Wrestlemania: 18 vs 21

[Paralyzer Z]

In the follow up to my Wrestlemania series today we have Wrestlemania 18 vs 21. Lets cut right to the chase.

Wrestlemania 18 was held on March 17, 2002 at the Toronto skydome in Toronto, Ontario Canada with an attendance of about 68,000. It is more commonly known as X8 instead of 18 (or at least that's what the poster and DVD says). It featured matches that included Kurt Angle vs Kane, The Undertaker vs "The nature boy" Ric Flair, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Scot Hall, Chris Jericho vs Triple H for the WWE championship, and of course the legendary, The most electrifying man in sports entertainment The Rock Vs The immortal brother longing, and vitamin eating Hulk Hogan! My favorite match can be no other that the match the event is known for, Hogan vs Rock. Much like Cena Vs RVD around 4 years later in Philadelphia at ECW one night stand, it was all about the crowd. Every move had a huge reaction whether it be a headlock or the people's elbow. Just seeing two huge names like the hulkster and Rocky duke it out was something I will never forget. It may be duplicated come Wrestlemania 28 when Rock takes on John Cena (there is a very high chance I will be at the event live).

Wrestlemania 21 was held on April 3, 2005 at the staples center (where else?) in Los Angeles, California with an attendance of about 20,000. It featured the inaugural Money in the bank ladder match that included Edge, Kane, Christian, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, and the late Chris Benoit. Other matches included John Cena vs JBL for the WWE championship. Batista vs Triple H for the Word Heavyweight title, Shawn Micheals vs Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio vs the late Eddie Guerrero, and The Undertaker vs Randy Orton as well as the undercard. My Favorite match is Shawn vs Angle. The reason is because they are great technicians and pulled out a match of the year with their great storytelling and pacing. They would do it again at vengeance later that year and proceed to steal the show again, but not to the same extent as their encounter from months before.

Wrestlemania 18 wins it for me. Not much can compare to Hogan and Rock even HBK and Kurt fall just a bit short of evening the events. Wrestlemania 21 in my humble opinion had two very underwhelming last 2 matches that ruined the special feel from Kurt and Shawn ( scratch that Abkeno and Big show did that). Triple H and Y2J may have also not have lived up to Rock and Hogan standards but at least it was decent. Not much else I can say here at the moment but that these 2 come close by 2 fantastic matches but one just outclasses the other by a bit.

Highlights

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Which Wrestlemania was better? Why?

 

[NegativeFeedback]

21 was better. The focus was on cementing stars like Orton, Edge, Rey, Cena and Batista instead of paying tribute to veterans like Hogan, Hall, Taker and Flair.

Between both events, Angle vs. Shawn and the Money in the Bank ladder match are the best matches and both of them were part of WrestleMania 21.

Plus, you have to admit, those Hollywood parodies were kick-ass.

WrestleMania 21 wins by a mile if you ask me.

 

[DeathClutch]

Two different style of WrestleMania's.

X8 was the last of the old school style, 3 or 4 main matches and the rest are fillers where-as 21 was loaded with pushed matches, Eddie/Rey and I believe Big Show/Akebono being the expections.

Personally I prefer X8 more so; I believe X8 had the better matches on paper Hogan/Rock, Jericho/HHH, Undertaker/Flair, Regal/Rob Van Dam where 21 only really had Angle/HBK and the rest were about legends against the new guard you could say, Mania 18 gets my vote.

Both events main events shouldn't have been, Rock/Hogan should have been X8 and HBK/Angle probably should have been 21's but this is all hindsight, 21 was a very transitional time for WWE, X8 wasn't, going into X8 the whole point was HHH's return from injury to promise land and Hogan/Rock, 21 was all about Batista turning on HHH, then you had Orton's heel turn (Orton has been rumored to have faced Christian at the event) and Cena/JBL was about the new kid on the block beating the wrestling god.... seriously.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

WM 21. The undercard was great with Mysterio/Guerrero, MITB, Orton/Taker, and HBK/Angle. I didn't like how both main events were booked but both matches were solid nonetheless. In terms of in-ring work, the best match of WM 18 was by two wrestlers whose combined age was pushing 90. WM 18 was an one match show which hurts it in my eyes.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Easily WM 21. You had a great opener in Eddie/Rey and more great matches in MiTB, Orton/Taker & Kurt/HBK. Sure there were two flops in the Womens Title match & Sumo match and the main events weren't great but at least WWE created their two new top dogs which is more important that how shit the title matches were. The Hollywood parodies were hilarious too as one person pointed out. WM 18 had only one thing that you will remember it for, The Rock vs. Hogan and it was the crowds reaction that made that match, it's not like the match was awesome. WM X8 had the potential to be a better card if they added two dream matches actually three but Austin refused to face Hogan, so not WWE's fault but the other two dream matches were Kane vs. Kevin Nash and Mr. Perfect vs. Kurt Angle.

