This is not a play by play recap, but it was written live and I'm not going to edit it. For those that followed along with it on thejohnreport.net I want to say thank you for a record night. It makes me think I should do this for every WWE PPV. I will try my best. Sometimes it's hard to find the time, but after seeing how many of you were checking the site out it really makes it worthwhile. Also, I've adjusted some star ratings. Got a few emails saying I was too mean on Cena/Batista. I re-watched it and I think I was a little harsh. I bumped the rating up a bit. Here's the show rundown and then at the end some final thoughts. If you already read this recap live, just scroll down to "FINAL THOUGHTS" at the bottom to get my additional comments.
WWE WrestleMania 26
Phoenix, Arizona
March 28, 2010
I'm sure the video package at the very beginning was great, but our purchase didn't kick in until 7:05pm, sadly. I apparently missed Fantasia signing America The Beautiful. I'm sure she did a good job.
The set looks amazing. The announcers are Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker. I like that Striker's there, but I miss Jim Ross already. Tag titles up first.
Unified Tag Titles: Showmiz vs. John Morrison & R-Truth
Cole noted that the tag titles hadn't changed hands at WrestleMania in nine years. It won't happen again. The crowd's pretty hot early from what I can tell. They really loved the offense of Morrison. Tide turned when Morrison missed Starship Pain, so Showmiz worked him over for a while. Big Show made the blind tag and then KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT~! of Morrison as John was going for the Flying Chuck kick. Match time? 4 minutes. Yep, that's it.
Winners: Showmiz
Analysis: * Too short to be anything more than that. I was thinking ten minutes, but they didn't even get half that.
They showed a video package showcasing WM events. That was about half as long as the previous match.
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Ted Dibiase
I'd be surprised if Orton doesn't win this. He's gone from WM main eventer to working the second match. Quite the fall. He did get a huge pop on his entrance, though. Rhodes is wearing white boots with red trunks while Dibiase has blue trunks with black boots. I love how the announcers talk about how they treated Orton poorly like Orton was a saint or something. I guess short memories are a requirement. As expected the heels double teamed Orton for the early portion of it. Rhodes hit the Alabama Slam for two with Dibiase breaking it up. Very predictable booking. Orton made his comeback and gave them a dueling DDT off the middle rope. The crowd popped huge for that. Great spot. Realistic? Probably not, but it worked magically. The crowd went nuts. Huge "RKO" chants for Orton as he was staring at Rhodes in the ring. Instead of the RKO, Orton went into the corner to punt Rhodes. For whatever reason the camera missed it as it was on Dibiase on the floor. Dibiase came back in the ring, went for Dream Street and it was countered into a RKO for Orton. Match went about 9 minutes.
Winner: Randy Orton
Analysis: *3/4 Decent match although nobody believed Rhodes or Dibiase was going to win.. The crowd was into it when Orton made his comeback, so that's a good sign for his face run. The RKO really drew a huge pop.
Backstage, Vickie Guerrero and heel divas cut a promo that included Jillian Hall singing. Santino showed up, plugged Slim Jims and we got some guest appearances from Gene Okerlund, Mae Young and Melina.
Money in the Bank Match: Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Matt Hardy, Drew McIntyre, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, Evan Bourne, MVP and Christian
Best theme music in WWE is Drew McIntyre. I declare it officially. I'm picking Drew with Christian being the only other option. I will mark out if it's Christian. During the entrances, the announcers did a great job of putting over the history of this match and each guy as well. Jack Swagger's wearing a Kurt Angle like red, white and blue singlet while Kofi's got white tights.
Early on the babyfaces teamed up on Drew McIntyre. Matt Hardy was the first guy to touch the briefcase, but he's not winning. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag on Christian as Christian was close to getting it. It was OUT OF NOWHERE~! according to Cole. Ten guys in this match is too much. Hey, the three black guys are working together to go after Kane, but he gave Kofi a powerbomb onto a ladder. It's hard to keep track of all the big spots.
