WrestleMania XXIV Live Review

I am back in Detroit after my stellar trip down to Orlando. This was my 2nd consecutive trip to WrestleMania and here were my thoughts on the show.

Dark Match - Battle Royal
No one was expecting anything amazing, but this was a solid way to get the crowd into it. Kane was the favorite and to no surprise, won the match.

Unofficial Rating: 1.5 (out of 5)

1. Finlay vs. JBL
This was a surprise as the opener, but when looking at the card, this match wasn't as "big" as some of the others on the card. This was a solid match that featured some of the Attitude Era type brawling. JBL won via pin.

Unofficial Rating: 2.75 (out of 5)

2. Money In The Bank Ladder Match
I seem to be one of the few that think that this was the best Money In The Bank match since the first one. John Morrison and Shelton Benjamin really stood out for their spots and the Matt Hardy return was awesome. Watching Punk and Jericho battle for the briefcase was a mark out moment for me, as they are two of my favorites today. Punk won in a semi-surprise.

Unofficial Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

3. Batista vs. Umaga
This was without a doubt the biggest disappointment of the night. I really thought these two would up their game. Instead, we were given a below-average TV main event. A real let down. Batista wins via pin.

Unofficial Rating: .75 (out of 5)

4. Chavo Guerrero vs. Kane
This was probably just a thank you to Kane for being such a loyal company man all these years. Unfortunately, in return, it makes CM Punk look like a jobber because he couldn't beat Chavo for weeks. Kane wins in seconds via pin.

Unofficial Rating: .25 (out of 5)

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
Wow, this was quite the match. Both guys brought their A game (as if they would have brought anything less) and stole the show. The crowd was hot all the way through and I have to say I am proud to have been fortunate enough to see Ric Flair's final match. Wooo!

Unofficial Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)

6. Ashley + Maria vs. Beth Phoenix + Melina
This was a little better than expected and the right team went over. I'm not sure where they'll go from here, but I suppose they're waiting for Candice to come back.

Unofficial Rating: 1 (out of 5)

7. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H
I was shocked that this wasn't last and I think the crowd was too. This was a really good matchup, but needed about 10 more minutes to become a classic. All 3 guys worked hard and surprisingly Orton came out on top.

Unofficial Rating: 3.75 (out of 5)

8. Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show
This was better than expected and probably as good as it could have been. Both guys played their roles well and Mayweather was able to win via knockout after some heel tactics.

Unofficial Rating: 2.5 (out of 5)

9. Undertaker vs. Edge
It was good to see Edge get a shot at a main event at WrestleMania, even if the Undertaker had to win. This match started off slowly, but got progressively better and turned out to be a very entertaining way to end the night.

Unofficial Rating: 4 (out of 5)

A great show that I feel was better than WrestleMania 23. Even the matches that didn't stand out had a good pacing to them and there really was nothing bad to say about the show as a whole. Great show.

Overall Rating: 93%

WrestleMania Rankings
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania X
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania 22
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania XIV
WrestleMania VIII
WrestleMania XII
WrestleMania III
WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania X-8
WrestleMania 2000
WrestleMania VI
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania 13
WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania V
WrestleMania
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania IV
WrestleMania IX

Match Of The Year Tracker
WrestleMania XXIV - Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (4.75)
No Way Out - Raw Elimination Chamber (4.5)
WrestleMania XXIV - Money In The Bank Ladder Match (4.5)
Royal Rumble 2008 (4)
WrestleMania XXIV - Edge vs. Undertaker (4)
Raw March - Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho (3.75)
WrestleMania XXIV - John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H (3.75)
Royal Rumble - Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton (3.5)
Raw February - Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy (3.5)
ECW March - John Morrison + Miz vs. Tommy Dreamer + Colin Delaney (3.5)
Raw March - John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (3.5)
No Way Out - SmackDown Elimination Chamber (3.5)
Royal Rumble - Edge vs. Rey Mysterio (3.5)
Raw January - Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga Cage Match (3.5)
No Way Out - Randy Orton vs. John Cena (3.5)

Pay-Per-View Scores
WrestleMania XXIV (93%)
No Way Out (91%)
Royal Rumble (88%)