Wrestlemania 25: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This is topic number 25 of 29 threads looking back on previous Wrestlemania events. Every couple of days I have been submitting a new one and will continue until all of the past Wrestlemania events have been discussed, leading up to the big day in April where Wrestlemania 30 will take place.

This thread will be for discussing.... Wrestlemania 25!

Wrestlemania 24 took place on April 5, 2009. It was held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. There were 72,744 fans who attended the event. Here are the results of the matches from this show:



0. The Colóns (Carlito and Primo) defeated John Morrison and The Miz in a Lumberjack match to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship into the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship as a Pre-Show match (08:20)

1. CM Punk defeated Kane, Mark Henry (with Tony Atlas), Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Christian and Finlay (with Hornswoggle) in a Money in the Bank ladder match (14:24)

2. Santina Marella last eliminated Beth Phoenix and Melina in a 25-Diva battle royal to crown the inaugural Miss WrestleMania (04:35)

3. Chris Jericho defeated Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka (with Ric Flair) in a Three-on-one handicap elimination match (08:57)

4. Matt Hardy defeated Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules match (13:14)

5. Rey Mysterio defeated John Layfield (c) in a singles match to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship (00:21)

6. The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels in a singles match (30:41)

7. John Cena defeated Edge (c) and Big Show in a triple threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship (14:53)

8. Triple H (c) defeated Randy Orton in a singles match to retain the WWE Championship where if Triple H had been disqualifed, counted out or brought the sledgehammer to the ring, Orton would have won the WWE Championship. (23:34)




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Wrestlemania 25, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in April 2009. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Wrestlemania 25 in this thread. The remaining Wrestlemania events will be getting their own retrospective threads shortly, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[Wolf Pac]

Apart from Taker vs. Michaels, The Hardys Extreme Rules Match and Ricky Steamboat's performance in the 3-on-1 Handicap, I was disappointed with this Wrestlemania and I understand why people rate this as one of the worst Mania's of all time. The Triple Threat WHC and MiTB were alright but they could've been better. Despite the great build up they had, Orton vs. Triple H was underwhelming. And everything else just blew big baby chunks.

Favourite match - Undertaker vs. Michaels, duh! Even the botches in this match looked amazing, and like I said in the Wrestlemania 21 thread, Michaels is one of the only two guys who've ever convinced me that they would end the streak. It's ironic how one of the crappiest Mania's produced one of the greatest Mania matches.

Least-Favourite match - Anything that wasn't Taker vs Michaels or the Hardyz match.

My changes...

Though I loved the build up for Orton vs. Triple H, I didn't like that the champions faced opponents from different brands and that the titles kept changing brands each time it changed hands. When Edge won the WHC title at No Way Out, it became exclusive to Smackdown, then exclusive to Raw once Cena won it back at Wrestlemania, and back to Smackdown when Edge won it at Backlash. The WWE Title was exclusive to Smackdown when Triple H held it but then went to Raw once Orton won it at Backlash. It was all just confusing and a mess. And every time I discuss this card, I seriously cannot remember which participants in the title matches were from which brands and which titles belonged to which brands without having to go look it up on wikipedia first. So I would just swap the opponents from the two title matches around and have Orton vs. Cena for the WHC (no Big Show though) and Edge vs. Triple H for the WWE Title, with Edge playing Orton's role in the build up. I think Edge would have played 'the maniac superstar taking out the McMahon Family' role just as good and as believable as Orton did. Also, swapping the two title matches around might've made for better main events and the champs would be facing opponents from their own brands.

Put The Colons vs. Miz & Morrison on the main card and get rid of the Kid Rock concert. We had to miss out on a good match just to make time for that garbage.

Move the Divas Battle Royal to the pre-show. That was another waste of time and would've allowed even more time for other matches on the main card especially for JBL vs. Mysterio, which I didn't like ending in 21 seconds.

Add an ECW Title match. Don't know why they felt the need to add Christian to the MiTB when he was feuding with Swagger for the belt. Finlay was also in the title picture around that time, so just book a Triple Threat between the 3 for the belt.

Replace Christian & Finlay in the Money in the Bank match with Big Show & The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick would've made an interesting presence in the MiTB match. Let's throw that brute, Vladmir Kozlov, into the match too.

Pre-Show: 25 Divas Battle Royal to crown Miss Wrestlemania

1) The Colons (c) vs. John Morrison & The Miz (c) for the WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship

2) CM Punk vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kofi Kingston vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show vs. Vladmir Kozlov in a Money In The Bank Match

3) Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian vs. Finlay for the ECW World Title

4) Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat & Jimmy Snuka in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match

5) Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match

6) JBL (c) vs. Rey Mysterio for the WWE Intercontinental Title

7) John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Title

8) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

9) Triple H (c) vs. Edge for the WWE Title

 

[myGiant]

I don't consider any Wrestlemania bad. I like and have enjoyed each one, Wrestlemania 6 was my first and Wrestlemania 8 is my favorite. But if I had a least favorite this one would be in top of list. This is my Wrestlemania 25 card starting with main event.

Undertaker v. Shawn Michaels
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP John Cena v. Randy Orton
WHC Steel Cage Edge v. Big Show
Extreme Rules Matt Hardy v. Jeff Hardy
I.C. MVP v. Shelton Benjamin
Special ref: Mickey Rourke. Chris Jericho v. Ricky Steamboat w/ Ric Flair
MIB CM Punk v. Christian v. Brian Kendrick v. Kofi Kingston
Unified tag team titles The Colons v. John Morison The Miz

 

[JJV]

Wrestlemania 25 was a great show, but it could have been so much better than what it was...
I would have booked it like this.