In case you're wondering, all the ladders are silver rather than the black ones they've used in past years. They had Christian, Hardy and Bourne all climb the ladders after setting up a scaffold. Wow, Bourne just hit the Air Bourne SSP off the scaffold ladder onto Christian. Hardy gave Bourne a hiptoss off the ladder. Damn, that was a sick spot. Ouch. Hardy took a back bump off the top of the ladder onto a ladder that was used a scaffold. The ring is empty at the eight minute mark. Dolph goes up, Kane takes him down. Ha, Kane beat Dolph with a ladder and broke it in half. Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise on Kane. Notice that McIntyre's barely been in the match? Ha, Kofi's using the broken ladders as stilts and he climbed up until McIntyre cleared him out. They keep calling him "The Chosen One." Reminds me of Jeff Jarrett in WCW, which is not a good thing. Ouch. Drew took the bump off the ladder where he got crotched on the top rope. We're at 12 minutes now.
Matt and Christian were both close to the briefcase where they fought Kane off. Christian with a reverse DDT off the ladder. Cole called it a Twist of Fate, but it was Christian delivering the move. Swagger climbed up, hit Christian in the head with the briefacase and after 15 seconds of struggling he was able to pull it down. Match went 14 minutes.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Analysis: ***1/2 Very solid Money in the Bank match although they had some mistimed moments too. It's hard with ten guys, but I think for the most part they made it work. As for Jack Swagger winning? I'm cool with it. It's just that the guy was barely used for the past five months and now all of a sudden he wins this? That's fine. I like him. I don't mind being wrong.
They showed clips from the Hall of Fame. I still think it's a joke that Stu Hart's segment wasn't even shown on TV. Even here they showed Uecker's clips because of his jokes. I'd rather see more of Bret Hart's speech. I guess that's what the DVD is for. Also, props to Ted Dibiase for his speech. He's a very gifted speaker.
They showed the Hall of Fame class on the stage. Got to love the faces of Mad Dog Vachon. This is definitely the weakest Hall of Fame class since they brought it back.
Triple H vs. Sheamus
We got a video package for it. They even had clips of Ultimate Warrior at WM12 in 1996. I love how they keep saying Sheamus had the best first year in WWE history. No he didn't. It was Angle or Lesnar. Easily. Of course they can't mention either of them. Got to love WWE's revisionist history, right? Sheamus came out first with HHH out second. No glowsticks. Only a water bottle. The 14th WrestleMania for HHH. The only one he missed since starting in WWE was WM23 when he had the torn quad (the second one).
I don't see myself doing play by play here. It won't be as fast paced as Money in the Bank. Triple H busted out the figure four and they even mentioned Ric Flair's name. I'm sure Dixie Carter will consider that promotion for TNA. Why is Striker calling HHH the "Ace of Spades?" He doesn't have enough nicknames already? Triple H looks extra tanned here. I guess they wanted to accentuate the color disparity between the two. With Sheamus on offense the crowd was pretty dead, but they are a good crowd that woke up when HHH had his minor comebacks.
They worked a power match which, like I said, was dead when Sheamus was on offense. All of HHH's offense worked well. Some guy in the crowd yelled "Facebuster" and he hit it at that moment because it followed the running high knee. Triple H kept going for the Pedigree, but Sheamus powered out. Ten minutes in, Sheamus hit the pump kick. The cover got two. Great nearfall. Even a "Triple H" chant started up. This crowd's going to be very hot for the big matches if they're this hot right now. Why is it a shock that Sheamus kicked out of the Spinebuster when HHH never pins anybody with that? I hate stupid commentating. Nice pump kick on the apron by Sheamus. Sheamus picked him up, HHH looked like dead weight and then hit the Pedigree OUT OF NOWHERE~! That's it after 12 minutes.
Winner: Triple H
Analysis: **1/2 Lawler called it a "classic" even though it clearly wasn't. That finish did come out of nowhere, so I'm not making fun of it. They built it up where the first guy to hit their finisher was going to win and it ended up being HHH. The ovation for HHH was awesome, I have to say.
Awesome video package for Punk/Mysterio.
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Punk's out first with Gallows and Serena. Have to say Serena looks nice in a leather jacket (it has the SES logo on the back) and white pants. Punk cut a promo saying there are 70,000 people throwing their life away. So nobody's Straight Edge there? "I choose to be drug free. I choose to be better than each and every single one of you." Nice "CM Drunk" sign in the crowd. Ended it with this line: "One Nation under Punk indivisible with integrity and sobriety for all." Great promo. If you're into ring gear, Mysterio's wearing an Avatar like outfit. The story is if Rey loses he has to join the Straight Edge Society. I'm expecting a Punk win although it could go either way. As I've written this is the beginning of this feud rather than the end. And I love its potential.
