WrestleMania 25 Review

WrestleMania 25 took place on April 5th 2009 from Reliant Statdium in Houston Texas. Your hosts are JR, Cole and the King. Apparently no more 3 way brand announce teams.


Pre WrestleMania 25 Match

Tag Team Championship Unification Lumberjack Match

World Tag Champions The Miz And Morrison Vs WWE Tag Champions The Colons


This is the match that was heavily criticized, not for being bad, but for not getting on the card at all and they pissed away 10 minutes on a Kid Rock gig. Morisson gets sent out and gets pummeled by the face side of the lumberjack squad then Carlito gets pitched out later on and beat up by the heel side. Pretty much a standard tag team lumberjack match. Things break down and Primo gets the backstabber on Morrison and pins him to unify the belts to a big pop from the crowd at 8:20. Im going 2 1/2 stars. Even if the match sucked, which it didn't, it's unconcionable not to have the tag belts in a spot on the card.


Match #1

Money In The Bank

CM Punk Vs Kane Vs Mark Henry Vs Montel Vontavious Porter Vs Shelton Benjamin Vs Kofi Kingston Vs Christian Vs Finlay


Henry and Kane clear the ring but Christian and Shelton drop them with a ladder. Kofi does a cool evasion of the ladder and dropkicks them. Kane and Henry climb and the rest of the pack tip the ladder over on them. Everybody starts climbing and punching eachother but the big guys in turn tip over all the ladders and it's a car pile up on I-95. Finlay dumps Henry then suicide dives on Kane outside. The rest of the group start diving onto everybody outside and it's turning into a lucha tag match. Shelton goes up the 15 foot ladder and dives onto the pile and almost kills himself. Henry tries a dive but Finlay clubs him with the shellelagh then Hornswoggle with the tadpole launcher onto the guys outside, which was funny. Kofi uses a ladder like a jungle jim and nails Finlay then eats a stepladder. Finlay climbs again and Kofi kicks him of. Henry pushes him off the ladder. Henry tries to set the ladder and Kofi runs up one side while Henry holds it, LET GO DUMMY! Another ladder gets propped, spanning between the top rope and between the rungs of the ladder that is set up under the case. MVP and Shelton fight on it and Punk takes them down and climbs, but Christian follows and Punk tries a GTS off the ladder but Christian counters to a sloppy unprettier. Some moves are simply not made to be done off a ladder. MVP climbs and Shelton leaps onto the ladder and screws up a powerbomb off the ladder and the fatass smarks in the crowd bitch about it. Shelton decides to tell them to go **** themselves in his own way by using a running powerbomb on MVP that hurls him over and out at Atlas standing outside which was nuts. Shelton slugs it out with Finlay on top of the ladder, but Christian pulls them down. Christian and Shelton fight and the ladder goes down, but Christian holds on and pulls himself up again. Punk stops him but gets hung up in the ladder of woe. Kane chokeslams Christian off, but Punk boots him down and grabs the case at 14:24. The crowd was dissapointed with Punk winning again. I would of gone with Christian or MVP. It was the weakest MITB I think, there's only so many times they can do this match before they run out of one ups. Im going 3 stars because it was kinda sloppy and I wasn't crazy about the same guy winning again.


Match #2

25 Diva Battle Royale

Alicia Fox,Beth Phoenix, Brie Bella, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Jillian Hall, Joy Giovanni, Katie Lea Burchill, Kelly Kelly, Layla, Maria, Maryse, Melina, Michelle McCool,
Mickie James, Miss Jackie, Molly Holly, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes,
Santina Marella, Sunny, Tiffany, Torrie Wilson, and Victoria


I have no idea who a quarter of these people are. I reconize Sunny, Victoria and Beth. I also spot Gail Kim, who fks up a rana on Jillian Hall and eliminates herself. 7 years later, and she still sucks and has the same movesset. It might be the shty editing of the home dvd version, but on my copy there is no Kid Rock concert (thank you very much because I don't have to FF) and the Divas start fighting while Lilian announces the rules. No introductions and it's impossible for me to tell who is who. Right off the bat you can see Santino in drag in there not doing anything and the idiot announcers don't notice him till we are down to 5 people. Molly Holly is in there wrestling in her old black and blue outfit from 2001. It comes down to Beth and Melina fighting it out while Santina stands in the corner and Beth goes to the jazz stretch and Santina dumps them both at 5:57 to become Miss WrestleMania. A bunch of time wasting crap. DUD!!! Poorly executed.


