In retrospect, Kurt’s story in wrestling is that, alongside guys like Bill Goldberg, Vader, and Brock Lesnar, he was one of the fastest rising stars in the history of the business. After debuting at the 1999 Survivor Series (not many stars debut on PPV), he became the first man to capture every single singles title in the company (technically Diesel did it first, but that was 2 belts to 4). This culminated with Kurt SHOCKINGLY defeating The Rock at No Mercy 2000 to become the WWF Champion. Kurt would go on to win a plethora of titles as well as the 2000 King of the Ring.

Kurt was really a jack of all trades. He was a legit “shooter” and everybody knew it and he could be one of the scariest dudes ever. But he also had tons of charisma and could do comedy as well. But the thing Kurt was best at, that earned the respect of both his piers and the fans, was his workrate. Kurt quickly learned how to have not only good matches, not only great ones, but EPIC matches. The list of great matches Kurt had just in his first year were stunning, but he really didn’t hit his stride until 2001, when he had damn-near classic contests with Triple H, The Rock, Stone Cold, and Chris Benoit, many of these were just on regular episodes of Raw. Kurt remained a solid main eventer in the WWF/WWE and capped his seemingly short, but effective Hall of Fame career with classic Wrestlemania encounters with Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, and Shawn Michaels. In 2006, after a somewhat bizarre and controversial series of stir-ups between Kurt and the WWE management, Kurt left the company to travel to TNA. His first month there, he faced off with the incredibly hot Samoa Joe and gave TNA their biggest PPV buyrate in company history. Kurt has remained in TNA since then and gone on to win numerous titles and feud with nearly everybody on the roster.

Kurt Angle’s historic TNA debut:

Many fans to this day are waiting for the day Angle parts ways with TNA so he can make his return to the WWE and end his career the right way. Angle has teased this for years but nothing has really come of it. Angle has also teased a UFC run and Olympic return among other things. With Kurt aging rapidly and suffering from a neck that will seemingly never heal, only time will tell if we’ll ever see him back home.

Defining Match Of The WrestleMania Era: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit at Royal Rumble 2003

Kurt Angle has had more spectacular matches than nearly anybody in the modern era, but his greatest opponent would HAVE to be Chris Benoit. Angle and Benoit feuded on and off from 2001 to 2003, competing in all types of matches, including the first and only “30 Minute Ultimate Submission” match, a Cage match on Raw, a 3 Stages of Hell Ladder Match, and tons of singles matches. The one everybody points to as the career defining moment for both Kurt AND Chris was their epic encounter at the 2003 Royal Rumble for the WWE Title.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Jake’s promo from Wrestlemania VI to Ted Dibiase, a man he feuded with for nearly a year:

Jake’s WWF run was filled with some of wrestling’s most brutal moments. His first feud with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat took a dangerous turn when Jake DDT’d Ricky on the concrete floor and cracked his head like a coconut. Jake legitimately knocked Ricky out cold. Then a short while later, Honky Tonk Man cracked Jake in the side of the head with a guitar to build up a match for Wrestlemania III. The plan was for Honky to hit Jake with a worked “trick” guitar, but somebody wound up making a mistake and replacing it with a real guitar, causing a concussion in Robert’s head that led to his pain pill addiction. After this, Jake became a wildly popular babyface and began to battle heels such as Ted Dibiase, Bad News Brown, and an awesome feud with “Ravishing” Rick Rude after Rude hit on Jake’s real life wife Cheryl who was in the front row.

A few years later on an episode of WWF Superstars, Jake’s snake Damien was literally “squashed” by Earthquake. This was the first time I’d ever seen the WWF do an angle where an animal was killed, but not the last (in 1999, The Big Boss Man tricked Al Snow into eating his own dog). This left quite a lasting memory on me when I was seven. Soon after, Jake turned heel and became one of the most despicable and vile villains of the early 90s. He aligned himself with the Undertaker and began a feud with Randy Savage which became so memorable that people who don’t even watch wrestling remember it vividly for two reasons: #1 – it was the FIRST TIME I can remember WWF doing a man-on-woman violence angle (Jake slapped Randy’s wife Elizabeth in the face), and #2 – it was the FIRST TIME we saw an animal attack a wrestler, as Jake had his cobra lunge into Randy’s arm on WWF Superstars in an angle that was quite frankly – unforgettable. Jake was always involved in the darkest angles the WWF could make.

