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William Hronek (9.0): Best match: Flair-Michaels. Worst match: Kane-Chavo Guerrero. This was a great pay-per-view with only a little bit of filler. It amazes me that Flair and Michaels can still tear down the house like they did. The match was full of drama, ring psychology, and emotion. Both men performed excellently. As far as I'm concerned, it's a match of the year contender. JBL vs. Finlay was predictably stiff, but both men worked some good spots and weapon use into the match. Money in the Bank was excellent, and it was a nice surprise to see Punk win it. I could have done without the Bunnymania and the Batista-Umaga showdown, but they had to pace the show to allow people to catch their breath. Even Mayweather-Big Show was good. New favorite line, courtesy of a Mayweather protector: "You can't be doin' that!"

David Kaplan (7.0): Best Match: Undertaker vs. Edge. Worst Match: Women's match. Comments:  I bought the show solely to see Ric Flair's retirement match.  It was a huge success because I stood up and cheered when it looked like Flair would win, and yes, I cried during the post-match scenes.  Pretty amazing for a situation that I'm well aware is pre-determined and "entertainment."  While the match was disjointed at times, it is still an amazing achievement for a 59 year old man to look so fluid and athletic and hang with one of the best.  Thank you Ric Flair!  You are the greatest! Big Show and Mayweather was very entertaining and benefited from excellent booking.  The rest of the show was flat.
 
Stevie Bundi of Toronto, Ont. (8.5): Best match: Flair/Shawn, Taker/Edge. Worst: Batista vs. Umaga. I watched this show at a cineplex here in Toronto which was packed. Tremendous show overall. I can see the validity in the argument that this wasn't the strongest or most epic WrestleMania ever (or among the top five), but how can you argue that this was a weak show? Everything, other than Batista vs. Umaga and the Bunnymania match (which I actually found to be fun and significantly better than last year's Melina-Ashley debacle), delivered or overdelivered. The Belfast Brawl was a fun opener that definitely served its purpose as JBL desperately needed a victory. Money in the Bank was real strong and was made even better by the fact that I had no idea who would win. C.M. Punk winning was a great surprise. What more needs to be said about Flair and Michaels? Pro wrestling and storytelling at its absolute best. The open arena maybe weakened the heat of all the matches but I still got goosebumps as Flair slowly walked up the aisle in tears. That was just beautiful and a match I will watch many times over. Forget what "could" have been. This was a legitimate WrestleMania moment. The triple threat was really fun, though hardly epic (which is strange to say as Cena always is anything but 'just another guy'). Chavo and Kane was funny and the crowd here absolutely loved it. Mayweather-Show was also tremendously booked - if Triple H did help design that, then kudos to him. The main event started real slow and lackluster, but built into something extraordinary. I'd rank it a notch above Batista vs. Taker. I think overall this card was the strongest top-to-bottom since WrestleMania 19. Tremendous show overall.

Mark Parisen of So. Amboy N.J. (9.5): Best Match: HBK vs. Flair. Worst Match: Chavo vs. Kane. My expectations were high going in, and WWE delivered! I was hoping for a five-star match from Michaels and Flair, and that's exactly what I got!  As a huge Undertaker fan, I was not only glad to see "The Streak" continue, but happy to see The Deadman regain the gold. C.M. Punk was a nice surprise winner of MITB; let's hope they use this storyline to move him up to main event status and give him the push that Jeff Hardy squandered. Show vs. Mayweather didn't embarrass, and I don't think Show was hurt by it.The Divas were fun, JBL and Finlay did the hardcore thing, Umaga and Batista were okay, and Orton pulled off a major "upset" that will set up Backlash nicely. The celebrities all did fine work, overall. Money well spent!  Maybe TNA took some notes!

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