The time has come, X-aholics of all ages. It is time for the biggest 4 hour event of the year for all wrestling fans: Wrestlemania. This is the 21st edition of the extravaganza, and one could argue that a name like Wrestlemania 21 doesn’t sound quite as important as Wrestlemania XX or Wrestlemania X, but this year, Vince and Co. are going all out to make sure the night is extra special. Gone are any special matches that showcase talent that is long gone from WWE (Hogan’s matches at Rock and Vince, respectively), with the slight exception of Piper’s Pit, hosted by the one and only Rowdy Roddy Piper, and featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin. Instead, they have opted to stick with their own talent and put over guys like Batista and John Cena in their main event matches. So, I figure it would be appropriate to examine these great matches that WWE has lined up for us, taking a look at the men and women involved, look back at their history leading up to their match, and end it with my own prediction of who I believe will win the match. It’s slightly different from other Wrestlemania predictions, because the prediction itself will not be the most important part of my column. Instead, I vow to take a look at each match’s build-up, and whether or not the hype will make the match exciting or not. So, without further procrastination, here’s the special X-Factor look at Wrestlemania Goes Hollywood.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
Build-Up: Not much build-up has gone on between these two, besides a few arguments here and there, but nothing that justifies a face vs. heel match, so they’re opting to go with a good ol’-fashioned face vs. face match, which will end with a hand shake. You know it will. Anyway, Eddie Guerrero has been playing a fairly prominent role on Smackdown since last year, but it’s never exceeded a mid-card role, while Rey Mysterio is being propelled from a cruiserweight role to a lead role in the company (or so the rumors would have you believe. The Build-Up Rating: 3 out of a possible 10. This match was only made a few weeks ago, and they’re still tag team champions, so anticipation for the match isn’t exactly big, but it should turn out well.
The Match: What can I say? This could very well be a show-stealin’ classic, if it was used higher up on the card. But I feel this will be used in the opening hour, so while it will probably be a great showdown, fans will probably remember the two main title matches more, or at least the Angle/HBK match. Screw that, though, I am still pumped for this, even if they only made this match a week or two ago. Mr. X Anticipation: 8.5 out of 10.
Prediction: This is a night to make good into great, and great into excellent, and excellent into legendary. Rey Mysterio has been with the company for the past three years as Mr. 619, and has never advanced past his cruiserweight roots. Eddie Guerrero had a solid run last year as WWE Champion, and is still very much a popular guy in the WWE. Many will argue that his time may have been last year, and while I can’t argue whether that’s right or wrong, I think giving Mysterio a push forward would mean that a win at Wrestlemania is a necessity. Winner: Rey Mysterio, followed by Eddie getting frustrated and upset, threatening to knock the masked man out, before extending his hand to Mr. 619.
Money in the Bank: Chris Benoit vs. Edge vs. Kane vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho
Build-Up: Pardon me for saying, but this has got to be the sloppiest excuse to include these six men in Wrestlemania 21. These six guys are all great talent, and can put on a good to excellent match, but let’s face it: none of them have had any stand-out feuds in the last few months. Even Kane and Snitsky went on way too long, just because they’re big guys and they fit the bill for a match. These are basically the six guys on Raw that want the World Title, but it seems it’s reserved for Triple H so their chances aren’t all that great, which is why they’re being put in a six-pack challenge with a ladder to determine who gets a contract to face the World Champion any time he wants over the course of 12 months. I believe it’s only one match, though, not some Hardcore Rules-style thing, where the winner faces the World Champion anytime, anywhere. Six great talent forced into one match, with a ladder to spice it up. I really didn’t like the idea when I first heard it, and I still don’t. Build-Up Rating: 3 out of 10 (six man tag matches… how convenient).
The Match: It’s Benoit, Benjamin, Jericho, Christian, Kane and Edge, with a ladder. What exactly do you think? This match will be great, with six of the top guys competiting, even if throwing them together is just plain sloppy. My biggest concern is that it will be too crowded at times, especially for a ladder match. Hell, it’s hard climbing a ladder with one guy, try running up that thing with five guys competiting in the same match! This has potential to be great, and also to be long. Quite long. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 6.5 out of 10.
Prediction: Hard to say. I can’t see why any of these guys would want to wait until Wrestlemania 22 to spring this contract out and have their match. I say it will be immediately, like at Backlash, which suggests Edge or Christian winning, if WWE wants a face vs. heel (and also if Batista wins, which I can only assume at this point). Unless of course one of these guys turns heel, which is also likely. Still, though… Winner: Edge
Piper’s Pit with Roddy Piper and Steve Austin
Build-Up: Unless you’ve been skipping all WWE programming over the past few weeks, it’s hard not to recognize the Piper’s Pit ads with the two “combustible elements” known as Steve Austin and Roddy Piper. Not much to really build, as this isn’t a match, but the ads do add to the excitement. Build-Up Rating: 6 out of 10.
