Recent Manias: "thrown together" no "Magic"

[Miz-Wannabe]

Last year the only match that really even meant something was ECW Originals vs The New Breed. That was meaningful and special. Everything else just kinda happned. That's the trend that I'm seeing in the recent Manias. Everything just kinda happens and the matches are just made. They dont feel like they're long overdue or the matches where just waiting for the right time to take place. Most of the wrestlers in the matches dont really seem to have anything to prove. Angle vs Michaels at Mania 21 was a perfect story. Angle had a deep hidden jealousy over HBK for getting more attention and admiration for his Wrestlemania match with Bret Hart, the same year Angle won his gold medal. When Batista turned on his long time evolution partner and "mentor" Triple H it created excitement. You could talk about how Batista must of felt used and mistreated by Evolution, you could actually feel something from the characters. This year every single match looks like it just was thrown together. Flair picked HBK. Mayweather just happened to be at No Way Out and got into a fight with a returning Big Show. Cena just happened to return and was skyrocketed into the main event. Edge just feels like another one of Taker's Mania victims. Money In The Bank is missing it's hottest star. Can I be more specific? This is why I feel there is no Mania Magic.

[rrm15]

I disagree about last years Mania not feeling special. I was really into the hype. It seemed big to me because they kind of made it feel like this would be the last time two huge legends (HBK and Taker) would have a shot at the big one at the biggest show of the year. IDK, it just felt like a big deal to me.

Although I'm not gonna lie, Triple H not being a part of it last year was a big positive for me.

[BorneAgain]

I thought MITB last year felt big.

Granted the fact in involved almost every member of the upper-card on all three brands and thus most could reasonably seen as winning it might have had something to do with it.

[Joekishi]

Wrestlemania X-7 is typically listed as THE BEST.

It was also the most thrown together card out of all of the wrestlemanias

[saggyboyflair]

I will agree with the original poster. At least in my own personal opinion. That last WM that TRUELY had the magic was 2002. With Hall-Austin, Trips-Jericho, Rock-Hogan(which should have been ME damnit) but of course trips had to his thing. etc.. 2001-2002 were the last ones I thought felt magical. Alot of people say 20? Ehh I felt it overrated. 2004 was a bad year in wrestling IMO. The product was horrible. Never thought Benoit should have been champ, nor Eddie. Both great workers but not WC material IMO.To this day, I think it was just to appease the smart marks looking for "workrate" and to say thank u to eddie and Benoit through years of struggle and fighting for the top spot. It was an emotional ending to Mania but nothing I would call as "magical" like a andre-hogan, warrior-hogan, austin-shawn, austin-rock WM 17, WM XV, Piper-T etc.

[rrm15]

basicboogeynomix said:

Wrestlemania X-7 is typically listed as THE BEST.

It was also the most thrown together card out of all of the wrestlemanias

Thats actually a good point.

[Deleted]

also on the Fact that the Respect for Flair from HBK is well Documented, so This is HBK's Biggest match since Him Vs. Angle

PLUS, last year, There was The MITB Buildup (Anyone have the video when all 8 were on raw?)

[Hanzo]

Like you said, everything feels thrown together. This year it feels like there are so many people that are being thrown on the card just for the sake of being there.

The only match on the card that I'm looking foward to is Edge vs Undertaker (and for the record, I still think Edge will win). The build has been weak, though and like you said, Edge just feels like another name to be added to the list. I wish they would capitalize on how much of a thorn Edge has been in Undertaker's side since Spring of last year. I feel having emphasizing continuity in their rivalry would help the build the WHC match greatly.

[Deleted]

Unfortunitly, I Think Edge winning now will happen, Its for the best for Edges Career, but IDK, I just wanted it to be someone who will put up an incredable match (HBK, Flair, etc)

[Stu]

cageking666 said:

also on the Fact that the Respect for Flair from HBK is well Documented, so This is HBK's Biggest match since Him Vs. Angle

PLUS, last year, There was The MITB Buildup (Anyone have the video when all 8 were on raw?)

Here you go.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyKKu5oAsjo

[Marvelously Mediocre]

lol What makes everyone think that Edge will win?

[jzbadblood]

Go back and watch some old Wrestlemania's. A lot of those cards were thrown together as well. It's always been that way, and most of the WM's were actually pretty bad, even WM 3 was terrible aside from 2 matches.

[MichaelMartini]

I just bought a mania box set - 90-95 and have just rewatched 6 and 7. Almost every match had a story behind it. I used to think WM7 sucked but it was great in comparrison to the last few manias.

[Loki]

We are jaded and almost never pleased.

The hype and the buildup for recent WrestleManias has been good, if not great. But obviously, having watched since the XVI century, we've seen it all, in different ways and incarnations. And we always tend to idealize the past, thus thinking it was MUCH better than the present.

