WrestleMania 22 is done and there were a lot of great moments and a lot to discuss, so let’s get right to it and see how I did.
WrestleMania 22 Results & Thoughts
Match 1 - World Tag Team Championship - Kane & Big Show (c) vs. Chris Masters & Carlito – I was so off on the order of matches tonight, but my picks were very good. This was a solid opener and all four guys worked hard. Kane was on tonight and was on fire (no pun intended). I was surprised that Kane & Big Show retained. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a rematch tomorrow at Raw and it will either mark the end of Kane & Big Show as champs or it will be the spark that starts the Chris Masters / Carlito feud and the start of Carlito’s face turn. The finish saw Kane give Carlito the chokeslam for the win. Winners and STILL World Tag Team Champs – Kane & Big Show
My Score - (0/1)
Backstage - Coach interviews HBK about his match tonight.
Match 2 - Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Ric Flair vs. Finlay vs. Matt Hardy vs. Lashley – I was very surprised to see this match so early in the card. I thought all six men worked hard. The spot where Hardy superplexed Flair off the ladder and they took Flair out “hurt” was a sure sign that he would come back to win. Some amazing spots in this…Shelton running up the ladder and flying to the outside and his mad jump from the middle of the ropes onto a ladder. I also dug the three man powerbomb on Lashley. There was a nasty spot near the end where Shelton and Hardy went off a ladder and to the outside. Hardy seemed to hit his head on the apron…I hope he’s ok. In the end, RVD comes out on top as Mr. Money in the Bank. 2006 just might be RVD’s year to shine. Winner - Rob Van Dam
My Score - (1/2)
Backstage – Josh Matthews backstage with Mean Gene. Randy Orton interrupts and rips on Mean Gene for getting into the Hall of Fame for holding a mic. Mean Gene gets upset and walks off camera mumbling about Orton’s father.
Hall of Fame Segment – It was great to see all the Hall of Fame superstars again tonight. I think it was TERRIBLE that Bret was not there. I had read that he was not going to, but I was hoping he would have a change of heart (again, no pun intended). It’s sad if this is how we will have to remember Bret Hart.
Match 3 - United States Championship - Chris Benoit (c) vs. JBL – This match went just about how I expected. It was great with JBL playing on Benoit’s love of Eddie to get him out of his game plan. The finish saw Benoit lock in the Crippler Crossface from a blocked Clothesline from Hell that JBL then rolled into a cover and a pin with help from the ropes. Winner and NEW United States Champion – JBL
My Score - (2/3)
At ringside - Joey Styles comes out to call the Hardcore Match. It was a great idea to let Joey cut his teeth at WrestleMania on a match like this. He did a great job and it shows how Lawler and Styles can do a two man show.
Match 4 - Hardcore Match - Edge vs. Mick Foley – As I said, this match was hard to call. The match was bloody and had some amazing moments. Foley wrapping himself in barbed wire to avoid the spear was classic. The tacks were something else. I said when Edge got them out “He’s going on those.” and so he did. Socko with the barbed wire to both Edge and Lita (she bled even if it was just pellets…) was nice as well. The finish saw Edge spear Foley though the ropes and through a burning table. Did you see: 1. That they both got burned because the table flashed and didn’t go out as fast? 2. The burn marks on the black mats at ringside? YIKES! Winner – Edge
My Score - (3/4)
Backstage – Booker T and Sharmell and talking over their match and wondering why all the psychos get drawn to them. They start walking to the ring and run into:
Goldust tells Booker that the only way he can win is to find his inner freak like they all did. Booker is NOT happy with this and storms out. Great segment!
