Retro Rowe: WWE Wrestlemania 27 Review

WWE WrestleMania 27 - April 3, 2011

by SamoaRowe

-I can’t believe I didn’t review this until now (sometime in late 2011). I ordered the show live and about five minutes later learned that the advertised Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus match took place as a dark match. And ended with a no contest when the lumberjacks got involved. And turned into a battle royal. And then The Great Khali won said battle royal. Needless to say, I was pissed off, as the thought of seeing Bryan Danielson compete at Wrestlemania was what pushed me over the line into ordering it. I was then in a grumpy mood for the first hour of the show and had less patience for all the filler than I would have on a normal night. Anyhoo, on to the show!

WWE Wrestlemania 32 Review

WWE Wrestlemania Star (32)

April 3rd 2016

-From Dallas, TX. Mauro Ranallo and Jerry Lawler hosted the pre-show, while Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton hosted the main card.

Intercontinental Championship (Ladder Match):

Kevin Owens (c) vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder

As per usual, it's hard to screw up multi-man stunt shows in the opening slot, and this one delivered some cool moments. It's still surreal to see Owens and Zayn rekindle their feud in the WWE, especially now in a main roster, Wrestlemania setting, though they weren't really the focus. A lot of time was spent on the riff-raff, as Stardust, Ryder, and Sin Cara should all be thanking whatever deity they worship for being included. I marveled when Ryder nailed a flying elbow off the top of a ladder, as it seemed amusing that a jobber would get the chance to outshine similar spots from 'Mania's ladder match past. Stardust got a nice moment when he fetched a black and yellow polka dot ladder from under the ring in a novel tribute to his late father. Sin Cara shined too, getting tipped off a ladder into a springboard onto the masses at ringside. It came down to Sami Zayn suplexing Owens onto a resting ladder in a scary spot that might have legitimately knocked Owens unconscious. It seemed like there was a bit of a "Oh crap, what do we do now?" scramble, before Zack Ryder knocked Miz off to retrieve the title at 15:23. Ryder's emotional post-match celebration, coming to tears while his father joined him, felt really improvised and I wouldn't be surprised if word comes out that an audible was called. Either way, the treatment of Zack Ryder over the past four years has been a constant irritant to me, so I was glad to see him look awesome in this match AND emerge as champion, random as it might be. Good spot-fest that set the right tone for an iffy card, ***3/4.

Winner and new Intercontinental Champion: Zack Ryder

Really Retro Rowe: WWE Wrestlemania 24 Review

WWE WrestleMania 24
by SamoaRowe

-Originally written way back in 2008. 

-Disclaimer: this review is only going to cover the matches, as I’m watching this on MegaVideo.com.

-This is the biggest show of the year. Over 70,000 fans have filled up the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Our hosts for the evening are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler for Raw, Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman for Smackdown, and Tazz and Joey Styles are sitting in for ECW related matches.

Belfast Brawl:
JBL vs. Finlay (with Hornswoggle)
Finlay is kicked off the apron before the match can officially begin. Finlay dumps JBL into the ring and aggressively pounds on the Texan. Finlay heads to ringside to retrieve the usual weapons. JBL catches a garbage can and bashes it over Finlay’s skull. JBL, wielding a can lid in one hand and a cookie sheet in the other, nails Finlay with both. JBL fetches the steel steps from ringside and tosses it into the ring. JBL sets up Finlay for a piledriver on the steps, but Finlay back body drops him to the mat. Kick to the head by Finlay and a nasty shot with the cookie sheet. Cover by Finlay gets 2. JBL recovers and pummels Finlay to the corner. Hornswoggle grabs a kendo stick and helps Finlay knock out JBL with the shillelagh at ringside. Back in the ring, Finlay kicks a trash can into JBL’s face. Finlay sets up a table in the corner. JBL reverses an Irish whip into the table, but Finlay hit’s a clothesline. JBL runs to ringside to escape Finlay and the steel steps. Hornswoggle attacks JBL, but gets kicked off. Finlay repeatedly knocks Hornswoggle’s head into the announce table. Suicide dive by Finlay to the floor, but JBL cracks a can lid into his head in mid-air! DAMN! Cover by JBL gets 2. JBL randomly grabs a trash can and whips it at Hornswoggle at ringside! That was so mean it was awesome! JBL goes for the clothesline from hell, but runs into a weapon shot. Finlay angrily destroys JBL with a weapon. Finlay sends JBL crashing into the table, but can only get 2 with a cover. Finlay holds the steps over his head, but JBL hit’s a kendo stick to the knees, causing Finlay to land face first on the steps. Clothesline from hell by JBL is enough to put Finlay away at. Hornswoggle is disappointed, as is the crowd. This was a fun, yet short, weapons brawl, though I’d dare say the wrong man went over. **¾.
Winner @ 9:07: JBL

