Wrestlemania XXIX Feedback/Review Thread *KEEP IT ALL IN HERE*

[Smurfbate]

I agree with those of you who thought this Mania was forgettable. Here is how I saw things.

Shield vs Orton, Sheamus, Show
- This match was basically what I expected it to be. They teased an Orton heel turn by stealing the tag from Big Show. I didn't buy Show being a face at all so I didn't see him punching Sheamus and Orton as another heel turn. Glad Ambrose got the pin. Was a decent match but nothing new.

Mark Henry vs Ryback
- This is one of two matches where the outcome I figured was wrong. Now the match itself reminded me of Goldberg/Lesnar. I was unimpressed and the ending was almost laughable.

Team Hell No vs Ziggy and Big E
- This was the other match I predicted wrong. I thought this would be the time they split Bryan and Kane up. It's a shame to see Ziggler continue to be wasted. Wish this was just Bryan vs Ziggler one on one. This match left a bad taste in my mouth as well.

Fandango vs Jericho
- I was perfectly fine with this match. Hell I thought it was the 2nd best match on the card. Which is more a testament to how bad the card was. Curtis is a good worker and had some good moments. The ending was sloppy but liked how he won via a roll up.

Jack Swagger vs Alberto Del Rio
- It was clear Alberto was going over in this match once Jack got in trouble with the law. I personally wasn't a fan of this match as it seemed very slow. These two guys can work, I've seen it before but tonight it felt like a RAW match that I've seen every week. Ziggler not even teasing a cash in really burned it too.

CM Punk vs Undertaker
- I hated this feud going into this match. It seemed rushed together and it makes me wonder what it would of been had Bearer not passed away. They seemed rushed to throw that in and focus on it. Punk dominating each week leading to it meant Taker HAD to win. The match was the match of the night but wasn't a classic. I liked Punk moving Taker's old school and pin style. But my favorite part was the botched table spot. I laughed so much. The ending seemed sloppy as well.

HHH vs Brock Lesnar
- Yet again predicable since the day it was booked. The crowd was dead for it and while I didn't hate the match it is the same HHH match as always these days. All his matches (when he wrestles) are No DQ matches where he doesn't have to do anything other than use chairs a trade punches and low blows with casual interference.

John Cena vs The Rock
- This match was honestly pathetic. I predicted this match damn near move for move. It was the same damn match as last year. I knew Rock was gonna go for the 5 knuckle shuffle and get AA'd. They kicked out too early on the supposed near falls. Before the hand even starts to come down for the 3 they were kicking out. Then the 10 minutes of finishing move counters and such it was too much. I was hoping Rocky would do a stunner to change shit up. Also, Cena why the hell are you smiling in this match? You're supposed to be dead set on beating The Rock and getting your redemption, treat it like you're there to do so.

Btw where were the segments? WM is never segment heavy but there is usually a couple quick interviews or something thrown in. Instead it was just a bunch of video recaps.

 

[CM Steel]

Wrestlemania 29 looked like Wrestlemania 16 if you ask me. The matches were rushed through to make more time for the final 2-3 on the card. They could have found a better "rapper" from the New York area than Diddy (let's not get started on him). The card was just thrown together with a few good storylines. And the main event was predictable.

Hopefully Wrestlemania XXX (30) will make up for Wrestlemania 29. WWE hall of famer Donald Trump just called out WWE chairman Vince McMahon for a match at Mania 30. So we gotta stay keeping up on our Twitters for the next year on this one! But all in all this years WM just didn't speak to me like that for some reason and it just took me back to WM 16 somehow.


This Wrestlemania will not go down as one of the greatest Wrestlemania's ever.

 

[TheHorndogSays]

This years just wasn't the "spectacle" of previous years. It honestly seemed uninspired like they didn't care hoping the brand would be enough to make it seem big. No US title. If the rumors are true and Vince isn't a fan of Cesaro then take the title off him. No divas title or even a divas match (even the mixed tag was nixed apparently). Yes I've been critical of the divas division in the past but if they want us to believe they are trying to revitalize the division tonight is NOT how its done. No America the beautiful but instead a bunch of lip-synced "concerts" (you mean to tell me Diddy belong on Mania but not Cody Rhodes or Damien Sandow?). Even the majority of the entrances seemed lackluster. Now not all entrances need to be be extravagant moments (my personal favorite is Hogan's at WM 7 which was simple yet powerful) but these weren't powerful moments, just uninspiring. The main event seemed more about countering the two finishing moves for 40 minutes.

 

[metalbass]

Here's the problem with all these 'falsies' they are going with now and tonight it was more definitive than ever. When wrestlers keep kicking out of finishing moves there's no climax to the match. After a while it's like the boy who cried wolf, but when the boy is telling the truth (the match is really finished) people don't believe it that much. I watched WM29 with a bunch of people and in the Jericho/Fandango match, Taker/Punk match and the Rock/Cena match, we all were not expecting the match to end at that time... but it's over.

As for this year's Wrestlemania, I thought it was even worse than 27 but still much better than the horrible 11.

