411’s Instant Access 03.30.08: WWE WrestleMania 24

Posted by Scott Slimmer on 03.30.2008

The greatest career this industry will ever know comes to an end in a match that none of us will ever forget…



Hey kids, I'm Scott, and this is 411's Instant Access: WWE WrestleMania 24. Instant Access is a new experiment here at 411 Wrestling that will feature immediate reaction to wrestling pay-per-views. The focus here is going to be on first thoughts and snap judgments instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one two three FOUR writers' thoughts on the show. That's right, we're celebrating the Showcase of the Immortals with the most comprehensive team coverage that we've ever attempted. Here's the team:

• Scott Slimmer, author of 411's WWE Heat Report, will be watching the webcast on WWE.com.
• Mike Minotti, author of Can They Be Champ?, will be watching on pay-per-view.
• Chris Lansdell, author of The Way I C It, will be watching on pay-per-view.
• Jeff Small, author of the Thursday Small-For-All News Report, will be LIVE at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando, FL and sending in text messages from the show.

Okay kids, enough with the explanations. Let's get to the wrestling.

24 Man Battle Royal to determine the Number One Contender for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship
Match Result: Kane last eliminates Mark Henry to win the Battle Royal.
Match Length: 6:19
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: There's really not much that can be said about a twenty-four man battle royal that only lasted six minutes. I was totally pulling for either Tommy Dreamer or Stevie Richards to score the victory and give the ECW title match a real old-school ECW feeling, but I also understand WWE's desire to give Kane a match on the main card. Oh, and the star of the match had to be Jamie Noble; using three other Superstars as stairs to save himself from elimination was a neat little trick I can't ever remember seeing in a battle royal, and it earned him the first big pop of the evening.
Lansdell: Nothing really stood out for me. The result was slightly disappointing, as we now have to sit through Kane-Henry, Kane-Snitsky and Kane-Henry. There were a few nice spots: Kendrick's elimination of himself and Cade, Noble using people as steps, and Elijah using the express to eliminate Richards. I will admit to being very happy when Khali was eliminated, and then very sad when Dreamer went out. It could have been much, much worse I suppose.
Small: Kane wins the ECW Battle Royal… Crowd was hot… Match was definitely MOTYC… I can't see any match better on the main show… (Slimmer's Note: Small has obviously been drinking heavily. This should be interesting…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: *
Lansdell: *½
Average Match Rating: *¼

Belfast Brawl
Finlay vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Match Result: JBL defeats Finlay with the Clothesline from Hell.
Match Length: 8:38
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I didn't expect to see this match open the show, but you have to admit that it got the crowd excited. JBL was just as rough and brutal as we expected, but I have to give a ton of credit to Finlay for really stepping outside of his comfort zone. He didn't have the chance to show his considerable technical skill, but he pulled out some high risk offense that I NEVER expected from him. I mean, seriously, a suicide dive from Finlay? Just awesome. I'm guessing that both guys were holding back a bit due to being in the first match on the card, but they still put forth a ton of effort and gave us a hella stiff match. My only problem with this match was that JBL ended up winning it. If Finlay had won the match, then there would have been a feeling of closure to this feud. However, with JBL victorious, you have to wonder if the feud is going to continue…
Minotti: I think this was a smart choice for an opener. It's not giving away a major match, and the no rules stipulation should get the crowd hot. Heck, Hornswoggle's return got a good reaction. These two wasted no time. They sold their hatred for each other really well. "Let's go Finlay " chants were glorious. I think I'm going to like this crowd. JBL swinging the garbage can cover at Finlay's head was a great spot. This match was a lot more hardcore than I thought it was going to be. I loved a lot of little touches, especially JBL throwing a trash can at Hornswoggle. The ending came a little fast, and it was a bit bummer to see Finlay lose, but both men looked good here. This match exceeded my expectations, and was a great opener.
Lansdell: It is a LONG ASS way to the ring from the entrance. This match was stiff shot after stiff shot, and I loved it. The pacing wasn't the best, but what would you expect from two guys over 40? You can tell this is Mania… Finlay has busted out a Finlay roll, and the tope into a garbage can lid was a great shot. The finish was decent, I could have done with 3 or 4 more minutes but as an opener it got the crowd into the event and provided some good action without going the dreaded "blood in the opener" that has killed many an event. It's strange for a feud not to end at Mania, as there's no way this one is over. I look forward to the next installment, as long as it's another gimmick match.
Small: JBL won… Good match… Better than the Boogeyman vs. Booker T… (Slimmer's Note: Small obviously spent too much time at Margaritaville this afternoon…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***
Minotti: ***
Lansdell: ***
Average Match Rating: ***

