Support NeoGAF

[StoOgE]

Ok, 5 days away from my biggest mark out of the year. I dont care how bad it is, I *love* Wrestlemania. My biggest mark out ever (by far) was when Hulk Hogan showed up out of NO WHERE to take out Yokozuna at WM9. I know everyone hates it, and it was a screw job to Bret.. but I was all of 12 and thought it was the worlds greatest thing...

anyway, the card is pretty good this year (though pretty thin.. either there will be some big surprise or its gonna be some long matches.

anyway.. here is the lineup with my picks/thoughts.

JBL/Cena: Too soon.. JBL will retain the title and a build for Summerslam will be on... Cena is going to take it, but I say a stip match will headline Summerslam and Cena takes it there. Plus, everyone went home happy last year.. no way they switch both titles and have both faces take it home. Should be a stinker of a match, hopefully they overbook the hell out of it.

HHH/Batista: Trips is going to sell like a champ.. probably do the job of a lifetime. Expect the two newest members of evolution to make their appearence in this match.. (Mattitude?) but Batista will absolutely dominate.. this is a no brainer..

Angle/HBK: the real winner is all of us. Jesus, this is going to be a ***** star match, no doubt about it... no idea who wins, probably HBK since he's an ass and will whine about it.. hopefully we see a follow up at summerslam.

Orton/taker: Taker wins.. match likely to suck.

Money in the bank match: expect alot of blood, some Snitsky/Heidenreich/Mattitide/taker interference of some sort.. as far as who wins.. not Kane, not Christian, not Y2J. Dont think Edge does either. Shelton isnt ready to ME yet.. which leaves us with Benoit. Benoit is in a position to put on a good match with Batista, make him look like a million bucks *and* Benoit is over enough to take the loss and not look weak. Plus, they have been teasing a heel turn between him and Y2J for a while.

Hemme/Status: bathroom break.

Big Show/Akebona iss break number two. Who the hell is supposed to sell on the PPV anyway.

Rey Rey/Guererro - Eddie is going the way of the heel.. should be another ****+ match. I think Rey Rey wins it.

London/Chavito (is this even on the card?) - could be another ****+ match if they give them time and let them do their thing. London has the potential to steal the show... if they turn him loose.

Also, Hassan/Hogan could still happen.. or the rumored Hassan + Davari vs. Piper and Stone cold. Either way, expect a bad match with Hassan going over.

 

[Boogie]

Ok, 5 days away from my biggest mark out of the year. I dont care how bad it is, I *love* Wrestlemania. My biggest mark out ever (by far) was when Hulk Hogan showed up out of NO WHERE to take out Yokozuna at WM9. I know everyone hates it, and it was a screw job to Bret.. but I was all of 12 and thought it was the worlds greatest thing...

That was the one in Caesar's Palace, right?

I felt the same, I thought that was awesome at the time. That was the last Wrestlemania I watched, I stopped watching wrestling about 8 months after that.

 

[BlackMage]

god damn you

 

[kgHavok23]

WM6 and WM7 have to be some of the best, if i'm not mistaken, 6 was Ultimate Warrior vs Hogan where the Warrior won the title, and 7 was just freakin packed. Just look at the lineup:

1. The Barbarian and Haku vs. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty (The Rockers)

2. Dino Bravo vs. Texas Tornado

3. Warlord vs. British Bulldog

4. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) vs. Bret Hart and Jim The Anvil Neidhart

5. Rick Martel vs. Jake The Snake Roberts (Blindflod Match)

6. Jimmy Snuka vs. The Undertaker

7. Macho Man vs. Ultimate Warrior

8. Demolition Smash and Demolition Crush vs. Tenryu and Kiao

9. Big Boss Man vs. Mr. Perfect

10. Greg The Hammer Valentine vs. Earthquake

11. Hercules and Paul Roma vs. Hawk and Animal

12. Ted Dibiase vs. Virgil

13. The Mountie vs. Tito Santana

14. Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan

^ now that is impressive

 

[StoOgE]

god damn you

?

 

[Brian Fellows]

JBL/Cena: Dont care

HHH/Batista: Great build up but the match will suck. Batista has like 3 moves and HHH is king of the rest hold.

Angle/HBK: This match will be hellasweet.

Orton/taker: This match will blow but atleast its Taker's last.

Money in the bank match: Might be good but I doubt it. Chances of interference are good and Kane will prolly stink it up.

Hemme/Status: bathroom break ineed. But hopefully Hemm tears both quads and scars her oh so average face so we never have to see her again.

Big Show/Akebona iss break number two........yup

Rey Rey/Guererro - Should be a sweet match.

London/Chavito (is this even on the card?) - Someone just needs to teach the WWE fans the "PLEASE DONT DIE" chant.

 

[Boogie]

Wait, Big Show vs. Akebono? As in, Akebono the sumo wrestler who's been "fighting" in K-1? Oh boy. :lol

Well, maybe if we give him pro-wrestling gigs we can keep him out of K-1.

 

[J2 Cool]

Macho Man/Warrior stole the show at WM7. Retirement match I think it was. One of the first ever where finishing moves just weren't enough to keep em down. I think each of em took like 4 or 5 of the other's finisher. Awesome awesome AWESOME match.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Crap I just read that London and Chavo has been pulled cuz Chavo is hurt.

 

[bjork]

I always thought WMVII was a trainwreck... aside from Warrior/Savage and the title match, the rest seemed rushed or halfbaked... blindfold match? Nigga please.

I think I liked XII the best, but probably only because I went.