Shield vs. Smackdown guys: I was pleasantly surprised the WHC didn't start this year's event, and this was a great opener to start us off. The Shield's 'pack' mentality is really winning me over. They get the win after Orton gets speared out of nowhere by Reigns and Ambrose makes the cover. After the match, Show KO punches both Sheamus and Show ***

The aftermatch of this match in hindsight makes a lot of sense for me even though most were expecting an Orton heel turn. I really never bought Show as being a face so now he can be the dominant heel he needs to be and create more reasons Sheamus and Orton can go after him. I think the fallout of all that would possibly be where Orton finally turns heel.

Unfortunately my g/f was feeling ill so I took her back home and missed the Tag champion match and Henry/Ryback so I can't comment on those.

Jericho vs. Fandango: The match was okay but it didn't feel like it deserved to be on a Wrestlemania. I'm not really high on people debuting at Wrestlemania when they have other talented WWE experienced wrestlers being kept off the card. The roll up came out of nowhere, I actually went to talk to someone and the match was over just like that. **

ADR vs. Swagger: Was an ok match but the crowd sucked any life out of it. I had 2 possible predictions for this match: ADR would win clean and keep the title or Swagger would win and lose to Ziggler cashing in on him (they have history). I think the right result happened here. ** 1/4

Punk vs. Taker: Best match of the night. It's obvious they tried to protect Taker though as he still looks injured/old (maybe both???). When the table didn't break off the elbow drop I thought CM Punk legitimately broke his leg. That looked scary to say the least. ****

HHH vs. Lesnar: Slow, boring, you could hear a pin drop in the crowd. The crowd is a huge part of any wrestling show and they sucked the life out of the majority of this one, which could have been great otherwise. The match picked up great at the end and I loved HHH using the Kimura to try to make Lesnar tap. The last 7-8 minutes was great!!! HHH wins after countering a Lesnar counter by DDT'ing him in the ring steps and hitting the pedigree. *** 1/2. Storytelling in the match **** 1/4

Tons of Funk vs. Rhodes Scholars/Bella Twins: This buffer/piss break match started out with a huge "F**K YOU WWE UNIVERSE, YOU'RE GOING TO DRIVE HOME IN HORRIBLE TRAFFIC WITH FULL BLADDERS!!!!" 0 Stars for the match, -100 stars for WWE ripping people out of an advertised match.

Cena vs. Rock: People should have just started going home earlier. This match had more makings of an exhibition tryout match than an actual WM Main Event. I don't like either guy but I always try to be as unbiased as I can. Last year's match was solid but this one seemed too all over the place. The finisher/counter/finisher/counter/finisher/kickout/finisher/kickout routine is just getting pathetic. It was one of those matches where I really thought there was going to be something to the ending but it really looked like the 3 count was made at the time it was only because it was in the script. It didn't suspend reality like it should (as all wrestling basically should). It just looked horrible. I'll give a star just on that play-off of last year alone where Cena was attempting the people's elbow but saw Rock pop up and gave the 'you can't see me' pose. After that match I felt down in the dumps. * 1/2

Overall: 4/10.

*** WM27 was in the bottom 5 Wrestlemania's of all time IMO and they followed that with an AWESOME!!! Extreme Rules PPV. I hope they follow suit this year.

 

[KoC417]

The absolute worst WrestleMania ever. I didn't pay for it so I really have nothing to complain about there. Let's start with the "concert"
Dude was it just me or did that chick not know how to lip sync!? I mean when you are singing PERFECTLY to the tune of the song then suddenly your voice comes in and sounds NOTHING like what is going on. TERRIBLE job there.

ONLY matches worth watching during this PPV were:
Team Hell No vs Ziggler/Big E
CM Punk vs. Undetaker
If they had let Punk and Taker go for 2 hours I would have been much more satisfied.

Cena vs Rock was how do we say...about as pointless as anything. The match let off a foul odor especially when Rock and Cena hugged, shook hands then saluted at the top of the ramp and raised arms together.
The Shield vs Orton/Sheamus/Big Show- why? So Big Show gets butt hurt that he didn't get the tag and he stands around watching Orton get pinned then KOs both of his partners? Who didn't see this coming when the spear was hit and Show was standing there like "oh you little punk"

All in all this PPV deserves a 1 out of 10 rating. I expect this kind of garbage from TNA and I don't even think they would produce this kind of excrement. Anyone that has ever spoken to me knows i HATE TNA so this is big for me to put it BELOW them. 4 hours of PPV, 3 hours of SNORE 30 minutes of "Da Fuq did I just watch" and then the other 30 minutes of crying because it wasn't over yet.

 

[lenguy]

I just came back from Metlife myself and the whole PPV was just bad after Punk vs Taker. The crowd did not care. There were boring chants in my section for brock vs hhh and Rock vs Cena. Rock vs Cena was just horrible in everyway. The whole arena hated the result. I honestly dont think I will go to another Mania live.

You sure about that? I wasn't there live but I got to say. Rock and Cena came off very well on the T.V. It had a slow start but about half way through,I'd say the crowd finally woke up and got really invested into it.

