4/5 WWE WrestleMania 25 PPV Reax

Morgan Ruble of Ottumwa, Iowa (6.0): Best Match: Undertaker vs. Michaels. Worst match: JBL vs. Mysterio. Compared to WWE's last two PPVs, WrestleMania was a let down for me. Royal Rumble and No Way Out were two of the better events WWE has put together in some time and I was hoping they would go for a three-peat with WM25. Undertaker vs. Michaels started off strangely with Shawn's ascension from the sky. It was like he was channeling Mordecai. The missed dives by both men to the outside had me scared (and the ref scared too from the look of it). I bet the planted camera man got a piece of The Undertaker's mind once they got backstage. Besides that, this match was all that I expected it to be. Too bad these two stars best days are behind them. Without them, there might be rioting in the streets over the cost of this event! The Triple Threat Match seemed like an excuse to see what we always see in an Edge or John Cena bout. Edge accidental spears Vicky. Cena lifts a guy twice his size. This match seemed rushed, and Cena's win after the elaborate entrance and the pre-match promo being based around him didn't come as a huge shocker. Crowd seemed more into booing Cena than respecting Big Show or the once red-hot Edge. Rating a WrestleMania low is like rating a "Super Bowl" low. It's still fun to get together with the gang and watch. There are still exciting moments and lots of fireworks and music. On these counts, WM 25 delivered. On the overall quality of wrestling and storytelling, I give this show a 4.0 (way down from the overall event) because I felt like they kind of threw everything together last minute and it showed once the show started.

Zach Ward of Ipswich, U.K. (8.0): Best Match: Taker vs. HBK. Worst Match: JBL vs. Rey. Really good show, but with a few shortcomings, especially for fans sitting at home. The tag title match was a great opener for the live fans - full of energy, nearfalls, and highspots. It's a shame that WWE holds the tag titles with as much prestige as the ECW and Intercontinental Titles. What was the point of bringing out Rey for nine seconds? I felt sorry for the guy after he missed the previous two Manias. Hardy match was good and the finish looked sick. How Jeff didn't get seriously hurt is a mystery. MITB was another good match given plenty of time, but it was anti-climatic with Punk again winning the match when the crowd was clearly pushing for Christian. Being there live in Reliant Stadium, it was worth every dollar that I paid for The Undertaker and HBK match. It had everything. My heart was in my mouth when Undertaker landed on his head, and you can only praise the two athletes for continuing the match at such a good pace, and placing their lives on the line. Unfortunately, with that match being excellent, it gave the final two matches of the card too much to do to lift the crowd again. The triple threat match was a good match. No surprise Cena came out on top, but the crowd was fairly split, probably 60-40 in favor of Cena. The main event was good, but the right man did not win. WrestleMania used to be a stage to elevate new stars. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12, Batista and Cena at WrestleMania 21, Stone Cold at WrestleMania 14, and so on. The crowd was not into the main event simply because people don't care about Trips anymore - he has been in the WWE Ritle picture for the last ten years, and tonight the torch should have been passed to Randy Orton - the evolution of Evolution. But no surprise that Trips ended the show in his blaze of glory. I just hope he does not break the record of the legendary Nature Boy. Overall a really good Mania and Taker vs. HBK will go down in history.

Chris Morris of Portland, Ore. (6.0): Best Match: Taker vs. HBK. Worst match: Orton vs. Triple H. MITB was great, Jeff vs. Matt was good (I love Matt's new ring wear!), and yes, Undertaker vs. HBK was an instant classic that made me happy I shelled out the $55. The triple threat was good for what it was too. But there are three things that are baffling to this fan of 26 years. (1) Kid Rock is not a huge star anymore. Yet we were treated to a silly medley while the two best tag teams the WWE has seen in years were relegated to a dark match. (2) Why bring Sunny, Torrie, Molly, and Victoria back only to give them zero face time and no special return mention in an introduction? (3) I said to my girlfriend a week or two ago that Orton vs. Triple H would bomb because it was extremely poorly crafted by wrestling storyline standards. The antagonist (Orton) has nothing to lose. No title. No career on the line. His health wasn't on the line. Meanwhile, Hunter has nothing to gain. He's the champion. When exacting revenge, what exactly is he supposed to be taking from Orton? Fabricating an emotional issue is fine for the weekly soap opera dynamics, but what payoff was WWE expecting? A payoff wasn't possible! At the very least, Orton should have come in as champ with different results from the Rumble. It isn't like Hogan in the '80s where the champ had a huge uphill climb to defend us all against evil in the forms of Bundy or Andre. Revenge means something only if the antagonist has something to lose.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE PPV 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 the PPV, click here.

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