from last week. In this week's False Finishes I take a look at what I think WWE needs to do in the next 12 months to make 2007/08 the best year in wrestling history. We've got the closing part of the WrestleMania Screwjob series with one of the greatest WrestleMania main events and one of the most shocking Screwjobs we've ever witnessed. Somewhere in between all that there will be my exclusive predictions on all the WrestleMania matches and some Schmozzes. Let's get right on with the Official WrestleMania 23 Hype Edition of Schmozzes & Screwjobs!
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
Kane vs. The Great Khali!
In an ultimate battle of the titans Kane will go one-on-one with The Great Khali in this interpromotional clash. Khali has been leaving a trail of bodies in his past since he left ECW and went to Raw and Kane has been his latest target, but the Big Red Machine has stepped his game up and looks to be going into Mania on a role. The majority are predicting that this match will be an atrocity and I don't blame them for thinking that, based on Khali's past performances and Kane not being the best guy on the roster. The option is that this match gets a gimmick. Punjabi Prison is an option, or possibly a Last Man Standing bout, a match that Khali performed well in last summer. However at this late stage it is doubtful that anymore stipulations will be added to the big show so it looks like we will indeed be treated to a suck fest. Who knows, they might surprise everyone and put on a really fun big man match but I wouldn't get your hopes up. As for the winner, I'm going to go with Kane. It doesn't seem like WWE has any major plans for Khali at this point in time and Kane is coming to that part of his cycle wear he gets a decent push towards the championship and I see that coming this Spring. The other option would be to continue the feud after Mania but even then I think Kane should go over first then allow Khali to take the win in the rematch at Backlash.
False Finishes & Fan Cams
Reader Feedback
Samer returns this week with some thoughts on MITB 3 amongst other things;
Hello, it's Samer again.
The Angle vs. Benoit from WrestleMania was the beginning of their awesome feud... It can't go wrong when these two are wrestling each others... Though they had better matches later (Unforgiven 2002, and Royal Rumble 2003), this one was a hell of a match, but I kinda hate the ending, but I guess that's why it's a screwjob...
The JBL vs. Benoit match, that I didn't like, well basically cuz I mark out at Benoit, and I like to see him in much more meaningful matches..
About Money in the Bank III, well I'm not sure about this one... 8 contenders? That's too much if u ask me... And although the match has been hyped more than the last 2 years, and contains more main eventers (or close to main eventers), I'm not sure about the inclusion of Orton, Booker, Finlay and Edge... It would have been way better to stick with the usual 6 participants with them being (matt and Jeff hardy, Kennedy, Punk, Shelton, MVP)... The thing is, besides the main events, and the battle of the billionaires, the card doesn't look that good, so they need to have solid matches.. that's why it would have been better to go with the money in the bank match I just proposed, and had Edge face Orton 1 on 1, and Finaly face Benoit for the US title, in what will definetly would have been the show stealer, and had MVP compete in the MITB match, since he's young and hungry for the title judging on that promo he cut a few months ago when he wanted to compete in the beat the clock sprint.. And Booker could have continued his feud with Kane, though their matches sucked, it would have been better than Kane v Khali.. So the WM card would have looked something like this:
WWE title: John Cena (c) vs. HBK
World title: Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker
Battle of the Billionaires: Lashley (w/Trump) vs. Umaga (w/McMahon) special guest referee: SCSA
Money in the Bank III: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. Shelton vs. MVP
US title: Benoit (c) vs. Finlay
Edge vs. Orton
Carlito vs. Flair
Tag team titles: London and Kendrick (c) vs. MNM..
New Breed vs. ECW Originals
WWE women's title: Melina (c) vs. Ashley
King Booker vs. Kane (some kind of a gimmick match to blow off their feud)
So anyway my point is, while the WWE is trying to add more star power to the MITB match, they weakened the Undercard, with guys like Booker, Finaly, Orton, who can add little to a ladder match in terms of excitement, being better off wrestling normal matches.. Since besides the Main events, and the MITB match , the card doesn't look that good so far.. The Battle of the Billionaires, while it's interesting, the match wouldn't probably be any good. WWE wasted too much good wrestlers on the MITB match..
That's it for now.. Great column..