I had a feeling the IWC would react as such. Nothing is ever good enough for them. You could give the a WM full of dream matches full of stipulations sure enough to make them cream themselves,yet,it will still fall short of their ridiculously high expectations.

I don't know guys. I ordered it,I enjoyed it throughout. Sure it had its moments of slow pacing but you can't honestly expect every match to deliver. Especially when so much focus and emphasis is put on 3 or 4 of them.

Like I said,it was highly enjoyable on my part. I really enjoyed the opening 6 man tag and felt it was a great choice as an opener. I suspected going into the match that there would be friction and tension between Orton,Sheamus and Show throughout. A team not fully committed to their partnership,but committed to ending the shield. There was still some division among them that could not bind them in proper cohesion. This was not the case with the Shield. The Shield acts as if a solid unit. They are focus on their mission and work as a singular entity. They were not as clouded mind as their counter opponents. No uncertainty,just goal oriented. It payed off,perhaps with a bit of luck. These elements together forged a create match out of these 6 individuals and IMO it was one of the better matches of the night. 7.5/10

I must say,it was disappointed with the Ryback Henry match. I expected these two behemoth superstars to just tear each other apart. Ryback underestimated Henry in this match and it might have cost him. I expect this won't be their last encounter. I suspect a rematch at Extreme Rules with an obvious stipulation. I have a feeling it will be much better than this match. More violent if I had to guess. Though I was pleased to see Ryback was able to lift Henry up for the Shellshock. That was worth seeing. 4/10.

The tag match wasn't anything special. Could have passed off for a great Raw main event but it served its purpose. I don't have anything to really elaborate on with this match. Solid enough but forgettable. 5/10

I must admit. I could have care at all about the Jericho/Fandango match. I was expecting Jericho to play a bigger role at mania but was disappointed to see him participating in a match with a guy who hadn't really competed. But Fandango did impress me. Jericho dished out most of the offense from the very get go and I was certain he'd get the win. But in an upset,the new comer dethroned the veteran and first undisputed champion. 7/10

Man,did the crowd just not give two shits about the world title match? I know I didn't. I just don't really care for Del Rio and I care even less for Swagger. It was a solid enough match but man the crowd just fell right asleep. I think the only reason most people were even remotely interested in this match was because of the idea of Ziggler cashing in MITB,which never happened. I'm sure out there,somewhere,the heads of marks just combusted in a fit of rage. Sorry folks,it didn't happen. #dealwithit. 7/10

21-0

IMO the best match of the night came from Undertaker and CM Punk. Word around the net is Punk has been having creative problems and is generally burnt out. I assumed with all that,it would cause Punk to drift in this match and not put in 100%. How wrong was I. Both men gave 100% and more and had the crowd on their feet. Loved Punk go at old school. It was a great moment. I'm also curious to know if that table was suppose to break or if it was purposely reinforced. Then when Taker sat up while in the Anaconda vice was a great moment as well. Initially,I was doubtful of this match mostly because I never clicked during their feud back in 09. However,I'm glad they managed to bring it together for this one. I guess that's just Wrestlemania for you, always bringing out the best in everybody. 9/10

F-5 fury! I didn't really enjoy the first HHH/Lesnar match.However,seeing as how it was their first match and given that there was always room for improvement,I remained open minded and was will to give them another shot and both men brought it. Very physical match(good god the physique on lesnar). The crowd did seem kind of dead,which is a shame because they could have contributed and made the match that much more memorable. It was nice to see Lesnar actually bring out more wrestling moves and not rely on just strikes so much. I did like the ending with HHH applying lesnars own move on him multiple times.(wouldn't it have been smart after the 2nd attempt to just roll off HHH to avoid the maneuver,yet again?). Solid match,I just wish the crowd was more invested. 8.5/10

8 man mix tag team action set next!....results pending....

The Rock Vs John Cena. Hey I enjoyed it!*ducks from tomatoes*. It was a bit of a slow start even garnering a subtle boring chant but half way through the crowd woke up and got into it. Rock going for the 5 knuckle shuffle and Cena popping up and hitting the AA was a great moment and I though for sure it was over then. Then when Cena tried the peoples elbow again,goating The Rock into popping up was fantastic as well. AA,Rock bottom,1.2. and a kick out! I was completely entertained and even for the slightest of moments,I forgot about predictability and thought after each finisher was hit that this would be the end,whether it was Cena or Rock making the cover. I do think they went a little overboard at the end with the perpetual occurrences of Rock Bottoms and AA attempts. I was also expecting some kind of..special or memorable type of ending. Cena just hits the AA and its over,new WWE Champion. Whatever. Solid match that I thought was even better than their Once in a lifetime encounter. 8/10.

My only real complaint is that I thought the crowd would be much hotter and more invested. This is the NY/NJ area after all. Notorious for being one of the better crowds. They just didn't seem to care that much. Crowd involvement....6/10.

I think the main reason people will say this WM suck is because of the predictability. People seemed to be obsessed with this notion that WM is a night of surprises and astonishing unforgettable moments. I say a WM is a success if you at least manage to put on a great show marked with extraordinary and zealous performances brought by the athletes.

