DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu #125 - WrestleMania 21 Review, Raw Review & Where To Next
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 6, 2005 at 7:06 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #125

Welcome one and all to the 125th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Well, WrestleMania 21 has been run & won. As per usual, it saw the end to some angles & the continuation of others. But at the same time, the event started a whole set of future possibilities. Going back to my column last week, I stated that these 3 ingredients were important for any WrestleMania, and to that extent, I already congratulate the WWE for a job well done.

Just quickly on my predictions column from last week. Firstly, a big thanks to everyone who took the time to read it. Anytime I get over 7,000 hits, I am truly flattered. And secondly, I've never professed to be great at my PPV Predictions. I did go through a hot streak early last year from memory. But like many others, I tend to write what I think should happen, rather than what I think will happen, a little too much. Personally, I felt it was the quality of this pay-per-view that was the main priority, and not the results. For those keeping score though, I went 4 from 8. Hey, it's a pass!

My column will be a little a$$-about today. Basically, I'll start with the 'Main' section, which will be the review of WrestleMania 21, and then go from there. I will apologize here for the length, as I know this edition will be long.

Before I start that review, I must state something I did a little differently than usual before writing this column. I took the time to read some other reviews & thoughts from people who took the time to email me over the past 2 days. The reason I did this was because after viewing the event, I felt that many people would be split down the middle on the quality of a number of matches. And man, was my theory proven correct. And you know what? That's a good thing. Please remember that it's just opinion. I'm not correct. You're not correct. We all look for something different in matches. I really think the WWE knows this & on this specific night did what they had to do, to positively connect (to some degree) with as many people as possible.

On with the show.....


MAIN - WrestleMania 21 Review

For those that cannot recall my previous PPV review columns, this is the key, that explains what the final PPV Rating means:

<50: Ask for a refund for not only your money, but also your time. [F] (Armageddon '04)
50-54: Mediocre & disappointing. [D] (EG: No Way Out '05)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Royal Rumble '04 & No Way Out '04)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: Vengeance '04)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Survivor Series '04)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: Royal Rumble 2005)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: SummerSlam '02)
80+ : Make sure that the video or dvd is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

REY MYSTERIO defeated EDDIE GUERRERO: Entertaining opener which definitely could have been better, but was still very solid. Needed at least another few minutes, as these two deserve more than a 13 minute duration. Not as crisp as I was expecting (with the one seriously botched move), but that was offset by some moments of sensational impact (which reminded me of the classic Malenko vs Mysterio bouts of '96). There was pretty much a good mix of everything involved, although a few more minutes would have allowed them to really step it up towards the end. The same can be said for the anti-climactic ending. And whoever was the person behind Rey wearing a new mask made a serious mistake, as his adjusting of it every 30 seconds did get more than a touch annoying. But please don't get me wrong, this was still very good & a tremendously solid opener. Hard to rate, as it had it's ups & downs. This match does make history though, as I have finally sold out to the .5 rating system (don't worry, I won't overuse it). Match Rating...7.5

EDGE defeated CHRIS BENOIT, KANE, CHRISTIAN, CHRIS JERICHO & SHELTON BENJAMIN in a 6 Man 'Money In The Bank' Ladder Match: Spectacular ladder match which hardly let up on the action. All men contributed in some way & not too much more could have been asked from them. For a 6 man match, I did not think it was overbooked & was as natural as practically possible. The only probable exception was the 3 ladder spot early on, which didn't really have a good enough payoff for something so rehearsed. Not quite worth a 10 rating, but not far from it. 16 minutes wasn't quite enough & the ending also probably deserved something a little more special. But I'm nitpicking a little. Entertaining & sufficiently spectacular. Kudos to everyone involved, especially Benjamin (who took another step to super-stardom) & Benoit (who made me barrack for him when previously I didn't really care if he won or not). Close to being the match of the night. Match Rating...9