It's a shame that you mark out for Benoit, because I expect him to take a loss again this year to MVP, more than likely in the same sort of shoddy circumstances we've seen in the past with JBL and Angle. A switch to Raw is rumoured and I think that that would be great for Benoit as it would add a whole new freshness to his character. I'd love to see the Rabid Wolverine get more bad-ass on guys like Chris Masters and Umaga. Even a feud with Carlito would cool (pun intended) and he could be a makeshift main eventer when needs be. Come to think of it, he and Cena have had some great matches in the past both recently and a few yeas ago and I wouldn't mind seeing those to feud, possibly with Cena as a heel again.
As far as MITB 3 having too many guys in it this year, I'm undecided. I'm certain it'll still be a great match, and I also think there could have been better things to do for a couple of the guys involved, but overall I really like the way it has turned out this year. First, the build for it has been great. They spread the qualifiers out over a whole month, and all three shows, and we got some really good matches out of it. Edge vs. Rob Van Dam, the two Triple Threats and Matt Hardy vs. Joey Mercury were all great free TV matches. Much like the King of the Ring last year, long, well done qualifying matches can only help to give a higher level of importance to the overall concept. Then they made the final spot of huge importance. After Carlito and Flair were destroyed by Khali, they then made the triple threat with Orton weaselling his way in which was a nice piece of booking, added the elimination stip to that match and Orton was the last man in. Afterwards they ran a series of interpromotional matches between MITB participants to give the whole thing more build. They also continued to build tension between Edge and Randy Orton by Orton almost costing Edge his spot, but the Rated R Superstar picked up the win in the last chance battle royal.
Your alternative angles all made great sense and would have got some great matches as well, but WWE opted to go this way and I don't mind this at all. I do think it's good that they are spending a fair amount of time teasing the Rated RKO breaking, which is something the E doesn't usually do very well at all. We'll have to see how well the undercard pans out, but we should also remember that WWE don't sell their pay-per-views, especially WrestleMania, on the undercard, which may have been one reason why they put so much star power into the Money in the Bank Ladder match. Good to hear from you again, Samer!
The only other email I got this week was our friend Dominick, who wanted to gloat;
Wow. Just Wow. I'm a good sport so I won't screw you over by saying that you didn't put a period after Mr. when you said "Mr Tuesday Night", "Mr All Night Long", and "Mr Kennedy! Kennedy". When the i and the t were capitalized in "Whisper In The Wind" Or even in your preview when you didn't put an s after double in "Am I seeing double?!"
Or I could just take you out right now by saying when you put two ns and an e in tons when you said "Tonnes of great columns to read on 411 this week". And when you spelled it whether when you said "We are not sure wether he is trying to help Flair or not". Or maybe how you ignored the rule that you had to follow USA's rules when you said "So, this time, everyone's favourite Wrestling GAWD JBL" (God was misspelled to but that doesn't count do to that being the way he says it) and replaced most of the zs with ss.
But I'll use something that you shouldn't of screwed up in. Something you had a duty as a wrestling fan to. Spell the wrestlers names right. You spelled it Oorton in "Oorton is poised, but then Edge nails Orton with a Spear! Edge stands tall as Raw goes off the air!" Shame on you.
Well I'm looking forward to next week and as long as you don't do anything screwy (pun 100% intended) I won't bug (again pun 100% intended) you on typos anymore. Sorry but I win.
-Mr. Tuesday Night Dom
Meh, I knew I wouldn't be able to do a whole column without a mistake. So as I lost I have no option to give Dominick what he wanted, and that's a cartoon character put in my column. I asked him if he had a specific picture he wanted me to include and to his credit, he came up with this little gem.
That is quality.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
United States Championship Match – Chris Benoit vs. MVP!
Here's a match I'm quite looking forward to. I'd love to see this match get 12-15 minutes and I also wouldn't mind MVP busting out some of the moves he uses in Deep South Wrestling. The guy can apparently nail a springboard shooting star press. It's WrestleMania, why not let him use his full move set. Benoit will no doubt be bringing his A game, but with MVP on the rise and doing as well as he is doing, I don't see any other outcome other than Montel Vontavious Porter walking out with the United States strap. There are a lot of opportunities awaiting Benoit on Raw, and MVP can become a star in the next year, but he needs some big wins under his belt. Given time I expect this to be a great choice for the opening match.
False Finishes
Regardless of what happens in Detroit this Sunday there are a bunch of things WWE needs to do to improve their product and get it up to standard. On a radio show last week, Vince McMahon stated that he believes WWE is about to hit a new "boom period." If he really wants that to happen, then he damn well better read my column!
Tag Team and Cruisers – Sink or Swim?
