By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch Specialist

Attending WrestleMania live is the ultimate experience for any wrestling fan. I have loved wrestling from my days growing up in Michigan, just a few miles away from the site of WrestleMania 3. This year, I attended my seventh consecutive WrestleMania and eighth in nine years. My friends come from all over the world to see the annual spectacular and it seems to become more fun each year. If you have not had a chance to see WrestleMania live, I cannot stress enough what an unbelievable experience it is.

Of course, in recent years, WWE has done an excellent job making its biggest show a week of festivities. I had the opportunity to spend the whole week in Phoenix and it was phenomenal. I worked the Fan Axxess convention all week, which was an incredible event. I also stayed in the same hotel as the wrestlers and was able to enjoy the VIP WrestleMania Pre-Party. I will discuss my reaction to the behind-the-scenes happenings in my next article. Today, I want to focus on my live review of the show. Yes, I realize that this is a bit late, but I figured that the Mania buzz lasts until the next WWE PPV.

I had a completely unique experience during the actual WrestleMania event because I was able to view it from three completely different perspectives. We sat in the VIP suite, were on the floor for a few matches, and decided to watch the main event with hardcore fans in the cheap seats to truly feel the live rush of the mammoth crowd. I wanted to look back and rate the event, not only the match quality, but the feeling those battles generated from my perspective.

Big Show & The Miz vs. R-Truth & John Morrison: Tag Team Championship Match

Last year, WWE put the tag title matches in the dark match, and it turned out to be better than the main event of WrestleMania! Of course, it is hard to get more lame than that infamous Triple H vs. Randy Orton clunker. This year, some fans had hopes of a show-stealing tag title match. I knew it was not going to happen.

Morrison was my choice to win Money in the Bank early in the year, and from what he was saying when I got a chance to talk to him the week before Mania, he sounded like he would have preferred to be part of MITB. Relegating one of the best young athletes on the roster to a lame tag match was a bizarre move, especially considering his breathtaking maneuvers in the ladder match at WrestleMania 24.

I was watching this match after having a bit too many alcoholic cocktails at the pre-party, so the continuing buzz I felt sitting up in the VIP suites numbed the sting of how painfully short this was. Before the contest, I told my friend, who had not watched wrestling in years, that "this Morrison dude will be the next Shawn Michaels." When Morrison was pinned a few minutes later, my friend looked at me and laughed. This disappointing opener was a clinic in wasting time and talent, and unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the show.

MATCH RATING: *
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 3/10 (and all of that is credited to the alcohol, not the performers.

Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase, Jr. vs. Cody Rhodes: Legacy Explodes

By the second match on the card, the wine was being passed around the suite and I was feeling really happy. I needed the boost because WWE really dropped the ball in promoting this match properly. In fact, this whole Legacy saga has been a huge disappointment this past year. The faction did nothing to help the two young upstarts. This was a solid but disposable contest that was forgotten the moment it ended, and this had nothing to do with the cocktails I was consuming.

It is always interesting to watch wrestling with old fans that had stopped watching the product. My buddy commented on how all three stars looked like action figures. He also made a point that all three of their fathers had completely different characters and body types. I agree with him that WWE needs to move away from the generic video game create-a-character template wrestlers and showcase a diversity of personalities and looks.

If Randy Orton takes off as a babyface like WWE hopes he will, then perhaps something good can come out of Legacy. Other than that, it is an enormous missed opportunity. Rhodes and DiBiase were probably better off before the group united. Only time will tell if the next generation will be able to live up to the legacy of the past.

