INSIDE THE RING NEWSLETTER
Edition 41
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Eddie T.
WrestleMania 21 Analysis & Match Ratings
by Trevor Hunnicutt and Eddie T.
(Source of the Report: The Wrestling Observer)
Welcome to the live coverage of Wrestlemania from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the traditional biggest show of the year, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave at wrestlingobserver.com.
They are showing an endless series of videos instead of the Battle Royal, which I presume is taking place before the PPV began.
The show opened with Lillian Garcia singing the anthem and a new movie video of Steve Austin from Gladiator.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio are opening the show. Mysterio got the pin with a spinning head scissors into a cradle. Good opener, but I think most people will be disappointed because they would have expected more. Slightly shorter than I would have expected (and I was expecting short), and there were some rough spots. I almost sensed they were nervous out there.
Trevor: As an opener, perfect, but it would’ve done this match kindly to have a few more minutes and get Mysterio and Guerrero on a better night. The standards are high for these two, especially their demand for themselves, and they didn’t meet it tonight. **3/4
Eddie: The two just seemed nervous, yet still managed to deliver an amazing bout. Rey’s “wardrobe malfunction” was tough to work with, but he managed to do his best, and Eddie helped him as much as he could. A tremendous opener for the show, since it was from Los Angeles after all. ***
Evolution just bumped into The Cabinet. HHH made fun of JBL. JBL claimed he’s the only champion who never lost. JBL guaranteed a win. They are teasing a match, probably to make people think that both are retaining. Almost surely a swerve.
Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider were at ringside. They plugged “Longest Yard.”
Ladder match is next. Edge won by hitting Benoit in the elbow with a chair while Benoit was on top, then climbed up to win. An incredible match. Benoit busted up his stitches with a diving head-butt off the ladder on Kane. One stunt after the other. It was more controlled and less dangerous than some of the Mania matches, but it was at the same level as the best of the Wrestlemania ladder matches.
Trevor: Another great match, though I was worried about the timing of putting them so close together. At the end of the day, the timing worked out pretty well on this show. This match was spot after spot, as the report mentioned, and delivered on all the expectations. A great match, with notable performances by Benoit and Benjamin. ****1/2
Eddie: Much like my colleague, I was very unsure about them putting two of their top three matches of the night one after the other. At the beginning of the show, too. It did work out, at the end, after all. This was a spot fest, but a good one at that. It was smartly booked, and the superstars managed to show what they can do! Big ups to all six guys involved! Shelton Benjamin looked injured after the bout, but hopefully he was just selling really hard. ****1/2
Eugene came out, limping, talking about how much he liked midget wrestling. Muhammad Hassan is doing his angle with Eugene. Hassan put Eugene in the camel clutch when Hogan came out. No match, but Hogan cleaned house on both and posed. Of course it was the biggest pop of the show. It was smart because they left it open for a match if need be. Former world champion David Arquette was at ringside with the Hogan family, next to Linda.
Trevor: Well, they got Hogan on the show.
Eddie: This was well booked, as it allowed for a set up for a future match. Biggest pop of the night! It was an awesome feeling to see Hulk Hogan live! I feel honored… Why is David Arquette still alive, and furthermore, how did he gather the guts to come to WrestleMania?
Undertaker vs. Randy Orton is next. Undertaker won by reversing Orton’s tombstone into one of his own. Really good match. Bob Orton Jr. interfered, after Earl Hebner was bumped, clocking Undertaker with his cast to set up a near fall. The big spot was Orton reversing a choke slam into an RKO but Undertaker kicked out.
Trevor: I was particularly surprised by this match, as they went longer than I expected, and presented a thoroughly entertaining match. Orton pulled something special out of the Undertaker in what is expected to be his last match for about half a year due to shoulder surgery. ***1/2
Eddie: I was shocked as to how great this match was. What a pleasant surprise! Undertaker and Randy Orton worked very hard inside the ring. A match that was booked great, executed even better, and came off even better than that on TV, I’m guessing. Really good. It’s good that Orton gets some time off, because he needs it badly. Not just to heal up, but to get a completely new character when he returns. One way or another, he’s one of the key figures in the company’s future, and it’s very important that they sit down and think through their options with him for his return. I hope they’re currently doing that with Van Dam. ***3/4
Very good show so far, but I wish they’d dump all the videos before the matches and save them for just the main events. The three minutes added to each of the matches so far tonight would have made all of them better matches.
Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme is next up. Stratus won quickly with a chick kick. Stratus did a good job carrying it, but it was clear Hemme was in over her head.
Trevor: Hemme was hideous, but Trish didn’t let her ruin her career. ½*
Eddie: Hemme tried, and I guess that counts. Stratus, the true professional, wasn’t going to just let this match blow. Half the arena left when this started. *
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels is up next. They are going to have a hell of a time topping the ladder match. My money says they will. My only wish before the show was that Michael Cole wasn’t going to call this match and I guess it’s starting out on a positive note. Angle won with the heel hook after switching from the ankle lock. Angle got his mouth busted when Michaels did a plancha and his knee cracked Angle in the mouth. People gave them a great ovation after the match. The match lived up to its billing, and that wasn’t going to be easy to do. We’ll be talking about this one every March for a long time.
Trevor: Amazing match. ****3/4
Eddie: One day, I hope that I’ll live enough to be able to tell my grand children that I witnessed one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time, LIVE and in person. That was at WrestleMania 21, when Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle had one of the best matches in the history of professional wrestling. *****
Piper’s Pit with Steve Austin is next. Piper and Austin insulted each other. Piper wasn’t happy, for real, with the “What” chants as he acted like a comedian with 5,000 hecklers. They teased they were going to fight when Carlito came out. Carlito thought they both weren’t cool and wanted them to leave. Piper stole the apple, chewed it up and spit it in Carlito’s face. Carlito jumped Piper. Austin laughed, but made the save. Piper used an eye poke and Austin gave Carlito the stunner. They did a big beer bash with Austin & Piper, ending when Austin stunned Piper. People have a lot of nostalgia for Hogan and Piper this week so while it didn’t get over like Cena with Teddy Long, it wasn’t the pop you’d expect for the stunner.
Trevor: Fun segment, did what it should and no more.
Eddie: Rowdy Roddy Piper simply proved Ric Flair’s words at the Hall of Fame Ceremony to be correct — He is indeed, the man, when it comes to the entertainment value of this industry. Steve Austin was a great sport, and the interaction with Carlito was great. I loved the fact that they managed to get a potential superstar in there, because that way the segment was both historical with nostalgic feelings, and at the same time productive, as it gave the rub to a current potential star.
Akebono vs. Show in sumo rules is next. Akebono won quick. It was an obvious work as some were wondering. Akebono threw him out of the ring to win.
Trevor: Peculiarly interesting, but bad.
Eddie: Fans were into it for some reason, but hated it at first because of how long they dragged the start. I still think it was a waste, but I guess they needed to provide more of a balance to the “good” by adding “bad,” and Big Show’s bare ass wasn’t “bad” enough for Vince.
JBL vs. Cena for the title is now up. JBL carried the entire match. Cena had a quick comeback, won clean with the FU and dove into a hoarde of Japanese fans at ringside. A nothing match with no crowd reaction until the finish.
Trevor: I think nothing match is a bit too hard, but it was particularly flat for this caliber a show, this late in the night. As I told Eddie, it was like watching a moose (JBL) vs. Hulk Hogan (Cena) with the moose carrying the match. Cena’s win was good, but by the nature of this show and this match, guaranteed to be overshadowed by Batista‘s win. *1/2
Eddie: This was painful to sit through if you saw the PPV live. I think it was a huge mistake to give John Cena the belt tonight. Not because he’s not ready (which he isn’t), but because it simply didn’t mean anything. He got lost in the shuffle of much better and more important things. Another thing to note is that whoever booked that match didn’t do a good job. I’m starting to wonder if that’s on purpose, since SmackDown is indeed the B show. Typical match, with nothing interesting. They didn’t hide Cena’s negatives well, and he became transperent after four minutes. The fact of the matter is that the fans absolutely love him, and that’s great, but can he just work off of the charisma factor? A similar note is valid for Batista, as well. **
HHH vs. Batista is next. It looks like they are going 25ish. Batista powered out of a pedigree and won with a move similar to an emerald frosien, and then won clean with the Batista bomb. HHH bled like crazy. Match wasn’t the show stealer, but came across well enough and they probably did the smart finishes in just about every match. They did the big pyro for Batista winning as the climax of the show. Batista’s win came off 10 times bigger than Cena’s.