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Chris Jericho vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Carlito vs. MVP vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin
Match Result: CM Punk wins the match.
Match Length: 13:58
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: This was every bit as insane as its predecessors, and it did wonders for at least three young stars. CM Punk won the match, and you have to believe that we'll see him hold a world championship sometime within the next year. John Morrison pulled out some really inventive spots like the moonsault with the ladder, and he once again proved that he is one of the next generation of WWE stars. And then there was Shelton Benjamin. In my mind, Money in the Bank is synonymous with Shelton Benjamin, and Shelton did himself proud tonight. The Tower of Doom spot was great, but this match will be remembered for Shelton falling through that ladder. It was both sick and incredible, all at the same time. Of course, I would be remiss to not mention the return of Matt Hardy. It was great to see Hardy take MVP out of the match, but I was SO hoping that Hardy would just grab climb a ladder and grab the MITB briefcase himself. Would it have made much sense? Maybe not, but you know that the crowd would have loved it.
Minotti: Man, it sure is good to see Jericho back at WrestleMania. Kennedy's new song still sucks, though. MVP's opening offense with the ladder was great, as was the ladder duel between MVP and Jericho. There were a lot of moments that made me want to jump out of my seat. Honestly, I could talk about how cool every spot was all day. Let's just say that this was filled with a lot of amazing moments. Everyone stepped it up and performed well. Hell, even Carlito. Matt's return worked out well here. This was amazing, and could be the best MitB ever. The right man went over, too. I'm not sure if another match will be able to top this effort.
Lansdell: The intros for this took 8 minutes from the start of Nitro's music to the opening bell. That's longer than most TNA matches. I liked the order the guys were brought out, with the two singles champs coming out last. The first few minutes was a bunch of sweet spots, and in my opinion the Benjamin miss was due to the ladder not holding up, not a mistake on Shelton's part. I called the Matt Hardy run-in, and I was a little late sending in this report while I cleaned up after Punk knocked down Jericho and won the Match. About damn time. I just hope he doesn't do what he said he was going to do and waste it on the ECW belt. This was a spotfest, but a very good one with plenty of near finishes and the rebirth of the Hardy-MVP feud, as well as giving Shelton someone to fight (Morrison or Carlito) and setting up a possible Punk-Jericho feud which should be Baskin-Robbins. I must admit to marking constantly after this match, and during it. Everything I had hoped it would be.
Small: CM Punk won MITB… Good match though it felt short… Ending was just ok… Crowd ate it up though… The crowd loved Hardy's return… (Slimmer's Note: Hey, Small seems to have sobered up a bit. Must be the rain…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****¼
Minotti: ****¼
Lansdell: ****
Average Match Rating: ****¼

