My Super Late Recap of Wrestlemania 25 Live from Houston

April 19th 2009 18:08

Wrestlemania 25 from Reliant Stadium was AMAZING!!!...and yours truly was in Houston to take part in the festivities

Hello, my still loyal readers. I know that I have been away, but that is because I have officially recovered from my trip to Houston, Texas, where I took my place among 72,000 other die-hard wrestling fans to experience the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania at Reliant Stadium.

It was a truly amazing experience...one that I will not soon forget for as long as I live. Even though, it is not in the pantheon of my usual entertainment musings...I feel the need to share my experiences with you...my loyal readers.

I arrived in Houston on Saturday April 4th, where I met my friend and future pro wrestling superstar Mike Fritz...his wrestling name at the WA4 school in Atlanta will be "Spider" Patrick McDaniel. We then migrated to the hotel where we spent the day walking around Houston, went to a local bar, and retreated back to watch the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, which featured a riveting speech from Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat as well as a bittersweet farewell speech from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

The next morning was when the real story began.

Mike and myself made our way to the WWE fan access where we were able to meet WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart as well as current WWE sideshow...the midget/Leprechaun Hornswoggle...which was sort of strange. On television, Hornswoggle is a screaming, hyperactive looking child...but in real life he is an articulate man who is kind of easily irritated.

The highlight of WWE fan access was when I got to enter an actual WWE ring and cut a promo/imitation of Chris Jericho...where I was able to call Jimmy "The Mouth of the South" Hart "a trained monkey with a megaphone" to his face...those opportunities do not come around very often and I grabbed the bull by the horns.

Fan Access was also attended by two special guests...Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair. It was surreal to be so close to a current wrestling legend...and a potential wrestling legend. It was a rich experience that I will not soon forget.

The best thing that I took away from WWE Fan Access was the atmosphere. I have always been teased for being such a huge wrestling nerd...and to be surrounded by so many people who were either as big or even bigger fans was unbelievable. It just felt like an event...and it allowed me the opportunity to look around at all the crazy fanatics and say "Hey, it looks like I am not so weird after all."

After killing the afternoon in Houston, it was finally time for the big show.

I had upper deck seats...so my irrational fear of heights came into play early on...with my friend Mike even jokingly attempting to throw me over the balcony from eight rows up. Once the show started however, it was absolute smooth sailing.

Now for the rundown of each match as it happened:

Lumberjack Match to Unify WWE and World Tag Team Championships:
WWE Tag Team Champions Carlito and Primo Colon vs World Tag Team Champions The Miz and John Morrison:

This match to place before the actual show even though it was listed on the actual card. This came as a shock to my friend and I as we knew going in that this had to potential to be one of the best matches on the card...and it completely delivered. Both teams were flying and telling a story in the ring which made for an exciting opening contest with a victory by the team of Carlito and Primo Colon.

Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a guaranteed World Title Shot:
Christian vs Kane vs Mark Henry vs Kofi Kingston vs Shelton Benjamin vs MVP vs Finlay vs CM Punk:

As always, the Money in the Bank ladder match delivered on sheer excitement and fearless bumps. Shelton Benjamin executed an amazing dive off of a 20 ft ladder, Kofi Kingston was leaping through ladders and the match even featured a six person outside dive. In the end, there was a bit of a surprise. Going in to the match, I fully expected the returning Christian to emerge victorious...while Mike expected Kane to get his much deserved moment in the sun. Instead CM Punk grabbed the briefcase and won his second consecutive MITB ladder match...which is perplexing because when he won it last year...it was just not handled properly...oh well.

25 Diva Battle Royal to determine Ms. Wrestlemania

The divas were introduced after an awesome performance by Kid Rock...oh don't look shocked that Kid Rock played Wrestlemania...There were two noticeable omissions from the Diva Battle Royal...Trish Stratus and Lita...why would two of the greatest female wrestlers of all time not be featured in this match...but anyway the match was overly long and strictly for the purpose of seeing beautiful women wearing barely anything fight...which is something I will not complain about.

The match ended with Santino Marella, dressed up like a woman and calling himself "Santina," winning the match and giving the 72,000 plus in attendance a good chuckle.