Match 5 - Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell – This match was exactly what I expected. Booker used Sharmell to distract Boogey and get the early advantage, but Boogey fought back. In the end, Sharmell tried to hit Boogey with his own staff and got a worm filled kiss for her trouble. Boogeyman then hit a double handed sit-down chokeslam for the win. Winner – Boogeyman
My Score - (4/5)
Match 6 - Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Mickie James – While this was a good match with some great ring work and psychology, one thing stands out to me: the crowd TURNING on Trish! I couldn’t believe it. They were booing her and “Let’s go Mickie” rang out through the arena. I was amazed. I have nothing bad to say about Mickie. She has done great work with a hard role, but why would the crowd turn on Trish like that? What has she done to deserve it? Cause she didn’t give them HLA? The idiots in the crowd obviously wanted a T&A match (which they got later and chanted "Boring!” over) and didn’t get it. It’s a shame and a perfectly good match wasted on a crowd that I bet was les than 50% Chicago area fans. Mickie won with a Mick Kick after a botched attempt and Stratusfaction. Winner and NEW Women’s Champion – Mickie James
My Score - (5/6)
Backstage – Vince leads the whole McMahon clan in a prayer for Shawn Michaels. I can’t wait for the letters they’ll get for this one… :)
Match 7 - Casket Match - Undertaker vs. Mark Henry – This was a decent match for what it was. As always, Undertaker gives us a memory for WrestleMania. The vault over the ropes and casket was amazing. He then powerbombs Henry and gives him the Tombstone. RIP Mark Henry. Winner – Undertaker 14-0
My Score - (6/7)
Match 8 - No Holds Barred Match - Vince McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels – As I thought, all the “what ifs” about this match were just that; “ifs”. The match was solid for a part time wrestler being in it. Shawn controlled the early part of the match and then the Sprit Squad hits the ring. Shawn finally gets his vengeance on them too and lays them all out with their own megaphone. Vince does get the upper hand for a bit with Shane’s help. As they are about to have Shawn kiss Vince’s ass again, he reverses it and Shane does the honors. Once Shane is handcuffed to the ropes, Shawn proceeds to assault Vince with many weapons, deliver an elbow drop from a TALL ladder while Vince is on a table and in a trash can, and finally gives him a brutal Superkick for the pin. As Vince is rolled out bleeding he flips Shawn off, signaling that the Backlash will be hell (I love foreshadowing…:) ). Winner – Shawn Michaels
My Score - (7/8)
WrestleMania 23 will be at Ford Field in Detroit. That’ll be massive…I hope they can sell it out.
Match 9 - World Heavyweight Championship - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio – This is the match I picked as the main event…I guess not. This was an amazing match with a lot of action and many false finishes. The double German Suplex by Angle to both men was amazing. Kurt always gives 110% out there. Kurt got both Orton and Mysterio to tap, but the ref was distracted by the third man, something that will come up this Friday I bet. The end saw Angle go for an Angle Slam on Mysterio and he revered it into an armdrag that sent Kurt out of the ring. Rey then hit the 619 and West Coast Pop on Orton for the win. Kurt tried to break it up, but just didn’t make it. This had to be one of the biggest surprises of the night. Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion – Rey Mysterio
My Score - (7/9)
Backstage – We are shown Triple H and Cena preparing for their match later tonight. The crowd is very anti-Cena as they have been lately. JR tries to play this up to the fact that Triple H is more of a traditional wrestler and Cena is hip-hop and new. That’s crap…the crowd started disliking Cena when he became more kid-friendly as WWE Champ and when the girls started cheering for him. All I have to say is GET OVER IT. The guy and wrestler and worked his ASS off to get where he is. If you don’t like him, I can’t tell you otherwise, but don’t waste seats and WrestleMania if you don’t want to see the people there.
Match 10 - Playboy Pillow Fight - Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle – As usual, this match throws off all my picks. There was bit more wrestling than you usually see in a match like this, but for what it is, it was ok. Torrie won with a rollup. Winner – Torrie Wilson
My Score - (7/10)
Match 11 - WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Triple H – Whenever I think I have the WWE figured out, they throw me something like this…where to begin:
Triple H comes out dress like Conan the Barbarian to some new song about the “King of Kings”. While it was kind of cool. He looked rather uncomfortable in it. I hope this isn’t a new thing full time for him.
Before Cena comes out, we get a video about the Great Depression and the Chicago gangsters doing what they had to survive. The part that stuck with me was “Whether you liked or hated them, they sacrificed everything.” That is a very interesting quote to associate with Cena. We then get a car with gangsters and Cena firing off a Tommy gun before the match.
