Eyes On Wrestlemania: 5 Bad Booking Decisions

By @TrueGodImmortal

Wrestlemania is known for being a huge event in WWE. Often times, the WWE strikes gold with a number of their decisions at Mania, but there have been a number of times where we were all left scratching our heads. Today, we reflect on a few of those times. Let's get into it.

*Booker T Loses To Triple H 
Wrestlemania 19

-This was an interesting concept.
Booker was disrespected and racist elements were brought into the feud but the endgame should have been the immensely over Booker T getting his championship and winning this feud right? That was what sensible people would have done. Nope. Not WWE. WWE would see Booker lose pretty much cleanly and then drop out of the title picture period. Booker deserved better than that honestly. The fans deserved better than that honestly.

*Charlotte Ends Asuka's Undefeated Streak 

-You have momentum. You have an undefeated streak. You have a woman that is garnering some love and is the biggest women's wrestler from Japan that we have seen thus far. On the other side, you have the stale forced daughter of wrestling royalty, who is a solid performer, but who has overstayed her welcome on top of the business by a small margin. So, naturally, at Mania, you put the first performer over and keep her undefeated streak in tact while making her dominant, right? Wrong. WWE did the exact opposite and as a result, Asuka has never been the same since. This was a horrible decision to waste her Rumble win, her title shot, and a possible future match with Ronda Rousey. The WWE Mania booking struck again and Asuka has not recovered and likely won't.

*Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole 
Wrestlemania 27

-An announcer vs an announcer. There is no reason why this match happened. Nor was it worthwhile. You can add Stone Cold. Insert other wrestlers. Still, it doesn't matter. Much like Roman Reigns headlining every event, fans just didn't want to see this match take place. It would go on for 10 plus minutes for no reason, taking valuable time that could have went elsewhere honestly on an event that was already pretty average on paper. Who won the match is irrelevant, the action in the match is irrelevant, simply put, this match is just irrelevant.

*Hulk Hogan Saves The Day 
Wrestlemania 9

-Bret Hart deserved better. It is sad that Hulk Hogan was such a spotlight stealer but that is who he was. Hogan interrupts Yokozuna defeating Bret Hart and then gets approval from Bret to go and take Yoko's moment in the sun for no reason. Hogan would end up entering the ring and defeating Yokozuna in seconds, rendering the title and the entire main event of Wrestlemania 9 as a joke IMO. Yoko should have retained his title and moved on to another feud or Bret could have retained. Regardless, Hogan as champ for a pointless three month reign made no sense.

*Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar
Wrestlemania 34

-The last four years has seen a main event that felt forced and while I can't personally pinpoint any particular time in wrestling where Mania was in a main event slump like that, this past year was pretty brutal for several reasons. Reigns is not over fully as a face. He is not a big time star in the way WWE tries to push him. That is the sad reality. However, absolutely no one wanted to see Brock vs Reigns again and yet WWE forced it on us, then made Brock win to prolong the inevitable by some months. Reigns as champion is a bad idea period, Reigns as a face is as well, and Reigns main eventing Mania in a rematch no one wants to see is a bad idea. Simple.

-True

Read More

Eyes on the Ring 9:00 AM  2 comments

Eyes On Wrestlemania: Power Ranking Shawn Michaels' Wrestlemania Matches

By @Phranchize19

Shawn Michaels is the greatest performer in the history of Wrestlemania. He has probably the greatest catalog of matches in Wrestlemania history. Although Shawn has a losing record at Wrestlemania at 6-12, he still steals the show with his breathtaking performances. We are gonna power rank them and I’m sure you all know what number 1 is, but still let’s get into it.

17. The Rockers vs the Twin Towers
Wrestlemania 5

-This was a solid contest. The story of the smaller faster competitors vs The Giants is a tried and true formula in wrestling and this was no exception. The Rockers showed they belonged in WWE with this match.

16. The Rockets vs The Orient Express
Wrestlemania 6

-Another solid contest with 4 of the best talents that you’re gonna see. A fun fast paced match that gave WM6 some much needed life.