Favorite WM match is still Bret/Owen from WMX, though... they really worked well with each other, and that story was cool because it was just about seeing who was better at that point. No "I was blind/possessed/you had pictures of my wife/are an iraq turncoat" or any of that. Just good in-ring work.

This year, the Angle/HBK match will be the best, but people keep saying it's Angle's last match. I wonder if that's true this time?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

anyway.. here is the lineup with my picks/thoughts.

JBL/Cena: Too soon.. JBL will retain the title and a build for Summerslam will be on... Cena is going to take it, but I say a stip match will headline Summerslam and Cena takes it there. Plus, everyone went home happy last year.. no way they switch both titles and have both faces take it home. Should be a stinker of a match, hopefully they overbook the hell out of it.

HHH/Batista: Trips is going to sell like a champ.. probably do the job of a lifetime. Expect the two newest members of evolution to make their appearence in this match.. (Mattitude?) but Batista will absolutely dominate.. this is a no brainer..

I'm thinking you're wrong on both of these. Cena will win because there are no top faces on Smackdown that could take that belt other than Cena and Guerrero, and Guerrero isn't going to be getting any other title runs. Cena wins simply because if he loses, there's no one that could beat JBL and have it mean anything other than Cena.

Batista's going to lose for the same reason. There are no heels for him to fight if he wins other than Triple H. Edge and Christian's pushes are way too up and down for them to be serious threats to Batista. Of course, even if there were other serious heels, Trip would be the only heel he'd ever fight anyway as long as he has the belt. I see Trip retaining and we'll once again spend another year of rotating faces trying to beat him for his belt. Batista's gone over HHH for like six straight weeks anyway, you really think he's going to let Batista make him look like a douche for the entirety of the feud?

 

[StoOgE]

I still say Batista wins.. its the money match. Its the ones the fans want the most... Batistas title run will likely suck, and may be short.. but they will worry about that after mania.

and for those who dont like spoilers..

Spoiler

Paul London is the new Cruiserweight champ

Now, any of you who watch velocity know which match we NEED for WM.

 

[Outcast2004]

It should be a good show, but there are a LOT of things missing.

No Intercontinental match. Yes I know Sheltons in the ladder match, but I feel ALL titles should be defended at Mania

NO US Title match.. see above

NO tag title match for EITHER brand.

NO Cruiserweight title match...

So the ONLY titles defended on the BIGGEST SHOW OF THE YEAR are the Womens & both World titles? WTF?

As for the matchs...

Batista will win... Don't say he doesn't have any heels to fight... Orton, HHH, Edge, Christian, Kane as a heel again when Matt returns and whomever gets brought over from the draft after Mania.

Cena will not win (but will at the next SD PPV, Vinces loves JBL as champ. Don't look for that to change)

HBK/Angle... WE ALL WIN. This will be match of the year. No doubt. HBK wins.. Angle retires.

Orton/Taker.... Taker wins. Orton has been pushed further and further down since his attitude problems have come to a front.

Trish/Hemme... nummy. All the red blooded males wn this one. Christy wins due to Litas interferance.

Rey/Eddie. Why do I have a feeling one of them will heel turn in this match? Rey wins.

Show/Akeebono... we all lose.

 

[jobber]

I got this feeling somebody is going to get hurt :\

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Cena will not win (but will at the next SD PPV, Vinces loves JBL as champ. Don't look for that to change)

So? Vince AND Triple H love Triple H as champ, but you still think Batista's going to win? Cena is the obvious winner for the Smackdown title, there is seriously no reason to keep that belt on JBL any longer. The whole purpose of his long, historic reign and the delayed feud with Cena was so that the show's biggest face could finally take JBL down at the biggest show.

As for Batista, it could go either way, but I still people are naive if they think Trip's going to let Batista get the best of him for two straight months and then have Batista beat him for his belt to finish it.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Trish/Hemme... nummy. All the red blooded males wn this one. Christy wins due to Litas interferance.

Too bad Trish's hotness will be offset by Hemme's skankyness.

 

[Raw64life]

Angle isn't retiring. He said his neck is in decent shape and he'll be around for atleast another year or two.

Money in the Bank and HBK/Angle are the only matches I'm looking foward to. I think Edge will take MITB while HBK will beat Angle. Rey/Gurerro should be good too.

 

[jobber]

Orton's shoulder is messed up so I guess he'll lose and take time off to heal.

 

[3kuSaS]

It sucks that Chavo got injured, or else we would be seeing him vs. London this Sunday. Im totally looking forward to the PPV though!

 

[pops619]

My predictions...

Both Cena and Batista will win the belts. This is WrestleMania. It's very rare that a world title is successfully defended, especially by a heel. Triple H is the only one to do it as far as I can recall in Wrestlemania 19 against Booker T. Cena and Batista are both extremely over with the fans. While they could push back their inevitable wins for the next PPV, I think they'll let both of them have their WrestleMania moments. I bet Flair turns on Triple H to cost him the title.

Michaels will beat Angle. He's the face in the match, and this is a one shot deal, plus he's been around longer. The only way I could have seen Angle winning was if he was going to retire after WrestleMania, but supposedly he's still in the plans for at least the next few months.

Mysterio will beat Guerrero. Everyone seems to think Eddy will turn heel, but I think it's Mysterio that will make the turn. After all, he's been a face his entire time in the WWE. He may not make a full blown turn at WM21, but I bet he'll cheat to win to plant the seeds. This is not the last match between these two in the near future.

