Jay’s Ways-Wrestle Mania 24 Review
By Justin Watry
What an interesting week for the WWE! Some of it was very, very good. Other parts of the week were…well…..not so good. It was one of those times, though; you loved to be a fan of this industry. Without wasting anymore time, I am going to get into the usual ‘WM review’ portion, with thoughts on other topics of the week.
Wrestle Mania started off with a bang, in my opinion. JBL and Finlay beating each other up in a no rules situation are perfect. Hornswoggle returned before the match started, which was my first hint Finlay would lose. It was a perfectly acceptable opener to Mania, and I was even right on a JBL win. Like I said, now Finlay can go back to Smack down, JBL can move up the ranks on RAW, and we can all pretend this whole little mess never happened. I am not sure I like the placement of the MITB ladder match, but it sure did its job. It gave us an exciting match, with many ‘spots’ and it made a star. Matt Hardy returned to screw MVP, and everyone gave a great performance. Shelton is a god? Some will not agree with Punk winning, but I wanted it, I called for it, and I got it, so I am happy. He will likely go to RAW, as he has been used up on ECW, and he lost a few times on Smack down already. In a quick note, I enjoyed all of the celebrity appearances, backstage segments, and all the ‘extra goods’. Batista vs. Umaga was a little disappointing, considering I called it a possible sleeper match of the night. That it was not. I did enjoy it. It did its job. We had an ‘advertised’ cross-promotion battle, and it made Batista look dominant again, after losing a few months in a row. I think the Umaga-Batista battle will resume, but not now. It doesn’t seem to be the current direction, but this was a fine match. Nothing amazing. Nothing bad. What a Batista Bomb though! I have no qualms about Kane vs. Chavo. It produced a new champ. The crowd loved it. If you looked at your clock at the end of the night, you should have seen the PPV end right on time, so timing had to come into the picture during some of these match lengths. Kane looks powerful, and all is right in the world. HBK vs. Flair had to be match of the night. It ended the right way. As much as we all wanted to fantasy book and all; it ended the way it should have. Bone chilling finish. Great job to both men, and it definitely was ‘THE WM 24 MOMENT’…..I’m sorry….I love you. Bunny Mania was a fine little divas match. Snoop ruled all, and the chicks all worked hard. The finish was puzzling, but for the fourth year in a row, the Playboy girl loses. I guess we should have seen it coming, but we didn’t. Beth wins, and she looks good doing it. I was shocked to see the WWE title match on after that, but it worked. Orton won, and I think we all knew it was coming as soon as we realized this wasn’t the closing match. Before the show, we all assumed Cena or HHH would leave as champ. So much for the year round rumors once again of HHH winning the belt? I am really getting sick of those ‘HHH will win’ rumors at big shows. Is it time for us to finally forget about him ‘burying’ talent? He will regain the belt when it is time. Let’s see Orton shine for awhile yet. Floyd taking on Show was a very entertaining match. Anyone disappointed with this must have been expecting a Flair/Steamboat classic. This was exactly what we should have gotten. It was fun, and both men looked strong come the end. Great ending. You did well, Floyd. You are welcome back anytime soon. Taker winning the title was a fitting way to close the show. We didn’t think it would close the event, but it was a nice surprise. No surprise in Edge losing, but my house was convinced he would retain the title. I kept on telling them that Edge was going to lose come hell or high water, and he did in the end, but it was fun on the ride. WWE put on a really amazing event, that can only be called WrestleMania, and I can’t wait for next year in Texas.
Quick side comments about RAW and ECW/Smack down: Big Show and Khali will be an ugly but fun feud. I do not expect it to last long. Give Big Show a nice win to bounce back and then feud with Taker. Cryme Tyme returning was a shocker to me, but it was cool to see that. Jericho was due to feud with Hardy for awhile, so what is he doing? Feuding with Punk, the MITB winner, so it seems they are staying the course. Hardy losing to Orton was the right choice, as he got his win back on Friday night over MVP. I can’t wait for Hardy to finally win the US title. Kane reigning as ECW champ will be fun. He will regain the title against Chavo at Backlash, but I could be wrong. Taker will probably feud with Edge for awhile yet, but retain the title. Taker vs. Kane sure was interesting on Smack down, but it did its job. HBK and Batista being mad for Ric’s retirement was much unexpected. I hope they do feud. I wonder who or if anyone will change brands for that. It looks like a promising battle. Flair’s farewell on RAW was about as prefect as it gets. When Triple said, “Anyone else back there that wants to say thank you to Ric can come out now”, I fully expected Sting to come out. I guess it was too much for TNA to allow that, but it was a magical night for Ric and the fans.
Way #1- In a shocking manner, I am going to pick 3 matches for WM 25 next year in Texas. It will probably be way off as I barely got a few right just 2 months before the event, much less a year before. My first is Stone Cold vs. The Rock at WM 25. It has to be in Texas for Steve Austin. He will be the focal point of this event. Either he will return to wrestling or go into the Hall of Fame. Rocky is or was his buddy, so I think he would return. We all know my feelings about Rocky, but my ship has sailed on trying to hope for Austin/Hogan.
Way #2- Texas Sized Battle-Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. It has been teased two years in a row now. This is being held in Texas, so why not here? HBK can lose, and it will add another victim to Taker’s undefeated streak. They can even add in the fact that HBK ended Flair’s career at WM, so why not Taker’s streak?
Way #3-John Cena vs. Batista is another must. It should have happened this past year, but it didn’t. Cena will be wrapped in a movie for awhile and then HHH. They can start building the tension a little later in the year. Whether it is in a brand change or not, this feud is a must. I would have Cena win, but that is only because Batista beat him in the Royal Rumble in 2005, and that would even it out.
Way #4-What was TNA’s rating for their big LIVE edition of iMPACT? Oh yeah, the rating DROPPED to a 1.0. Great. As much as I enjoyed the show, it seems others could really not care. Atleast they will make a profit this year. Samoa Joe had better win the TNA title this month, or TNA is done, and Joe is too!
Way #5- Rocky acting ‘Hollywood’ at the HOF ceremony? Really? Wow, let’s hear people defend him. I know I called for this awhile ago, people blasted me for it, but look how he acts. Totally absurd. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out Dwayne.
That does it for this Post WM edition on Jay’s Ways. Those are my current WWE thoughts, and those are, indeed, Jay’s Ways.
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