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FOLLOW Mr. Tito on Twitter: @titowrestling So here we are folks, the Wrestlemania 28 full blown review by yours truly, Mr. Tito and going out with a bang. I am writing this for my longtime and/or loyal readers who have stuck with me since October 1998 and also when I've made my recent comeback in 2010 for quite a roller coaster ride in 2011. Thus, this column is a "thank you" to all of my readers. I appreciate all of the kind words and support you've given me here at LordsofPain.net, and thank you to LoP's owner and operator, Calvin Martin, for allowing me to hold a big megaphone here. As hyped, I wrote this column LIVE and have boldly attempted to aggressively post this immediately after Wrestlemania 28... Thus, as you read this, I'm completely "in the moment" for the entire show (and excuse errors/typos, please!). Wrestlemania 28 is TITOBastards at Comcast, or shall I say "Xfinity", actually added an additional $10.00 to the pricetag this year for High Definition (HD) to cause a nice $64.95 purchase. This better be a damn great show, damn it! I guess the high price will be for the music royalties paid towards Flo Rida for his Good Feeling song which commercials and movie trailers are also overplaying. I also figure that Kevin Dunn (Executive Producer of the WWE) will get lots of video packages in, although I'll go mad if I count the minutes on those... I was unaware that we were outside for this event... I just hope we don't "Wrestlemania 9" this show... Lillian Garcia starts the show with "America the Beautiful"... I could enjoy her performance, but I'm struggling to take her seriously after what Sean Waltman said about her during his "YouShoot" interview... LOL The HOT OPENER was Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, as the Smackdown World Title wins back-to-back honors of being the opening match. Daniel Bryan goes for a "good luck" kiss from AJ and when he turned around, Sheamus destroyed Bryan with his Brogue Kick. NEW World Champion! Holy cow! That is SURE to piss off Daniel Bryan's fans! With the title switching hands and going to the Royal Rumble winner, good luck getting it back, Bryan. ZERO STARS for it being a non-match. Backstage, Team Laurinaitis, as the rest of the members completely ignore the Miz's pep talk... Miz even gets buried in backstage moments! John Laurinaitis comes in with a full white shirt and red tie to brag up him becoming GM of both brands. Next up, it was Kane vs. Randy Orton. This match always felt like it was just thrown together just to give Orton a match. Funny stuff as the fans chant "Daniel Bryan", as I'm sure there are marks throughout the world still upset about that Sheamus squashing of Bryan. Fans are hot for this match, as it's technically their opener with the non-match they saw with Bryan/Sheamus. They were chanting back and forth during their punches... Kane was working on Orton for the middle of the match until Orton did a nice reversal of a sidewalk slam. Nice dropkick by Orton into Kane's top-rope clothesline. Orton wanted to kick Kane's head in but missed... Chokeslam by Kane, but 2 count only! But then Kane hit a second Chokeslam but from the top rope for a CLEAN WIN against Randy Orton! Wow! Good job on the unexpected finish, WWE... ***1/2 Backstage, Santino and Mick Foley are with someone from the "Deadliest Catch", and both begin to attack the crablegs with their sock puppets... Ron Simmons makes an appearance and yells "DAMN" almost on cue. Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show... Good to see Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan wearing the robes to the ring... It's a classy ring entrance look, as Ric Flair, now a 2-time Hall of Famer, made famous. Cody has his work cut out for him, as he needs to make fans believe that he can legitimately hurt a 7 foot, 400+ pound human being. Cody starts the match off, as a heel, by exiting the ring and ambushing Big Show when he entered the ring... But it didn't last, as Big Show delivered absurd chops... Then Cody began to work on the knees, which is how you do it. Cody then went for strikes off the ropes but Big Show caught Cody with a midair spear. Eventually, it led to Big Show getting the win via Right Hand and becoming the NEW Intercontinental Champion. Big Show was pretty emotional after getting the big win, as his luck at Wrestlemania hasn't been the best. ** K-Mart commercial on Wrestlemania? Come on, man... And now, we pay Madonna royalties for her new song "Girl Gone Wild" with a Divas video package followed by how the next tag team was caused by the show Extra. Maria