Retro Rowe: WWE Wrestlemania 22

WWE WrestleMania XXII
by SamoaRowe

April 2nd 2006

-From Chicago, IL. Our hosts are Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz. 

World Tag Team Championship:
Big Show and Kane © vs. Carlito and Chris Masters

After a full year of being shoved down our throats, Masters still isn’t over. He squares off with Kane, who quickly nails a drop-kick. Big Show dismantles Masters with his open hand slaps. Masters rakes the face to force a tag to Carlito. Show crotches Carlito on the ropes and press slams Masters. Show tosses Carlito over the ropes onto Masters. Kane delivers a flying clothesline onto both challengers on the floor. Carlito comes back with a drop-kick to the knee of Big Show. Masters and Carlito nail a flapjack on Show to take control. Show reverses a double suplex and takes in a fresh Kane. Kane plows through the challengers as if they were a couple of jobbers. Masters sneaks in the Masterlock but Show breaks it with his boot. Backstabber on Kane and Masters saves Carlito from a choke slam. Kane builds some momentum and finishes Carlito with a choke slam at 6:40. This was more or less a squash, *¼.
Winners and still World Tag Team Champions: Big Show and Kane

Wrestlemania XXVI thoughts.

I watched the show live last weekend with some friends. It wasn't the "greatest of all time" but it was still a fine show. It was also the first full wrestling event I've watched in HD, so I think I was noticing a lot more of the botches than I normally would, as there seemed to be quite a few scattered throughout the evening.

Unified Tag Team Championship: ShoMiz vs. John Morrison/R-Truth
You could tell from the opening bell that this was going to be short, as they wasted no time hitting their key spots and signature moves. The match only went a little over 3 minutes, so while obviously robbed for time, it was an enjoyable 3 minutes. I'm mainly glad that the tag titles weren't kicked down to dark match status. *1/2.

Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes
I think I liked this more than most people, as the general perception is that Rhodes and Dibiase came off as the two biggest jobbers who ever jobbed before. They held their own up until Orton took advantage of their dissension and punted Rhodes in the head and RKO'd Dibiase for victory. The more troubling aspect here is how after two solid years of being pushed heavily that the crowd didn't care one bit for either Legacy member. **1/2.

Money in the Bank
Generally brutal and exciting, as usual, just missing the one or two really big !!! spots. The highlight was easily Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press off a ladder. Sadly, Kofi Kingston botches a run up a ladder for a corner attack. I have to admit, that I did not see the Jack Swagger victory coming, nor did I see him cashing it in less than a week later. I enjoyed this and I liked seeing most of the guys in the match get a spot at Wrestlemania (though again, it's kind of sad just how not over Drew McIntyre is despite months of an aggressive push).

Triple H vs. Sheamus
A lot of folks out there are claiming that Triple H's victory here means that Sheamus is finished. That really isn't the case, as this was a competitive 12 minute match and the feud doesn't seem to be over. There is a big difference between HHH nailing the pedigree on Booker T and waiting an eternity to pin him and Sheamus eating the pedigree and getting pinned immediately after. This was about what I expected, **1/2.

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Like the opening match, I could sense this was going to be quick just by how they were pacing themselves from the opening bell. They packed a lot of action into the 6-7 minutes they got. They even squeazed in a good story, with Punk outsmarting Mysterio most steps of the way, including numerous blocks/reversals of the 619. Ultimately, Rey got the win, so all the kids in the stadium got a feel-good moment. It doesn't appear this feud is over either. **1/2.

Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon
This was a mess. It went about 11 minutes, which was about 10 minutes too long. Normally these Vince at 'Mania matches are entertaining train wrecks, but it was like they didn't even try, especially with Vince carting out the entire Hart family and Hart Dynasty from the very beginning, claiming he had paid them off to betray Bret. Even Stevie Wonder could see the coming swerve, as it turns out they took Vince's money and decided to screw him. Bret awkwardly beat down Vince while the crowd waited patiently for the sharpshooter. No rating, but this was bad.