 

[justinsayne]

WM18 without a second thought, the show was just better all around, undercard, midcard, Main events every match was good, & unlike WM22 I still remember them. The highlight video also makes WM 22 matches see much more fast paced than what they really were, which was just slow & boring, outside of Orton/Taker & Angle/HBK (which may be one of the most overrated matches in WM history) nothing on WM22 was really as good as the highlight video made it look. Where the highlight video for WM18 doesn't even begin to do that card justice, DDP/Christian, Jericho/Triple H, Taker/Flair & Rock/Hogan where all great matches that I am still able to enjoy to this day, I can't really say that for too many matches on the WM22 card.

 

[TheNextBigThing94]

21 wins it for me. The real birth for two of the biggest stars the WWE has had in the past 6 years - Batista and John Cena. Birth of the MITB Ladder match and Edge's road to the WWE title. Great wrestling matches with mysterio vs guerrero and of course, arguably one of the best wrestlemania matches ever in Angle vs HBK. Easy decision for me!

 

[The Brain]

This is a tough one. Some people are saying 18 without a doubt and others say 21 without a doubt. As I type this the votes are dead even. This really is a tough choice.

WM18 had the atmosphere. A hot crowd inside the huge Skydome gave 18 a better mania feel. I hate the overuse of the word epic but Hogan vs. Rock was epic. I really liked Taker vs. Flair too. Triple H vs. Jericho was a little underwhelming but that’s mostly due to following Hogan and Rock.

WM21 was a strong show. It was the beginning of a new era. Batista, Cena, and Orton all had huge matches. At the time I didn’t think much of these relatively unproven guys getting such big spots on mania but it was a key part in making those guys the stars they would go on the become. WM21 is a fine example of how to make a star. MITB would wear out its welcome pretty quickly at mania in my opinion but WM21 was the first one and probably the best one. Of course we can’t forget about the great match that HBK and Kurt Angle delivered.

It seems when comparing two events most people only look at the matches. Let’s not forget the other moments. WM21 had an awesome moment where Hulk Hogan came out to save Eugene from an attack by Muhammad Hassan. We were treated to a posedown set to Real American for the first time at mania in twelve years. There was also Carlito interrupting Steve Austin and Roddy Piper on Piper’s Pit and promptly getting his ass beat because of it. One other mark out moment for me was seeing Cowboy Bob Orton, complete with cast, run in during his son’s match against Taker.

Between the two shows Hogan vs. Rock is easily the highlight, but overall I’m giving my vote to WM21.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I chose Wrestlemania 21. Both shows were among the better Wrestlemanias, but I think that 21 is the superior show because it had a better overall card and did a good job of bringing new stars to the top. 18 had amazing matches, my favorites were Rock/Hogan and Trips/Jericho in particular, but 21 was strong from beginning to end other than the Big Show sumo match which was really stupid. The rest of 21 was an incredible show with moments like seeing Cena and Batista winning their first world titles, Edge getting the first Money In the Bank briefcase, or Orton trying to end Taker's streak. I liked 18 a lot too but 21's better.

 

[The Future Rises]

I'm gonna have to go with Wrestlemania 21. It focused around building new stars in John Cena, Batista, Edge, and even Carlito and Muhammed Hassan got some decent segments with big names.

Eddie Vs Rey, the Money in the Bank ladder match, and Taker Vs Orton made the show's first half a great experience. They were all solid matches that didn't disappoint one bit. Mysterio, Edge, and Orton all went on to bigger things after WM21 as expected.

Then, you had the Divas match that for some insane reason featured Christy Hemme. This was just a filler and nothing else.

But then came the second part of the show, starting off very strong with one of my all time favorite matches Kurt Angle Vs. Shawn Michaels for the very first time. Those two stole the show as expected. They gave it their all and got the crowd, who were still dead from the Divas match, off their feet. One of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time that doesn't get enough credit because of the fact that the WWE wants to ignore Kurt Angle's legacy, damn shame. Then you had Akebono Vs The Big Show in a Sumo Wrestling match. Nothing to comment on really, a bad move putting a Sumo Wrestling match at the biggest event in Pro Wrestling history. Then came Cena Vs. JBL for the WWE title. The match wasn't that much but I must admit, I did mark out for JBL's epic entrance. The ending was another mark out moment when Cena upset JBL to win the big one for the first time and establishing himself as the face of the company. Batista Vs. Triple H was a great match in terms of storytelling. Batista beat Triple H bloody and won the world heavyweight title. Good match with a great ending having Batista raising the world title in front of a bloody, out of it Triple H with Naitch helping him up and looking on. Great show with a great ending. And with a couple of good segments not leaving out Carlito and Hassan, two young stars who were getting build up strong, this PPV was almost perfect if I don't say so myself.

I'm not taking anything away from Wrestlemania 18. It was a great PPV with a legendary match in Rock Vs Hogan. But it just isn't the awesomeness(yes, awesomeness) that is Wrestlemania 21.

 

[DanTheMan3:16]

WM 18 had better title matches imo than WM21,
18 wins because of the atmosphere, it felt like a wrestlemania, the crowd during Hogan vs Rock match was undescribable which gives this the edge.

