|Date: April 5, 2009
|Venue: Reliant Stadium |City: Houston, Texas
|Attendance: 72,744 |Buys: 960,000
|Brands: Raw, Smackdown & ECW

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The 25th Anniversary Of Wrestlemania is upon us and there are eight huge matches scheduled. The WWE Championship will be on the line of course as Triple H defends against Royal Rumble winner Randy Orton. Orton has taken out the McMahon family one by one, Shane and Vince first and then Stephanie McMahon, DDTing her in the ring whilst Triple H was handcuffed to the ropes. Orton, who could pick any title match he wanted at Wrestlemania, looked to choose John Cena but Triple H made Orton change his mind, reminding him that it was Triple H who once took Orton out when they were members of Evolution. Triple H would go as far as to attacking Randy Orton at his own house, throwing him through a window. Tonight an old rivalry is renewed as Triple H and Orton go one on one for the WWE Championship.

The World Heavyweight Championship is also set to be defended and originally it was supposed to be Edge defending against The Big Show. It wasn’t really too clear why Vickie Guerrero had made his match until John Cena revealed that Vickie had been having an affair with Big Show! John Cena managed to get himself into the title match in the process setting up a triple threat between Edge, John Cena and Big Show. Since then all three men have defeated one another in singles matches. The other main event for tonight will be The Undertaker putting his streak on the line. Shawn Michaels defeated both Jon “Bradshaw” Layfield and Vladimir Kozlov to earn the right to face The Undertaker. Since then, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels have been playing mind games with Michaels dressing all in white and claiming to be the light to Undertakers darkness. Could the streak finally be over tonight?

The third and final title match tonight will be for the Intercontinental Championship. On March 9th, John “Bradshaw” Layfield defeated CM Punk to win the Intercontinental Championship and was quickly challenged by Rey Mysterio for a title match at Wrestlemania. Bradshaw accepted the match and has promised something historic for the grandest stage of them all. The Money In The Bank Ladder matches returns this year with 8 big stars battling for the briefcase that promises them a title shot whenever they choose. Last years winner CM Punk was the first man to qualify, beating John Morrison and The Miz in a triple threat match, Kane then beat Rey Mysterio and Mike Knox in a triple threat match to qualify, Mark Henry beat Santino, MVP beat Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin beat Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston beat Chris Jericho to qualify, Christian won a battle royal on ECW to earn his spot and then Finlay was the final man to qualify, beating The Brian Kendrick to get into the match.

The rivalry between Jeff and Matt Hardy finally comes to a head at Wrestlemania. Matt cost his brother the WWE Championship at The Royal Rumble a few months ago, all but admitting to being the man that attacked Jeff in a stairwell, being the man behind the hit and run on Jeff and hinting that it may have been him that set fire to Jeff’s house, killing his dog in the process. Jeff initially refused to fight his brother at Wrestlemania but eventually Jeff would give in and accept the challenge. The two men will meet in an Extreme Rules match. Chris Jericho is a man that has been on a tirade as of late, first targeting Mickey Rourke, star of the film The Wrestler and then moving on to Ric Flair. Neither of those men will be fighting at Wrestlemania though, instead Jericho will be in a 3 in 1 handicap match against three legends that Jericho has attacked over recent weeks, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka. Ric Flair will be in the legends corner and Mickey Rourke will be at ringside for the match.

Also tonight there will be a 25 Women Battle royal to crown the first ever Miss Wrestlemania. It’ll feature all the divas of Raw, Smackdown and ECW as well as legendary divas such as Sunny and Torrie Wilson. Santino has been a man lobbying to get into the battle royal but has been unsuccessful.

On the pre-show before the event, Carlito and Primo defeated John Morrison and The Miz in a lumberjack match to win the World Tag Team Championships and unify both sets of tag team titles.

A video package kicks us off with current superstars sat down discussing their favourite Wrestlemania matches. John Cena, Big Show, Edge, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, MVP, Kofi Kingston and more discuss their favourite moments from Hogan and Andre to the Wrestlemania 10 ladder match to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

The Fink welcomes us to Wrestlemania and then introduces Nicole Scherzinger to sing America The Beautiful.

