What a disappointing bag of crap this show turned out to be....
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GeorgiaDome - 4/3/11 |
Oh man, this segment and the next are going to exhume all kinds of buried anger. Just warning you...
'Mania 27 ranks at #2 on the Most Disappointing WrestleManias list. Not since 15 was so much potential wasted at the biggest show of the year. For the first time in several years, three new uppercard heels were featured prominently on the card, the WWE Title match included a first-time champion, and a large contingent of young, rising talent was given some of the 'Mania spotlight. Then everything went to Hell.
**Note: I did not read any internet wrestling news the day of this show so any last minute card-shuffling was unknown to me when the show started.**
I knew something was wrong right out of the gate when 'Mania host The Rock opened the show with a pointless, meandering monologue that went on for 15 minutes and actually, I sh*t you not, included him leading the fans in a "Wrestle! Mania!" call and answer. Fif. Teen. Minutes.
Then bafflingly the opening match was the World Title match between Edge and 2011 Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio, in what should've been Del Rio's breakout match. Instead what transpired was a very good eleven-minute hot opener where #1 of WWE's three new top heels failed to close the deal and went home a loser.
Next was a very solid midcard match between Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes that oddly got more time than the World Title match. But it was a fine contest so I didn't complain.
Third was an 8-man tag that could've been a fun, wild brawl.....had it been given more than 90 seconds. Yup. Ninety seconds. The Corre vs. Big Show/Kane/Santino Marella/Kofi Kingston was given less time than it's taken me to write this paragraph. Their ring entrances lasted longer than the match. I can't imagine in my wildest daydreams why this match wasn't simply bumped off the main card.
Up next was another very good match - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton. Finally Punk would be given a real 'Mania match that went into double digits. These two told a really great story and delivered a near show-stealer. Unfortunately as with Punk's 'Mania 26 match, WWE decided to give the babyface the win in the first encounter, making the subsequent PPV rematch unnecessary and devoid of any heat. Score 0 for 2 for the WWE's new top heels.
Match #5. Sigh..... Announcer Michael Cole vs. Wrestler-turned-Announcer Jerry Lawler. WWE had turned Cole heel months earlier and thus the announce table became a massive, non-stop bickering session for every TV taping. These two could barely concentrate on whatever match was happening in front of them every night because they were constantly cutting into each other. Just painful to listen to. Now I gave this program the benefit of the doubt and thought it would lead to a mildly entertaining 5-minute beatdown on Cole which would really get the crowd going. Instead we were subjected to nearly 14 minutes of Cole beating up Lawler (?!), after which Lawler made his comeback and won the match, after which the Anonymous RAW General Manager (one of the worst ongoing angles ever) disqualified Lawler due to referee Steve Austin's physical involvement in the match (one of the worst-ever uses of Steve Austin). Fourteen minutes this match got.
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Yup, this got more time than the World Heavyweight Championship. |
The match of the night was next, as Triple H attempted to end The Undertaker's 'Mania streak, and while full of typical No-Disqualification shortcuts, these two put on a very dramatic, brutal fight with some great nearfalls. My only complaint about the match itself is that the final ten minutes mostly consisted of big move-two count-rest repeated several times. Cut five minutes out of this 29-minute bout and you'd have an easy ****1/2 star rating. The match ended with Taker submitting Triple H in the Hell's Gate, followed by Hunter walking out under his own power and the exhausted Taker needing to be stretchered out. This segment from entrances to exits took about 50 minutes, which was totally excessive. Side note: I don't wanna hear anyone ever claim AEW does too many finisher kickouts, as this match had seven of them. Seven. Three Pedigrees, two Tombstones, a Last Ride, and a chokeslam. If you were find with that, kindly sit the fuck down with the complaints about AEW doing that sort of thing.
