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EditorialWrestlemania I-XXX Series. (21/30)

Wrestlemania I-XXX Series. (21/30)

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**Edited As Of June 2019**

Wrestlemania 21 (tagline: WrestleMania goes Hollywood) drew 20,193 fans to the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Apirl 3rd 2005. The event was the first Wrestlemania to be held at the Staples Center. Tickets sold out in less than one minute, which remains the fastest ticket sell-out in company history. Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for Raw, and Michael Cole & Tazz for Smackdown.

The event included a 30-man Interpromotional battle royal dark match, which Booker T won by last eliminating Chris Masters. The beginning of Wrestlemania 21 saw the return of the national anthem sang by Lillian Garcia. The events themes (“Big Time” by The Soundtrack of Our Lives, “Behind Those Eyes” by 3 Doors Down) were not performed live, however, Motorhead returned to perform another live rendition of Triple H’s entrance theme for the main event.

Before I talk about the card, I would like to reiterate a point I made on the Wrestlemania XX piece. WMXX was the end of an era, and Wrestlemania 21 was the beginning of a new one. I remember feeling disenchanted by the sudden (or continuing) pushes of Triple H, JBL, John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista. I’m going to apologize to anyone who grew up watching these guys and are huge fans, but to me I wasn’t overly excited to see them in the main event scene.

As I watched Raw & Smackdown ten years ago, as a fan, I felt like The Undertaker, Angle, Jericho, Eddie, Benoit, all of them deserved the spotlight more. I grew up watching these guys, and it didn’t feel right they had to play in the mid-card while “the new guys” were booked into their deserved main event spots. It was the first time I seriously questioned the booking in WWE, before then I could enjoy the product and not have to worry if the main event was going to suck.

I enjoyed Cena originally, during his US title reign, but by 2005 I was already seeing what others were seeing; he just wasn’t as good as WWE made him out to be. I liked Batista, but I wondered if he needed a little more polish before his “big Wrestlemania moment”. As for Randy Orton, he was doing an exceptional job, but his win over Benoit at Summerslam was a real downer. I knew Orton was the future, but after seeing Benoit win the Rumble from the #1 spot, and win the Triple Threat at WMXX? He lost the title far too easily.

Looking back, I was just a young, naive fan. From a business standpoint, WWE needed to make new stars, and Wrestlemania 21 is historic for its stepping stone to greatness for the new guys. It was funny to watch again ten years later because I couldn’t remember much from the PPV, so I was hoping for a few surprises. On another note, the event saw the least amount of championships defended; the Women’s Championship, and the two World Championships, all three in singles matches.

Wrestlers making their Wrestlemania debut: Tyson Tomko, Christy Hemme, Carlito, Eugene, Muhammad Hassan, Daivari & Akebono.


Match #1Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie went from ending Wrestlemania XX on top of the mountain, to kicking Wrestlemania 21 off with his bouncy car. Cole billed this as an historic event due to Eddie & Rey being Tag Team Champions together, but it’s more historic for the fact it’s Eddie’s last Wrestlemania match before his passing seven months later. You can see the early signs of Eddie’s impending heel turn (when he kidnapped Dominic) as he showed continuous frustration in his match with Mysterio.

But Mysterio didn’t just have Eddie to contend with, his mask was possibly his worst enemy; he continued to adjust it throughout the match. Any match between Eddie and Rey is going to be good, but as I watched, they didn’t click compared to their earlier encounters. Eddie was doing a lot of the work, getting Mysterio grounded, while Mysterio would fire back with his lucha libre moveset. The crowd was firmly behind Eddie on this one, but Cole made it known they were cheering for both men (stop lying Cole, my hearing is fine).

A number of false spots early on, teasing 619s and all that. Eddie’s surfboard on Rey was magnificent, until he realized his shoulders were down, the ref started counting, so he rolled and threw Rey carelessly out of it (never see that). Eddie worked on Rey’s back considerably with backbreakers, surfboards and such, until he tried for another backbreaker, Rey reversed it into the West Coast Pop and rolled him up for the win at the 12-minute mark.

A really good way to start the show. Often I see a mediocre match start a Wrestlemania, but this one saw a solid contest between two guys with chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the best Eddie vs Rey match ever, but it has a special meaning as you know this was Eddie’s last Wrestlemania match .. and it was with Rey. So even though Rey won, and Eddie was frustrated, Eddie shook his hands afterwards. Show of sportsmanship to start the show? Why not. A really good match, but not an absolute classic.


Match #2Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christian (w/ Tomko) vs. Kane vs. Edge in the 1st Money In The Bank Ladder Match

The brainchild of Chris Jericho made its mark for the first time at Wrestlemania 21, over ten years ago. With no tag team title match on the card, it made room for this little beauty. Everyone played a part in this, as you will see. Notice how Benoit went from main eventing Wrestlemania to the second match on the card?

