How hyped are yall for WM21?

[Guest TheJuice31]

I haven't had any time to watch RAW or SD for a while, so I can't really have make any input on this, but I'm just curious how hyped yall are for WM21 (as opposed to hype for the past few Wrestlemanias)?

[Team Angle Pusher 0]

I'm looking forward to it because I have no clue who will win the matches.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I dunno, it feels extremely underwhelming this year. Can't put my finger on why.

[JoeDirt 0]

I really liked the Undertaker countdown video tonight on RAW. That was pretty cool.

 

I'm excited for the show. It hasn't been built to perfectly and won't be the best Mania ever, but it should still be a lot of fun. And really, the build to a lot of the stuff has been pretty damn good. Besides, with Angle vs. HBK and Rey vs. Eddie, their are at least two guarnateed really good matches.

[tommytomlin 0]

Less hyped than I was for WM 20, but more than WM 19. Last year's Wrestlemania was stacked (Return of Taker, Brock/Goldberg, the good chance Benoit would win the strap), but this Wrestlemania has a real top-to-bottom appeal. It's not just a one or two match card like most Wrestlemanias of the past. HHH/Batista is the big one, but I'm also looking forward to Angle/HBK and Rey/Eddie for the workrate~! and gimmicky things like Piper's Pit, The Ladder Match and even Big Show vs Akebono.

 

The only matches I'm not really hyped for are Cena vs JBL (I dig Cena, but the feud has been handled poorly), Christy vs Trish and whatever other matches they tack on between now and then.

[Team Angle Pusher 0]

If everyone give it their all this WM could be really good in the ring.

[2GOLD 0]

I dunno, it feels extremely underwhelming this year. Can't put my finger on why.

 

Seconded. I don't think they did a good job building up anything except maybe the Batista/HHH match and that has possible major screw-up chances.

 

Definately not something I'd pay 50 bucks for.

[Guest Regal Fan]

I agree that it just doesnt seem as massive or special this year. Theres no doubt that im gonna spend the $50 to buy it though. I hope Steve Austin and Roddy Piper get a lot of time, because I'd rather seem them than Trish/Christie and Big Show/Akebono. I was dissapointed that Flair wasnt in any match and im not too excited about the Ladder Match-[i hope Benoit or Jericho Wins]. Michaels/Angle and Rey/Eddie WILL deliver the goods so im looking forward to those matches. Batista/Helmsly-[batisita's got the 'Hes gotta win!' vibe this year] and Orton/Taker-[Not looking forward to a Taker match but win or lose Orton will prolly take an insane amount of punishment which should make the match 1% watchable] should be decent. Its a great card but not a great momenumental build up.

[4hartthreat 0]

I'm really looking forward to this WM. As someone else said, almost every match could go either way. Will Batista get the win everyone wants him to or will Trips win(as I have been hammering to death) and piss everyone off more than ever? Will Orton still be the legend killer or will the legend of the Taker continue? Shawn or Angle? Who will take the ladder match for the title shot?

 

Then their is what I am most looking forward to, can Rey and Eddie top their Havoc '97 classic? Yeah, I doubt it too, but what if they surprise us all and do!? And Austin, Piper, and Hogan should provide some fun as well. Really cool line-up for WM21.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being WM 17 Rock/Austin hype and 1 being Jericho/HHH hype, it's about a 2. They totally dropped the ball with both big title storylines and completely missed the point of both feuds, the matches that are "supposed to deliver" feel forced and I have no emotional investment in any of them, and the rest is fluff.

 

Meanwhile, UFC 52, PRIDE Bushido 6, and PRIDE Total Elimination 2005, along with the Ultimate Fighter finale (all in April), each smoke WM, and together put the hurt on Pro Wrestling this month. My recommendation, take that $50, invest it in something that will try to give you your moneys worth rather than give you the bare minimum. Any combination of UFC 52/Bushido/TUF, PRIDE TE/Bushido/TUF, will be worth it. FEDOR~!

[CBright7831 0]

To tell you the truth, not very much. I was excited last year, but this year is just seems sort of meh. Don't get me wrong, it's a great card, there are some unpredictable matches, but I'm just not excited for some reason.

 

At least it isn't like WM19 where I didn't even know it was happening until that Sunday! That's probably because I was hardly watching wrestling then.

[iggymcfly 0]

I'm surprised to see the responses in this thread. I think this card looks to be the best Mania card since WM X-7. The build for WM XIX and XX was absolutely terrible, and seemed reminiscent of the build that Fully Loaded would have gotten back in the day. There was no epic quality whatsoever. And the return of Undertaker? He hadn't even been gone that long. His return was more anticlimactic than exciting.