I thought the ponytail on the mask was only for show, but Rey's wrestling with it on. I wonder how long Serena's going to keep shaving her head? Maybe she likes it. Maybe it'll be there as long as the angle exists. These two really have great chemistry. Mysterio's matches are always full of counter moves and this was no exception. Mysterio with an Eddie Guerrero like frogsplash…and it misses! That would have been cool to see. The heels interfered. Wow. Go to Sleep countered by Mysterio into a headscissors. Punk went into Gallows gut, then he ate a 619 and Rey finished him off with the springboard splash. That's it? Only 8 minutes.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Analysis: ** This was my hope for a show stealing match, but it was way too short for it to steal the show. Hopefully the feud does continue because I want to see these guys in a 15-20 minute match on PPV. They deserve it.
Vince vs. Bret video package. Well done like usual.
No Holds Barred: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
Hart's pop was very good. He's working in a Hart t-shirt and jean shorts. They close in on a fan sign that says "Brett Beat Vince" People don't know that it's spelled Bret after all these years? Come on fan! Speaking of Bret, vote in the Greatest WM Match Ever tourney finals HERE where it's Hart/Austin vs. Taker/Michaels. Hart's pop was nice. Vince came out to cut a promo saying there'll be lumberjacks as well as a special referee. The lumberjacks are the Hart Dynasty as well as other members of the Hart family. Cole's going nuts about it saying it's disgusting while Striker asked if Vince bought the Hart family?
The guest referee is Bruce Hart, who is wearing a referee shirt as well as shades. Bret cuts a promo saying he can't believe they all agreed to this. He asked them if they got paid up front, they all nodded yes. He said there's one thing he learned from Montreal is that there's nothing sweeter than a double cross. They told him what they were trying to do, but they're united. "Tonight, WrestleMania, it's going to be forever remembered as the night that Bret Screwed Vince." Bruce hugged Bret and they're all with Bret now. So it was a swerve on top of the swerve.
They tossed Vince to the floor where all the lumberjacks beat him up. Natalya destroyed him with a slap to the face, which led to Striker wishing her the best in her future endeavors. That was funny. David Hart Smith held him up and Tyson Kidd came off the top rope with the Hart Attack clothesline. Cool spot. I'm happy that the Hart Dynasty is being used. Hopefully it leads to a face turn. Ha, Vince tried to crawl away under the ring and he came out with a crowbar. Hey Vince, call Shane! Oh wait, he quit your company. Bret beat on him with the crowbar (in the back) to the delight of everybody. As soon as Bret grabbed the legs the crowd went wild. Sharpshooter time. Nope, not yet. More crowbar. The crowd's having a tough time reacting to this because Vince has got no offense, so there's no babyface comeback at all. It's simply a beating. DH gave Bret a chair, so he destroyed Vince in the back with it. He hit him with about a dozen chair shots. None to the head, remember. That's not allowed anymore, which is fine by me.
After the chair beating, the Hart Family started beating on the ring and the crowd went nuts as Bret put on the Sharpshooter. Vince tapped right away. Match is over after 11 minutes.
Winner: Bret Hart
Analysis: * That was what you'd call an 11 minute squash match. I don't think Vince got any offense in. That's fine, though, because this is what everybody wanted to see. They wanted to see Vince get destroyed and that's what it was. The crowd liked this although I thought they would love it even more than they did. It was hard considering that Vince had no offense.
They aired the promo for the Georgia Dome in Atlanta hosting WrestleMania 27 on April 3, 2011.
Announced attendance at this show: 72,219. Very impressive number. Were they all paid for? Probably not, but that's probably how many are in the building.
World Heavyweight Title: Chris Jericho vs. Edge
Great video package. Two of my favorites currently and all-time. Been watching these two guys for over a decade and as a Canadian I'm very proud of how great they are at what they do. That entrance ramp is so damn long. It's a cool visual when they zoom up the ramp. Jericho came out first and Edge came out with the red tights this time. I'm expecting a 20 minute match here. There's about an hour and a half left. They have plenty of time to have a long match. I'm excited for this one.
