WrestleMania 28
Miami, FL
Sun Life Stadium
April 1, 2012
I watched Mania 28 back in March, a couple weeks before Mania 29, and I have to say it was a much better event. My opinion from the year before hasn’t really changed, as Mania 28 still holds up as the best since 22 or 23.
The biggest problem with every Mania since 22 is the sameness. They all kind of blur together, with the massive sets, super stadiums, half hour main events, long video packages, wacky celebrity appearances, mid-carder comedy segments, the “nininooo” Hall of Fame segment, etc. Even in my lists of best and worst matches I got some of the recent Manias confused. So much time and effort is put into the look and setup, but not as much for the in-ring action. Wrestlemania has now become the “global phenomenon” so I guess they know the stadiums will sell out year after year no matter what’s going on in the ring.
WWE.com Preshow: WWE Tag Team Champions Primo Colon & Epico (w/ Rosa Mendes) defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso and Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel at 5:02 when Primo pinned one of the Usos with the Back Stabber after the Uso hit the splash off the top onto Gabriel
This bonus match was included on the Mania DVD. What a shame this match wasn’t on the actual card. The match, with entrances, was under 10 minutes and it could have easily been featured on the card if they had cut out some of the commercials and video packages. These six young wrestlers work hard in the time they’re given and really put on a great match. With a few more minutes this could have been one of the best matches of the night – had it been on the actual PPV. It’s disappointing that the WWE doesn’t recognize that people want matches at an event billed as WRESTLEMania.
1) Sheamus pinned World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan (w/ AJ) to win the title at the 19-second mark with a boot to the face after Bryan kissed AJ on the apron
A horrible start to the event. The beginning of Sheamus becoming an nonredeemable douchebag. We were both excited at the surprise of Sheamus winning the Rumble, even though it punched his ticket to the opening match. This match did no favors for either wrestler, as the internet fans began to hate Sheamus and the casual fans began to think of Bryan as another comedy loser. This could have been a great, competitive match instead of a lame attempt at comedy.
2) Kane pinned Randy Orton at 10:57 with a chokeslam off the top
A boring feud, and a heatless match. The smarks in the crowd were chanting “Daniel Bryan” and “Yes” during this match making it a little more entertaining. Its a shame that this match made the event, but the tag titles were deemed less important. And why did Kane win? I guess it doesn’t really matter.
Up next was one of those annoying celebrity segments. It was a shill for the Deadliest Catch with some schlub from the show eating crabs with Mick Foley and Santino Marella. Imagine if Wrestlemania III had segments like this?
3) The Big Show pinned WWE IC Champion Cody Rhodes to win the title at 5:20 with a spear, that ended up being a low blow, and the punch to the face
The feud leading up to this was pretty funny as Rhodes mocked the terrible moments of the Big Show at Wrestlemania, and for once I was glad they included the long highlight package, which was damn hilarious. This of course meant that the ending of this one was a forgone conclusion. The match wasn’t that bad, but I remember we sure were worried when watching this card live that it was going to suck the long hard one, but things turned around from this point on.
4) Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos defeated WWE Divas Champion Beth Phoenix & Eve at 6:49 when Menounos pinned Phoenix with a roll up after Menounos & Kelly caused Phoenix to collide with Eve on the apron, knocking Eve to the floor
This match is where the pace finally started picking up on this card. Menounos was looking hot for this one, as was Beth Phoenix (lol, I know I’m in the minority in thinking Phoenix was hot!). Surprisingly, Maria was pretty good in the ring for a celebrity – better than Snookie – and she was rightfully used in the mid-card. The match was mostly heatless, but it was a lot of fun to watch.