15. The Rockers vs The Barbarian and Haku 

Wrestlemania 7

-The trend that the Rockers were getting better and better was shown here with this match. This match marked the first victory at Wrestlemania for Shawn Michaels and his performance was great here.

14. Shawn Michaels vs Tito Santana
Wrestlemania 8

-A GREAT opening bout for Mania. Shawn’s first singles match at Wrestlemania proved to be a fruitful one as he defeated a legend in the business. It was clear WWF had a star in the making in Shawn Michaels and we saw that on this night.

13. Shawn Michaels vs Diesel 

WWF Championship Match Wrestlemania 11

-In what is considered the worst Wrestlemania of all time by many, this match was one of the few bright spots and it wasn't because of the champ Diesel. Shawn went out there and proved he was one of the best with his performance here and showed that he was deserving of the main event spotlight.

12. Shawn Michaels vs Tatanka Intercontinental Championship
Wrestlemania 9

-I think this match is vastly underrated even though the story is more about Sensational Sherri and HBK splitting, but Shawn still turned out a fantastic performance here.

11. Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon
No Holds Barred Match 

Wrestlemania 22

-This match was very good considering the circumstances. It didn’t feel overbooked and Shawn himself said that he just went out here and had a Wrestlemania off because he could just have fun as opposed to trying to steal the show.

10. Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair Wrestlemania 24

-The most emotional match on this list. Shawn was chosen to be the one to end the career of Ric Flair. Shawn would turn in another brilliant performance against a man who was well past his prime in Ric Flair. The ending is a legendary moment.

9. Shawn Michaels vs Stone Cold 

WWF Championship Match Wrestlemania 14

-While not the masterpiece we were accustomed to, this was still a very solid match. Michaels clearly was not 100% going in and couldn’t stop the show the way in which he wanted to, but he put on a very good match with his back in shambles.

8. Shawn Michaels vs John Cena
WWE Championship Match
Wrestlemania 23 

-Another career defining performance for Shawn Michaels. He was out to prove that he still could shine if the main event spotlight was on him. His first singles main event at Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania 14 and he literally carried this match. No knock to John Cena, but he went to wrestling school on this night.

7. Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
Wrestlemania 19

-The comeback match. Jericho was arguably in his prime, so this would be a stern test for Shawn Michaels. He proved not only could he hang with younger guys, but that he could be better than them as well. This was the one the best matches of 2003 easily.

6. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker 

Career vs Streak
Wrestlemania 26

-I know many are looking at this and wonder why such a low ranking but it’s not that this match isn’t good, it’s just the ones I have after it were better. Shawn would main event Mania one more time and would deliver in such a great fashion. The match was big due to the stakes involved, but to say this wasn’t a good match would be asinine.

5. Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon
Ladder Match
Wrestlemania 10

-This match is iconic. Although I feel their Summerslam rematch was a bit better, this match was groundbreaking due to the fact that the first ever ladder match was not shown on Network TV (Shawn vs Bret), however Shawn and Razor made the IC belt so important by putting their bodies on the line in a match that they barely knew much about (the Ladder match was created in Canada by the way).

4. Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle
Wrestlemania 21

-In terms of sheer wrestling, this could be the best match of either man’s career. These guys went out there and literally had the match of the night. Shawn may not have the accolades of the Olympian, but he showed that he can hang with ANYONE including Kurt Angle.

3. Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart 

WWF Championship
Iron Man Match
Wrestlemania 12

-The first match of its kind in the WWF and boy did it deliver. These two men are 2 of the 3 greatest wrestler of all time IMO and they went out there for an entire hour and tore California to shreds. Two of the best mat technicians brought everything they had to this match and didn’t hold back an inch. This set the standard for Iron Man matches and is still the best one in my opinion.

2. Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit vs Triple H
World Heavyweight Championship Match 

Wrestlemania 20

-The greatest triple threat match I’ve ever seen. Shawn performed so gracefully in this match and his opponents more than held up their end of the bargain. 3 of the 10 greatest wrestlers of all time and it didn’t get much better than this.

1. Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker Wrestlemania 25

-The greatest wrestling match I have ever seen. EVER. No disrespect to any fan out there but if someone who had never seen wrestling were to come to me and ask me about wrestling, this is the match I would show them. The best match from either man’s career and I put this match up against any match ever produced.

-Phranchize 

Read More

Eyes on the Ring 1:40 AM  4 comments

Eyes On Wrestlemania: Classic Moments At Wrestlemania Part 1

By @Phranchize19

Wrestlemania has more often than not been good to us (for the most part, maybe...). We are always blessed with moments that will forever be etched in the history of pro wrestling. Let’s take a look at the bigger and best Mania moments in history. These are moments 10-5, I'll be back with the final four in another article.

10. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania 20

-Eddie Guerrero had his pseudo Wrestlemania moment prior to Mania by defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. He would be tasked with defending that title against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania. Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble and jumped to Raw, and he then ended up in a title match with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Both Eddie and Benoit would win their respective matches and after traveling the world over together in Japan, Mexico, and WCW, they both FINALLY achieved the pinnacle of WWE on the biggest stage wrestling had to offer. It was a moment that was a heart wrencher and will be etched in our minds forever.

9. Macho Man and Elizabeth Reunite At Wrestlemania 7

-Macho and Elizabeth had a tumultuous relationship to say the least. At Wrestlemania 5, we saw them finally go their separate ways. Macho would get with Sensational Sherri while Elizabeth sort of played the background. Elizabeth would then be ringside for Macho Man’s retirement match against Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7. Ultimately, Macho would lose the match and then be attacked by Sensational Sherri. Elizabeth would then get involved and stop the assault. Macho, not realizing what had happened, finally caught wind of what had just transpired. He would eventually fall into the open arms of Elizabeth and they would embrace. Macho would lift Elizabeth on his shoulders while the crowd shed tears of joy. In true Elizabeth fashion, she would open the ropes for her man to go through and in a surprise turn of events, Macho would make her get up then lift the ropes for her. A true moment that tugs on the heart strings of everyone.

 

8. Shawn Michaels Finally Wins The Big One at Wrestlemania 12

-Shawn Michaels had achieved a victory at the Royal Rumble, which guaranteed him a shot at the title in the main event of Wrestlemania. His opponent? Arguably the greatest wrestler ever in Bret Hart. The stipulations would change as these men would now be required to engage in an iron man match. The two men would go back and forth for over an hour in a classic. The match would end with neither man scoring points and since we needed a winner, the match went to sudden death. Shawn Michaels would kick down the door of opportunity (pun intended) and hit Bret with Sweet Chin Music to win his first WWE championship. The words uttered by Vince as an emotional Shawn Michaels celebrated will never be forgotten. “The boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels” is still an epic Wrestlemania quote.

7. The Rock, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan All Share The Ring at Wrestlemania 30

-A moment born not out of a match, but just the power of sheer icons. One of the greatest moments ever opened this show. Hogan was hosting Wrestlemania 30 and he would come down and infamously call the Superdome the wrong name (he called it the Silverdome, making a great save by saying he was thinking of the Wrestlemania 3 match he had) and then was interrupted by Stone Cold. Stone Cold would talk about what Hogan did for wrestling until a returning Rock entered the ring and gave props to both men. It all ended with all 3 men sharing beers in a moment that I myself (being there live) will never forget.

6. Shawn Michaels Career Is Laid To Rest At Wrestlemania 26

-At Wrestlemania 25, the greatest wrestling match of all time took place between the two most known Wrestlemania figures. Undertaker and Shawn would wage battle with the Undertaker coming out victorious. Shawn Michaels would hold onto the anguish of him losing to Undertaker for over a year. Shawn would challenge Taker time and time again with Taker declining. Shawn would cost the Undertaker the World Title and challenge Taker once more and Taker would accept only this time if Shawn’s career would be on the line. Shawn would oblige and they met in the main event. After waging war, Shawn would again lose. Shawn would be brought to his feet and he and Undertaker would embrace. Undertaker would then give Shawn the ring and Shawn would take in all the adoration from the fans in the arena and those watching. Shawn would make his famed exit and as he walked up the ramp we all knew Shawn Michaels had left the building.

