WWE WrestleMania 23 vs WWE WrestleMania XXIV (24)

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next in the series...

vs

Lets take a look at the cards...

WresleMania 23

1. Mr. Kennedy defeated Edge, CM Punk, King Booker (with Queen Sharmell), Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Randy Orton in a Money in the Bank ladder match
2. The Great Khali defeated Kane in a Singles match
3. Chris Benoit (c) defeated Montel Vontavious Porter in a Singles match for the WWE United States Championship
4. The Undertaker defeated Batista (c) in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship
5. The ECW Originals (Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, The Sandman and Rob Van Dam) defeated The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker and Kevin Thorn) (with Ariel) in a 8-man tag team match
6. Bobby Lashley (with Donald Trump) defeated Umaga (with Vince McMahon and Armando Alejandro Estrada) in a Hair vs. Hair match with special guest referee Steve Austin
7. Melina (c) defeated Ashley in a Lumberjill match for the WWE Women's Championship
8. John Cena (c) defeated Shawn Michaels in a Singles match for the WWE Championship

WrestleMania XXIV

1. John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated Finlay (with Hornswoggle) in a Belfast Brawl
2. CM Punk defeated Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Carlito, Montel Vontavious Porter, Mr. Kennedy, and John Morrison in a Money in the Bank ladder match
3. Batista defeated Umaga in a Battle for Brand Supremacy
4. Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero (c) in a Singles match for the ECW Championship
5. Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match
6. Beth Phoenix and Melina (with Santino Marella) defeated Maria and Ashley in a Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match
7. Randy Orton (c) defeated John Cena and Triple H in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship
8. Floyd Mayweather defeated The Big Show by knockout in a No Disqualification match
9. The Undertaker defeated Edge (c) by submission in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship

So, in my eyes and what many believe, WrestleMania 23 was really financially succesful as well as the card being stacked and good... and WrestleMania 24 also being quite stacked and again financially succesful.
I enjoyed both cards and for me its quite hard to decide which one was better, but now looking at the matches and the storylines at the time, I have to go with....WrestleMania XXIV, I think it was one of the best WrestleMania's ever!! There was a lot of I liked in the ppv that I did the previous year..The MitB ladder match was terrific, the Belfast brawl was a shocker as I fully expected Finlay to win, Batista vs Umaga was a good match and they ahd a good monster feud going on at the time, the Career Threatening match was just amazing, the WWE Championship I was happy with because Cena didn't win, and also it was a good match, the Mayweather/Show match I liked a lot and the storyline behind it was really good IMO, plus its funny how one punch turned Big Show a face the next night on Raw.. and the main event was just 9/10 for me...
The downsides of the card had to be the 9 second ECW Championship match, the BunnyMania Lumberjack match wasn't all good and the lights kinda went out..plus the crowd wasn't much into the match no was I...

What I did enjoy at WrestleMania 23

• Kane/Khali tribute to the Hogan/Andre slam (Although the match was CRAP)
• Taker vs Batista - World Heavyweight championship
• The ECW Originals vs The New Breed
• Hair vs Hair match
• Cena vs Shawn Michaels

What would you say??

 

[TheFatManFromYoutube]

I voted 24. at the time ric flair was one of my favorite wrestlers all time and him "retiring" was a moment i thought i would never see. And had better matches in my opinion.

 

[mr.davidson]

Asides from Ric Flair....


Any WrestleMania without Hulk Hogan sucks balls.

They are sooooooooooooooooooooo Boring without him i cant stand it!!!!!


Thank God they at least have Ric Flair and the Undertaker.

After Taker is gone God only knows what will happen

 

[Judah's Lion]

tough call. both were pretty spectacular cards, IMO, and as stated in the OP, both were financial successes, which is always important.

23 had some good matches. i loved the Cena/Michaels match and, believe it or not, really predicted Michaels to win the title in this one. he was on such a role while Triple H was out due to injury and the build up was fantastic. i always felt that he deserved one last WHC run and that this would be it. the rematch in London that went an hour was fantastic and even won Match of the Year.

Taker/Batista was good, but i felt it was pretty predictable. not just because of the streak either. i just never thought that Batista was a credible threat, and i'm not just bashing the guy either. i enjoyed some of his feuds and matches. this one just didn't impress me as much.

Battle of the Billionaire's was pretty terrible and yet undeniably entertaining.

Benoit/MVP was a bit disappointing, but i did enjoy this feud.
Money in the Bank was pretty solid. great "dark horse" win here.
Kane/Khali was a terrible match and storyline, but i also did enjoy the history and allusion to the old Hogan/Andre setup.
ECW match was okay, but more just for nostalgia than actual quality.