WWE has two options. Actually show the fans that you give a shit about tag team and cruiserweight wrestling and do something with that tremendous array of talent you have available, or brush that shit to one side. I'm damn certain that they would never just get rid of the cruiser or tag team titles all together, but with they way they have been treated in general over the last couple of years is a joke and they may as well have thrown them in the trash. (See, I'm using American words now!). I have to give credit where it's due though, and say that the cruisers are at least getting some exposure since Chavo won the belt back at Now Way Out. He had a 7 minute match with Scotty II Hotty a couple of weeks ago – that's probably the longest amount of time Scotty has been on TV in three or four years. They then followed that up with a decent six man tag team match that also got good time and was a good showcase of all the guys' talent. Now we have Jimmy Wang Yang with a non-title victory over the champ and I wouldn't be at all surprised if they added a title match to WrestleMania, even if it has to be on Heat before the big show itself. That's a big step up from previous years, by the way. So the way I see it, these guys (the cruisers themselves) have to make us care. WWE are starting to give them some air time, and they should use it now while they have the chance. They need to get a reaction from us, the fans, to make WWE take notice of them. Wouldn't you all love to see Chavo and Jimmy Wang Yang go balls to the wall for 15 minutes at WrestleMania? Then encourage them, guys! "Let's go Jimmy!"
Tag Teams. They're all fucked as far as I'm concerned. Paul London and Brian Kendrick have done a great job being WWE Tag Team Champions over the last year; they have been two of the most consistent performers across all three brands and the fans have been in to them the entire time, and yet WWE haven't bothered to book them into any of the "Big 4" pay-per-views. They couldn't even find a couple of spots for them in the Royal Rumble, they couldn't find a place for them in one of the many Survivor Series teams. It's just ridiculous. I really feel bad for the guys – they've tore the house down on many occasions and have carried some weak teams to good matches but they just can't get a break. Who knows, maybe they'll be booked on the Mania pre-show against MNM, but is unlikely at this point. Brian, Paul, just so you know, I appreciate your work. Let's look at the other tag champs who are – wait a minute – Shawn Michaels and John Cena. I struggled to remember then. The Raw tag straps are being used as a tool for our WrestleMania Main Event, which of course needs that added heat the tag titles give the feud. Anyone remember when Cryme Tyme became number one contenders? No, it's OK, neither did WWE. When CT came to the WWE last autumn, they were mega over, and in all honesty they still are which begs the question – what the hell are they doing fighting nobodies on Heat?! Same goes for the World's Greatest Tag Team. Hell even the Highlanders were popular until Vince McMahon forgot they were on the payroll. There aren't many things that piss me off more than wasted potential, and that's all I'm seeing in the tag divisions right now. I say they might as well unify the belts because then at least we only see this time wasting on one show a week. And who knows, maybe we would see some more teams on SmackDown to actually fight for the titles. At this point I wouldn't mind seeing the Hardy Boyz and MNM reunite to give some importance back to the tag titles. Will it happen? Doubt it, but a man can hope.
Bring Back the Draft Lottery
It's a good idea to start by saying this will only matter if they stop with the cross-overs. I didn't mind them doing it at first but it has just got silly now and I'm beginning to lead more towards Larry's way of thinking on this subject. So after WrestleMania, stop it! Stop the crossovers! Please! So assuming they do that I feel it's time to shake up those rosters again. Which reminds me, there are three of them aren't there? Damn it. Okay so let's say each show gains and loses 4 wrestlers each. So let's say Raw gives SmackDown and ECW 2 wrestlers each and gets 2 back, and similarly for the other two brands. Does that make sense? No? Then you're stupid.
So Dan, who do you think needs to switch shows?
Well I'm glad you asked.
Going To Raw:
Mr. Kennedy (From SmackDown) – I have what I think would be a really hot story for Kennedy. Let's say Kennedy picks up the World title at Backlash in a Triple Threat Match against Batista and The Undertaker. That'll make everyone happy. The DL starts in May and Kennedy is the first draftee and much like the last draft we assume he is allowed to bring his championship with him. Teddy Long however, has other plans and shows up on Raw to inform Kennedy that after the last draft, he ensured that all wrestlers contracts stated that a wrestler would not be able to take a championship with him to another brand. There's nothing Kennedy can do about it and Long leaves with the title belt. On SmackDown that week, Batista and Undertaker battle it out for the title again and Taker picks up the win. The next week on Raw Vince McMahon comes out to tell Kennedy he can have an automatic shot at WWE Champion Shawn Michaels at Judgment Day and Kennedy goes on to win the WWE Championship. That's how you make a star people.