EUGENE / MUHAMMAD HASSAN / HULK HOGAN SEGMENT: This used up 11 minutes, so it most definitely should be part of the overall PPV rating. Nice booking to include Eugene & then Hassan. The moment fit in very well in the grand scheme of things. Probably not quite as funny as it should have been, but humorous enough. And I personally would have liked Hogan to acknowledge Eugene as he was heading to the back. Plus, where was the legdrop of doom? I know he's injured, but still! Overall, a nice touch. Segment Rating...7

THE UNDERTAKER defeated RANDY ORTON: Probably the match which will get the most mixed reviews (although Orton-haters will never see anything good that he does). Personally, I thought this was absolutely sensational. Like the majority of Orton's matches, the bout started tremendously. I was waiting for the monotony to eventually settle in, but it just never came. Any restholds or submission holds were done for a purpose & were kept short (go back & view the match again if you think this was full of restholds). While not everything was perfectly crisp & a few of the simplest moves didn't go 100% right, what I liked a lot about this match was the impact of almost every move. On top of all this, the story was told perfectly by by both men. Proof of this was the great reaction the match got from the crowd. Add a well-placed 'Cowboy' Bob Orton run-in & a sensationally booked final few minutes & this was simply tremendous stuff. Fourteen minutes was the perfect duration for these 2. Match Rating...8.5

TRISH STRATUS defeated CHRISTY HEMME to Retain the Women's title: Nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Trish played her character perfectly (when doesn't she?) & Christy's offensive spots were well-booked & sufficiently performed. While there was the predictable awkward moments that one would expect from a bout involving a debutant, it truthfully wasn't too much more than the usual women's match anyway (sorry, but it's true). I would have preferred a better finish, but seeing as though I'm in a good mood, the correct woman won & it only lasted 5 minutes, I'll just pass this. Match Rating...5

KURT ANGLE defeated SHAWN MICHAELS: I kept trying to lower my expectations before this match, but as soon as the pre-match promo & staredown filled my screen, I was just helpless in getting caught up in the action. Was I disappointed following that? A little. But when your expectations were as high as mine, it was always a possibility. Correctly given 28 minutes, but it actually felt that long, if not longer (which isn't always a good sign). Basically, it was split up into 3 lots of 9 minutes. I really liked what the 2 attempted during the first third of the bout. It was a nice combination of something that was predictable, but different. Plus, it set up the rest of the bout well. But it went on a little too long & was a bit too repetitive for my liking. The action kicked up a gear (predominantly) on the outside of the ring in the middle portion of the bout. Some great psychology was evident here & you could tell that both men were trying to do something spectacular to finish the match off. Whether something spectacular was eventually needed, I'll leave up for debate, as I am still unsure myself. The final 3rd was predictably excellent. While it may have stretched out a little too long & had some downtime, it was all part of the big picture & worked a treat in getting the crowd involved, while keeping us all guessing as to the final result. Actually, a little hard to rate, it will be interesting to see how this match ages, but my guess is it will be favorably. I'm going to say this tied the ladder match for 'match of the night'. Match Rating...9

PIPER'S PIT SEGMENT with 'STONE COLD' STEVE AUSTIN & CARLITO: Thankfully, Austin & Piper worked well together here. 15 minutes in total, Piper controlled his ad-libbing very much for the good of the segment, while 'Stone Cold' did what he always does (which was just fine by the live crowd). The unpredictable addition of Carlito was actually a good idea in theory, but at the end of the day, didn't really add a great deal. But overall, this segment was a success, and like the Hogan appearance earlier, was very fitting. Segment Rating...7

AKEBONO defeated THE BIG SHOW in a Sumo Match: The Big Show came decked out in sumo gear & Akebono made him look like Chris Masters! Seriously folks, I didn't want to look too closely at the big Hawaiian. Took an eternity to begin & was pretty much a waste of time once it did. Clearly a work, I just felt no involvement whatsoever. And for some unknown reason, I thought sumo contests were best out of 3. Time waster. Match Rating...2