MATCH RATING: **
LIFE EXPERIENCE: 4/10

Money in the Bank Ladder Match

With the looming Money in the Bank PPV, this could have been the last edition of what had become an annual tradition at WrestleMania. Personally speaking, I feel if this is the final one, they went out with a whimper because this was easily the worst of these spectacles. Obviously, we have already seen this story play out a bit in the last couple of weeks with Swagger capturing the gold, but at the time, we could not believe what we were seeing for all the wrong reasons. WWE had not used him in a significant manner in months, and now all of a sudden, he was a championship candidate. Not only that, he did so in an overstuffed match where two contestants would battle and others would awkwardly remain at ringside. I have been at every one of these matches live and Money in the Bank usually has the crowds oohing and ahhing. While there were some fun moments, like Kofi on stilts, and Air Bourne, we didn't see the sensational moves that these matches generally showcase. You know things are bad when even Shelton Benjamin is not allowed to shine in this match.

I missed part of the match because we were able to move from the suites to the floor seats during the chaos. Unfortunately, those great seats gave us a close view of that finish. The ending was atrocious, with Swagger taking forever to remove the briefcase from the hook, seemingly waiting for somebody to come and knock him down. Many in the audience thought it was some type of botched finish and perhaps somebody else was supposed to win, but it was just badly executed. When the WWE presents this match in the future, they need to scale back on the number of wrestlers involved because this was a cluster. If Swagger becomes a big star, then the match has served its purpose, but watching it live was a disappointing experience.

MATCH RATIING: **
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 4/10

Sheamus vs. Triple H

Like I said, thanks to the extremely hospitable folks at WWE, we were near ringside for this match. In fact, we were close enough to feel the mist coming out of Triple H's mouth. Not that I have ever fantasized about being spit on by the Game, but it was cool being so close to the action at WrestleMania. This was the first battle of the card that was not a disappointment. My expectations were low coming into this contest, but the two combatants put on a strong showing. By this time, I decided that I needed to stop taking advantage of the free drinks if I wanted to get home safely.

While this will not be in any match of the year ballots at the end of the year, it served its purpose by giving a young superstar a chance to enter the ring with an established superstar on a big stage. I did not mind Triple H winning because Sheamus was allowed plenty of offense, and it was a fairly evenly contested match. Truth be told, at this point, my main feeling was one of complete awe that I was on the floor at WrestleMania. As I said before, this was my eight WrestleMania and it was a thrilling experience to stare up at such a massive crowd from ringside. If any of you want to experience this incomparable feeling, I suggest becoming friends with somebody in advertising.

MATCH RATING: **1/2
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 6/10

C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

Many people predicted that this could be the showstealing match of the night. Knowing my WrestleMania history, I predicted that it would not get enough time to earn that honor. For some reason, WWE never gives Mysterio much time at Mania. Even the year he won the World Championship, his match was less than ten minutes. Punk's entrance was just plain sensational, and I feel that he is the most entertaining act in wrestling. I stood up and saluted the Straight Edge Society. Rey always brings out a special mask for the Grand Stage, but even near the front row, I had no idea that it was a tribute to Avatar.

This was an entertaining showdown that made the most of the short time it received. Many would have preferred to see Punk win, but I think Rey will be introduced into the Society at the next pay-per-view. It was fantastic witnessing Mysterio's athleticism from such a close vantage point. I had been working Fan Axxess all week and I discovered just how incredibly popular that he is with young fans so I can see why WWE would want to send those kids home happy. This was undoubtedly too short, but since that is what I expected anyway, it was not a disappointment. I think these two have better matches ahead of them in this feud.

MATCH RATING: ***
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 7/10

Bret the Hitman Hart vs. Vince McMahon

Where do I begin with this one? Thankfully, we were back in the suite for this match because if I was near the ring, I might have been tempted to throw things. In fact, WWE would have been well advised to throw in the towel on this borefest. Unfortunately, my buzz had worn off from the drinks I enjoyed earlier in the night. The backwards storytelling and illogical twists in this dramatic disaster would have even made TNA writers blush. The entire ordeal with the Hart family before the match was terribly executed. Why give the entire story of the match away before it begins?