Menounos/Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix/Eve Torres was up next, as I realize that we're burning through matches to give the Main Event matches some time. Fine by me... Kelly Kelly proved herself to be sloppy on moves early and yet she's expected to be the wrestler of the team. "Big Show" is trending worldwide, as Twitter does not put more eyeballs on WWE programming... Speaking of Twitter, it's hilarious to see the utter RAGE about the Daniel Bryan/Sheamus match. Kelly Kelly redeems herself with a nice flipping Lou Thesz press off the toprope. Better yet, Kelly Kelly reversed a Glam Slam off into a Bulldog... I guess I take my criticisms back... Finish was Maria trying to get to the top rope but Beth Phoenix stopped her and put her in a full body press... But Kelly Kelly pulled Maria down and Beth Phoenix was shoved into the ropes, knocking Eve off the canvas, and then Maria got the roll-up for 1, 2, 3. Became a decent match for the Divas match, all things considered. **1/2. I'm sure Beth's fans will be upset at the celebrity pinning the Divas Champ... Backstage, it was Shawn Michaels being interviewed as referee... 78,363 in attendance for Wrestlemania 28. Very nice. Jim Ross came out to do some announcing... Next up, was referee Shawn Michaels to be introduced. Oh my, Hell in a Cell is NEXT! Nice positioning, as it's far enough away from Cena/Rock to not take its heat. Hell in a Cell is next with Triple H vs. Undertaker. Great wrestler entrances, as always, from both wrestlers. And now, we get to see the Undertaker reveal his new haircut, which actually looks pretty badass with the buzzed mohawk look. Nice build-up with the cage slowly lowered, although with one of the worst Metallica songs in the "Memory Remains". Brawling to start. Looks like Cell is a bit tighter around the ring than normal, but I can imagine the bigger cell is a pain to haul and elevate above the ring. Undertaker dominates the start of the match and it's amazing how he can still walk those ropes... Taker attacked Undertaker with the stairs and then hit a beautiful legdrop on Triple H on the apron. Triple H finally got some offense with a Spinebuster, but the Undertaker soon hit the "Hell's Gate" submission, only for Triple H to lift Undertaker and slam him to get out of the move! Wow! Both wrestlers are bloody at the forehead, as I wonder if both have been opened the "hardway". Triple H cracks the Undertaker with the chair a few times. Hopefully, not in the head this year so that the WWE Corporation doesn't have to make a stupid announcement about both Undertaker and Triple H getting fined for a headshot. I can see the WWE Corporation apologizing for both HHH and Undertaker getting bloody. HBK pulled away the chair, but Triple H pushed away Shawn to crank Taker with more chairshots. Triple H yells at Shawn "you stop it", to which the Undertaker tells Shawn "don't stop it". More chairshots and the HHH gets his sledgehammer. Two count only after a sledgehammer shot. When Triple H was legitimately trying to swing the sledgehammer, FOR ONCE, Shawn pulled the weapon away... Then, Shawn made the foolish mistake of checking on the Undertaker, to which HBK was then slapped in the Hell's Gate submission himself. Triple H broked that move up and when going to attack Undertaker again, Hell's Gate for Triple H! Shawn Michaels, however, remained out cold and Undertaker broke the Hell's Game move. Referee Charles Robinson entered the ring and counted a 2 COUNT ONLY for Undertaker pinning Triple H after a Chokeslam. Undertaker was upset at the call and Chokeslammed Little Natch (Robinson). Triple H pushes out of a Tombstone piledriver and Shawn Michaels hits SWEET CHIN MUSIC on the Undertaker, revenge for the Hell's Gate you see, and Triple H then hits the Pedigree for a VERY CLOSE 2 COUNT ONLY! Holy cow, and the crowd goes wild for that. Triple H picks up the sledgehammer and throws HBK out of the ring in anger. Undertaker rises and goes on the attack with burst of energy. Tombstone piledriver and Triple H kicks out! The crowd is losing it! The two are punching in the middle of the ring and the crowd is cheering on each punch until Triple H hits another Pedigree for yet another 2 count only! For anyone critical of HHH/Undertaker having a rematch, just observe how that Miami, FL crowd is eating it up, all 78,363 of them! Now it's Undertaker's turn to attck with the chair, but making sure to have no headshots because that equals fines! Undertaker uses the sledgehammer himself, after Triple H taunted him with DX crotchchop, and then hits the Tombstone for the 1, 2, and 3. WHAT A BATTLE as once again, these two guys DELIVERED HARD with a great hard fought battle. This is WHY they had a rematch and this is WHY both guys can keep wrestling high profile matches whenever they so choose. *****, and am honored to have watched this match. 