WM 24 was pretty exceptional and will get the nod from me.

Taker/Edge was one of the best Taker @ Mania matches i thought. totally under rated and for sure better than the Taker/Batista match from 23. great feud and build up. i never expected Edge to win, but i always thought it was possible. after all, he is the Ultimate Opportunist and it was very believable to me that Edge could cheat his way to win, if only to end the streak and keep his title. great ending also!

Cena/Triple H/ Orton was fantastic. i know it broke the typical rule of "win the Rumble, win the title at Mania" that happened for several years in a row prior to this, but i never guessed Orton to win. i thought Cena might and that if he didn't, the Cerebral Assassin would find a way to outsmart the two opponents given his veteran instincts and experience advantage. but Orton prevailed and it was a very pleasant surprise. the following PPV saw a great fatal fourway match also that involved JBL with these three and two decent feuds to follow in Triple H/Orton and Cena/JBL. so this gets a nod from me.

Money vs. Big Show was not my favorite match but we usually see Show in a gimmick type match and come out on the losing side. props for the weight loss, face turn and new finisher that came from this. pretty entertaining if not the best quality.

i actually liked Kane winning the ECW title in 9 seconds. i'm typically not a fan of squash matches, but the sneaky veteran surprising another sneaky veteran was pretty classic and i love seeing the Big Red Machine with a title.

Batista/Umaga was okay for two big monsters. predictable, but not terrible.
Money in the Bank was solid again. i loved the clean win by Punk and even the later cash in against Edge.

Flair/HBK in the retirement match may have stolen the show, not just in the storyline and build up and ramification, but also in the quality.

great card over all and WM 24 gets my vote in a really close race. great thread!

 

[Johnny Workhorse]

I liked 23 more because I very much enjoyed ECW's first wrestlemainia match, HBK vs. Cena was a classic (although I really wanted Michaels to win). Also I thought the money in the bank match was fantastic, Taker vs Batista was match of the year and Vince's face was priceless when his head was shaved! I thought 24 was a bit less entertaining in all.

 

[The Brain]

This is almost too close to call. Both cards had strengths and weaknesses. Let’s start with WM23.

The bad: I think most of us will agree that Kane vs. Khali was pretty bad…. The divas match was pretty bad too…. I’ve read some responses that said the ECW match was good, but that didn’t do anything for me. Considering everyone except on the originals team, except RVD, was well past his prime and no one from the new breed ever did anything in WWE I’d say this match was a bust. I remember the crowd being dead for it too.

Good and bad: I thought the main event was pretty good, but it wasn’t the main event WWE wanted and I think that showed a little. A good match, but the fact that it was a substitute match took away from it a little…. MITB was decent and I like that Kennedy got the win (even though he never did anything in WWE). I don’t like that Orton and Edge were in this match. I think they deserved better for mania…. I really liked Benoit vs. MVP. MVP really surprised me in this match and I thought it was quite good. The problem was it ended so suddenly. There was no climax. A few more minutes and a better finish would have made this a great match.

The good: say what you want about the battle of the billionaires but it created quite a buzz and mania was hyped to the max because of it. Great idea for mania…. Taker vs. Batista was awesome. I thought this was a great match and the crowd was way into it. This should have been the main event.

I felt WM23 was pretty good, but there was something missing. This was the first mania since Kurt Angle left WWE and the first one since 1995 without Triple H. Either of them would have made this a better show. On to WM24.

The bad: Finlay vs. JBL was horribly booked. This whole story centered around Vince and when it came time for mania he was nowhere to be found…. MITB was ok, but the participants were mostly wrong. Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio should have been the stars of that match. Hardy was suspended and Mysterio was injured. Like Orton and Edge the year before I felt that Jericho deserved better. MVP should have defended the US title against Matt Hardy. That feud had been built up for months. It was an old school long build that should have had the blow off at mania, not Backlash…. Kane vs. Chavo was another pointless squash showing us why the ECW title was meaningless.

Good and bad: The triple threat match was ok, but I’ve never been a big fan of triple threat title matches at mania. It was decent, but not very memorable…. The divas match was ok for a divas match which is to say it didn’t completely suck…. Batista vs. Umaga was ok, but the brand supremacy storyline doesn’t hold much water when everyone bounces back and forth so often…. I don’t have a problem with Mayweather vs. Big Show. It got some good hype and attention which is what mania is all about. The problem was by the time we reached mania everyone hated Mayweather and wanted to see Show beat him. Of course the guest celebrity couldn’t lose. Show was supposed to be heel and Floyd face, but the acted out opposite roles…. This is going to make me sound like one of those impossible to please fans, but I’m not sure about Taker vs. Edge in the main event. It’s the match I wanted for mania and it was a good match. So what’s the problem? It just didn’t grab me as a mania main event. It just seemed out of place and probably would have gone over better with me had it not been the main event.

