Wrestlemania 24 Recap: woooooo!

Okay, so it's been a while. I hope this finds everyone well. We're well on the road to Backlash now (preview blog/predictions to follow), and I thought I'd take some time (while I have time) to recap my Wrestlemania thoughts and set them against what actually happened at the Citrus Bowl on the night. Sorry it's a little late.

For me, WM24 was spectacular. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the PPV as a whole, and despite the obvious stinkers (ones you knew would bite before they even happened *cough*bunnymania*cough*mayweather) the card was strong and meaty. Well worth the fans money. This, though, is still relevant to the WWE's problem. It was Wrestlemania. I don't know if there has ever been a Wrestlemania that could be described as wholly 'bad'. As long as the company continues to spew out more Pay Per Views than there are months in a year, and continuously saturate the market with its product, WWE programming will stay as bland and disposible as it has become, save for magical nights like Wrestlemania, The Royal Rumble and Summerslam. For now, I suppose all we can do is appreciate those special nights and hope for better...or more accurately, less...from Titan Towers.

My predictions? Okay, I know they weren't as fine tuned as I'd like them to have been, but I feel there is justification with hindsight to my advantage. Isn't there always? Let's look at the results:

1. JBL def. Finlay (w/Hornswoggle): Belfast Brawl (Predicted: Finlay)
Okay, this one still makes no sense to me. The storyline had been built up so well (save for the rampant and blatant visual references to child abuse), with so much emotion on both sides. Finlay was due his revenge in order to wrap up the storyline, but it never materialised. Fair enough if creative intend to wind this storyline out for a while longer, but from what I can see post-Mania...there is no such intention. Why leave fans so unfulfilled?

2. CM Punk def. John Morrison, Y2J, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Carlito and Shelton Benjamin: Money In The Bank (Predicted: Mr. Kennedy)
To quote myself "Punk will get his push someday...just not yet." Boy how wrong was I? I'm genuinely glad to see a pure wrestler, a proper-non man mountain wrestler, win a big money match on the grandest stage of them all. The ROH legend CM Punk deserves the recognition that this victory attains...but let me also quote myself on something else. "The concept of wasting such a big match for the sake of the ECW title just doesn't make sense, and the idea of one of these guys entering a main event programme makes even less." I am more than interested, even perhaps apprehensive, to see where this is going. What's encouraging though is that some of my smaller predictions for this match, notably involving MVP, were spot on.

3. Batista def. Umaga: Smackdown! vs. Raw (predicted: Batista)
Big Dave wins a match declaring SD's supremacy over Raw, and then quickly turns heel and enters a program with one of Raw's top guys...HBK. You show em', oul boy.

4. Kane (wins 24 man battle royal earlier) then... def. Chavo Guerrero: New ECW Champion (predicted: Kane to win Battle Royal/ Kane to win ECW title)
Watch, as I bask in the heat of my own big brain. The funny thing about this match is that Chavo was squashed in the match by Kane in around 5 seconds because he was reportedly filmed at TNA Impact tapings along with other WWE superstars (The Highlanders being two). What do you expect when you hold your biggest PPV in the same town as your employees old friends?

5. Shawn Michaels def. Ric Flair: Career Threatening Match, Flair retires. (predicted: Shawn Michaels)
No surprises at all here. An absolute show-stopper. One of the most memorable moments that I think I have ever seen since I started to watch wrestling at age 5. I sat choking back tears...and I don't know one person who saw it live and didn't. It was my girlfriend's first Wrestlemania...and I can't think of anything better to give a relatively new fan an idea of why long-term fans love the business so much. Thank you, Naitch. WOOOOOO!

6. Beth Phoenix/Melina def. Ashley/Maria: Bunnymania Lumberjack Match (predicted: Ashley/Maria)
Yes, Phoenix and Melina got the three count, but Maria and Ashley got the Snoop-Dogg tasting upper hand by the end of it all...that's what I was getting at. Let's not waste any more letters on a WWE Diva's match, however. Not when such things as the TNA Knockout division exists. That's for you, Slim.

7. Randy Orton retains and def. John Cena and HHH: WWE Championship Match (predicted: HHH)
Quoting myself again, "One thing is for sure, this will be an interesting match, and it's not unlike WWE to change their plans last minute." The mobile-poll taken during Wrestlemania asking fans who they thought would win this match said it all, Randy Orton got a whole 8% of the public vote. This was a classic swerve tactic. Give the fans a moment of disbelief in a match where it seemed like there could be none. It's also worth noting that as soon as I saw this match on the undercard, and not the main event, I knew the Undertaker would win clean.

8. Floyd Mayweather def. Big Show (predicted: Floyd Mayweather)
Absolutely no surprises here. None. Barely even any entertainment actually...

9. Undertaker def. Edge: New World Heavyweight Champion (predicted: Undertaker by DQ)
Edges streak comes to an end, and Taker's lives on. Early rumours have suggested that next years Wrestlemania, taking place in the Deadman's home state of Texas, will be his last. With the WWE title match having the swerve ending, this was the only logical conclusion to Wrestlemania 24, but it was still a great one. This is looking like the long term-title reign before his impending retirement that Taker was promised and had begun at last years WM, but his bicep injury put an end to that. Here's hoping she's a good-un.

Overall prediction result: 6/10
Not so bad, considering the nature of the ones I called wrong.

Finally, before I go, Smackdown debutant Vladimir Kozlov...West Brom manager Tony Mowbray's brother???




you can call that one...