DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu #265 – WrestleMania 24 Review + More
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:05 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #265

Welcome one and all to the 265th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Well, the big dance has been and gone. Every man and his dog will have their say about the show over the next week or so and this will be just another man’s opinion. The Citrus Bowl was definitely something a little different and it is definitely a positive to have the occasional outdoor WrestleMania. Most things went off without a hitch, although the lighting issues in the Woman’s match were there for all to see.

It didn’t rain all that much from what I could see which was great for the spectators, but a scary moment regarding fireworks did occur at the end of the show. A loyal reader who was at the event was nearby when the fireworks problems hit and his account of the incident did paint it as a rather frightful scene which could have actually been a lot more tragic than what it turned out to be. Here’s wishing that all involved are fine.

Today, I will ditch the ‘Appetizers’ section of my column because my WrestleMania review will be so long and then follow up with a discussion as to whether or not WWE’s surprise selection of the night’s main-event was indeed the correct choice.

On with the citrusy show…..


MAIN – WrestleMania 24 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 '07)
55-59: Average. [C] (EG: Vengeance ‘07)
60-64: Worth A Watch. [C+] (EG: No Mercy ‘07)
65-69: Good event that was worth the money. [B] (EG: Armageddon ‘07)
70-74: Very good. [B+] (EG: No Way Out '08)
75-79: Make sure you add this ppv to your video or dvd collection. [A] (EG: Royal Rumble '08)
80+: Make sure that the video or DVD is locked in a safe & cannot be erased. Memorable. [A+]

JBL defeated FINLAY in a Belfast Brawl: Interesting & dubious choice as opener with the crowd only intermittently involved. JBL greets a charging Finlay with a big boot to (pardon the pun) kick things off. Then it’s almost immediately weapon time as garbage cans, oven trays & steel steps make their way into the ring. JBL has the better of the early action but a kendo stick shot by Hornswoggle changes the momentum. JBL counters a surprising suicide dive with a trash-can shot to the head, before the Irishman does get a 2 count off a similar shot of his own. A subsequent steel steps shot by Finlay is countered with a kendo stick though and the clothesline from hell finishes the job after 9 minutes. Solid opener, but a little disappointing to kick off such a huge show. Sufficiently entertaining in an old-school hardcore match kind of way, but still had a little too much dead time & standard brawling for a sub 10 minute bout. About what I expected, but not well-placed. Match Rating… 6.5

CM PUNK defeated CHRIS JERICHO, MR.KENNEDY, CARLITO, JOHN MORRISON, SHELTON BENJAMIN & MVP in a Money In The Bank Ladder Match: As kids around the world ask their fathers where Jeff Hardy is and I ask myself where his brother is, MVP takes control of the ring with ladder shot after ladder shot. Morrison then takes out a number of competitors with a ladder-assisted top-rope moonsault to the floor! An excellent 3 man ladder set-up in the ring sees Shelton sunset-flip powerbomb Mr.Kennedy as he was suplexing Morrison! The action then settles down for a couple of minutes before Shelton is pushed through a ladder set up at ringside (that I hope was tricked-up)! The standard modified walls of Jericho spot atop a ladder ensues before some nice 4 man action takes place up high.

Carlito hits an awesome back-stabber on Jericho from off a ladder, leaving only MVP standing. Cue my man Matt to emerge & hit a Twist of Fate off a ladder! Realistic false finishes then come thick & fast before it is Punk & Y2J battling to the end atop a ladder. And it is the ECW man who eventually wins out after 14 minutes. Never a letdown, this year’s MITB was as action-packed as always and hardly had a dull moment, making the seemingly shortish duration more than acceptable. I liked the unpredictability of the closing few minutes, but if there was any disappointment at all to this match it was the eventual finish that was a little anti-climactic. One could mount a case that this was the best MITB match ever. I am still to draw a conclusion on that argument, but it definitely was close. Match Rating… 9

BATISTA defeated UMAGA: Batista has the better of the opening shots, but it isn’t long until the heel evens things up and we settle in to what appears to be a usual big man match pace. We get our first resthold at just the 3 minute mark and the middle portion of the bout controlled by the Raw wrestler is rather mundane. Interestingly, a large portion of the crowd gets behind the heel Samoan, but it is all to no avail as Big Dave hits a spine-buster and then an awkward looking Batista Bomb for the victory at just the 7 minute mark. Disappointingly treated as filler and simply did not contain sufficient energy, pace or even intensity for its short duration. These 2 are capable of so much better & I hope we will get to see it on SmackDown soon. Passable, but only just! Match Rating… 5