CM Punk vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Christian vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Shelton Benjamin – Money In The Bank Ladder Match

We’re kicking things off in a big way! Let’s get some Wrestlemania records out of the way, CM Punk is 1-1, Kofi Kingston makes his Wrestlemania debut tonight, MVP is 0-2, Finlay is 0-3, Christian is 3-2, Kane is 5-5, Mark Henry is 0-2 and Shelton Benjamin is 1-4. Mark Henry is joined by Tony Atlas whilst Finlay who is wearing some old school shoulder pads is joined by his son, Hornswoggle. CM Punk, MVP and Shelton Benjamin were all involved in last years Money In The Bank Ladder Match. CM Punk is the only man to have won one of these matches before. The bell rings and all 8 men go at it. Kane and Mark Henry clear the ring and then go after one another. There’s a “let’s go Christian” chant early on as Henry squashes Kane in the corner. Christian and Shelton Benjamin bring a huge ladder into the ring and smash Kane and Mark Henry with it. Kofi Kingston leaps over the ladder and then dropkicks it into Benjamin and Christian before hitting both men with a boom drop.

Finlay disposes of Kingston and then runs into the boot of Kane. Kane and Mark Henry then climb up the ladder but the rest of the field pull them down. If you’re interested then my pick for this match is Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin and Punk climb up the ladder and hammer it out but another ladder is then set up that Finlay and MVP climb up. Kane and Mark henry push both ladders over and Kane then clears the ring. Maybe it’s Kane turn to get back into a title picture? He climbs a ladder but Mark Henry pushes him off. Finlay disposes of Henry and then dives out at Kane and Shelton Benjamin. Christian then dives to the outside on Finlay and Kane. MVP launches himself at Christian, Kane and Finlay. CM Punk and Kofi then dive out at Kane, MVP and Christian. Shelton Benjamin climbs a ladder on the outside and dives out at everyone. And he seriously looked like he landed on his head there. Mark Henry climbs to the top but Finlay smashes him with his shillalah. Hornswoggle pulls a stepladder out from under the ring and then climbs on top of Mark Henry before diving to the outside!

Finlay nails Henry with the stepladder and is then left alone in the ring. Finlay slides a ladder into the ring and sets it up but in comes Kofi Kingston who dropkicks Finlay through the ladder. Finlay and CM Punk then go at it and once again Finlay is left alone to climb a ladder but Kofi kicks him off it. Kofi then climbs the ladder but Mark Henry pushes it over. Amazing how little Wrestlemania experience Mark Henry has, this is only his third match. Kofi races up a ladder that Henry is holding but Henry grabs him and squashes him. MVP then gets into the ring and kicks Mark Henry out of the ring. MVP is the current United States Champion. He sets up a ladder horizontally and looks to suplex Benjamin onto it but Shelton counters it. Shelton then dives off a ladder but MVP counters it with a powerbomb. The crowd are behind MVP as he climbs the ladder but CM Punk goes up with him. Christian then pulls MVP off the ladder and goes up with CM Punk before hitting Punk with an Unprettier off the ladder!

MVP climbs the ladder, he’s left alone now but Shelton Benjamin scales three ladders to get back into the ring! Benjamin looks for a sunset flip powerbomb but there’s a botch from MVP and he falls awkwardly. Benjamin powerbombs MVP properly the second time, all the way to the outside. Shelton and Finlay then climb the ladder but Benjamin hammers Finlay off. Christian then pulls Benjamin off the ladder. Christian climbs a ladder and Shelton sets up a second ladder next to him and climbs it. The ladder falls over and Benjamin falls to the outside. Christian manages to steady the ladder but CM Punk comes out of nowhere. Punk then slips and gets caught up in the ladder. Kane climbs a ladder and chokeslams Christian off it. Punk manages to steady himself and he kicks Kane off the ladder. CM Punk unhooks the briefcase to win the match!