Match #3

3 On 1 Handicap Match

Chris Jericho Vs Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Superfly Jimmy Snuka w The Nature Boy Ric Flair


Mickey Rourke is at ringside. Piper goes at Jericho and cactusclothesline takes him outside and Piper gets a hand caught in the ropes. Back inside Piper gets an almost Erik Watts style dropkick. Then runs him into the turnbuckle, and Snuka is in who is barely mobile now and hits Jericho with the open hand slaps and a headbutt. Steamboat comes in with the flying chop to a cheer and the announcers bust a nut over how good he is at his age. ARMDRAGON!! Snuka tags back in and walks into the walls and taps about 3 minutes in. Piper jumps Jericho to break it up and gets the eye poke of doom. Sleepr but Jericho clotheslines him with the top rope and an enzuiguri knocks Piper out at 4 or 5 minutes. Steamboat comes in with a flying bodypress for 2, but Jericho slugs him down and goes to a chinlock. Steamboat fights out and Jericho tosses him and on the home dvd release the cameramen show the skin the cat (they fkd up on the live ppv broadcast) and Steamboat backdrops Jericho HARD outside. Steamboat with a vaulting body press onto the outside and the crowd is liking it. Back in for another flying chop and a rollup for 2. Jericho bulldogs him, but the lionsault misses and Steamboat gets a powerslam for 2. Crowd almost jumped out of theirs seats there. Jericho takes him down for the Walls, but Dragon rolls over into a small package which gets the crowd even more edgy. Theyre both up and Jericho gets off a quick codebreaker and the pin at 8:23. The first portion was pretty bad, but seeing Steamboat go again was great, which I think pushes the rating up to 2 1/2 stars. Flair runs in and beats on Jericho, but gets overwhelmed then Jericho challenges Rourke who comes in after alot of stalling and boxes down Jericho to close the match.


Match #4

Extreme Rules Match

Jeff Hardy Vs Matt Hardy


The feud nobody cares about or wanted to see. So in the rundown for the match they are pushing Matt as responsible for trying to kill Jeff with vehicular manslaughter then rigging the pyro accident, and I believe Matt is now responsible for Jeff's house burning down and killing his dog. This is one pathetic storyline. Russo would be proud, if he wasn't born again. They brawl on the floor, and Jeff hits a dive into the barrier. Jeff tries the whisper in the wind, but Matt hits him with a chair on the way down. He chokes Jeff on the ropes and hits him with a shop vac? Side effect on the chair gets 2. Matt chokes away in the corner and sets up a table on the floor, but Jeff comes back with a clothesline off the apron and sends Matt into the stairs. Jeff brings a crutch and a garbage can into the ring. He puts the can on Matt's head and beats him with the crutch. Jeff misses the swanton and Matt gets the twist of fate for 2. He goes up to finish, but Jeff stops him and brings him down with a superplex and knocks him outside with a chair. Jeff sets a table and props Matt on it then stacks another table on top of the first for a sanwitch job. Jeff with a top rope splash actually works and he goes through both tables with Matt getting squashed in between. He drags Matt inside for 2. Jeff pulls out some ladder and leapfrogs from one over another, but misses a legdro. Matt wedges Jeff's head in a chair and hits the twist of fate for the pin at 13:13. Im going 3 stars. The didn't interest me. They should be getting back together soon, it's been over a year.


Match #5

Intercontinental Championship Match

John Bradshaw Layfield Vs Rey Mysterio


Rey is dressed like Heath Ledgers Joker tonight and is even got the lip licking mannerism down. JBL beats up Rey in instructions and the ref makes him back off till the bell is rung. Rey hits an enzuiguri that knocks JBL dopey and a 619 and frog splash I guess ends it at 21 seconds. Should actually be about 55 seconds from the time JBL attacked Rey but it doesn't really matter. WrestleMania DUD!!! JBL quits after the loss, so long you overpushed tag team wrestler.