The good: HBK vs. Ric Flair. I don’t really need to explain. Great match with a great emotional storyline. A true WrestleMania moment.

I know I’ve gone on forever. I have a tendency to do that. To answer the question I will give WM23 a slight edge over WM24. I do think HBK vs. Flair was the best part of either show however.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I'm going with Wrestlemania 23 by a wide margin. I wasn't impressed with Wrestlemania 24 much. The Flair/HBK match was just painful to watch and the Undertaker/Edge match was good like Jericho/Michaels was but it just had that one thing missing to make it a classic. The triple threat match was just there and should have been just Orton vs. Cena.

I loved the MVP vs. Benoit because it showed the young guy could hang with the veteran. Batista vs. Undertaker just may be one of the top three underrated WM matches ever. I felt Batista would be the one to break the streak and he came dangerously close. Cena vs. HBK was great as well even though the original match was supposed to be different. The Battle of the Billionaires was decent for what it was and MITB wasn't bad either.

 

[Ming]

I much prefered Wrestlemania 23 because Batista vs Undertaker was probably better than all the matches in Wrestlemania XXIV because there were times when I thought Batista was going to end the streak, Edge vs Undertaker wasn't very impressive espeically if you compare it to Undertaker vs Batista.

I liked that Cena didn't win in Wrestlemania XXIV but his match in Wrestlemania 23 with HBK was simply better and more entertaining. The battle of the billionares was pretty good and had my attention.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

Gosh, this is WAY TOO close to call. I think I liked both for different reasons:

WM 23:
I LOVED seeing the New Breed vs ECW Originals. I loved the storyline build up, and then to see them actually get time on a WM card was great. Granted, it wasn't a very big spot, but time nonetheless. Good to see some props to ECW for once.

Benoit v MVP for US Title: First of all, despite the controversy around the end of Benoit's life, he's probably one of the greatest technical wrestlers. I LOVED this match. 2 great wrestlers that took it all out, and had great build ups to this moment. I couldn't get enough of watching these two week after week. I was super excited to see them battle on the grandest stage of all.

Undertaker v Batista for WHC: What can I say? The streak vs the Animal. This was one THE highlights of the night. Both were crowd favorites, but history was on Undertaker's side. You could hear it in the crowd, everytime Taker struck, a chorus of "Yays" then Batista would get in some offense, and a chorus of "Boos." This was definitely one that took you to the edge all the way to the end. After a taxing match, you knew this was a high quality.

HBK v Cena for WWE belt: I for one was emotionally invested in this. The Heartbreak Kid versus the Champ. Who didn't want to see Mr. Wrestlemania walk away with gold that night? Both of these guys were able to go toe to toe and it was at the last second, that Cena clinched it. The next night on RAW, that 60 minute Iron Man match, was even more amazing that they could do that on those fumes!!

WM 24
HBK vs Flair retirement match: talk about pulling the heartstrings. This was the MOST emotional match of the night. A man basically ending the career of his idol/friend. How could you NOT tear up? Then, the next night on RAW, the goodbye ceremony for Flair, I was in tears once again. The emotions in that building.

Undertaker vs Edge for WHC: This rivalry had a GREAT buildup. There were some great matches leading up to it. The whole Vickie thing, banning of the Hell's Gate move. The vanquishing of Undertaker after Extreme Rules, that was all what made the emotions even more exciting for this match, and to keep his streak alive.

 

[P.K]

I go with 23.

23 presented a better MITB.It didn't involve Big Show in a semi-main event.23 included Austin which is always welcomed.

24 had the royal rumble winner in a triple threat match that sucked.23 was first WM after 5 years which didn't feature HHH in a Title match , unlike 24.HBK wrestled in Main Event which is always awesome.Taker won the strap after 5 years which was a pleasure to watch in the Best match of Batista's career.Vince got his head shaved bald which was something really fun.23 was the last Wm to have a Benoit match.23 was the only WM to feature ECW originals.

There were also some disappointments in 23.No Tag team bout , and Kane vs. Khali.

On the other hand , WM 24 is nothing without HBK vs. Flair which by the way was better than all of 23 matches.However , Other matches were either awful or mediocre.