CM Punk wins Money In The Bank for a second year in a row! There was a bit of a mixed response for CM Punk which is interesting. A great match to kick off the show.

Rating: 7.25/10

There’s a video package showing some highlights from Wrestlemania Axxess.

Kid Rock is out next singing Bawitaba and then a second song that I don’t know. The crowd do not seem into this. Two songs later and I am bored. Can we get back to the action? Eventually the divas all come out and dance with Kid Rock before heading to the ring.

Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella vs. Natalya vs. Alicia Fox vs. Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James vs. Katie Lea Burchill vs. Kelly Kelly vs. Gail Kim vs. Layla vs. Maria vs. Maryse vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall vs. Melina vs. Tiffany vs. Eve Torres vs. Rosa Mendes vs. Victoria vs. Joy Giovanni vs. Sunny vs. Jackie Gayda vs. Torrie Wilson vs. Molly Holly vs. Santina – 25 Women Battle Royal

Well this is one way to get all the women on the card. Only a few of them have appeared at Wrestlemania before, Melina is 2-0, Beth Phoenix is 1-0, Maria is 0-1, Mickie James is 1-0, Molly Holly is 0-1, Torrie Wilson is 2-0. Lots of PPV debuts, Brie and Nikki Bella, Alicia Fox, Eve Torres, Tiffany and Rosa Mendes all make their in-ring PPV debut tonight. Sunny also makes her in-ring PPV debut. She returns along with the likes of Torrie Wilson, Molly Holly and Victoria who retired recently. The girls get right into it and it’s hard to tell what the hell is going on. Rosa Mendes is out pretty early and Layla. Santino is in there in a wig. Sunny is eliminated. Jackie Gayda is in there unrecognisable. Torrie Wilson is eliminated. The Bella twins eliminate Jackie Gayda. Victoria eliminates Maria. Gail Kim eliminates herself and Jillian. Michael Cole incorrectly calls Gail Kin one of the Bella twins. Beth Phoenix eliminates Tiffany. I reckon about half of the field are gone. Beth Phoenix eliminates Kelly Kelly. Beth then eliminates Molly Holly and then Maryse.

Beth eliminates Katie Lea Burchill. The Bella twins eliminate Victoria and Beth then eliminate The Bellas. We’re down to Beth Phoenix, Melina, Michelle McCool, Melina and Santino. Mickie James goes to the top but Michelle McCool goes up with her. The two girls then slug it out on the top until they both fall off and are eliminated. Melina and Beth Phoenix then go at it as the commentators completely ignore Santino. Beth then looks to eliminate Melina and Santino eliminates both! Tony Chimmel doesn’t know who to announce as the winner. Candice Michelle and Justin Roberts then get into the ring and Santino tells Roberts that her name is Santina Marella, Santino’s twin sister. Candice crowns Santina as Beth Phoenix goes mad on the the outside. Santina dances and wipes away the tears. This battle royal is pretty bad, you couldn’t see what was going on or who was even in the match! And then it was won by a man!

Rating: 2/10

There’s a video package up next for the handicap match. We’re then shown Mickey Rourke at ringside.

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka & Ricky Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho – 3 on 1 elimination handicap match

The legends are back! Chris Jericho goes into this one with a 2-5 record at Wrestlemania. Ric Flair is in the corner of the legends. Snuka looks for his first Wrestlemania win tonight, previously he’s lost to the likes of The Undertaker and Rick Rude. The bell rings and Roddy Piper goes right for Chris Jericho. Piper clotheslines Jericho out of the ring and falls out with him. Piper then smashes Jericho into the announce desk before rolling him back into the ring. Jericho then takes the advantage but is rolled up for the first near fall of the night. Piper hits something of a dropkick and then smashes Jericho into the top turnbuckle. Roddy hits lefts and rights and then hits Jericho into another turnbuckle. Piper tags in Snuka who looks like he’s seen better days. Snuka hits a headbutt and then a chop. Snuka hits another chop which looks weak and then tags in Steamboat.