Orton and the Undertaker... this is a tough one. With Orton set to have surgery after WM, you'd think he's going to lose. But then again, Orton is their golden child. With his heel turn and everything, he's got a lot of momentum going into this one. He'll win underhandedly somehow with the Undertaker tearing him apart afterwards to account for Orton's time off. I think Orton's eventually headed to Smackdown, where this fued will continue.

Edge will win the ladder match. It's pretty clear that Kane isn't winning. Benjamin still has some time to go, as he's still the IC champ. Benoit and Jericho don't need it. They're credible main eventers without it. This is the next step in Edge's push, and I think he'll ultimately take the title from Batista at Summerslam. Christian is my wild card. They could push him up to the next level by giving him the win. He'd probably benefit more than anyone.

Trish will beat Christy. While I could see them give Christy the upset victory, I don't think it'll happen, especially since the world titles are likely to change hands. They'll make Christy look strong, but Trish will pull out the win. This fued isn't over.

Big Show will beat Akebono. He may not have sumo experience, but I have to think he's just too large. Then again, I don't know much about sumo. I'm assuming this is going to be a legit competition and not fixed. Then again, they may fix it so Big Show wins because after all, he's a WWE guy and Akebono isn't. I'm actually looking forward to this. It should be a neat spectacle.

That looks like that's it. I'm glad they aren't loaded the card up this year. WM20 suffered because there were too many clustered up matches. The two tag title matches and the cruiserweight open come to mind. WM21 definitely is looking like quality over quantity. It is a big disappointing to see no cruiserweight, US, and tag titles on the line. Then again, they've got nothing going on with any of those, save the cruiserweight title which probably would have been defended if Chavo wasn't hurt. I'd rather see the other matches get more time than see a few half-assed, uninspired title matches with nothing behind them.

 

[Guzim]

My friends and I are going to Hooters to watch it.

 

[Bog]

Anyone else going to the event?

 

[Keyser Soze]

Mania XXI looks like the best card the WWE has put togeather in years,

Spoiler

I only hope London somehow gets onto the show to defend his CW belt, a match against Akio would be best

if they do that i believe it will be on of the better WWE PPV ever. Although some may say it already is!

 

[Penguin]

Well, I think by far the best Mania was WrestleMania X-Seven.

It seemed to have hit it on all cylinders (if you don't mind the women's title squash.. and the gimmick battle royale is an acquired taste)

As for this Sunday's WrestleMania, it looks real good on paper IMO and I hope it delivers.

I mean you have a bonafide classic in HBK/Angle.. as long as they don't pull a Brock/Goldberg. Rey/Eddie should be fun. The MITB match should be interesting.

As for the rest of the card, it has the potential to be decent. Depending on how they take it, I think Cena/JBL could be a nice good old fashion brawl with Cena going over. Batista/Trips may be a mixed bag, see how it turns out, but Batista needs to win. Taker/Orton probably won't be that great, and will be even worse if Orton goes over IMO. Trish vs Christy.. as long as Trish wears something short and tight, it's all good.

 

[jobber]

My friends and I are going to Hooters to watch it.

Hooters stoped showing PPVs cause Vince jacked the prices up.

 

[Guzim]

Hooters stoped showing PPVs cause Vince jacked the prices up.

Are you serious? Damn.

 

[Almighty_Chocobo]

Dunno, my local Hooter's manager said that they pulled the PPV's because according to the higher-ups, Hooter's business was alot lower while they were showing the PPV's. My friends and I went in there a few months ago to watch a PPV, and there were maybe 4 or 5 people there eating. Being as that it's usually a packed house whenever a ppv rolls along, I figured something bad was up... Oh well, Hooters had very sub-par food anyways. Now I'll never have to go there again, we'll just watch it at home and order pizzas.

 

[aparisi2274]

Hey all, I have a question. if you go to wwe's website and u try to watch those WM21 movie trailer parodies, I can never get them to work. Does anyone know of a site that has them mirrored or where I can DL them to my HDD and watch them. I missed a lot of them, and i would like to check them out.

 

[jobber]

Are you serious? Damn.

-- Hooters, which at many locations nationally had been airing WWE PPVs, has made a decision to not carry the WWE events any more. A manager at Pat McNeill's local Hooters said it was a national decision made from the corporate heads. For Torch Newsletter readers, that means the end of McNeill's "At the Bar for the PPV" columns unless another establishment picks up where Hooters left off.

credit: PWTorch

1/14/05

 

[Memles]

Mania XXI looks like the best card the WWE has put togeather in years,

Spoiler

I only hope London somehow gets onto the show to defend his CW belt, a match against Akio would be best

if they do that i believe it will be on of the better WWE PPV ever. Although some may say it already is!

HAHAHAHAHA...you say it like you're serious...

Oh shit, what? Best card in years? Wrestlemania XX shits all over this...hell, Wrestlemania XIX sort of does too. This card has two good matches. One is Angle/HBK. The other is Eddie/Rey, and that one has no buildup other than a tease of a breakup of a tag team that exists for no logical reason other than that they have nothing to do with either and have a shitty tag division.

HHH/Batista is all hype and no substance, JBL/Cena are both unable to carry the other, and the undercard is filled with entertaining spotfests (Ladder) and then just plain old crap with no logical build that has been thrown onto the card for the sake of filling it. Taker/Orton is idiotic in its execution; he was a face like three weeks ago, and they expect us to literally forget his face turn. He's not much of a legend killer if he lost to HHH and started a "Mr. Concussion" angle.