The Segment: I have a feeling someone will interrupt, and who else thinks it will be Hassan and Daivari? I know I can’t be alone, and since they want to be known at Wrestlemania, interrupting the Hot Rod and the Texas Rattlesnake would be appropriate, followed by a coconut and a stunner, perhaps? Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 9 out of 10 (two of my all-time favorites in Piper and Austin).
Big Show vs. Akebono
Build-Up: It all started in Japan, when Akebono appeared on WWE TV as the biggest and best there is in sumo wrestling. In Japan, I know it means a lot. But, over here, I don’t think sumo wrestling is all that special at all. So, when I heard these two would be in a sumo match, you got to take my word for it that I burst out laughing. Come on, a sumo match? At Wrestlemania? Were Bart Gunn and Butterbean too busy for another boxing match? Big Show is just coming off of a WWE Title match with JBL at No Way Out, and they put him in the so-called “Biggest Match, Pound for Pound in Wrestlemania history”? I would have preferred Big Show vs. Orlando Jordan for the US Title. At least then we would have another title match. Build-Up Rating: 1 out of 10 (Akebono’s first and only appearance at Smackdown was poor, with a meaningless match to show his gratitude for what Big Show has done for WWE).
The Match: It’s a sumo match. I guess if you’re going to go sumo, Akebono is the way to go. But, that doesn’t mean I’m going to give it a high rating of anticipation. If this lasts more than five minutes, I may have to get angry. And you won’t like me when I’m angry. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 0.5 out of 10.
Prediction: Well, it’s Wrestlemania. It’s WWE. Making Big Show lose would make Big Show look bad, even if Akebono is a grand sumo champion. Winner: Big Show.
Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme
Build-Up: For the first time in a while, the Womens division is showing signs of potential. If only they had more than four female wrestlers (five if you include Christy Hemme or not). This match not only has had some major heat between Trish and Christy, but it also has Lita involved in Christy’s corner, to add to the feud that Lita had to abandon with Trish back at New Year’s Revolution. Build-Up Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
The Match: This is where it gets tricky. Christy hasn’t exactly had a lot of matches. In fact, her first wrestling match (televised, that is) was this past Monday. And, I missed most of it. Was it good? Well, nevermind that. What matters is Wrestlemania 21, and I have faith that Christy may be able to pull it off. When this match shows up on TV, I’ll be excited to see how it turns out, even if I get let down big time. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
Prediction: Even more tough to predict than the ladder match. On the one hand, Trish has been champion for a large portion of the past year, and putting the title on a new face would be pretty good. On the other hand, Christy hasn’t proved herself to be a real wrestler yet, and I fear that she may not be all that great in the ring, despite being damn good on the mic. I’ll go against what I originally thought. Winner: Trish Stratus, with a possible Christy win at Backlash.
Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker
Build-Up: You’ve got two long lists: The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania Winning Streak and Randy Orton’s Legend Killing Tour. One name will be added to the other’s list. That alone has some good hype to it, but Orton and Taker have done a fairly good job at building this match up the past few weeks, starting with Orton being told by Superstar Billy Graham to make a name for himself at Wrestlemania. Jake the Snake told him he couldn’t beat the Taker. Bob Orton tried to tell Taker to take it easy on his son. In the end, Taker wants to continue his streak, while Orton wants to be the man to end it. That’s pretty exciting, if you ask me. Build-Up Rating: 9 out of 10.
The Match: Rumors say that Orton is leaving after this for surgery, not to mention Undertaker is not getting any younger. I hope this doesn’t mean a short match, but if it’s a long one, I hope they can carry out the match and make it great. It’s been over a year since the Dead Man returned to the ring, and he has had a few good feuds since then, and I think this will add to Undertaker’s legacy quite well. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 8 out of 10.