Steamboat goes up top and hits a big chop! Ricky then hits a couple of arm drags and looks in great shape! Steamboat has won 8 of his previous 10 WWE PPV matches. One of the best PPV records of all time. Steamboat tags Snuka back in and Snuka hits a headbutt. All three of these men were involved in the very first Wrestlemania. Jericho locks on the walls of Jericho and Snuka taps out! Jimmy Snuka has been eliminated. Jericho doesn’t break the hold for a while and then cheap shots Steamboat. Piper lays into Jericho and then hits a poke in the eye. Piper locks on a sleeper but Jericho gets out of it and hits an enzeguri which is enough for the three! Roddy Piper has been eliminated! Steamboat comes back in with a cross body for a near fall. Steamboat hits some chops but Jericho hits a boot, snapmare and kick to the back. Jericho then applies a sleeper but Steamboat gets out of it and knocks down Jericho. Jericho sends Steamboat out of the ring but Steamboat skins the cat!

Jericho gives Flair a cheap shot but Steamboat the backdrops Jericho out of the ring! Steamboat dives to the outside and honestly The Dragon looks amazing tonight! Back in the ring and Steamboat hits a chop off the top. Steamboat gets a near fall but Jericho hits a bulldog and then attempts the lionsault but Ricky rolls out of the way. Steamboat hits a powerslam for a near fall and then tries for a clothesline but Jericho ducks it and then locks on the walls of Jericho! Steamboat manages to roll Jericho up but only for a near fall. Steamboat counters a side suplex but Jericho hits him with a codebreaker which is enough for the three. Chris Jericho wins the match tonight, beating the three legends. Flair then gets into the ring and chops away at Jericho! Jericho hits Flair with a back body drop and then a codebreaker to lay him out too. This match would have been terrible if not for Ricky Steamboat who was ridiculous tonight!

Rating: 4/10

Jericho gets on the mic after the bell and calls out Mickey Rourke. Rourke was supposed to be facing Jericho at Wrestlemania but his team advised Rourke not to do it as it would affect his chances at winning an Oscar for the film, The Wrestler. Rourke gets into the ring and lays out Jericho with a big left hand!

There’s a video package up next for Matt and Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy – Extreme Rules match

These two men have met on pay per view once before, that was all the way back at Vengeance 2001 when Jeff defeated Matt. Jeff Hardy is 0-4 at Wrestlemania whilst Matt Hardy is 1-5. Neither men fought at last years event, Matt due to injury and Jeff due to a drugs suspension. Matt has a cool new jacket. Matt talks some trash in the early going and Jeff slaps him and then knocks him out of the ring. On the outside and Jeff smashes Matt with a Wrestlemania poster. Jeff smashes Matt into the ring steps and then hits him with poetry in motion. Jeff rolls Matt back into the ring and then grabs a chair, sets it up and looks to hit poetry in motion with it but Matt gets out of the way. Matt then hits Jeff with the chair for a two count. Matt grabs a vacuum from under the ring and nails Jeff with it for a near fall. Jeff hits a dropkick but Matt hits Jeff with a side effect on the chair for a two count.

Matt chokes Jeff with his boot and then wraps him around the ringpost. Matt then pulls a table out from under the ring and sets it up but Jeff hits him with a clothesline and a mule kick. Jeff then hits Matt with a kendo stick before putting Matt in a trash can and beating him with a crutch! Jeff hits a pendulum dropkick for a two count. Jeff then heads to the top and looks to hit the swanton bomb but Matt Hardy gets out of the way. Matt hits the twist of fate for a two count. Matt heads to the top but Jeff goes up with him and hits his older brother with a superplex. Jeff then smashes Matt with a chair and lays him across the table set up on the outside. Jeff sets another table up on top of Matt and then heads to the top and hits a big splash through the table and through Matt! That seemed pointless. Jeff would’ve hurt himself more going through the first table! Jeff rolls Matt back into the ring and pins him but Matt gets his foot on the bottom rope.