The card reeks of short-term booking with no long-term strategy. I'm watching it with my brother and some of his friends, and I'm really only looking forward to HBK/Angle. If it disappoints...ugh.

 

[Lyte Edge]

Still not sure if I'm going to order this PPV. Isn't it going to cost $39.99? Not sure if it's worth bothering with when it will be up on bittorrent a day or two later. But there's a very strong possiblity that I won't be living in the U.S. when the next few Wrestlemanias come around, so this might be my last chance to watch it Live on TV for several years. Decisions, decisions...

JBL/Cena: John Cena is going to win the belt. WWE has been pushing Cena and Batista on both shows, and both men are going to become champs. JBL is only champion right now to drop the belt at a bib PPV, and this is it. My problem with this match is that while I like JBL's character, he sucks in the ring. Cena's character is beyond stale and he sure as hell isn't going to be able to carry the match when he's at JBL's wrestling level. Hopefully they will focus on their characters' personalties and make it a more dramatic match not as focused on techical stuff. Expect a run-in by the cabinet.

HHH/Batista: See above. Batista is going to win, and the feud will continue on with HHH wanting a rematch. Should be a decent match, if not a good one. Certainly much better than JBL/Cena will be. Run-in by Flair? "Run-in" by the third member of Evolution? (The sledgehammer. ) Appearance of new Evolution members? Who knows.

Angle/HBK: Should be a great match. I was expecting to see Marty Jannety do a run-in and turn heel on Michaels to give Angle the win, but

Spoiler

apparently the Rockers are going to be a tag team after 'Mania.

Orton/Undertaker: ZZZZZZZZZZzzz. I even like Orton more than most people seem to, but I don't give two craps about this match. I guess if Orton wins it might mean something...right?

Money in the bank match: No idea who will win, but should be very entertaining. I'd like to see Jericho win, since he hasn't had a feud with the champion in several years, or Benjamin or Christian win, since neither has had a go at the championship. I'd say Edge, but he's a dick.

Hemme/Stratus: I can't believe they are actually putting Hemme in her first match at WRESTLEMANIA. Could be a big disaster of a match, but who cares anyway?

Big Show/Akebono: I saw Akebono at a Sumo arena in Tokyo a few years ago. In Sumo, the pre-match rituals take longer than the actual matches do. Akebono went at it for like 30 seconds. The man (AFAIK anyway) has no wrestling experience, so what the hell is he doing in a match at 'Mania?? There's no build up for this match, and it's going to be slow and boring anyway.

Rey Rey/Guererro: Should also be a great match. Eddie will turn heel and get the win.

London/Chavito: Not happening. Chavo is injured. London DID

Spoiler

get the belt on tonight's Smackdown!, however,

so perhaps we'll still see a cruiserweight match after all...on Heat or something. :/

Piper's Pit: Both men "flap their gums." Piper tries to attack Austin, but Austin counters with a stunner. The end. Yawn. Should be entertaining if the dialogue is good.

 

[Memles]

Okay...

Piper's Pit: The Arabs will do an interruption here. There is no better heat than Piper AND Austin getting interrupted.

Big Show/Akebono: It IS a Sumo Match, so chances are he won't have to really wrestle. Should suck ass reagardless.

Money in the Bank: We have to remember that the match is for a title shot. If they plan on feuding that person with Batista, it has to be Edge. If they want to make it a one-off Raw title defense, Benoit/Jericho/Christian are back in the mix. Kane and Shelton should brawl to the back and disappear (I'd make it just Kane, but he needs someone to go with him for it to work).

 

[StoOgE]

yeah.. right now there are literally three matches with any sort of build up..

HHH/Batista, the ladder match and HBK/Angle. Everything else has been thrown together since after the last SD PPV... HBK/Angle was first teased way back at survivor series... HHH/Batista has been building since around summerslam.. and the ladder match is relying on alot of old feuds but it works because this group of six has been holding the midcard down for a while so they have all fought each other enough that Im into the heat of the match.

Cena/JBL has little/no heat outside of the heat that JBL creates in any given match, and the pop that Cena gets in any given match.. if they actually had built up some sort of story/conflict between the two over the last 6 months (possibly involving JBL screwing Cena out of the US title and handing it to Jordon.. but not two weeks ago, more like 6 months ago).. then Cena could have gone on a mission to get a match with JBL, but have JBL duck him and take matches with other people.. then when Cena wins the tourny to get the title shot.. boom, great build up.. and the crowd wants to see Cena destroy JBL (see Batista/HHH). Right now the marks want Cena to win because they like him, and they want JBL to lose because they hate him.. but if they had something substantive between the two, the match would be HUGE. Which is why I say JBL will screw Cena over and retain.. setting up the big payoff at Summerslam.

The rest of the matches are so contrived its rediculous.. I mean, why the hell isnt London in a match against his old tag team partner who hospitalized him for months? They should have put the strap on Kidman soon after that match with London.. then had London come back, work his way through the Cruiserweights and win a title shot at WM.

If Orton were still a heel (hell, he could have been thrown from Evolution and feuded with Trips and stayed a heel/tweener) the entire time, I would buy into this match.. or if I thought Orton had a prayer of winning.

Still looking forward to it, but they could have done a better job booking (hell, put the Smackdown tag titles back on the Bashams and have them fight Tajiri/Regal at Mania in a Smackdown v. Raw showdown of sorts). .

Also, I think Edge and Angle should have a tag match against HBK and Eddie. Eddie and Angle have their history, Edge and HBK have been feuding alot. Angle/HBK was set up at WM.. so why not have Edge get dumped by Eddie at the RR and set up a hot tag team match with teammates being from the other brand.