World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Edge
I really enjoyed this one and got sucked in by it. I was so happy when Jericho won, that it feels a bit more frustrating that he reign would end two days later at the Smackdown tapings. It was also surprising that Jericho got a semi-clean victory, as Edge had foiled his cheating attempts up until the Codebreaker finished things after about 16 minutes. I thought for sure that this was just going to be false finish, so when the referee counted 3 it got quite the surprised reaction from me. I have a feeling that repeated viewings will cause my heart to grow fonder of this bout, but for now I'd peg it at ***1/2.

Divas Tag
This worked a lot better than last year's disasterous battle royal, but still was not a good match by any stretch of the imagination. It was basically each diva hitting the one good move they each know until Vickie attempted a frog splash and won the match. Seriously, Vickie's splash is bound to go down in history as one of the all-time great bad moments in wrestling. *

WWE Championship: Batista vs. John Cena
Maybe it was the HD, but I found this to be largely sloppy and something of a mess up until things got hot down the final stretch. They packed in a lot of reversals and counters that might have been awesome if not for the fact they were so badly executed. Despite all that, I was pretty into the match, and the finish was satisfying. Repeat viewings might help this one as well, ***.

Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
My sense as the bell rang here was that this match would make or break this show. The stipulations here added a lot, as I couldn't really imagine either man winning because what it would mean for the other. I enjoyed watching this more than I have any other live match in years. The final stretch, where Undertaker helped Shawn up, only to get slapped, and responding with a jumping tombstone piledriver was a fantastic moment and a fitting way for Shawn Michaels to call it a career. I liked this more than last year's Shawn/Taker match, ****3/4.

Wrestlemania 26 Predix!

Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim vs Maryse, Michelle McCool, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Vickie Guerrero
Normally, I'd make some sort of joke about how useless the divas are, but there is enough talent here to keep things together. I'm glad to see Beth, Mickie, Gail, Maryse, and even Michelle getting a 'Mania spot. I'm guessing the face divas win, so they get a chance to royally humiliate Vickie and provide a good pop segment for the live audience.

Triple H vs. Sheamus
If Sheamus wasn't Triple H's bestest buddy in the whole world, I'd call for him to get squashed in under a minute (since every recent 'Mania seems to have one of those). I'm guessing we'll get a decent 10 minute bout that won't set the world on fire, but will still give Triple H a victory. HHH has done a lot of jobs at 'Mania, so I can see him wanting to pad his record, and Sheamus is still a newcomer, so he'll have lots of time to shine later.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
With the stipulation being that if Rey loses, he must join the Straight Edge Society, I see Punk picking up the victory to prolong the angle/feud. I know Wrestlemania is supposed to be the big show where all feuds are blown off, but that hasn't been the case in a looong time. Hopefully they get at least 10 minutes, and these two are hard workers so it should be a solid addition to the midcard. I'm also glad that CM Punk gets to be on Wrestlemania in something other than Money in the Bank.

Randy Orton vs. Ted Dibiase vs. Cody Rhodes
After the solid year that Legacy had in 2009, I'm really glad that Dibiase and Rhodes have 'Mania spots this year. I'm guessing this match will be remembered more for big angle developments rather than match-quality, but the handicap match they had on Raw a few weeks ago was quite good and if they can match that, then we have another solid midcard addition. I see Orton picking up the win here, though I wouldn't rule out a surprise Dibiase upset, especially if WWE still regards him as the potential next big thing.

Money in the Bank: Christian vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs Evan Bourne vs Kane vs Drew McIntyre vs Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy vs MVP vs Shelton Benjamin
Many folks are upset about there being 10 men in this one, but I don't think it really matters due to the trainwreck nature of the "every man for himself" ladder match. Also, it would be bothersome if most of these guys couldn't score a 'Mania spot. What I love is that there are no full-time main eventers here, or anyone who has had a meaningful World title run in WWE (sorry to former ECW champions Christian, Kane, Swagger, and Hardy). A few months ago, I would have pegged Kofi Kingston as the winner, but it seems the office has soured on him and he's lost his push. There is no clear winner in this group, but Christian just barely rises above the rest of the flock. There are lots of storyline opportunities for Christian to be Mr. Money in the Bank, it all depends on whether or not WWE is ready to push him to the next level.

