This years show did indeed have it's good, and it's bad. Although my hopes weren't too high for this years "Showcase of the Immortals" as the build up wasn't very well done in my oppinion, for a Wrestlemania anyway. Was it a good PPV? Answer: Yes, it was a BRILLIANT PPV! A good Wrestlemania? Well, for the most part, yes. A solid 4.5/5 in my oppinion. Now let's have a look at the matches while staying completely spoiler free.John "Bradshaw" Layfield VS Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) in a Belfast Brawl
-It seemed suitable to open the show with this match as I always had fears the fans interest would wan during it. JBL is quite boring in the ring, and while I love Finlay as a wrestler, he isn't completely "over" yet. So I feared this match would be met with silence. Opening the show prevented that as it meant everything was freash for the fans. Unfortunately the match sucked. After the most build up out of any match (It dated all the way back to last year and the whole "Who is Vince's son?" angle), the most emotional storyline... we got, well we got nothing really. The "brawl" was nothing. Finlay's emotion leading up to WM was wasted. The match completely failed it's purpose.
CM Punk VS Shelton Benjamin VS Chris Jericho VS Carlito VS Montel Vontavious Porter VS Mr. Kennedy VS John Morrison in a Money in the Bank ladder match
-Good bump showcase. Not as good a match as previous years, but some awesome bumps. Seemed a bit unorganized though. Still, the winner truly deserved it, even if he was underused in the match. Shelton takes a bloody killer bump. I shared the same expression Carlito wears when it happened.
Umaga VS Batista
-This match didn't stand out at all. I don't think it was expected to though. Easily could've been done on a usual PPV or RAW/SD. Not WM worthy.
Kane VS Chavo Guerrero to win the ECW Championship
-Really, there was no one else that would've won this. And it's revealed early in the night so I don't consider it a spoiler. Kinda odd they didn't show the hyped on TV battle royal, but then again, WWE doesn't make sense often. Quick match, pretty pointless.
Ric Flair VS HBK in a career threatening match
-What an emotional match. Longtime wrestling fans are sure to be overcome with emotional during this match. A fantastic story is told in the ring, backed up solid ringwork. Besides the Money in the bank, this is the only other match so far that has had that unique WM feel.
Beth Phoenix and Melina VS Maria and Ashley in a Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjill match
Lumberjills: Cherry, Eve Torres, Michelle McCool, Victoria, Mickie James, Jillian Hall, Katie Lea Burchill, Kelly Kelly, Layla and Maryse.
-I took a toilet break at the start of the match as I knew this match would be crap. A boring match made worse by a mishap during the match. Only worth watching for Snoop Dogg's entertainment. He's one cool cat.
HHH VS Randy Orton VS John Cena in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship
-The match was, alright. Didn't really tickle my fancy but I can see some people really enjoying it. Just fast forward John Cena's entrance... it's some goofy marching band entrance. Ergh! The end is quite unexpected and was well done.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. VS The Big Show in a No Disqualification match
-This match was way better than I expected. Slow, but it had a big feeling to it. Which I found impressive, that they gained that bigtime feeling. A real shocking ending. Pure wrestling fans will despise it, but it's more entertaining than expected.
The Undertaker VS Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship
-THIS is what Wrestlemania is about! What a main event! It had the big feeling to it and truly gave off the feeling anything can happen. The false finishes, reversals, everything was done beautifully. This match saved the show from being a 3 star Mania, to making it a 4-4.5 star mania!
As for the promo's and backstage segments... they were alright. Some entertaining ones. They all pretty much added to the WM feeling.
...Also, it looked SPECTACULAR in High-Def!!!
If possiable it should be watched in HD!
Every current wrestling fan should watch this, to see what the Mania "feeling" is. Because by the main event, the show is oozing that bigtime feel. Past fans... watch it for the classic Flair/HBK match and Edge/Taker match (Both 44.5 star matches in my oppinion). Plus you get several good 34 star matches. Skip the belfast brawl (which could've been good, considering the 2 wrestlers are excellent brawlers) and the Diva match.
The DVD/Blu-ray should also come with the Hall of Fame ceremony which makes this a worthy buy as we see the end of an era.
44.5/5 Stars.