Colons vs John Morrison and The Miz for the tag titles unification
Winners: Morrison and Miz
(Honestly, I would have booked Morrison as the better man throughout. He should have been the one to go over Miz at Bragging Rights, and the guy to win MITB the next year. It's a shame how such a talented guy like Morrison couldn't get to main event at least a few matches while Miz headlined Wrestlef'nmania!)

CM Punk wins MITB
This match was awesome so there really is nothing to change here.

Rey Mysterio def JBL to win the Intercontinental championship
This match should have gone for at least 9-10 min.

Chris Jericho def WWE Legends

Michelle, Melina, Beth Pheonix or any other real diva wins the battle royal
Santina Marella winning was such a joke and a slap on the face to all the divas.

Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy in an Extreme Rules match
I'm not sure who should win this match. Matt Hardy winning made the I Quit match at the next PPV much more intriguing, but I really wanted Jeff to win.

Christian def Jack Swagger to win ECW championship

Edge def John Cena and the Big Show to retain the World championship
There was no point in giving the victory to Cena here. Edge should have won it.

The Undertaker def Shawn Michaels
I would have actually booked this match to close the show, but the Orton-Triple H build up was just too good.

Randy Orton def Triple H in a No Holds Barred match to win the WWE championship
If they want to give WM a happy ending, they could have had Batista return to help Triple H and they could have stood tall in the ring while Orton and the Legacy retreats or something like that. If Batista can return the next night on Raw, he definitely could have returned at WM.

 

[workhorse]

A WrestleMania of missed opportunities and broken plans.

I've read plenty of rumors about Hogan vs Cena being basically set in stone until Hogan hurt his back or had back surgery, or something along those lines.

Another angle was going to be Christian returning as Jeff Hardy's attacker which, I think, would've led to Hardys vs Edge & Christian at 'Mania. I think this got shafted and they ended up going with Matt vs Jeff because it got leaked that they were going to have Christian return. If they had have done that in an Extreme Rules Match I think it would've been awesome!

If those two matches had have gone through, this could've been one of the greatest WrestleMania events of all time.

I would've gone with this card had they been able to go with it:

-Hulk Hogan vs John Cena
Nothing needs to be said, it would've been an ordinary wrestling match but an incredible spectacle.

-Triple H (c) vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
Keep this feud but make the match No DQ and get Legacy and the McMahon's involved. The build up was great but the match seemed anti-climactic.

-The Undertaker (c) vs Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship
Keep as is but have Taker win the title at EC and retain, before dropping to Hardy like Edge did.

-Matt & Jeff Hardy vs Edge & Christian in an Extreme Rules Match
Mentioned above.

-Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat
Steamboat was the only legend in this match who could still go. They could've used the others at ringside and this match would've been good enough I think. It didn't need to Mickey Rourke crap, however.

-JBL vs Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship
I actually didn't mind this. But a full-length match between these two would be alright.

Money in the Bank
Keep as is and swap Christian for Big Show.

The Colons vs John Morrison & The Miz to unify the WWE Tag Team Championships
This was a history making moment that got shafted to the pre-show so Kid Rock could give us ear cancer for 15 minutes. Deserved to be on the main show.

Anway, I was underwhelmed with how this Mania turned out. It could've been incredible but circumstances meant some things couldn't play out as planned. Still thoroughly enjoyed Hardy vs Hardy and Taker vs Michaels. The mainevent title matches were average to good at best.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Crappy Wrestlemania, IMO, and the only really good match was Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels, and largely remains a favourite for everyone.

The way they ruined half the card and what a clusterfuck the event was scarcely makes me want to think and reshape and remould the card, but I'll give it a try.

Randy Orton was a hot full-fledged heel that year, so they couldn't possibly have any opponent to avenge what happened to Mr. Mcmahon than HHH. John Cena? Nope. Edge? Hell no. Randy Orton could've only wrestled HHH, and he also had won the Rumble so it made him eligible to choose a champion from any brand. But I never understood the idiotic mix of challengers from Raw(John Cena), and Smackdown(Big Show) and the champion from Smackdown. It sort of ruined the brand-extension for 2 months, with even Shawn Michaels appearing on Smackdown and all. At least the WHC match should've only included Smackdown superstars IMO. I'm not sure if Edge vs Big Show would've been great. But here's what my card would've been:-

Opening Contest:-
1. IC title- Rey Mysterio vs Chris Jericho. (Yeah the whole legends thing and Mickey Rourke was a pile of shit because Chris Jericho deserved to do much more than wrestle with three decrepit legends).

2. Kane vs Mark Henry. (Why the hell were these two behemoths in the MITB? Leave it for the lighter and shorter guys who can actually climb the ladder and do high-flying moves, Kane would've been awesome in it just like WM 21 , but why not have a singles feud?)

3. Big Show vs Vladimir Kozlov. (I already know it'd have been an amazing match. Much more amazing than Khali vs Kane from WM 23 anyways. If only WWE knew what matches to book for the biggest show of the year)

4. MITB match.
CM Punk vs Finlay vs Shelton Benjamin vs MVP vs Christian vs Kofi Kingston. (Best 6 guys - 3 from Raw, 3 from Smackdown/ECW that could possibly fill this match up, and again we really don't need to add Big guys or any guys unnecessarily to make it an 8-man clusterfuck.)

5. JBL vs John Cena(yeah it's much better than a Raw guy John Cena involved with the idiotic Vickie Guerrero-Big Show-Edge love triangle, only because he's John Cena and needs to be in a World title match at wrestlemania. If only they sometimes let Cena be AWAY from Wrestlemania world title matches, we wouldn't have been so sick of him by 2010.)