Kane made his entrance and all the ladders set up on the titantron caught fire; which Tazz referred to as symbolic. Instead of calling this move-for-move, here’s some highlights:

  • Lots of dives early on, first by Jericho, then Shelton, then Kane nailed everyone in sight. The only one standing after all that.
  • Chris Benoit gave Jericho a German Suplex .. while Jericho was holding a ladder, meaning the ladder flew through the air as Jericho did. Visually awesome.
  • Kane abused Benoit with the ladder, smashing it in his face, then his shoulder, which gave Benoit a reason to sell an injury so well I thought he was working with an injury. (although I wouldn’t put it past him to work with a severe injury, Benoit worked the next PPV)
  • E & C briefly reuniting to take Kane out with two ladders.
  • Shelton Benjamin’s (man of the match) T-Bone suplex to Edge from the ladder. Commentary sold it like Benjamin was the gold standard.
  • Chrstian tried hitting Jericho with a ladder, which got lodged in a standing ladder. Shelton appeared (outta’ nowhere), ran up the ladder, and clotheslined Jericho off the standing ladder. No downtime, no warning, no hesitation, probably the best spot of the night, and Benjamin’s career.
  • Benoit appeared after the carnage with the greatest selling of an arm injury you will see anywhere, he slowly set a ladder up in the corner, and climbed up on the ladder (with one arm) as Kane laid motionless in the ring. Benoit, still selling that injury and somehow standing on top of a ladder, perfectly executed a diving headbutt on Kane. But his stitched up wound opened up again badly, as Benoit screamed in agony due to his arm and forehead suffering.
  • Kane & Benoit climbed the ladder, Kane tried for a chokeslam, but unlike most, Benoit punched him, then continuously headbutted him in the face (despite the open wound) to knock Kane off. The crowd were chanting Benoit by this point.
  • Benoit on top of the ladder, looking like he would win, was suddenly NAILED in the same shoulder/arm he’d been selling by a nasty sounding steel chair shot from Edge, knocking him off the ladder. Benoit screamed in agony, even biting the ring apron to ease the pain, while Edge claimed the first MITB briefcase as his own.

This is a perfect example of a MITB Ladder match, and it’s still one of the best. It can be regarded as highly as any of the TLC matches. Everyone played their part, the spots were crisp with no hesitation, and it wasn’t always obvious which spot would follow. Benoit’s selling was on another level, so when Edge “stole” the win from him, it gave Edge the necessary heel heat to become a main event star in the near future. Excellent match, no faults, (no slow climbing or anything like that) but it’s a close second to the real match of the night.


Muhammed Hassan’s Wrestlemania moment

Anyone remember Hassan? This was a perfect example of how to bury a career; send Eugene out as bait. Eugene appeared for the first time at Wrestlemania, and he was so excited to be there (aww bless), he told us his favourite WM moment of all time was King Kong Bundy at Wrestlemania III beating up midgets; apparently Eugene likes midgets. Hassan didn’t like Eugene’s innocent promo, so he and Daivari came down to ridicule Eugene and make a Wrestlemania moment. Luckily (!), guess who was on standby in his ring gear to save the day? Hulk Hogan!

So Hulk Hogan came down and saved Eugene from the dirty terrorists, posed, left the ring, came back, posed again, left the ring, posed on the entrance ramp with an American flag behind him, all by himself, and left. I can safely assume it’s only sporadic Hulkamania appearances going forward.


Match #3The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton

Ok I ain’t going to spoil this one at all, just in case you want to see it again. I can say this was probably the first COMPETITIVE match The Undertaker ever had at Wrestlemania. It was the first time you could believe The Undertaker’s streak was in trouble, as Randy did absolutely everything to stay with the Deadman.

The event is historic for The Undertaker’s career as WWE aired a video package of “The Streak”, meaning his matches were about defending the streak. Unlike previous years when it was more about the feud. Cole referred to The Undertaker as “The Legend” a few times, which was a sign of Undertaker growing into an older veteran. All in all though, it was a really good match. Obviously hard to follow the Ladder match, but it managed to do so despite some awkward moments.

Match #4Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme (w/ Lita) for the WWE Women’s Championship

So the Diva Search winner got her time to shine. Lita was injured so she “trained” Christy to beat Trish. Only thing was, Trish was far too experienced for Christy, so after a lackluster contest with Christy doing what she could, Trish buried Christy’s wrestling career with a Chick Kick. Good time to make a cuppa’ tea, or grab a beer or something; it was one of those.


