Powell Editorials WrestleMania 25 Histlist: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, Triple H vs. Randy Orton, John Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show, Money in the Bank ladder match, JBL announces his retirement, Steve Austin's farewell By Jason Powell Apr 6, 2009 - 12:30 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net Members are listening to over three hours of WrestleMania 25 recap audio that was recorded late last night, including a 100-minute review with former WWE creative team member and Newsday.com Steel Cage blogger Seth Mates. You can score instant access to all Dot Net Audio for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. WrestleMania 25 Hits Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels: This was one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. Most people assumed going in that Taker was going to win the match, but that didn't seem to stop the live crowd from buying into Shawn's near falls. In retrospect, this match should have gone on last. Nothing else on the show came close to being this good. Fans will be talking about this match for decades like some of the other great WrestleMania matches. An instant classic. John Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show: A solid three-way. I don't agree with the decision to give Cena the title on this show simply because it didn't feel like a big WrestleMania moment and it's not one of the major talking points coming out of the show. It hasn't been that long since he last held a World Title, and I didn't get the sense that Cena fans were clamoring to see him get the belt back this quick. That said, the match itself was solid and turned out to be the better of the two World Title matches, which few people expected heading into the show. Money in the Bank: A great way to open the show. There were plenty of innovative spots and good drama moments in the form of near briefcase grabs. Christian was the most over wrestler in the match and one can only hope that Vince McMahon took notice of the reaction he received from the live crowd. The fans didn't dislike C.M. Punk, but they made it clear that they wanted to see Christian win the match when the two were battling at the top of the ladder at one point. I didn't see Punk as a repeat winner coming and it was fun to open the show with a strong match that produced a surprising finish. Bonus points to Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston for delivering standout performances. Steve Austin: Stone Cold's farewell weekend didn't pack the emotional punch that Ric Flair's retirement did last year, but I loved the way he handled it. He made it clear that he was closing the door on his pro wrestling career and has already worked his final match, and then he showed up at WrestleMania and delivered a great beer party celebrating. I also loved the personal moment he shared with Jim Ross at ringside. Thanks for the memories, Steve. Chris Jericho vs. The Legends: The match was laid out nicely with Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper making quick exits, which gave Jericho and Ricky Steamboat plenty of time to work together. I'm surprised that Flair didn't get to avenge the beating that Jericho gave him on Raw a couple weeks ago, but I guess WWE didn't feel like it was important to give him the revenge moment since he's going back to being a free agent now that WrestleMania is over. Finally, Mickey Rourke did more than I expected and gave the company a highlight reel that is likely to be picked up by the mainstream media. Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy: This match would have stood out more had it not been on the same show as the Money in the Bank match. That said, it was still an entertaining match and I loved the innovative Twist of Fate with the chair wrapped around Jeff's neck. Kudos to Matt's new look. That small cosmetic change could go a long way. The build for this match was forgettable, but they still have a chance to hook people now that it's obviously going to continue at least through the Backlash pay-per-view. Rey Mysterio vs. JBL: Short but sweet. JBL's mic work was fun and his announcement after the match lived up to the hype he created for the big moment he teased. Am I the only one who hated Mysterio's whacked out Joker costume? WrestleMania 25 Misses Triple H vs. Randy Orton: I was bored by this match. WWE officials will probably claim that the live crowd was burned out at the end of the four-hour show, but something tells me the fans would have been just as hot as they were for Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels had that match taken place in the main event spot. This was not a memorable WrestleMania main event. In fact, the same match would have felt boring had it taken place on an off-brand pay-per-view. I had high hopes for this match going in and it turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the night. Too bad. Divas Battle Royal: I hated the way the announcers played dumb about Santino Marella's involvement for a portion of the match. Santino's post-match celebration was a lot of fun, but the overall match was a disappointment because they did nothing to spotlight the returning Divas. I honestly couldn't tell you what Sunny looked like because I never got a good look at her during the match. At the very least, WWE should have focussed on the returning Divas and displayed graphics as they came out during Kid Rock's performance. Kid Rock: I enjoy his music and his performance was good, but it felt unnecessary. I realize that Kid Rock and the Pussycat Dolls singer who opened the show will score WWE more mainstream publicity, but Kid Rock's performance went way longer than it should have. Carlito and Primo vs. John Morrison and The Miz: Obviously, this isn't an indictment of their match because those of us who ordered the pay-per-view didn't get to see it. I'm willing to wager that less than one percent of the people who ordered the pay-per-view did so to see Kid Rock perform, whereas I know people who considered the tag title unification match one of the three or four most appealing matches on the show. At the very least, WWE should have aired this match on their website. HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Dixie Carter's speech to the talent crew, hype for Hulk Hogan, the build for A.J. Styles vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe, Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Hernandez, Tara vs. Hamada WWE Raw Hitlist: Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne host Raw, Chris Jericho vs. John Cena vs. Big Show, Sheamus destroys Jamie Noble, The Miz vs. Evan Bourne, vintage Michael Cole Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Hulk Hogan footage, Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe has a brain, Eric Young renames the toy belt, Matt Morgan vs. Rhino, World Elite get new warmup gear, Team 3D vs. Motor City Machine Guns WWE Raw Hitlist: John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels announced for Survivor Series, Kofi Kingston shines, John Cena makes Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes look like losers, Hornswoggle can't read WWE Bragging Rights Hitlist: John Cena vs. Randy Orton in an Iron Man match, Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista vs. C.M. Punk four-way, Raw vs. Smackdown tag match, The Miz vs. John Morrison Powell's TNA Bound For Glory Hitlist: A.J. Styles vs. Sting for the TNA Title, Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan, Ultimate X match, Mick Foley vs. Abyss, Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe, ODB vs. Tara vs. Awesome Kong