TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
Torch Feedback
WWE WrestleMania 24 Reax #1: "Flair vs. Michaels was everything I wanted it to be." Mar 30, 2008 - 11:48:24 PM
John Keating (8.5): Best Match: Flair-Michaels. Worst Match: Bunnymania. I thought this was one of the better WrestleManias in recent memory. Flair vs. Michaels was everything I wanted it to be. We got to see the Nature Boy do some classic, old school heel tactics with the eye poke and the story the match told was very emotional. Shawn's "I'm sorry, I love you" before hitting the Superkick really just hammered the story closed. The best I've seen of Michaels or Flair in a while. Mayweather vs. Big Show blew away my expectations. I thought the match was brilliantly booked and made neither man look weak. I loved the finish. There were some down moments on the show, like Bunnymania and Batista-Umaga, but even the "blah" moments weren't all that bad. Nothing stood out as a stinker for me. Undertaker vs. Edge was a very good match but it felt a little anticlimactic following that show. The shot with Flair walking to the ring and fireworks exploding in the sky behind him is a great iconic shot for him to be remembered with. A very fun show.
Mark DiNatale of Los Angeles, Calif. (9.0): Best Match: HBK vs. Flair. Worst: Bunnymania by default. Wow! I knew I was going to order this, but the card didn't feel all that special until the past few days. I basically ordered for HBK vs. Flair, not because I am a die hard Flair fan, but the fact that HBK never lets me down at a PPV. This was no different. The emotion in this match is something that every WM match should be. Just seeing Flair's family after the match was unreal. HBK and Flair should be proud of what they did tonight. The Triple Threat Match was also very well done. I was glad to see Orton retain. I think he's the best heel right now, but the fact that he retains shows the WWE believes in him to carry on a champ. Everyone knows that the chase is better than the capture. I like triple H with or without a title and Cena seems more hungry when he's got to chase the thing. Now I would like to see Orton change from the spinning belt back to the regular WWE belt. Umaga vs. Batista was an okay, decent big man match. I really thought the Mayweather vs. Show match really exceeded my opinion of what I thought it was going to be. Floyd took more bumps than I ever dreamed he would, the match actually lived up to the hype. I bet Floyd's posse had a great time getting involved. The MITB match was spot filled and I loved every second of it. The stunts with the ladders tonight was off the charts insane. Many Tivo moments there. Undertaker winning was expected, but was very cool. I never get tired of The Dead Man; he's been doing this longer than just about anybody, and he still knows how to keep it exciting. All in all I felt that the WrestleMania lived up to being the "Superbowl of Sports Entertainment." Night well spend.
Dave Sobucki of Chicago, Ill. (9.0): Best match: Flair vs. Michaels. Worst: None. Although the buildup and the matches did not seem to make this WrestlerMania standout from past ones, WWE did a fantastic job tonight. Every match was well timed and seemed to get the point across in the plot of its story - except for the ECW Title, match which was short on purpose for a reason. Reward Kane for his hardwork and tenure by giving him decisive win and a title to boot. Hopefully this will revitalize his character. The top three matches of the night included Flair vs. Michaels. What a fantastic way to honor the career of Ric Flair. One of the best matches of all time. HBK really does deserve the Mr. Wrestlemania title and will hopefully get a title run to reward him for being the MVP of the WWE roster. The other top matches were the MITB ladder match and Taker vs. Edge. Shelton Benjamin is insane and that flip with the ladder by Morrison was just crazy! Again, another fitting way to reward the Undertaker by keeping the record going and giving him the belt. Also, kudos to Show and Mayweather for a great performance. I cannot stand Mayweather, but he is a great heel by just being himself. The way the match played out was both believable and kept you involved in it from start to finish. Overall an outstanding job by WWE. Hopefully they can continue to put on great shows like this one.
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?