John Bradshaw Layfield (From SmackDown) – OMG! Who would replace JBL on colour commentary on SmackDown?! I don't know, we'll worry about that later but for now I want to share an idea I had while watching Raw last week. I thought JBL looked great cutting his promos on Raw and the man always looks good in a suit, and I thought – why is this man not an authority figure or a manager? In my opinion he would make a fantastic General Manager on Raw and it would be easier than easy to set it up. We already saw Vince McMahon and JBL are on good terms this past week on Raw, and Vince may need some time off to re-grow his hair after WrestleMania and would therefore need a General Manager to run things. Enter JBL. Who doesn't think he'd be a perfect fit? And he can be a great tweener.
Hardcore Holly (From ECW) – Pretty much enhancement talent, jobber. But turn him face and he can just live up to his old character on SmackDown - a jobber with an attitude. Let's face it, there's nothing much left for him on ECW seeing as how he has already been jobbed to hell and he wouldn't fit in either the New Breed or Originals.
Rob Van Dam (From ECW) – I'm sure this'll be quite a controversial choice, too. My basis for this decision was that RVD is being forgotten about on ECW. Even he hasn't been happy with the way things are going and there's little doubt that the ECW Originals are going to lose this feud with the New Breed in the end, so you might as well get Van Dam out while we can. It would also create an interesting scenario where the Os are left without a leader (for a while at least). Van Dam would fit nicely into the mid card on Raw and I'm sure would have some great matches with the likes of Shelton Benjamin, Kennedy, Umaga, Michaels, Edge and Orton. This would also help to keep Van Dam from signing any deals down in Orlando. Hopefully.
Going To SmackDown:
Jeff Hardy (From Raw) – Not to reunite with his brother Matt, quite the opposite. I don't see Jeff going anywhere fast on Raw so why not move him? Let's say that Matt Hardy finally gets a push into the mid-card and even wins the United States Championship from MVP in May, then Jeff Hardy shows up and they feud over the title for a couple of months, culminating in a Ladder Match at Summerslam. Sound good to anyone else? Note that I would not turn either heel because the feud wouldn't need it, it'd be all about respect and the championship. From there Jeff would work with the likes of Finlay, King Booker and maybe even a reignition of the feud with Undertaker?
Chris Masters (From Raw) – He has been jobbed to hell on Raw and if his career doesn't start moving in a new direction he is screwed so straight into the mid-card on SmackDown he goes. If he could find a partner he would be good in a tag team or perhaps a bodyguard role and then later a push into the US scene.
Little Guido (From ECW) – He's doing jack shit in ECW and I'm trying to rebuild the cruiserweight division. It's an easy decision.
Elijah Burke (From ECW) – This one was not so easy. Burke is doing a great job as leader of the New Breed and has had some pretty good matches, too. So you might say there is no reason to move him. One of the main reasons I'm doing it is because the whole New Breed/Originals thing will need freshening up and I've found a new leader for the NB and Os so that's all good. But I also think Burke would make a great edition to the SmackDown mid-card. What I wouldn't mind seeing is Burke as the talker, the wrestler, and Chris Masters as his muscle much like Terkay was but more credible. Feuds with both Hardyz, Batista and even a face Finlay would be fun.
Going to ECW:
Super Crazy (From Raw) – Just somebody who has little to do on Raw and would freshen up the NB vs. Os storyline.
Charlie Haas (From Raw) – This guy has little personality which is one of the reasons he has done jack since returning to Raw last year. Even the WGTT reunion has been a waste of time so I think Haas should join the New Breed in ECW. This would freshen up that rivalry and also allow Shelton Benjamin to move back into the singles mid-card on Raw.
MVP (From SmackDown) – And here is your new New Breed leader. It doesn't really need much explaining, he can easily slide into the role Burke had and the feud continues with fresher matches. Plus, in ECW MVP can garner a reputation for being extreme by wrestling many hardcore style gimmick matches and coming out on top. Already having wrestled Cage matches, street fights and Inferno matches, MVP could play up this gimmick extremely well.
Chris Benoit (From SmackDown) – And your new Originals leader! Benoit can continue the feud with MVP, have great matches with the likes of Thorn, Striker, Haas and Cor Von and then of course we all get our wet dream come true in the form of a match between CM Punk and Chris Benoit.
Agree? Got any better suggestions? Let me know!
I'll find some more ways for WWE to improve themselves next week.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
Women's Championship Match – Melina vs. Ashley!