Trevor: For these two and this amount of time in which to screw up, a great match. Effective, hit on all the right spots, and made Batista look like a star through the end of the show. Follow-up with Batista is crucial!!! ***1/2
Eddie: It wasn’t great. It wasn’t fantastic. It didn’t come close to two other matches on the card. However, it didn’t have to. The bottom line here is this — They made it, and that’s what was needed out of them. It worked. WWE needs to realize that long-term planning is the way to go, and Batista’s elevation to the top is a prime example of that. What happens from here on determines the state of the company in 2006, and it might very well determine the future of this business! ***1/2
Overall Thoughts
Trevor: (8/10)
This was a really good show, both in structure and work. As I mentioned in my post on TBL, (can be read below) the brilliance of this show (on a Paul Heyman level of brilliance) was the use of the good matches without great storyline repercussions as capital which to spend with fans to get across the more important matches that needed all the support they could get. Matches like Angle/Michaels, which didn’t really do much one way or the other in terms of storyline, was used to keep fans interested in the show so that Batista’s win wouldn’t be the crowning moment of a disastrous show. Despite the lackluster build, WWE did a good job in presenting a great show and accomplishing their storyline objectives. There were a few classics on this show that will be remembered for years to come.
Eddie: (9/10)
Seeing the show live makes me bias, but I personally think that this is one of the better WrestleManias we’ve had. The only reason behind that statement is the quality of the matches. A pleasant surprise in Taker-Orton, a WrestleMania classic in Angle-HBK, and a solid spot fest, added to an important storyline progression in Batista winning the belt gives you the magic formula for a successful WrestleMania. There’s more t be desired, and the true test begins now, but WWE has laid out the basis and so far, so good. Good luck!
Perspective: Faces Reign Supreme at Memorable WrestleMania
by Trevor Hunnicutt
Amidst both disappointment over the promotion of the card and a massive responsibility to book for the future, WWE presented a thoroughly entertaining and wholly successful WrestleMania Sunday.
The show, which featured the elevation of both newcomers John Cena and Batista into World Title territory, was successful at both portraying these title changes well and underwriting weak wrestling matches (of which there were a few) with classics. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, ****3/4, and the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, ****1/2, stand among the greatest matches in wrestling history and had an unsung role in bolstering weak matches that the company wanted to stand out more.
Mysterio/Guerrero could have used more time to develop and stood as a largely disappointing match to people who were expecting a repeat of their October 26, 1997 Halloween Havoc match at which Mysterio beat Guerrero for the WCW Cruiserweight title in an outstanding match of about 15 minutes. As it was, in the context of this show, the match was an exciting and effective opener and got things started on the right note.
The most surprisingly successful match of the night (save for the main event) was Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker, a fun and competitive match, which hit on all the necessary points. It was followed, in sequence rather than in quality, by a disappointing five-minute Hemme/Stratus match throughout which Stratus desperately had to underplay Hemme’s weaknesses. The sumo match between the Big Show and K-1’s Akebono was flat and useless, as was largely expected.
The good matches (the four aforementioned) served the necessary role of giving quality work to a card that, by necessity, needed to get over workers of limited in-ring skill and flexibility. Besides being entertaining and financially successful WrestleMania had a duty to create a booking situation that would, unlike last year, stabilize the company and form the foundation upon which feuds could grow and be self-sustaining. Last year was the fourth year in a row in which WWE has lost viewers and lost domestic business, a loss which they’ve had to make up through international tours, cost-cutting, and talent releases.
To that end, this show had to do something to create talent that would sell tickets for the year to come, as WWE moves from SpikeTV to its former home the USA Network and an ambitious PPV schedule continues. WWE decided, and did so well in advance, that the two people who would carry the albatross of burden would be John Cena, of the Smackdown brand, and clearly far more importantly to them Batista, of the RAW brand. Those priorities shown through at tonight’s event, where Cena’s title win capped a poor match with John Bradshaw Layfield, and where, in event that far eclipsed the modest celebration of Cena, Batista pinned Triple H in 22 minutes of a surprisingly solid and effective match for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Despite the underwhelming build, WWE did a good job at accomplishing its objectives and presenting a balanced card, and an entertaining show. Rather than falling into a mediocre place as the show after WrestleMania XX, this show will be remembered for two excellent matches and a card that retrospectively is more balanced than was last year’s show.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Inside the Ring Newsletter
Live Notes From WrestleMania 21
by Eddie T.
