Irrelevant But Awesome

Joel:  This WrestleMania needs to be subtitled the “Stay the Course” Wrestlemania. After two years of changing the Main Event, last minute to appease the fans, this was the year that WWE decided to stick to their guys and have the main event play out the way that they wanted it to play out. Come hell or high water, Roman Reigns was going to end the show holding the title over a defeated Triple H. I won’t say that it was impossible to have a scenario where this ending felt satisfying, but this wasn’t it, and in many ways it feels like WWE didn’t even try. Other than a half hearted attempt of Stephanie coming out with a “Please boo this man” segment before Triple H’s entrance, the whole thing was tedious. Even the match itself was less than what Triple H and Reigns should have been capable of. It was as if the two people in the ring felt like the match was going to get booed anyway, so there was no real point in even trying to make this one a WrestleMania classic. The bigger p...

Joel:  Unfortunately, there’s not much on this card to make up for the frustration of Twice in a Lifetime. I don’t know what it is about Brock Lesnar and Triple H, but these are two talented guys who just do not work well together. As bad as this match was, it pains me to remember this was one of the best matches that these guys put on together during this particular feud. I remember at the time also being surprised that Fandango’s debut landed with such a thud since they were obviously high on the guy, putting his debut match on WrestleMania, against Chris Jericho no less. Well now, seeing where Fandango’s career has gone, that thud is even louder rewatching the show. Honestly, CM Punk vs. The Undertaker is the only match I feel like praising here. It’s a strong match between the two of them, and has some nice spots, but I think both guys had a stronger showing the previous year. On a technical level it’s a great match, but the emotion for this match isn’t there the way it ...

Joel:  I remember really enjoying this WrestleMania when I was watching it live, but rewatching it this time around I spent the first hour or so of the show wondering how I could have possibly liked any of this. The Daniel Bryan match with Sheamus bothered me a little bit watching it live, but it frustrates me so much more now, knowing that Bryan will only ever have two singles matches at WrestleMania and this is one of them. Honestly there are only three really good matches on the card, and they’re good enough to make this a good WrestleMania on a “thumbs up/thumbs down” scale, but  these three matches are all in the last four matches on the show. Undertaker and Triple H more than make up for their so-so match from WrestleMania 27 with this Hell in a Cell match. It’s nice to see the end of this era go out with Undertaker standing tall rather than having to be carted away like he was the previous year. And I feel like bringing Shawn Michaels in as the referee nicely t...

Joel:   It’s hard to go into WrestleMania X8 right after having seen the previous one. X7 after all was the best WrestleMania to date and pretty much defines what a WrestleMania event could be. It’s going to be hard to be compared to that, no matter what kind of card you’ve put together. And if you judge it on its own merit, WrestleMania X8 is still a pretty good show. And they tried to put together a fantastic card. The title is now the undisputed title to add to the gravity of the main event match. And you have Hogan showing up for the first WrestleMania in almost ten years which genuinely felt like a big deal. It doesn’t quite live up to the feeling and the momentum of last years show, but then again, I’m not sure how it could. The biggest complaint I have (other than the number being X8 which is just as stupid as X7 was last year) was not letting Hogan and Rock go on last. That just feels like the epic showdown that’s worthy of being the main event. It’s Icon vs. Icon. A...

Update: Hogan made a statement via  PEOPLE  that apologized for his words in the audio that was unveiled as part of his legal proceedings against Gawker. "Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it.  This is not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise. I am disappointed with myself that I used language that is offensive and inconsistent with my own beliefs." The TNA wrestling organization also distance themselves from Hogan, who was part of their roster from 2009 until 2014. Forbes  reported that the Hogan controversy has caused WWE's stock to drop 4% which cost shareholders roughly $50 Million. **** The relationship history between WWE and Hulk Hogan (real name Terry B...