6. World Heavyweight Championship triple threat ladder match, or even a normal match, OR a TLC match.
Edge vs Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy. (I don't care to elaborate how the buildup would've been , but it doesn't need to be said that the buildup would've been 10 years in the making , and the match itself would've been to remember for ages).

7. WWE championship.
HHH vs Randy Orton in a 2-out-of-3 falls match.

8. Streak Match. I wouldn't change a thing except that it closes the show.
Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

A little Addendum

*6. World Heavyweight Championship triple threat ladder match, or even a normal match, OR a TLC match.
Edge vs Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy. (I don't care to elaborate how the buildup would've been , but it doesn't need to be said that the buildup would've been 10 years in the making , and the match itself would've been to remember for ages). (By the bye, Imagine Christian winning MITB earlier in the night, and cashing in on a Victorious Edge to become the new WHC, and the feud we'd have gotten next month at Extreme Rules. But again, what can one expect from the WWE except Rehash and Repetition of feuds like Edge vs Jeff Hardy, or Edge vs Cena, or HHH vs Orton).

 

[The Brain]

The string of good manias has come to an end. Every mania from 17-24 was good at the least with some being great. There hadn't been what I consider to be a bad mania since WM16 but WM25 was a bad mania. The show did not have a good flow to it and almost nothing delivered. Obviously my favorite match was Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. This match was the only thing that saved WM25 from being a total bust. I actually find this match to be a little overrated but it was still excellent. I didn't really care for anything else on this card but my least favorite match would have to be the Diva Battle Royal. I don't understand why WWE bothers to give valuable time to people they don't care about. They didn't even bother to introduce the divas and the announcers never even told us who was in the match. I'm a mania geek and know a lot of facts and trivia but I doubt I can come close to naming everyone that was in this match. It was made even worse by Kid Rock wasting so much time singing the divas to the ring. He shouldn't have gotten nearly as much time as he did but if WWE wanted a little concert at mania at least have it about half way through the show instead of after the first match.

I would make some pretty big changes to this card. I said I wanted John Cena vs. Randy Orton in the WM24 thread. Since it didn't happen there it could have happened at WM25. The triple threat just didn't do it for me. That seemed like a main event for Unforgiven, not WrestleMania. Also Orton had wrestled Triple H several times throughout 2007 and 2008. Cena vs. Orton wasn't exactly fresh but it had been done far less than Orton vs. HHH. I would have put Triple H against Edge. These guys briefly crossed paths a couple times over the years but they never had a big one on one program. This was a feud I always wanted to see and just like I mentioned with JBL in the last thread I thought HHH vs. Edge was a missed feud from that era.

Speaking of JBL I have a crazy idea. JBL vs. HBK? That sounds insane doesn't it? This would mean taking away the HBK vs. Taker classic. For months I assumed it was going to be HBK vs. Taker at mania and I was really looking forward to it. Then as the HBK/JBL storyline developed over the winter I got to thinking that was a mania worthy feud. It seemed to have kind of a quick blowoff at No Way Out and I thought the story could have taken them to mania. Hindsight says keep HBK vs. Taker but at the time I would not have minded HBK vs. JBL. After his feud with HBK ended JBL said he wanted something big for mania in Texas. I thought that could have meant a match against Steve Austin. I've always said Austin doesn't need to come back for one more match. The way he went out was fine and he's one of the few guys who's last match was his actual last match. WM25 was the only time I changed my stance on this. Austin vs. JBL in Texas when Austin was going into the HOF would have been pretty cool. Realistically Rey Mysterio was a good opponent for JBL since HBK moved on to bigger things and Austin wasn't an option.

I also thought Austin vs. Chris Jericho could have worked since Jericho was attacking all the hall of famers at the time. Once again though, it wasn't meant to be. Still Jericho needed something different than the handicapped match. It was kind of sad seeing three great former wrestlers aged well past their prime losing to one man. I would have rather just seen Jericho vs. Steamboat one on one. Either that or maybe have Batista come back the week before mania and stick up for the hall of famers. He came back the night after mania anyway so he could have wrestled on the show and a story like that didn't require him to be on tv for weeks leading up to it.

Going back to what really happened, the main event should have been booked much differently. Why no Legacy? Why no McMahons? This was a very personal feud that involved the entire McMahon family and now when it comes time for the big show they are nowhere to be found. That makes no sense. The match shouldn't have had the stupid DQ stipulation. Legacy should have been at ringside causing Havoc. Vince and Shane should have come out at some point to neutralize them. Then Stephanie should have come down to get her revenge and slap Orton. Maybe this would have waken the crowd up. They were dead during the main event and the match wasn't booked properly considering the story that had built up for months.

One more thing. Carlito & Primo vs. Morrison & Miz should have been on the PPV. This match had been building for several weeks and unified two championships. It should have been treated as an important match instead of being given the pre show spot. Not to mention it was a pretty good match too and would have been the second best match on the PPV.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I was at this Wrestlemania so I suppose I am a bit biased in defending it when people complain about how much they think it sucked, I thoroughly enjoyed the event. With that being said, there are some things that went very wrong with it. The first change I would make is NO KID ROCK!!!! If he had to be there he could have been part of the pre-show. Speaking of the pre-show.... THE TAG TEAM MATCH DESERVED TO BE ON THE MAIN CARD! That should have opened up the show. I liked the pre-show battle royal from Wrestlemania 24 for a title shot, they could have done that again. Then in the divas match it is an absolute disgrace that Santino won it dressed up like a girl when deserving divas like Michelle or Beth could have used this win for a special moment. That was my least favorite match. It was such a horrible insult to a division that deserved better.