5. End of An Era at Wrestlemania 28

-Triple H and Undertaker had the match of the night at Wrestlemania 28. Out to not only avenge the honor of his fallen friend Shawn Michaels, but to make history, Triple H had nearly destroyed Undertaker at Wrestlemania 27, and even though Taker emerged victorious, he would be carted out. Much like Shawn Michaels the year prior, Undertaker would hold onto this for a year and Triple H would refuse until he had enough and accepted the challenge. Shawn Michaels would be named as the referee and many assumed Triple H was assured the win. Taker would emerge victorious, but he helped a fallen Triple H to his feet. As the three men walked out, they turned around and embraced while the crowd cheered on the three legends riding into the sunset.

-Phranchize

Read More

Eyes on the Ring 12:19 AM  No comment

Eyes On Wrestlemania: Ranking John Cena's Wrestlemania Matches

By @Phranchize19

For the better part of a decade, John Cena has been a headliner at the grandest stage of them all. From championship matches to personal feuds, Cena has clashed with legends, veterans, and rookies at Wrestlemania. Cena has competed in 13 matches at Wrestlemania and I'm going to rank them from worst to best, in my opinion.

13. John Cena and Nikki Bella vs The Miz and Maryse
Wrestlemania 33

-This match wasn’t very good because it was basically used as the gateway for Cena to propose to Nikki at Wrestlemania. The best part of this feud with Miz impersonating Cena with his house rules. Classic stuff there, but this match was subpar.

12. John Cena vs Miz 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 27

-Mainly used as the vehicle for The Rock vs Cena, this match took a backseat to that. Miz and Cena had the tough task of main eventing a bad show, but their match was just lifeless. I don’t blame either man or The Rock for this honestly. I just blame the booking of this and the pacing. It could have been better, but unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. 

11. John Cena vs Edge vs Big Show 
World Heavyweight Championship 
Wrestlemania 25

-This match wasn’t bad. It just had to follow the greatest wrestling match ever. Cena lifting Edge and Big Show was a cool spot, and overall, this was a decent contest.

10. John Cena vs The Rock 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 29

-This match was okay. The thing holding back this match is the fact that the belt was on the line. It felt like the belt had taken a backseat to the feud. You wouldn’t want the marquee match on the marquee show of the year to have your most important title be second fiddle, plus no one was asking for this rematch.

9. John Cena vs Triple H vs Randy Orton 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 24

-Arguably the 3 biggest guys in the industry at the time fighting at Wrestlemania was great. They put on a decent match all things considered. I was surprised they went with Orton for the win honestly, but this was solid.

8. John Cena vs Big Show 
US Championship 
Wrestlemania 20

-This was the perfect way to open the show. Cena winning his first title in a very solid match with the crowd firmly behind him was fun, and of course him picking Big Show is always a moment.

7. John Cena vs Batista 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 26

-I really think the build to this match would’ve been better had they used the build that their Summerslam match had. Instead they had Batista who was the WWE Champ acting jealous of the guy who WASN’T the champ, but his promos were solid. Still, this was a pretty decent contest and a solid WWE Championship match. 

6. John Cena vs JBL 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 21

-I always felt this match was a bit underrated. The storytelling in the match was great as well as the build to the match. Cena wins his first WWE Championship and put an end to the long reign of JBL.

5. John Cena vs Bray Wyatt 
Wrestlemania 30

-This might have been the most underrated match of both men’s careers as well as the most underrated match on the Mania card. We got to see the good Bray Wyatt here and aside from the result, which was wrong (Bray needed the win), this was a really good match IMO. The Wyatt Family added to the match as well as Cena second guessing himself throughout, but if Cena would have lost, it would have made it even better.