Jake squashes a jobber, followed by the famous snake-bite angle with Randy Savage:

Jake was ready to take a job as an agent by the time 1992 rolled around. But when the position was no longer available, Jake decided his first WWF run was over. He put over the Undertaker at Wrestlemania (Taker kicked out of the DDT, which almost nobody did) and headed down south to WCW. After a VERY brief run in WCW where he feuded with their top superstar, Sting, he returned to the WWF in 1995 for his second run. This time, Jake was promoted as a changed man, a man who found religion and was able to kill his vices. This will most be remembered for his feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler who poked fun at Jake’s alcoholism, and for being the catalyst for the creation of “Austin 3:16″ at the 1996 King of the Ring after losing in the finals to Steve Austin. After this run, Jake made a number of sporatic appearances for WWE, TNA, and a number of independent promotions. He also was one of the focus points on the 1999 Beyond The Mat documentary.

Jake Roberts vs. Randy Savage from Saturday Night’s Main Event – The Blowoff to their feud:

Jake’s personal life growing up and well into his adult years is one of the most bizarre, sad, and downright repulsive stories of anybody I’ve ever heard. He’s the son of the legendary Grizzly Smith, and if you’ve seen the Jake “The Snake” Roberts: Pick Your Poison DVD that WWE released a few years ago, you’d know that he was an unsavory character to say the very least. Well unfortunately this carried into Jake’s own life as his substance abuse and narcotic issues have always been the cause for his pain. It cost him several jobs, his wife, and his children. Jake still battles these demons to this day. Jake’s legacy will always be that of a sharp visionary and one of the best minds for the wrestling business. It’s too bad because he could’ve done so much more…

Defining Match Of The WrestleMania Era: Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at 1996 King Of The Ring

My choice for Jake’s most defining match of the Wrestlemania Era would have to be his match where he put over Stone Cold Steve Austin in the 1996 King of the Ring PLUS the post match promo. Why? It was the birth of the biggest star ever and a change in the scope of wrestling. It all led back to this moment. The match isn’t the best of Jake’s career, but it’s probably got the most impact.

Ted is the son of wrestling legend “Iron” Mike Dibiase, who is one of the few ever in the business to die IN THE RING of a heart attack, witnessed by Ted himself. But that didn’t scare him enough to not enter the business and become a huge success. Ted was a hot-fire babyface in the St. Louis territory, Bill Watts’ Mid-South/UWF, All Japan, and more. In the WWF, Ted was the first WWF North American Champion in the late 70s, a precursor to the Intercontinental Title, but his second run would be his legacy.

Ted Dibiase, in the ring, was one of the absolute finest technical wrestlers in the sport. As The Million Dollar Man, he added a successful gimmick to that, a new layer to his legend. Ted Dibiase came in with his bodyguard Virgil, and WWF filmed vignettes of him using his money and power to bully others and do things that average “nickle and dime peons” as he called them, could not do. His trademark laugh and modified cobra clutch finisher, the Million Dollar Dream, will always be remembered.

Ted had a number of memorable angles in the WWF, but the biggest would have to be in 1988 when he set his sights on becoming WWF Champion. He orchestrated a plan to take the belt from Hulk Hogan, who had it for over three years at the time. Ted’s attempt at “buying” the belt from Hulkster failed, so he had to be crafty. First, Ted purchased the services of Andre the Giant from Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Andre got a near flash-pin and came half a second away from beating Hogan in their Wrestlemania III match PLUS he was the most feared man in the business. Collectively, they were called The Mega Bucks. On February 5, 1988, Hogan and Andre had their historic rematch on a special edition of the Main Event, which to this day stands as the most watched pro wrestling tv show in North American history. Dibiase paid Dave Hebner’s twin brother Earl to screw Hogan out of the title. After the match, Andre handed Ted Dibiase the championship. The next week on TV, WWF President Jack Tunney vacated the belt due to the controversy of the hand-over, which led to the Wrestlemania IV tournament. Little known fact: Ted actually worked a couple of house shows as WWF Champion despite not officially being recognized as one. Ted would go on to make the finals of the tournament and main event the show in a losing effort to Randy Savage.

