From the Bowery: WrestleMania XXVIII

From the Bowery: WrestleMania XXVIII
-Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
-April 2, 2012

-Sadly I did not make it to Miami this year after being there in Houston., Phoenix, and Atlanta, but price went up quite a bit, so I opted to buy the show and throw a party with some friends.

Announce Team: Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler

-After a few years of outside celebrities getting the honors, Lilian Garcia starts us out with her wonderful rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

-The opening video package is always one of my favorite parts of WrestleMania, and this one is fantastic as expected.

World Heavyweight Title: Daniel Bryan © (w/ AJ) vs. Sheamus

-Thankfully Bryan gets to enter last as he should since he is the reigning and defending champion. Sheamus won the Royal Rumble and thus earned this World Title Match, and it makes second year in a row the Rumble Winner is getting his shot in the opening match. AJ looks fantastic, and the crowd loves Bryan as they go nuts with “yes” chants. This two were supposed to be on the main card last year in a battle for the US Title, but got bumped to the pre-show where it was eventually turned into a battle royal. The support for Bryan is so strong that even Cole has to mention it. The bell rings and Bryan tells Sheamus to wait so he can get a kiss from AJ. That proves to be his undoing though as he turns around into a Brogue Kick, and we have a new World Champ at 18 seconds. The crowd actually pops, but I think it was out of utter shock and soon turned to anger from a good part of the crowd. I know I got a text from my friend who went with me the previous two years, and it read “fuck that, I would have been pissed if we paid and saw that.” Ever the sportsman after the match where he jumped a guy giving a kiss to his girlfriend, Sheamus taunts Daniel with the “yes” chants.

Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: Sheamus via pin at 0:18
-In retrospect this was best thing that happened to Bryan as the next night the crowd was 100% on his side and started the ground swell that turned him into a Main Event threat. The match still pissed me off at the time though, but they finally gave these two a chance to show what they could do at Extreme Rules and it was awesome. SQUASH

-Big John gives a pep talk to his team as they prepare for the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match.

Kane vs. Randy Orton

-Fun note is that this show took place on Orton’s birthday as he turned 32. After headlining WrestleMania only 3 years ago, Orton is starting to fall in the pecking order as he has been stuck in mid card hell at the Showcase of the Immortals. Orton slugs away to start and traps Kane in the corner, but ends up eating a clothesline to turn the tide. A chokeslam attempt is fought out of and Orton is able to ground the big man. He stomps away even as Kane gets tied in the ropes. Being in the ropes is never a good thing as Orton preps for the rope assisted DDT (that Cole calls a bulldog), but Kane escapes and regains the advantage. He gets a two count off a big boot, and actually hits a basement dropkick. Being back on the big show has seemingly given Kane some pep in his step tonight. As soon as I say that things slow down a bit as Kane goes to a chinlock. Thankfully it doesn’t last long as they start trading blows in the middle of the ring and the crowd gives us the now clichéd “boo”, “yeah” exchange. That seemed so unique 6 years ago, but now seems wasted considering it is being used in a thrown together mid card match. Perhaps the crowd just wanted something to keep them awake as things are getting scary quiet during this match as Kane continues to dominate. Cole picks up on the same thing and mentions Kane wants the pace to be slow and methodical. A side slam gets a little reaction and also nets a two count for Kane. Orton fights back to his feet and delivers a head butt and then flips out of another side slam attempt to his inverted headlock backbreaker. A clothesline doesn’t faze Kane, so Orton catches him with the scoop powerslam. He tosses Kane shoulder first into the ring post and brings him back into the ring with the rope assisted DDT that is once again called a bulldog by Cole. He finally calls it correctly as Orton preps for the RKO. Kane shoves him off though and catches Randy with a boot to the face for two. He follows up by heading to the top rope, but Orton catches him with a dropkick to the ribs. Orton looks for the punt kick, but Kane is still a step ahead and counters with a chokeslam for two. In the corner we go as Orton gets mauled with heavy blows, and fights his way out, but still can’t connect with the RKO. They fight on the ropes, and Orton gets the bright idea to try an RKO from up there, but Kane is having none of that shit as he hits a chokeslam from the middle rope to get the upset win at 10:56.