The match itself was something in itself with the crowd solidly against Cena. Over the course of the match, I was saying “This will be like when Edge won…they’ll cheer that Cena isn’t the champ anymore, then it’ll dawn on them, Triple H is the champ again.” Personally, I am a fan of Triple H. I have been since he started and was feuding with the Rock when he was in the Nation. Near the end of the match, Triple H went for the Pedigree but Cena backdropped him out of it. Cena then hit the FU near and Triple H kicked out. Cena then went to the top rope and missed a cross body. Triple H then tried to hit the Pedigree again, but Cena stepped through and locked in the STFU for the 2nd time in the match. Cena did a neat trick where he had Triple H’s hand that was closer to the ropes tied up in the hold. They sat in it for a LONG time and the ref checked to see if Triple H was out. After two drops, Triple H looked like he would fight back. Cena put some extra power into the hold and Triple H tapped out! Amazing! The crowd was stunned; there were shots of the fans just amazed. It was the first time all match that they stopped harping on Cena and were silent. Winner and STILL WWE Champion – John Cena
My Score - (7/11)
We then get a video recap of the night and we go to black.
Final Thoughts & Questions
- WrestleMania usually has some of the best matches of the year, and it this year was no exception. From top to bottom I enjoyed the card. I started off cold in the pick department but then came back with seven in a row. I ended seven for eleven, which isn’t bad. I’ll be interested to see where some feuds and stories move from here.
- I’m not sure where you go with the tag titles on either show at this point. Unless Masters and Carlito pull it out tomorrow on Raw, there is no one left for Kane and Big Show to beat. Also, did you notice there was NO sign of MNM except for Melina bringing out William Perry? I do see one possible solution for the titles…make the tag titles a floating title. It is the only title that can move shows. It would allow for there to be just one strong tag division. That or just drop them. They are both afterthoughts now, which is a shame for the talent that is being wasted.
- RVD having the title shot will be interesting. If they put him against Cena, he’ll be the 100% crowd favorite. If they move him to SmackDown to face Mysterio, that could be interesting due to the fact they were tag champs way back when. Of course, it took Edge almost eight months to use his shot, so who knows.
- I’m looking forward to JBL feuding with some of the newer talent in the US Title picture. I would move Benoit right back into the World Title race NOW.
- I’m a big Mick Foley fan, and I know he isn’t a full time wrestler anymore, but why do they keep neutering him by having come back and lose again and again? Sure, he beat the tar out of Edge, but anyone who saw Edge in the TLC matches or at Money in the Bank last year knows he’s tough.
- Where do you go with Booker T now?
- Where do you go with Boogeyman now?
- I’m also looking forward to watching Trish fight to get her title back. I wish wish wish they would bring back some wrestling divas. Hire them trained or send them to be trained! I don’t want to see Melina, Maria, Ashley, or any others take that title off Mickie or Trish unless they can give a decent match.
- Have we seen the last of Mark Henry?
- What’s next for Undertaker? Will it be another month before we see him again?
- Is a WWE Title shot in HBK’s future? I think a win over Vince gives him the right to one.
- Will Vince be back on Monday night? Will he be back in his custom Mr. McMahon wheelchair?
- How will Rey wear the World Heavyweight Title? The thing is almost as big as his chest. Seriously, I’m happy for Rey, but I don’t know if you said to someone who didn’t watch WWE programming, “Here’s the World Heavyweight Champion” and showed them Rey it would be impressive. Yes, Rey deserves it, but how long can he keep it?
- How badly will the crowd rip into John Cena tomorrow on Raw? Will there be a rematch tomorrow or at Backlash for Triple H?
- I think the people that claim Triple H is having thing handed to him because he is the happy husband of Stephanie McMahon can finally SHUT THE HELL UP! He has lost at the past three WrestleMania main events, twice by submission:
- Tap out to Benoit to lose the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 20
- Pinned by Batista to lose the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 21
- Tap out to Cena in a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 22
If that’s favored treatment, treat me like a regular Joe!
Until next time, true believers, take care of each other.
GrzeTim
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