Match #5Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels

The Best Wrestler vs. The Best Sports-Entertainer. Screw calling this match here, I’m just going to give it away in the video below. If you’re going to watch any wrestling match today, it should be this one. Freaking amazing contest, best match of the night. Could have been a main event on any card in any promotion from any time period; it’s that good, it’s true, it’s DAMN true!

 

Following this, Roddy Piper made his way to the ring. This was the same year Hogan and Piper were inducted. Piper appeared more pissed off than usual for some reason, especially when he sold Austin to everyone; like we didn’t know who Austin is.

So Austin entered to a huge pop as usual. Piper welcomed Austin to Piper’s Pit with a slap. Austin returned the welcome with an insult and a slap of his own. Piper liked the exchange, and the two started talking about who the baddest man is, and how Piper was the rebel to Vince well before Austin was.The fans were chanting “What!?” at Piper, which caused some hilarious comebacks from Piper, and interrupted his conversation with Austin repeatedly. Just as you felt the two would come to blows, Austin calmed things down. Then a wild Carlito debuted.

Carlito made a relevant point about Austin and Piper not being “cool” anymore. Maybe not on point when he said the fans were only there to see him. As usual, you had to be “cool”, or face the consequences, so Carlito slowly made his way to the ring like the hero he is. After somehow managing to enter Piper’s Pit without being attacked immediately, Carlito started tossing his apple in the air. Showing signs he would spit his apple at one of them .. Piper caught it, munched half of it voraciously, then spat all the chunks in Carlito’s face.

Carlito attacked Piper, and Austin stood there laughing til he had enough. Austin grabbed Carlito, threw him into the turnbuckle, stomped him into the ground, then gave him a stunner. Piper and Austin celebrated with beers for a while, until the inevitable stunner on Piper. Commentary reminded us you can never trust a rattlesnake. A better return segment than Hogan’s for sure.


Match #6Akebono vs Big Show in a Sumo match

Umm. Yeah. I knew who Akebono was before I saw this, but for anyone who didn’t know him? He’s just another big sumo wrestler. This was Big Show’s first “special” match at Wrestlemania, where he would inevitably fail against someone who excelled in their sport. The fans popped as the big men took off their robes (maybe they were terrified of Big Show’s ass or something), and the ceremonial pre-match rituals took place.

The crowd looked on in anguish. Even Tazz grew impatient and got excited with his little self over the impending collision. Finally, after minutes of waiting, the two clashed, and they slapped each other’s chests around (perhaps it would be entertaining if two divas did that instead). The two came to a brief stalemate, and Show rose his arm up, taunting Akebono.

Show grabbed Akebono and lifted him a short way, trying to throw him out, but Akebono used his own momentum against him and pushed him to the outside for the win. Big Show showed respect to Akebono afterwards, who returned his respect with a smile, and the two big men walked out together. Great if you like short sumo matches, bad if you wanted a traditional wrestling match.


Match #7JBL vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship

JBL went from being Bradshaw in a tag team match at WM XX, to “longest reigning champion in Smackdown history” JBL. John Cena went from first match on the card, winning the US title against the Big Show, to the second main event challenging for the WWE title. Something I forgot to add earlier was the amusing confrontation between JBL, Triple H and Ric Flair.

 

JBL made his entrance first, with $100 bills (with his face on ’em) falling throughout the arena. JBL’s cabinet did not escort him to the ringside area. Cena made his entrance to his new theme music, “The Time Is Now”, which he still uses to this day. I tried the “John Cena suuuccks” chant, but realized it was 2005 and the fans didn’t know it yet.

JBL had a plan; beat the hell out of Cena. So he used his brawling, and a neckbreaker, and ultimately used his veteran ways to keep Cena’s momentum down. The crowd was dead for this, you could hear a pin drop. Some more clotheslines and neckbreakers. Then a superplex, probably the biggest spot of the match. JBL set him up for his finish, however Cena countered into the tradtional five moves, and finished with the FU. The fans didn’t pop because you expected JBL to kick out of at least one FU, but he didn’t so the match ended at the 11-minute mark.

A really dull match, passable on Smackdown perhaps, but not Wrestlemania. Cena was really emotional over the win and celebrated in the crowd. It’s historic value is significant, but the match is nothing to write home about.


Match #8Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship

Lemmy forgot the words again as Motorhead played Triple H’s entrance theme. Triple H made a surprise appearance in the middle of the band after a platform lifted him to the stage. Batista entered to a lukewarm reception. The commentators reminded us of the “Flair factor”, as Triple H and Batista locked up. Triple H went to the well early with a pedigree countered into a press slam which almost ended horribly. Batsiat delivered a backdrop, then Triple H recovered and knocked him out of the ring with a high knee.