Winner: Kane via pin at 10:56
-Good finish to a solid, but unspectacular match. The opening moments kind of dragged, but they were able to get the crowd going by the end. Still, not a shining moment for either man in their WrestleMania careers. **

-Shenanigans backstage with Santino and Foley as they plug the season premiere of Deadliest Catch. Ron Simmons shows up to a massive pop and as you would assume, “damn,” is our payoff.

WWE Intercontinental Title: Cody Rhodes © vs. The Big Show

-Cody had a strong performance last year in Atlanta against Rey, but I don’t think he will get the same chance here against Show. Cody does a smart thing when the bell rings: he bails to the floor and makes Show chase. It was a great plan in theory, but he quickly gets caught. Show tosses Cody around the ring like a rag doll, and hits a few chops in the corner. Cody gets stuck in the corner and Show uses his ass to bury Cody’s face in a disturbing image. Rhodes finally gets out of Show’s reach and uses his quickness to get the giant off his feet. A pin attempt does no good as Show easily powers out at one. Cody works the leg, and again the crowd gets rather quiet. Finally, Show fights back to his feet and he mows down Cody with a clothesline. A charge into the corner back fires as Cody gets his feet up, and he follows up with the disaster kick, but Show is still standing. He tries another disaster kick, but Show spears him out of mid air. The knockout punch comes next and Show is your new Intercontinental Champion at 5:18. This would be the first one on one for Show at WrestleMania. In a nice touch the big man shows some emotion as he looks at the IC Title. I wish more people would treat titles with that kind of respect.

Winner and New Intercontinental Champion: The Big Show via pin at 5:18
-Cody did he best to bump of the Big Show, but they weren’t given any real time to do much else. I am sure Cody needed the win more, but this is WrestleMania and the paid off the story in the proper way: with the face getting the win. *1/4

-Some time is wasted as we get a video package on the Divas. With HHH gaining more power these things might be less frequent it you are to believe the reports that he wants to focus more on tag wrestling and less on model Divas.

Eve and Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos

-This match was set up by an angle on Extra, and at least Menounos is a fan and has been in the ring before so it’s not the worst use of a celebrity in the ring. Another plus is that she looks fantastic. Yes, I know I am a pig, but when they better look hot when you’re presenting women’s matches with models instead of women who have honed their craft. I also give her props for going through with this match considering she cracked some ribs while rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars. Eve and KK start us out and the do their normal grappling sequence. Eve heads up for a moonsault, but Kelly clobbers her from behind and then makes the tag to Maria. They give Eve a double stink face, and Maria’s white pants get stained with Eve’s makeup making it look like she shit her paints. We get actual psychology as Eve goes to work in the injured ribs. Maria tries to fight out as the crowd chants “yes.” The tag is made to Beth and she continues to work on the injured ribs. They should have wrapped her ribs like DDP just for fun. Eve comes back in and shakes her ass to taunt, so Maria kicks her out of the ring. The hot (?) tag is made to KK and she heads up top and hits a sweet looking somersault plancha. The pin attempt is broken up by Eve, and Beth sets up for the Glam Slam, but Kelly counters with a bulldog. The tag is made to Maria and she heads up top as she is either a great seller or is in legit pain. Beth presses Maria over her head, but KK makes the save. Beth gets run into Eve and Maria gets the pin on the Divas Champion with a roll-up at 6:49.

Winners: Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos via Maria pin on Beth at 6:49
-About what you would expect from a divas/celebrity match. 1/2*

-Justin Roberts announces a record breaking crowd of 78,363.

-Jim Ross gets his own entrance as he makes his way to the ring to do commentary for the next match. Cole shows a little disgust in his voice, but relents and shakes hands with JR. Nice little touch there.