I'm mainly here to talk specifically about the Blu-Ray version. This is by far one of the best looking, clearest, most colorful Blu-Rays I have seen yet. I don't have HD cable so I watched WM24 in standard def. After watching it on Blu-Ray, it was almost unbelievable on how much more detail the Blu-Ray version had. I was able to see bruises and cuts on superstars that I was not able to do in SD. Everything just had almost a three dimensional "pop" to it. Something worth noting that it is only in 1080i(in which I it was viewed from a 57" 1080i HDTV in my case)but it is so incredibly crisp, I don't see how you would notice. I've viewed atleast 30-40 Blu-Rays since getting my PS3 and WM24 is easily at the top of the list.
So the video quality(You know, one of the main reasons to get the Blu-Ray version) is easily rated 5 stars IMO.
Other than that, it's an amazing pay per view regardless if it has a few matches that aren't that great. Just having Ric Flairs historic last match on here makes this worth the price of admission alone.
Buy WWE: WrestleMania XXIV Now
UPDATE 2/10/09:I recently ordered the Blu-Ray version of this card and let me say as great as it looked on regular DVD, it is BEAUTIFUL on Blu-Ray! If you have a Blu-Ray player or a machine that can play Blu-Ray discs, then its worth it plus its more convenient as you have one disc for the card and one for the Hall Of Fame show!
The review below was mainly on the original 3 disc set:
For me, when I bought this set (which also came with the McMahon DVD as well that came out two years ago), I bought it mainly for Michaels Vs. Flair but I've looked at the whole card and here is my opinion:
JBL Vs. Finlay (Belfast Brawl) Kind of a weak opener considering that both men are very good brawling wrestlers! JBL comes out on top in this one.
Chris Jericho Vs. Shelton Benjammin Vs. John Morrison Vs. Carlito Vs. MVP Vs. C.M. Punk Vs. Mr. Kennedy (Money In The Bank Ladder Match) Too many high spots to call but I will say this, a couple of them had me cringing in pain, particularly Shelton's fall on the ladder and Morrison's fall on his b*lls from the near top of the ladder onto the top rope! To Morrison, I have one word for you: ICE and plenty of it!
We also see a surprise appearance from Matt Hardy as he prevents MVP from winning the match with a "Twist Of Fate" from the ladder. Ends when C.M. Punk ties up Chris Jericho's legs on the ladder and claims the briefcase for himself.
Batista Vs. Umaga (Smackdown Vs. RAW) Not a great match BUT I've seen a lot worse too. Worth a look or two. Ends when Batista gets in his "Batista Bomb" on Umaga, which he nearly botches but manages to correct it in mid-drop to keep Umaga from falling on his head or worse!
Chavo Guerrero Vs. Kane (ECW Championsip Match) Two words: 12 seconds!
Shawn Michaels Vs. Ric Flair (Career Threatening Match) The main reason I purchased this set. Even knowing what was going to happen and what did happen afterwards, I found myself nearly in tears again just like the night they held the in-ring tribute on RAW the next night!
As for the match, I wouldn't rate it a 10 BUT it was no lower than an 8. Had this had been Michaels Vs. Ric Flair of the 1980's, then this would've been a 10 without question! As it was, its even more impressive that Flair (at around 60) could still put on a good match. No real words I can write will give this match justice. All I can say is see it and if you are really the sensative type, break out the tissues! It's that emotional!
Maria & Ashley Vs. Melina & Beth Phoenix (Playboy Bunny Lumberjack Match) Not really worth watching except for the end when Snoop Doggy Dog did a surprisingly good clothsline on Santino Marrello as he was taunting Maria after the match! Even more surprising was seeing Snoop make out with Maria! Hope Snoop cleared that with his wife first! LOL!
John Cena Vs. Randy Orton Vs. HHH (WWE Title Match) Got to admit, as a former band geek myself from my high school days, I found myself watching Cena's unique entrance in this match. Nice to see.
As for the match, it was good but not great. It was mainly finishers in this match. The surprise of the bout (for me) was seeing HHH break up Cena's STFU on Orton with....THE FREAKIN' CROSSFACE! The fans actually cheered on this one! I, myself, was thinking "He lost the World title to that hold back in 2004! Wouldn't this be irony if he won the WWE title with the same hold!" Of course, that didn't happen as Triple H hit his Pedigree move on Cena only to have Orton steal the pin after his punt kick to the head of "The Game."