4. John Cena vs Rusev 
United States Championship Wrestlemania 31

-This was a GREAT contest. Rusev and Cena have great chemistry and even though the anti-American angle is played out, I thought the match itself was stellar.

3. John Cena vs Triple H 
WWE Championship 
Wrestlemania 22

-This was such a great contest. Triple H was always gonna carry his weight but Cena came to play on this night. Having HHH tap out gave Cena an even bigger boost than he already had. The crowd was hot for this match and split, one of the first real vocal rejections of Cena as the forced face on a big show. 12 years ago.

2. John Cena vs Shawn Michaels 
WWE Championship
Wrestlemania 23

-Originally meant to be a rematch from the year prior, HBK came in and filled in for the injured HHH. This is by far the best WRESTLING match Cena has ever had at Mania (possibly ever). HBK took Cena to wrestling school on this night and Shawn showed he still had it when the lights were at their brightest. I was very tempted to put this number one and it probably should be, but....

1. John Cena vs The Rock 
Wrestlemania 28

-The biggest match in the career of John Cena. Even though we had a year build, it was phenomenally done for the most part. The real life animosity made this match even bigger than it was. While not the greatest match in terms of technical ability (that’s Wrestlemania 23), this was HUGE, on par with Rock vs Hogan, but just a bit more fluid. Wisely, they actually went with The Rock for the win in his hometown nonetheless. This isn't the best Cena match, but with the build and the year long promotion, it is the biggest and greatest match in his Mania career.

-Phranchize

Read More

Eyes on the Ring 10:32 PM  No comment

Eyes On Wrestlemania: Best Tag Team Matches

By @Phranchize19

Wrestlemania hasn’t been big on good tag matches as of late, but it used to be a staple. Today, we are gonna discuss the greatest tag matches in this history of the show. There are some matches you might feel are missing, but these are the choices that came to mind. Honorable mention to a match True mentioned recently, The Headshrinkers vs The Steiners at Wrestlemania 9, but let's take a look at my list.

*Hulk Hogan and Mr. T w/
Jimmy Snuka vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff w/ Cowboy Bob Orton
Wrestlemania 1

-While not a masterpiece in terms of technical wrestling, this match was probably the second most important match in the history of the event. The star power was strong here and it would become a classic in its own right in Mania history.

*The Hart Foundation vs Nasty Boys
Wrestlemania 7

-This is probably the best pure 2 on 2 tag match in Mania history. The Hart Foundation seemed to be on the verge of splitting and the Nasty Boys were a popular team in the world of pro wrestling, so this would definitely be an important match in Mania history.

*The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian vs Dudley Boyz
Triangle Ladder Match
Wrestlemania 16

-This match was so great. This is the original TLC match (although it was intended just to be a ladder match) and these three teams stole the show. This is in the running for the best tag match in the history of the event honestly.

*The Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian vs Dudley Boyz
TLC II
Wrestlemania 17

-This is the best tag match in the history of Wrestlemania. The three teams upped their game from the previous year and stole the show on what is considered the greatest card of all time. It might not be the best match on this card, but it is one of the most memorable matches no doubt.

*Evolution vs Rock And Sock Connection
Wrestlemania 20

-Although this is a handicap match, this was contested under tag team rules. This match from an entertainment standpoint alone is worthwhile. Randy Orton has quite the performance in this match and it is always exciting to see The Rock in action.

*The Club vs Enzo and Cass vs The Bar vs The Hardy Boyz
Ladder Match 
Wrestlemania 33

-The returning Hardy Boyz made this match much better than it would’ve been. No disrespect to the other teams, but none of them have ladder match experience and the pop of the returning Hardys is one that will never be forgotten. The win for The Hardy Boyz made this even bigger as well.

-Phranchize

Read More

Eyes on the Ring 1:43 AM  No comment