End of an Era: Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Triple H

-Shawn Michaels is your special referee, and he gets his own entrance as one would expect. Actually, since JR is here just for this match, this has to be first match ever where the ref, announcer, both wrestlers, and the cell (cage) all get their own entrance. Next closest I would guess is the hair vs. hair match at WrestleMania 23 when the ref, both wrestlers, Trump, McMahon, and the barber chair all got an entrance. Speaking of entrances Triple H has a rather modest one compared to the previous year, though the Skull King tunnel he came through was pretty sick. The Undertaker gets his typical awe inspiring, kick ass entrance as he makes his way to the ring wearing a black robe straight out the Shredder collection. Taker finally uncovers his head as we get out first glimpse of his nearly bald head with a mohawk. That actually looks pretty bad ass on him, and the fans seem to agree. As the cell lowers with Metallica blasting throughout the stadium, you just the feeling that this is going to be a war! As expected in a match like this they start trading blows in the middle of the ring and Taker gets the better of that exchange. He fires HHH into the corner, but blind charge hits some boots. HHH now starts firing away in the corner, but seemingly it only makes Taker mad as he tosses him to the floor. They brawl on the floor and Taker gets sent into the cell, but he just kind of shrugs it off. He sends HHH into the cell and hits a backdrop when HHH charges back. The crowd starts an Undertaker chant as he chokes HHH on the ring apron. Shawn gets a little too close and Taker gives him a little shove. Cole brings up a fantastic point in that HHH has never lost a match when Shawn’s been the special referee. Even Cole and JR seem flabbergasted that he mentioned something like that. The ass kicking continues on the floor and once back in the ring, Taker no sells a knee to the face and mows down HHH with a clothesline. JR notes HHH can become immortal tonight with a win here, and I wonder if that was a slight shot at Hogan. Probably not, but it was just something that crossed my mind. Old School connects and they head back to the floor where Taker uses the steps to hit HHH in the face. Effective! Taker follows that up with the legdrop on the apron, but out of nowhere HHH gets in a quick shot that leads to a ddt. Hunter tries a Pedigree on the stairs, but Taker backdrops out in a nice spot. Things get a little more vicious as HHH hits a spinebuster onto the stairs. Ouch! That was quite the sickening thud. Triple H follows in blindly though and gets caught with the Hell’s Gate, but he breaks by dead lifting Taker off the stairs and hitting a slam. In a call back to last year, HHH pulls out some chairs and he lays in some hellacious shots to the back of the Dead Man. The stairs get set up in the corner, and Taker gets run head first into those for good measure. We head back to using the chair as Taker gets the piss beat out of him so much that even Shawn seems offended. Shawn gets the chair from HHH and now the real story starts as Hunter tells Shawn to call for the bell. Everyone I watched with at the time busted out laughing when Shawn yelled “he’s old.” Too funny! HHH uses the other chair and Taker tells Shawn not to stop the match. The idea here is that Shawn is reluctant to be the one to end the match, and deep down it seems HHH is just as reluctant because he keeps telling Shawn to stop it. It’s a cool deal where neither seemingly wants to live with the guilt of stopping the streak, much like Shawn had to fight his feelings when he retired Flair fours years ago. HHH gets the sledgehammer and tells Shawn to stop the match again, but Taker won’t let it happen. The sledgehammer connects with Taker’s jaw, but he kicks out at two to a big sigh of relief from the crowd. Now the crowd is in this thing for good as Shawn keeps HHH from bashing Taker in the skull with the hammer. He yells for Shawn to ring the bell as now I am getting Survivor Series 97 flash backs. We get some great drama here as Shawn contemplates ringing the bell, but Taker makes the decision easy for him by locking him in the Hell’s Gate. HHH uses the sledgehammer to save Shawn, but ends up walking into a kick in the balls. Now HHH is trapped in the Hell’s Gate, but Shawn is out and can’t stop the match when HHH passes out. Charles Robinson sprints to the ring as Taker hits a chokeslam and that gets a close two count. Taker is kind of pissed at that fall so he chokeslams Robinson out of his boots. The Tombstone is next, but HHH slides out and Shaw connects with Sweet Chin Music and that sends Taker into a Pedigree for one of the greatest near falls you will ever see. Now the crowd is fucking jacked, and you can see the anguish on Shawn’s face as he realizes one lapse nearly led to him deciding the outcome of the match. A huge “this is awesome” chant starts and I agree with the crowd in Miami. HHH tosses Shawn out of the ring and into the cell as he wants to go after Taker with the sledgehammer again. Taker does the scariest sit-up you will ever see as he is super pissed. HHH is right fucked as he gets caught with a running boot and some heavy right hands. The corner clothesline is followed by snake eyes, a boot to the face, and a legdrop. The Tombstone follows and shockingly HHH kicks out at two as Shawn quivers in the corner. That entire sequence was absolute gold as Taker looked as crisp as I have seen in years. Another “this is awesome chant” break out as the trade blows in the middle of the ring as they attempt to get to their feet. The crowd boos HHH and cheers Taker with each blow and HHH escapes another Tombstone attempt and hits a second Pedigree. That one also gets two and for a second time Taker does the sit-up to a massive reaction. HHH crawls for the sledgehammer, and Taker crawls for the chair. Taker gets the chair first and steps on the hammer to basically ruin HHH’s day. Now its payback time as Taker wears out HHH with the chair until it breaks. Damn! Shawn starts to beg Taker to just end it, and he obliges by covering, but HHH won’t stay down. All three men seemingly just want this over, but nobody seemingly wants to do what they need to for that to happen. HHH crawls to his hammer once again and pulls himself up in the corner. He tries one last desperation shot, but Taker catches the hammer and shakes his head at him. HHH goes out with last one crotch chop and gets murdered with the sledgehammer. Taker pulls down the straps as HHH tries to pull himself up. Taker finally knows what he has to do as he makes the throat slash gesture and delivers once last Tombstone to finally end this war at 30:52. Taker moves to 20-0 and gets helped to his feet by Shawn Michaels as they mend fences following their two classic Mania matches. After some celebration, and pyro, Taker helps HHH to his feet and the crowd gives all three men a standing ovation. All three men share a hug and one last glance at the crowd as they reach the top of the ramp and here now nearly 5 months later it still gives me chills. Say what you want, but it’s awesome to see men beat the shit out of each other on the biggest show of the year and then show respect to each other at the end of the night.