People over think everything. This should happen! That should happen! This guy should win! That guy should lose! Can't we all just sit back,omit our biased smarky behavior and just enjoy two guys settle their differences in the way of the sport we all brought us together?As fans,not jaded judgmental critics on the so called short comings of a business we seem to act like we know everything about?

Don't deviate from the the reason why you all became wrestling fans in the first place. Certainly not the best WM but far from being the worst.

 

[drobs85]

mania was very predictable, but i wasnt expecting much. I knew coming in HHH and Lesnar would be the exact same thing as summerslam and i figured rock and cena would be a step down from last year. Punk and Taker lived up to the hype IMO, Though it was much better than last years ``friends in a cell`` match. Overall 29 was worse than 28 but slightly better than 27. Kinda funny how the ending of rock and cena had the crowd booing though lol

"Friends in a cell match" LOVE IT! But WM in general is declining every year. People please stop wasting your money. I still would like to see the taker and Lesnar matches though.

 

[Jordan adams]

first off I want to say if you say you were there and the crowd was dead cm punk vs taker or cena vs rock you are a troll. I was there and they were pumped for both matches and lesnar vs Triple H i don't think the crowed was dead but it was quiet every heads facing the ring as the match started off slow. But the crowed was loud during the finish. John Cena also got cheered at the end I don't know why people keep saying he we being booed .
As for the rest of the show amazing. Now mark henry vs ryback i think understand why they ended it the way they did henry looks strong and ryback looks strong for giving him the shell shock which the crowed went nuts for.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

I think this event was one of the worst WM in recent history. It was spectacular in terms of the set and pyro, but the only decent match of the night was Punk V Taker. HHH V Brock wasn't a bad effort but by no means a classic.

Cena V Rock was, in reality, the 3rd WM main event in a row that centred around these two. I wouldn't mind a deciding bout 2 or 3 years down the road but please not next year! PLEASE NOT! I think the only positive to come out of that match is The Rock, arguably the biggest action film star in the world right at the moment (with dozens of box office hits under his belt now) laid down for Cena in the middle of the ring. That's at last boosted the product a bit. But THAT Cena heel turn should come soon - its draining the company.

1 final point to mention - 2 years ago Cena faced The Miz. The Miz won the match and retained the WWE title. This year, he wasn't even on the show. What else is disgraceful, the match he had before the show was with a fantastic worker, and for an important title like the IC belt to be kept of WM; well that shows the contempt the WWE has for their titles. In fact it makes the IC belt redundant as the purpose of the belt is to elevate lower mid card wrestlers to upper mid card wrestlers... if it has no prestige then it means nothing. If you look back 19 years ago - HBK V Razor; one of the greatest matches of all times - and that was for the IC belt! Bring those days of prestige back!

 

[Wolowitz]

Been watching the product since the early 90's..
This is the first time I've seriously considered just letting it go.
I forked out the money for the pay-per-view, took a day off work, (In Australia it airs Monday during the day) and I honestly took nothing away from any of it.. Terrible build up. No pay offs. So annoying.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

glad i didn't pay to watch rock and cena shake hands.

cena is champion again, which means more boring times ahead. punk is supposed to be taking time off, things are going to get ugly.

undertaker/punk was great and i liked lesnar/hhh until triple h predictably won, he always gets his revenge win doesn't he?

overall just highly disappointed WWE failed to turn cena, or atleast do something different with him.

 

[rge2010]

I dont normally complain about WWE, it is what it is but last night was poor programming. This is the superbowl of Wrestling, there was no surprises and no shock value.

Cena, Taker and Triple H all predictably won. Cena heel turn was never going to happen but he could have won dirty and teased a turn.

I was never invested in Taker vs Punk anyway. Punk was off 2 loses to Rock and 2 to Kane and Cena. I had no interest because he was never going to end the streak.

Triple H's ego is bigger than his nose. Lesnar is now 1-2 in his comeback. This is a legit monster who is one of the biggest draws in the business. Seeing his stock drop with losses is sad. He should have beaten Triple H. Trips only wrestles twice a year anyway so may as well retire. End of.

On the flipside, Ryback is one of their rising stars. He lost to Mark Henry who didnt need the win, Ryback did. Jericho jobbing out is getting old. Ziggler not cashing in is getting old.

Also, scratching matches off the card is bad form by WWE. Really bad form. Its bad planning, plain and simple. It seems WWE nowadays can only amount to 8 matches on a WM card. Please please stop with the recaps, backstage crap (some is ok) and the constant social media bullshit.

This WM was built poorly, the card was thrown together and the event was lacklustre.

 

[closet_fan]

I was so close to paying, but I'm glad I decided to stream it instead. I still felt like it was okay. Not bad. But not the Wrestlemania I used to watch.

Punk/Taker match of the night. Figured HHH's ego would never let him lose on the big stage. Just take Cena out, put HHH in, and that's the same match we saw from last year.

I was waiting for Cena to slam the belt in Rock's head at the end when they were at the top of the ramp. But a heel turn is never coming people. And last night's sugar coated respect angle made it even worse.