Jeff pulls a couple of ladders out from under the ring and slides them into the ring. Jeff hits a legdrop off a chair and then sets up both of the ladders. Jeff climbs up the smaller ladder which is behind the bigger one. He leap frogs over the bigger one and looks to hit a legdrop but Matt rolls out of the way! Matt then traps Jeff inside a steel chair and hits him with the twist of fate! Matt hooks the leg and that’s enough for the three! Matt Hardy defeats Jeff Hardy tonight in a bit of an upset! It wasn’t a great match to be honest. A few good spots but the crowd weren’t into it either.

Rating: 4.5/10

Randy Orton is shown getting ready backstage with Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase.

John “Bradshaw” Layfield (c) vs. Rey Mysterio – Intercontinental Championship match

JBL goes into this match with a 2-6 record at Wrestlemania whilst Rey Mysterio is 2-2. These two men have met on PPV twice before and both hold a victory over the other. JBL gets on the mic before the bell and gloats. Rey Mysterio is dressed as the joker for this match. The last time Rey Mysterio wrestled at Wrestlemania he won the World Heavyweight Championship. JBL boots Mysterio in the face before the bell can even ring. Layfield then lays into Mysterio with right hands and the bell finally rings. Mysterio avoids a clothesline and hits an enzeguri and then the 619! Mysterio heads to the top and hits a big splash and that’s all she wrote! Rey Mysterio wins the Intercontinental Championship in record breaking time! 21 seconds!

Rating: N/A

JBL gets back on the mic after the match and quits! It sounds like Bradshaw is done!

There’s a video package up next for The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

This is the fourth PPV match between these two men, Shawn Michaels has won 2 of the previous 3 and the other was a draw. Shawn Michaels is 6-9 at Wrestlemania, The Undertaker is 16-0. Can Michaels end the streak? Michaels has a cool entrance, being lowered on a big cherry picker. I’ve wanted to see this match since they were the last two men in the 2007 Royal Rumble. Michaels gets the first offence in with a couple of chops. Michaels is the quicker of the two and avoids some right hands. Undertaker throws Michaels over the top rope but Michaels leapfrogs Undertaker back into the ring before feigning an injury and then diving at Undertaker. Undertaker hits some right hands and headbutts and a hard Irish whip before dropping HBK with a back body drop. Undertaker hits a gorilla press slam and then drops an elbow for a one count. Undertaker works the left arm of Shawn Michaels and then hits old school. Michaels gets out of the way of a big boot in the corner and takes Undertaker down with a chop block. Shawn Michaels then locks on a figure four.

Undertaker gets out of the figure four with some right hands but Michaels takes him right back down with a dropkick to the knees. The crowd are split on their support in this match. Undertaker forces Michaels into the corner and then hits him with right hands. Undertaker then hits a hard Irish whip and a couple of clotheslines in the corner before hitting snake eyes and a running big boot. I like the pace of this match so far. Undertaker hits a legdrop for a two count. Undertaker then motions for a chokeslam but Michaels counters it, taking him down with a crossface. Undertaker breaks the crossface with a sidewalk slam for a two count. Shawn Michaels fires back with chops and then a flying forearm before nipping up. Michaels hits a couple of inverted atomic drops and then a big clothesline. Shawn heads to the top but Undertaker sits up. He sees Michaels coming and looks to hit him with a chokeslam but Michaels hops down and looks to hit sweet chin music but Undertaker backs off. Michaels looks to lock on the figure four but Undertaker counters it with hell’s gate!

Michaels gets to the ropes to break the submission and then rolls out of the ring. Undertaker follows and smashes Michaels into the ring steps. He then sets Michaels up for his trademark legdrop on the apron but Michaels gets out of the way! Shawn hits a baseball slide and then looks to hit a moonsault off the top but Undertaker swats him away. Undertaker then takes a dive to the outside but Michaels pulls a nearby cameraman into the way and Undertaker lands on his head! The cameraman is Sim Snuka by the way and he did not catch Undertaker properly but I think it was more of Undertakers fault. Michaels gets back into the ring, dragging a referee with him who was knocked down in the scuffle. Michaels asks the referee to count Undertaker out but Undertaker just beats the count. Undertaker then looks to hit sweet chin music but Undertaker sees him coning and hits Michaels with a chokeslam for a near fall.