They mentioned that combined they've held 55 titles. Each guy started in WWE over a decade ago. Striker said they travelled together before they got to WWE. Not really true because Jericho was in WCW when Edge was starting out. They are very good friends, though. That's legit. I think they used to be neighbors in Florida. Yes, I'm full of information. Hey, a "Sexton Hardcastle" reference from Striker. That was Edge's name in the indies, which is when I first saw Edge. The pace was very slow in the first five minutes, which is a sign that it'll be a longer match. Nice front suplex off the top by Edge. Man, I mark out for the CROSSBODY~! that Edge just did. Old school move. I'm really liking Striker's commentary for this match. Not surprising since he's close friends with Edge, which you could see on the Edge DVD. Ten minutes Edge, "Spear" chant. He charges, but Jericho counters with a rollup leading into a Walls of Jericho. Crowd is going nuts as Edge got a nearfall cradle for two. Lionsault misses. Does it ever hit anymore? Edgeomatic gets two. Nice enziguri by Jericho for two.
They really did a good job of trading moves. Nobody was in full control. Edge hit his old Edgecution DDT for two. Jericho took him down with a forearm and he set up Edge for the spear! He ran right into a hard kick to the head by Edge. The "spear" chant is definitely over with the fans. Edge charges in and Jericho hits the Codebreaker! Slow cover means a two count. The announcers are really putting over all the counters and nearfalls. Time to work on the left foot. Walls of Jericho time again. I wish he would put some STANK on it rather than the Boston Crab version. Oh, single leg crab on the injured leg! Nice! They went out to the floor. The ref got bumped inadvertently by Edge, Jericho got the belt and hit Edge without the ref seeing. Only two. Codebreaker by Jericho finishes him off after 16 minutes. Yes. I called it in the preview. Loved that Edge sold the leg injury while getting up to receive the Codebreaker.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Post match, Jericho went for a beating, but Edge was able to fight him off. He set him up on the announce table and cleared the others off. Jericho stood up, Edge charged in and he speared Jericho through the black barricade wall into the crowd. This gives Edge his momentum back and also sets up a rematch next month. They're playing up that Jericho's hurt with his head crashing into the barricade. Maybe a concussion angle? It makes sense since the feud was built up on Jericho not getting hurt, so I can see a worked injury happening.
Analysis: **** Loved this match. They used counters, nearfalls and submissions to tease the finish. They did a great job of starting slow, picking up the pace and then finishing with a bang. Very pleased with this one and I can't wait for more. My prediction was that Jericho wins here with Edge likely scoring the win in the rematch at Extreme Rules. It looks like that's where this is headed.
They showed clips of the pre-show battle royal. It was won by Yoshi Tatsu. I guess that's on the DVD.
Diva Tag Match: Michelle, Vickie, Maryse, Alicia & Layla vs. Beth, Mickie, Kelly, Gail & Eve
The heels come out to Michelle's music. The faces come out to Eve's music for some reason. I love how Vickie's outfit says "Excuse Me" on it and she starts the match. The face divas all took turns beating on Vickie in the corner. Kelly's outfit is great, I have to say. Of course I'm biased in liking Mickie James-Canton's outfit a lot too. It's great to see her back after her injury. It's finishing sequence time about a minute into the match. There were literally eight finishers in a row. Mickie's DDT on Michelle was nice while Eve missed her splash thing. Beth ended it by hitting Alicia with her glam slam. The crowd is dead for all this. Michelle tossed Beth out of the ring. She helped Vickie to the top rope and she hit a "Hog Splash" as Cole called it. It was cool seeing her point to the sky at Eddie. It was not pretty, though. Kelly's shoulder went up on the pin, so the ref had her do it again and Vickie pinned Kelly. Match time? It was about 4 minutes.
Winners: Team Vickie
Analysis: 1/2* Not much of a match. They were going into finishers about a minute in and the crowd was dead for it. It was cool to see Vickie saluting Eddie and some of the crowd did pick up on it.
Cena vs. Batista is next, so HBK/Taker is last as it should be. There's about an hour of show left, so they should get 20+ minutes each.
WWE Title: Batista vs. John Cena
Long video package to start of course. Batista gets the pyro and then the spotlight entrance. Cena gets his patented elaborate entrance this time with the US Air Force helping him out. That was pretty cool. Cena had the fastest entrance time on the night for sure since he sprinted down there. Hope he's not winded.