No Holds Barred: Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart
Come on, when has Vince ever won a match at Wrestlemania? Due to Hart's head condition and Vince's general old age, I can't see this being much more than a quick, nasty squash. Bret Hart wins and everyone gets to have a feel good moment.

Unified Tag Team Championship: The Miz and Big Show (c) vs. John Morrison and R-Truth
It's sad that I'm really hoping that Daniel Bryan gets involved in this somehow, so he can at least have had a 'Mania appearance. This will probably be one of the shorter matches on the card, but should be good while it lasts. Hopefully Morrison and Miz get a chance to play off of their history a little bit. I'm calling for Miz and Big Show to retain, especially since Morrison and Truth seem tossed together just so they could be a part of Wrestlemania.

Streak vs. Career: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
I don't see this being as long as last year's 30 minute classic, due to Undertaker's physical condition, but I still see them pulling out all the stops to have another blockbuster. This could well be Shawn's last match as an active wrestler, so you know he is going to want to leave on a high note. This could be Undertaker's last match too, since he's been flirting with retirement for years now. This is just speculation, but I kind of feel like both men are regretting that they didn't retire after 'Mania last year, as in hindsight it would have been the perfect way to end their careers so they wanted to set up part two to make sure they are satisfied and not regret the way they went out. The stipulations here are perfect, because it's hard to imagine either man losing. Undertaker's streak has never been in more severe jeopardy. In the end, I'm calling for Undertaker to win, keep the streak intact, and go into retirement but open to coming back for certain big matches.

World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Edge
If it weren't for the fact that a victory here would make Edge a 10-time World champion, I would say he was a lock to win this. I'm not sure WWE is ready to bestow that honor on Edge. Also, even though this is a World title match, there are at least 2-3 other matches on the show that are more anticipated than this, so this one could wind up in the middle of the show. Therefore, it doesn't need to have a feelgood ending. I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Jericho retains and continues to feud with Edge, saving the title switch for a higher spot on a lesser show.

WWE Championship: Batista vs. John Cena
Rumor has it that this match is going to close the show. Therefore, I have a hard time believing that the finish will be anything other than Cena standing tall with the belt. I haven't really dug the build to this match since No Way Out, but it was high-time that these two went toe to toe at Wrestlemania. They are arguably the two biggest new stars of the last five years, so this match really has the chance to define the era the way that Rock/Austin defined the Attitude Era and Hogan/Andre defined the 80's. What is also exciting is that the last time Cena and Batista locked up, it was a great match at Summerslam, which I rated ****. If they can match their last bout, and kick it up a few notches, we could have a classic on our hands.


All in all, this is the best Wrestlemania, at least on paper, since Wrestlemania X-7. Hopefully nothing screwy happens (a match getting bumped off the main show to be a dark match, a match getting less than a minute) and we really do have one of the greatest shows in history. I don't want to get my hopes up, but if there was ever a reason to hope, this is it!

The current Wrestlemania 25 card.

We're still a couple of weeks away from Wrestlemania 25, but I thought I'd take a minute to look at what's already announced, what will likely be added to the card, and some predictions.

WWE Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
At one point this match was supposed to main event Wrestlemania 21, but Orton was fizzling at that point (and while no one would admit it, Triple H was at a low point as far as being an effective main eventer went, and needed someone who was hot at the time, like Batista, to make it work). I expect this match will be the show closer and will likely be good. My only problem with it is that we've seen Orton vs. Triple H several times, many of which in the last year and a half. Their previous matches have ranged from highly enjoyable (street fight at No Mercy 2007) to grating (Unforgiven 2004), but Orton has come a long way as a performer and Triple H is a reliable ring hand when he's motivated and has his working boots on. As per usual with my predictions, I predict Triple H retains if this goes on last, but Orton will win if this pulls a middle of the show position.

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Big Show vs. John Cena
I am actually a bit relieved that Show was added to the match since Cena/Edge is another pairing that has happened numerous times, probably too often to have been an attractive Wrestlemania showdown. Show adds a wild card to the match, and while he more than likely isn't going to take the championship, adds another element to the storyline. It's been entertaining watching Vickie become torn between the two heels, and in many ways this is really just their storyline now, with Cena thrown in merely to make sure the crowd doesn't lose interest. The aspect that this match probably won't be headlining makes me think that Edge could retain, sort of how Orton won the triple threat WWE title match last year. It's up in the air whether or not Cena needs to take the championship, since the draft will take place so quickly after Wrestlemania, so if Raw doesn't have a World title then there's an easy solution.

