WWE WrestleMania 21

[jbmagic]

Who's going to watch WrestleMania 21?

Seems like its going to have some great matches.

http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania21/

[Maple Leafs]

It's a decent lineup, but nothing special.

I won't be watching, but I haven't seen a PPV in years. If I still ordered them I'd probably give it a shot if I could get a few friends to kick in a share.

[jbmagic]

yep that what my brother is doing. just charging them 5 bucks and bring your own beer.

[dubb93]

It will probably go down as one of the worst wrestlemania's ever.

Neither Title match will be worth a shit. Batista isn't a good in ring wrestler, and John Cena couldn't have a good match to save his life.

HBK hasn't had a good match in a long time, so his match with angle is really a wild card.

No one wants to see Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, it will be really bad.

Eddy vs. Rey has been done about 100 times in the last couple of years on smackdown.

Don't even get me started on Big Show vs. Akebono.

The Money in the bank ladder match will be the only saving grace on the entire card, but I have a feeling they will find a way to screw it up.

What is up with no Intercontinental, United States, Cruiserweight, or Tag Team Championship matches, but we have to sit through the Woman's title match. That is probably the biggest joke I've ever heard.

Like I said, it's a really really bad card on paper, especially for a wrestlemania. When a Piper's Pit segment is a real selling point of the show it has to say something.....but I'm still getting it. I have split with one of my friend's on every wrestlemania since VI, so it's kinda a given that I'll get it.

[jbmagic]

i think Lita turns on Chrissy.

and the other shocker will be Hulk Hogan coming to the ring to wrestle Hussan after he bitches that he is not in a match at wrestlemania.

[Joe]

yuck

[MikeVic]

I'll of course be watching.

I think HHH/Batista could be good. Cena/JBL will suck ass. I also think Angle/HBK, the ladder match, and Rey/Eddie could be good matches.

If Angle/HBK wrestled like 2 years ago, Angle could carry it no matter who he wrestled... and since it's HBK, it could have been a classic. But now, it'll just be ok.

[TLK]

I plan on watching it. I don't follow wrestling anymore, but it's WrestleMania. Unfortunately, it falls on the same day as the first IRL road race, which I feel compelled to watch. If I don't gouge my eyes out during the race, I'll catch WrestleMania.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

i think Lita turns on Chrissy.

and the other shocker will be Hulk Hogan coming to the ring to wrestle Hussan after he bitches that he is not in a match at wrestlemania.

I'm thinking the same thing on both matches.

I've ordered the PPV, but it will be the first time that I haven't been with a group while watching it.

[Neon_Chaos]

I think that WM21 is going to be more of the casual wrestling fan's WrestleMania. Batista and Cena are going to get great reactions when they win the titles.

[DeToxRox]

Batista can win but fuck Cena.

JBL is the man.

Reshuffle the rosters like they do and send Edge and a few others like Jericho and let JBL hold the title longer.

No one cuts a better promo.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

I think that WM21 is going to be more of the casual wrestling fan's WrestleMania. Batista and Cena are going to get great reactions when they win the titles.

I wouldn't be suprised if Vinnie Mac changes course and neither win the title to keep us on our toes. If he does, I may stop watching because I'm tired of having HHH always with the title. I guess there are benefits to fucking the boss' daughter.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

JBL is the man.

No one cuts a better promo.

JBL has done a hell of good job of developing his character into what it is today. I think he is one of the better heel characters to come around in some time.

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by duckman

JBL has done a hell of good job of developing his character into what it is today. I think he is one of the better heel characters to come around in some time.

Totally with you. He reminds me in a way of Ted DiBiase. Speaking of Ted, here's hoping the WWE does an angle where DiBiase buys up wrestlers and reforms the Million Dollar Corporation.

Of course, I.R.S and Tatanka have to be in it.

[Raiders Army]

I want Tugboat to come back. Or Typhoon if you prefer. He could rejoin John Tenta to reform the Natural Disasters.

[duckman]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I want Tugboat to come back. Or Typhoon if you prefer. He could rejoin John Tenta to reform the Natural Disasters.

I think that would difficult right with John fighting cancer right now.

[TLK]

Wrestlemania match-by-match coverage
by Dave Meltzer

[email protected]

Welcome to the live coverage of Wrestlemania from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

We're looking for your thoughts on the traditional biggest show of the year, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].

They are showing an endless series of videos instead of the Battle Royal, which I presume is taking place before the PPV began.