Distraught after the Hogan feud and his inability to capture the WWF Title, Ted Dibiase created his own championship to dwarf the WWF one; a belt that cost a million dollars to make, covered in diamonds and stones: The Million Dollar Title. Ted was the first wrestler I can remember creating his own belt, something that would be emulated by Taz and Booker T in the future. To this day, while other wrestlers have fought for the title, only Ted and Virgil have held it.

The creation of the Million Dollar Title:

Even though Wrestlemania IV was the peak of his career, Ted would remain as a main eventer and upper card heel until his in-ring retirement in 1993. Ted had notable feuds with Hercules, Jake Roberts, The Big Bossman, Dusty Rhodes, and finally his own bodyguard Virgil, which was a rebellion angle that had been teased since both entered the WWF. After his singles run, Ted teamed with I.R.S. to form the tag team Money Incorporated and went on to hold the WWF Tag Team Titles on two occassions and rekindled his feud with Hulk Hogan in a tag match at Wrestlemania IX. Ted would go on to feud with Razor Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid until he retired.

After a brief stint as a commentator, Ted started his infamous Million Dollar Corporation mega-stable in the mid-90s. Dibiase would manage a massive group of heels composed of his former partner I.R.S., King Kong Bundy, Nikolai Volkoff, Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, Kama the Supreme Fighting Machine, Sid, and finally, the Ringmaster, who would go on to become Stone Cold Steve Austin. Looking back, the two most memorable angles during the Million Dollar Corporation’s run in the mid-90s would be the Undertaker vs. Undertaker match at Summerslam 94 and the main event of Wrestlemania XI between Ted’s Bam Bam Bigelow and NFL legend Lawrence Taylor.

Ted would leave the WWF in 1996 and go to WCW to play the role of the financial backer of the NWO (as if Hogan didn’t have enough money himself). He turned babyface and managed the Steiners for a while before leaving the company. He’s made a few appearances here and there for WWE in the 2000s, but his legacy now is with his sons Ted Dibiase Jr. and Brett Dibiase, both of whom are in WWE. Dibiase was immortalized as the main entrant in the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame. But with or without that honor, Ted Dibiase’s important place in the business can never be taken away from him.

Defining Match Of The WrestleMania Era: Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Savage at WrestleMania IV

Dibiase has had a plethora of downright amazing technical matches with everybody ranging from Brad Armstrong to Hulk Hogan. Dibiase had great chemistry with guys like Jake Roberts, Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, and his own bodyguard Virgil. The match I’ve chosen here is Dibiase’s biggest career match in the main event of Wrestlemania IV from the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City against Macho Man Randy Savage in the finals of the WWF Championship Tournament.

During the 1980s wrestling boom period, Hulk Hogan was the top guy in the business and quickly became a household name. His biggest foil, his arch-rival, his “Lex Luthor”, and an arguable #2 guy, was Rowdy Roddy Piper. When Vince McMahon signed Piper away from Don Owens, he had to have seen stars in his eyes. Piper was one of the wildest and most unpredictable characters to ever step into a ring. Roddy was crazy, and many people in the business and fans to this day believe that it goes beyond a character: he was legitimately nuts. Piper’s insane antics were legendary, inspiring a flock of “sadistic, dick heels” of the future such as Brian Pillman and Edge. Piper’s incredible charisma and ability to improvise quicker than the entire cast of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” put him head and shoulders above anybody else. He was perfect for the role.

Other than what he accomplished in the ring as a worker and personality, the other half of Piper’s legacy is that he was one of the first, perhaps THE FIRST, wrestler to host his very own interview segment, with a custom set and all – Piper’s Pit. Never before did we see a wrestler interview another wrestler, and as expected, it often led to chaos. Some of the WWF’s biggest angles of the 80s took place in Piper’s pit, including Andre the Giant’s historic heel turn, building to his match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, the biggest wrestling event of all time. The Piper’s Pit segments were provocative and innovative.

The most infamous episode of Piper’s Pit was when he interviewed Jimmy Snuka. Watch it here:

As an 80s icon, Piper has a laundry list of accolades in the wrestling and did so much for it, he needs to be immortalized forever. Other than being the main rival to Hulk Hogan, he main evented the first WrestleMania, had a boxing match with Mr. T during WrestleMania 2, and even appeared on MTV in Cyndi Lauper’s “Goonies Are Good Enough” video, which PERSONIFIED the Rock N Wrestling Connection. After his first retirement at Wrestlemania 3 in a memorable feud with Adrian Adonis, Piper had sporatic runs in the WWF as a wrestler, trainer for Virgil, commentator, and WWF President. He had notable feuds with Bad News Brown, Ric Flair, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and of course, Goldust.