Match #6

Singles Match

Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker


Shawn is dressed up like the Undertakers polar opposite descending on a chariot with a white hat then his regular music kicks in. Shawn's got his Mania 12 colors tonight. No druids for Taker, which is strange. Shawn dodges and chops to start, but Taker grabs his hand and tosses him into the corner and Shawn actually goes up over the buckle and lands with his lower back on top of the steel post which could of been bad. Shawn crotch chops then leapfrogs Taker and fakes a knee owie then lou thez presses Taker and punches away. Going heelish? Shawn chops, but gets backdropped out of the corner. Taker with a press slam and an elbow for 2. Old school, but a blind charge misses and Taker rams his knee into the corner. Shawn with a kneecrusher and he gets an indian deathlock, Michael Cole calls it a figure four and now is a good time to callf or his termination on the biggest ppv since Mania 20. Taker fights out. Shawn dropkicks the knee, but runs into a bearhug, and Taker runs him into the corner and jabs. He follows with a pair of corner clotheslines and snake eyes into then the big boot, and the legdrop gets 2. He goes for the chokeslam, but Shawn takes him down into a crossface, not very good as Taker rolls him over for 2. Taker with a sideslam for 2. Shawn fires back with chops and gets the flying forearm. A pair of atomic drops and a clothesline, but he comes off the top and lands in a chokeslam and he fights away from it. Shawn tries the superkick and Taker counters. Taker tries the guillotine legdrop and misses, but then Shawn goes up for the moonsault press and misses and he simply splats himself in ugly fashion on his lower back and hip on the floor. Not one to be shown up Taker rolls back in and attempts his guided missle attack but he flies likes he's top heavy and simply nose dives into the floor headfirst with another sick plat. Shawn pulled a cameraman in the way but Taker sent most of his mass and momentum into the floor padding, that was sick. Shawn ref back into the ring and wants a contout but Taker barely makes it in. That was another moment like Lesnar almost breaking his neck at Mania 19, if the injury was serious enough, Taker MIGHT of taken the countout. SHAWN sets for the superkick, but Taker stops him with the chokeslam and gets 2. Shawn is up and he tries it again, Taker counters but Shawn follows with another for 2. Taker is up and drops Shawn then goes for the lat ride. Shawn gets out of it into a sunset flip attempt and Taker goozles him up and hits the last ride this time for 2. Crowd is popping for every pin attempt at this point. Taker goes up and misses an elbow which was pretty careless of him. It's a double KO and Shawn is up first but Taker throws him over the ropes and Shawn skins the cat but Taker catches him with the tombetsone position and plants him! 1........2..........HE KICKED OUT!!!? Taker is understandibly distraguht, he doesn't know what to do. Taker goes to finish it with another but Shawn was playing possum and hits a tornado ddt that doesn't hit anything and they are down again. Shawn crawls up top and drops the flying elbow, and sets up the superkick. Superkick hits and he gets 2. Both guys struggling to stand and they have a punchout. Taker kicks him in the face to drop him. Another tombstone attempt, but Shawn slides out and chops. Taker is beat red at this point. Taker sends Shawn to the corner and and hits shoe on a blind charge, and Shawn goes up again but moonsaults right into a tombestone and that's that at 30:41. It's in the running for best Mania match ever. It ties with Hogan/Warrior, or Michaels/Angle in my book. 5 stars.


Match #7

World Championship Triple Threat Match

Edge w Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero Vs John Cena Vs The Big Show


If not Taker/Michaels then THIS is the match that should of gone on last because Edge/Cena are the current top guys of the company storywise, NOT HHH/Orton. HHH apparently made the power play because he wants to go on last on the 25th anniversary, when it's Cena who really is, despite getting booed at Mania, theyre big seller at this point. Storyline sucks, Big Show likes Vickie Guerrero who is married to Edge. Cena/Edge should of just done a 1 on 1 to close things down tonight. John Cena rips off the please stand up video with a bunch of clones who come out to his original theme then he walks out to his and still gets booed. It's the last continuacy in wrestling "Cena gets booed at Mania". Cena bulldogs Edge and runs into Show. Edge wants to cut a deal with Show, but gets dropped. Cena tries a quick "throwback" on Edge but Show boots them down to break it up. Edge heads out of the ring and leaves Cena/Show to fight. Show gets dumped and Cena follows with the guillotine legdrop to the floor. Back in, Cena tries the "throwback" but Edge reverses to a DDT for 2. Edge goes up and Cena slugs him down, but Show catches him with a sideslam for 2. Chavo pulls Cena out of the ring and eats a throwback. Well, he finally made it to the main event. Cena shoulderblocks Show and he gets tied up and hits Edge with shoulderblocks to set up the "throwback" but Vickie gets involved and Edge spears her by mistake. Cena rolls up Edge for 2. Show free's himself and slaps the other two. Double chokeslam, but Cena escapes and tries another TB. Show hits him with the knockout punch. On the floor, Edge hits Show with a DDT and then dives off the stairs at him and they go through the barricade and Show takes a nap for awhile. Edge heads back in and spears Cena, but it's reversed into the STFU. Show breaks that up then Edge and Cena clothesline him out of the ring. Edge goes after Cena. Cena comes back with the "throwback" and goes up, but Show shoves Cena off and Edge spears him on the way down. Edge tries a sleeper on Show but Cena muscles up BOTH guys, Edge slides off but Show gets thrownback then Edge walks into one on Show and Cena pins Show to win the belt at 14:40. Would of been better if Cena somehow managed to TB both guys at once but Edge probably would of had the innerds smooshed out of him like a tube of toothpaste. This was good enough for the main event spot. 3 stars.