The show opened with Lillian Garcia singing the anthem and a new movie video of Steve Austin from Gladiator.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio are opening the show. Mysterio got the pin with a spinning head scissors into a cradle. Good opener, but I think most people will be disappointed because they would have expected more. Slightly shorter than I would have expected (and I was expecting short), and there were some rough spots. I almost sensed they were nervous out there.

Evolution just bumped into The Cabinet. HHH made fun of JBL. JBL claimed he's the only champion who never lost. JBL guaranteed a win. They are teasing a match, probably to make people think that both are retaining. Almost surely a swerve.

Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider were at ringside. They plugged "Longest Yard."

Ladder match is next. Edge won by hitting Benoit in the elbow with a chair while Benoit was on top, then climbed up to win. An incredible match. Benoit busted up his stitches with a diving head-butt off the ladder on Kane. One stunt after the other. It was more controlled and less dangerous than some of the Mania matches, but it was at the same level as the best of the Wrestlemania ladder matches.

Eugene came out, limping, talking about how much he liked midget wrestling. Muhammad Hassan is doing his angle with Eugene. Hassan put Eugene in the camel clutch when Hogan came out. No match, but Hogan cleaned house on both and posed. Of course it was the biggest pop of the show. It was smart because they left it open for a match if need be. Former world champion David Arquette was at ringside with the Hogan family, next to Linda.

Undertaker vs. Randy Orton is next. Undertaker won by reversing Orton's tombstone into one of his own. Really good match. Bob Orton Jr. interfered, after Earl Hebner was bumped, clocking Undertaker with his cast to set up a near fall. The big spot was Orton reversing a choke slam into an RKO but Undertaker kicked out.

Very good show so far, but I wish they'd dump all the videos before the matches and save them for just the main events. The three minutes added to each of the matches so far tonight would have made all of them better matches.

Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme is next up. Stratus won quickly with a chick kick. Stratus did a good job carrying it, but it was clear Hemme was in over her head.

Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels is up next. They are going to have a hell of a time topping the ladder match. My money says they will. My only wish before the show was that Michael Cole wasn't going to call this match and I guess it's starting out on a positive note. Angle won with the heel hook after switching from the ankle lock. Angle got his mouth busted when Michaels did a plancha and his knee cracked Angle in the mouth. People gave them a great ovation after the match. The match lived up to its billing, and that wasn't going to be easy to do. We'll be talking about this one every March for a long time.

Piper's Pit with Steve Austin is next. Piper and Austin insulted each other. Piper wasn't happy, for real, with the "What" chants as he acted like a comedian with 5,000 hecklers. They teased they were going to fight when Carlito came out. Carlito thought they both weren't cool and wanted them to leave. Piper stole the apple, chewed it up and spit it in Carlito's face. Carlito jumped Piper. Austin laughed, but made the save. Piper used an eye poke and Austin gave Carlito the stunner. They did a big beer bash with Austin & Piper, ending when Austin stunned Piper. People have a lot of nostalgia for Hogan and Piper this week so while it didn't get over like Cena with Teddy Long, it wasn't the pop you'd expect for the stunner.

Akebono vs. Show in sumo rules is next. Akebono won quick. It was an obvious work as some were wondering. Akebono threw him out of the ring to win.

JBL vs. Cena for the title is now up. JBL carried the entire match. Cena had a quick comeback, won clean with the FU and dove into a hoarde of Japanese fans at ringside. A nothing match with no crowd reaction until the finish.

HHH vs. Batista is next. It looks like they are going 25ish. Batista powered out of a pedigree and won with a move similar to an emerald frosien, and then won clean with the Batista bomb. HHH bled like crazy. Match wasn't the show stealer, but came across well enough and they probably did the smart finishes in just about every match. They did the big pyro for Batista winning as the climax of the show. Batista's win came off 10 times bigger than Cena's.

Thanks for joining us.

The whole show was just there. There was nothing that was really must see, and nothing that was too horrible. Angle/Michaels was easily the best match of the night. I got to see it for free, so I won't complain too much, but I had no idea that they were charging $50..... crazy....

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

i think Lita turns on Chrissy.

and the other shocker will be Hulk Hogan coming to the ring to wrestle Hussan after he bitches that he is not in a match at wrestlemania.

my 2nd prediction came true tonight with Hulk Hogan.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by TheLionKing

The whole show was just there. There was nothing that was really must see, and nothing that was too horrible. Angle/Michaels was easily the best match of the night. I got to see it for free, so I won't complain too much, but I had no idea that they were charging $50..... crazy....