Chris Jericho vs Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka, and Roddy Piper w Ric Flair:

This match came to be when Mickey Rourke bailed on a potential match with Chris Jericho for Wrestlemania. However, this didn't stop Jericho and the legends from putting on a solid performance. The biggest shock in the match is just how good Ricky Steamboat still is in the ring. He was executing arm drags, axe handles and even dove over the top rope onto Chris Jericho. The match ended with a Jericho win...but that wasn't the whole story.

Mickey Rourke was in attendance, got into the ring and laid out Chris Jericho with a weak right hand. Even though it wasn't executed terrifically, it was still a fun spectacle...which is what Wrestlemania is all about.

Extreme Rules Match:
Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy:

No one was expecting a mat war between these two. This match featured high flying spots and general hardcore brutality. The three coolest spots came toward the end of the contest. Jeff Hardy placed his brother between two tables and crashed through them both. After that, climbed a 20 ft ladder and tried to squash his brother with a leg drop...only to miss with a sound that rattled through Reliant Stadium. Finally...Matt finished off his brother with a twist of fate on his brother who was wearing an open steel folding chair on his neck.

Even though Matt got the win in this match...I am sure that it doesn't even compare to the sheer enormity of going out on the grandest stage of Pro Wrestling with your brother and putting on the show of a lifetime.

Intercontinental Title Match:
JBL (c) vs Rey Mysterio:

Rey Mysterio came out in a Joker mask...little late in terms of relevance but ok...and JBL came out and cut his usual bully promo proclaiming his time for a "Wrestlemania" moment. Boy did he get one...Mysterio defeated him for his IC title in about 20 seconds. Afterward JBL took a microphone and proclaimed two words...I QUIT.

If this is JBL's final day as a wrestler...what a strange way to go out. He loses the title in embarrassing fashion and then just says I quit. I mean, I felt that he had put in so much time that he deserved a little better send off than that. Well...I guess he has more time to give poor stock advice on the Fox News Channel now...that's a silver lining...i guess.

Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker:

Words cannot even describe this match. This match represented a bittersweet moment for me. I have been watching these two performers since I was 6 years old and now this represents a twilight in both of their careers. Neither one can go much longer and Wrestlemania 25 represented the last gasp for both of them.

So they went out and put on one of the greatest matches I have ever witnessed. There were false finishes...amazing spots...and an epic story that was told. If you have ever loved pro wrestling in your life...I advise you to either youtube or rent Wrestlemania just to experience this match. This was the only contest throughout the night that not one person of the 72,000 got up to leave. No one went to the bathroom or concession stand...it was all about this match.

It lived up to all expectations with The Undertaker eventually getting the hard earned win in this epic contest. As The Undertaker celebrated in the ring and HBK retreated to the back...the fans stood in awe of what they had been fortunate enough to witness. However, I wasn't sure if they were cheering for The Undertaker...cheering for Michaels...cheering for both of them...or in a way, saying goodbye.

Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:
Edge (c) vs Big Show vs John Cena:

After Michaels vs Taker...it was asking a lot of the fans to be interested in this match and I give credit to all three men involved for going out and putting on a solid contest. Cena did his usual confusing Wrestlemania entrance while Edge and Big Show were no nonsense. This match featured Big Show doing a legendary big man spot where he got caught in the ropes, Edge spearing Big Show through a wall and cena almost giving a double FU to both Big Show and Edge.

It was a good match with Cena emerging victorious. Truth be told...I am finding myself liking Cena again...he has withstood the fan storm and is still standing...and that is respectable.

After the World Title Match, the Hall of Famers were brought out to absorb the cheers of the 72,000 fans. It was climaxed with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin coming out and toasting the fans one last time before riding off into the sunset. Again it was a bittersweet moment because the fans were cheering him...and saying goodbye.

WWE Title Match:
HHH (c) vs Randy Orton:

I fully expected Orton to win this match because he is so red hot at the moment. However, what I wasn't expecting was that this match would be such a letdown. There were no great spots or exciting false finishes. Even though they both hit their finishers at the beginning of the match. It may have been that the fans were so worn out by the end of the night...but this match just didn't live up to the hype.

In the end...in a bit of a surprise...HHH won the match and defended his title...and the "honor of his wife and family." Even though it wasn't a great match...seeing HHH walk off with his title seemed like a fitting way to end Wrestlemania 25.

The next day, Mike and I said our Goodbyes and went on different flights. He went back to Atlanta...I to Minneapolis. However, we both left with the knowledge that we had each experienced one of the greatest nights in either of our lives...and the memories will last forever.

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