20-0 for the Undertaker, by God. After the match, Shawn and Undertaker helped Triple H out of the ring. WWE Hall of Fame segment is up next... Edge looks odd with the short hair. If you'll recall, the WWE during the early 2000's wanted him to cut his hair, but he refused. Test and Christian, however, said "yes" and cut their hair. Amazing to see that Edge is a Hall of Famer this year, but he retained the World Title last year. Heath Slater called Flo Rida as "Florida" until the real Flo Rida comes out, and after Heath begs Flo Rida to perform with him, Flo Rida slams Heath into the wall. Next match was Team John Laurinaitis vs. Team Teddy Long. I guess we've split up the Bella Twins to introduce the teams or to get those sweet, lovely human beings a spot on the Wrestlemania payday. What cracks me up is that this is for the General Manager spot of both rosters, yet the teams have to resort to picking wrestlers NOT from high profile Wrestlemania matches. I'd have to suggest that Great Khali's chops are more devastating than the Big Show's. Not much flow, rhyme, or reason to this match so far, as there should be a "sense of urgency" for wanting their team to win the match. Then again, this match is following the epic Undertaker/Triple H match. Then, the match got hot when the typical tag format was broken and it became a spotfest. Some Eve Torres interference during the Woot Woot Woot caused the referee to get distracted, and thereby Zack Ryder, and it led to the Miz actually getting the pin with the Skullcrusher on Ryder. **3/4, as the match became fun towards the end and now we get doofus John Laurinaitis on both shows. I'd care if I watched Smackdown... Afterward, Eve Torres kicked Zack Ryder in the balls. Man, between Ryder and Bryan both getting some humiliation, their marks are sure to go CRAZY for the next few weeks. WWE Extreme Rules Pay Per View advertisement... Exactly what match from that will even come close to Undertaker vs. Triple H's effort? At ringside, Alex Rodriguez is with Torrie Wilson. How bizarre, but good job A-Rod! Backstage, CM Punk is awaiting his match when Team Laurinaitis walks by and of course John Laurinaitis was good for additional "motivational" words. Up next is Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk, and with plenty of time left in the broadcast to give these two in-ring titans some time. Chain wrestling to start and then after some stalling, Chris Jericho shouts "hey Punk, how's your father". Oh good God, that's the psychology of the match, the contrived WWE Creative Staff storyline? CM Punk was still angry by the comments that he almost resorted to attacking with a chair, but backed off. DEVASTATING Suplex on the outside by Jericho on CM Punk. OUCH at CM Punk's head bouncing off the canvas when Jericho pulled him off the top rope. Seems where all WWE matches get good is when the counters of finishing moves occur, and this match is no different. Punk somehow found the energy to hit the Go to Sleep (GTS), but 2 count only. Jericho is hitting some nasty moves, as he connected with a suplex on the ropes and then a Lionsault for a 2 count only. Punk tried to apply the Frankensteiner off the top rope but Jericho caught him and went to the canvas for a Walls of Jericho finisher! Nice! Jericho with yet another great counter as the GTS was countered and another Walls of Jericho applied. Punk gets out of Jericho's submission hold, but yet Chris Jericho submits to CM Punk's Anaconda Vice for when it's first applied... Hmmm... ****, good match overall. Probably not the "clinic" everybody called for, but both guys gave excellent effort. I thought Jericho was great in this match with his counters and CM Punk withstood a beating. In a move that's sure to get the Drive-by Internet Wrestling Community fired up about NOT giving more time to Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus, Brodus Clay came out for a segment that encouraged everyone to call their mommas! Momma Clay shows up and then a whole army of old ladies comes out to dance. I can't believe I'm typing this but I guess it's a cheap way to get WWE fans a bathroom break before Rock vs. Cena. Why wasn't a nipple showing on the Machine Gun Kelly female singer? Quite an interesting uniform to say the least... I can't wait for Wrestlemania 28 to end just to NOT hear "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida on a pro wrestling event ever again. These live performances do nothing for me, as the Bryan/Sheamus fans should be enraged that time is given to this, too, LOL! John Cena vs. the Rock, at last, is here... Awesome new Boston Celtics-like shirt for John Cena. The crowd is RED HOT for this match, as they should. The Rock seems to be raging full of energy, as if he's really missed doing this... Very basic back and forth offense between the two, and then they start punching... Rock gets the better and tries for a People's elbow but Cena reversed that into a submission attempt. 