KANE defeated CHAVO GUERRERO to win the ECW Title: After predictably winning the battle royal before the card proper, Kane sneaks up behind Chavo at the bell, choke-slams the champion and gets the 1-2-3 in almost as many seconds! As much as I am not a fan of Chavo as ECW Champion, he didn’t deserve that and neither did the brand. WrestleMania simply wasn’t the place for this kind of angle. One solitary rating point for the correct result! Match Rating… 1

SHAWN MICHAELS defeated RIC FLAIR: Both men have their moments in the opening minutes with the crowd clearly behind The Nature Boy. HBK ups the intensity with a slap to draw some blood & Flair returns fire with multiple chops & a top-rope cross-body for a 2 count. After Flair is forced to ringside, Michaels misses a moonsault where he lands heavily through an announcing desk which didn’t appear to have much give… Ouch! Flair methodically goes to work back in the ring with a decent variety of offense, including more suplexes than he has used in the past year. The 16 time World Champ is then back body dropped awkwardly to the outside & HBK this time hits a top-rope moonsault (although Flair didn’t exactly catch him in text book style). A top-rope elbow-drop then scores for HBK in the ring, as the band tunes up. Michaels hesitates for a split second though, resulting in Flair locking on the figure 4 leglock to pop the crowd. HBK eventually escapes & a series of near-falls follow as both men look tired.

Flair hits a chop-block & locks on the figure 4 for a 2nd time, but HBK gets to the ropes about a minute later. As Flair then struts with authority, Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere, but by the time he makes the cover, Flair is able to kick out at 2.9. Flair then hits a low-blow for a 2 count before HBK locks on his inverted figure 4. Flair escapes though & the 2 trade chops before another Sweet Chin Music is hit suddenly. When it is followed by an apologetic 3rd, Flair’s career is over after a very good 20 minute bout. As well-booked & structured as you could hope for, this was a fitting farewell for a true legend. While not everything went perfectly, both men lifted their game for this special occasion and the standing ovation afterwards made it all the more memorable. Kudos to all involved. Match Rating… 9

BETH PHOENIX & MELINA defeated ASHLEY & MARIA in a LumberJack Match: Snoop Dogg introduces this match and the heels are shown to the ring by Santino Marella. The faces begin well enough, but it isn’t long before the heels take control with their extra strength. Ashley gets in a couple of head-scissors takedowns to make the crowd take notice, but Melina hits a nice moonsault off of her partner to swing the momentum. The arena lights go off soon after distracting everyone from what is actually occurring in the ring for a while and upon return the match breaks down. It appears as if Maria has the bout won until Santino interferes, leading to Beth’s fisherman’s buster at the 6 minute mark for the heel victory. Lawler was involved with Santino at some stage and Snoop clothes-lined Marella after the match. Not an awful divas match by any means, it actually contained some decent spots and at least the result was in question right up until the end. This was as good as one could expect considering the participants. Match Rating… 5.5

RANDY ORTON defeated TRIPLE H & JOHN CENA in a Triple-Threat Match to Retain the WWE Championship: It is hectic from the get-go as Orton gets in a post-bell title shot on Triple H, before Cena takes it to the champ. A few excellently put together 3 man spots follow in the next couple of minutes, one seeing Orton get separate 2 counts on both men with rope-assisted DDT’s. It is then Cena’s turn to mount some offense, but he is eventually laid out, finally allowing some 1 on 1 action at the 6 minute mark. H targets Orton’s knee, but a Cena distraction allows Orton to RKO HHH out of the ring. The champ gets locked in an STF-U though, only to be saved by a crossface from a returning Triple H. The 2 faces then go at it for minutes on end, with the crowd getting involved most at this stage and the majority supporting the king of kings. Triple H eventually hits the pedigree on Cena, but Orton breaks up the count with his now trademark punt kick on H, before surprising everyone with the victory by pinning Cena after 14 minutes.