So, as of this WrestleMania, Triple H is still winless since 2004. John Cena has lost his first WM since 2004 and Randy Orton has WON his first WM since 2004! Talk about irony!
The Big Show Vs. Floyd Mayweather More entertaining than expected. I actually enjoyed this match. Even though he lost at the end, I loved seeing TBS beat the hell out of Floyd and his crew! Ends when Mayweather kicks TBS in his "manhood" and uses some brass knuckles to knock him out!
The Undertaker Vs. Edge (World Heavyweight Title Match) This was Edge's first main event and let me say he showed he belonged there. I love The Undertaker BUT I have to give credit where its due....EDGE KICKED HIS A**! Sorry but its true though I am glad to see UT could pull it out at the end! Ends when UT catches Edge in his gogoplata chokehold for the submission after a lengthy bout dominated mostly by "The Rated R Superstar." Great way to end WM.
This set also has the Hall Of Fame ceremony. I haven't watch that yet but I'll come back and update my review once I've looked at it. Great purchase!
Read Best Reviews of WWE: WrestleMania XXIV Here
So, first off. This was my first WrestleMania and PPV I saw as it aired and it was an awesome experience. This event made me realize that professional wrestling is much better when you have no idea of what will happen. Now, as with all reviews, this is just the viewpoint of a wrestling fan, so it's all just my opinion. So, with that said, let's review the event.Dark Match: Kane won a 24 man battle royal to win the #1 contender spot to the ECW Championship later in the night.
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So, this is a DVD extra and it really is just a basic battle royal. Although, I've personally always been a sucker for battle royals and it was enjoyable. As a big Kane mark, I was really excited when I found out Kane won.
6/10
1. JBL defeated Finlay
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The story behind this match was that Hornswoggle was revealed as Mr. McMahon's illegitimate son. However, Vince abused Hornswoggle, enlisting JBL to attack him in a cage. Finlay then came to Hornswoggle's protection.
This match was a Belfast Brawl, and while people tend to not like it as much. I personally enjoyed it for what it was. I thought it was a solid opener and a fun brawl filled with weapon spots including the frequent use of the trash can. My favorite spot of the match was JBL throwing a trash can at Hornswoggle (God, I can't stand him) outside of the ring. JBL wins a 9 minute Belfast Brawl with a clothesline from hell
8/10
2. CM Punk defeated Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, MVP, Carlito, John Morrison, and Shelton Benjamin in a 7 Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match
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Besides the first Money in the Bank, this is my favorite Money in the Bank match to date. I was sure that Chris Jericho would win this match, but I was delighted by the nice surprise. The match itself features many awesome and unique spots with the ladders, including John Morrison's back flip off with one off the turnbuckle, Matt Hardy interfering and hitting MVP with a twist of fate off the ladder, Shelton Benjamin's superplex and powerbomb combo, and my personal favorite, the ladder V that was created. The ending was incredibly well done as CM Punk had Jericho in a tree of woe on the ladder as he unhooked the briefcase in 14 minutes.
9/10
3. Batista defeated Umaga
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As I watched this, I remember really disliking it. However, as I rewatched it again on DVD, I found out this is a pretty decent match. The back story for this is basically a battle for brand supremacy and that's about it. This is a pretty good big man match. There isn't a whole lot memorable about it, though other than a really crappy looking Batista bomb at the end for the victory at the 7 minute mark.
7/10
4. Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero for to win the ECW Championship
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There is really not a whole lot to say about this other than it was a disappointment. If they were given more than eight seconds, I'm sure they could have gotten a good match out of it, as proven by their Backlash match a month later. It was awesome seeing Kane win a championship, though. Other than that, it's an eight second match that ends with a chokeslam.
DUD
5. Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match
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The storyline to this was a good six months of buildup. Vince McMahon gave Ric Flair an ultimatum that the next match he would lose, his career is over. This match was one for the ages as Shawn Michaels steals the show like he always does at WrestleMania and Ric Flair puts on one last amazing match before he retires. The match was filled with pure emotion, including Shawn Michaels doing a sick springboard moonsault across the announce table and the final superkick, ending Ric Flair's thirty plus year career at around 20 minutes. The most dramatic match of the night by far, which followed up by an equally emotional farewell for Ric Flair the next night on Raw.