Money in the Bank Ladder match: CM Punk vs. Mark Henry vs. Christian vs. Finlay vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane
It'll be a beautiful day when CM Punk and Shelton Benjamin are given the chance to do something else at Wrestlemania than make sure this match is a success, but at least they get to be on the big show. There's really no telling who is going to take the brief case this year. Punk just won it last year, Henry seems to have peaked in his current role, Vince doesn't want to push Christian, Finlay is a JTTS, Kingston probably isn't ready, MVP just got off a months long jobbing streak, and Benjamin is only here to provide some high spots. That leaves Kane, since he's continually over and every couple of months the booking team gets the itch to push him as a title threat again. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict Kane as the winner. Also, the participants this year are varied enough so we'll see a different type of Ladder match, as obviously you won't see Mark Henry doing sunset flips over the ladder, etc.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy
To be honest, I haven't been keeping up with Smackdown, so I can't really judge how the build is going. Jeff Hardy has been one of the hottest WWE stars over the past two years and Matt's betrayal will be a sore spot to many of the younger fans. I am hoping that this will end up being a quality match, as both Hardy's have grown as performers since their stinker of a feud in late 2001. That feud was so disasterous that the Hardys actually had to spend some time off television so that their image could recover. But now in 2009, I consider Matt to be one of the most underrated stars on the roster due to his ability to have strong matches with everyone he's paired against, and Jeff is a much more well rounded performer who had a string of quality main event matches in the last year. Having a great match against each other at Wrestlemania would do a lot for both of them. I predict that Jeff goes over, unless the dreaded Wellness Policy fairy strikes again.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
This feels awful thrown together and forced thus far. I like that Shawn Michaels isn't going through the tired motions of being terrified of all the Undertaker's light and pyro tricks and special effects, though it would be more interesting if someone they were trying to build up could do that. I would be a lot more interested if Shawn would go full blown heel, even if it was temporary (similar to what he did against Hogan in 2005) because no one is going to boo The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. With a little luck, they can achieve the same chemistry and work-rate they found in their famed Hell in a Cell match from 1997 and the intense heat of their finals encounter at the 2007 Royal Rumble. Obviously, the Undertaker will go over.

Chris Jericho vs. Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, and Jimmy Snuka
Well, this is definitely not the direction anyone expected them to go with Jericho's kicking-legends-in-the-shin angle. I'm guessing this is a last minute rehandling of the feud because a certain Texas Rattlesnake decided he didn't want to wrestle after all, and another certain Best Actor runner up didn't want to cheapen his movie by actually wrestling for real. The match will probably not be any good from a work-rate standpoint, but these four are smart enough to put something together that will at least be entertaining. My prediction is that Jericho comes up short when Ric Flair gets involved.

25 Diva Battle Royal
Every diva in the company will participate, and WWE is trying their darndest to get former divas to return for one night. So far we know that Wendi Richter and Lita aren't interested, so hopefully they can pull in Trish Stratus, Sunny, Molly Holly, Jazz, Ivory, and a host of others to give this the right level of novelty. No championships are on the line, but the winner will be named Ms. Wrestlemania. To be honest, I prefer they go this route then having potentially two women's championship matches, since I can count the number of talented in-ring competitors on one hand.

So those are the official matches. They haven't done a terrible job of getting most of the workers who deserve to be on the show on the card so far. The rumored JBL/Rey Mysterio match for the Intercontinental Championship was teased on this week's Raw by the commentators around the time Rey was done making short work of Dolph Ziggler. That would be a fine addition to the card as they have had enjoyable matches in the past, and it's great to see the IC title getting defended on Wrestlemania for the first time since Wrestlemania X8 in 2002. We should also expect that John Morrison and The Miz will battle Carlito and Primo Colon. I would hope that their match could be a unification match, and that we can go back to only having one set of tag team champions. By having the Tag Team titles as property of ECW, it gives the champions the freedom to face teams on both Raw and Smackdown, and there are barely enough teams on all three brands to justify having Tag Team belts in the first place. Finally, I would expect that Jack Swagger will be added in an ECW Championship defense. I would predict that they are going to want to capitalize on the returning Matt Bourne, and he will be getting a title shot. It would be nice if they could include Tommy Dreamer somehow, since this will likely be his final chance to be on Wrestlemania as an active competitor. If it were up to me, it would be Swagger, Bourne, and Dreamer in a triple threat.

