WrestleMania Hits

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels: An amazing sendoff for the greatest of all time. Both wrestlers rose to the occasion and delivered a performance for the ages. This will be the match that WrestleMania is remembered for and it's not just because it was Flair's final match. Of course, that had a lot to do with it, but this was just one hell of a match and an emotional roller coaster. I still believe WWE could have handled Flair's retirement angle better, but I was totally satisfied with his final match. Bonus points to Jim Ross, who also brought his A-game and did a great job of covering from HBK's moonsault off the top rope that grazed Flair. Everyone has their own idea for how Flair's last match should have gone. Nevertheless, this was one of the most memorable moments in WrestleMania history, and that's really saying something.

Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena: Another standout match that lived up to my lofty expectations. The action was great from start to finish and I loved the finishing sequence. I actually called Orton retaining the title in the Predictions Extravaganza, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the finish. The match was only phase one. Now Orton needs to step it up on the mic and deliver the best promo of his career tonight to cement his status as a top star who is on par with Cena and Hunter. Unfortunately, the general consensus of the industry sources I speak with is that he doesn't have the mic skills necessary to pull it off.

Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather: I didn't call the finish of this match, but I did predict in my preview and predictions article on Friday that Mayweather was going to surprise people. I was concerned about the match when the news broke yesterday that Triple H had to be called in to help with the match because Floyd was slow to pick up on things, but the match turned out to be highly entertaining. Mayweather turned out to be the best celebrity WWE has ever used. Mike Tyson was fun and was a bigger name, but Mayweather actually got in the ring and worked a passable, fun match. I hope he shows up on Raw tonight to take the chokeslam. Either way, though, Mayweather was worth the investment WWE made. He gave them repeated exposure on ESPN and in the mainstream media, and he turned in a strong performance.

Money in the Bank ladder match: In an interview with BetweenTheRopes.com last week, Chris Jericho compared ladder matches to playing the guitar in the sense that it seems like everything has been done before, so you have to be artistic to create something new. The guys involved in this match did just that. There were some really cool stunts and some terrific "near grabs." I could have done without that sick bump by Shelton Benjamin, though. It was a crazy spot and I give him credit for having the balls to try it, but it just wasn't worth the risk. I was especially satisfied with the outcome of the match and I hope WWE pulls Punk from the ECW roster and moves him into position to challenge Orton (more likely) or even Undertaker (probably not) on one of the top two brands.

Undertaker vs. Edge: I found it odd that WWE picked the most predictable match to place in the main event slot. I realize it was a title match and they wanted to close the show on a happy note, but the match was void of the mystery and drama that most of the other top matches had. Even so, both wrestlers worked really hard and delivered an entertaining match (and Edge delivered a really nice promo that was misplaced in the sense that it had to follow Flair's match). I don't think it be remembered as a classic WrestleMania match since it didn't even steal this show, nor will it be remembered as a great WrestleMania moment. It's too bad Vince always tries to send the crowd home happy because the image of Orton standing victorious over Hunter and Cena would have been a much more memorable way to close out the show.

WrestleMania Misses

Batista vs. Umaga: This was not Batista's night. The consensus opinion of people I've spoken to about the match was that he was trying too hard. That seems like a logical conclusion since he wanted to prove that he was worthy of a better spot on the show. I really thought these guys would step it up for that reason, but this was a really slow match. I didn't think that nerve hold was ever going to end. And to top it all off, Batista slipped while performing the powerbomb at the end of the match. Everyone has off nights. It's just too bad Batista's came on the biggest night of the year.

JBL vs. Finlay: I was hoping for a good old fashioned brawl, not a throwback to the camp WWE Hardcore division. I expected a slugfest and was given a bunch of trash can shots. That's not to say there weren't some fun moments during the match. JBL swinging the trash can lid at the flying Finlay was wild. It was like JBL's tribute to Major League Baseball's opening day. And how could you not laugh when JBL chucked the trash can at Hornswoggle. I also found it odd that JBL, who has taken shots at ECW over the years, resorted to using the watered down WWE version of ECW style for this match.

Kane's pyro: I expected a lot more in the outdoor atmosphere, especially when Kane entered from the other side of the ring. I know this probably doesn't matter to most people and I'll admit that it's a petty complaint, but I expected something extraordinary from pyrotechnics crew and was let down when it turned out to be tamer than his typical television entrance. That being said, I had no problem with his squash win over Chavo. Granted, WWE tried to turn Chavo into a credible champion by giving him clean wins over Punk and Tommy Dreamer in recent weeks, but it just didn't click. The simple truth is that Chavo wouldn't headline most indy shows so there's no reason he should be featured as the centerpiece of ECW. I hate to come down so hard on the guy, but he lacks personality and charisma, and is getting by based on his last name.

Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman: As one source told me this morning, Cole doesn't want to be there and it shows. I generally zone these two out whether I mean to or not. They speak in cliches and it sounds like I'm listening to video games. Coach's constant predictions that the main event match was going to end was grating because it let viewers know that the finish wasn't actually going to occur in those spots. Worse yet, he sounded like he was forcing his enthusiasm during those calls.

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