Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Top Five Saturday: Top Five Non-Main Event Wrestlemania Matches
Remember yesterday, when I said there'd be two updates? Yeah, I lied. But now you get an update today! This list ignores the main events, and goes to the oft-ignored undercard of Wrestlemania. They are presented in chronological order.
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania III This is a total no-brainer. Savage and Steamboat had the best match of the first three Wrestlemanias, and by a country mile. If you haven't seen this match, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
-"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Wrestlemania VI Two of the greatest wrestling minds in history go for 12 minutes of pure old-school psychology. Every movement has a reason. One of the all time greats.
-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a Submission Match, Wrestlemania XIII This is the match the rocketed Steve Austin to superstardom, and with good reason. The entire match is steeped in psychology, with each man trying to outdo the other, and ends with a finish that puts both guys over.
-The Undertaker vs. Triple H, Wrestlemania XVII The Undertaker's undefeated streak has it's ups and downs, but in my opinion, this is the biggest up (mostly likely until tomorrow night). This 20 minute brawl with Triple H (who was reportedly suffering from the flu) is one of 'Taker's best matches, period. It's a go anywhere donnybrook, that climaxes with Triple H being chokeslammed off of a scaffold.
-Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, Wrestlemania XIX Shawn Michaels is Mr. Wrestlemania, and that's no joke. Every Wrestlemania match he's been in is at least watchable (not even the Undertaker can lay claim to that), but most are great. This one is the best (possibly until tomorrow night), and the finish laid the groundwork for even greater matches to come.
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania III This is a total no-brainer. Savage and Steamboat had the best match of the first three Wrestlemanias, and by a country mile. If you haven't seen this match, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
-"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Wrestlemania VI Two of the greatest wrestling minds in history go for 12 minutes of pure old-school psychology. Every movement has a reason. One of the all time greats.
-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a Submission Match, Wrestlemania XIII This is the match the rocketed Steve Austin to superstardom, and with good reason. The entire match is steeped in psychology, with each man trying to outdo the other, and ends with a finish that puts both guys over.
-The Undertaker vs. Triple H, Wrestlemania XVII The Undertaker's undefeated streak has it's ups and downs, but in my opinion, this is the biggest up (mostly likely until tomorrow night). This 20 minute brawl with Triple H (who was reportedly suffering from the flu) is one of 'Taker's best matches, period. It's a go anywhere donnybrook, that climaxes with Triple H being chokeslammed off of a scaffold.
-Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, Wrestlemania XIX Shawn Michaels is Mr. Wrestlemania, and that's no joke. Every Wrestlemania match he's been in is at least watchable (not even the Undertaker can lay claim to that), but most are great. This one is the best (possibly until tomorrow night), and the finish laid the groundwork for even greater matches to come.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wrestlemania XXV Preview
Ok, I've been behind all week, but today is a double post day, so perk up, loyal readers! This was meant to go up Wednesday, but I was at the Faint/Ladytron show that night. Anyways, here we go, match by match for this year's Grandaddy of 'Em All.
Chris Jericho vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, with Ric Flair in their corner- Quite honestly, I think this is a waste of talent, on all sides. They teased a 0ne-on-one match between Flair and Jericho, but Flair actually wants to respect his retirement (strange, huh?) so it looks like it'll be a three on one. The only problem is, that cheapens the Legends. I know they're old, but it takes three of them to take on one Jericho? Doesn't that kind of lend creedence to all the things Jericho's been saying all along? A one-on-0ne with Piper would've probably been a better match. Either way, it'll be a crowd pleaser.
25 Diva Battle Royal- The only word for this is "meh."
CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match- Always a crowd pleaser, this year's money in the bank supplies an interesting line up. The only possible victors here are Christian or CM Punk, and the smart money's on a repeat for Punk. No one else is over enough to be considered a serious threat to any title, though Henry could've been if they'd kept him on TV more often after dropping the ECW title to Matt Hardy. Regardless, it should be entertaining, with all the superstars taking some sick bumps for your viewing pleasure.
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker- I'm saying right now that this is the match of the show, if not the year. HBK is Mr. Wrestlemania, and that's a shoot. The Undertaker was also telling the truth in his promo about pulling out all the stops for Wrestlemania. Naturally, the Undertaker goes over, because Shawn has nothing to lose, but the journey there is gonna be a wild ride. Don't miss this match!
The Miz & John Morrison w/Nikki Bella vs. Primo & Carlito w/Brie Bella in a Lumberjack Match to unify the Tag Team Titles- These four guys have shown time and time again that they can have great matches. Lumberjack matches are interesting, but don't really add much. It is nice to see everyone be able to get a Wrestlemania payday, though. Ultimately, I'm concerned that this match just won't get enough time for us to see what all these guys can do, and to use the Lumberjack gimmick to it's fullest.
