The Rock Vs. John Cena, WWE Heavyweight Championship.
My interest has grown over the course of the last couple months. I enjoyed their match last year. Booking wise, it's the smartest, most marquee match to have as the main event. Guaranteed eyeballs. Rock has GI Joe in theaters, so he's got a shit ton of momentum right now. Cena needs to redeem himself, which he will, and that is perhaps going to be the least appealing part of this show.
Interest level: 3/5
Undertaker Vs. CM Punk
Definitely looking forward to this one. This match has the most potential to capture that Wrestlemania magic. Punk carrying the mic work (and Paul Bearer's tragic by timely death) has really given this one some juice. Before Paul Bearer died, this was just going to be whatever. Now, Punk has something to sink his teeth into. He is running with it, like he always does. I'm wondering if there will be some MMA references since both of these guys are really into that.
Interest level: 4/5
Triple H Vs. Brock Lesnar
WWE is really trying to sell this match as a consequential one, but it's hard for me to get too invested in a match between two part time wrestlers. I love both of these guys in the ring, they are two of the best ever, i've been a huge Lesnar fan since he debuted, but after their SummerSlam snoozer, I feel like this match is going to be painfully underwhelming, but I hope they prove me wrong. I'm pretty sure this match is just WWE satiating Hunter's ego. Nobody really gains much from winning or losing this match. If Paul Heyman wasn't involved, this match would be in trouble.
Interest level: 3/5
Alberto Del Rio Vs. Jack Swagger. World Heavyweight Championship
I'm pretty excited for this match. It's a fresh world title match between two under-appreciated grapplers. They are both skilled technical wrestlers who haven't truly had a breakout match or program in WWE as of yet. I'm not excited for this program being a vessel for Vince McMahon's political commentary, however, it does add a bit of juice to the hype. Good or bad, it's got me excited for this match. Hopefully it won't be lost in the shuffle and forgotten in a couple years. It's too bad the World title is so devalued at this point, if they weren't fighting for a trinket, this match would be undercard for certain. I don't see why they even have two world titles at this point. It's becoming more pointless with every passing year.
Interest level: 4/5
Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton Vs. The Shield
If WWE has any semblance of long term booking, they'll have The Shield destroy these guys. I know you have to keep Sheamus strong, and they cant' really sacrifice three of their biggest stars, but Big Show is almost ready to retire and Orton has likely peaked years ago. Give The Shield the convincing win. They deserve it. Should be a fun match, for sure.
Interest level: 3/5
Ryback Vs. Mark Henry
This should be okay. I don't know who goes over, but if they ever want to make money with Ryback, he needs to win here. I like Mark Henry and think he deserves to win too, so it's a toss up. You will not see much technical wrestling here.
Interest level: 3/5
Wade Barrett Vs. The Miz, Intercontinental Championship
I don't think anybody cares about the I-C title at this point. These guys are both talented, both stuck in the midcard, and both likely not to break through and become a main eventer, although Miz actually did have a run a couple years ago, but has since been seriously downgraded, and subsequently built back up. I think Miz is going to win this one. Barrett should win.
Interest level: 2/5
Daniel Bryan & Kane Vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E. Langston. WWE Tag Team Championship
Like the Miz and Barrett, Dolph Ziggler has been stuck in the logjam of mid carders trying to break into the main event. He won the Money in the Bank ladder match last year and has a guaranteed world title shot, but has forgotten about that in pursuit of the tag team titles. O.k. I'm glad the tag titles are actually being emphasized. Haven't seen Big E. in the ring yet, so that will be cool, and A.J.'s history with Daniel Bryan and Kane makes this match more interesting.
Interest level: 3/5
Chris Jericho Vs. Fandango
Jericho deserves better. However, since he's such a pro, he'll make this match watchable. I'll reserve my judgement until I see the match. *Lowered expectations*
Interest level: 2/5
Tensai/Brodus & The Funkadactyls Vs. Team Rhodes Scholars & Bella Twins
I'm actually totally okay with this match. Glad some of the girls get on the show (but no divas championship match? who am i kidding, nobody cares) Also glad to see Tensai, Brodus, Cody and Damien Sandow get a match at Mania, as am a fan of all of those guys. This should be fun.
Interest level: 2/5
Pretty strong card, one of the strongest cards on paper in years. Let's see if it delivers. My main gripe is that Antonio Cesaro is not booked for the show. That is a travesty.