They're pointing out how methodical this is, which is wrestling speak for this is going to be a longer match. Sloppy looking suplex by Cena. Wow, Batista countered the Attitude Adjustment with a DDT that looked nasty. Seven minutes into the match, they did the standing punch exchange where each guy is really tired and the crowd reacted to it. Too early for that spot, no? The story is that Batista's working on Cena's surgically repaired neck. By the ten minute mark, Batista was still on offense pretty much the entire time. Batista put him on the top rope and they had a test of strength up there. Cena shoved him off and hit the top rope Five Knuckle Shuffle. Lawler marked out for it like a 13 year old. Batista Bomb and Cean kicks out. Well, now you know Batista's not winning if he hits that at the 11 minute mark.
They get back up and Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment. Now Batista kicks out. Cena goes up top, he leaps and Batista counters into Spinebuster. Similar spot to their Summerslam 2008 match. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb again, but Cena counters into a rollup. STF time. Batista's near the ropes, but he eventually taps out at the 15 minute mark.
Winner: John Cena
Analysis: ***1/2 It was good. (I originally had it at three stars, but on second viewing it deserves a higher rating.) They busted out the old Austin/Rock formula of kicking out of finishers at WrestleMania. The crowd was really into it and the last five minutes were very exciting even if you don't like either guy. Basically Batista won the belt at No Way Out, defended it successfully zero times and now it's on Cena again. I hate short title reigns. Oh and props to the "Batista likes fish sticks" sign. South Park reference, people!
I love how the commercial for Extreme Rules on April 25th features Batista about to destroy somebody with a chair shot to the head even though they've banned that spot.
Undertaker/Michaels video starts at 10:15pmET.
The Streak vs. The Career: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
No elaborate Michaels entrance this year. He walks out first to a good pop, but I thought it would be louder to be honest. Maybe the crowd is tired? I don't know. The Undertaker came out through the floor for his entrance. Screw you Gangrel and Rey Mysterio! How many people will throw a Gangrel reference in during Michaels/Taker? Me, that's who. Cole mentioned that Undertaker's defeated 10 former World Champions in his streak. And Kool-Aid Man Mark Henry!
Epic staredown to start. Michaels did the Undertaker throat slash. Five minutes in, we got our first "vintage" of the match with the Undertaker's legdrop. They're working the story that Undertaker's got a bad knee and had Michaels work on it with the figure four. The crowd is pretty quiet for a match like this. It's been a long show, but if you pay as much as these paid you should be making more noise. Kip up by Michaels, Undertaker catches him, hits a chokeslam and it only gets two. Too early in the match for that.
Undertaker went for the Tombstone, Michaels fought out and put him in the Ankle Lock. He drops down. The crowd is not reacting to this at all because nobody thinks it's ending like this. And they're right, of course. They worked their way out to the floor and Undertaker hit a Tombstone on the floor to a huge pop. Took a minute to roll Michaels in where he kicked out. Undertaker went for the Last Ride and Michaels was able to counter with what looked like HBK did an X-Factor to counter it by slamming his head into the mat. Michaels goes for the elbow and Undertaker puts up the knees to counter it. Great counter there.
Undertaker slaps on the Hell's Gate only for Michaels to counter into a cover for two. That was a cool spot too. They both get up, Michaels separates and hits Sweet Chin Music! Only two. Yes, it earned a OUT OF NOWHERE~! from Cole. Crowd is waking up. Michaels went for another superkick, but Undertaker countered with a Last Ride. He hits it…for two! Now it's time for some outside the ring spots, which is why they added the no DQ stips. He took the monitors off the Spanish announce table. Remember the days when fans chanted "Spanish Table! Spanish Table!" Michaels hit the Sweet Chin Music on the floor! Undertaker is laying on the announce table. Michaels crawls up the apron, climbs up to the top and he's going for the moonsault. Wow! He hit that. Damn. Moonsault off the top rope onto the table. Table broke and Michaels popped to his feet before falling down again! Killer spot.
Back in the ring, Michaels kicks him hard in the head with another Sweet Chin Music. That looked so perfect. Undertaker kicks out at two. That was one of the best superkicks I've seen. Another Sweet Chin Music is countered to a chokeslam. Tombstone by Undertaker hits. Covers him with the hands on the chest. One, two…no. That spot was similar to last year although Cole just said that has never happened before. Crowd is chanting "This is Awesome" and they are absolutely right.