JOHN CENA defeated JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD to Win the WWE Championship: Like a movie or a play, a wrestling match should have 3 acts; A beginning, a middle & an end. Well, this match only had 1 act, as there wasn't really a beginning & the end would have been missed if you blinked at the wrong time. Seriously disappointing, I knew we were in trouble when JBL hooked in a sleeper-hold at the 6 minute mark. In all honesty, the 2 styles simply did not mix here & both men's lack of offensive repertoire was found out. No-one was to blame more than the other, they just both struggled to pass the test. At the end of the day, the bout was saved by Cena's final flash of spark & intensity. But it meant so much less because a more than sufficient feud had cold water poured on it by the first 8-10 minutes of the match. While ending the bout at the 12 minute mark wasn't befitting a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, it probably was wise for the quality of the bout itself. I'll speak more on the repercussions of this match later in this column. Match Rating...5

HALL OF FAME SEGMENT: 8 minutes in length, this was pretty standard fare, but very fitting. I think it's a good idea to have this be an annual staple at WrestleMania. Call me old-fashioned, but I like the nostalgia aspect of it all. It's not doing any harm whatsoever & strengthens the importance of WrestleMania. Segment Rating...6

BATISTA defeated TRIPLE H to Win the World HeavyWeight Title: Well-structured 21 minute match (especially after the JBL vs Cena disappointment) that was as good as we possibly could have asked for in the circumstances. Triple H worked the match well as the heel (which is something JBL couldn't do), although the pace wasn't exactly non-stop. I especially liked the entire final sequence, which was a pleasant surprise considering the match duration. Totally satisfactory for a WrestleMania main event, although nowhere near anything special. And finally, congratulations to both men for achieving something I thought they couldn't do sufficiently; Work a passable 20 minute match. I admit that I was wrong on that, although I still point out that the Triple H vs Randy Orton bout from the Royal Rumble was better. Match Rating...7

PPV RATING (73/110) = 66

Looking at the key, I have basically given WrestleMania 21 a 'B' grade & said that it was a 'good event that was worth the money'. I'm more than happy with that rating & comment. Like I said at the top of this column, there was enough included amongst this event to please anyone, and I think that has to be considered when judging the event as a whole. When attempting that, it becomes more difficult to please everyone & get a high rating. Having said that, a few adjustments here & there & this could have been right up there with the best ever WrestleManias. As it is though, as an early guide, I would just rate it in the top 10 of all time. Overall, this was a very solid event that was brought down by 2 time wasters & 2 title matches which were only sufficient. A final mention to the crowd (another area where the opinion of quality was split), as I felt they were always involved when they needed to be & when the match quality was high. Most definitely a recommended watch.


WHITE WINE

The Road Ahead For SmackDown

Sorry for the feeble title to this section, but I just couldn't think of anything else on the spot to fit the changed structure of this column. What I want to do here is take what happened on the SmackDown side of the card of WrestleMania 21, plus add a few rumors & personal thoughts, and give my brief opinion as to where SmackDown should/may be heading over the next few months.

I think the most appropriate place to start is at the top. Unfortunately, it's not good news here. After almost a year of building JBL into a great champion character-wise (& sufficient wrestling-wise), it's almost been all wasted with one match. I will go on record as stating that I was fully for the Cena title win & still am. But the booking of the WWE Championship bout not only didn't do much positive on the night, but begins an important title reign extremely shakily.

No matter how the WWE follow up on Cena's big win (and I'm fully expecting them to do a good job of doing so promo wise), there will always be the stigma of this match lingering in the background. Cena needed a lot more of a kickstart to what is such an important title reign, than what he has been given. But calling it the way I see it, he is as much to blame as his opponent & the WWE bookers. I just can't see how the WWE could have taken the risk of presenting such an ordinary bout to end such a long title reign & begin such an important one.

While I initially wanted a rematch between these 2, I don't want to see it now. I really couldn't care less. And if it does occur, it better not be on pay-per-view, nor waste too much of our time. Simply put, I feel that the WWE have no other option but to play the Angle card. Kurt Angle needs to establish Cena as the champ. They proved at 'No Way Out' that they could have a very good match, well it basically has to happen again. I'd personally keep the title on Cena for at least 2-3 months, if not longer. But he needs opponents that will show out his intensity in the ring. Plain & simple, JBL couldn't do that. Kurt can, as could a heel Eddie Guerrero.