Sadly, this is a product of three months of misfires and bad booking. The story of the returning Hitman and his quest for revenge for being screwed by Mr. McMahon should have written itself. Unfortunately, WWE added unnecessary twists and allowed the two rivals to have too much physical contact in the months leading to Mania. What resulted was this clunker of a "contest." They should have just focused on the real issue at hand and built a personal grudge based on those genuine emotions. From the moment Hart and Michaels shook hands on his return to Raw, I knew this would be a disappointment. That horrendous fake injury angle was confirmation. Unfortunately, contrarily to what the Heartbreak Kid predicted, only bad things have happened since Hart has returned.

The build had already been botched, but here is how I would have booked the matched. Vince should have started out by saying that he had bought off the Hart Dynasty, which would make sense since they have been portraying a heel faction. (Notice I did not mention all of the Harts. Bruce and Diana and the rest should never be allowed near a wrestling ring again.) The Dynasty would spend the first few minutes of the match giving Bret intimidating stares or maybe even a few hits to make Vince think they were on his side. Then at some point, Hart would be enjoying an advantage, and Vince would walk away thinking the Bret's family had his back. That is when the Dynasty would reveal they were with Bret and beat Vince down leading up to the Sharpshooter finale.

WWE usually knows how to create a great spectacle match so I am surprised at how atrocious this was. Hopefully, Bret enjoyed his closure because I wish I gave my own eyes some closure to avoid watching this piece of wrestlecrap.

MATCH RATING: No Stars
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 0/10

Chris Jericho vs. Edge: World Heavyweight Championship Match

This had the unenviable task of waking up the crowd from the dud that preceded it. It took a few minutes to get going, but ended up becoming a very entertaining contest. In my opinion, it was the most fun match of the night and the one that actually exceeded its expectations. I knew this would be a good match, but did not like the lame "spear" chants and storyline. It came off as a contrived catchphrase, and Edge hit Jericho with his finisher so many times that it lost its effect.

The Rated-R Superstar just has not clicked as a face for me, and Jericho is still doing an excellent job as the cowardly braggart heel. This was evident in the crowd reaction to the two as Edge did not get the monster pop that I am sure WWE would love to hear. I was excited to see Jericho get the relatively clean win as I felt that a long title run would give the World Title some gravitas. Of course, that was not to be, but it was still good to see him get a big win on a major stage. Edge got his heat back with the spectacular spear off the table after the match. Unlike many of the other battles on the card, these two had lowered fans' hopes leading into Mania so seeing them put on such an entertaining effort made it one of the highlights of the night.

MATCH RATING: ***3/4
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 8/10

10- Diva Tag Match

After a wild week in Phoenix, I had not slept properly in a long time. WWE's unfortunate use of the Divas served my purpose for taking a brief nap.

MATCH RATING: N/A
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 1/10

Batista vs. John Cena: WWE Championship Match

WWE did a tremendous job making us feel that this was to be an epic encounter. Cena was his usual cheesy self, but Batista was a blueprint in how a heel should look and act. He was just plain awesome the last few months and even made Cena raise his game a bit from his usual lame antics. That lameness reached its apex in that channel-changing bad military-style entrance at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, the remote to the television in our suite could not fast forward past that abomination. I was making fun of how boring and stupid the military gun salutes were for a wrestling entrance before my friend told me to quiet down because the National Guard rep was sitting in the same suite as us! Perhaps the highlight of the night, however, was when one of the guys I had attended the show with said the only way to salvage that entrance was if they shot Cena as he was entering the ring. Yeah, we have a sick sense of humor. All joking aside, wrestling needs to stop utilizing the military to attempt to get its superstars over. It is a cheap way of garnering support and just creates an uncomfortable atmosphere.

I would love to give my review on this match, but I missed most of it. Realizing that I wanted to leave the corporate atmosphere and be part of the crowd for the main event, I spent most of this match moving from the VIP suite to my actual seat. By the time I got there, there were only a few minutes left, but the crowd was extremely hot. I cannot give a proper rating on this contest and am looking forward to getting the DVD because I liked what I saw. I would have preferred that Batista did not tap out, but he seems to have recovered from the submission just fine.