Brand Superiority Match
Batista (Smackdown) vs. Umaga (Raw)
Match Result: Batista defeats Umaga with the Batista Bomb.
Match Length: 7:07
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: The match was shorter than I would have liked, but they did manage to fit a lot into seven minutes. Batista looked as good as ever, but the real star of this match was Umaga. Over the course of the last two years, Umaga has been better in the ring than any of us expected, and the WWE fans have rewarded him for it. I especially loved the contingent of die-hard Umaga marks right in front of the ring. U-U-UMAGA! U-U-UMAGA! I SO hope that chant goes into heavy rotation. I'll admit that I was pulling for Umaga myself, but I understand that Batista needs to be kept strong for his inevitable return to the World Heavyweight Title scene. And I do believe that Batista's victory was all about keeping him strong rather than giving Smackdown bragging rights over Raw. We all know that the pecking order in WWE will never change, so ultimately this was just a fun little match between two really big guys.
Minotti: This match had a much slower pace than the two before it. It's hard to follow a ladder match. Nothing wrong with this match, but nothing great about it. It was funny to hear the crowd cheer for Umaga. U U UMAGA! Clever. Batista's victory came a little too soon after a long period of Umaga offense. Batista got the win after an... interesting Batista Bomb. Filler-esque, but not bad.
Lansdell: Will someone PLEASE teach Batista to co-ordinate his posing with the lull in his entrance music? I sure as hell am not going to tell him. For me, the match plodded too much. Similar to the JBL-Finlay match, I wasn't expecting a high-flying break-neck classic, but they could have gone up a gear or two and not gassed themselves completely. I called the result, but the match was, so far anyway, the poorest on the card. I fully expect BunnyMania to take that crown, however. I don't expect anything more to come of this match, and the rumored Taker-Umaga feud will probably wait until after the draft. There was just nothing in this match to capture my attention, and I had hopes for more. At least some stiffness and strong style, like we saw in the opener only without the weapons. Sorry, no dice.
Small: Batista won… Match wasn't good but the beer is cold… (Slimmer's Note: Oh no, he's got beer. Here we go again…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **½
Minotti: **
Lansdell: *
Average Match Rating: *¾

ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Chavo Guerrero (Champion) vs. Kane
Match Result: Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero with the Choke Slam.
Match Length: 0.10
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Well, that was certainly… short. Hell, maybe this means we'll get more time for Flair / Michaels. But seriously, I hate the fact that Chavo has actually been made to look somewhat credible as the ECW Champion and has had a hot serious of matches with CM Punk but was then made to look like a chump on the Grandest Stage of Them All. And that's the real problem. Does Kane look any better because he squashed Chavo? Not at all. But does Chavo look a whole lot worse because Kane squashed him? Absolutely. And so what this match did was damage the credibility of one star without building the credibility of another. And that's really not what you would call productive.
Minotti: What the hell am I supposed to say? Did Chavo fail a wellness test or something?
Lansdell: Chokeslam. Pin. Win. Dud. If Kane defends against the young heels on ECW and they can drag a decent match out of him, this might not be a disaster. Unfortunately, I see Khali, Henry, Snitsky and Palumbo in his future. I wonder if the plans for this match and the Battle Royal changed the outcome of this at all? The real question is, who are they going to have as the monster who legitimizes the new champ after Mania? Kane has filled that role for years, it won't be the same without him!
Small: Kane won… MOTY! (Slimmer's Note: Yep, Small has definitely been hitting the beer… and maybe something a bit stronger…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: DUD
Minotti: DUD
Lansdell: DUD
Average Match Rating: DUD