The JBL match against Rey deserved to go on longer, but we can think Kid Rock's useless performance for that. JBL's promo was longer than the match! Then there's the main event, what a mess. After the intense feud that they had I still to this day do not understand why this not made into a No DQ match that saw Legacy getting involved and Trips using weapons. That match could have been so much better, and Orton should have won. I would have moved the World Heavyweight Championship triple threat to last to send the fans home happy with Cena's win. The best match of the night? Obviously Taker VS Michaels. I am proud to have been there to see that in person. Best match of all time, perfect from start to finish. The show itself is a step down compared to 21 through 24, but it really is better than most people make it out to be.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

This Wrestlemania underwhelmed me for some reason and it has to do with not really caring on the Championship Matches at WM25.

WWE did do a swerve at the No Way Out PPV a month prior but all it was done was to setup re-threads rivalries at WM25.

Firstly we had Edge vs. John Cena feuding again for the World Heavyweight Championship with Big Show as the third man in a Triple Threat Match. I did not like this build up at all, it was a love triangle between Edge/Vickie/Big Show with Cena as the odd man out. The World Heavyweight Championship match was comedy story and I found that unacceptable for a title guys like Benoit and Mysterio held with pride.

Randy Orton vs. Triple H - This felt really forced to me. I have given my reasons before but this feud happened when Orton started attacking the McMahons and finally RKO'ed Stephanie. Triple H goes berserk because Orton attacked his family and his wife. Now I wouldn't mind having a personally heated feud if only I cared about the McMahons getting beaten by Orton and his Legacy stable. Problem is we have seen Vince and Shane beaten up before by the likes of Michaels, Foley, Austin, and even Triple H (which was not too long ago). The Rock People's Elbowed Stephanie at WM2000 and Austin stunned Steph during RAW homecoming (also defending her family), why wasn't there that big of a fuss about this and Triple H going insane on The Rock and Austin? They built up Orton as this evil person because of what he did with McMahon where as we have seen others do it before and it was supposed to be a great moment that the fans liked.

So yeah I couldn't buy Orton as being evil just because of this. To top off the storyline this whole angle was designed by Orton to purposely lure Triple H to defend his title against Orton. Of course Orton started antagonizing the McMahons before the Rumble, if this was Orton's plan all along then he must have known he would have won the rumble and he would have anticipated that Triple H would win the WWE before WM. In other words his plan would only have worked if all the pieces (some out of his control) fell into place, I just found that absurd.

As for the entire PPV, match of the night was Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, but even the build up was pretty weak. Ok the vintages was pretty good but Shawn Michaels went from having an emotional feud with JBL for months to Taker in just a snap of a finger. It was a great match, not as great as others say it is, it's still a nudge below the other classics like Austin/Hart, Rock/Austin or Michaels/Angle.

Now this is one WM in which I would really have changed the card significantly here's how I would have booked it.

WWE Championship: Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H
- No reason why Jeff Hardy as hot as he was all year not getting the title at WM25. If you saw the fan's reaction at Armageddon imagine that multiplied by 7, it would have been epic. Plus Jeff Hardy and Triple H had very good matches before and people were starting to believe in Jeff Hardy as one of the main eventers. Sure he's not the best guy on the mic and I am not exactly a fan of his but he connected with the crowd and was exciting to watch. I really saw no reason why Jeff Hardy couldn't win the title here.

World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena vs. Randy Orton.
Special Guest Enforcer Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Simple setup Orton wins the Rumble, Cena is the Champion. Two of the hot young guys in the WWE going it out. They can even Vince in his storyline with Orton attacking him then because of how Orton and Legacy was causing problems with Cena, Vince, and WWE they make Austin (who was available at the time) the guest enforcer.

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
- Yeah no reason to change this

Christian vs. Edge
- Christian returned to the WWE recently, Edge was a top heel. It almost makes sense not to book it. Which is what happened.

Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat w/ Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke
- it should just have been one on one since Steamboat was the only one from the 3 legends that could go. Plus it would have given more time to Rourke (who I was fine having) and Flair to be involved in the match. It would have been a better WM celebrity moment.

Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. JBL
- This match was short, so yeah I would keep it. Since it does eventually lead to an amazing Jericho/Mysterio feud for the IC Title.

A Diva's Match that was not the Battle Royale and also No Kid Rock in this event ever

Money in the Bank Ladder Match
- Like someone mentioned remove Christian, add Big Show, Swagger, and Matt Hardy to make it a 10 man MITB match.

Unified Tag Team Championship
The Colons vs. The Miz and John Morrison
- Should have kept this bout in the card.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A good show that could have been great. It helps having Shawn/Taker on the card. They put on one of the best Mania matches of all time. Just a sensational match that I'm sure is everyone's favorite from the card (including mine).

I wouldn't change much but the biggest change I would make is to eliminate Show from the Cena/Edge match. Edge had cemented his status as a main eventer the year before and as such a Edge/Cena match would have been enough. Other than that most everything else was the right move. The problem was the matches fell short. I'm looking at HHH/Orton and the Hardy's matches in particular. Had they hit the match like the build than this card is talked about as one of the greater Mania's. But as it stands what we got was a good show that should have been great.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

As everyone else has stated, this WrestleMania was pretty crappy. In execution, it probably wasn't the worst Mania of all time, but in terms of card, it definitely was. No WrestleMania should have such a shitty card like this one. Matches like Rey/JBL, Cena/Edge, Cena/Big Show and Triple H/Orton were done to death before this. I wasn't excited at all for this card. I would have gone with:

1. WWE Championship: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Edge losing the WWE title just to enter the main event EC and win the World title was phenomenal, but there was no reason to put the title back on Triple H. Undertaker should have won that EC and ended up facing Michaels for the title on PPV. It would have been even better if Shawn had been in the Chamber, won the World title, and faced Taker in a title vs. streak match, but they had to settle the JBL feud early.