The Undertaker was about to do the cutthroat signal, but he stopped. He told Shawn to stay down, but HBK got back up, crawling up to his chest. He gives the cutthroat signal to Undertaker and then bitchslaps him! Another Tombstone by Undertaker. That's enough for the win. That's the end of Shawn Michaels' career.
Winner: The Undertaker
Analysis: ***** This was a fantastic match just like last year. They really pulled out all the stops and told a great story. These are two of the best ever on the biggest stage delivering the goods like only they know how. I loved it. Their chemistry is phenomenal and they built to the finish perfectly. The idea was that Michaels wanted Undertaker to really beat him to earn the win and that's what happened. It will be hard to top this one as far as a Match of the Year goes. Is it five stars? It's up for debate. Originally I had it at ****3/4, but as I was typing I bumped it up because to me it deserves that honor. Plus, I'm a nice match rater.
Post match, after Undertaker posed in his purple light he picked Michaels up. They shook hands. They hugged eachother while trying to stay on their feet. The final shot of the night was Michaels in the ring getting the standing ovation he deserves for being one of the best ever. You know what? To me, he's the best ever. I don't know if this really the end, but I enjoyed that moment of seeing the crowd paying tribute to this man who spent his life entertaining else like few others could. I'm sure people are crying at this sight.
You could read Shawn's lips saying, "Thank you for a wonderful life." No Shawn. Thank you.
The show ended with Michaels walking up the ramp, applauding and waving goodbye. I'd expect a full tribute on Raw tomorrow night.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As I had written many times over the course of several months I had high hopes for this show. My thought was that if they gave enough time to all the top matches it would deliver the goods. It was hit and miss in terms of the timing of the matches. I'm greedy. I wanted more.
Jack Swagger winning Money in the Bank surprised the hell out of me. It's not that I am anti-Swagger. I like the guy. It's just that WWE has barely used him in the last six months and now all of a sudden he's potentially a main eventer? Vince does love the big guys, huh. I knew I was wrong to have my hopes up about Christian winning. Too short for Vince. It's not happening. A damn shame.
For whatever reason, Vince McMahon hates giving Rey Mysterio a lot of time at WrestleMania. He didn't have enough time against Eddie @ WM21, he didn't have enough time when he won the title @ WM22, last year's match was a joke and this year's match was too short as well. Come on Vince, respect what you have in Rey Mysterio and give the man some time to have a great match!
The Bret/Vince match did what it was supposed to. A beating of Vince that ended in the Sharpshooter. If you expected more you were wrong. I did mark out, as I'm sure all of Canada did, when he had him in the Sharpshooter. It was a cool moment.
I'm not sure if everybody else is going to like the Edge/Jericho match as me. I like what they did. They didn't have either guy dominate the action. It was spot, counter, nearfall. It's a formula that worked for them. I think in the future, namely Extreme Rules, they'll have a longer match that tells a different story.
The Batista/Cena match was a strong second match from the top. Nothing that will blow you away, but it was a passable match between two guys who don't necessarily have great matches all the time. I'm still not a fan of the one month title reign of Batista that included zero title defenses. That feud isn't over, though.
What can you say about Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels? As of right now I'd say I like the WM25 match more, but this one did live up to the incredible hype. I thought they would do more wrestling outside of the ring because of the no DQ stip. All they really did was that insane moonsault off the top rope spot where Shawn went crashing through Undertaker on the table. The finishing sequence matched last year's. It might have even topped it with all the kickouts they did. Simply put, these guys are two of the best ever on the big stage and their chemistry with one another is tremendous.
I'll save all the emotional HBK comments for tomorrow night after Raw as well as for the future column I'll be writing about him. He's my favorite wrestler ever. Do I think this is the final goodbye? No, but as a full time performer this is probably it. He's got more matches in his body. It's just a question of when, where and how many?
Three Stars of the Night
1. Shawn Michaels - What a way to go out even if this isn't it.
2. The Undertaker - Working hurt and still delivers the goods.
3. Jack Swagger - Do the airplane spin, buddy.
For now, let's call it a 7 out of 10 for ending on a high note. Some of the midcard matches either weren't as long or as good as I had hoped, but it was still a solid show. I think my high expectations might have been too high. I'm still satisfied with what we got.
Thanks for reading. Back tomorrow for the Raw Deal. A goodbye of Shawn Michaels? That could be emotional.
John Canton - thejohnreport@hotmail.com - Temporary new email.
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