10/10
6. Beth Phoenix and Melina defeated Maria and Ashley in a Lumberjill Match
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Funny how the talented divas are on the heel team as the face team was two divas that received short Playboy pushes. The match was your basic uneventful diva tag team match. The right team won as Beth hit the glam slam on Maria. After the match, Maria got a kiss from Snoop Dogg.
3/10
7. Randy Orton defeated Triple H and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship
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I really enjoyed this match as it felt like a main event of WrestleMania should, although I was really surprised that this wasn't the main event. I much prefer their match at Night of Champions 2009, as this match was too short and ended as I was really getting into it. Some really cool parts of this match were Orton's double DDT on Triple H and Cena, the tower crossbody, and the ending which saw Triple H hit the pedigree on Cena, only for Orton to punt Triple H and pin Cena for what I thought was a surprise ending at 15 minutes.
9/10
8. Floyd Mayweather defeated Big Show in a No DQ match
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Now, this match was probably the very best celebrity involvement I have ever seen in professional wrestling. Mayweather and Big Show put on a very entertaining 12 minute match as Big Show nearly has Mayweather beat numerous times, but Mayweather gets the knockout with the brass knuckle use.
8.5/10
9. The Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship
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This match is my favorite WrestleMania main event ever. This match just told an amazing story as it started out slow, but progressively picked the pace up. Edge countered many of Undertaker's signature moves until Undertaker hit a tombstone, but the ref was out. By the way, Charles Robinson running down the ramp was a funny sight. Edge hit a second spear on Undertaker, but Undertaker countered into Hell's Gate, causing Edge to tap out at the 24 minute mark. That moment in time, I really rethought the obvious result. This was one hell of a match and I'm glad to have witnessed it as it progressed.
10/10
The Hall of Fame class of 2008 was also a good one and it was a very good induction ceremony featured as a bonus on the DVD.
-Ric Flair inducted by Triple H
-The Briscos inducted by JBL
-Rocky Johnson inducted by The Rock
-Peter Maivia inducted by The Rock
-Gordon Solie inducted by Jim Ross
-Mae Young inducted by Pat Patterson
-Eddie Graham inducted by Dusty Rhodes
Overall, this was one awesome event that was filled with some incredible moments and amazing matches, including Edge vs. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair. This event was one week before my 18th birthday, so it was a great feeling to watch it.
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Wrestlemania 24 was the second WM I've seen on PPV (WM23 being the first). I enjoyed it, but I felt it wasn't the best WM I've seen to date.My Mum got me the limited edition tin case edition of WM24 for my 21st birthday on 13/07. I was going to buy it anyway, so that was a bonus.
First off, I have to commend the WWE for the packaging of the DVD. The tin case is superbly made, the DVDs themselves have a full colour photo on them and the whole thing is gorgeously made. They put a lot of effort into the packaging of the DVD and it shows. As a bonus, a card with a filmstrip of a scene from a past Wrestlemania is included Shawn Michaels vs Steve Austin. A cool collectable.
Now, onto WM itself. It was a good event, worth the time and money, but in my personal opinion, it wasn't as good as the past few WMs. Let's rundown the matches:
Belfast Brawl: Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) vs JBL
I was expecting this match to be boring because of JBL, who can't wrestle to save his life, but it was actually really exciting and a good opener to the show (I know the battle royal was the actual opener, but this was the opener on TV). It was great seeing Hornswoggle back and he even got involved. Loads of weapons were involved and there were a few great spots. The only downer was that JBL won. That makes it lose a star. (4/5)
Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs John Morrison vs Carlito vs CM Punk vs MVP vs Mr. Kennedy
Another exciting MITB match, I think this one was better then last year's. Highlights included Shelton Benjamin's fall onto a ladder (and Carlito's facial expression afterwards), Matt Hardy running in to stop MVP getting the briefcase and CM Punk and Chris Jericho's fight at the top of a ladder to get said briefcase. CM Punk won and I'm glad. A great match. (5/5)
Battle For Brand Supremacy: Batista vs Umaga
This match was kinda boring. It wasn't up to WM standard and could have been featured on Raw or Smackdown. Speaking of which, Batista won, which means Smackdown is the better brand? I don't think so. Raw has been way better then Smackdown since the beginning of 2008. And Batista was wasted in this match, they could have found a way better match for him. But he won, and that's good. A mediocre match and Batista messed up the Batista Bomb, so that ruined it. (3/5)