Well I didn’t expect that! I didn’t expect this bout not to be the main-event… I didn’t expect it to only last 14 minutes… And I definitely didn’t expect Orton to retain his title (although it became a strong possibility as soon as this bout wasn’t on last). I really liked the first 6 minutes as the little touches were superb (EG: Orton using his legs to trap his opponent on a pinfall attempt), while the 3 man action was very good. The remainder was a solid mix of everything which sufficiently kept the crowd involved. If anything, there may have been too many submission holds, but that’s only in retrospect as the duration was a little disappointing. Apart from that and the actual result (both of which may lead to this being under-rated by many), this was very well booked & performed. However, it could have been a classic with 5-8 more minutes & being placed as the main-event! Match Rating… 8.5

FLOYD MAYWEATHER defeated THE BIG SHOW: Mayweather predictably spends the first 3 minutes avoiding TBS, while landing the occasional punch. In fact, the only offense Show gets is on one of the posse. The wrestler eventually catches the boxer, but a couple of right hands lead to Mayweather locking on a sleeper-hold variation. TBS eventually escapes & squashes Mayweather multiple ways, predominantly targeting the left arm & body. The posse then attempt to take their man to the locker-room, but Show chases them down & finally gets Floyd back into the ring. He gets Mayweather in position for a choke-slam, but a posse member hits a chair-shot. Mayweather then does the same multiple times to a distracted Show before a brass knuckles right hook has the big fella out for the 10 count after 12 minutes. Decently put together I suppose, as it was about the correct duration and not too much of a chore to watch. That doesn’t necessarily mean it was all that great though and kudos should be given to the crowd for not crapping on the bout too much. Match Rating… 6.5

THE UNDERTAKER defeated EDGE to Win the World HeavyWeight Title: After an excellent backstage interview earlier, Edge begins aggressively & continuously knocks ‘Taker to ringside looking for the countout win. An eerily silent crowd reacts to very little in the opening 7 minutes as the heel controls proceedings for the majority of that time. The tide is finally turned when Edge is pushed from the top-rope to take an awkward fall at ringside, leading to the phenom’s now customary dive to the outside over the top-rope. At ringside however, Edge suplexes the dead man onto & over the security railing as a front row blonde laconically hardly moves. A half-crab kills some time (& the crowd), before the 2 duke it out to some dueling chants. Edge then counters a choke-slam into an impaler DDT for a 2 count, before ‘Taker gets the same result with a successful choke-slam.

As we pass the 15 minute mark, Edge gets 2 counts from a superplex & a neck-breaker, but ‘Taker gets the same result with a Last Ride Powerbomb. A referee bump then occurs allowing Edge to hit a low-blow & then a big camera shot to the head. But ‘Taker counters a tombstone attempt into a tombstone of his own. It’s all to no avail though as the ref is still out and by the time Charles Robinson runs down to the ring, only a 2 count is the result. Ryder & Hawkins then get involved, but the challenger takes them out immediately, before the champ hits a spear for a 2.9 count! At this stage, the crowd is well & truly involved as ‘Taker uses another spear attempt to lock on his new submission choke for the victory at the 24 minute mark.

Very much a match of 2 halves, this is a really difficult bout to rate. The first half was actually quite disappointing to me as it was rather mundane & practically did nothing to involve the crowd. The latter half was fantastic though and not too dissimilar to last year’s Batista vs Undertaker WrestleMania bout. The usual near-falls galore and eventual face title win closed ‘Mania out the way it should, but in time I am not so sure this will be rated anywhere near the best WrestleMania main-events of the past. In fact, I can see many over-rating this match (maybe even myself) as these 2 struggled initially to have this stretch out to its 20+ minute duration. Match Rating… 8

PPV RATING (59/90) = 66

Looking at the key, I have basically given the 2008 version of ‘No Way Out’ a 'B' grade & said that it was a ‘good event that was worth the money’. Although I am unsure how much I am in a position to comment on the value for money of the event as many American readers emailed me about the price hike they were lumped with this year. Either way, I think a ‘B’ grade is about right. As I feared before the event, there was simply a little too much filler on the card and too much relied on the 4 main matches. Thankfully, all 4 of those delivered very well, with 2 of those bouts reaching a 9 rating.

The intangibles pretty much negated themselves with some dubious match ordering & results being offset by an excellent atmosphere & 2 or 3 quality backstage segments. All in all, a good solid show, but as with the last few years worth of WrestleMania’s, this is only ranked in the middle of the pack in the grand scheme of WrestleMania rankings. The main thing to distinguish this from previous years is the outdoor environment & the fact that it contained Ric Flair’s final match.