Behind the curtain, Piper was a devoted family man with four children. So it came as no surprise that in 1996, Piper took a very lucrative offer from World Championship Wrestling and rekindled his rivalry with Hulk Hogan. It was called the “Battle of the Icons”, but this time, the roles were reversed: Hogan had become a cocky overbearing heel and leader of the NWO and Piper was the legend coming back to humble him. Their match at Starrcade 1996 was WCW’s biggest buyrate up until that point. Piper stayed in WCW and feuded with Hogan’s group while also having smaller feuds with Ric Flair and Randy Savage in 1997 and 1998. When WCW closed, Piper made a brief return to the WWE in 2003 and once again feuded with Hogan… err… Mr. America… after making an AWESOME surprise appearance at Wrestlemania XIX. In 2005, the WWE honored Piper by inducting him into the Hall of Fame, where he certainly deserved to be.

Other than being a mainstay in the wrestling business, Piper also dabbled in acting, appearing in numerous films like Body Slam, Hell Comes to Frogtown, and his magnum opus: They Live.

Defining Match Of The WrestleMania Era: Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII

There’s a few I can list including WrestleMania 1-3, the trilogy of Hogan matches in WCW, The War To Settle The Score, and tons more. But to me, the match that sticks out as bell to bell accomplishing the most and telling an amazing story is the one he had at Wrestlemania VIII. Piper defended his WWF Intercontinental Title against Bret “Hitman” Hart. The story of the match was an unbelievable back and forth contest between two babyfaces which stole the show because of the athleticism and chemistry that both had, and the story of the match teased Piper, who hadn’t been a villain since 1986, nearly turning back into that and hitting Bret with a bell, but realizing that he wasn’t that man anymore. It was the defining moment for the babyface Piper character.

Also known as “The Ravishing One” and the “Sexiest Man Alive”, one could say that his pre-match “What I’d like to have right now…” in-ring promos helped inspire the modern era of heels; very few wrestlers did in-ring pre-match promos prior to the Monday Night War. Besides that, Rude became an INTEGRAL part of the War as not only being a FOUNDING MEMBER of Degeneration X, but also for being the first man to appear simultaneously on WWF Raw and WCW Nitro on the same night, November 17th, 1997, (Raw was taped a week prior and Rude left the company in that week and showed up on the live WCW Nitro the next week).

But before that, Rude got it done between the ropes.

Rude had a chiseled physique and looked like a more athletic version of Superstar Graham. Rude could get it done bell to bell and was one of the most respected workers in the business. Rude had a pretty decent run in World Class, but it wasn’t until he showed up in the WWF, managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, that he was able to really shine as an upper card heel. Rude’s promos, with or without Brain, were amazing, and the WWF always found ways to put him in creative situations revolving his character (something modern wrestling has failed to do because, for the most part, they have no characters). Some of Rude’s most memorable moments involved the infamous pose-down between he and Ultimate Warrior (his greatest WWF opponent), his attempt to seduce Jake Roberts’ wife Cheryl Roberts which led to them feuding for several months, his unbelievable debut in the ECW Arena, under a mask, chastising “The Franchise” Shane Douglas with his trademark grovelly voice and cocky demeanor, and many others. In WCW, he was in the Dangerous Alliance, teamed with long-time best friend Curt Hennig, feuded with several legends, and was a mouth-piece for the NWO. His finishing move, the Rude Awakening, was the most dangerous looking neckbreaker ever, because he would pause and then DROP, so it looked like he legit cracked the guy’s neck.

To this day, Rude stands as the ONLY WRESTLER to ever airbrush various things on his tights, including his face, his opponent’s faces, and whatever championship belt he was chasing or defending. Rick had to retire from wrestling in the mid 90s after breaking his back in a match with Sting in Japan. Rick died in April of 1999 while training for a comeback in the WWF. I love Rick Rude and I miss him and other characters from that era and he will always be one of the most inspiring and memorable heels of all time.