5) The Undertaker pinned Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match at 30:53 with the tombstone after striking Triple H in the head with his own sledgehammer; for his entrance, Triple H walked out from underneath the set of a castle; at the 17-minute mark, Taker put guest referee Shawn Michaels in the Hell’s Gate, prompting referee Charles Robinson to come out minutes later to briefly take over officiating before sustaining Taker’s chokeslam; later in the bout, Michaels hit the superkick on Taker, with Taker then sustaining Triple H’s Pedigree for a 2 count; after the contest, Michaels helped Taker to his feet in an embrace and raised his hand in victory; moments later, both Michaels and Taker helped Triple H to his feet and from the ring
If you look at this one politically, it really is sickening – two part time wrestlers getting a top billed Mania match yet again. From a fan’s perspective, this was an epic dream match, and was supposed to be the “end of an era” as Taker and Triple H teased this would be it for them in the WWE. Well we all know that sure the fuck didn’t happen, so it kind of cheapens the outcome of this match a little. However, all that aside, this was just an awesome old-school war between two of the all-time greats. Taker and Triple H beat the ever loving shit out of each other. Taker’s body looks sick as Triple H pounds welts into his back with a chair, the ring steps, and sledgehammer. The cell itself is kind of pointless, as this was pretty much a serious in-the-ring streetfight, so the cage was not really needed. Shawn Michaels collects a Mania paycheck, thanks to his pals, but at least he makes sense to be here (unlike at Mania 29), and he really adds to the drama and storyline of this battle. Triple H really comes close to winning, but does the right thing (can’t believe I’m saying that) and goes down to the Undertaker. This should have been it, ending their careers on a high note after one of the biggest matches in the history of Wrestlemania.
Up next was the Hall of Fame class announcement. I was genuinely touched by the reaction for Edge who was tearing up after retiring the year before. It’s too bad Edge was forced to retire early, as his presence is sorely missed. Imagine an Edge-CM Punk feud.
Then there was a horrible segment where Heath Slater has a moment with Flo Rida, and gets punked out by a fucking rapper! Imagine back in the day if MC Hammer shoved Greg the Hammer Valentine into a wall. Way to make your roster look weak.
6) David Otunga, Mike Mizanin, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Drew McIntyre, & Jack Swagger (w/ John Laurinaitis & Vickie Guerrero) defeated WWE US Champion Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, the Great Khali, R-Truth, Zack Ryder (w/ Eve), & Booker T (w/ Teddy Long, Aksana, & Hornswoggle) at 10:38 when Miz pinned Ryder with the Skull Crushing Finale after Eve climbed in the ring to fist pump with Ryder; stipulations stated the winning GM would run both Raw and Smackdown; after Team Johnny left the ring, Eve kicked Ryder between the legs and went backstage
Mania 28’s multi-man tag was really entertaining to watch. At least they featured all of the aimless mid-carders on the event. I kind of forgot about the Lauriniatis era, and forgot how awful he was. Lots of fast paced action make this one entertaining. Eve’s heel turn at the end was hilarious, especially when she low-blowed that tool Ryder.
7) WWE World Champion CM Punk defeated Chris Jericho via submission with the Anaconda Vice at 22:20; stipulations stated Punk would lose the title if he was disqualified
Forget the dumb storyline with Jericho revealing that Punk’s father was a drunk, this match was off-the-charts great. One of the best worked matches in modern Mania history. I loved it even more the second time I saw it. Punk and Jericho are true masters of the ring, and really know how to use wrestling to tell a dramatic story – a skill lost on 90% of the current roster. Jericho does the right thing by putting Punk over strong on the biggest stage of the year. I’m really impressed that the WWE gave these two enough time to really put on something special.
Next is one of the worst segments in Mania history, worse than the Rock and Pee Wee, as Brodus Clay comes out to dance with the “Momma” dancers. Nobody payed to see this fucking bullshit.
Many fans have complained about the 20 plus minute entrances for the Rock and Cena before the main event. I actually enjoyed both rap performances and long entrances as this match was really something special, and it was built up like one of the most epic matches in history. Of course they could have fit another match or two on this card instead, but this was supposed to be a “once in a lifetime” contest, so the build-up needed to be epic. Still, only 8 matches on a nearly four hour show. That’s just fucking dumb.
8) The Rock pinned John Cena at 30:34 with the Rock Bottom as Cena attempted his own People’s Elbow
This truly should have been a “once in a lifetime” match. Even the damn Wrestlemania DVD package has “once in a lifetime” printed all over it! With a year long build, real-life heat, intense promos, and all the pomp and circumstance, this was one of the best built main events in Wrestlemania history. This was a true dream match between the biggest star of the Attitude era and the biggest star of new millennium. Much like Hogan-Warrior or Rock-Hogan no one expected a clinic. A simplistic match with tons of brawling, finishers, near-falls, etc was all it took to get the fans on their feet losing their minds. The atmosphere in Miami was electric and that jean-shorts dweeb Cena and the movie star Rock really knew how to work with the emotion of the fans. Sadly, this match will be tainted over time by the disappointing rematch a year later. If this truly had been once in a lifetime, it would have been one for the ages.
the RepoDan Wrestling Institution 