I thought maybe it was just me because PPVs never live up to my standards, but I guess I was right.

 

[MCMG]

A lot of moaning fans. It was poor but not diabolical. The thing that stood out was there was no Wrestlemania moment. They ironically showed a video package of these moments when Diddy performed. Cena/Rock hugging was ok but not in the same league as Hogan/Andre or Flair/HBK.

The Shield v Orton, Sheamus, Big show was good. Could have been better. Could have been worse. I was happy that The Shield won but I can't believe they let the Big Show get a big moment.

The tag-team title match was also solid. I loved the start of the match and it was of a good quality. Jericho/Fandango was also decent. Swagger/Del Rio is like the matches above: good but not exceptional. A Ziggler cash-in would have got the crowd re-invested.

Ryback/Henry was very poor. Still don't know why Henry won.

Taker/Punk was very good. Loved the expressions and emotions shown by all involved, including Heymaan; however, i do think that some are overrating it. I don't think it was as good as his matches with HBK and HHH but I suppose they were of a very high quality.

HHH/Brock Lesnar was another good but not exceptional match. I think they forgot that HHH really wanted to hurt Lesnar because we didn't get that. It should have been brutal. They shouldn't have been able to stand after but it was still a good match.

Cena/Rock should have been better. I really don't know who to blame. Possibly the Rock but there was no chemistry between the two. The match was worse than last year and that is a real shame. Looking back, I think they should have made this a gimmick match. They had a year and this match was still average. Surely there is someone in the WWE who would have realised this and thrown in a ladder, cage, HIAC. Made it a Last Man Standing or I quit. Just anything to make this match better.

Overall I would say that it is 6/10. I think the majority of matches were good or at least above average. Cena/Rock and Ryback/Henry were the notable blemishes on the card. Like i mentioned, Taker put on his worst match in 5 years and still has the best match of the night.

Worst Mania ever? In my living memory, I can't remember a worse Mania. WM25 comes to mind but even that had a MITB, Jeff v Matt (one of the most underrated Mania matches of all time) JBL retiring and HBK/Taker. So, I would have to say that it is the worst Mania i have personally watched but it was still an above-average PPV.

The WWE are victims of there own success. Mania are usually very good so when we see a bad one it is more notable. A few more shocks and maybe a gimmick match for Cena/Rock and I think that this becomes a very good event. Without it was simply above average.

 

[dr.greenthumb]

Didn't seem like WrestleMania. Nothing really seemed over the top.

And what's with Cena winning, but they play the Rock's music? In no way did the Rock even look disappointed.

On the plus side, not many of the feuds will continue and hopefully we get a fresh start come Monday.

 

[Mr Socko]

Wrestlemania this year was not an impressive event. Filled with weak finishes (Shield, Henry, Fandango) and matches that have been seen before, it didn't feel like the biggest show of the year. I didn't think it was better than TNA Lockdown. The gem this year was 'Taker and Punk. Good work from both wrestlers. Overall, i'm glad I chose to stream it because even here in the UK, it wasn't worth the money.

 

[The mind]

Last night could have very well been the most average wrestlemania ever. This will go down as the Undertaker/Punk wrestlemania because that was the only ppv caliber match on the entire card. Punk carried the match (sorry 'taker fans) and he outdid Triple H's effort from last year.

Fandango is mid card and nothing more, and yet here he is, debuting at WrestleMania, and defeating a legend like Chris Jericho. WWE is painted into a corner to give Fandango a huge push to keep Jericho looking like a viable star. If Fandango is jobbing three months from now, a loss here makes Jericho look weak.

I know it was the pre show, but getting the belt of Wade Barrett was needed. He doesn't get any reaction from the crowd, hell, even the crickets are silent. The Miz is a transitional IC champ. Barrett's future consist of jobbing and getting a future endeavor phone call.

Last Monday night, Cena was getting boring chants for a promo (and froze when it came to reacting to it, instead going with the promo that the fans could have cared less about). And last night, he got boring chants during his match with the Rock. If your "Champion" gets boring chants from the crowd, not a good sign. Fans are tired of the Cena the way they were Hogan in the late 90's. But because the WWE has buried everyone at Cena's expense, he doesn't have another high event babyface (notice I did not say heel) to work with, like Hogan did with the Ultimate Warrior.

In close, as for the cold reception Donald "I bought my way in to the hall of fame" Trump got. He still is hated in New Jersey for being the man that put the USFL out of business in the 80's, and costing New Jersey their football team, a team that actually identified the state as their home, unlike the NFL's Jets and Giants.