I just read a report on one of Raw's House Shows and this match was featured and the reporter actually said that this was a very good Women's match. And I believe him. Ashley is a million times better than what she was when she debuted and also a hell of a lot better than people have said she is. Melina is decent if sloppy at times but I expect a good match. I'm not talking Mickie/Trish like but passable, even for WrestleMania standards. Ashley is getting the Playboy push but that doesn't guarantee a win, just ask Christy or Candice, but on the other hand Ashley is popular and Melina may or may not have her problems backstage so don't be shocked if we see a title switch here. The only thing that is really telling me Ashley won't win is that she is on SmackDown, but I doubt that'll make a difference – she'd just switch shows. There is also the possibility that this will be a lumberjill match which would at least get Mickie James on the card in some way. I'd love to see Mickie help Ashley win only to turn on her afterwards and go back to being a psycho. They could play off their history from just last year but that would involve continuity. Ah fuck it, Ashley wins.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
ECW Originals vs. The New Breed!
First things first, this feud should continue well beyond WrestleMania. It's the hottest thing in ECW right now – the new guys are slowly getting more and more over and by the end of this Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von will be stars. Particularly Burke and Cor Von. And if this thing is going to continue then I say the Originals should go over here leading to the NB continuing to try and prove themselves. I'd also like to see some more guys brought into the feud (see my take on the draft lottery above). The whole angle with CM Punk is coming along nicely but I'm split on which side Punk should join. Regardless of where he ends up, I'm sure this will be a good match and it will be a personal mark out moment to see the likes of Sandman, Tommy Dreamer and Sabu performing at WrestleMania in front of 70,000 people.
Half Time
Tonnes of great columns to read on 411 this week;
The Fink's Payload
Hidden Highlights
The Shimmy
The Triple Threat
WWE vs. TNA
Column of Honour
Wrestler of the Week
The Independent Mid-Card
Friendly Competition
High Road/Low Road
That Was Then
Fact or Fiction
The 3 R's
Shining A Spotlight
Truth Be Told
Ask 411
The Box In The Attic
And don't forget to check out 411's Countdown to WrestleMania where I think we are up to about X - Seven now.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
Battle of the Billionaires – Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley!
First of all, congrats to WWE for making this a tremendous build. Lashley has looked a million bucks this past month and I'm actually starting to give a shit about this guy and I was one of his biggest detractors a few months ago. The one bad point about the build is that Umaga has kind of been an afterthought. Hopefully that'll get better on this last week heading to Mania but it's a little late now. Other than that this has got great time and fans have been really into everything involving this feud. Sure, we all know Vince is going to get his head shaved but they have definetly done a good job of making this match huge, which it is. With a bit of luck Lashley can continue his hot streak after Mania and become a huge star in 2007. Lashley wins, Vince goes bald.
The Schmozz Count: Week Commencing 03/12/2007
Raw – 2, Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels vs. JBL
ECW – Guess what, none.
Impact – 1, James Storm vs. Jerry Lynn
SmackDown – 1, Batista and Undertaker vs. King Booker and Finlay
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
Money in the Bank 3 – Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. King Booker vs. CM Punk vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy
Okay so the guys in the picture aren't in this years match but it's close enough right? All my thoughts on this match are somewhere in the Reader Feedback section so go there to check ‘em out. Kennedy wins.
The Screwjob
The WrestleMania Screwjob (Part 4)
WWF Championship Match – The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
April 1st WrestleMania X-Seven
Houston Astrodome
Really, we all know about this and the only reason it is here is to get y'all hyped for WrestleMania. I did try to work the html to get a video of the build for this match but my computer just wasn't having it. You all know how everything came together but just for kicks here is 411's report.