 

[StoOgE]

Money in the Bank: We have to remember that the match is for a title shot. If they plan on feuding that person with Batista, it has to be Edge. If they want to make it a one-off Raw title defense, Benoit/Jericho/Christian are back in the mix. Kane and Shelton should brawl to the back and disappear (I'd make it just Kane, but he needs someone to go with him for it to work).

Winner can use it whenever they want.. so they could put it on a face and have them save the title shot for later... if they use that stip properly they could really build towards a good matchup (say, give it to Shelton.. have him start a feud with a heel (Kane, Edge who knows).. then said heel (Kane, Edge, etc.) wins the belt at a minor PPV, and then Shelton can use his title shot against them at the next major PPV. Instant build up.

Of course, they will very likely give it to Edge and have him use it right away, thus making the stip pointless.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Okay...



Money in the Bank: We have to remember that the match is for a title shot. If they plan on feuding that person with Batista, it has to be Edge. If they want to make it a one-off Raw title defense, Benoit/Jericho/Christian are back in the mix. Kane and Shelton should brawl to the back and disappear (I'd make it just Kane, but he needs someone to go with him for it to work).

Just have the other 5 people jump him at the begining beat him for a few minutes then lock his ass in a dumpster or something. That way the the other 5 can do their thing unimpeded.

 

[Memles]

Winner can use it whenever they want.. so they could put it on a face and have them save the title shot for later... if they use that stip properly they could really build towards a good matchup (say, give it to Shelton.. have him start a feud with a heel (Kane, Edge who knows).. then said heel (Kane, Edge, etc.) wins the belt at a minor PPV, and then Shelton can use his title shot against them at the next major PPV. Instant build up.

Of course, they will very likely give it to Edge and have him use it right away, thus making the stip pointless.

But they would never do that? It's either they use to match to build a REAL #1 Contender, or they're just going to make it a throwaway Raw Title Shot. They think their fans have no long-term memory and would never build a feud out of the winner of this match. This is just an obligatory gimmick match that should be used to get HHH out of the Main Event for a while, but will instead be used as a throwaway and nothing more.

 

[Bowser]

-- The Hurricane said in a recent interview that there will be a 30-man Battle Royal at this weekend's WrestleMania, featuring 15 RAW wrestlers, and 15 from Smackdown. There is no word on what the winning prize will be.

http://www.wrestlezone.com/article.php?articleid=114385125

Hmm...I'd think the winning prize would be some sort of a title match. I'm guessing the winner gets a title match against the IC/US champ.

 

[bishoptl]

cut 'n paste because compulsory registration for news is asinine

The freakishly massive wrestler known simply as Batista, for example, has become professional wrestling's hottest fan favorite because of a story that has been months in the making on the WWE cable show Raw: Batista, part of a group of wrestlers he believed were mentoring him, breaks away on his own when he realizes they were instead holding him down.

The story arc will climax at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, as Batista faces off against one of those "mentors," world heavyweight champion Triple H, in the main event of WrestleMania 21, WWE's annual pay-per-view extravaganza. But it is away from pro wrestling's bizarre world of choreographed violence, however, that his most compelling story line, a real-life one, is unfolding. For Dave Batista, a father of three, the rush of sold-out crowds chanting his name has been tempered by his wife's three-year battle with ovarian cancer. Angie Batista is currently in her third remission.

"It's definitely made me realize what was important in life," says Batista, who has a tattoo with "angel" in kanji script on his left arm for his wife. "Sometimes you take people for granted, and things like that just really put things in perspective.

Right around the time that Batista, who grew up in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va., was making his WWE television debut in May 2002, Angie began experiencing pain in her upper abdomen. By the time she received the diagnosis that October of ovarian cancer, which later migrated to her small intestine, she and Batista had separated, their marriage collapsed by the strain of his hectic travel schedule. The news of Angie's illness, however, led to a reconciliation. While undergoing chemotherapy, Angie says, she tried to shield her husband from the grim realities of cancer.

"There were a couple times my husband saw me ill, and he was very emotional," says Angie, 30. "I lost about 30 pounds in about 3 1/2 weeks, and I lost my hair. My concern was that he needed to be focused on his job, so I worked it out with my doctors that my treatments were on days that he was gone.

"There are times when you want your spouse to be there," she adds, "because no one else can provide that comfort that you seek. But I've never been bitter about it. His job, I think, is what kept him together."

Batista is WWE's leading candidate for breakout-star status, filling the void created by the departure of The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in recent years.

Since Batista gained a more prominent role on Raw in December, the show's ratings are up, as are sales for arena shows, according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

"I think the current increase is entirely due to Batista getting hot," says Dave Meltzer, editor and publisher of the Observer. "He hasn't put up numbers like The Rock or Austin, but he's put up numbers, which no one has done in a couple years."

 

[StoOgE]

Dave is an awesome guy. So many guys seem to be real aholes in this buisness.. but from what I can tell Dave is a really good guy.. and other than having an ego, I think Trips is too.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

ok its on now we need someone doing PBP

 

[bishoptl]

Lillian Garcia starts off the show with America The Beautiful.

A montage of all the WrestleMania Goes Hollywood promos followed by the premiere of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as Gladiator.