ECW Championship Match: Chavo Guerrero (champion) vs Kane
This was the first match for a title, and yes it was only 8 seconds long but it was damn brilliant. I can't stand Chavo, so to see him lose that fast was just hilarious. It was great to see a new ECW champion and the whole thing was just funny. I can't give it a high mark though. (2/5 just for the funny)
Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels
Match of the night, without a doubt. This one was worth the money of the PPV alone. I'm a huge Shawn Michaels fan, so to see him in a huge match such as this was just amazing. I think everybody knew that Ric was going to lose and retire, but it didn't ruin the match. Both men had their strong moments, and I winced when Shawn did the moonsault onto the announce table and cracked his ribs. The moving moment when Shawn mouthed "I'm sorry, I love you" made me cry and the standing ovation Ric got after ity was over was a perfect ending. Epic and should have been nearer the end of the card, for sure. This match also lead into a superb feud between Batista, Shawn and Chris Jericho that culiminated in some amazing matches at subsequent PPVs, too. (5/5)
Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjack Match: Maria & Ashley vs Beth Phoenix & Melina (w/ Santino Marella)
w/ Snoop Dogg as the Master Of Ceremonies
Lumberjacks: Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Cherry, Jillian Hall, Victoria, Layla, Katie Lea Burchill, Eve Torres & Maryse
I think I'm the only person who didn't think this match was that bad. It was really a match to calm people down after the Shawn vs Ric match right before it. Beth & Melina won, but Maria and even Ashley got in some good offence. Jerry Lawler got involved, taking down Santino and even Snoop attacked him after the match. I would have preferred a Women's Championship match though. (3/5)
Triple Threat Match For The WWE Championship: Randy Orton (champion) vs Triple H vs John Cena
Before I get into the match, how hilarious was John's entrance? He had a whole brass band play his entrance music xD I had no idea who the hell was coming out until his video began to play on the Titantron. The match itself was very entertaining I find most triple threats/fatal 4 ways to be. Loads of attempted pins and breakups of pins, loads of crazy moves and the such. I was laughing all the way through it. I think most people were surprised that Randy retained though, as most people predicted John to win. Good match though. (5/5)
The Biggest vs The Best: Big Show vs Floyd "Money" Mayweather (w/ his HUGE entourage xD)
I was expecting this match to be absolutely horrible, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it was rather entertaining. I find Floyd Mayweather incredibly annoying though and I was rooting for Big Show the whole time (so was the crowd I noticed). Show did get offence in on Mayweather that I enjoyed and he even got some of his entourage too. Mayweather won after hitting Show with brass knuckles. It was pretty good for the match containing a celebrity. (4/5)
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge vs The Undertaker
I know some people say this match was predictable considering it was Edge's title vs Taker's reign, but there were moments when I thought that Edge might have actually beat Taker. Especially the Spear, I was on the edge (hah bad pun) of my seat, willing for Taker to kick out. Edge got help from the cronies (Hawkins & Ryder) and overall the match was exciting. Of course the best moment was Taker locking on the submission move and Edge tapping out. Brilliant end to the PPV. (5/5)
Overall, the show was good but not outstanding. Shawn vs Ric, the WWE title match, MITB and the WHC title match were the best matches. Everything else was either good (Show vs Mayweather, Belfast Brawl), ok (Divas), mediocre (Batista vs Umaga) or just funny with how ridiculous it was (ECW title).
Also on the DVD is the 24 Man Battle Royal that Kane won to qualify for the short ECW title match. It was on before WM went to air, and was quite entertaining. I was glad Kane won.
The other thing on the DVD is the 2008 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. I've never watch the HOF in full before but I wanted to see The Rock and Ric Flair's speech so I watched the whole thing. It was uber long but really entertaining. The Rock is very funny I laughed when he made fun of Chris Jericho's hair and The Marine (John's face was so funny) xD Ric's speech was both funny and moving.
The one thing I didn't like is how it was on 2 DVDs, half of the HOF was on the 2nd DVD and the other half on the 3rd. It ruined the flow for me.
Overall, a superbly made DVD, a great Wrestlemania and one of the best matches of 08 in Shawn vs Ric. A great buy.
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