18 Wins

 

[The Woo Kid]

Wrestlemania 18 because it has an overall better card, as well as a better crowd which allows it to seem a whole lot more interesting. Wrestlemania 21 just seems to fall flat in terms of interest level.

 

[Millennia]

i attended WM18 live at the skydome.. the feeling being inside that legendary battle ground was uber amazingly epic!*! goin back in time, and watching both of em on DVD, Wrestlemania 21 had much better overall workrate.. and it flowed better as an overall show from start to finish.... 18 had soo many last minute matches when it could have had more chances to not only give us what we wanted to see but build it up too..

lance storm and mr perfect not being on that card was a MISTAKE.. atleast edge got to shine a bit, angle vs kane was like a last minute smackdown match.. Rock vs Hogan saved it, but HHH vs Jericho was better than they get credit for.. just should have went on earlier since the thousands were on E after hulk-a-mania was re-lit.... i do believe they had a popcorn match tho b4 y2j/hunter but it didnt help

21.

 

[Chopper]

X8 wins it, mostly because I grew up just outside of Toronto. Was dying to go, but didn't. So seeing mania in Canada was a big deal for me.

X8 had so much more of a "big match" feel to it. Like who ever thought we'd see Stone Cold taking on the NWO? or Rock vs Hogan? DDP at another Wrestlemania (fact: he was the driver for Rhythm and Blues at WM6 at.... the Skydome!)

21's "big match" or fantasy match was Angle vs HBK. Not taking anything away from that match, was the best of 2005 imo. But it's nowhere near the star appeal of Hogan/Rock.

Plus, a crowd of nearly 70,000 versus 20,000- X8 by default

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

The lack of "Oh Canada" in WMX8 already is a minus point for this event. Seriously ... you have one WM outside the US every 10 years the least the WWE could do is sing that countries national anthem.

As for the event ... I would say 21.

The whole show was strong overall, the first half puts any other WM to envy. MITB, Eddie vs. Rey, Orton vs. Taker, Angle vs. Michaels. The main events were not too good but they got the job done and kudso for the WWE in trying to put their faith in fresh faces.

WMX8 had a couple of good matches Taker/Flair, Angle/Kane were good matches. Hogan and The Rock was epic but part of the nostalgia did start to become silly (especailly considering how weak Hogan's offense looked).

The biggest letdown was Edge's spot at WMX8 .... here is a guy who was in attendance at WMVI. Couldn't they have done something to make his match memorable? On paper Booker T would have made a fine opponent but the problem is Booker T was seen as a joke at the time.

There could have been other possible matches involving the IC Title ... maybe RVD vs. Edge, Edge vs. Christian, Edge vs. Christian vs. Test, how about Edge vs. Curt Henning for the IC Title? So many possibilites.

 

[rocksaviour]

For me it would be Wrestlemania 21 for quality it was superior with the Eddie/Rey, MITB, Orton/Taker and Angle/Micheals matches.

Yes Hogan/Rock in terms of names was the biggest matchup on both grounds and had the best atmosphere. X8 was very much a one match card to be truthful with that one going on. Both the matches that went on last on the cards with HHH involved didn't get to any great level and you could say he had better matches with Jericho and Batista on other nights.

Undercards there is no contest, X8 featured pretty much filler. Both Womens matches on each card weren't good and one thing that takes down on 21 is Show/Akebono that is true but I would say I like 21 over X8.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Then, you had the Divas match that for some insane reason featured Christy Hemme. This was just a filler and nothing else.

The original game plan for WrestleMania 21 was for Trish Stratus to defend the Women's Championship against Lita, but when Lita tore her ACL in January, they needed to go to Plan B. To keep the "Trish vs. Lita" vibe, Lita became Christy's trainer.

WWE wanted to push Christy as 'the next big thing' by virtue of her winning the Diva Search, but she had little or no training and was nowhere near ready for a WrestleMania program. I remember someone summing up the match by saying "Trish and Lita together couldn't carry Christy to a decent match."

By this point in time, the only women left on the roster who could actually wrestle were Trish, Lita, Victoria and Molly Holly. Molly had been reduced to a jobber in 2004 and would have never been selected, but Victoria was still riding high as a top face. She also had a history with Trish and could have had a much better match against her than Christy ever did.

 

[LegendKiller999]

It was definitely WM21!
For me the Angle HBK match is the stand out reason, Angle always put on a good show and I love this guy's commitment to every single match, as well as HBK who you know can guarantee a performance.

Not to mention the beginning of the huge pushes of Cena and Batista right to the top of the business, as well as Orton breaking out of the pack (The only reason he challenged Taker was because Vince was asking for innovation)

Some matches were disappointing yes (Christy Hemme thrown in way out of her depth, Show Akebono IMO was never going to be a pulse raiser) but right from the beginning with the tag champs eddie and rey, plus the money in the bank (best MITB IMO), you could see WM21 was not only a solid card, but a great WM.

18 may have had Stone Cold(21 also had him appear for piper's pit) The Rock, Hogan....but 21 bred new stars for the company in Cena Edge(was given his major push) Orton and Rey