My Wrestling DVD's

This was inspired by ProjectSelfRevolution's blog post of the same topic. This will just include real DVD's I own, not including anything I taped, VHS, or DVD-R's.

WWE:
Bret Hart: Best There Was, Best There Is, Best There Will Ever Be
The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak and Triumph
The History of the WWE Championship
Ric Flair and the Four Horseman
Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story
Rey Mysterio: 619
Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind
The Rise and Fall of ECW
Trish Stratus: 100% Stratusfaction
The 2004 Hall of Fame Ceremony
Blood Sport: ECW's Bloodiest Matches
The Monday Night War
Andre the Giant
Shawn Michaels: Boyhood Dream
The Rock: Just Bring It
'Cause Stone Cold Said So
History of Wrestlemania I-IX
Survivor Series 2001
Rebellion 2002
Survivor Series 2002
Royal Rumble 2003
Judgment Day 2003
Vengeance 2003
No Mercy 2003
Survivor Series 2003
No Way Out 2004
Wrestlemania XX
Backlash 2004
Great American Bash 2004
Unforgiven 2004
No Mercy 2004
Survivor Series 2004
Royal Rumble 2005
Wrestlemania 21
Backlash 2005
Judgment Day 2005
Vengeance 2005
No Mercy 2005
Survivor Series 2005
Royal Rumble 2006
Wrestlemania 22
Backlash 2006
Judgment Day 2006
Great American Bash 2006
Unforgiven 2006
No Mercy 2006

TNA:
The Best of AJ Styles Vol. 1
The Best of the X Division Vol. 1
Victory Road 2004
Turning Point 2004
Lockdown 2005
Bound for Glory 2005
Genesis 2005
Against All Odds 2006
Lockdown 2006
Slammiversary 2007
Bound for Glory 2007
History of TNA: The First Year

Ring of Honor:
The Era of Honor Begins
Round Robin Challenge
Night of Appreciation
Road to the Title
Crowning a Champion
Unscripted
Night of Champions
Wrestlerave
Death Before Dishonor
Joe vs. Punk II
Final Battle 2004
Death Before Dishonor III
Survival of the Fittest 2005
Final Battle 2005
Supercard of Honor
Better Than Our Best
The 100th Show
Death Before Dishonor IV
Unified
Epic Encounter II
Glory By Honor V Night 1
Glory By Honor V Night 2
Honor Reclaims Boston
Dethroned
Final Battle 2006
Dedicated
Fifth Year Festival: NYC
Fifth Year Festival: Philly
Fifty Year Festival: Finale
All Star Extravaganza III
Supercard of Honor II
Good Times, Great Memories
Respect is Earned
A Fight at the Roxbury
Driven
Live in Tokyo
Death Before Dishonor V Night 1
Death Before Dishonor V Night 2
Manhattan Mayhem II
Man Up
Glory By Honor VI Night 1

Other Feds:
SHIMMER Vol. 8 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 10 (signed by Sara Del Rey)
SHIMMER Vol. 12 (signed by Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze)
Best of CHIKARA
SMW: Night of Legends/Before They Were Famous
Best of No Limits Wrestling Vol. 2
All American Wrestling: Day of Reckoning
IWC: Road to Super Indy V
SCW: Brutal Battle 2004
FOW: King of Carnage
Mike Graham's Best of Classic Championship Wrestling Vol. 1
FIP: Emergence Night 1
FIP: Emergence Night 2
FIP: The Usual Suspects
FIP: Violence is the Answer
XPW: Freefall
XPW: Baptized in Blood III
ECW: Wrestlepalooza 1997
EWR: Right to Fight
NWA Florida: Rage in the Cage 2004

Another reason why Cena is the man in 2007.