MATCH RATING: N/A
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 5/10 (Enjoyed what I saw but cannot give high rating due to the Cena entrance)

The Undertaker vs. Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels: Career vs. Streak

Now this is an extremely difficult match to rate. How do you objectively review a match that had such an astounding amount of hype? How can you follow up what was possibly the greatest match in WrestleMania history? In my opinion, they could not do it and I felt that this was a fairly significant downgrade from the majestic showdown the previous year. Now let me give some perspective on why it was hard for me to watch this match without being critical. I was in the audience last year in Houston and it is just about impossible to recreate the electric atmosphere in that stadium during that astonishing athletic display between HBK and Taker. It was simply the greatest match I have ever seen. The entrances alone were worth the price of admission.

Additionally, I have been a wrestling fan for over twenty years, and I know what it means when "retirement" stipulations are announced. I was in the Citrus Bowl for Flair's "final match" as well as Undertaker's supposed "career-ending" loss at One Night Stand in '08. In my decades as a wrestling fan, I cannot think of anybody that has actually retired other than Rock and Austin who were forced to because of injuries and opportunities. Seeing the Nature Boy return with virtually no hype has really soured me on these supposed career-finishing matches. It was hard for me to get too emotional because I felt that even if Michaels lost, he would be back anyway.

From the moment that HBK came in to his regular entrance, this was a major letdown. After his breathtaking entrance last year, the tone was disappointing from the outset. There should have been fireworks and lasers and an all-out spectacle for his arrival. The Undertaker's entrance was phenomenal as always, but not too different from what we see on regular shows. The match itself was very good, obviously, but I felt it was quite a few notches down from their WrestleMania 25 epic. The crowd was quiet for much of the contest while Shawn was working on Taker's leg. My friends and I actually chose to be in the cheap seats for this one because the crowd is much livelier in these sections, but it was still fairly dead the first half of the match.

By the time things got going, it was a really good match, but I had a hard time getting behind the emotional story because I do not take wrestling retirements seriously. The kickouts from the finishers did not mean as much because I saw it all last year and better executed. The ending was really well written and brilliantly executed, much like "I'm sorry. I love you." Unlike Flair's sendoff, very few people actually felt Michaels was leaving. HBK is still the best wrestler in the world and nobody really wants to see him leave, and fans are understandably jaded about career-ending matches. While this was a very good match and would probably rate as excellent, it was a victim of high expectations and a lack of faith in the stipulations. I would like to say that it will be better on DVD, but on my way to my seat prior to the match, I spoke to Jim Ross's wife who informed me that J.R. would not be calling the main event. Somehow, I cannot imagine the team of Cole and Lawler enhancing any viewing experience. That being said, Michaels and Undertaker put in another world-class effort and both should be commended for putting on another terrific match. The fact that I was disappointed is merely a testament to how amazing these two performers are.

MATCH RATING: ****1/4
LIVE EXPERIENCE: 6/10

Overall, I felt that this was a below average show. Most of the matches fell below expectations and some of the better matchups did not get enough time. Out of the eight WrestleManias I have been to, this was definitely the worst one as a show. Of course, the overall experience was really cool, especially being able to sit near ringside as well as in the suite. Interestingly, however, it was in the cheap seats way above where the wildest reactions were felt.

As for the future, the WWE really has their work cut out from them next year if Michaels is really retiring. WrestleMania has been built around his matches for most of the past decade and I cannot imagine the Grandest Stage of Them All without Mr. WrestleMania. If this truly is the end for the Showstopper, then he fittingly left in the main event. I am among many fans who hope the Heartbreak Kid has not left the building.

Please send questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com and check out my new book The Showstopper Lifestyle.

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