Winner: The Undertaker via pin at 30:52
-Everything about this match was perfect, and no way could they have given anything else. This was truly an epic match where everyone should be commended (including JR on commentary). Currently this gets my vote for Match of the Year just because of the story it told and there’s something for stealing the show at the biggest show of the year. I am sure there have been better pure wrestling matches, but personally nothing can top the sheer spectacle, drama, and physicality of this one. *****

-Video recap of the previous Night’s Hall of Fame ceremony and then each inductee gets introduced on stage to the live crowd. I still need to get the blu-ray of this show so I can finally see the Hall of Fame ceremony. As noted Ric Flair is there on stage, and who would have guessed that Christian had to show up at a TNA PPV as a trade off for that one. One notable thing is The Fink does the introductions, thus getting him on camera for his 28th WrestleMania. Edges gets his theme song played to put him over as the headliner in the group, which I am sure even shocks him considering he is on stage with the Four Fucking Horsemen.

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

-This would be the match to get as many boys as possible as WrestleMania payday. Also it’s for the right to be the GM of both RAW and SmackDown. Kofi and Dolph start as I would have been happy to just see these two have a one on one match, but you take what you can get. I forgot to mention each team is wearing a Team Teddy or Team Johnny shirt. Ziggler gets dominated by Kofi and Truth gets to take over on him as well. A dropkick turns the tide and Drew McIntyre gets his chance to shine even though he is a replacement for the injured Christian. Khali gets the tag and not shockingly he dominates Drew for a few seconds before tagging out to Booker. Poor Drew continues to take an ass kicking as Booker gets a two count off a side slam. The crowd is dead and gone as this has to follow the previous match which had to suck for everyone involved here. Drew gets a lucky shot in and makes the tag to Jack Swagger as Lawler asks what Swagger has ever done at WrestleMania? When the announcers can’t even remember the poor guy won Money in the Bank only 2 years ago at Mania, you know he’s fallen and fallen quickly. The crowd is so into this match that they have their attention on the big screen to see if they are making TV. The Miz gets the tag as Booker has become your future GM in peril (which shows that this match meant jack shit considering we have 2 separate General Managers less than 5 months later). Things are so bad the face team has to start a “Booker” chant and even they give up only a few seconds into it as the crowd won’t bite. Things start to pick up as everyone starts taking turns running into the ring to hit a spot. Hornswoggle gets involved and tossed onto the heels on the floor, but thankfully they just catch him this year unlike at WrestleMania XXV. In the best spot of the match, Ryder, Kofi, and Truth go flying over the top at the same time to take out everyone on Team Johnny. That at least showed the crowd still had a pulse. The Bella Twins get into a cat fight while back in the ring Santino goes off on the Miz. He breaks out The Cobra, but Dolph makes the save. Ryder gets the hot tag and Dolph takes a sick bump off a monkey flip that adds a ½* to this match alone. The Ruff Ryder takes out Ziggler, and he preps for the Browski Boot, but Eve fucks things up for Ryder and The Miz uses the break to hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the win at 10:38. After the match Eve kicks Ryder in the talks just to show what a loser he really is I guess.