They've charged that for a few years now. It's easier to swallow with multiple people putting in.

As for the show, it was what I was expecting, probably the worst wrestlemania since 2000. The opening Eddie vs. Rey match was horrible. Rey was doing nothing but worring about his mask. This was a bad time to switch masks, especially to give him one that he had a hard time keeping on.

The ladder match wasn't on par with the greatest of all time, no matter what anyone claims. It was a spotfest, plain and simple, and WAY too short for 6 guys. Most of the guys probably saw 3 minutes of action, and layed outside the rest of the time(see edge). And Kane was MIA the entire middle section of the match.

Undertaker and Orton was better than I thought going in, funniest botched spot of the night was Undertaker's last ride attempt. Orton ended up going threw and falling on UT's face. I'm sure that The Undertaker was supposed to hit the last ride, and then bob orton was to run in, drawing heel heat. As it was Orton looked like a idiot selling a completely botched move as long as he did.

Trish and Christy was a joke. No point in it being on the show instead of Booker T or Paul London.

Kurt Angle and HBK was one of the best matches I've seen in a long time(since Punk vs. Joe II in october on a ROH show). I really wasn't expecting much, but it stole the show.

For a non wrestling segment Piper's pit was really funny and I would have actually liked to see it go longer. After they got rid of Carlito they should have gone back to "who the better rebel was." I'd like to see them bring back Roddy as a backstage interviewer on a weekly basis, the results would be classic and far better than throwing random women back there.

JBL vs. Cena was a complete joke. It seemed like it lasted all of about 6 or 7 minutes. Cena with the FU out of nowhere. One of the worst title matches at mania of all time.

HHH vs. Batista wasn't much better. Batista is a horrible wrestler with a move list our punch, kick, headlock, spinebuster, and clothesline. Atleast the match was given some time to work with.

I know I don't like where they are going, neither Cena or Batista can work a decent match. I hope they get these titles on some actual wrestlers pretty soon. I was hoping that after last year when they promised a new direction that they meant pushing the good workers, and not just new faces.

[condors]

I didn't think it was that bad overall.

I thought JBL vs Cena was one of the worst title matches in history though(seemed like it was 3 minutes long).

I thought HHH gave one of his best performances ever. I throughly enjoyed that match.

HBK vs Angle was a pretty good match.

The 6 man ladder match i thought was very good.

Mysterio vs Eddie not bad but i was hoping for better from them.

Undertaker vs Orton nothing special but i am an Undertaker mark.

Womens Match - yuck(at least they were easy on the eyes)

[TLK]

WWE®'s RAW® Returns to USA Network

April 4, 2005
NEW YORK, NY, and STAMFORD, Conn., April 4, 2005 - World Wrestling Entertainment® and NBC Universal have inked a new, three-year agreement that will return WWE cable programming, including ratings titan Monday Night RAW®, to USA Network beginning in October 2005, it was announced today by Linda McMahon, WWE CEO, and Bonnie Hammer, president, USA Network and SCI FI Channel. RAW, a cable mainstay for more than 12 years, continues to be the most watched regularly scheduled year-round program on ad-supported cable television.

The agreement is a homecoming of sorts for WWE, which introduced Monday Night RAW on USA on January 11, 1993. The prime time cable series flourished for seven years, establishing cable ratings records, before moving to Spike TV on September 25, 2000.

“I’m thrilled to be back in business again with Vince and Linda McMahon,” said Hammer. “I led the USA team that helped grow RAW into a true pop phenomenon, and it’s great to welcome it home.”

In addition to Monday Night Raw, USA will air a one-hour weekend RAW-branded program, and NBCU's Telemundo will air Spanish-language versions of RAW. NBC will also air at least two yearly, 90-minute Saturday late night RAW specials.

"This broad and diverse distribution will provide WWE excellent platforms from which to reach our existing fans as well as broaden our audience," said McMahon. "We're very happy to be returning to USA Network, where we experienced some of our greatest successes, and to NBC, where we had tremendous success with our series of late-night specials, Saturday Night Main Event, in the 1980's."

"The WWE's return to USA Network and our arrangement with the other NBC Universal properties, is indicative of how we as a company can offer unique cross-networking opportunities," added Jeff Gaspin, president NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Cross-Network Strategy. "RAW will put USA and NBC Universal Cable into an incredibly competitive position and I couldn't be happier about this relationship."