Fink announces that the match is "No DQ". Austin gets pop #1 on the list of all time pops. Rock gets about 50-50. Austin jumps him immediately instead of having the staredown that I wanted, but oh well. Austin gets the Thesz Press early. A Rock Bottom is countered to an Austin stunner attempt which is countered to a Rock stunner attempt. They brawl into the crowd and back. Austin gets a superplex for two and undoes the turnbuckle pad. Rock gets a flying clothesline before it can be used. They go outside again and Rock gets lacerated (.2 Muta). Austin targets like a good heel but Rocky makes the comeback to HUGE heel heat. Austin starts pushing the ref around and Rock explodes out of the corner with a clothesline (again to heavy booing). Rock talks a little trash and throws Austin into the turnbuckle. Sidebar: Has there ever been a case after 1986 or so where the guy who took the turnbuckle pad off actually got to use it? Rock nails him with the title belt. Austin's bladejob is much better here but then he's used to it. In a neat reversal of roles, Rock starts pummeling Austin's wound in almost the exact same fashion. Outside again, and Rock very clearly points to the ringpost. He makes up for calling the spot by leaning into the post like a pro. AND NOW WE HIT THE CLASSICS - First up Wrestlemania 13: Austin roles him in and flips him off before attempting the Stunner. It's reversed to the Sharpshooter! Both men are bleeding and Austin struggles to make the ropes. It's no DQ, but they ignore that for now. Austin gets his own Sharpshooter (in a replay of the Bret-Owen Ironman match). Rock says something to Hebner. "I'm going to push him." I think. Hebner can then be seen explaining it to Austin. Sure enough, Rock forces out of the hold. Austin reapplies it and does the smart thing by flipping Hebner off when he tells him to break the hold. He does wind up releasing it, though. Million Dollar Dream! The look on Austin's face when Rock raises his hand up is priceless. Survivor Series 96 time (which itself was taken from Wrestlemania 8): Rock walks up the ropes and rolls back over onto Austin. Austin releases the hold this time and kicks out. Rock gets a Stunner out of nowhere but it only gets two. AND HERE COMES VINCE! (If we consider the McMahon vs. Hogan as the main event which it apparently was until a week or so before WMX9, then there hasn't been a McMahonless main event since 1998. Then again, one might argue that there's NEVER been a McMahonless main event.) Austin gets his spinebuster. It only gets two and we see the first signs of frustration as Austin pounds the mat. Rock gets HIS spinebuster and People's Elbow but Vince breaks up the cover. VINCE HAS TURNED FACE! VINCE HAS TURNED FACE! That's certainly how the crowd views it anyway. Rock chases Vince around the ring but runs into an Austin Rock Bottom. That only gets two. The ref gets bumped for no real reason other than for Vince to throw him in later on. Austin holds the Rock for a Vince chairshot. It only gets two. Rock pops up and gets the Rock Bottom off of another chairshot attempt. He makes the mistake of going after Vince and Austin Stuns him. ONE, TWO, THRE----NOOOOO!!!! Austin can't believe it. Another chairshot! ONE, TWO, THRE---NOOOO!!! Austin to Vince: "What's keepin' that motherfucker alive?" Austin then goes crazy on Rock with the chair and pins him in something of an anti-climactic finish at 28:08. Fans go absolutely nuts, though. Austin and McMahon share a beer and walk out together. ****1/4
For those who dislike the finish, I just want to say I think it is tremendous that they opted for the Rock to not get pinned following a Stunner, that's just a great touch to an awesome match.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
World Heavyweight Championship – Batista vs. Undertaker
Will this match suck? Possibly. Will it be awesome? Doubtful, but I think it'll be one or the other, nowhere in between. Batista should never be the guy to end Taker's streak so Taker is going over here, hopefully leading to a Batista heel turn in the not too distant future. I'm also hoping Taker's reign at the top isn't a long one because he just doesn't do it for me anymore even when he has been at the top of his game like he has been in 2007. And I'm not Batista's biggest fan either so I'm not really looking forward to this match but I'm certain the crowd will be hot so it shouldn't be too bad. I also want to see Saliva play Taker to the ring.
WrestleMania 23 Hype!
WWE Championship – John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels!
As far as I'm concerned, this is the main event. My two favourite wrestlers in the business going head to head at the biggest show of all time for the WWE Championship – it doesn't get any bigger than that for me. Shawn Michaels has had a tremendous couple of months and really has looked at the top of his game on the Road To WrestleMania and capable of putting on good matches with just about anyone. He is the Showstopper, the (fan-voted) Mr. WrestleMania and will put on a performance like no other on April 1st. John Cena knows how to step up to the plate on the big occasions and it doesn't get any bigger than WrestleMania. I've enjoyed the build up and I think it has made for a really interesting battle at Mania, but I expect the match quality will totally surpass anything we're expecting. This will be awesome; the heat will be off the chart. Imagine 70,000 people divided, not knowing wether to boo or cheer Cena – we get the "boo!" "yay!" deal going on until HBK ducks a right and comes back with a flying forearm – the place is going nuts. It'll be a WrestleMania moment that'll live in my memory forever and I can't wait. I'm completely torn on who I want to win, but I think Shawn Michaels might just be too much for Cena on this night.
So there you have it, every Mania match broken down. Looking forward to the show? Good, because you should be – it's WrestleMania week!