 

[GameOver]

Even i can't defend that, the whole show was flat. and blame the crowd for alot of that from a home viewer prospective that had to be one of the quietest wrestlemania crowds and considering there was supposedly a record attendance thats saying something, but really i don't blame them

There was nothing worth going nuts over. absolutely nothing

Taker vs Punk was crap til the second half
Triple H vs Lesnar was Zzzzzzz (thats to be expected)
Jericho vs Fancrappo was exactly that Crap
Tag Title match i didn't really watch.
World Title match was a snorefest.
Ryback vs Sexual Chocolate should've been the pre-show, the Miz vs Wade Barrett was a pretty good match
Shield vs team incompetent was ok least someone won that should've in that.
Rock vs Cena II was pointless.
The response Rock and Cena got at the end on the entrance way was apropriate.

no US title, no IC title, no Womens title. so much for thanking your champions on the biggest day of the calender.
no promo's no epic intro's Puff Crappy should've stayed at home.

Positives, no Team Flab vs Rhode Scholars. Trish looked hot.
and thats it for the positives, least as a PPV on Australian PayTV it only costs $35. so it wasn't a total waste.

 

[chris21]

It was a solid show but nothing special. Not as good as last year.

Basically the WWE completely messed up the timings for the matches. They try and cram too much in and payed for it last night. Despite what most are saying I thought Cena and Rock did well because they've blatantly been told time is running out here. I think it was the best the Rock has looked in the ring since his return. If you look back on the match he hit his moves very well and sold Cena's very well too. Cena was Cena and the crowd hated it...but the crowd was always gonna hate how this ended so the WWE couldn't win unless they let Rock retain. Rock has done what we will all thought would happen to be fair, he's passed the torch...yeah ok to a guy that is already the biggest star but the same happened when Hogan did it to the Rock.

Best match of the night was Punk Taker but again not as good as Taker HHH from last year. That probably sums up why it was a solid show not a great one. HHH Lesnar again good match which was like Rock Cena was ruined by the crowd not bothering to get into it. Honestly why go the WM if you are just gonna sit there and watch, may aswell watch it at home.

The first 2 hours were so boring for me. I'd have had the Punk Taker match in the first 2 hours to liven the crowd up then they could had a rest for a few matches before the next big 2.

So yeah 7/10 for me. Not great but not bad.

 

[GameOver]

I was so close to paying, but I'm glad I decided to stream it instead. I still felt like it was okay. Not bad. But not the Wrestlemania I used to watch.

Punk/Taker match of the night. Figured HHH's ego would never let him lose on the big stage. Just take Cena out, put HHH in, and that's the same match we saw from last year.

I was waiting for Cena to slam the belt in Rock's head at the end when they were at the top of the ramp. But a heel turn is never coming people. And last night's sugar coated respect angle made it even worse.

I thought maybe it was just me because PPVs never live up to my standards, but I guess I was right.

HHH has lost most of his WrestleMania matches genius, and what purpose would it have served for Brock to win? Triple H is management he has to be there Brock is just temporary.

I agree on the Cena/Rock comment tho, the fans were booing both of them but Rock did look dissapointed, dissapointed that the reaction they were getting was crap and deservedly so.

 

[GameOver]

The first 2 hours were so boring for me. I'd have had the Punk Taker match in the first 2 hours to liven the crowd up then they could had a rest for a few matches before the next big 2.

I though the same thing at the 2hr mark it felt like the end of the show all they promoted was Rock vs Cena and even that barely got a mention (the commentry was crapolla too)so needed a JR there to liven things up, at that point i'd totally forgot that Taker vs Punk, HHH vs Brock was still to come aswell and was fully expecting Team Flab vs Rhodes Scholars but glad that didn't happen.

and lastly what was this years WrestleMania moment? answer there wasn't one unless maybe Taker looking like he was saying goodbye and was almost in tears probably thinking of Paul Bearer.

 

[tom9422]

You sure about that? I wasn't there live but I got to say. Rock and Cena came off very well on the T.V. It had a slow start but about half way through,I'd say the crowd finally woke up and got really invested into it.

I had a feeling the IWC would react as such. Nothing is ever good enough for them. You could give the a WM full of dream matches full of stipulations sure enough to make them cream themselves,yet,it will still fall short of their ridiculously high expectations.

I don't know guys. I ordered it,I enjoyed it throughout. Sure it had its moments of slow pacing but you can't honestly expect every match to deliver. Especially when so much focus and emphasis is put on 3 or 4 of them.

Like I said,it was highly enjoyable on my part. I really enjoyed the opening 6 man tag and felt it was a great choice as an opener. I suspected going into the match that there would be friction and tension between Orton,Sheamus and Show throughout. A team not fully committed to their partnership,but committed to ending the shield. There was still some division among them that could not bind them in proper cohesion. This was not the case with the Shield. The Shield acts as if a solid unit. They are focus on their mission and work as a singular entity. They were not as clouded mind as their counter opponents. No uncertainty,just goal oriented. It payed off,perhaps with a bit of luck. These elements together forged a create match out of these 6 individuals and IMO it was one of the better matches of the night. 7.5/10

I must say,it was disappointed with the Ryback Henry match. I expected these two behemoth superstars to just tear each other apart. Ryback underestimated Henry in this match and it might have cost him. I expect this won't be their last encounter. I suspect a rematch at Extreme Rules with an obvious stipulation. I have a feeling it will be much better than this match. More violent if I had to guess. Though I was pleased to see Ryback was able to lift Henry up for the Shellshock. That was worth seeing. 4/10.

