Wrestlemania
Battle Royal: ***1/2
Gabriel vs Angle: ***3/4
Callihan & Ambrose vs Rollins & Reigns: ****
Jericho vs Sydal: ****1/4
Bryan vs HHH: ****
Hardys vs Bucks: ***3/4
Wyatt vs Taker: ***1/4
Punk vs HBK: ****3/4
Show: 9.75
Thoughts:
Battle Royal: This was a good way to start off the show and this was a very enjoyable match and I was really surprised by who won. The attempted team work by Morrison and Ziggler was interesting but didn't last long and Morrison was gone soon after. I found it interesting to see Rey hit multiple 619s on Big E towards the end and well he eliminated Big E but then had to deal with Cesaro and then Eddie and overcame both of them in order to secure the trophy and the victory which I liked as it was fresh in my opinion at least, but then Cesaro strikes post-match and attacks Rey and completely destroys the trophy as well.
Gabriel vs Angle: This match was borderline GREAT in the sense of how the match was overall. I found it very interesting that Angle was the opponent for Gabriel at Mania and well the match met my expectations. The laser focus shown by Angle as he kept going after the leg of Gabriel was amazing and it really helped bring the story into the match as Angle's leg work eventually pays off and he ends Gabriel's awesome United States title reign.
Tag Titles: This match was GREAT! I loved how well these teams just gelled and created an epic tag match. The powerbomb by Rollins dumping Callihan onto Ambrose on the outside was just sweet then to follow that up with a fosbury flop by Rollins and then a Hilo by Reigns was just AWESOME!! The match following that sequence got even better as now they just looked to pull out all the stops in order to secure the Titles. The ending sequence though...where Reigns attempted the spear only to be cut off with a knee trembler by Ambrose and then the double team bomb on Reigns then the Hooked Headlock Driver on Rollins to secure the win and the titles was just too good and i loved it...Amazing match!
Jericho vs Sydal: Now at first I got really confused to whether or not this was a 2/3 Falls match and I actually still wonder that as i type this for I only saw two falls made the entire match and it kinda confuses me? Now as for the match overall, this was GREAT for the way these two attempted to steal the show was just phenomenal in every sense of the word for the action in this match was just off the charts for Jericho did everything to try and stop Sydal after getting the first fall but it just wasn't enough as Sydal nails the Shooting Sydal Press at the end to secure the fall and the match. Although, the first time Sydal went up to the top rope and got cut off by Jericho and ended up nailing Sydal's back on the turnbuckle was just painful. Overall though the action in the match was just insane and I loved every second of it.
Bryan vs Trips: This was very interesting to me for how everything has panned out up to this point. For Triple H has been involved in the IC Title picture and I guess DBry was the next challenger and he's Mr. MITB. Anyways, the match played out pretty good and i enjoyed Triple H picking apart the back of Daniel Bryan and the way Bryan tried to combat that was good but then towards the end after the ref bump I was kinda shocked to see Orton return as he now seeks revenge on Trips but then DBry secures the IC Title only to then be laid out with an RKO post-match. Overall though this was a good match and i enjoyed it.
Hardys vs Bucks: I was very interested to see this match take place and I must say I really enjoyed it up until the end when everything went into overkill mode as is the usual with a YB match but I won't complain too much as it didn't go super overboard tbh. I don't really have much to talk about or go over in regards to the match as its just one needs to see.
Wyatt vs Taker: This match was built up really well and it met my expectations at which I had set prior to the match. The entrances really set the tone of the match for me as it felt epic at the beginning of the match but then was winding down towards the end of the match and well this was good match overall. The ending though where Wyatt went for his running body attack but was caught then Tombstone for Taker to get the victory was just nuts as that was a great way to end what was a good match.
Punk vs HBK: I was super pumped for this match and I'll just say that this match just exceeded my expectations to the max although the ref bump towards the end is what kept it from being 5* for me at least. The way Michaels just flat out wanted to destroy the leg of Punk was great and helped add story and drama to what would be an Instant Classic. Punk would try to attack the arm of Michaels but just forgot about it as the match progressed for that strategy wouldn't be as affected as Michaels' strategy of targeting the leg of Punk. Punk's selling of the leg was tremendous as he used the other leg to put together offense. Then Michaels' attempt at the elbow through the table would be a failed on as Punk would move out of the way and Michaels would land on the table but luckily for him the table did not break and then would make the count in order to keep his hopes of winning the World Title alive but Punk would not let that happen as he would try to pull out all of the stops in order to make sure HBK did not walk out with the Championship. Then towards the end Michaels would attempt at moonsault but then would be nailed with the GTS while in MID-AIR which was INSANE!! That really caught my attention and brought that "Wrestlemainia" moment flavor to this match and then Punk would proceed to nail HBK with yet another GTS to end what was a FANTASTIC match and a Classic!! Punk avoided the Superkick the entire match and was able to catch HBK with the GTS in order to put him away and keep the Championship, and I like the message sent post-match by DBryan.
Overall: This was a Tremendous show and I must say that this is barely below World's Finest in terms of ratings. The show overall though was amazing and just fulfilled all the expectations I had set for this show and I must say that while some stories ended here I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how the new ones progress as they certainly are off to a great start....
I'll updated this later with my review of This Means War.