 

The Batista/HHH main event has better build than any WM title match since X-7, and I think Angle/Shawn and Taker/Orton have been built great as well. The Money in the Bank match is one of the most intriguing undercard matches in recent history, and as for JBL/Cena, well there's always going to be one dud.

 

I could see the argument that WM X-8 was more anticipated, but that was totally a one-match card, and the heatless abortion of a main event puts it behind this year as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if I'll have the opportunity to watch Mania this year, but the card still looks absolutely awesome.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Yeah, I think I'm underwhelmed because I don't have one big thing to look forward to. I don't care about Batista winning the title from HHH because I've already seen him powerbomb the dude through a table. The whole show is an enjoyable buffet for me, with some stuff maybe being slightly tastier.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think up until Batista turned it was a good build, but after that, they've hit all the wrong notes. Why is Batista thanking HHH? Why is he giving HHH all this credit? It's a total jerk-off feud for HHH, moreso than any other and that says alot. The idea is that HHH is going to get what is coming to him, so if Batista is kissing his ass, then what's the moral of the story? Not to mention Stand Up Comedian Batista being a totally needless add-on.

 

Taker/Orton is ass. Orton can't carry it on the mic, they haven't invested enough time into making the result of the match mean anything, and its the same old same old from Taker that we saw last year against Kane.

 

Angle/HBK I just don't get. They haven't botched it, but I don't see an actual reason for it. I don't buy Angles motivation since its completely full of holes (why is this only coming up now?). This match feels incredibly forced, where they are trying to push the heat between the two when there isn't any reason for it.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think the reason people aren't very interested in it, besides the poor hype and build (plus, there hasn't been a great musical montage), is that WM 21 is going to accomplish nothing. When its over, what's going to change? HHH won't leave the ME. There isn't anyone on Smackdown that is set up to face JBL or Cena, so that feud will continue. It's pretty much a given that whomever wins the ladder match is just fodder for Batista. If either HBK or Angle wins... so what? Maybe if they put in a Retirement Match clause there would be value to it. Eddie/Rey, whoopie! Seen it before, will see it again. Just there to be there. Orton/Taker, it hasn't been built enough to where Orton winning would do anything significant, and Takers mania wins have been regularly pointless. WM XX was supposed to be "Where it all begins... again" and nothing changed, it was a bit of a burn and they're paying for it, so why should we -the fans- pay $50 to see an uneventful event? People buy WM to witness history, and they simply aren't going to be making it at WM 21.

[Art Sandusky 0]

I knew going in that there was no way to make Angle/HBK make much sense. At least when you heard Orton/Undertaker you thought "oh, because it's another legend and all that."

[Karc 0]

NO interest in this card whatsoever. After Wrestlemania is going to be scary. 2003 scary.

 

They are paying for the letdown that was Wrestlemania 20. Promising new things and then delivering the exact same garbage. There's no reason to care about WM anymore because it will be rendered useless in less than six months. This has been going on for a while now. I'm guessing since X-7, which was only historical because it featured the debut of one of the most disappointing heel turns in history.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

And they still managed to turn Orton/Taker into the "confident heel getting scared by Takers supernatural powers" routine.

 

I'd work a storyline that has Angles baby die and him hating god and Shawn trying to comfort him by saying God gave his son to the world, and that God understands his pain, and Angle gives a total "What the fuck?" look and beats the living piss out of Shawn, saying "where's god now?! Where is he to save you?!" and Shawn continues to try and get Kurt to open up to God and Kurt sees HBK as the physical representation of all that he hates, and if saving Kurt means Shawn has to prove the power of the lord in the ring he'll do it, and if by destroying Shawn in the middle of the ring means he can get revenge on god, Kurt will do it as well.

[Taker666 0]

Considering I'am going to be there live. you bet I'am fucking hyped.

 

I'am looking forward to pretty much everything sence its my 2nd live event ever! and its a WrestleMania of all events. I even kinda wanna see Trish Vs Christy live, which definlly won't be great but it will be fun to see.

 

the World Title Match, the WWE title Match, Angle/HBK, Orton/Taker, the Ladder Match, Rey/Eddie, Piper's Pit. this is gonna be one phenomanal event!

[The Niggardly King 0]

And they still managed to turn Orton/Taker into the "confident heel getting scared by Takers supernatural powers" routine.