Elsewhere, I do eventually see Eddie turning heel. I had no problem with it not occurring at WrestleMania 21 & feel that it should happen sometime over the next month. The SmackDown brand just has a better balanced feel to it with Eddie as a heel. And for those that believe that it should be Rey turning heel; Sorry, but I just don't see how that could be successful.

Don't ask me what to do with The Undertaker & The Big Show. I'm sure the WWE will figure something out. All I can say is that the WWE need to hold off on the Undertaker vs Kurt Angle feud, as the WWE Championship around John Cena's waist should be of paramount importance right now.

I won't talk about the tag-team division as it will probably be a waste of my time, but I will talk about the cruiserweight division. I know many people say this year after year, but there is some genuine possibility of advancement here. While Billy Kidman has been wasted since his injury, I think the WWE have used Chavo Guerrero & Paul London rather well lately (it was a shame they couldn't compete in a WrestleMania match due to Chavo's injury). Add to that the occasional appearance by Rey Mysterio, the improvement of Akio, and the rumored future signings of Psychosis, Super Crazy & Juventud Guerrera, and there is definitely heaps of potential here. Let's just hope the WWE know this.

But in all honesty, the picture is bleak for the SmackDown brand. Despite the fact that they won both cross-brand matches at WrestleMania 21 (all 3 if you count the dark match battle royal), there was no great advancement. The roster is badly in need of something I will discuss next week (outlined at the end of this column).


DESSERT - Raw Review

As most may recall, I occasionally like to review Raw the night after a Pay-Per-View, as I often feel that the 2 shows which come just 24 hours apart, are inter-linked. But I especially look forward to this Raw, as the show after WrestleMania, has often resulted in many surprise events occurring in previous years. As per usual, my Raw review is not as serious as the 'PPV Review' & I will often throw in the odd sarcastic comment. I also do it in point form so that I don't rant on too much.

- Well put together WrestleMania 21 highlights package to begin with. I don't know if showing so much footage will help the buyrates for 'Backlash' though.

- No matter what perspective you come from, there is no way a Triple H in-ring promo should have opened up the show. It wasn't actually too bad, but the prominent placement was not a sign of looking to the near future.

-Tremendous 7 minute triple-threat InterContinental Title match between Benjamin, Christian & Jericho. Well put together & performed, this also had it's fair share of ingenious booking. I loved the powerbomb-superplex combo, Jericho's dual bridge pin & the clever and understated finish. These 3 men aren't far from the top of their game right now.

- Very good promo by Randy Orton. It worked on 2 levels as a heel promo: (1) He put over the WM21 match against The Undertaker, while making an excuse for why he lost (in typical heel fashion). And (2) moved forward by using his past involvement with Batista. A Batista appearance was needed though, to give the later main event a little more meaning. Orton keeps getting better in my opinion & some people forget that he is only 25.

- Trish's chick-kick to Christy during the supposed title rematch was so quick that I missed it (lucky I had the show on tape). Then she took Lita out. This is actually quite an interesting idea for an angle; If the WWE don't dismantle the women's division 1 by 1, then Trish will. Cleverly booked..... if there was someone else to step up to the plate in the division.

- I'm at a loss to explain the purpose of replaying almost all of the Eugene / Hassan / Hogan segment.

- I've heard the same promo from Shawn Michaels before, but thankfully the segment went somewhere with Hassan & Daivari coming out. Well booked with the heels coming out clearly on top & possibly setting up the first bout for 'Backlash'.

- GET READY FOR 2 BIG COMMENTS: (1) Chris Benoit almost makes me believe that professional wrestling is real! And (2) in these 2 performances within 24 hours of each other, Benoit has proved why he is the best in-ring wrestler going around at present, if not ever. No disrespect to Edge, but I hardly noticed him in this terrific 15 minute match. Benoit's selling, intensity, psychology & all-around wrestling was simply top notch here. To top it all off, Benoit's surprise win & Edge getting his heel heat back afterwards was great booking.