2. John Cena vs. Batista

Okay, so here's the deal. Even if Batista wasn't ready to get physical for the Road to WrestleMania, he was obviously going to be ready in time for the actual PPV, considering he returned the following night. By paying tribute to the great Taker/Michaels legacy and the classic E&C/Hardys matches with the main events, John Cena would need a pretty great opponent. Batista would have been perfect at this point. I would have had Batista return, cut a few promos on John, and set up the feud, by having Batista cost John the World title rematch on Raw.

3. Triple H vs. Randy Orton (Street Fight)

If they really needed to do this match at WrestleMania, it should have been done as a Street Fight. These guys had done Steel Cages, Last Man Standings, and other types of matches. Settling for a standard singles match at Mania was not a good call. They could keep the feud the same, except without the title. It really was unnecessary, as this was all about Legacy and the McMahon family.

4. World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Christian vs. Edge (c)

At the time, I was really hoping we'd get to see a match like this. All four of these guys have tremendous history with each other, and they never faced off against the other. Jeff was feuding with Edge right before Mania, until Matt turned on him. And Matt was on ECW, where Christian had just debuted. All four of them could have easily entered a problem that led to a classic match at WrestleMania. Plus, Jeff Hardy could have finally gotten his "big moment" at WrestleMania, instead of waiting all the way until Night of Champions.

5. Rey Mysterio w/ the legends vs. Chris Jericho

I get that WWE wanted to do Mickey/Jericho at WrestleMania, but it didn't work out. Chris was stuck doing a legends storyline with no pay-off so they stuck him in a handicap match. I would have preferred if they had gotten someone like Rey to stick up for the legends and put them in a classic match on PPV. It isn't a perfect solution, and I probably would have gone with something better for Jericho, but taking into consideration what had been booked, it's the best call.

6. WWE Unified Tag Team Championship: The Colons (c) vs. The Miz and John Morrison (c)

I was looking forward to this match when it was booked, so I was really disappointed when it was moved to the pre-show. I would have had Miz and Morrison win as they were definitely the hotter tag team at the time. Of course, it ended up working for the best as Miz and Morrison both split and ended up having solid singles careers, but I would have kept them together for longer.

7. Kane vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Vladimir was built up way too hard to just be left off the Mania card. A month before, Vlad had challenged Taker to a Streak vs. Streak match at Mania, but he lost the chance to face him when Shawn ended ending his undefeated streak on Raw. I would have had Vladimir go nuts because he lost the chance to face Taker and end up beating up Taker's brother on Raw. I would keep this short and continue Vlad's downward spiral by losing to Kane.

8. Money in the Bank ladder match:
CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Evan Bourne vs. JBL vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. The Big Show vs. Mark Henry

I would have kept Punk and JBL's feud going until WrestleMania. Punk would beat JBL in a qualifying match for the MitB, and JBL would keep trying to get in the match. He would get his wish after he puts his career on the line. If he can't get the briefcase, he leaves WWE. The end of the match would be Punk stealing the case from JBL, officially ending his career.

MVP and Brian Kendrick would be feuding for the US title when they both qualify for MitB, while Evan feuded with Henry on ECW. Big Show would get into the match to prove his love for Vickie or w/e, and Kofi would be there to fill it out.

Pre-Show: Divas Battle Royal

I would have moved this to the pre-show, and I would've had an actual diva win. Santino could enter the battle royal if he wanted, but he should've lost to someone like Trish or Lita.

(Lamentably, Shelton Benjamin would be left off the card, but considering WWE was thinking of releasing him just a few weeks later, there was no point in showcasing him at WrestleMania.)

 

[AJ1981]

I remember, with the exception of HBK/Undertaker, feeling let down by WM25. The crowd seemed burned out by Undertaker & Michaels and Triple H & Randy Orton had an off night (there matches at No Mercy 2007 showed what they could really do). The WHC feud did nothing for me and its focus on Vickie Guerrero detracted from the title. Kid Rock's concert seemed to go on forever and it was a travesty Carlito & Primo vs. Morrison & The Miz was left off the PPV card given they were unifying titles. My WM25 would have been:


WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
TRIPLE H vs. RANDY ORTON

HHH retains and get vengeance for the McMahons.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
EDGE vs. JOHN CENA

Cena defeats Edge to capture the WHC

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. THE UNDERTAKER

Perfect, no alterations needed

WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP
MELINA vs. BETH PHOENIX

Beth Phoenix defeats Melina to capture the Women's title

EXTREME RULES MATCH
JEFF HARDY vs. MATT HARDY

Matt defeats Jeff to set up a rematch at Backlash

UNIFIED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
CARLITO & PRIMO vs. JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ

Carlito & Primo defeat Morrison/The Miz to unify the WWE & World Tag titles

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
REY MYSTERIO vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Rey beats JBL on Raw to win the IC title. Jericho beats Mysterio to capture the IC title

MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH
KANE vs. CM PUNK vs. BIG SHOW vs. MVP
vs. FINLAY vs. KOFI KINGSTON vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. R-TRUTH

Punk wins MITB for the second year running leading to a heel turn

ECW CHAMPIONSHIP
JACK SWAGGER vs. CHRISTIAN

Christian defeats Swagger to capture the ECW title

 

[Pedigree1]

Agreed this was one of the Manias that well wasn't one of the best ever.. Obviously outside of that five star classic,the HBK vs Taker match saved this card from being a total dud. It just didn't have a good flow to it..

I would have made some changes to this card to try to help it. First of all,that incredible tag team match needed to be on the main card. If you wanna have Santino dress in Drag and win the Divas battle royal please have that shit on the undercard if you insist on doing something like this. The tag match needed to be on the main card not that stuff.