5 Knuckle Shuffle instead. More brawling, as Rock gets the upperhand on the punches only for a missed punch and into the Attitude Adjustment. 2 Count only! Then, the Rock gets in his Rock Bottom, 2 Count only! Cena with a pretty dangerous Fameasser from the Rock from the top rope, 2 count only! Rock with the horrible looking Sharpshooter. It's a nice tribute to his friend, Bret, but at least have Bret show Rocky how to apply the move! For a second time, too! Now, it's a continuation of "SUBMISSION NIGHT", as Cena applies the STF... Sadly, no longer called the "STFU" in the PG-era. Rock almost escaped but the STF was re-applied. That's right, it's "SECOND APPLICATION OF SUBMISSION HOLDS NIGHT"... Rock is looking sleepy, but when you raise that arm for the 3rd time, the face wrestler always wakes up. Now they are slugging away, with "shades of Rocky 2", and after a missed Rock Bottom attempt, we get the People's Elbow instead. 2 count only! Rock tried a crossbody from the top rope, but Cena rolled it, powered upward and slammed the Rock with an Attitude Adjustment! Yet another 2 count only! That was pretty impressive... Cena got cocky and tried to taunt the Rock with the People's Elbow... But the Rock got up as Cena hit the 2nd series of ropes and Rock Bottom, 1, 2, 3, CLEAN WIN FOR THE ROCK! And all of you called me "crazy" for my "WHO WILL WIN" prediction. ****1/2. WWE wants the Rock around, hence the big moment for the Rock and not their full time employee, John Cena. LAST WORD: The overall sense is that the WWE remains very dependent on the late 1990's/early 2000's Attitude Era wrestlers and not so much on the current roster. I would agree with that in a sense, as the newer wrestlers should be showcased... But the older guys can still bring it. I'm sure that wrestling fans will crow over Daniel Bryan jobbing the World Heavyweight Championship within moments to Sheamus, especially since Sheamus is Triple H's handpicked Royal Rumble winner and bodybuilding buddy... BUT, I look at Wrestlemania as a show and if it entertainment me or not... Wrestlemania 28 certainly entertained me and delivered on most matches, especially on the 3 big matches. Thus, I boldly give this show an A for a GREAT Wrestlemania show. And the show was GREAT without Batista or Brock Lesnar appearing... Just chill... Till the next episode! @titowrestlingBUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! Mr. Tito's Top 28 Wrestlemanias of ALL TIMEMy updated and revised list from last year's BLOG is TITO entry posted immediately after Wrestlemania 27. Certainly, this list insertion of Wrestlemania 28 is immediately after the first viewing as perspective is often needed to fully rank a Wrestlemania for all time's sakes. But, let the debate begin! #28 - Wrestlemania 9 - Was that the toilet flushing or was that Wrestlemania 9? The worst, by far, Wrestlemania of all time... First of all, the environment was incredibly flawed... An outdoor arena on a cloudy day allowed for a very gloomy show. Then, you have the sad display of a main event which featured Yokozuna winning the WWE Title and then foolishly putting the belt on the line with Hulk Hogan thereafter. But actually, that part of the show is something to remember as the rest of the show was not. Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez is BRUTAL and possibly the worst Wrestlemania match of all time with the Undertaker trying to work with a 7'7" tall stiff. WWE tried to relive Megabucks vs. Megapowers with Money Inc. vs. Beefcake/Hogan, and it was a decent attempt at a good match, but the match seems to just not work. Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka was probably the best match of the show, but was not enough to save this turd of a show. #27 - Wrestlemania 1 - Yes, I'm hating on the first Wrestlemania. This show felt dated back when I watched it annually during the 1990's and only the Piper/Wonderful vs. Hogan/Mr. T match does anything for me, as the rest of the show is incredibly cheesy and is actually a very short show time-wise. #26 - Wrestlemania 11 - Probably the most overhyped Wrestlemania with Pamela Anderson/Jenny McCarthy and Lawrence Taylor getting more publicity than the show itself. Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund provides the show with a great match, and "I Quit" match no less and Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels is decent overall. Too much hype around the Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor match which did nothing for the WWF in the long-run. #25 - Wrestlemania 24 - Other than Shawn Michaels retiring Ric Flair and maybe Edge/Undertaker, this show was a chore to get through. Just a boring, overall, show that just didn't have that feel of importance to it as it should. #24 - Wrestlemania 4 - I'm nicer to this show than most, as putting on a large tournament for one night is quite a task for any promotion. Seeing the WWE crown a new star in Randy Savage was a complete treat and the battle royal on this show is very fun with Bret Hart turning face by attacking Bad News Brown after the match. #23 - Wrestlemania 16 - 2000 is arguably the best WWE year of all time, wrestling-wise, but you wouldn't know that from Wrestlemania 16. Complete clusterf*ck booking, as the WWE shoved as many wrestlers into this event as they could and ruined the main event with McMahon overbooking. The Dudleys/Hardys/Edge & Christian Ladder Match is AWESOME and Jericho/Benoit/Angle was very cool with the 2 falls for both of Kurt Angle's titles. Otherwise, this show is sad to see considering the loaded talent the WWE had during this year. #22 - Wrestlemania 18 - Rock vs. Hogan is the memory from this show, but there are parts of the show that are quite good. RVD vs. Regal serves as a decent opener, I liked seeing DDP win a Wrestlemania match, Angle vs. Kane is perfectly acceptable, I really love the Undertaker vs. Ric Flair match (match of the show), and Jericho/Triple H tried but the Toronto fans were worn out after Hogan/Rock (even were exiting the arena during the match). Rock vs. Hogan is worth seeing, though, regardless of what you think of the rest of the show just for historical purposes and Rocky selling like a champ for Hogan. #21 - Wrestlemania 13 - Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, DAMN that was a great match! I have no problems with Sid vs. Undertaker, and the Bulldog/Owen vs. Mankind/Vader is a fun tag match. Both Rock and Triple H are midcarders on this show, but I really liked Triple H's 1997 year as a midcarder as he finished his feud with Mick Foley and his feud with Goldust was solid. #20 - Wrestlemania 6 - This show is very top heavy with Warrior/Hogan and doesn't have a standout midcard match below it. However, the show has a collection of good midcard matches that helps paint a picture of the end of the Hulkamania era of the WWE before attempting to rehash it for the next 3 Wrestlemanias. #19 - Wrestlemania 26 - Very top heavy with Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker but with an overall decent midcard with Edge/Jericho probably being second best. Seems like most other matches on this show are too rushed and poorly planned. The card looks better than the overall show, but the event is strong at the top. #18 - Wrestlemania 23 - Just solid matches, all around, on this show... Cena vs. Michaels was as good as it could have been, but possibly 10 minutes too long... Benoit and MVP put on a fast paced 10 minute match, many like Undertaker vs. Batista, and the Money in the Bank and ECW vs. New Breed collections of many wrestlers in one match each were fun. #17 - Wrestlemania 12 - I know that I've called the Iron Match match overrated, so thus this pick is probably catching a few off guard... But I don't see a single bad match on this show, even though Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart is 1 hour of the show. I like the Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H jobbing, as it was supposed to springboard Jim Hellwig back into the WWE and gave oldschool Warrior fans something to root for. Seeing the Warrior no-sell the Pedigree is a thing of beauty... I've always liked Savio Vega and Steve Austin working together, as they always had great chemistry together. The six man opener between Vader/Owen Hart/British Bulldog and Yokozuna/Jake Roberts/Ahmed Johnson was fun, Goldust and Roddy Piper throughout the show was highly entertaining, and I have no problems with Diesel vs. Undertaker. If only Shawn vs. Bret had more falls during the 1 hour Ironman match, this would be a highly ranked Wrestlemania, in my opinion. #16 - Wrestlemania 2 - The "forgotten" Wrestlemania, as I always call it, as Wrestlemania 1 set the stage for the WWE to become huge and Wrestlemania 3 made them huge. Yet, this show, which spanned across multiple cities, is in the middle and it's not bad. Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy is OK, as the storyline surrounding it was actually better. I love the sheer chaos of Roddy Piper versus Mr. T in a boxing match. That fight is incredibly fun to watch. Then, I really like Macho Man Randy Savage vs. George "the Animal" Steele as it immediately showed the potential of Savage to rule Wrestlemanias for years to come. Oh, and who can forget Andre "the Giant" winning a battle royal with Bret Hart as the runner-up no less? #15 - Wrestlemania 20 - The show that the WWE wants you to forget, but the main event between Triple H/Shawn Michaels/Chris Benoit is AMAZING. Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero took a while to develop, as they never had good chemistry in the ring, but those two struggling to work a mach out is better than most Wrestlemania undercard matches. Christian/Chris Jericho is pretty good, while Goldberg/Lesnar is an incredible Wrestlemania moment for being a total trainwreck. Undertaker returns, Molly Holly loses a female "hair vs. hair" match, and a ton of crazy undercard matches round out this show. #14 - Wrestlemania 7 - This is actually a show that has improved with time, in my opinion. Take away the whole insulting Desert Storm crap, Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan is actually a pretty good match and/or main event. Then, of course, there's the Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage, which is quite the match-up and retired Randy Savage. Then, in a great Wrestlemania moment, Savage reunites with Miss Elizabeth. Plenty of interesting midcard matches round out the rest of the show. #13 - Wrestlemania 21 - Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, in my opinion, is the greatest Wrestlemania match ever and completely overshadows the rest of the show, especially the matches after it. In hindsight, Batista/Triple H isn't so bad as a main event, many people like Orton vs. Undertaker, and the midcard matches (Eddie/Rey, Money in the Bank) aren't bad. Even though the match was a bit rushed, Cena vs. JBL is decent and features the first World Title victory of John Cena. #12 - Wrestlemania 22 - Seeing Shawn Michaels beat the living shit out of Vince McMahon is worth the price of admission, but the rest of the card is pretty solid. A very enjoyable "Money in the Bank" match, Benoit and JBL working stiff, Edge and Mick Foley killing each other, a nice triple threat between Kurt Angle/Rey Mysterio/Randy Orton, a decent main event with Triple H and John Cena, but a very fun women's match with Mickie James defeating Trish Stratus. #11 - Wrestlemania 27 - Awesome Triple H/Undertaker match that is historically great, while the event featured two other solid matches including the hot opener between Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge and Randy Orton vs. CM Punk. John Cena vs. Miz wasn't as thrilling of a main event during the first half of the match, but the second half improved and after the countout ending, the match was restarted with the Rock screwing John Cena. That's four good parts to a Wrestlemania, while the rest of the show was just fine. #10 - Wrestlemania 25 - Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels... All that I would need to say, but the rest of the show is pretty solid and I think Michaels/Undertaker took the wind out of the sails for the rest of the show. I like the triple threat with Edge/Cena/Big Show, for example, and Orton/Triple H, in hindsight, isn't all that bad. HHH/Orton probably shouldn't have been the main event. #9 - Wrestlemania 14 - This was the official kickoff of the Attitude Era dominating the wrestling industry, as the next night was the first time RAW defeated Nitro in the ratings. Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels is quite impressive considering how badly injured both guys were. The best Kane vs. Undertaker match is seen here, while Terry Funk/Mick Foley versus the New Age Outlaws was a lot of fun. Triple H vs. Owen Hart should have been better, but Owen, as memory serves, was fighting through an ankle injury at the time. #8 - Wrestlemania 15 - I probably like this show more than others, but I really enjoyed the whole Triple H heel turn and how well it played out throughout the night. It's a very well booked moment that sets the table for Triple H to transition to main event heel for 2000. But the big part of this show, obviously, was the epic first Wrestlemania