WWE Championship:
John Cena © vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania 23
A fan leaps into the ring before the match starts, and is quickly escorted out. HBK waves to the fan as he’s escorted out, which is pretty funny stuff. The bell rings, but HBK stalls by sitting on a turnbuckle, acting like he doesn’t care about the match. HBK offers Cena a handshake, but Cena doesn’t want to, seeing as he was just super kicked on Raw. HBK slaps Cena instead and knocks him down. HBK taunts Cena DX-style, and the match finally begins. Side headlock by HBK turns into an armbar. Cena reverses and HBK blocks a suplex. HBK ducks some shots from Cena and knocks him down again. They back into their separate corners, and the match restarts. Cena is beginning to realize that he is in big trouble with this title defense. They lock up again, and HBK wrenches Cena’s arm and hits some shoulder thrusts. HBK swings Cena into a side headlock. Cena fights to his feet, but HBK whips him back down without breaking the headlock. Cena gets to his feet, pushes HBK into the ropes, misses two clothesline attempts, but finally connects with a third try. HBK goes down hard, and the crowd boos Cena heavily. They take a breather, and Cena soon runs into a Lou Thesz press. Cena dumps HBK onto the apron, but HBK drops Cena neck first on the ropes. HBK then hip tosses Cena over the ropes to the floor! Knife edge chop by HBK and an enziguri. HBK then hits an Asai moonsault off the ropes onto Cena, landing on the table! HBK directs Cena back to the ring and hits more punches and chops. Irish whip into the turnbuckle with authority by HBK, but Cena blocks a rampaging HBK. Cena is knocked down again. HBK decides to target Cena’s left knee. HBK aggressively swings the knee into the ring post. Cena uses the ropes to stand up, but HBK tackles the knee. HBK continues to work the knee, taking a break to hit the occasional chop. The referee even bothers to ask Cena if he can continue. HBK chops Cena into the corner, but Cena punches him away. Michaels tackles Cena in the corner, who is still acting like he cannot stand. They exchange chops and punches, with the crowd showing favoritism towards HBK. HBK tries another tackle, but Cena dodges, with HBK hitting the ring post head-first. HBK is busted open! Cena then stops selling the leg and hits a clothesline and repeatedly punches HBK on the mat. Shoulder block by Cena and suplex. Cena considers selling his knee for a second, but reminds HBK that “you can’t see me.” Five knuckle shuffle by Cena. Cena goes for the F-U, but HBK escapes and hits a chop. Cena sends HBK into the turnbuckle. HBK goes for the Sweet Chin Music, but accidentally takes out the referee instead. Cena goes for the F-U again, but HBK counters with a DDT. HBK is angry now and pulls Cena to ringside and positions him for a piledriver on the steps. He actually hits the move too! HOLY SHIT! I can’t believe Cena took that bump! HBK drags Cena back to the ring, and Cena is bleeding from the back of his head now. Another referee runs in for a cover, but Cena somehow kicked out! HBK is furious now, and goes high risk. HBK connects with the elbow drop and signals Sweet Chin Music. Cena charges with a clothesline, knocking HBK down before he can deliver the kick. They barely make it to their feet and exchange shots. Cena then catches HBK in an F-U position, but HBK counters and rolls Cena up, but only gets a two count. HBK shoots Cena into the ropes, and Cena catches him and hits the F-U at long last! Cena is slow to get the cover, and HBK kicks out. Cena plants HBK on the top turnbuckle. Cena tries to F-U HBK off the top, but it’s blocked. HBK throws Cena to the floor and HBK flies off with a flying crossbody. Cena catches him and rolls him into another F-U. HBK blocks by landing on his feet. Cena looks for the STFU, but HBK blocks. HBK gets an inside cradle, and Cena barely kicks out. HBK misses an enziguri, and Cena locks on the STFU. HBK must appear to be superhuman and is trapped in the hold for a long time before making it to the ropes. The ref scolds Cena for being reluctant to break the hold, giving HBK a chance to strike with the Sweet Chin Music! HBK slowly gets the cover, and Cena kicks out at two. Both men are down for several seconds, but use each other to prop themselves to their feet. Cena tries for the F-U, but it is countered, so Cena locks the STFU on again! HBK finally taps out at 28:22! John Cena has retained the WWE Championship at two consecutive Wrestlemania’s! Aside from the nonsense with the working the knee in the early going, this was an awesome match, especially the final ten minutes when either man could have easily and convincingly gone over at any moment, ****1/2.
Winner and still WWE Champion: John Cena