Defining Match Of The WrestleMania Era: Rick Rude vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at Beach Blast 1992 (Iron Man Match)

There’s a few I can list here. Any of his matches with Ultimate Warrior (Wrestlemania V, Summerslam 89, and finally a Steel Cage Match at Summerslam 90) were great as, other than Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan (once), no one got the best out of Warrior like Rude did. His chemistry with Jake Roberts was also amazing. He had a pretty good slew of matches in WCW against guys like Sting and Ric Flair. But to me, the most fun I ever had watching Rude work was in WCW at Beach Blast 92 against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match. I could not find video of that on YouTube, so instead I found it’s precursor, their match from Superbrawl II for the United States Championship:

Keeping with an annual tradition that I do on FGB, here we have the JUST released Wrestlemania XXIX logo. I broke over on SuperfriendsUniverse.com that Wrestlemania 29 would be in New Jersey in Metlife Stadium, breaking the 10 year Mania tradition of having it in the Garden for 1, 10, and 20. Wrestlemania 30 is scheduled to be in Dallas.

The late Ryan Gracie always had a reputation for being a bit of a nutjob. But this time, it may have been too much.

In the summer of 2002, the never ending feud between the Japanese and the Brazilians in PRIDE escalated on August 28th, 2002 at K-1 and PRIDE’s joint mega event: Dynamite 2002. 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, a beloved Japanese athlete, made his MMA debut against MMA pioneer Royce Gracie in one of the feature bouts on the card. Yoshida won via submission, but Gracie protested claiming he never tapped out. The Gracie’s were known to never tap out. Ever. In fact, Royler and Renzo Gracie BOTH got their arms broken by Kazushi Sakuraba for not tapping out. Royce later alleged that there was a conspiracy, because the referee and the judges were Japanese, they screwed Royce and gave the win to Yoshida in front of 91,107 people at Tokyo National Stadium. Needless to say, the Gracie family was already not too happy.

As the fight between Ryan Gracie and Shungo Oyama drew closer, tensions began to build from both camps. Oyama was seen as a rebel and already had a win over Ryan’s brother Renzo. Word got out that Oyama challenged Ryan Gracie to a street fight before they stepped into the ring for their scheduled bout on September 29, 2002 at PRIDE.22. Ryan’s short fuse is legendary, as stories of him challenging people to bar fights on the streets of Brazil were commonplace in MMA circles. He was more than happy to grand Oyama his wishes, but fortunately for the integrity of the sport, that never manifested. Ryan Gracie, in an interview with Stephen Quadros, claimed that after the fight in the ring at PRIDE, he’d be more than happy to rematch him in the hotel room. He was dead serious when he said it.

Heat.

Before the fight began, you could see the rage in Gracie’s face. He blew Oyama a kiss during the staredown, basically proclaiming this would be easy. Once the bell rang, Gracie quickly shot in and took down the Judoka swiftly and with ease. He began to mount and search for an opening. Oyama, clearly lacking in the submission defense department, started to feed Gracie his arm. Big mistake. Gracie grabbed the arm and yanked back. Like the Gracie’s, Oyama was notorious for not tapping and he didn’t this time. Guess what happened? Yep. Snappy Snappy. Ryan made Oyama his bitch and took his arm with him. Humbled~!

Ouch.

So kids, today’s lesson: DON’T BE AN IDIOT: TAP OUT OR ELSE SOMETHING WILL BREAK!

It’s been 10 Years since Wrestlemania X-Seven, considered by nearly everybody to be the greatest Wrestlemania of all time, and the buzz around this one is centered around a man who main evented that particular show: The Rock. WWE’s failure to make a star on the level of the Rock can’t really be blamed solely on them: they come along once in a blue moon. Still, there have been even more stacked lineups to Manias in the past few years (last year is a great example) and even THEY have not been able to touch X-Seven.

Today we present the Ultimate Wrestlemania XXVII preview, featuring everything you need to know about Wrestlemania, detailing the big matches, predicting the winners and losers, and maybe speculating on what surprises may come.

This Year’s Panel Includes:

Emperor Big D – Future Fight Game Blog Hall Of Famer, Founder of SuperfriendsUniverse.com
GG - Fight Game Blog Creator and Reigning Dictator
Alan – Fight Game Blog International Heavyweight Champion (Yes, the same belt Sting and Rick Rude had)
Duan – Fight Game Blog Superhero from Across The Pond
Mr. Eddie – President of Edmerica, Co-Host of Pixels N Bits
Chessarmy – Co-Founder of SuperfriendsUniverse.com, Host of Wrestling Roundup Radio
JP Nichols – Host of Free Admission, Indy Legend.