 

I'd work a storyline that has Angles baby die and him hating god and Shawn trying to comfort him by saying God gave his son to the world, and that God understands his pain, and Angle gives a total "What the fuck?" look and beats the living piss out of Shawn, saying "where's god now?! Where is he to save you?!" and Shawn continues to try and get Kurt to open up to God and Kurt sees HBK as the physical representation of all that he hates, and if saving Kurt means Shawn has to prove the power of the lord in the ring he'll do it, and if by destroying Shawn in the middle of the ring means he can get revenge on god, Kurt will do it as well.

That's good stuff there...

[4hartthreat 0]

Rudo, I like your build for Angle-Shawn but that is WAYYYYYYYYY too fucking edgy for the wwe. Given what is in the realm of possibility, I think they have done a good job of building the match, as a who is really the best, even if this match won't actually solve that question, and having Angle go through a mini-version of Shawn's career by taking on Marty and bringing in Sherri. Your idea is better, but just not doable in this company.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

You are boxing them in when you say "they can't do that". Because of that, we get tired, cliched, angles rather than something fresh. It's a very riskee angle that could either thrive or bomb, but I'd rather see them take a chance than to play it safe. There is actual depth to it. This is where they need to go, because this is where television -their competition- is today and it is what the tv viewer is expecting.

 

The angle they are doing for HBK/Angle is bad. It doesn't make sense; there isn't any truth in it. This is what it is, "In 1996, we were both champions and people compared us". Not to mention they are doing this bi-polar deal where Kurt is goofy and angry at any given moment, and HBK in general can't keep his head straight. The character consistency is severely lacking. The Angle/HBK thing I wrote up there is one of my favourite things I've written, and it took me 10 seconds to think of it, and it was in response to someone saying there was "no way" to have it make sense. There is always a way. It's just a matter of thinking outside of the box.

[4hartthreat 0]

I'm not boxing them in, they boxed themselves in. Vince would just never do that angle. MAYBE in 98, but certainly not now. As I said, I like the idea, I'm just being realistic.

[BUTT 0]

I'm sure it won't be a bad show, but it definitely doesn't have much compared to last year.

 

Batista-HHH: This match probably won't be very good and if Batista wins, so what? He's not that interesting and I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to any title defenses by him. The HHH feud is kind of interesting because of the over 2 years of backstory with them, but the writers have made the feud very underwhelming in the past few weeks. What intrigue is there seeing him feud with anyone else?

 

Cena-JBL: This feud hasn't been too bad, and I think they've done a pretty good job of building it up. It probably won't be that good, but I'm looking forward to this one more than Batista/HHH. I wouldn't mind seeing Cena as champion. Sure, his matches aren't that good but neither are JBL's. If Cena wins, they should definitely move him to Raw (and move the World champ to Smackdown) because there's only one top heel on Smackdown for him to feud with besides JBL (Angle), although since I've read that WWE is planning a Cena/Angle main event for Judgment Day, it looks like he won't be moving.

 

Michaels-Angle: This has the potential to be a great match, and I've enjoyed the buildup, but I wouldn't exactly consider it a "dream match". I suspect Michaels will win, since neither guy really gains or loses anything from this match and they'll want to balance it out since Undertaker is definitely beating Orton.

 

Undertaker-Orton: I can't stand Orton. You can just tell by looking at him that he's a total douche and the reports of his backstage behavior corroborate this. Since it looks like he'll be out after WM recovering from an injury, it looks sure that UT will win, not that there was much doubt anyway.

 

Guerrero-Mysterio: This will be good, but not as good as their WCW matches. As of now, the match really has no intrigue behind it but I'm hoping they'll do an angle on Smackdown that can make people care about this match.

 

Ladder Match: This is a match that could go either way. You have to keep in mind that none of the guys in the match are really "spot" wrestlers, so while guys like Christian and Benjamin seem capable of taking big bumps, it's not like they're Jeff Hardy or Rey Mysterio. So it'll probably be a "lite" version of the TLC spotfests of years past. I bet ol' Scooter Keith gives it *****.

 

Trish-Christy: Ugh. It'll be short, but please let Trish win.

 

Big Show-Akebono: I really have no idea what to expect from this. I assume WWE wouldn't bring this guy in if the goal wasn't to but Show over, but is Akebono willing to job in a fake fight? I mean, this guy is a yokozuna - he obviously has a reputation in Japan and he isn't going to want to throw it away just for a chance to be on Wrestlemania, is he?

