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TORCH QOTW Reax: Torch Readers identity where WrestleMania 24 ranks against past WrestleManias
Mar 31, 2008 - 4:12:57 PM


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By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

This week's Torch Question of the Week is whether WrestleMania 24 stacks up against the classic WrestleManias of years past. We still want to hear from you! Send your thoughts to jctorch@gmail.com for inclusion in future batches of feedback.

Learnl Jones of Rochester, N.Y., Dishwasher - Man, that's a real tough question. I'm not sure if I would rate last night's WrestleMania as the greatest in history just yet. To me, if you compare this year's card to last year's, last year was better because both main events were outstanding. Last night's triple threat match was just OK to me. So was Taker-Orton. WM 24 probably wouldn't make my top five. But for the sheer spectacle and the grandeur, yeah, last night's first outdoor show in fifteen years was off the charts. That aerial shot was just amazing.

My top five Wrestlemania's are (1) X-7 from Houston, (2) XIV from Boston, (3) III from the Silverdome, (4) VIII from the Hoosier Dome, (5) XXIII from Ford Field.

***

Mark from Toronto - I think 24 will rank no higher than top 7-8. I will preface this by suggesting WWE still does not have a mega-star at the moment. There is no Hogan, no Bret, no Rock, no Austin, and no Angle. Triple H is passing the torch still, HBK is not main eventing, and Undertaker is been-there, done that. Edge and Cena have come nearest to that 'mega star' push, but still aren't 'cool' with everyone in the audience yet. (Edge is nearer than Cena.)

(1) WM X-7 - nearly everyone was involved in a picture perfect match meant for their skill set/popularity. It flowed from beginning to end with no hiccups (except maybe the Battle Royale, but it was better than a Bunny match.)

(2) WM XX - a bit over-produced and pre-packaged, but hit a lot of home runs along the way. Two exceptional championship matches and a bunch of other matches worth the money.

(3) WM X - the best of the classics; brought WWE into a new era with a bang. Some of the greatest memories that sports entertainment will ever have.

(4) WM 2000 - even without any singles matches, I still re-watch it often because of how entertaining this one really was.

(5) WM III - the essence of WrestleMania lies with this one forever. The greatest degree of spectacle for all-time.

***

Mark DiNatale of Los Angeles, Calif. - I am not sure if I put this in the top five WM's of all time. But it's certainly in the top ten. I also think since I am an older fan, in my opinion I have seen matches that I was way more emotionally invested in - WM 14 with Austin vs. HBK, WM 13 with Austin vs. Bret Hart, WM 17 with The Rock vs. Austin and Taker vs. Triple H, WM 6 with Hogan vs. The Warrior, and WM 2 offered several great matches, including my favorite, the tag title match from Chicago.

I think WrestleMania 24 is going to be considered great down the line when you think that WM 24 was more than a one or two match card. It had an unpredictable MITB match that was very exciting to watch, the HBK vs. Flair match was everything that WrestleMania is all about, two excellent title matches, and the Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show was excellent for the "mainstream media coverage" match that Vince likes. Now as I type this, maybe this is one of the better cards the WWE has done with WrestleMania. WM 24 felt like it was cared for and loved and was treated with the respect it deserves.

***

Russell Jaffe of Chicago, Poetry MFA Candidate - This was the best WrestleMania of all time, and I have seen them all. There were no bad matches, just one ugly squash that was stupid and BunnyMania which was "hot," if you are in to Snoopy Dizzle, or something. Ok, so maybe BunnyMania sucked. But everything else was great. The sheer spectacle of it and unmitigated excitement throughout the night was like nothing I had ever seen. I felt like this was bigger than the Super Bowl. Tremendous, tremendous wrestling from everyone involved, and yes, I did cry when Flair lost. Also, Batista vs. Umaga was not nearly as bad as everyone says; not everything can be a main event. WWE really put on their best WM to date and it represented everything that is spectacular about professional wrestling in a big, big way.

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