Undertaker looks for a tombstone but Michaels nips down and hits sweet chin music! Michaels slowly crawls over but Undertaker kicks out! Michaels nips up and looks to pick up Undertaker but Undertaker grabs him by the throat and then looks to hit the last ride but Michaels counters it with a sunset flip. Undertaker counters the sunset flip and this time hits the last ride for another near fall! The crowd are going nuts now! Undertaker heads to the top but Michaels rolls out of the way of an elbow drop. Undertaker looks to throw Shawn Michaels out of the ring but Michaels hangs on and skins the cat but Undertaker catches him and drops HBK with a tombstone! Undertaker crosses the arms but Michaels kicks out at 2! Nobody can believe it! Undertaker scoops Michaels up for a second tombstone but Michaels counters it with a DDT! Shawn then heads to the top and hits the elbow drop. Michaels motions again for sweet chin music and hits it! He covers Undertaker but again Undertaker kicks out!

The two men slug it out until Undertaker drops Michaels with a big boot. Undertaker then runs into the boot of Michaels. Michaels then goes up top and looks to hit a moonsault but Undertaker catches him and drops him with another tombstone! This time Michaels stays down and Undertaker wins the match! What a match that was. They wrestled the perfect match and probably the best match in WWE history. Incredible.

Rating: 10/10

There’s a video package for John Cena, Edge and The Big Show.

Edge (c) vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show – Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This is a first time triple threat match between these three men. Edge has a 5-2 record at Wrestlemania, John Cena is 4-1 and The Big Show is 1-7. All three men lost at last years event. Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero are ringside for this match. John Cena has a very cool entrance. There must be about 50 John Cena’s on the entrance ramp, all in Cena merchandise and caps. They come out to Cena’s old music before the real Cena comes out. Cena is a Raw superstar compared to Edge and Big Show who are Smackdown which makes things interesting. Cena takes Edge down early with a bulldog but Big Show then takes Cena down. Edge then suggests that he and Big Show should team up but Big Show picks Edge up and drops him on the top rope! Big Show hits Edge with a big chop and then drops Cena with a big kick as Edge scarpers out of the ring. Chavo rolls a wheelchair-bound Vickie around to where Edge is as Big Show stands all over Cena in the ring.

Big Show hits Cena with a flapjack and then looks for a big boot but Cena ducks it and dumps Big Show out of the ring. Cena beat Big Show at Wrestlemania 20, five years ago. Cena hits Big Show with a top rope fame-asser on the outside and both men are down. Edge rolls Cena back into the ring but Cena sets Edge up for the “Attitude Adjustment” which is the new name of Cena’s finisher the FU. Edge takes Cena down and then goes to the top but Cena hammers it down to the outside. Big Show hits Cena with a sidewalk slam for a near fall. Cena hits Big Show with some right hands but Chavo Guerrero then pulls Cena out of the ring! Cena hits Chavo with the attitude adjustment before sliding back into the ring and tying Big Show up in the ropes. Edge gets into the ring but Cena takes him down with shoulder charges and a side suplex before hitting him with the five knuckle shuffle as Big Show watches on. Vickie Guerrero then gets up on the apron and Edge accidentally spears her off when aiming for Cena. Cena and Edge then clothesline each other down.

Big Show unties himself from the ropes and takes Cena and Edge down. Big Show splashes both men in opposite corners and hits both with chops. Big Show then looks to chokeslam both men but Cena gets out of it and Big Show chokeslams Edge. Cena looks to hit Big show with the attitude adjustment but Big Show lays him out with a big right hand. Big Show looks to chokeslam Edge through the Spanish announce table but Edge counters with a DDT. Edge then hits Big Show with a spear right through a barricade! Edge rolls Cena back into the ring for a near fall and then motions for a spear but Cena counters it with a drop toe hold and then the STF! Big Show then pulls Edge to the ropes before dragging Cena out. Big Show takes out Edge but Cena gets back into the ring and looks to suplex Big Show. Edge gives Cena a hand and they hit a double suplex on Big Show. Cena and Edge clothesline Big Show out of the ring and Edge then boots down Cena for a near fall.