The following match order is what I THINK will be presented, although likely won’t be quite like this:

Match #1: The Anti-Corre of Kane, The Big Show, Santino & Koslov vs. The Corre of WWE Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, and WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater.

Since Money in the Bank is officially no longer a Wrestlemania match, why not scrunch midcarders together into a wacky 8-man? The one consistent thing here is that there actually is… um.. somewhat of a story… I guess between The Corre and the babyfaces. Big Show has been feuding with them for a long time, so that makes sense, as well as Santino and Kos losing the belts to them (and seriously Kofi loses his Mania spot to these jabronis). Kane ONCE AGAIN retreads into his yearly “we don’t know what we’re going to do with Kane” role that he always has. Seriously, the last time Kane was in a match you could remotely consider major was against the Undertaker. Every other time its a wacky multi-man or the GREAT KHALI FEUD with the GRAPPLING HOOK! REMEMBER THAT? Anyways, in my opinion, if this opens, the babyfaces go over. If they put it later on the card, Corre goes over. Let’s see what everybody thinks:

Emperor Big D – Corre
Mr. Eddie – Anti-Corre
Chessarmy – Anti-Corre
GG – Anti-Corre
Duan – The Corre
Alan – Anti-Corre
JP Nichols – The Corre

It’s not a match people care about, but its split down the middle. I can totally see this as a buffer for something else.

Match #2: Rey Mysterio vs. “Not Dashing Anymore” Cody Rhodes

Other than Cole/Lawler, this has truthfully been my absolute favorite feud in WWE right now. It’s funny because while I consider Rey Mysterio one of the stalest characters in the business, nearly every year he is put with these awesome heels in fun programs. This year, the program is as old school as it gets, including borrowing a bit from the 1992 Marty Janetty vs. Shawn Michaels feud. Rey fucked up Cody Rhodes “Dashing” face and now he’s become this pseudo-Phantom of the Opera-type ghoul character, who wears this rag over his head because he’s ashamed of his look, decimates his enemies with his face protector, and wants revenge. I LOVE it. I don’t know who’s idea it was, but this is the kind of wacky coolness that drew me into pro graps as a kid. Throw in his father Dusty Rhodes, one of the best promo guys in the history of the sport, to do promos for him and this is a winner. Cody needs this win, but it ain’t happening. We can always hope for a rematch at Extreme Rules where he gets a win. At least I think it’ll be a fun match and I look forward to ANY interaction between Rey and Dusty.

Emperor Big D – Rey Mysterio
Mr. Eddie – Rey Mysterio
Chessarmy – Cody Rhodes
GG – Cody Rhodes
Duan – Rey Mysterio
Alan – Cody Rhodes
JP Nichols – Rey Mysterio

This one’s pretty evenly split. If this opens the show, no doubt Rey wins. He brings the perfect crowd fire. If it doesn’t, I could see Cody advancing to continue the feud for the next 2-3 months.

Match #3: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (w/ Nobody)

I love CM Punk as much as I hate Randy Orton. It’s not like I despise the guy personally, but he’s basically mini-Triple H, burying everybody and never losing clean to anybody. In the past 3 months, Orton has single handedly wiped out the entire Nexus faction, which in 2010 was named as the most dangerous in history. Punk took over the group and used them to get at Randall because Punk is still pissed over being punted September of 2008 at Unforgiven and having to forfeit the World Title during his first reign; which is a plot twist that I actually LIKE because I can’t recall Punk EVER getting revenge. CM Punk is the only reason I want to watch this match and he will make it work.

Emperor Big D – Randy Orton
Mr. Eddie – Randy Orton
Chessarmy – Randy Orton
GG – Randy Orton
Duan – Randy Orton
Alan – Randy Orton
JP Nichols – Randy Orton

Nobody thinks Punk has a chance, but WHY WOULD YOU!? ORTON IS FREAKING INVINCIBLE!!!!! GG believes Orton gets laid out after, but I don’t think we’ll be that lucky.