- Very good 'Simon System' segment with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Good to see Austin effectively pushing some undercarders. And I think he did do that here, as I just feel that it gave the Simon & Maven combination some quality airtime and, for want of a better word, credence. Of course, it helped that the segment was also quite funny.

- Above average 5 minute main event between Batista & Orton, that achieved it's purpose well. Like I said previously, I feel an earlier Batista appearance would have built the bout up better, but I may be nitpicking. I would have liked to see Orton sell the shoulder more, but I suppose that all depends as to when he wrestles his final match before his hiatus. Again, this was above-average & wrestled at a good pace. Sign of the night: "Batista is so January".

Wow!!! What a surprise episode of Raw. This was very much NOT what I was expecting. Raws after WrestleMania usually contain surprises, advance storylines markedly & contain more talk than action. And while it's a little disappointing that the storyline advancement wasn't there & there was no great surprise, you will never see me complain about a quality wrestling television show. Two superb tv matches involving 5 in-form superstars, plus a decent main event is all you can ask for wrestling-wise on free television. While the promos tonight were way above average. Great stuff & a good way to keep those viewers who always are interested around the WrestleMania period.


DESSERT WINE

The Road Ahead For Raw

In complete contrast to SmackDown, Raw has all kinds of possibilities for where it could be headed over the next couple of months. Hell, there are almost too many possibilities. Proof of this was who was going to wrestle Batista for the World HeavyWeight Title on this past episode. While it's arguable as to whether or not Batista can carry the huge load of being the champ, he has the opponents that can carry him to decent matches (especially on television).

The only concern I have is if the WWE continue on making his character into a fully fledged old-fashioned type of babyface. They need to keep that hard edge about him, or else we will see predictable & monotonous promos (which aren't his strength anyway) that slowly reduce the impact of his wrestling matches.

With 'Backlash' being so close, I would probably go for a Triple H title rematch. A gimmick match of sorts may help add some variation, but at the end of the day, Batista needs to retain. Remember my naive prediction at the beginning of this year; Whenever Triple H does lose the title, he will NOT win it again for the remainder of 2005. I still stick by that prediction & hope the WWE agree with it too. Of course, while the Batista vs Triple H rematch is taking place, Edge sits in the background adding a further layer to his already strong heel character.

The other thing about Raw is that there are so many wrestlers whose stock is on the rise. Batista & Edge are going great guns, as are up & comers like Shelton Benjamin in the midcard & Muhammad Hassan a little lower down. Add to that the facts that Chris Jericho & Christian have been on the rise this year, while Chris Benoit reminded us all how good he can be over the last couple of days, and the possible match-ups are endless.

Now if only the WWE could work out how to successfully book the tag-team division!!!

Of course, this much potential on Raw means that there is a possibility that wrestlers will get lost in the shuffle. And because of that, I will spend a major portion of next weeks column discussing how to avoid that, while improving the SmackDown brand. What this means is that.....

NEXT WEEK - My 2005 Draft Lottery

That's correct; I believe that the WWE should repeat what they did last year & hold a draft lottery sometime over the next month. So, next week in my column, I will give my opinion as to which 12 wrestlers should switch brands. It's sure to be controversial & be a great discussion topic.


Phew, that was indeed a long column. Oh well, I guess edition #125 is a milestone of sorts, so it deserved it. I really hope you enjoyed reading this column. As per usual, please don't hesitate to send me your thoughts on WrestleMania 21 or the road ahead for SmackDown and/or Raw. I'm always interested to hear your feedback & ideas. And you know that I will reply to all feedback. I do have a busy upcoming few days though, so please be patient for a reply. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

As already outlined, next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will have my opinion on which 12 superstars should switch brands in an upcoming draft lottery. I will also have a special live report/review of the Melbourne SmackDown house show taking place on Friday night. Despite the bleak picture I painted for Smackdown's future in this column, I truly cannot wait for this live event & am confident it can be good. I also usually put up some WrestleMania 21 reader feedback, so I'll try & squeeze some of that in as well. Looks like another long column on it's way. Look out for that column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel next week. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.











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