Dump Kid rock from performing. It took up time unnecessary time from matches that could have happened. The JBL vs Rey match should have not ended in 20 seconds,that match could have gone on longer than it did.. Triple H vs Edge like the brain said,was a missed opportunity that should have happened.. Thats a feud everyone could have gotten behind IMO with edge being the do whatever it takes superstar to win,and trips being the good guy. Edge could have easily stalked HHH's family,and did what Orton did,but only better.

Orton vs Cena,should have been one on one. They would go on to battle later that year but why not start at WM with their feud with Cena going over,and Orton wanting to extract revenge. Orton was at his best that year IMO,complete package,with Orton being certifiable,that match should have happened one on one..

So my changes:

Triple H Vs Edge: A missed Opportunity that Im sure the WWE regrets whether they admit it or not. Amazing this feud never took off,Edge could have been the evil Villain as he always played that role to a Tee.

Orton Vs Cena: Should have happened a year earlier,but this definitely should have been one on one.. I know they would go on to battle later that year,but it should have started at WM25! When these two were on,this feud was like none-other.. A complete masterpiece i dare say.

Dump Kid Rock from performing on the main card portion.. Save him for the undercard or if you have too,have him kick of WM with a song or two at best..

Bring up the tag match to the main Card.. This was a great tag team battle,and i wasn't happy it was on the undercard portion. Keep the tag match on the main card and dump the Divas battle royal (If you insist on having one)to the undercard where it belonged to begin with.

Those big changes would have made this WM card probably one of the best ever,instead of a below average mania

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

As an aside, has The Big Show ever done anything to elevate the match that he's in? He has been added to so many main event Triple Threat and Fatal Four Way matches, and pretty much all of them would've been better off had he not been involved.

Add to this that the WWE spent the last couple of years embarrassing the poor guy by having him put on that horrible sumo match with Akebono, and get knocked out by Floyd Mayweather -- how could they have possibly expected anyone to be intrigued by his addition to the triple threat match?

I went back and watched WM 25, mainly because of the Michaels/Undertaker match, and IMO, this was a one match card. Remove that match, and you have an absolute turkey of a WrestleMania.

Triple H vs. Orton on paper is good, but by this point, I felt like I had seen it all before. It didn't help that these two went at it the year before. I also couldn't buy into a face Triple H at this point. The WWE spent so long conditioning fans to despise Stephanie, despise Vince, and despise Trips that having Orton suddenly be the villain in this scenario just didn't work for me. Others have suggested a much more compelling main event in Triple H vs. Edge -- two guys who really never got it on in the ring one on one in a major program.

 

[Kris Benwa]

The first WrestleMania to start a string of mediocre to bad ones after a string of great ones. Favorite match is obvious my least favorite match was the divas battle royal. That match should have had Trish Stratus win because a lot of people see her as one of the greatest. Some things I would change is I would have had Cena vs Edge in a singles match. I think this was a match that deserved to be at WrestleMania and one that could have main evented one. Big Show was added for no reason IMO and took away from what could have been a great match. Another thing that was silly was that Orton vs Triple H was a standard wrestling match with the stipulation that if Triple H was DQ'd he would lose the title. THat is absolutely absurd IMO Orton had beaten up Triple H's family and kissed his wife I don't think he'd be interested in WRESTLING that guy as much as he would have been interested in beating the shit out of him. Also weapons involved could have added some intrigue and possibly brought the crowd back into it.

My changes would be to add the tag team match to the main card, Show to the MITB match, Edge vs Cena for the WHC, have the divas battle royal be inbetween HBK and Taker and Orton vs HHH, Make HHH vs Orton be a no holds barred match or something where it's more of a fight than a wrestling match.

Everything else was fine to me

 

[Aquaman6686]

A bland and mediocre WrestleMania that should have been amazing. My changes:

1 - First and foremost, the match to determine the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship should have been on the main card, and near the end of the show. It should have been the first of the main event matches, right before Undertaker/Michaels. I also would have switched the winners.

2 - Remove Christian from the Money in the Bank and have him face Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship. There was no reason to have the ECW title left off the card. Replace Christian in MITB with Dolph Ziggler.

3 - JBL should have beaten Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. Having JBL lose his title in such an embarrassing fashion was absurd, and a terrible end to a great in-ring career.

4 - Instead of the meaningless "Miss WrestleMania" title that was dropped a few months later and never mentioned again, the Divas Battle Royal should have been for the Women's Championship. Have a classic Diva who never held the title before win the match (I would have picked Torrie Wilson), and then drop it back to the defending champion (who I think was Melina, I could be mistaken) the following night on RAW.

5 - I would not have thrown John Cena into the World Heavyweight Championship match. Edge vs. Big Show was an extremely rare heel vs. heel main event and something that had never been done before at WrestleMania. Have Edge retain the title against Big Show at WrestleMania, and give Cena another match instead, maybe issue an open challenge and wind up fighting Batista, instead of holding off until the next night to bring Batista back.

6 - I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed the Handicap Match. However, the Mickey Rourke moment afterwards immediately negated Jericho's momentum by having him look like a total joke. Remove that segment completely.

7 - Last but not least, I think most would agree that the WWE Championship match had a lot of potential, but with the stipulation that HHH would lose the title if he was disqualified, the match was ruined. The match should have been some type of stipulation match to prevent a DQ and give the feud the blowout it deserved. My pick would have been a Steel Cage Match. There hasn't been one at WrestleMania since WM2, and this would have been the perfect time to finally have another.


