Review of WrestleMania X-Seven

Wrestlemania 17 was awesome! WM17 was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas and the first at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It was also the first time in 9 years that World Wrestling Federation sold out a stadium and the last under World Wrestling Federation company name, as the company would be renamed World Wrestling Entertainment due to legal problems with the World Wide Fund in 2002. The event broke all-time attendance records and also became one of WWE highest grossing PPV at the time. The opening video package to this PPV was pretty awkward, but kinda interesting, as it showcase people from all over the world listening or watching Wrestlemanias of the past 16 years. The video doesn't make a lick of sense, seeing how most of these people feature for this video doesn't look like the normal wrestling fans at all. There's a lots of old farm people watching this PPV radios or small television in horse stables, barns, and hay-houses. Who watch wrestling in a barn!? Even the young people that looks like wrestling fans, look awkward, by watching the PPV in an old car or a shop window. Then you got poor foreigners running in the fields, listen to it on radio, despite the PPV never being broadcast on Indian radio. If that was cheesy enough, there is an old Chinese man in a fish market who happens to be watching one of the worst PPVs in the world, Wrestlemania 9. I really doubt, my Asian grandpa knows what pro-wrestling is or care about it. The worst had to be the oddly place smiling clown toward the end as if this was a joke. Then the video ends with the saying that Wrestlemania is supposedly a celebration of life. What!? No, marriage is a celebration of life! Giving birth is a celebration of life! Wrestlemania is nowhere near those levels. Anyways, the video package is shot really good, had big production values, with inspiration music and really good narrating by wrestler Hall of famer, Freddie Blassie. WWE's production team did wonders with it. It's hard not to feel hype for the PPV. The theme song to Wrestlemania 'My Way' by Limp Bizkit match the tone of the big fight night feel. While, I'm not a huge fan of Limp Bizkit, I found this song great to listen to. The commentary by Paul Heyman and Jim Ross was amazing to listen to all night as both really shine here. Heyman joined the WWE shortly after the fall of Extreme Championship Wrestling as a replacement for Color commentator Jerry Lawler whom left a few weeks earlier due to a dispute with the WWF with the mis-treatment of his then-girlfriend, Kat (Stacey Carter). The opening match to the PPV was William Regal VS Chris Jericho is for the Intercontinental title. The buildup to this match, featured a guy peeing in another man tea, and also a clown. Only here in the WWF would it make sense. Great opening match -Decent, but short opener. They did as much as they could in 7 minutes and Jericho sold the hell out of the shoulder throughout. The next match was Right to Censor (w/ Steven Richards) (In their last match as a group) vs. The APA (w/ Jackie) and Tazz. Match is really forgettable. WWF Hardcore Title: Raven © vs. Kane vs. The Big Show is next. Great brawl that mostly spill outside the ring. It probably suck to watch this at the stadium since most of the match was backstage, but on TV, it was really good stunt match. WWF European Title: Test © vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/ Perry Saturn) was just disappointing, as both really mess up and botch most of the moves. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit was next. Awesome match here with a crappy ending. It's good, but not as good as their match at the 2003 Royal Rumble. WWF Woman's Title: Ivory vs. Chyna was next. They had a storyline of Chyna getting her neck broken by RTC that they could had use more in match storyline, but the match was just one-sided squash match. Disappointing. Street Fight: Vince McMahon (w/ Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) vs. Shane McMahon with Mick Foley is your special ref for this one. This storyline had Vince keeping his wife, Linda sedate, so he can sleep around with Trish Stratus, while Shane McMahon took offend of. The storyline add more gasoline to the fire, when Shane went to buy the WWF's rival promotion at the time, WCW from under his dad's nose just 6 days earlier. This may actually be the best storyline involving the McMahon's ever and the match was pretty damn awesome, for two non-action wrestlers. Overbooked as hell, but they tied up quite a few story lines with it, and gave us a match with a lot of memorable moments. TLC II: WWF Tag Titles: The Dudley Boyz © vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian was next. It was a really dangerous match that you can't believe your eyes that these 6 men really pull it off. Gimmick Battle Royal was next. Nice to see a lot of late 1980s and early 1990s wrestlers return for this gig. Nostalgia feel right there. Harmless fun. We get a video recap of the HHH/Taker feud. Nice to see the heavy metal band, Motorhead plays their version of HHH's them as he heads to the ring. Taker was still in his biker phase, had a great entrance. The build to this was pretty good actually, but not as good as their later Wrestlemania feud in the 2011/2012. The main event hype for Austin/Rock II was great. It was just an epic, kick ass brawl with one of the hottest crowds you will ever see with a twist ending you didn't see coming. Overall: It's clearly is one of the greatest WrestleMania, and it gets for vote for it.