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match- I'll be honest, I was hoping they'd put these guys in the Money in the Bank match, and push their singles blowup all the way to Summerslam, with Jeff refusing to fight Matt. That didn't happen, but this match should still be one of the greats. Both of these guys have tons of talent, and an affinity for "taking it to the extreme," so expect some sick bumps and solid ringwork.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title- Bradshaw's claimed that he's gonna "make Wrestlemania history" by beating Rey Mysterio so badly. That tells me that this match should be 8 seconds long, as King Kong Bundy beat SD Jones in 9 seconds, which was the worst beating in Wrestlemania history. As it stands, I doubt that. I'm curious, but I don't think the match will be great. JBL can't move around like he used to, and that will affect his repore with Mysterio.
Edge (c) vs. The Big Show vs. John Cena for the World Heavyweight Title- There's no doubt these three will deliver the goods. Look for Vicki Guerrero to be at ringside, distracting both of her lovers. Cena will get a victory in a solid match, and I expect Vicki to be the cause. This love triangle is going to cave-in on itself.
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Title- There's no doubt this match is going to be great. Randy Orton probably should cheat his way to victory, but it's Wrestlemania, and the people want to see Triple H get revenge for his in-laws. There's no male fan who doesn't sympathize with H, having been forced to watch another man beat up his wife. Nothing would stop any of us from taking a brutal revenge, so expect Triple H to.
Chris Jericho vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, with Ric Flair in their corner- Quite honestly, I think this is a waste of talent, on all sides. They teased a 0ne-on-one match between Flair and Jericho, but Flair actually wants to respect his retirement (strange, huh?) so it looks like it'll be a three on one. The only problem is, that cheapens the Legends. I know they're old, but it takes three of them to take on one Jericho? Doesn't that kind of lend creedence to all the things Jericho's been saying all along? A one-on-0ne with Piper would've probably been a better match. Either way, it'll be a crowd pleaser.
25 Diva Battle Royal- The only word for this is "meh."
CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match- Always a crowd pleaser, this year's money in the bank supplies an interesting line up. The only possible victors here are Christian or CM Punk, and the smart money's on a repeat for Punk. No one else is over enough to be considered a serious threat to any title, though Henry could've been if they'd kept him on TV more often after dropping the ECW title to Matt Hardy. Regardless, it should be entertaining, with all the superstars taking some sick bumps for your viewing pleasure.
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker- I'm saying right now that this is the match of the show, if not the year. HBK is Mr. Wrestlemania, and that's a shoot. The Undertaker was also telling the truth in his promo about pulling out all the stops for Wrestlemania. Naturally, the Undertaker goes over, because Shawn has nothing to lose, but the journey there is gonna be a wild ride. Don't miss this match!
The Miz & John Morrison w/Nikki Bella vs. Primo & Carlito w/Brie Bella in a Lumberjack Match to unify the Tag Team Titles- These four guys have shown time and time again that they can have great matches. Lumberjack matches are interesting, but don't really add much. It is nice to see everyone be able to get a Wrestlemania payday, though. Ultimately, I'm concerned that this match just won't get enough time for us to see what all these guys can do, and to use the Lumberjack gimmick to it's fullest.
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match- I'll be honest, I was hoping they'd put these guys in the Money in the Bank match, and push their singles blowup all the way to Summerslam, with Jeff refusing to fight Matt. That didn't happen, but this match should still be one of the greats. Both of these guys have tons of talent, and an affinity for "taking it to the extreme," so expect some sick bumps and solid ringwork.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title- Bradshaw's claimed that he's gonna "make Wrestlemania history" by beating Rey Mysterio so badly. That tells me that this match should be 8 seconds long, as King Kong Bundy beat SD Jones in 9 seconds, which was the worst beating in Wrestlemania history. As it stands, I doubt that. I'm curious, but I don't think the match will be great. JBL can't move around like he used to, and that will affect his repore with Mysterio.
Edge (c) vs. The Big Show vs. John Cena for the World Heavyweight Title- There's no doubt these three will deliver the goods. Look for Vicki Guerrero to be at ringside, distracting both of her lovers. Cena will get a victory in a solid match, and I expect Vicki to be the cause. This love triangle is going to cave-in on itself.
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Title- There's no doubt this match is going to be great. Randy Orton probably should cheat his way to victory, but it's Wrestlemania, and the people want to see Triple H get revenge for his in-laws. There's no male fan who doesn't sympathize with H, having been forced to watch another man beat up his wife. Nothing would stop any of us from taking a brutal revenge, so expect Triple H to.
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