The tag match wasn't anything special. Could have passed off for a great Raw main event but it served its purpose. I don't have anything to really elaborate on with this match. Solid enough but forgettable. 5/10

I must admit. I could have care at all about the Jericho/Fandango match. I was expecting Jericho to play a bigger role at mania but was disappointed to see him participating in a match with a guy who hadn't really competed. But Fandango did impress me. Jericho dished out most of the offense from the very get go and I was certain he'd get the win. But in an upset,the new comer dethroned the veteran and first undisputed champion. 7/10

Man,did the crowd just not give two shits about the world title match? I know I didn't. I just don't really care for Del Rio and I care even less for Swagger. It was a solid enough match but man the crowd just fell right asleep. I think the only reason most people were even remotely interested in this match was because of the idea of Ziggler cashing in MITB,which never happened. I'm sure out there,somewhere,the heads of marks just combusted in a fit of rage. Sorry folks,it didn't happen. #dealwithit. 7/10

21-0

IMO the best match of the night came from Undertaker and CM Punk. Word around the net is Punk has been having creative problems and is generally burnt out. I assumed with all that,it would cause Punk to drift in this match and not put in 100%. How wrong was I. Both men gave 100% and more and had the crowd on their feet. Loved Punk go at old school. It was a great moment. I'm also curious to know if that table was suppose to break or if it was purposely reinforced. Then when Taker sat up while in the Anaconda vice was a great moment as well. Initially,I was doubtful of this match mostly because I never clicked during their feud back in 09. However,I'm glad they managed to bring it together for this one. I guess that's just Wrestlemania for you, always bringing out the best in everybody. 9/10

F-5 fury! I didn't really enjoy the first HHH/Lesnar match.However,seeing as how it was their first match and given that there was always room for improvement,I remained open minded and was will to give them another shot and both men brought it. Very physical match(good god the physique on lesnar). The crowd did seem kind of dead,which is a shame because they could have contributed and made the match that much more memorable. It was nice to see Lesnar actually bring out more wrestling moves and not rely on just strikes so much. I did like the ending with HHH applying lesnars own move on him multiple times.(wouldn't it have been smart after the 2nd attempt to just roll off HHH to avoid the maneuver,yet again?). Solid match,I just wish the crowd was more invested. 8.5/10

8 man mix tag team action set next!....results pending....

The Rock Vs John Cena. Hey I enjoyed it!*ducks from tomatoes*. It was a bit of a slow start even garnering a subtle boring chant but half way through the crowd woke up and got into it. Rock going for the 5 knuckle shuffle and Cena popping up and hitting the AA was a great moment and I though for sure it was over then. Then when Cena tried the peoples elbow again,goating The Rock into popping up was fantastic as well. AA,Rock bottom,1.2. and a kick out! I was completely entertained and even for the slightest of moments,I forgot about predictability and thought after each finisher was hit that this would be the end,whether it was Cena or Rock making the cover. I do think they went a little overboard at the end with the perpetual occurrences of Rock Bottoms and AA attempts. I was also expecting some kind of..special or memorable type of ending. Cena just hits the AA and its over,new WWE Champion. Whatever. Solid match that I thought was even better than their Once in a lifetime encounter. 8/10.

My only real complaint is that I thought the crowd would be much hotter and more invested. This is the NY/NJ area after all. Notorious for being one of the better crowds. They just didn't seem to care that much. Crowd involvement....6/10.

I think the main reason people will say this WM suck is because of the predictability. People seemed to be obsessed with this notion that WM is a night of surprises and astonishing unforgettable moments. I say a WM is a success if you at least manage to put on a great show marked with extraordinary and zealous performances brought by the athletes.

People over think everything. This should happen! That should happen! This guy should win! That guy should lose! Can't we all just sit back,omit our biased smarky behavior and just enjoy two guys settle their differences in the way of the sport we all brought us together?As fans,not jaded judgmental critics on the so called short comings of a business we seem to act like we know everything about?

Don't deviate from the the reason why you all became wrestling fans in the first place. Certainly not the best WM but far from being the worst.

It really didn't, i was watching it in HD with the TV's volume maxed out so i could hear the crowd. Cena was getting booed strongly by those who cared to watch and even Rock was getting a mixed reception.

No, there are plenty of PPV's good enough for the IWC. WM28, Extreme Rules and TLC were widely complemented as being great PPV's, because they were. The 'IWC' simply doesn't like terrible match quality, poor booking, a lack of creativity and precisely zero plot development. I'm not going to be dramatic and say it was the worst Mania ever, because it probably isn't, but this Wrestlemania will get all the praise it deserves. None.

 

[Steve001]

To be totally honest, I'm almost at a total loss for words to describe how utterly disappointing WrestleMania XXIX was as a whole.

Without parroting too much of what others have stated, This event has left me feeling completely deflated as a fan and soured any optimism I had towards the 'E and their current product.

Firstly, the crowd reactions (at least on TV) were almost non-existent and who could blame them!?
The characters' and angles truly lacked any deep thought and the result is what we saw, bored, uninterested fans questioning why the f*ck they even watch Wrestling anymore! WCW Thunder tapings (circa. early 2001) had more atmosphere and invested fans...