Match #8

WWE Championship Match

HHH Vs Randy Orton


HHH is avenging the same a$$holes that made his and Michaels life miserable back in 2006 when DX reformed and they tried killing the McMahons in HIAC. Course Shawn and HHH had been killing eachother between 2002-2006 on and off and they were buddies again, but nobody at the E remembers their own storylines. HHH can lose the match and title by dq which usually indicates a screwjob ending, or at the least, neuters any cool WrestleMania ideas he might have. HHH tosses his sledgehammer through a giant mirror as part of his entrance. Orton can also win the belt by countout. HHH stomps in the corner but Orton shoots off a quick RKO that wouldn't have happened in a million years unless the bookers wanted to tease a countout title win for him. Orton tries for the soccer kick of deah but HHH counters with a pedigree. Double KO. They wake up and fight outside and HHH takes a swig of bottled water. More brawling as the crowd is less than enthused. Orton begs off in the ring and HHH kicks him and catapults him on the bottom rope and attacks the neck. Kneedrops and a clothesline then a neckbreaker as Orton rolls out. HHH gets whipped into the barricade. The crowd is busying looking at somethign else, some jackass probably had too manny cheap beers again. Back in and Orton does the awesome WRESTLEMANIA CHINLOCK! HHH fights up and out with a backdrop suplex. Orton gets a powerslam for 2 and goes back to his chinlock. HHH fights up and they slug it out and HHH gets the "Harley Race" high knee and follows with a corner clothesline, but Orton blocks the Pedigree with a catapult into the corner. HHH rebounds with a clothesline for 2 however. They head up and Orton drops him on the top rope, but jumps off and eats boot on the way down. Pedigree but Orton counters for 2. HHH gets a rollup for 2. Spinebuster and another Pedigree attempt is reversed into a neckbreaker by Orton which gets another 2. HHH goes up and gets dropkicked on the way down but it was a phantom hit. Orton sets up for the field goal kick but HHH catches the foot and dumps him out of the ring. HHH preps the tables and tries a Pedigree on them but Orton backdrops him onto the main table and it doesn't break. Orton follows with a DDT off the table and he tries to win the belt by countout. The crowd isn't behind it like the tease in Taker/Michaels. Theyre burnt out. The ref gets bumped and Orton goes for the sledgehammer, but HHH punts him on the way back into the ring. HHH uses the hammer and gets negative heat and then throws it away because he's the nice guy tonight. The ref wakes up and tries to stop Orton from pounding on HHH in the corner and HHH gets off a suprise pedigree and the pin at 23:34 to retain. This was not very good for a main event. The crowd didn't care, nobody was buying into the crappy storyline, HHH wanting to go on last at the 25th WrestleMania just to try and grandstand and put on a snoozer against that hack Orton wasn't a good way to end the show. 2 stars.


Looking back at the WrestleManias, I notice that the majority of the good one's were the odd number Manias and the one's that come by multiples of 5 ex: 5,10,15,20,25 for the most part were not very good. 5 and 10 were the best but the other three were not excecuted very well as they should of been. This Mania was good for Shawn/Taker, watching Steamboat against Jericho and MITB was alright but not as good as the rest, the unification match felt like a Mania match, but was one of those crappy internet exclusives so nobody at home got to see it on ppv.


Final Score: This show earns good 7.6 stars out of 10.0. If you leave out the unification match then it only scores a 6.9 rating. Michaels/Taker pushed it way up there.




WrestleMania Standings:
Mania 17: 10.1
Mania 19: 9.9
Mania 21: 9.6
Mania 24: 8.5
Mania 20: 8.1
Mania 25: 7.6
Mania 18: 7.6
Mania 22: 7.5
Mania 10: 7.3
Mania 3: 7.1
Mania 6: 7.0
Mania 5: 7.0
Mania 7: 6.9
Mania 4: 6.8
Mania 16: 6.5
Mania 23: 6.0
Mania 8: 5.9
Mania 13: 5.7
Mania 14: 4.9
Mania 2: 4.8
Mania 12: 4.6
Mania 15: 4.4
Mania 1: 4.1
Mania 11: 3.9
Mania 9: 3.8