So here's what the card would have looked like with my changes:

Dark Match - Not sure what to put here, maybe a Battle Royal with all the guys who were Lumberjacks.

1 - CM Punk def. Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Kane, MVP, Finlay, and Shelton Benjamin to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match

2 - Torrie Wilson wins the Divas Battle Royal to become the new Women's Champion

3 - Chris Jericho def. Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, & Ricky Steamboat (w/Ric Flair) in a Handicap Match

4 - Matt Hardy def. Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match

5 - Batista def. John Cena

6 - JBL def. Rey Mysterio to retain the Intercontinental Championship

7 - John Morrison & The Miz def. Carlito & Primo to become the first-ever Unified WWE Tag Team Champions

8 - The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels

9 - Edge def. The Big Show to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

10 - Triple H def. Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match to retain the WWE Championship

 

[Aquaman6686]

As an aside, has The Big Show ever done anything to elevate the match that he's in? He has been added to so many main event Triple Threat and Fatal Four Way matches, and pretty much all of them would've been better off had he not been involved.

Add to this that the WWE spent the last couple of years embarrassing the poor guy by having him put on that horrible sumo match with Akebono, and get knocked out by Floyd Mayweather -- how could they have possibly expected anyone to be intrigued by his addition to the triple threat match?

Big Show wasn't added to the match, Cena was. The match was originally Edge vs. The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Big Show wasn't added to the match, Cena was. The match was originally Edge vs. The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Regardless, Big Show never should've sniffed a main event at WrestleMania. Outside of his size, he didn't have the in-ring talent or charisma to ever carry a match, and then the WWE's own booking of him throughout the years made him incredibly weak.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Regardless, Big Show never should've sniffed a main event at WrestleMania. Outside of his size, he didn't have the in-ring talent or charisma to ever carry a match, and then the WWE's own booking of him throughout the years made him incredibly weak.

I disagree. There's only been a handful of true giants in wrestling - Andrè, Big Show, Giant Gonzalez, The Great Khali, and a few others. Of them, I feel Big Show is by far the most talented both in-ring and in charisma. I grew up watching Andrè but I still think it's fair to say that many fans are insanely biased towards him. I can't disagree with WWE's booking of him being very poor at times, but to me, Big Show is a guy who should be in top matches, especially at this point in his career. He's a veteran and a 7-Time World Champion, and he's probably about 3 or 4 years from retirement. I think he should be in much bigger matches than Battle Royals and opening-bout 6-Man tags.

 

[MCMG]

This was a rather disappointing Wrestlemania but was saved by one of the greatest matches ever wrestled. Taker v HBK was awesome and, in my opinion, is Taker's second best Mania match and probably HBK's best.

I liked the Hardy match but Jeff deserved better. This could possibly have been a little bit of caution by the WWE because they simply couldn't trust Jeff and his demons. Having him the WWE champ on the Road to Wrestlemania would be scary for everyone involved. However, Jeff was ridiculously over and I would have put him in a title match. Him vs Edge could have worked and it would have been a good story. I'd also rather see Jeff v Jericho for the belt but unfortunately this didn't happen.

HHH vs Orton was a really poor match. Not only following up Taker/HBK but the fact this was a regular match. They wanted to kill each other and it would have helped if they could tell that story. Did it need the belt? Not in my opinion. The triple threat was ok and the double AA was incredible but Show didn't need to be there. Cena vs Edge would have been great and a far better match. Also, the feud was stupid with Edge cheating on Vickie.

Kid Rock is an annoying prick. The Divas match was a clusterfuck. I thought the Rey/JBL match was done very well. MITB was MITB even though I was a bit annoyed Punk won two years in a row - it all worked out in the end though.

Orton vs HHH didn't need the belt and should have been no DQ. Hardy and Cena would be champions heading in. I reckon Edge and Jericho should have been the challengers but I'm not quite sure on the combination. Edge v Hardy would have been a better story but we had recently seen Jericho vs Cena. All I know is, I'm certain Jeff should have been champ and The Big Show shouldn't have been in the main-event.

 

[LODemolition]

I rank this WMXXV in the middle of the pack in terms of all-time WM's because there were some really great things about it and some really bad things about it. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels was obviously the best match, but the MITB match was pretty great too I thought. The battle of the Hardys was pretty good. Brother vs brother feuds are always fun, and I think WWE is making a mistake by not having Cody and Goldust square off this year. As for the bad, the Divas battle royal was obviously a joke. Triple H vs. Orton was just dull, and it was embarrassing watching Piper and Snuka still try to wrestle. That clearly should've been a one on one between Jericho and Steamboat. As always, here's how I would've rebooked it.

1. ECW Championship: Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian

At the very least, this should've been the dark match. What's the purpose of keeping the ECW brand alive if they weren't going to have it's title defended at the biggest ppv of the year?

2. Tag Team Championship Triple Threat: The Colons (c) vs. The Miz & John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

Not only do I think this match should've been put on the main card, but I would've included Rhodes & DiBiase so they had their own place in the event rather than just a backstage segment with Orton.

3. Money in the Bank Ladder Match: CM Punk vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Big Show vs. MVP vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Evan Bourne vs. Dolph Ziggler

Granted, this match might not have had as many high spots in it if it featured these 3 big men, but I don't think Big Show belonged in the WHC match. I'd have thrown the up and comers in there, but kept Punk as the winner.

4. Intercontinental Championship: JBL (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

I have no complaints about this being a quick 20-second match. If this is how they were going to write JBL out, then it was best to have him lose in quick, embarrassing fashion.

5. Extreme Rules: Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy

I thought this match was executed well. I liked the ending, even though I would've had Jeff win. He did win the rematch though, so it helped extend the feud.