I had the opportunity to attend to WrestleMania 21 tonight, and I’m glad I did. I feel honored for being a part of the PPV. It is truly an amazing spectacle that cannot be compared to any RAW taping, or WWE event. If you live in the Chicago area, or are willing to spend the bucks and travel, definitely see WrestleMania 22.
The Staples Center Attendance Record was broken last night at WrestleMania, as 20,193 people saw the PPV live! I was one of them, and I can tell you there was tons of people. The line to get in was insane. As a result, most of the people got inside the arena either a minute or two before the PPV started, or even afterwards.
I heard Booker T’s theme music playing, and a lot of cheering as I was walking through the isles, so I realized he had won the 30 Men Battle Royal that WWE didn’t want you to see apparently.
Although everything was perfect, I realized that the Staples Center is not a good venue for such a huge event. WWE likes to go all out in pyro and special effects when it comes to WrestleMania, and they were very limited inside the small arena. However, they went small, but creative and it was a very successful formula, at the end. The pyro and effects were great throughout the night.
Eddie Guerrero got the show off to a very hot start. His match with Mysterio was top-notch, and seeing as this is Los Angeles, where SmackDown is the more-watched show, and the Hispanic audience dominates, the crowd was extremely into this. From what I seen online, many are saying the two seemed “nervous” out there. Although true to a certain extent, I personally thought they had a great match. Certainly, it’s not their best, and it’s certainly no 1997 Halloween Havoc, but face it – They’re eight years older, they’re already both established, they’ve both had serious injuries since then and know how important it is to be more protective, and Eddie has gone from being Cruiserweight Champion to Heavyweight Champion, while Rey has gone from being Nash’s dart to having **** to **** 1/2 matches with Kurt Angle on PPV. Good match. Unsure why Rey won, but I guess we’ll be seeing a rematch.
Throughout the night they played video clips and a backstage segment that you saw here (JBL and Triple H). Although people weren’t too happy about that, it again goes back to the limitations of the Staples Center. They didn’t have the choice not to, since throughout the entire show, the crew was always working on setting up the next segment. The JBL/Triple H segment got a good reaction.
Christian got booed out of the arena because he was the first heel to come out. At the latter parts of the bout, people actually cheered for him. Edge has been getting the “X-Pac” type of booing, and this can’t be good. This is where I have to point out the funniest sign in the crowd — “We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal *picture of Edge and Lita underneath*”… Kane’s entrance was nicely done, and a touch of creativity. Seeing as they had NYC in burning ruins last year, and now the ladders, are you too second-guessing what Chicago will be seeing on fire next year? The man behind me screamed “Get the ladders!” at the beginning of the match, while they were burning. Found that funny. The match was tremendous, with non-stop big spots. Very good.
The celebrities that were shown in the audience got a decent amount of pops from the crowd, with no boos. Adam Sandler got the biggest pop out of them, but ZZ Top was big too. Nobody knew Brooke Hogan. David Arquette being still there is scary.
The biggest pop of the night followed, as Hogan saved Eugene. Eugene got a decent pop as well. If you haven’t seen Muhammad Hassan live yet, make sure to do so. He is extraordinary. From his entrance to every word he speaks, he has a lot of charisma to offer. I haven’t seen such a good heel in a long time. It doesn’t matter that it’s for the wrong reasons due to the horrible gimmick he has. What matters is that he’s 100% efficient if put to use the right way. I’ve been impressed with him lately.
Undertaker and Randy Orton surprised everyone with a very good, solid match. Wow. The feeling of seeing Undertaker’s entrance is indescribable. WWE really knows how to work with what they have to create the right environment for you to mark out! Him “floating” was done well, because nobody in the arena could see a thing or figure it out! We were in awe. The crowd might have seen dead for the entrance, but that was due to the fact that lots of noise and yelling was wasted when the torch-carriers came out – that was while the video of the feud was rolling for those watching on TV.
The funniest moment of the night had to be next, as about 1/3 of the arena literally disappeared in 30 seconds. The second the graphic for Hemme/Stratus popped on the screen, everyone either went to the bathroom, or to buy food. Hemme and Stratus got some good reactions, actually. Stratus got the bigger pop, especially when she mocked Hemme’s dance.
Match of the Year (so far) followed. All 20,000 people were into this. May God bless Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels for they’re amazing! We’ll be talking about this one for a long time to come in columns, news articles, and analysis pieces, so I’ll skip for now.