Eddy Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio
Back and forth to start with a few quick counts between the tweo. Eddy tosses Rey earley, but Mysterio has no problem getting back in. Eddy tosses Rey again and follows with a tope. Back inside and Eddy stays on him with an armbarm followed by a suplex. Eddy gets a surfboard, but nearly gets pinned with it due to Rey shifting his weight. STF, quickly ended. Rey attempts a reversal that doesn't go so well. Done agian, this time Rey hits the arm drag while Eddy goes outside. Rey follows up with a corkscrew plancha to wow the fans. Rey builds momentum, but Eddy quickly ends that with an elbow. Eddy goes for the 3 Amigos, but Rey puts a stop to it and goes for the 619. Eddy ducks it and hits a tilt-a-whirl. # Amigos and Eddy is feeling Froggy. Frog splash misses and Eddy soon finds himself eating 619. West Coast Pop is countered with a powerbomb from Eddy for 2. Eddy again goes for a tilt-a-whirl, but Rey counters with a hurricanrana out of no where for 3.

Winner- Rey Mysterio

Eddy is unhappy about the loss, but in the end congratulates Rey.

JBL and Triple H run into each other backstage.

Ladder match is next.

Money In the Bank Ladder Match- Edge vs Christian vs Kane vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin
Hot and heavy to start and everyone is on top of Kane. Non stop violence and spots. I can hardly keep track. Shelton hits an Exploder on Edge from the top of a ladder. MY GOD! Soon Jericho is being knocked off a ladder to the outside by Shelton. This match is almost impossible to do justice to live. Tomko in to help out Christian, but is qucikly tossed by Kane who then tips the ladder and sends Christain onto Tomko on the outside. Y2J in and he and Kane trade shots on a ladder. It soon tips sending Kane down and Jericho outside. Benoit is now in and he's feeling nutty. Benoit climbs the ladder and nails a swandive headbutt on Kane. Benoiut is busted open again. Benoit back up and is now climbing for the win. Edge comes out of no where and nails Benoit with a chair in his previously injured arm. Edge climbs and pulls down the briefcase.

Winner- Edge

Eugene comes out to greet the crowd and talk about his favorite WrestleMania moments. He is soon interuppted by Mohhamed Hassan. Hassan insists he is going to make his own WrestleMania moment. Hassan and Davari beat on Eugene and then Real American hits. Hogan out and qucikly deals with the two. Hogan then poses for the crowd.

Orton vs Undertaker next.

Randy Orton vs The Undertaker
UT in control early on. UT beats on Orton on the outside and then nails a legdrop on the apron. Back inside and we go Old School. 'taker goes for a big boot in the corner, but Orton moves and UT crotches himself. Orton takes over with punches and such. Orton goes for a back body drop and UT counters with a DDT. UT takes over again and nails a sidewalk slam. Snake eyes hits, but Orton sees UT coming at him again and pulls out a back elbow. Orton takes control. Orton now posing and UT sits up. UT quickly takes over again and soon has Orton in a Dragon Sleeper. The arm drops twice and on the third time, Orton counters with a DDT. Orton takes over and son has a sleeper of his own. UT quickly out with a suplex. UT hits a big boot and bounces off the ropes only to eat a powerslam. Orton has UT in the corner and is punching the life out of him. He takes a moment to pose and UT catches him and sets up for the Last Ride. Orton escapes and the ref gets bumped (kind of). Bob Orton, Jr comes down and he has the cast! Bob nails UT and revives the ref. Only two! Randy whips UT towards Bob, but UT nails the Cowboy. UT grabs Randy and goes for a chokeslam, but Orton counters to the RKO! Only 2! Orton now calls for a Tombstone. Orton has it set up, reversed by UT to his own. 1-2-3. 13-0.

Winner- The Undertaker

Women's Championship
Trish Stratus(c) vs Christy Hemme.
Short uneventful match. Christy hit the Twist of Fate, only for two. Trish soon hits the Chick Kick and wins the match.

Winner- still champ, Trish Stratus

----------------------------------------------------------

Up next, Angle vs HBK

Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels
Back and forth mat action to start. HBK grabs a short arm scissors and he and Angle trade pin fal attempts from it. Angle out after a near fall and both men try fighting it out in the corner. HBK sends Angle outside with a clothesline and he gets pissy and sets up the SD! table for Angle to go through. HBK goes in to break up the count, but gets caught by Angle and then eats and Angle Slam into the ringpost. FUCK! Angle takes it back inside for some near falls and now he breaks out the suplexes. Kurt sets up the super belly to belly, but HBK pushes out and goes for the big elbow. Elbow misses and Angle takes over again. Angle is sent outside and HBK hits a crossbody from the top rope. Both men back up and Angle attempts to German suplex HBK from the apron. HBK breaks it up with a low blow. Kurt is now on the table and Shan nails a springboard splash on the table in a nice looking spot. Both men take a 9 count before making it back in. HBK takes over vintage style and finishes with the big elbow. Sweet Chin Music is attempted but countered with an Ankle Lock. Shawn makes the ropes, but soon finds himself in another one. HBK out again, but now eats an Angle Slam, but only 2! HBK takes over briefly, but gets caught up top with a pop up Super Angle Slam! Only 2! Angle loses it and picks Shawn up by the hair and begans yelling at him to tap out. HBK pulls out Sweet Chin Music! Both men are down, but HBK crawls to a cover, 2! HBK eventually makes his way to his feat, but Angle slaps on an Ankle Lock from no where! HBK fighting, reversing, but Angle will not let go! Shawn has been in the Ankle Lock for a good three minutes straight and Angle now drops into a heel hook. No where to go, Shawn finally taps.