Match #4: United States Championship: Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan

Even though the match has been in the books for quite some time, it was thrown together on TV at the last minute. Daniel Bryan won the United States Championship from Miz way back in September and had been the longest reigning champ in WWE for years. Sheamus won the King of the Ring in December and went on a losing streak unlike no other, which was bad for him being a former 2 time WWE champ. On the March 7th Raw, Bryan defeated Sheamus via count out (how a loser gets a title shot, I’ll never know). Sheamus challenged Bryan for a rematch and claimed if he did not win the title, he would retire (yes, again). On the March 14th episode of Raw, they had an outstanding match where Sheamus won the US title and broke his losing stream. Old school booking where they trade wins to build to a rubber match. No question that this will be a great in ring match and while it WILL be remembered by many hardcores as the Wrestlemania debut of “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, there’s little doubt in MY MIND that he’s looking at the lights.

Emperor Big D – Sheamus
Mr. Eddie – Sheamus
Chessarmy – Sheamus
GG – Sheamus
Duan – Sheamus
Alan – Sheamus
JP Nichols – Daniel Bryan

It looks like Daniel Bryan’s future is to be the next Jamie Noble/Val Venis type to put over the up and coming guys. I just can’t picture him having much else to do in this WWE climate. However, since Sheamus went over on the go home Raw, maybe they will give Danielson the belt back. Definitely a dark horse.

Match #5: John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Nicole “Snooki” Pollizi vs. Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool and Layla

This is your traditional “let’s put a popular celebrity at Wrestlemania” segment. I laugh at a lot of these loser wrestling nerds who wonder why WWE would put Snooki into a match, obviously not paying attention to the past oh… TWENTY SEVEN YEARS or so of the business when hundreds of celebs have been involved on the “Grandest Stage of Them All”. The build up to this match is simple: Vickie Guerrero and Laycool weren’t happy with Snooki guest hosting Raw, so they got into a big brawl and challenged Snooki, who accepted (swiftly taking Kelly Kelly’s spot in this match) As a fan of both pro wrestling AND Shore and as a person who understands the value of trainwreck television, I’m looking forward to the trainwreck that this will provide. Naturally, Morrison and Ziggler will carry the in-ring stuff. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you watch professional wrestling, where grown, oiled up men in their underwear fake fight, and have the audacity to wonder why Jersey Shore is popular or to insult its viewers or cast: hang yourself immediately.

Emperor Big D – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
Mr. Eddie – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
Chessarmy – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
GG – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
Duan – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
Alan – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki
JP Nichols – Morrison, Trish, and Snooki

Snooki ain’t comin’ in to job.

Match #6: John Cena vs. The Miz (w/ Alex Riley)

This is one of the most underwhelming main events in Wrestlemania history. I watched The Miz ten years ago on the Real World, and like most who did, were very happy when he actually won the WWE Championship. The issue is like with most heel champions of the PG era, Miz has been booked like a complete joke before AND even after he won the title. Since 2006, WWE has built up The Miz as a complete laughing stock, from his goofy “Host of Smackdown” gig, to his tag team with Morrison, he’s been all about the fun and games and never as a credible contender or a tough guy. In the past months, WWE has apparently realized this and has been putting a lot of work into making Miz credible… and yet he can’t get a CLEAN PIN over the Great Khali. They just don’t get it and probably never will. The general consensus among fans is that he does not stand a chance against the monster Cena, who is YET AGAIN walking out with the title at Wrestlemania. Stale doesn’t begin to describe this. The big story though is between Cena and Rock. Lots of different possiblities here. Will Rock help Cena win ala Mike Tyson at Mania 14? Will Cena win and then Rock lay him out? Or will Cena win and then lay Rock out? Will they set up a match for Summerslam in Los Angeles or perhaps even Wrestlemania 28 next year? Regardless, SOMETHING will happen with the Rock, which I feel will HURT the match because the near falls won’t mean a damn thing because everybody will be waiting for Rock. However, who gives a damn if the near falls don’t count because this is again – meaningless. The only way that I could possibly care about this is if Miz wins clean (or by Rock attack), and there’s a better chance of me becoming the President of Chile than that happening.