6. Ricky Steamboat (w/ Ric Flair, Roddy Piper & Jimmy Snuka) vs. Chris Jericho

Steamboat was clearly the only legend that could still go in the ring. It should've been a 1 on 1 contest. Since they had a rematch at Backlash anyway, maybe I'd even let Steamboat go over.

7. World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. John Cena

I think a 1 on 1 between these guys would've been much better than a triple threat with Big Show. Plus I would've had Edge retain, seeing how he won the title back at Backlash anyway. Kind of pointless.

8. WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton

I thought Orton should've won here. He won the title just a few weeks later anyway, why not have it happen where it really mattered? End the show with Taker vs. Shawn to still send the crowd home happy.

9. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

They had to know this was going to steal the show, so let it close out Mania. This is one of those rare times where I think it would be ok with having a non-title match be the main event, seeing how I'd have the heels walk out of WM as champions.

 

[Rocky84]

Pretty lackluster Mania. I was actually the most excited about HHH vs Orton. Someone mentioned that they didn't buy the fact that Orton assaulting Stephanie was what made HHH so posses when others have done that already and he never got so enraged. I think when he kissed her in front of HHH it made him freak lol. That's horrible! I LOVED the build up...I'll never forget HHH going to Orton's house...just awesome.

I loved that build, but the fact they made it a regular match made it suck. Every time HHH has an epic match, he either has a no DQ match of some sorts or at least finds a way to be a dirty player. The restraint they put on it killed the match. That's HHH's game...he's the best No DQ wrestler imo. It would've made this match amazing.

HBK vs Taker is seriously the most over-rated match I've ever seen people freak out about. Great finish, but the actual match was good...epic though?? Not imo.

I don't think that match would've been hard for HHH and Orton to follow had they made their match a no DQ match. It could've closed the night out just fine.

The triple threat match was a horrible story and horrible match. Would've been a cool ending had Cena pulled off the double FU but Edge fell off Big Show. Cena vs a Edge had been done to death by then. I did Batista vs Cena when I re-did Mania 24 so that's not an option here. Maybe would've done Cena vs Jericho. I know they did a SS together but it was a while before.

Wasting Jericho like this was a travesty too btw. They could've had someone else in there like "Captain Charisma" Christian.

Best match, HBK vs Taker, best build up though hands down is HHH vs Orton. I still don't get the rules made for that lol. It's like making an Ecw match a normal in ring technical match...it's doomed from the start. Even if there were disqualifications, don't enforce them like that, so this way Trips can sneak something in here n there.

Worst match was Rey vs JBL.


I would've done this...


Randy Orton vs Triple H (c)- WWE Title (No DQ)

John Cena vs Chris Jericho (c)-World Title

Diva Battle Royal- (crowd gets a break here)

HBK vs Undertaker

Big Show vs Edge (keep the Vickie storyline..no championship needed)

Christian vs Piper, Snuka, Steamboat w/ Flair

Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy- hardcore match

Rey Mysterio vs JBL- IC Title

MITB match

 

[Cub McCallister]

I think this is another lacklustre wrestlemania and as the years go on they just seem forgettable IMO and at each mania there is only one or two matches that really stand out and here is my version of the card:

1) Morrison & Miz (C) Vs The Colon Brothers (C)
Unified Tag Team Titles Lumberjack Match
This match needed to happen on the main show and have it as a nice opener and give the lumberjacks some straps and make it a great tag match with the colons going over , I would put legacy in here but IMO I felt this had to happen.

2) Cm Punk Vs Kane Vs Umaga Vs MvP Vs Shelton Benjamin Vs Christian Vs Paul Burchill Vs Kofi Kingston
Money in The Bank Ladder Match. I'd have cm punk still going over here

3) Jack Swagger (C) Vs Tommy Dreamer
Ecw Title Extreme Rules Match. I'd have dreamer go over here winning the title at the bg one

4) Chris Jericho (C) Vs Rey Mysterio W/ Snucka, Piper, Steamboat & Flair
Intercontinetal Title Match. I'd have this match instead and it could be a classical match with mysterio going over and then at a later date jericho could feud with Steamboat.

5) Jeff Hardy Vs Matt Hardy
Extreme Rules Match. This stays the same

6) Woman's Battle Royal
Divas Title Battle Royal Match

7) John Cena (C) Vs Randy Ortan
World Title No DQ Match. This could of been a decent match at mania I took edge and big show out of te match and put in ortan he wins the rumble and then goes onto win the wwe title.

8) The Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels
This match stays the same.

9) Triple HHH (C) Vs Edge
Wwe Title Street Fight Match. I heard somewhere that they were supposed to feud it could of been really good with edge as the crazy bastard heel and have hhh retain the title.

That's my mania ppv card it's better then the original I think there's no big show and I think Batista is injured anyway but I think this card could deliver

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

This was a poor Wrestlemania- matches like the 20 second long Interncontintal Title match with JBL and Mysterio, the worthless Miss Wrestlemania battle royal and arguably Jericho vs the legends has little or no place on the card at a Wrestlemania.

While the Shawn Michaels v Undertaker match is an all-time classic, none of the rest of the card really lived up to my expectations. I was expecting far more from the Hardy Boyz colliding in an Extreme Rules match, the MITB match should not have included Kane, Mark Henry or Finlay (what would they EVER add to a ladder match at their size/age?), and the main event of Triple H v Randy Orton was underwhelming. There was also no reason why the Tag-Team titles were defended on the pre-show and not the main card. Swap the Miss WM Battle Royal with the Tag Title match.

We had had a run of enjoyable Wrestlemania's up until this point, but this was the worst for a long while, which is a shame as it did have potential to be alot better if some of the worthless matches had been cut and more time given to others.