Winners: Team Johnny via Miz pin on Ryder at 10:38
-The ending picked up a bit and I appreciate Ziggler doing whatever he could to make sure he stood out in the match, but overall this match still sucked. *

-Promo video for Extreme Rules: My vote for PPV of the year.

-Alex Rodriguez and Torrie Wilson get camera time as it blows my mind that the two WCW Divas have moved on to dating A-Rod and George Clooney.

-Big Johnny, in his pimp suit, runs into CM Punk in the back and informs him that if he gets disqualified tonight he loses the WWE Title.

WWE Championship: CM Punk © vs. Chris Jericho

-There was talk that this match could have opened the show, but the daylight would have fucked up Jericho’s spectacular light bright jacket, so they made the right call. Everyone knew this match was coming, and expectations were crazy high which sometimes is a bad thing when you are expecting a ***** match. Punk is out for revenge after Jericho made things personal in regards to Punk’s family. In a good sign Punk gets the Superstar treatment with his introduction as a shit load of pyro goes off. Just a personal note but outdoor stadium shows look fantastic at night with the cameras flashing and pyro shooting above the stadium. Cole is all about the facts as he mentions 17 men have won the WWE Title at WrestleMania, but only 2 have done so since 2004. Damn, I never thought about how low that is considering it seemed like it was changing hands every year at one point. A stiff lock-up as they jockey for position around the ring. That leads to a mat sequence as they battle for an advantage. Punk gets that advantage with some strikes to the back of the head, and then stomps a mud hole in the corner as the ref counts for him to break. Jericho slaps Punk in the face and then turtles in the corner as he is trying to piss off the champion to get his disqualified. Jericho then yells “how’s your father?” as he is doing all he can to get under the skin of Punk. Jericho gets slammed for his trouble and Punk preps for the Macho elbow, but Jericho rolls to the floor. In a beautiful shot Punk leaps off the top to the floor with a clothesline and it looks like he is coming right through the skin. Jericho gets more personal as he asks about Punk’s sister and calls her a drug addict. Punk teases using a chair, but he comes to his senses and that gives Jericho the opening he needs. Jericho tries for the springboard dropkick off the middle room, but Punk moves and looks for a GTS on the apron. Jericho escapes that and clotheslines Punk back into the ring. Being WrestleMania and all, they let it all hang out as Jericho connects with a suplex from the apron to the floor. Nice! The replay shows that Jericho nearly turned that into a jackhammer as he did his best to use Punk’s body to cushion his fall. The now damaged back becomes a target for Jericho which makes sense as he should be looking for the Walls at some point. A double underhook back breaker gets two as the crowd is pretty damn quiet for some reason. Jericho continues to work the back as Punk does all he can to try to create separation. A running bulldog is countered by Punk as Jericho gets crotched in the corner. Punk fires up with some chops, and gets a neck breaker for two, though the crowd still doesn’t seem to care. They start to wake up as Punk hits the high knee in the corner, but his bulldog attempt gets countered. A lion-sault gets blocked as Punk gets up his knees, but that just gives Jericho a chance to go for the Walls. However, Punk counters that and hits a head kick for two. Nice sequence there as the crowd is finally getting into this match. Now Punk gets the Randy Savage elbow, but Jericho gets his knees up to block and that leads to a Code Breaker. Unfortunately for Jericho the momentum carries Punk out of the ring, and Jericho can’t get a cover. He brings Punk back into the ring and out of nowhere the champ gets the Go to Sleep for two as Jericho gets to the ropes. Another head kick is ducked, but Punk catches Jericho with a powerslam for two. A suplex attempt is escaped and they fight over back position before Jericho gets a front suplex that leaves Punk hanging off the top rope. The lion-sault does connect this time and nets Jericho a two count. They battle in the corner, and a Punk top rope hurricanrana is turned into the Walls of Jericho in a sweet counter. The good news for Punk is that they are close enough to the ropes so that he can get a break and save his title. Jericho charges in as he is starting to lose his cool and he ends up getting backdropped to the floor. A suicide dive through the ropes sends both men crashing into the security wall. A head kick sends Jericho’s head into the post as he gets rolled back into the ring, but he still has enough to counter a Punk springboard into a Code Breaker for two. Damn! You think Punk would have learned after a springboard at last year’s Mania was turned into a RKO that ended his night. Jericho heads up top after talking some trash, but he takes too much time as he gets caught with a kick. That leaves him into prime position for a GTS, but Jericho counters and ends up getting the Walls as it clearly sounds like the Jericho fans in the crowd are drowning out the Punk fans. Punk crawls for the rope, but gets pulled back into the middle of the ring to a loud reaction. Punk does turn the hold and gets a small package for two, and then gets the Anaconda Vice. Jericho rolls that into a pin attempt of his own, but it gets rolled right back into the Vice. Some well placed knees to the back of the head breaks the hold and Jericho goes right back to the Walls, but Punk kicks his way out, and he goes right back to the Vice. This time he positions his head so Jericho can’t connect with the knees, and that leaves Jericho no choice but to tap at 22:21.