I still think the Superstar v Superstar booking on a weekly basis is the worst thing that ever happened to wrestling, but for obvious reasons, it's not gonna go away.

Clearly, a match we've already seen 10 times on RAW/SD won't have the same special vibe it could have the first time on PPV after a long buildup...

[Splinter]

WM 20 for me was the best because while it gave Bob Holly and Eddie Guerrero their mania moments, the show was stolen y the Rock and Sock Connection taking on Evolution. Not only that Chris Jericho and Christian showed that they deserved to be main eventers with a solid performance, Taker returned to his deadman roots and while it had the obligatory Playboy match they managed to showcase a good women's title match with Molly Holly and Victoria

[rapidfire187]

basicboogeynomix said:

Wrestlemania X-7 is typically listed as THE BEST.

It was also the most thrown together card out of all of the wrestlemanias

But Wrestlemania X-7 is considered the best because of the match quality. But I still wouldn't say it was just thrown together.

TLC II obviously had a huge history building for over a year with all three teams. Hell the same teams were in a ladder match together the year before!

Angle/Benoit was the first 1 on 1 meeting between the two despite actually being in a triple threat match together the year before. It didn't get a huge build, but it got plenty of attention and Wrestlemania was the perfect place for this match.

Undertaker/Triple H had a pretty good build to it, not that it needed it considering the people involved.

Vince/Shane was the biggest angle in the history of wrestling for some fans at the time. Not because of Vince and Shane, but because of the storyline itself.

Austin/Rock has possibly the best build for a Wrestlemania main event ever.

I don't see how that PPV was thrown together at all, especially when compared to the very next year.

[MichaelMartini]

loki said:

We are jaded and almost never pleased.

The hype and the buildup for recent WrestleManias has been good, if not great. But obviously, having watched since the XVI century, we've seen it all, in different ways and incarnations. And we always tend to idealize the past, thus thinking it was MUCH better than the present.

I still think the Superstar v Superstar booking on a weekly basis is the worst thing that ever happened to wrestling, but for obvious reasons, it's not gonna go away.

Clearly, a match we've already seen 10 times on RAW/SD won't have the same special vibe it could have the first time on PPV after a long buildup...

The hype is there, no arguement here, but the storylines are not. This year we've got 2 - Hornswaggle saga and Flair retirement and a decent spectacle with Mayweather. This year is not too bad. Last year the only story was the Trump thing and that was a clusterf***.

[Mac]

michaelmartini said:

I just bought a mania box set - 90-95 and have just rewatched 6 and 7. Almost every match had a story behind it. I used to think WM7 sucked but it was great in comparrison to the last few manias.

7 had a lot of "whatever" matches

Rockers v Barbarian/Haku
Texas Tornado v Dino Bravo
Undertaker v Jimmy Snuka
Kitao/Tenryu v Demolition
Earthquake v Greg Valentine
Legion of Doom v. Power and Glory
Mountie v Tito Santana


I mean those matches are as thrown together as it gets and more SUPERSTARS worthy than Wrestlemania worthy.

I remember a lot of Mania matches back in the day would just be announced on UPDATE! followed by one of those promos against the particular wrestlers backdrop and nothing more.

[seano]

basicboogeynomix said:

Wrestlemania X-7 is typically listed as THE BEST.

It was also the most thrown together card out of all of the wrestlemanias

WrestleMania 2000 says "Hi, how are ya? We opened with D'Lo & Godfather vs. Bossman and Buchanan, which was put together only a week before the PPV."

[mrjl]

mikeybadnews said:

michaelmartini said:

I just bought a mania box set - 90-95 and have just rewatched 6 and 7. Almost every match had a story behind it. I used to think WM7 sucked but it was great in comparrison to the last few manias.

7 had a lot of "whatever" matches

Rockers v Barbarian/Haku
Texas Tornado v Dino Bravo
Undertaker v Jimmy Snuka
Kitao/Tenryu v Demolition
Earthquake v Greg Valentine
Legion of Doom v. Power and Glory
Mountie v Tito Santana


I mean those matches are as thrown together as it gets and more SUPERSTARS worthy than Wrestlemania worthy.

I remember a lot of Mania matches back in the day would just be announced on UPDATE! followed by one of those promos against the particular wrestlers backdrop and nothing more.

Funny thing is, I've found out a more of these matches than I thought had at least some backstory, thanks to Youtube. And with the way wrestling was back then, no Raw or Smackdown you don't even get to see midcarders wrestle each other every week, it might have seemed even bigger. LOD/P&G had a tag team battle royal behind it. Earthquake and Dino Bravo were beating down Greg Valentine only to have him saved by Brutus Beefcake when he was considering his masked wrestler without a face gimmick(and I just realized the Dream Team connection there.)