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TUCKER'S INSTANT REACTION - WM28 PPV: Live, in-person perspective on performances in the matches that counted

Apr 1, 2012 - 11:52:45 PM
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Instant Reaction - WWE WrestleMania 28 PPV
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

WM28_2_19.jpg

Overall Score - 8.0

WrestleMania this year, at least from a live standpoint, was a blast from the second hour on. The first 25 percent of the show? Not so much. I'm sure everyone's already talked about the ten-second title match, but what about the terrible idea to put both big-man matches back to back? And, while all four of those guys tried, neither match really kept my attention. At this point, the show was feeling like a special Raw, especially after the Divas snooze fest.

However, once HBK hit the screen, that Mania magic was there once again. And, while half of the matches on the show were underwhelming, and yes, they put commercials on a PPV AGAIN, the final half of the card delivered in a big way.

Triple H vs. Taker was a great way to end the Taker-HBK-Triple H Mania epic, with all three men pouring tons of emotion and expert timing into the match. The entire match was structured astonishingly well. At the same time, it does deserve some flak in that it hardly used the Cell structure at all. I don't need to see any Mick Foley-esque bumps, but after eight minutes in, they practically ignored it altogether. Nonetheless, the match was still a definite Match of the Year candidate.

The 12-man tag wasn't awe inspiring, but it didn't need to be. The action was solid, the right team won, Zack Ryder had a solid showing, and Eve had a nice bump in character development. Well done. As far as the WWE Title match is concerned, it came close to beating out Taker-Hunter for match of the night. While the first couple of minutes didn't quite work, the crowd was in the palm of their hands for one heck of a finishing sequence. Oh, and no one can complain about the Momma Clay segment. What else would you have put there to be a buffer?

Rock vs. Cena was a fulfilling main event that did pretty much what was expected of it. Was it the greatest match of all-time? No, but it had many, including myself, on the edge of their seats for the final few minutes. Both men looked good, and the match ended in a pretty satisfying manner. Now, please end this feud.

Mania this year was definitely better than last year's even if the overall card wasn't as fleshed out. With three four-star matches and a few decent surprises, the show was pretty successful on all levels. Just don't put Maria Menounos in the ring again. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Brodus Clay told me to call my momma...

Questions? Comments? Reactions yourself? E-mail me at btuckertorch@aol.com, or follow me on Twitter at BTuckerTorch, where I talk about wrestling and... stuff!


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