Winner and Still WWE Champion: CM Punk via tap-out at 22:21
-This match had crazy, high expectations, and was kind of unfair I think for us to expect them to live up to those standards. The match started slowly as they teased the DQ angle before just going ahead with a damn fine match. The more I watch this match, the more I appreciate what they were able to do. The ending sequence with the counters and submissions was great, and while not an all time classic, it more than delivered. ****

-Brodus Clay has a harmless segment in front of the live crowd as he brings out his “mama” and her bridge club. Everyone dances and the crowd seems happy. Six months later, Clay is getting dominated on RAW by Cesaro to show how quickly he has fallen.

-Trailer for GI Joe featuring The Rock is shown. Personally, I am waiting for Fast 6 as The Rock’s character in that movie was a great addition to that franchise.

-A tremendous hype video for Rock/Cena is shown as once again the WWE production staff does what they seemingly do better than anyone else. Again, I would so buy a DVD of nothing but hype videos from this company.

-Puff Daddy brings out Machine Gun Kelly who performs “Invisible” and once they show it is for Cena, the crowd turns on MGK. He endears himself by calling out the Rock for having a big ego and saying Cena will rise above as the underdog. That brings out Cena as he gets absolutely roasted by the crowd which has to disappoint those in the WWE hoping for a split of the audience.

-Flo Rida performs “Good Feeling” and then does “Wild Ones” which is for the Rock. The main himself then makes his entrance and the crowd goes bat shit. Personally, I think Cena got the better of the two songs.