Career Threatening Match
Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
Match Result: Shawn Michaels defeats Ric Flair with Sweet Chin Music.
Match Length: 20:24
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: The psychology of this match was phenomenal. We all know that there's no way that Ric Flair could realistically keep up with Shawn Michaels. We all know that there's no way that Ric Flair could realistically compete with Shawn Michaels. We all know that there's no way that Ric Flair could realistically defeat Shawn Michaels. And that meant that a competitive match would seem totally unrealistic… unless something dramatic happened to Michaels early in the match. And baby, nobody does dramatic like HBK. That moonsault through the announce table was one of the sickest bumps I've ever seen. Seriously, it damn near made Shelton's fall through the table look mediocre. And the fact that Michaels took that sick bump meant that the rest of the match could take place on an even footing. It meant that Ric Flair would believably keep up with, compete with, and defeat Shawn Michaels. And that's why the rest of the match was truly something special. We got all of Naitch's trademark dirty spots, a bevy of Figure Fours, and a slew of Sweet Chin Musics. We saw the pain on Shawn Michaels' face as he did what he came to do, and we say the tears in Flair's eyes as his career ended. This was, quite simply, a beautiful, emotional WRESTLING match, and Ric Flair deserved nothing less in his farewell. Thanks, Naitch. Thanks for 35 years of the greatest wrestling the world will ever see…
Minotti: That match was just as emotional as I was hoping. What has surprising was how good the match was. A lot of people thought that Flair wouldn't be able to perform at a level that he would want to for this match. But damn it, Ric Flair was fucking Ric Flair! Shawn more than did his part, and gave Ric everything he had. That moonsault on the announce table looked painful. There were a lot of false finishes, and it was really getting me pumped. Seeing Shawn's hesitation to end Flair's career was a great part of this match. In the end, Shawn painfully said "I'm sorry", and with a third Sweet Chin Music, ended Flair's career. It was a wonderful way to go. Thanks for the memories, Flair, and thanks for one hell of a grand finale.
Lansdell: Nice touch to have Charles Robinson refereeing. Watching this match, you would not know that Flair is in his 50s. Or that Michaels almost is. Everything in this match played perfectly into the emotion of it all: Michaels bailing on the first Chin Music, the near falls, Michaels fighting the figure 4 with everything he had, Flair doing likewise with the Heartbreak Lock, the chop battle from their knees...this was a lesson in how to tell a story in the ring, and I hope every young wrestler, hell, EVERY DAMN WRESTLER, took copious notes. Watching Shawn say "I'm sorry, I love you" and then leaving the ring immediately was an incredible touch and the classiest thing the man has done in his entire career. Orlando gave a fitting tribute to the man that IS wrestling. Not Hogan, Austin, HHH, Sting, Cena, Rock, Bret Hart, Vince McMahon, anyone: RIC FUCKING FLAIR. Everyone in this house has a tear in their eye, from the hardened smark to my wife who watches one event a year. Even my 7-year-old son realizes the enormity. There is, has been, and only ever will be, ONE Ric Flair. Everyone watching tonight, live, on V, in a bar, in a cinema: You have witnessed history and the end of an era that has spanned 35 years. Thank you Ric. And, one last time: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Small: HBK won.... Great match… The fans loved flair… Bring on BunnyMania… I need a funnel cake… (Slimmer's Note: Small seems coherent again, and the funnel cake should help soak up some of the booze…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****½
Minotti: ****
Lansdell: *****
Average Match Rating: ****½

BunnyMania Lumberjill Match
Maria Kanellis & Ashley Massaro vs. Beth Phoenix & Melina Perez
Match Result: Beth Phoenix defeats Maria Kanellis with the Fisherwoman's Suplex.
Match Length: 6:05
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: To the credit of everyone involved, this match was better than it probably should have been. And hey, the ECW title match even saved it from being the worst match on the card. I give a ton of credit to Beth and Melina for keeping the match from becoming overly sloppy, and you have to love the fact that Maria busted her ass despite her obvious lack of technical skill. However, what I like most about this match is that Beth was allowed to get the win. There was a chance that Maria was going to pick up the win in order to sell a couple more copies of Playboy, but that would have made the Diva that took the fall look weak. Beth Phoenix is the WWE Women's Champion, and up to this point she's been booked like a monster. It would have been disastrous for her to do the job for Maria, and I applaud WWE for placing smart booking ahead of merchandise sales.
Minotti: Uh oh, did TNA sabotage the lights? Anyways, this wasn't as horrible as it could have been. At least the pace was kept quick, though a lot of the moves looked sloppy. The Santino, Lawler, and Snoop Dog interference was fun. Surprisingly, I didn't hate this. I tolerated it.
Lansdell: Why in God's name are the lumberjills wearing evening gowns? This was painful. To the untrained eye, it may have seemed that Ashley was pulling out some nice moves, but EVERYTHING she did was the result of Melina carrying her. Maria, bless her heart, tried her very best, but she's just too green. Beth carried her as much as Melina carried Ashley. We got the right result, one that probably changed after Candace got hurt, and the actual wrestlers did an admirable job of making the eye candy look passable in the ring. Enough to make this better than Chavo-Kane and maybe even Batista-Umaga. Snoop clotheslining Santino may finally have ended the Maria-Santino angle, which is not making me sad in the slightest. Not sure where any of them go from here, but don't be surprised if Maria gets the next shot at Beth.
Small: Beth and Melina won… The funnel cake was excellent… (Slimmer's Note: Cheesecake and funnel cake… Small must be a happy man right about now…)
Match Rating:
Slimmer: *½
Minotti: *½
Lansdell: *¼
Average Match Rating: *½