Winner- Kurt Angle

Both men get a round of applause on their way out.

Piper's Pit

Both men trade verbal shots back and forth for a few minutes. Nothing you haven't heard before. Carlito Carribean Cool interrupts and neith is happy about it. CCC smacks Piper but is soon eating Stunner. Austin gets the beer gives one to Piper and they celebrate. Of course Austin then hits a Stunner on Piper and moor beer is had.

--------------------------------------------------

Sumo Challenge
Akebono vs The Big Show
Traditional ceremonies take place. Match starts and they shove and slap each other around. Big Show almost out, but lifts Akebono almost out of the circle, Akebon then side steps Show and shoves him down to win the match.
Winner- Akebono

WWE Title match up next

WWE Title
JBL (c) vs John Cena
JBL takes over early on with a big boot and a shoulder block. JBL on Cena with his usual offense and two neckbreakers. JBL still on top with choking and a guilotine on the ropes. Cena attempts a comeback, but gets caught with a spinebuster. JBL is just relentless in his attack. JBL with a 2 count from a short arm clothesline. JBL now has a sleeper, but Cena is out with a suplex. Both men are down. Both men are up, but soon find themselves back down after a double clothesline. Cena takes over briefly, but is sent outside. JBL follows up with another neckbreaker and sends Cena inside. Superplex on Cena gets 2. JBL goes up top, but gets caught by a Cena powerslam coming down. Cena now takes over with a hiptoss, followed by a Blue Thunder, followed by the 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Cena takes to long though and JBL sets up for the Clothesline From Hell. Cena ducks it and hits the FU! 1-2-3!
Winner- New Champion, John Cena

The 2005 Hall of Fame comes out for a round of applause.

--------------------------------------

World Title Match
Triple H (c) vs Batista
Motorhead plays Triple H down to the ring. Batista makes his way down. The two staredown before the bell rings. Lockup to start and no one take control. Another lockup and Batista shoves Hunter off. Triple H runs off the ropes and is put down by a Batista shoulder block. Hunter off the ropes again and this time puts down Dave with a shoulder of his own. Pedigree attempt easily escaped and followed with a press slam by Batista. Batista takes over, but is quickly put outside with a high knee. Flair distracts Dave and Hunter puts him into the ring steps. Batista caught coming back into the ring and Hunter starts working the back. Hunter distracts the ref while Flair chokes Dave. HHH continues on the back with elbows, a suplex and then a backbreaker. Flair again take the chance to choke Batista. Dave tries a comeback, but is quickly stopped by Hunter. Batista again tries a comeback with some punches, but gets caught with a Triple H spinebuster for three near falls. Neckbreaker by HHH for 2. Pedigree attempt countered again, but Hunter is back with a facebuster. Hunter climbs up top but is caught with a clothesline. Dave tosses Hunter into the turnbuckle and HHH flys outside. Hunter manages to again take control and sends Dave into the stairs. HHH attempts a Pedigree on the stairs, but Batista counters and slingshots Hunter into the ringpost. Hunter now wears the crimson mask. Dave beats on Hunter and sends him back in. Batista brutalizes HHH with forearms and clotheslines. Powerslam by Batista for 2. Hunter crawls out of the ring and Batista follows as does the ref. Flair tries to grab Dave, but is pushed away. Hunter grabs a chair and swings, but nails the ref. Back in and Flair sneaks in with the title but eats a spinebuster that may or may not have hurt his knee legit. Hunter sneaks in and nails Batista with the belt. Only two. Dave is up and nails a spinebuster on HHH. He goes for the Demonbomb, but Hunter gets a low blow in. Pedigree is set up, but dramtically broken and then countered with a Kryptonite Krunch! Batista up, grabs Triple H and nails the Demonbomb! 1-2-3!

Winner- New Champ, Batista!

 

[DCX]

Good now Undertaker can retire on top and leave us once and for all, this is bull...Orton should have beaten him and really played into his Legend Killer persona...now that means nothing....this blows.

DCX

 

[LakeEarth]

Good now Undertaker can retire on top and leave us once and for all, this is bull...Orton should have beaten him and really played into his Legend Killer persona...now that means nothing....this blows.

DCX

Well he shouldn't have pissed off the big wigs a month before Wrestlemania. Give the win to a respected guy in the back or someone who is an asshole in the back and harrassed the women on RAW, causing one of them to quit?

 

[StoOgE]

this show has been fucking AWESOME so far. Even a projected stinker (Orton/taker) was *** variety.. Eddy/Rey Rey, and the ladder match are ****'s in my book.. and HBK/Angle is an instant classic...

too bad the matches are about to go downhill in a big way.

 

[Raw64life]

Rajah.com

Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
My Pick: Shawn Michaels

This is the match I’m most looking forward to. Long video package to start. Usual greatness. Michaels is out first. Angle is next. I’m so excited for this, man. I love it. Two of my all-time favorites. Ross & Lawler announcing. Smackdown’s Brian Hebner refereeing.