Once in a Lifetime: John Cena vs. The Rock

-Cole notes that this is 2 icons in their prime as I am guessing that is a slight jab at Hogan. That kind of makes sense though as the Rock/Hogan match from Mania is what this match will most likely be held against. The crowd erupts when the bell is rung, and much like Hogan/Rock they start out with a tie-up and Cena powers Rock to the mat. The crowd is electric here as they tie-up once again and this time Rock wins as he shoves Cena to the match. This is so totally being booked like an old school 80s match. They fight over an arm bar, and Rock gets some arm drags and then a cradle for two. Cena seems kind of shocked by what just happened, but he still has a smug smile on his face. In the build to this I was 100% with Rock, because Cena’s smugness just bothered the fuck out of me as he seemingly never took anything serious. The bad part is that I am not even a Cena hater as I feel he gets shit on too much, but damn did he start to get on my nerves in the build to this match. Cena continues to get dominated in the early going and he bails to the floor to many boos from the crowd. Cena finally gets an advantage as he goes to work on the ribs of the Rock in the corner. A stiff clothesline gets Cena his first two count of the match. Things go even more old school as Cena uses a fucking bearhug of all things, but the Rock quickly punches out of the hold. He charges after Cena, but he ducks out the way and low bridges The Rock to the floor. They do battle there, and the ribs continue to get targeted as Rock gets sent into the security wall and the announce table. A belly to belly suplex back in the ring gets two for Cena and I wonder if Shane Douglas went crazy on twitter like Angle did the previous year when the Angle Slam and Ankle Lock were used at Mania. Cena goes back to the bearhug as I guess Cena’s playing the role of Andre and the Rock is Hogan? The crowd starts to get a little bored with this, but fuck them, as this is the type of shit I grew up watching. As if they heard me the crowd comes back to life as they cheer on the Rock, and he responds by breaking out of the hold and hitting a sweet DDT for two. The Rock fights back and connects with a leaping clothesline, and a spinebuster. That sets up the People’s Elbow, but he doesn’t even get to remove his elbow pad before Cena pops up to counter. Cena ends up getting the Five Knuckle Shuffle as the crowd chants “same old shit,” which is kind of funny considering they were going bat shit crazy as Rock prepared for the People’s Elbow. Just saying! They start trading blows in the middle of the ring and we get the crowd cheering and booing with each blow. The Rock gets the better of that exchange, but the spit punch takes too long as Cena ducks and catches the Rock with the Attitude Adjustment for two. Damn! Cena seems a little distraught at that not ending the match and he ends up walking into a Rock Bottom to a massive reaction, but it only gets two. Tremendous fall there! Cena gets backed into the corner and eats some right hands, but as the ref tries to get the Rock to break, he finds his opening and connects with a side slam for two. Cena heads up top and hits the legdrop which Rock claims legit fucked him up for the rest of the match. The replay shows that Cena got some great height on that and Rock did take the move kind of weird. Cena looks for another AA, but Rock escapes and gets his sloppy version of the Sharpshooter (or Scorpion King Deathlock as some like to call it). The hold is broken though as Cena gets the bottom rope and that draws some big boos from the crowd. The Rock goes for the hold again, and again it just as sloppy as ever, but it’s the Rock so who cares. Again, Cena gets to the ropes to break, and Rock follows up this time with some elbows to the throat. The Rock looks pretty winded at this point, which isn’t all that shocking considering this is his first one on one match in over 8 years. They brawl on the floor as Rock sends Cena head first into the ring steps. They fight on the apron, and Cena gets a sunset flip back into ring and turns that into the STF. More old school goodness as the ref checks the arm to see if it will drop three times to end the match. It’s like I am reliving my childhood all over again. To hell with your fancy tap outs and shit, the arm dropping three times is true way to tell if a man is finished. The Rock fades as he sells this hold for all it’s worth and the arm drops twice as the crowd is enjoying this bit of nostalgia. Those of us who grew up with 80s Hogan knows what comes next as The Rock’s arm doesn’t drop on the third attempt and he powers up to break the hold with seemingly his last ounce of energy. Cena is baffled by the awesome power of the Rock and ends up charging into a Samoa Drop that leaves both men out. The ref starts his count, but both men are up by 8 and they trade blows in the middle of the ring again. Cena looks for the AA again, but the Rock counters to a spinebuster, and this time the People’s Elbow connects for two. The Rock is the one that seems shocked now as he stumbles into a small package for two as both men are left searching for a way to win this match. Cena catches the Rock with a catapult into the corner, and gets a pin attempt as the Rock bounces back to the middle of the ring. They fight in the corner, and Cena hoists the Rock to the top rope for a superplex. The Rock fights off however, and goes old school with a flying crossbody, but Cena rolls through and ends up dead lifting Cena into an AA for a hot near fall. The crowd was ready to riot on that one and Cena is left questioning himself. He seemingly wants to hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle again, but gets the brilliant idea to mock The Rock as he goes for his own version of the People’s Elbow. Much like tugging on Superman’s cape, it backfires as Rock pops up and hits a thunderous Rock Bottom to get the win at 30:34. The camera shows the fans losing their minds in the stands as the WWE gets the fans the endings they were wanting. Cena is a sad panda as he sits on the ramp watching The Rock celebrate in his hometown.

Winner: The Rock via pin at 30:34
-Some didn’t like the mix of old school WWF/Hogan era action on this one, but being I was raised on that shit it was a lot of fun for more. They built this match wonderfully and the crowd was with them throughout. They crowd was as crazy as Rock/Hogan, but that had a different feel. Cena delivered on the big stage like he always does, and The Rock looked pretty great considering his long layoff. I mean the dude just did 30 minutes after being gone for more than 8 years. Great job by both men and I am sure they will do all they can to top this for Once in a Life Time II. ****

The 411: The show was definitely carried by the 3 major matches, and thank God for that as everything else was just kind of there. The Sheamus/Bryan nonsense pissed me off greatly at the time, but all worked out well for Bryan in the end. Overall though this show will be remembered by the Hell in a Cell Match and the Rock/Cena battle. Those two matches make this easily a good show. The WWE Title Match gave us that pure wrestling match we needed to put this as one of the better Manias.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]