war between Rock and Austin. Seeing Bart Gunn get KNOCKED THE **** OUT was enjoyable, too. #7 - Wrestlemania 28 - Overall, the "big 3" matches with CM Punk/Chris Jericho, Undertaker/Triple H, and John Cena/Rock delivered quite well and the show, overall, is a fun one to watch. Sure, we didn't get Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan as we wanted, but the rest of the show is pretty superb. #6 - Wrestlemania 3 - This event holds more of a historical significance due to Andre vs. Hogan and how Vince McMahon risked his company's future with this show exceeding. But the midcard for this show is the strength, as it's a top-to-bottom fun show with the wrestlers of the time and of course, Macho Man vs. Ricky Steamboat. You won't find a more action packed 15 minute match than you'll see with Savage/Steamboat, at least for 1987's standards and that match inspired better in-ring workrate for years to come. #5 - Wrestlemania 19 - An often overlooked Wrestlemania, this show was very solid and it even had Rock vs. Austin III as an undercard match (of course, Steve Austin was in bad physical shape at this point). Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels was quite awesome and was the best match of the show. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar was a good main event with a weak ending as Lesnar botched his Shooting Star Press finish badly. Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon was surprisingly good, all things considered. #4 - Wrestlemania 5 - To me, this is the absolute peak of the WWF's 1980's run, as the WWE would begin to slide as it considered making the Ultimate Warrior the torch runner during the following year. The Mega Powers COLLIDING was an epic moment for the WWF and delivered huge on a great match between Macho Man and Hulk Hogan. You also have a great match between Warrior and Rick Rude, with Rude providing a great carry job. Not only that, but an awesome screwjob ending by Bobby Heenan that the WWE has replicated many times since. The rest of the show might seem more important to those who grew up during the era than any younger wrestling fan today looking back on this show. For instance, I remember Demolition vs. the Powers of Pain being a big deal back then. #3 - Wrestlemania 8 - The only thing wrong with this show was its main event. Sid vs. Hulk Hogan failed to deliver, and I'd argue this show should have been headlined by Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan instead. Then, with Randy Savage, I would have extended his Jake Roberts feud into this show instead. But, for Macho's sake, he wins his 2nd WWF Championship against Ric Flair in an awesome bout and it was a nice redemption day for Macho after a long 3 years without the title. But an even better match, possibly, was Roddy Piper putting over Bret Hart for the IC Title. Roddy Piper did Bret a HUGE favor here, as Piper wasn't always known for being the guy putting over other wrestlers. But he took care fo Bret Hart and set the stage for Bret to capture the WWF Championship soon thereafter. #2 - Wrestlemania 10 - After a BAD 1993 year for the WWF, this show presented a "clean slate" for the WWF. Oddly enough, preparation for this show was during the time period when Vince McMahon was being indicted for steroid distribution, so thus, the booking is the genesis of other members of the WWF. In other words, it was a refreshing change. Then, later in 1994, McMahon's iron fist took back over when Diesel won the World Title after Survivor Series 1994. But anyway, the very best opening match with Owen Hart and Bret Hart and then the badass Ladder Match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. Seeing Bret Hart redeem his main event career was nice to see, but a real suprisingly good match was Macho Man vs. Crush in a "falls count anywhere" bout. This show wasn't expected to be much, provided the prior year of horrible WWF decision making, but it delivered and did it in Madison Square Garden. #1 - Wrestlemania 17 - Many consider this the BEST SHOW EVER, but as time has worn on, it's probably more in my top 5 than it would be the best ever. The undercard is not overwhelming, but what this show has is four historically great matches in Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle, TLC Match between Hardys/Dudleyz/Edge & Christian, Triple H vs. Undertaker, and Steve Austin vs. the Rock. Those 4 matches are insanely good and made you in total awe of this show. Jericho/Regal and Test/Eddie were good, but "meh" to the other matches. THANKS FOR READING!!! @titowrestling
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