A good crowd can more than compensate for an average performance as witnessed many times over the years, but this year, the performers had a real tough time attempting to garner reactions from the eighty-thousand strong in attendance.

There were a few bright spots on the card though, of course Punk & 'Taker tore the house down and whilst not on the level of 'Big Evils' last six 'Mania scraps, was enjoyable nonetheless.

Also of note, The Shield continued to impress, at least in terms of actual in-ring ability and I was also pleasantly surprised by the Fandango/Jericho bout. I wasn't expecting much before the bell, but those guys grafted hard here...WrestleMania style!

However, with that being said, the 'E is paying the price for years worth of lackluster feuds, builds and characters. The fans expressed this clearly to Vinnie Mac with their awkward silences all night.

For the record, I'm not pissing and moaning as someone who streamed the event, I actually bought the event twice (at home and also chipped in to watch live at a Friends house)...As without buys, there is no product and I truly want Wrestling to become what it once was. After 'Mania XXIX, I don't think the 'E has what it takes anymore.

How much more crap are longtime fans like myself going to have to endure before wholesale change is made to the product?

Yo, Vinnie Mac...Your best-kept secret in the 90's is available! Save us Vinnie Ru!
Imagine the impact a rejuvenated and focused Vince Russo would have on present day WWE! I'm not referring to scantily-clad women, 'On a Pole' matches and swerve turns galore, I'm referring to the incredible attention to detail and writing that doesn't insult the viewer. Results would be immediate.

It's hard for fans to believe now, but in the mid-late 90's, Russo was revered by the IWC....and could be again.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I thought it was a decent show but to me, that's not acceptable for a Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania is the Show of Shows. It's supposed to highlight the product. This WM was too predictable and there really wasn't a "wrestlemania moment." Cena pinning Rock? Come on, we all knew that would happen. That seemed like a "normal" PPV to me. There was nothing "larger than life" about it. Also, I think they were running way behind because Cena and Rock's entrances seemed like nothing special, so they had to have told them to just go down to the ring and scrap the original entrances due to time contstraints.
I was waiting for Cena to bash Rock with the belt or SOMETHING at the end but it didn't happen. Punk vs. 'Taker was a good match but not spectacular. Trips vs. Lesnar was better than I expected.

I dunno, it just felt like something was missing. The crowd, at least on TV, seemed like it was totally out of it. There were times when it was dead silent during the Punk-Undertaker match and during Trips-Lesnar. That added to the "nothing special" element, in my opion.

What does WWE need to do moving forward?

Not sure here. I think they need to go back to being larger than life at Wrestlemania. There's got to a "wrestlemania moment." An awe-inspiring moment that 5 years from now, 10 years from now, people will be saying "remember at Wrestlemania XXX when so and so....."
To make up for it, WWE will probably do something crazy on RAW tonight but that's wrong to the people that paid for the PPV. Have your "shocker" at Wrestlemania.

This is supposed to be WWE's Super Bowl but to me it felt like a wildcard playoff game.


EDIT: One more point I just remembered: While Punk vs. Taker was great match and both really sold it well, Undertaker didn't do enough to destroy Punk, IMO. All the build up, all the hype was how it wasn't even about winning, it was about inflicting pain on Punk. After he pinned Punk, I was waiting for Undertaker to take the urn back and continue to beat up Punk and Heyman. Punish Punk like you said you would! That's what I was saying at the time. I expected Kane to come out at the end too, and do something with Taker and the urn. They were running on time constraints and that's why none of that happen, but don't build up a match that one guy is going to get punished and then have him roll out of the ring and waltz back to the locker room. He didn't get punished at all.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I enjoyed the show overall. If you expected a lot of unpredictability to the show, you were definitely disappointed. I do agree, however, that there was too much that was predictable about the outcome of most of the matches on the card.

I didn't really have any huge complaints about the matches on the show. The undercard matches were a good quality, in my eyes, and were on the level I expected them to be. Taker vs. Punk was a great outing, far better than I was expecting quite frankly and was match of the night. I honestly enjoyed Triple H vs. Lesnar II as well, again much more than I was expecting. They worked hard and told a good story during their match. They deserved a much better reaction from the crowd but, at the same time, I think fans ultimately knew that Trips wasn't in any real danger. In that sense, I thought the career stipulation of the match ultimately hindered things. Cena vs. Rock II was also a good match, though not as good as the first. The match suffered mostly because people knew with an almost guarantee that Cena wasn't going to lose, whereas who would win in their match last year was a genuine toss up. Because of that, this match simply didn't have the special feel about it that their first encounter had.

Aside from Taker vs. Punk, none of the matches were able to convey any real suspense as to who would come out on top. I'd give the show a B- to a B. It was a good show but I agree that it really have a special feel to it. If this was any other show but WrestleMania, I think it would've ultimately come off huge. But people expect more out of WrestleMania, sometimes unrealistically so, but that wasn't the case with last night's show.