The other point I forgot to mention above is the fact that WM 23 had a better build-up which also led to a great buy-rate.

 

[kissfan85]

I voted 23.
Overall I liked the Money in the Bank match a lot more in 23.
Money in the Bank is one of the main reasons why I like Wrestlemania so much but now that there's a pay per view just for it. The match probably wont be as special anymore.

I really liked watching both Hardys in the match...and I don't even like jeff
I Liked Kennedy winning a lot more then Punk winning the following year

 

[Stone_Cold_Stunner]

XXVI: I voted 24 because the card was better than 23. 24 had the big Flair send off Taker and Edge The Triple Threat the Mania Return of Y2J. 23 was fine but 24 was more special with the Flair situation and all

 

[KKKKwe]

Im saying 23 because it was more World Widely known to non wrestling fans because of Battle of the Billionaires which brought in more money for WWE. The only thing I didnt like was Money in the bank, I mean I liked it but they could've had more matches on the card and since at the time Orton and Edge were slightly having a downfall with the Rated RKO thingy they should've had orton vs Edge on the card. King Booker should've not been in the ladder match and he should've faced Kane which wouldve been more better then Kane vs khali and they could've used benjamin Flair or Carlito as replacementsfor that ladder match. ECW match was ok, Chris benoit MVP was great Kane Khali Shit and shouldve not even been on the card and it was just a regular match that coulve been done tv or on one of the ppvs. The main events were all good Battle of the Billionaire had it all, Stone Cold as referee Bobby Lashley and Umaga fighting for there repective Billionaire The Boy Wonder Shane Mcmahon getting involved and big Publicity all around the world I would say probably just North America but yea Tv news News reporters News papers were all talking about this match and it was surreal to see McMahon actually live up to his words and go bald. Batista vs Taker Awesome, I actually wanted the Animal to end the streak once and for all because Iwas like his title reign at the time but Undertaker did it again only if this match was No Holds Barred then it wouldve been better as I see they problably wouldve fought all over the arena. John Cena vs Shawn Michaelswas Great from their entrances (Cena's being too overrated) to the ending were HBK made ,y heart drop and tapped out. Really Cena did not deserve this and HBK should've had one more reign. I remeber even on Wrestlezone someone posted an interview where HBK said he was mad because when he face Hogan he lost and that was becuae Hogan was the older guy and now that Cena won and he's younger dint make sense to him but I guess WWe had a plan to have Cena hold the title for a long time.

WM 24 was good too but I dont know the main event match between Edge and taker I dont even think about in my head as it didnt have any memorable moments, the triple threat was surprising but again it didnt have any memorable moments only where Orton comes back with the punt to hhh and pins Cena, Big Show and Mayweather was good didnt know what the outcome of the match would be but it was good, HBK Flair everyone know had to be the best match of the night, didnt really care to much of flair leaving because I knew he could'nt leave wrestling and look here he is now. ECW title was blah Batista and Umaga I cant even remeber the fued all I know it was RAW vs SD, Money in the Bank was great and had its high moment and the Belfast Match was a good way to start the show.

So all in all WM 23 wins for me because it had more memorable moments than WM 24

 

[LongLiveTheStreak]

Holy shit! This is damn near too close to call. I gotta give the slightest edge to #23.

WM23 had better championship matches. Trump's involvement had `Mania hyped up big time. The Appearences of Stone Cold and the McMahons trumps #24 for me.

I thought WM24 had the better MITB ladder match. Would have been better With Jeff Hardy, but the 7 guys stepped up huge. Flair's send off(although tainted now) was great, as was the match with HBK. Mayweather kind of puts a black eye on this one for me. Never been a fan of the cocky fucker, and Im from near his hometown of Grand Rapids, MI.! But I was so emotional over The Undertaker beating Edge, as much as I dislike Edge, that is what makes this such a close race.

 

[The Ace of Knaves]

I agree with Wrestlemania 23 being better, but I'm going out on a limb here and put my defense for Undertaker vs Edge at Wrestlemania 24.

Call me a mark or smark, but I'm going to say it out loud.

Undertaker vs Edge is THE best Wrestle Mania 'WRESTLING' match since Angle vs Michaels. Edge reminded everybody that he's one of the best in the business & not just a transitional champion. He was actually more dominant over The Undertaker than anybody else has ever been at a Wrestle Mania. Edge reversed almost every Undertaker move and what made the match even more interesting was the less predictable finish which saw The Dead Man win via submission instead of The Tombstone that EVERYBODY was expecting him to win by. Wrestling quality wise, this match is on another planet compared to Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair in a 'retirement' match(which doesn't hold any meaning by now cause Flair wrestled again in TNA).