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
Randy Orton (Champion) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
Match Result: Randy Orton defeats John Cena after the Skull Punt to Triple H.
Match Length: 14:11
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: I can't BELIEVE that this match isn't main eventing the show. I mean, yeah, we were all hoping that Flair / Michaels would main event, but after that match took place I was almost sure that this match would close the show. But running it before both the World Heavyweight Championship Match AND the Mayweather / Big Show match? That was surprising. But what was almost as surprising was the fact that this match was then given only fourteen minutes. Seriously, this reminds me of the way that the World Heavyweight Championship drew the short stick at WrestleMania 22. This match was good but certainly not great, and unfortunately we'll never know how good it could have been if it had been given another five or ten minutes. However, all of that being said, there were two things that I really loved about this match. The first is that Randy Orton got the win. It would have been so easy for WWE to go back to familiar territory and give the title to Cena or Triple H. But instead they took a chance on prolonging Orton's reign, and in my mind that does a lot to make Orton seem like a credible champion. In the last two matches we've seen the WWE Women's Champion and the WWE Champion booked like champions on the Grandest Stage of Them All, and that's fine by me. The second thing that I loved about this match, and the moment that I will most remember, was Triple H locking in the Crippler Crossface on John Cena. You all know how I feel about WrestleMania XX, and it was really special to see Triple H pay homage to that moment. If this match had been the main event, then there would have been no better way for it to end than to see John Cena tapping to the Crippler Crossface.
Minotti: Whoa, this isn't going last? All of the sudden I think that we may be seeing something historic happen in the WHC match. I really liked Cena's marching band entrance, but I was a marching band member myself. It was good to see that they actually let the champion come out last. John Cena always performs well in Triple Threats, and with solid competitors like Orton and HHH involved, I knew this was going to be solid. We saw a lot of finisher reversals, and most of the match really took place between Cena and Trips. In the end, HHH would hit the pedigree on Cena, but Orton would pick up the win. Cool, un-predictable ending. I guess they didn't want this one going on last with the heel winning. Solid match, and I think we'll be seeing more between these three. Or maybe Orton vs. Punk?
Lansdell: Interesting having this on with 2 matches still to go. Cena's entrance was impressive, I enjoyed it although I fully expect to be in the minority in that regard. Smarks everywhere are orgasming. Neither the spotlight-hogging HHH or the superheroic Cena came away with the win, and Orton not only retains as a heel at WrestleMania, but looks strong in so doing. Orton dominated the start of the match and the finish was well-booked. The only other heel I can recall retaining a major title at Mania has been...well, HHH. This will probably set up Orton-HHH at Backlash, while Cena does his movie, and from there maybe Punk cashes in? Probably not though, Punk is better off on Smackdown for now. There was not much WRONG with the match, it seemed a little short if anything, but there was nothing insanely memorable either. As Byers said to me, nothing he'll remember a month from now.
Small: Very good but somewhat short triple threat match… I think J.P. called it… Regardless, good but not great match…
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ***¾
Minotti: ***½
Lansdell: ***¼
Average Match Rating: ***½