Prediction: The Dead Man vs. The Legend Killer. I think Randy Orton could afford this one loss more than The Undertaker and his legendary Wrestlemania winning streak. Winner: The Undertaker
Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
Build-Up: Umm, well let’s see: two legacies brought together into one, huge match. The Heartbreak Kid and the Olympic Gold Medalist. Shawn’s time in the ring is considerably longer than that of Kurt Angle, but if you asked me, both are legends of the business, and are definitely two of the greatest wrestlers alive today. The seeds were planted at Royal Rumble, when HBK eliminated Kurt Angle from the Rumble, before Angle eliminated HBK, and beat him to a bloody pulp. The hints and teases were laid out over the next few weeks, until Kurt Angle made an appearance on Raw, to beat the holy hell out of HBK. Over the last few weeks, Angle has tried to match HBK’s legendary career. The first week was a bit of a bust with a “ladder match”, which wasn’t even a ladder match. Week Two was much better, with Kurt Angle vs. Marty Jannetty, and even seeing Sensational Sherri was a good addition to Angle’s four week long quest to match Shawn Michaels. The Build-up Rating: 9 out of 10.
The Match: Very little else to say here. This match has the biggest potential to be an all-time Wrestlemania classic, with two of the greatest and the best that WWE has ever offered. I agree with HBK, though, that the anticipation is huge and it puts a lot of pressure on them to pull off what every wrestling fan wants. I have the faith in both these men that they’ll pull it off, and pull it off well. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 9 out of 10.
Prediction: Another tough one to predict, trust me. While I think Wrestlemania will have its share of babyface winners, I think Angle will pull this one off, by a hair (although, I’d like to see a fair and just win, not a cheat). Winner: Kurt Angle.
John Bradshaw Layfield vs. John Cena
Build-Up:It’s the WWE Title, at least you can bet all your money that it’s going to be built-up well. Over the past few weeks, they’ve kept Cena and JBL away from each other, and have them be unleashed on each other at Wrestlemania. Fine by me, I think it adds to the hype and the build-up. It all started at Royal Rumble, when Cena and Batista were the last men left standing. It was a given then and there that Cena would face JBL at WM21, Royal Rumble win or not. Cena beat Angle for a shot at the title at No Way Out, and the last few weeks have seen some interesing interaction between the self-proclaimed Wrestling God and the Good Doctor of Thuganomics (I need to get myself a degree in Thuganomics 101). Build-Up Rating: 9 out of 10.
The Match: This depends on JBL and Cena. Well, duh. Obviously it does. But, you get what I mean. The match itself could go either way, but my anticipation is fairly high. I do hope WWE goes with this as the semi-main event, and not the main event itself. I still think Batista and Triple H should be the main match of the night, but the opinion on that is probably mixed. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 9 out of 10.
Prediction: I thought at one time that JBL might pull off an upset, and continue his long title reign. But, let’s face it: he’s been champion longer than anyone else in ten years. He has had a damn good run, and I think it’s time for a new champion, don’t you agree? Sure you do. Winner: John Cena.
Triple H vs. Batista
Build-Up: Where shall we start? I guess we can go back as far as when Batista was recruited by Evolution, wouldn’t you say? The official feud didn’t begin until Batista broke away from Hunter’s hold a few months ago, in “The Big Con”, where apparently Batista made short notice of Triple H in the back. Batista was in the ring, and he was livid. He wanted Triple H’s ass, and he wanted it now. Triple H limped out, with The Nature Boy trying to hold The Game back, but to no avail. Triple H wanted to beat the hell out of Batista. It turned out to be a set-up to avoid a match with Chris Benoit. Then, the next few weeks teased and hinted at Batista’s turn on Triple H, until Royal Rumble came, and Batista won the match. Triple H tried his best to convince the big man to go to Smackdown, so they could rule the two shows. But, Batista didn’t go for it. Instead, he turned on Triple H, and their rivalry is as heated as ever. Build-Up Rating: 10 out of 10.
The Match:My anticipation couldn’t be any higher. I could lie through my teeth, and say I’ve been Batista’s biggest fan since his Deacon Days, and I could even say I liked Batista a year ago, but it’s all a lie. Batista has really improved so much in the past few months, both in the ring, on the mic, and even his own personality. The calm and cool Batista is really working well, and he’s got a lot going for him. Now, the match itself could be tough to pull off. Afterall, has Batista had many long matches yet? I can’t see a main event lasting ten minutes, can you? I hope Batista and Triple H can do it. My faith is there, at least. Mr. X’s Anticipation Rating: 10 out of 10.
Prediction: Winner: Batista. Yes, I am that certain.
That is that, my people. Wrestlemania is only minutes away, as I am writing this. This was entirely written today, so if it’s a bit messy or poorly-written, please forgive me. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and I cannot wait any longer. Have fun watching the biggest night of the year for wrestling fans, and be sure to check back next week for my look at the draft lottery, with some help from a fan of The X-Factor (I know, I was shocked as well that I had any fans!). And be sure to leave me some feedback on my column, good or bad, I want to hear it. Buh-bye!
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