Michaels slaps him at the start. Angle waistlocks him all over, so Michaels grabs ropes. Headlock for Michaels on the mat. To their knees now, Angle hits a suplex, but Michaels holds on to it. Michaels has him in the headlock for a good two minutes with Angle trying to fight out. Some small Angle chants start up. To their feet now, Angle breaks it in the corner. Waistlock for Angle, Michaels takes him down with a side headlock again. Back elbow for Angle, shoulder takedown and Michaels gets him with a hip toss, then a short arm scissors on Angle’s left arm. Angle fights out, Michaels with a cradle for two, then a backslide for two and other side headlock to the mat. Five minutes in, they’re going at a slow pace, so it’s probably going to be a thirty minute match or so. In the corner, Michaels slugs away, Angle grabs his hair, punches him in the back and goes for the ankle lock. Michaels kicks out of that, then clotheslines Angle over the top to the floor. He starts clearing the Smackdown announce table. He rolls in to break the count, so Angle clubs him with forearms when he comes out. Vertical suplex for Angle countered by Michaels, then Angle sets him up for the Angle Slam and puts Michaels back first into the ringpost. Damn. Never seen that before. Sick spot.

Back in the ring, Angle hits a suplex for two. Time to work on the back. Leg scissors on the body for Angle. Michaels gets up chopping Angle into the corner. He whips him in, Michaels flips over and does his back bump, then walks right into an overhead belly to belly suplex from Angle, then a second one for two. Angle digs his right knee in the back, then pulls up on Michaels’ chin in a familiar hold. Michaels fights back some more with chops, so Angle punches him and after a Michaels slap he gets decked by a hard Angle clothesline. Angle props Michaels up on the top rope, goes for a top rope belly to belly, but Michaels shoves him off. He climbs to the top, elbow drop misses everything. Angle pulls down the straps. Angle slam countered into an armdrag, which is always a nice spot. Angle charges in and Michaels backdrops him over the top to the floor as Angle lands on his knees, which is a smart way to take that bump. Michaels to the top, he hits a crossbody onto Angle on the floor and his knee ends up hitting Angle right in the mouth. Angle gets up, goes to suplex Michaels German suplex style through the table. Michaels hangs on to the ropes. Low blow from Michaels, the ref couldn’t see it because he was looking at their faces. We’re 15 minutes into the match now.

Michaels kicks Angle onto the table. With Angle laying on it, Michaels hits a springboard moonsault onto Angle. The table did not break. Lawler mentioned that the tables have been reinforced because of all the tables that get broken at shows. Either that or they just didn’t get the momentum to break it. Still a really cool spot. They both crawl into the ring on opposite sides at the nine count, which of course was really slow. They meet in the center on their knees with both guys bleeding from the mouth. Michaels with punches, chops and the flying forearm, then the kip up. Right hands, atomic drop, clothesline and the bodyslam in the center. To the top, the elbow drop hits in this time. He stumbles into the corner, warming up for the superkick. The superkick attempt is caught by Angle in the Ankle Lock. Crowd is going nuts. Michaels rolls through, but Angle holds on to it. Thirty seconds in, Michaels reaches ropes. Some of the crowd boos.

Angle wants him up, Angle Slam is countered into a rollup, but now Angle rolls through for an Ankle Lock. Michaels roll up, Angle kicks out, superkick caught into an Angle Slam this time. He delays a second, then covers for two. He puts the straps up, then down again and goes for his moonsault. He gets huge height on it, but Michaels rolls out of it. He nearly hit him with the top of his head. So close. Now Michaels to the top and Angle hits the running Angle Slam off the top! One…two…no! Wow. I thought that was it. So did the crowd. Amazing. He picks him up by the hair, talked a lot of trash (”tap out Shawn!”) and Michaels separates, then hits a sweet superkick, but he’s out too. They’re both out. Michaels crawls over about 20 seconds after the move, drapes an arm across and that gets 2.99999 as Angle got his shoulder up. So damn close. Lawler and Ross question the speed of the Smackdown referee’s count. Michaels is stumbling, Angle is playing possum and slaps in the ankle lock again out of nowhere on Shawn’s left leg. Michaels tries to fight out with kicks not once but twice and Angle holds on. He pulls him the center. He’s been in the hold for a good minute now. Now Angle goes down on the heel hook position. Michaels is going for ropes, fighting it and yelling at the top of his lungs. He’s close to the ropes, almost taps out. But no. Then he taps after what had to be like two minutes. Wow. Match was 27 minutes.
Winner: Kurt Angle

MOTY. So happy Angle won.

 

[StoOgE]

yeah, HBK/Angle was insanely good.. I mean, I was hyped for it beyond all measure and was still blown away by how good it was... MOTY so far for sure, doubt anything will come near it unless Angle returns the job at Summerslam. Im almost ready to put it up there with Savage/Steamboat.. but Im going to give it a few days and a few more watches before I make that call.

 

[The Faceless Master]

odds on HHH retaining just went thru the roof

 

[StoOgE]

wow, Cena is champ and wins in a complete dud of a match.. should be about the same as the rest of his title matches.. I dont like him winning it that easily either... I mean, Show, Booker T, Taker, Angle and Eddie couldnt beat this guy through his shenanigans and Cena wipes the floor with him in record time.. I mean, I know neither guy can wrestle so they had to get it done quick.. but SD just took a shot to the nads, and it wasnt doing to good to begin with.

They needed to overbook the hell out of this match. Run ins from everyone and just complete mayhem in general.. Im talking a locker-room clearing brawl. When guys cant wrestle to begin with you have to do that kind of shit to make the match decent.. either that or shove them in a steel cage and let them take alot of Jeff Hardy sized man bumps.

 

[StoOgE]

holy shit, I cant tell who is HHH and who is Lemmy. Hope Dave doesnt powerbomb the wrong one. :lol

 

[Nester]

As much as I didn't want him to win the ladder match, it would be great if Edge ran out at the end and demanded his title shot right then and there against the winner of this match while they're all worn out.

Of course I'd want him to lose too, blowing his title shot.