DESSERT

Incorrect WM24 Main-Event???

In both my "detailed match discussion" and "predictions" columns concerning WrestleMania 24 over the past month, I mentioned the possibility of Edge vs The Undertaker being the main-event of the night. Furthermore, I have seemingly gone on and on about how the SmackDown brand gets short-changed regarding co-branded pay-per-view main-events for literally years. WrestleMania 23 was indeed a good example. So one would expect that when the World HeavyWeight Title match was placed last on the card this past Sunday night, I would be ecstatic. Well, I hate to be contradictory, but I wasn't. In fact, when all was said & done, I disagreed with the decision!

I know this is a little off track, but let me try and explain my reasoning with an off-topic example. And please forgive me for not doing my homework here and having the exact movies & years stated, but I am certain you will get the gist. As an avid film watcher, I used to hold The Academy Awards in high esteem. That all changed when over a decade ago, a series of results made me feel that the awards were practically compromised from year to year.

As I said, I can't recall the specific movies, but I know the actors involved were Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and I think Daniel Day Lewis. Hanks had previously been unlucky not to win a Best Actor Oscar and while the nominations were mounting up, no award had fallen his way. Washington had previously won a Best Supporting Actor award for his sensational performance in 'Glory', but had not come close to winning the top actor's gong. One year came along & I was 99.9% certain that Denzel deserved the Best Actor Oscar, while Hanks would again play the bridesmaid. That didn't occur and Hanks won the award. Then, if memory serves me correct, Hanks won the same award the following year (or the year after) when he probably did deserve to win it. Daniel Day Lewis was involved in my thoughts somewhere in there as well.

Anyway, my point is that each year, (and in the case of pay-per-views each month), the choice of main-events must be judged independently at the specific point in time. Apart from the match results that took place this past Sunday, I just get a feeling that Edge vs 'Taker was placed as the main-event as a payback of sorts for not having Batista vs The Undertaker (my eventual match of 2007) not be the main-event last year.

Now don't get me wrong, if you had told me 4-6 weeks ago that the SmackDown bout would be the main-event, I would have been pleased. But comparing the build-up to both World Title matches this year was no contest. Simply put, Randy Orton vs Triple H vs John Cena should have been the main-event in 2008... Albeit with a different winner than what eventuated on the actual night.

I know there are occasions when things add up and they are difficult to ignore over time. Take Kane winning the ECW Title for example. We all know what he has had to put up with over the years and a title reign of any sort is well-deserved. But putting what is arguably the 3rd most prestigious title on a wrestler cannot be compared to what is the main-event of the year's biggest card.

Furthermore, this can have a domino effect. Who isn't to say that Triple H (or John Cena) was indeed slated to win the WWE Championship until it was decided to not have the triple-threat bout as the main-event. Then Vince comes along and says "Well, if it's not going to be the main-event, why don't we swerve the fans and have Orton retain?" Because you can bet your bottom dollar that if the triple-threat match was the main-event, Orton was not leaving the Citrus Bowl with the title.

I don't know, maybe I am making too much out of it all. Maybe the results were indeed booked first and then the match ordering came later. All I am saying is that I hope WWE judges things on a month to month basis. But when it comes down to the WrestleMania main-event every 12 months, then simply award the placement of the last match to the most deserving match-up... And yes, in some cases that will even be the case if it means a heel emerges victorious & sends the fans home just a little gloomier than they otherwise should be!


Ok, that’s another WrestleMania Review in the bag. From what I have been hearing & reading, there has been quite a wide range of reaction to WrestleMania 24 thus far, so it will be interesting to see what my feedback brings this week. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com, but if you are an LOP Forums member, it would be much appreciated if you could leave feedback on my thread at http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=159

I am planning on writing a column next Wednesday and I have quite a few ideas buzzing around in my mind. A couple of them actually stem from off-the cuff comments I briefly mentioned somewhere in today’s column. But I will keep them too myself at the moment as I am unsure how they will play out in full topic form. Whatever comes your way, my column will be posted at the same Wednesday time on the same LOP channel. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.


DaveyBoy’s Wrestling Menu. 2002-2008

Exclusive To LordsOfPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com











***DIRECT LINK*** Over 14 Total HIGH QUALITY Maria 2008 PB Photos! MUST SEE!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]