Cena hits the throwback on Edge and then heads to the top but Big Show pushes Cena off the top and Edge spears Cena on the way down. Edge pins Cena but Big Show breaks that up, dragging Edge out of the ring before rolling him back in. Edge applies a sleeper to Big Show and Cena then gets both men up on his shoulders! Edge slides down and Cena hits the attitude adjustment on Big Show! Cena hits the attitude adjustment to Edge on top of Big Show and then pins Big Show for the three! Cena wins the match and the World Heavyweight Championship! A good match between these three men. Although I think they botched the finish with Edge slipping off.

Rating: 7/10

There’s a video package next for the hall of fame ceremony. All of the inductees then come out, Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr, Howard Finkel, Ricky Steamboat, “Cowboy” Bill Watts, Koko B. Ware, The Von Erich’s represented by Kevin Von Erich and the headliner, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin who gets a huge pop. Austin leaves for a minute and then comes back on his quadbike.

Lilian Garcia lets us know that tonights attendance is 72,744. Probably a lie. Lilian is looking hot tonight by the way.

There’s a video package next for Triple H and Randy Orton.

Backstage Triple H is shown walking through the back when he bumps into Vince and Shane McMahon. Nothing is said, just a a nod of approval.

Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship match

This is the 7th PPV match between these two men and in their previous 6 matches, Triple H is 5-1 up. The most fought match in PPV history is Triple H vs. The Rock, they’ve fought in 8 singles matches so Triple H and Orton are only one off. Orton is 2-3 at Wrestlemania and Triple H is 5-7. Randy Orton beat Triple H and John Cena in a triple threat match at last years Wrestlemania. Triple H has a cool entrance, throwing his sledgehammer through glass. Both men make their entrance alone but I’m sure we’ll see Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase at some point. There is an added stipulation that if Triple H loses this match by disqualification or count out then he will lose the WWE Championship. Triple H takes down Orton as the bell rings and lays in some right hands. The referee breaks it up and Orton hits the RKO out of nowhere! Randy then looks to punt Triple H but Triple H gets out of the way ands hits a pedigree! Both men are then down. Orton rolls to the outside and Triple H follows, ramming Randy into the ringpost.

Back in the ring and Triple H hits more right hands and then slingshots Orton into the bottom rope. Triple H hits a kneedrop and then a neckbreaker causing Orton to roll back out of the ring. Triple H follows and this time Orton throws Triple H into the ringsteps. Orton then throws Triple H over the barricade. Triple H beats the count but Orton goes right back to work on him, stomping away at Helmsley’s limbs and then hitting a knee drop. Randy lays in some right hands and then applies a chinlock but Triple H quickly gets out of it with a back suplex. Orton hits a powerslam for a near fall and then goes back to the chinlock. Triple H gets out of the chinlock and the two men slug it out until Triple H drops Orton with a high knee. Triple H hits a facebuster and then sets up for the pedigree but Orton counters and catapults the WWE Champion into the top turnbuckle. Triple H fires back with a clothesline for a near fall. Orton drops Triple H on the top turnbuckle and then comes off the middle rope but Triple H gets his boot up.

Triple H sets up for a pedigree but Orton counters it with a jackknife cover for a two count. Triple H then rolls Orton up for a two count. Triple H hits a big spinebuster and then sets up for the pedigree again but Randy counters with a backbreaker for a near fall. Triple H goes up to the top but Orton catches him with a dropkick. Triple H throws Orton out of the ring and then smashes him into the Spanish announce table. Triple H then grabs a TV monitor and thinks about hitting Orton with it but decides against it, knowing he would lose his title if disqualified. Triple H then sets Randy Orton up for a pedigree through the announce desk but Orton back body drops him onto the Spanish announce desk which doesn’t give way. Orton then hits Triple H with a DDT off the announce desk. Triple H once again beats the count and Orton quickly lays into him with stomps.