Ric Flair managed to distract Batista, giving Triple H the advantage on the outside. HHH worked on Batista’s back for a while, as the pace slowed considerably. Triple H hit the AA spinebuster, then shortly after, another Pedigree countered. Flair interfered a couple of times behind the referee’s back, which the crowd appreciated. Batista made a somber comeback, with some clotheslines and a powerslam for 2.

On the outside, Batista countered HHH’s attempts to nail him on the steel stairs by catapulting HHH’s face into the turnbuckle post. Triple H bladed and started pouring with blood; Ric Flair worthy job. Batsita, with no remorse, smashed HHH’s face off the steel steps repeatedly. In frustration, HHH grabbed a chair and tried swinging for Batista, but the referee grabbed it and fell off the ring apron.

Flair tried to ambush Batista but walked into a spinebuster, Triple H nailed Batista in the face with the title belt. The referee recovered, so the fans booed profusely at the thought of HHH retaining. Batista kicked out at 2, and the fans calmed down as Batista tried the spinebuster. HHH countered it with a low blow, and his Pedigree was once again countered, this time in to a sideslam. Batista got a reaction following his classic “thumbs up, thumbs down”, and followed up with the Batista Bomb for the victory.

A long match, so they were given plenty of time to make a classic Wrestlemania match. In some ways it delivered, in other ways it didn’t. It always felt like anyone but Triple H winning would be the best thing, so Batista was accepted due to the history and threat he shows. The fans did get behind Batista eventually, as he defended the World Championship for a long time in his first reign. It was the rise of The Animal, and I believe Triple H and Flair did everything they could to put him over.

I’ve seen worse main events, but with the time they were given? It fell short, and Batista rarely excelled in long matches. Also, Batista was on the receiving end of too much offense, and he wasn’t bloodied like Triple H in the end. I wonder if it would have been better if it was booked as a No-DQ? With both men going to war in a 20-minute fight, ending the night with both men looking like they had been through a war?

Batista ended the night celebrating with the World Heavyweight Championship. The bloodied Triple H stood up and stared at Batista, who reciprocated by taunting Triple H with the World title. Triple H and Flair left the ringside area as Batista enjoyed his second Wrestlemania on top of the food chain.


Conclusion

I really enjoyed the PPV because all the best action was early on. The quality reached its climax after the Michaels and Angle match, and no one could follow it. Luckily they put the Sumo match on after it, just to bridge the gap between them and the main events. Eddie and Rey started us off well, the MITB deserved a higher place on the card, and The Undertaker vs Orton was really competitive. The women’s match was filler before the Angle/HBK match, then it really died down as JBL entered. The fans groaned at JBL like I did when I finished watching the 11-minute WWE Championship match once again.

Wrestlemania 21 is like a polar opposite of Wrestlemania XX. While the mid-card suffered during XX, and the main events excelled, 21 featured an excellent mid-card, and the main events suffered. Vince wanted to make new faces at the time, I’ve always understood that, but what I don’t understand is why was it so rushed? Why would you not give Kurt Angle a chance? Or Jericho? Taker? Eddie again? It’s a gradual thing with the audience, if a wrestler truly belongs they will get over eventually. Forcing fans to like certain guys before their time always creates tension between the fans and the wrestlers who are simply following the creative direction.

A prime example is Seth Rollins. If Rollins had not been with The Shield and got over, and was suddenly pushed in a short time to be WWE Champion, no one would buy that, even the ROH fans who knew him before his NXT days would buy that.

Yes, Batista was in Evolution, but before his World Championship match, he’d never held a midcard belt, he’d been a bodyguard and not much else. Despite Batista’s popularity, there’s always been an underlining resentment by some fans who believe he had too much handed to him; his second Royal Rumble win amplified the resentment for his rise to success in WWE.

So overall, the show was great for three hours, and then it fell off the cliff in the last hour. Unless you happen to enjoy Triple H, Batista, JBL and John Cena in the main event? Then it should be your favourite PPV. A highly recommended watch. I’ve been your Wrestlemania series host, and the next entry will be in the near future. Thanks for reading. (PS: I’ll leave the WWE Hollywood trailers below for your own amusement)

Wrestlemania IWrestlemania 2Wrestlemania IIIWrestlemania IVWrestlemania VWrestlemania VIWrestlemania VIIWrestlemania VIIIWrestlemania IXWrestlemania XWrestlemania XIWrestlemania XIIWrestlemania 13Wrestlemania XIVWrestlemania XVWrestlemania 2000Wrestlemania X-SevenWrestlemania X8Wrestlemania XIXWrestlemania XX


Wrestlemania 21 Hollywood Movie Trailers

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