The return of Saturday Nights Main Event?

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by TheLionKing

The return of Saturday Nights Main Event?

That would be awesome. It was the only thing that would pre-empt me from watching Headbanger's Ball.

[Franklinnoble]

/*
insert rant about how overtly homoerotic "pro" wrestling is
*/

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by TheLionKing

The return of Saturday Nights Main Event?

now here is an opportunity for WWE to re-establish itself as a decent product. If they set up story lines month's in advance to come to its conclusion that night than that would be good but i have my doubts.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Franklinnoble

/*
insert rant about how overtly homoerotic "pro" wrestling is
*/

Thank you troll.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Thank you troll.

yw.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by TheLionKing

The return of Saturday Nights Main Event?

I'm going to have to insist on the same theme music.

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by TheLionKing

The return of Saturday Nights Main Event?

No Vince McMahon and Jessie Ventura as the commentators = no watchee

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

now here is an opportunity for WWE to re-establish itself as a decent product. If they set up story lines month's in advance to come to its conclusion that night than that would be good but i have my doubts.

Actually, I don't know if it will be as successful. Back when Saturday Night's Main Event was on, they didn't have a PPV every month. I think the time for storylines to end is at PPVs (the big ones especially, Wrestlemania and Summer Slam). If they used Saturday Night's Main Event to begin new storylines then this would be a possibility.

[jbmagic]

Saturday Night's Main Event was replace with Raw and Smackdown weekly shows.

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

now here is an opportunity for WWE to re-establish itself as a decent product. If they set up story lines month's in advance to come to its conclusion that night than that would be good but i have my doubts.

They have been setting up storylines months in advance for a long time now, they all end at PPV's. The only problem is the storylines either make no sense, are forgotten weeks later, or just plain suck. They need to do talent raids like they did back when Vince McMahon Jr. first took over and get some good wrestlers. Then they can package them anyway they want, but the first step is the end of these shit wrestlers they have on now.

HHH and JBL I can stand, but JBL is just from a character standpoint. HHH can still put on a good show, but Batista and Cena are not the answer. They also need some tag teams, they have no interest in tag teams anymore(I'm not talking just throwing two workers together, I'm talking two guys with one team name, a name for a finisher, and similar outfits. Lower card teams, mid card teams, and main event teams.) Talent raids(I love ROH, TNA, and other Independants but the WWE needs saved) could easily accomplish this, as well as setting them up with fresh, talented guys that could carry the company for years to come.

[Buzzbee]

Interesting that this thread has 30 replies and over 500 views. Closet wrestling fans?

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

Interesting that this thread has 30 replies and over 500 views. Closet wrestling fans?

I think it's just that after WCW and any realistic competition bit the dust, a lot of us don't watch as much as we used to due to the WWE sucking ass with noone else to push them

[dubb93]

Originally Posted by Chubby

I think it's just that after WCW and any realistic competition bit the dust, a lot of us don't watch as much as we used to due to the WWE sucking ass with noone else to push them

I went through that for a few years by only watching wrestlemania, but I'm kinda over it. I really wish some other billionaire(cough ted turner, cough) would start a legitmate wrestling fed to compete again.

[Calis]

Who is this JBL everyone seems to like?

I haven't followed in a couple years(I miss ECW), and don't really intend to, but I still can't help but check on it every so often.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Calis

Who is this JBL everyone seems to like?

I haven't followed in a couple years(I miss ECW), and don't really intend to, but I still can't help but check on it every so often.

He's formerly Bradshaw (the white guy from APA), reinvented as Ted DiBiase, only from Texas.

He's not a great worked and most people didn't take him seriously as champ, but to his credit he's worked hard and created a decent character.

[Suicane75]

I thought the first 90 minutes were among the best parts in WM ever, if they had continued on that level it would of hands down been the best ever, of course then the Sumo match and 2 world title matches came and it all went to hell. They spent months making JBL a great character and then destroyed him in 5 minutes. I'd give it a huge thumbs up with a great beggining, crappy sumo and Smackdown title match and a satisfying Raw title match.

The ladder match and Micheals/Angle match were among 2 of the best WM matches ever and the Guerrero/Misterio & Orton/Undertaker were both *** easily.

And Franklin doth protest too much if ya know what im sayin.