 

Definitely not "supercard" material. I'm surprised by all the wrestlers not on the card - last year they had a bunch of huge matches and they still managed to fit almost everyone in.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Akebono has lost countless K-1 (kickboxing) fights.

 

As long as the WWE is running a storyline-based company, the storylines are wide open. I don't think many people see the potential in storytelling that wrestling can provide, which is a shame, especially when it's the WWE that can't see it. Realistically, the angle can be done, and that's all there needs to be said about that. WOULD the WWE do a storyline like that? Of course not. They clearly have shown an unwillingness for providing depth-in-story and the head of the creative team couldn't write her way out of a shoe box (not to mention the stellar team of writers all are hollywood hacks) and the company itself still isn't able to clearly define what it is in todays television world. Because of this, we will continue getting storylines that wouldn't be fit or up to the intellectual level for Saturday Morning Cartoons, let alone Prime Time cable television.

[iggymcfly 0]

Rudo, I like your build for Angle-Shawn but that is WAYYYYYYYYY too fucking edgy for the wwe. Given what is in the realm of possibility, I think they have done a good job of building the match, as a who is really the best, even if this match won't actually solve that question, and having Angle go through a mini-version of Shawn's career by taking on Marty and bringing in Sherri. Your idea is better, but just not doable in this company.

The thing is that they actually did a dead baby angle in the last few months, so it's not that they're afraid to go to that subject matter. It's just that they did it with all the depth and quality of a frigging high school drama production. That idea is actually exactly where they need to go with Shawn Michaels' character, and would hold more depth than any storyline they've done in a long time.

 

However, they stopped even trying for that deep of storylines a long time ago. Honestly, the last booker that the WWE had with that kind of wide-open attitude was Russo. Right now, I'm happy to have a feud that makes sense on some level where I actually care about the winner, and don't really know who it will be.

 

If you boil down Angle/HBK, what it is basically is a challenge between two great wrestlers from opposite brands to see which one is better. It's that simple. You don't have to read too much into Angle's promo on HBK. Just know that Shawn was on top when Angle first came in, and now having accomplished pretty much everything else he's wanted to, Kurt wants to see if he can beat Shawn. (Unless Shawn challenged Kurt in which case I can't make sense of it at all.)

[Taker666 0]

To me, the Shawn Micheals/Kurt Angle match is pretty much a build-up itself, with everything before is just an added bonus.

 

besides the matches itself, I'am happy with the build-up so far. It brought back a Rockers Reunion which I completly marked out for, a tramendous match between Kurt Angle and jannetty, it got us to see Sherri again, and gave us one of the most hillarious moments in WWE TV I've seen( Sexy Kuuuuurt), it also has Angle and Micheals invading each other's shows trying to take down one another through out the feud which a Interpromtional match build-up should be about.

 

I'am completly staisfied with this feud so far. its been a great build-up IMO and its been one of WWE's better feuds recently and the match itself is going to be just as great.

[Matt Young 0]

While the card doesn't look as spectacular as last year's did, I'm fucking psyched about the show now that I'm going to be there live. I've been to dozens of non-televised shows for various feds, but my only TV taping experiences have been WCW Saturday Night in 1998, WCW Thunder in 2000 (where I saw Buff Bagwell get arrested) both in Springfield, Illinois, and WWE Raw in November in Peoria, Illinois, where La Resistance beat Chris Benoit for the Tag Team titles when Edge walked out on him. But this is WRESTLEMANIA. In HOLLYWOOD.

[The Czech Republic 0]

I'm not hyped at all. Batista, minus suit, is just a limited-moveset hoss referred to without his Christian name, who respects HHH like everyone else. Oh and he's mellow when he cuts promos sometimes. Whoop-de-shit. Orton is just annoying so I want to see him lose even more heat. I don't know much about the rest of the card and I don't care to find out. I'm not watching.

[4hartthreat 0]

The thing is that they actually did a dead baby angle in the last few months, so it's not that they're afraid to go to that subject matter. It's just that they did it with all the depth and quality of a frigging high school drama production. That idea is actually exactly where they need to go with Shawn Michaels' character, and would hold more depth than any storyline they've done in a long time.

I realize they did a dead baby angle already. But it is entirely different to have a miscarriage angle where a heel is clearly to blame then is it to have an already born child(at least that's what I think Rudo was suggesting, though born already or not it doesn't matter) to die and then have another wrestler say it was God's doing and it is okay because the child is with him in heaven now, and for the father to resent him for it and try and kick his ass, for he(Shawn) now embodies God and thus Angle's chance to avenge his son's death by his hands.