The Biggest vs. The Best
The Big Show vs. Floyd "Money" Mayweather
Match Result: Floyd "Money" Mayweather defeats the Big Show via knockout after a brass knuckles shot.
Match Length: 11:38
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Okay, I suppose that Mayweather was probably promised a win before he ever agreed this match, but I'm also really proud of all of the fans that turned on Mayweather and were pulling for Big Show. Big Show may not have always been a fan favorite, but he is a professional wrestler. He loves this industry. And unlike "Money" Mayweather, he's not just in it for the money, and that's why I was pulling for him just as much as the fans in Orlando. But as with the last few matches, there were a couple of factors that I really enjoyed about this match. The first was that they didn't go the Lawrence Taylor / Bam Bam Bigelow route and actually make this the main event. That was a mistake at WrestleMania XI, and it would have been a mistake here. So once again, good call from WWE. The second thing that really helped this match was using Mayweather's posse as cannon fodder throughout. Now I'm not sure if those guys were Mayweather's real posse or just local indy wrestlers, but it was a great idea to have them around to take some bumps that Mayweather couldn't… or wouldn't.
Minotti: Sure, this wasn't a great "wrestling" match, but it was fun. The crowd was into it, and Mayweather did a good job playing the cowardly heel towards the middle there. Big Show did a good job playing off of the crowd. Thankfully they didn't rely on too much boxing for this one. Instead we got to see Big Show beat the crap out of Mayweather's posse. Mayweather got the win, but the brass knucks make it so Big Show wasn't completely buried. Again, this was harmless fun.
Lansdell: Whoever laid that match out is a booking genius. They had a very difficult concept to work with, and they found a way to do it that not only didn't suck, but was actually pretty good and enjoyable. Show took everything Floyd dished out and almost beat the 10 count on the brass knucks shot. I said all along that the match would either be terrible or surprising, and we got the latter. The result legit surprised me, even if I did call it in the Roundtable. I'm having trouble rating this match, it was unique and it really had to be a cluster.
Small: Entertaining spectacle… Not shocked that "Money Mayweather" won but I was surprised… Crowd was into it, too…
Match Rating:
Slimmer: **
Minotti: **½
Lansdell: **
Average Match Rating: **¼

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge (Champion) vs. The Undertaker
Match Result: The Undertaker defeats Edge with the Gogoplata.
Match Length: 23:48
Match Analysis:
Slimmer: Edge and the Undertaker really delivered in the main event. That's no surprise in the case of the Undertaker, but it's a major step in Edge's career. Sure, he may have lost the title, but he put on a great match in the main event of WrestleMania. The match had a number of great counters, and the sports entertainment shenanigans near the end were few enough that they didn't overshadow the rest of the match. The real question, however, is how long Taker will wear the belt this time around. His last title reign was cut short by injury, so we'll have to wait and see how long WWE will stick with him if he can stay healthy.
Minotti: Good, the champ comes out last again. This match started out pretty slow. I mean, a half Boston crab? Like anyone thinks that Taker would tap out to that. Things definitely picked up, and Edge and Taker exchanged a lot of hard hitting moves. We got to see Edge counter is way out a lot of Taker's finishers. I'm also grateful that outside interference was kept to a minimum. I was worried we'd see Vickie interfere, but that thankfully did not happen. The ending was cool, as Taker put Edge into his finisher right from a pin. This was a good match, and a good way to end a great show.
Lansdell: What a surprise: Druids. The crowd seemed pretty dead for this, which after some of the other stuff we've seen is probably not a surprise. What's impressive is that they seemed to pick up on that and step things up a few levels . They told a great story with Edge having Taker's number and being able to reverse all of Taker's spots. It's just a crying shame that the crowd could not get into the match until the very end. The fact that they DID get into it says a lot about the quality of the match. Kudos to both guys for making the most of what could have been an embarrassing end to a good PPV. Despite Cole's commentary causing me to run out of iced tea (drinking on Vintage Taker, Ultimate opportunist, best pure striker, shades of, and streak is over), I really enjoyed this match and even got into the ending. Edge can now fight for respectability with Jericho, who can go to Smackdown, while Taker defends against Umaga after the rematch.
Small: Well at least there were a couple of near falls to make it unpredictable… Solid main event that kept the crowd from leaving…
Match Rating:
Slimmer: ****
Minotti: ***¾
Lansdell: ***¾
Average Match Rating: ***¾