Piper’s Pit was next. Boy, it is really tough to decide on this one, but I personally think that Piper got a louder pop than Austin did, although it was clear that the fans were buzzing about Austin more. Neither one of the two could even be compared to the loudest pop of the night (Hogan). I thought this segment was hilarious and very well done! The whole arena was in love with Piper’s interaction with them for the “What” chants. Good stuff.
The audience loved every second of the movie trailers that were used to advertise WrestleMania. When the winning one, Taxi Driver, was played, there was a lot of random pops.
I don’t know why, but once Akebono and Big Show started, the people were into it. Before that it was a lot of jokes on Show’s outfit and his ass showing, as well as the ridiculous drag of time before the match began.
JBL and Cena put everyone to sleep. Oh man, it was bad and painful to sit through. It didn’t even feel like Cena had won anything at the end. This was a horrible timing to give him the belt. We’ll discuss why in the Inside the Ring Newsletter, later tonight.
Triple H’s entrance was sick! That’s the only way one can describe it. The fans went nuts for it, and although nobody cared for Motorhead, since they’ve done that before, they decided to “Wooo” the rest of the song since Flair showed up. Batista doing the Ultimate Warrior tope rope ordeal was definitely the final nail in the coffin to get the people back into the show. The match had its ups and downs, but the crowd was awake for most of it.
After the PPV ended, Batista stood in the ring and bowed down to his belt. He seemed to be wiping tears of joy. He then went to each corner and posed for the crowd, and reflected on his win by once again looking at the title. Emotional segment, as Big Dave realized that he is the Heavyweight Champion of the World. (I wonder how he felt when he saw David Arquette there.) Batista went ringside and hugged Triple H’s father (I don’t know why!) after the match, which I believe made it on TV, but I’m unsure of that. WWE, respectfully, waited for him to return to the back, and then played the recap package of the event. No after-show.
Check out TBL for more coverage, and for Inside the Ring Newsletter, with full analysis of the PPV!
Eddie
Levski11 at aol.com
WrestleMania 21 Sets New Staples Center Attendance Record
by World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 3, 2005–World Wrestling Entertainment(R) reported that it drew a record attendance of 20,193 people from 14 countries and 48 states to the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles for its annual live event and Pay-Per-View pop culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 21(R). The event grossed more than $2.1 million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing WWE event ever at STAPLES Center, and the highest grossing of the five WrestleManias held in California.
In addition to those in attendance, WrestleMania 21 was seen by millions of fans in more than 90 countries, and will be broadcast to U.S. troops around the world.
“Los Angeles and the STAPLES Center have been tremendous hosts for WrestleMania 21,” said Kurt Schneider, Executive Vice President, Marketing. “I would like to thank our loyal fans in Los Angeles, from around the United States, and from around the world for making WrestleMania 21 another truly memorable event.”
WrestleMania 21 was highlighted by two significant title changes. In a World Heavyweight Championship match, Batista(TM) defeated Triple H(R) to become the new RAW(R) Champion. In the SmackDown!(R) main event, John Cena(TM) became the new WWE Champion by defeating JBL(TM). In addition, The Undertaker(R) defeated Randy Orton(TM) in a “Legend” vs. “Legend Killer” match, bringing his undefeated win streak at WrestleMania to 13-0. In a special RAW vs. SmackDown! match pitting two of the greatest WWE Superstars for the first time, Kurt Angle(R) defeated Shawn Michaels(TM).
WrestleMania 22 will be held Sunday, April 2, 2006, at the Rosemont, Ill., Allstate Arena in suburban Chicago.
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the conditions of the markets for live events, broadcast television, cable television, pay-per-view, Internet, entertainment, professional sports, and licensed merchandise; acceptance of the Company’s brands, media and merchandise within those markets; uncertainties relating to litigation; risks associated with producing live events both domestically and internationally; uncertainties associated with international markets; risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreement, including television distribution agreement; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition to these risks and uncertainties, our dividend is based on a number of factors, including our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan, our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends and such other factors as our board of directors may consider relevant.
The Rock Joins the Party
by PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson, of PWInsider.com, just noted that former WWE Champion, The Rock, has arrived at the WrestleMania after-party in Los Angeles, CA. Not sure what this is leading up to, but my best take is that Rock is visiting old friends.
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Trevor Hunnicutt — THunnicutt at aol.com
Eddie T. — Levski11 at aol.com