Emperor Big D – John Cena
Mr. Eddie – John Cena
Chessarmy – John Cena
GG – John Cena
Duan – John Cena
Alan – John Cena
JP Nichols – The Miz

(See Orton vs. Punk)

Match #7: Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole (w/ Jack Swagger) w/ Stone Cold Steve Austin as Guest Referee

WWE has put a lot of work into making Michael Cole the most hated character on television. I could sit here and argue logistics about why having your lead play by play guy as a top heel is a bad idea (even though Cole is VERY VERY VERY good at it), but that really has nothing to do with the match itself. For weeks, Cole has been insulting Jerry’s family, bringing his own son up to bury him, mocking him, and getting him beat up by Jack Swagger. Not just that, but Cole has also beat up Jim Ross. This is Jerry’s long awaited Wrestlemania match. Expect TONS shenanigans here, specially since Cole is anything but a trained wrestler. I expect Swagger to take a stunner, as well as Cole, Jim Ross to appear and maybe slap that “Yankee Bastard”, and HOPEFULLY reclaim his chair as THE VOICE of World Wrestling Entertainment. If he doesn’t, then this is kind of a waste of time.

Emperor Big D – Jerry Lawler
Mr. Eddie – Jerry Lawler
Chessarmy – Jerry Lawler
GG – Jerry Lawler
Duan – Jerry Lawler
Alan – Jerry Lawler
JP Nichols – Jerry Lawler

Unanimous.

Match #8: World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio (w/ Ricardo Rodriguez and Brodus Clay)

Unlike Miz, Alberto Del Rio is proof of the right way to book a heel. Despite having a creative, less obnoxious, gimmick, the guy has credible wins over main eventers and upper mid carders like Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, Edge, Big Show, Kofi Kingston and really very few losses, most of them not memorable. He’s gotten one of the fastest pushes in WWE history, something the company has veered away from since Brock Lesnar. Point is, Del Rio has been booked like a champion and has a very interesting gimmick where he takes the best parts of JBL, Nick Bockwinkle, and heel Eddie Guerrero, mixed with some MMA moves and good looks, and has become a bonafied superstar. This is the match that will make ADR. If he loses though, then it’ll be just like Swagger, Sheamus, Barrett, and every other guy who they’ve stop/started and he’ll fade away. It’s do or die for Dos Caras.

Emperor Big D – Alberto Del Rio
Mr. Eddie – Alberto Del Rio
Chessarmy – Alberto Del Rio
GG – Alberto Del Rio
Duan – Alberto Del Rio
Alan – Alberto Del Rio
JP Nichols – Alberto Del Rio

I expect a finish filled with fun shenanigans, but I really doubt Del Rio isn’t winning here. I mean, for the past FOUR years, the Rumble winner has failed at getting the title. I think its time.

Match #9: No Holds Barred Icon vs. Icon: The Undertaker vs. Triple H

As of right now, this match is scheduled to go on last. It’s pretty much become solidified by most that Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak is more important now than any championship. It’s no secret that I absolutely despise Triple H and think he’s probably a bigger mark than any of the fans who watch this. I’m sure the reason this is going on last is because both of these guys are certified top guys and legends and icons and all of that, but will they REALLY be able to top the Wrestlemania 17 match? I think not. While I AM looking forward to this because I know it won’t be boring, I’m predicting it won’t hold a candle to either of the HBK matches from the past 2 years either. I DO love the simple build-up and think that WWE needs to do this more often than not. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If Triple H takes the streak, I will be so infuriated that I will cease watching WWE ever again other than Wrestlemania. Not kidding. So what’s more important? The Streak, or keeping the Emperor Big D as a fan??

Emperor Big D – The Undertaker
Mr. Eddie – The Undertaker
Chessarmy – The Undertaker
GG – The Undertaker
Duan – The Undertaker
Alan – The Undertaker
JP Nichols – The Undertaker

Again, Triple H can’t win this, and if he does… well you know.

Other notes:

- Will Shawn Michaels interfere or appear for the Taker/HHH match?

- Keri Hilson will be singing America The Beautiful. NO JUSTIN BIEBER!

- Kevin Nash may be involved in something.

- There is a Bob Barker and Drew Carey segment rumored.

- There will likely be a 27 Man Battle Royal before the show stars.

- Jim Ross is scheduled to call 3 matches (YAY!)

- As of this writing, Undertaker vs. Triple H is scheduled to close the show, but Miz/Cena could also close according to Dave Meltzer.

Well thats it. Definitely not as appealing as the last few years, but heres hoping Wrestlemania will entertain. Whether you are in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome or at home on HD PPV, have a good time!