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Slimmer: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
Yeah, I'll admit it. I probably would have picked this as Match of the Night no matter how good or bad the actual match was. This was a celebration of Ric Flair's career, and the emotion associated with this match made it truly special. But luckily enough, the in-ring action was also good enough for it to be the best match of the night irrespective of the circumstances. And so when you put a great story together with a great match, you have not only the Match of the Night, but you have a match that none of us will ever forget.
Minotti: Money in the Bank Ladder Match
This was an insane ladder match. It was almost sensory overload it was filled with so many good spots. Having Punk win was the right choice. I think this was the best MitB so far. Flair vs. HBK is a very, very close second. The emotion in that match was amazing.
Lansdell: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
Can there be any other choice? It did everything it was meant to do and had everything I wanted it to have.
Small: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

Trash of the Night:
Slimmer: Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane
This was the first time that the ECW World Heavyweight Championship has ever been defended at WrestleMania... and WWE just couldn't resist the urge to kick ECW in the nuts one more time.
Minotti: Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane
What was the point of that? Why did that need to be on WrestleMania. ECW is a joke.
Lansdell: Batista vs. Umaga
I'm going with Umaga-Batista, because I expected more and because the Kane-Chavo dud still accomplished something.
Small: Batista vs. Umaga
Should have been better…

Final Analysis:
Slimmer: I'll go along with the consensus and say that this edition of WrestleMania was good but probably not great. Flair / Michaels delivered on every level imaginable and was given more time than every match except for the main event. The Money in the Bank match was as impressive as every and showed that the next generation of WWE Superstars is going to be a ton of fun to watch. Both title matches were entertaining, but I'm not sure that either will ever be listed among the great title matches in WrestleMania history. The rest of the card was basically just filler, but most of the time it was fun, entertaining filler. Only the ECW title match made me actively angry, and WWE's usually doing pretty well when only one out of ten matches really pisses me off. So yeah, it was a good show overall, and it contained one of the most emotional, historically important matches in the history of the industry… plus two hella sick bumps from Shelton Benjamin and Shawn Michaels just for good measure.
Minotti: This was a really good WrestleMania. Three matches (MitB, Flair vs. HBK, and he WHC match) were excellent. Big Show and Mayweather was fun, as was the Belfast Brawl. The WWE Championship match may have been a little disappointing, but it was still good, and the pick for the winner was awesome. Even the worse stuff, like BunnyMania and the Kane thing, were unoffensive. Great PPV. I can easily recommend this to any fan of wrestling.
Lansdell: Thumbs firmly up. Maybe it wasn't the best Mania ever, but then with the card it never was going to be. A lot of people derided my decision to pay for this event, based on the card, but I am glad I did. I got to see history in Flair's retirement, I got to see my boy Punk get his push, two very good title matches, and an example of just how smart the WWE is with their booking of Show-Mayweather. There is really only one way to finish off any review of this event, though. Thank you, Ric Flair.
Small: Overall, a good but not great WrestleMania… Very close to last year's in terms of structure and quality… I had fun and can't wait for Houston… By the way, the outdoor arena ruled, though it's not great for chants…

Verdict:
Slimmer: ***¾
Minotti: ****¼
Lansdell: ***½
Small: ***¾
Average Verdict: ***¾