Those who aren't clouded by hype could tell Undertaker vs Edge is comparable to any technical wrestling matches in masterpiece level. It surpassed my expectations and was extremely intense. This was a great main event that truly culminated the whole night just into one match. Edge tried to have everyone help him keep his title, but Undertaker in an unreal state takes them all on. You can feel the intensity, the rivalry and the hype behind this match. Lots of nearfalls and counters made this match just plain enjoyable and pure entertainment.

The first half of the match featured many counters and reversals, including Edge reversing Old School, the Chokeslam, and the Last Ride. The match picked up the pace big time later on. Undertaker hits the Chokeslam and Last Ride, but fails to get the pin on both. Undertaker later attempted a big boot but hit the referee instead, this gave Edge the opportunity to nail Undertaker with a video camera. Undertaker gave Edge a Tombstone Piledriver afterwards, but the ref was still out so as Undertaker pinned Edge, a new ref had to sprint down the entrance ramp to make the count. Unfortunately, this gave Edge enough time to kick out. Edge later hits a spear, but Undertaker suddenly locks Edge in his new submission hold immediately after. After hanging in for a while, Edge submits and The Undertaker wins the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania for the second straight year. A WrestleMania classic and amazing match. Edge is a surefire Hall of Famer, he is worthy to be included on the list. I dare say this match is as good or maybe even better than their match at Summerslam 2008.

I agree with anyone labeling this match as the most underrated Wrestlemania match of all time. I can't believe horrible matches like Undertaker vs Giant Gonzales at Wrestlemania IX, Undertaker vs Big Boss Man at Wrestlemania XV, and Undertaker vs Mark Henry at Wrestlemania XXII made it to wweclassic but this match didn't! That alone proves how overlooked this gem is.

 

[JUSBRINGIT]

when it comes to chioces i put each match in order and compare the other so the first 23 match vs the first 24 match oh and diva matches suck so screw them.

23 started with the MITB it was fun to watch like when orton rkoed punk off the ladder but one problem. it fucked up edge broke his back and he was meant to win the match so they gave it to anderson which later edge beat him for the case. 24 had JBL vs Finaly a nice boring match that nobody cared about just what mania needs so for me 23 wins with opener.

23 then had kharli vs kane shit match but a tribute to 20 years earlier a nice touch to the match even though kharli won. 24 then had the MITB which was one of the best ever a new star CM Punk finally shone upon us the match felt more like an extreme rules match at some points. 24 win the second match.

next 23 had Chris Benoit vs MVP for the US title. COME ON chris needed to be back in the wwe title picture not a mid carded u just knew mvp was gonna die. 24 had batista vs umaga. now it was RAW vs SD! and it was just used to fill in the card and it was quite good for batista and umaga 2 animals locked in combat. 24 wins this round.

23 then had undertaker vs batista for the WHC? WTF why would you have the royal rumble winner have his MAIN EVENT TITLE MATCH halfway though the show it was great but it was just 2 early. 24 had kane vs chavo for the ecw title. it was funny cause it lasted 8 seconds but a bit lame so 23 wins this round because the time limit was longer and plus dont give a raw superstar the ecw title...

23 then had ecw orginals vs new breed i hate ECW so i turned over during this match. but i will compare it to big show vs mayweather. that match was boring so either way 24 win so yh. 24 had HBK vs flair in career theating terms. we knew that flair would lose even though we wanted him to stay. but in the end a tearful friend put away another. but then flair becomes a dick and goes TNA. but 24 win cause it was flair and HBK 2 of the greatest wrestlers alive. (no winner cause i hate ecw and they not worth anything)

23 moved onto have the hair v hair match and boy that was funny seeing vince getting his head shaved off. and with austin as ref and giving out a stunner just made my night alone. 24 had the WWE title triple theat match which was back and forth and i just said dam it you put this before big shows match? why? but i have to say now... its a draw. everybody wanted vince to be shaved and we all wanted orton to lose the title and we were shocked on both matches.

both main events were amazing cena vs hbk and edge vs undertaker. but i think 24 wins that 2. 23 i knew hbk wouldn't win he didn't even need the wwe title whereas at 24 and like every other mania i watched i got worried 2 edge had never lost to taker so i was scared the streak was over but suddenly taker won by sub and i was really happy but yh 24 wins the main event...

so thats 4-3 to wrestlemania 24 the manias get better every year and i think 24 beat 23 by just 1 match lol