Triple H gets to his feet and the two men slug it out until Orton throws Triple H into the referee! Orton then hits an RKO but the referee is down. Randy then exits the ring and grabs a sledgehammer from under the ring but as he’s getting back into the ring Triple H punts him in the head! Triple H then grabs the sledgehammer and smashes it into Orton’s face. Triple H hides the evidence and then hits Orton with right hands. Triple H sets up for the pedigree and hits it in the middle of the ring. He hooks the leg and gets the three! It was a bit of a flat ending but Triple H beats Randy Orton tonight to retain the WWE Championship! I guess he’ll go back to Smackdown with the title and Cena will go back to Raw with the World Heavyweight Championship.

Rating: 6.5/10

And that was Wrestlemania 25. I don’t usually do this but I want to start with the Undertaker/Shawn Michaels match. It was simply perfect. Possibly the best match in the history of the WWE. The false finishes worked so well because of how protected their finishers have been for the last 20 years. How do either men ever top that? There’s nothing I can say to give the match the credit it deserves but it stole the show tonight and will forever be etched in history. Now to the rest of the show. Money In The Bank was won by CM Punk for a second year running. Slightly unexpected but I could only have seen Shelton Benjamin or MVP winning if not him. Maybe Christian but he’s only just returned and has spent most of the time losing matches since he came back. This was a fun match, Kofi had a lot of good spots as did Shelton but CM Punk wins the match for the second year in a row, I wonder if they’ll go about the cash-in differently this time? Or will he be the first man to unsuccessfully cash in his contract?

Kid Rock was out next for what seemed like at eternity. Why have that when we could have had the tag team title match on the main show? I hated it. They won’t make that mistake again. The Women’s Battle Royal was next and it was a bit of a mess. You couldn’t tell what was going on and could barely see people like Sunny or Jackie Gayda. And then the winner was Santina? That’s terrible. I bet the Women’s division were happy about that. All that to continue a storyline that barely makes sense. Jericho was up next and defeated the legends. This was what you’d expect it to be except for Ricky Steamboat showing that he can still go! And the aftermath was what it was all about with Mickey Rourke laying out Jericho. A nice Wrestlemania story and a moment that won’t be forgotten.

The Hardy Boys were out next and there was something in this match that didn’t quite clock. I don’t know what it was and the crowd were a bit flat too. Matt would go on to win the match which really surprised me. I would assume that this feud isn’t over. And probably won’t ever be, in a similar vein to Tito Santana and Rick Martel. I guess the story is that Jeff took too many risks and Matt took advantage. I liked Matts new ring gear. Rey Mysterio beat John “Bradshaw” Layfield very quickly which explains their match on Raw last week, giving them the time they deserved. I like that this was a bit of a squash and it means that Rey Mysterio is now the Intercontinental Champion for the first time in his career. And after the match JBL quits! He promised something historic and delivered. This was a good way to end his career ands like last time, it was at the hands of Rey Mysterio.

Skipping past the Undertaker match and John Cena defeated Edge and The Big Show to become World Heavyweight Champion again. This was a good match, a decent triple threat and I know those matches aren’t always easy. I do think the ending was botched, I reckon Cena was supposed to hit the attitude adjustment on both men at the same time but Edge slipped off. I’m not sure this was a Wrestlemania level match, it would have been a good title match for any other PPV but I think a singles match with Edge and Cena would have been better. It was slightly better than the match that followed with Triple H and Randy Orton though. Neither title match could really follow Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Triple H won the match and normality is restored in the WWE as Triple H and John Cena hold the gold. Overall this felt like a fairly average Wrestlemania except for the obvious which really saved this show.

Overall Rating: 58.9/100 (ranked joint 101st out of 236)

Match Of The Night: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
Worst Match Of The Night: 25 Women Battle Royal
Surprise Of The Night: Matt Hardy beats Jeff Hardy/JBL Quits
Worst Booking Of The Night: Kid Rock….and Santino winning the battle royal
Superstar Of The Night: Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker
Wrestlemania 25 Will Be Remembered For: The Shawn Michaels and Undertaker match