WRESTLEMANIA XXVI: IS OWEN COYLE STILL GOD?

It looks like an awesome card. When was the last time the WWE managed to pull off such great long-term booking for WM (not just in the main event, but up and down the card)? Maybe never?

I wasn't feeling Cena v Batista but their promos last Monday got me interested again. Heel Batista is starting to get *really* good. I think Batista has to win to solidify his new character, and there's still plenty of money to be made from a drawn-out Cena-Batista feud (based around Batista being the one guy that Cena can't beat).

I can't believe how badly they've messed up the build to Vince v Bret. I've never been a big fan of Bret, and I'm sort of loving the fact that his big showdown with Vince will get upstaged by Shawn Michaels' match AGAIN. Just like the good old days!

brett hart is back in the wwe? that's sad, considering the history.

wooooooooo, we excited?

my guesses-

money in the bank- ummm... post-orton beef kofi is the only one who could pull off being a big name right? so drew mcintyre to win. damn you racist vince.

michaels v. taker- really starting to believe this will be michaels' last match.

rey v. cmpunk- rey obv.

triple h v. seamus- lol hhh obv

cena v. batista- would love batista to win but snore vince loves jacking off cena.

legacy three way- don't care enough.

bret v. vince- agree with dan esq. kinda sad, will still be lol

edge v. jericho- is this even a question? they've done the build-up all wrong unless jericho kicks out of spears.

v. good card and i am missing mean streets being on the telly for this. (hopefully on iplayer tomorrow.)

JACK SWAGGER? REALLY?

Damn Vince, why you gotta be so racist?

this was ok. vince vs bret was fucking horrible.

I am shocked that the stroke survivor vs 60-year-old nonwrestler match fell short of a technical classic.

Eleven on one beating of a 64 yr old as moral high ground is pretty funny; shoulda been in CA-NA-DA. Top rope outside of the ring Hart Attack on a 64 year old is like wo though

was saying to Slain Former Poster that booking this vindictive revenge fantasy shit for Hart makes him look like kind of a dick, kind of vaguely akin to when people cast Tom Cruise as a weird insincere asshole and he's all like oh yes this will really let me show my range

I love when a match is set up to have a snappy expectation-confounding finish and then the heel just inexplicably goes over w/punishing cleanliness, expecially when it's Jericho

Swagger failing to unhook the briefcase for like twenty minutes was also funny

no sign of Owen Coyle but there was a guy in a Villa shirt

we must never forget the ref in the womens match insisting on enforcing the rules on Vicky Guerreros pin attempt

Shawn-Taker was the only must-see match on the card. There was a lot of good stuff, but overall it felt rushed. Six minutes for Rey-Punk?

Cena's big win over Batista might have meant something if he hadn't dropped and won back the title 87 times since WM25. Match was bitchin though. Heel Batista is awesome.

I also didn't really get Bret-Vince. The Hart family didn't need to be there, and it was twice as long as it needed to be, especially since the offense was completely one-sided.

I pretty much agree with all that has been said.

Bret-Vince had at least been set up as something interesting but 20 people pummelling a pensioner just felt so fucking rong. I turned over while it was happening.

Turning Orton into a face is really weird and not working, especially as they seem to be trying to fast track it.

It would really do better being 3hrs. Big Show+Miz v. Morrison/Truth was pointless. Rey v. Punk ended up pointless. Sheamus v. HHH still going on? Really?

Still don't understand Swagger as MOTB and from Raw I don't think he believes it either.

Jericho winning was actually v. good. I was hating the build up (hey Jericho, don't you fear how one sided this build up of you being scared by a move that isn't even seen as a finisher by that fat dude who uses A PUNCH as one?), so I was glad to see how pathetic Edge came out in the end. Hope Jericho rants would go away tho.

Cena-Batista was pretty good. Heel Batista is enjoyable. I like the spotlight gimmick, I think Dave understands how pantimime-y it should all be.

Shawn-Taker was good. Wish they did a proper big send off Raw though, with like Marty Jennetty and Chyna and etc. turning up.

Yeah Dom demanded a Jannetty run-in in the main event; I assume they had one planned but he was distracted on the way to the ring by a 13 yea-

They're turning Orton face because the fans want to cheer him. Whether they do this by turning him into a bland retard that nobody wants to cheer is another matter

nb Jack Swagger is YR new world heavyweight champion

i haven't watched wrestling in maybe 15 years, but bill simmons' liveblogging of wrestlemania was funny. that is all.

yeah that was good

anyway, goodnight sweet prince;

http://wrestling.insidepulse.com/2010/03/30/bret-hart-wrestlemania-26-diary-on-wwe-com-hhh-shawn-mic/

comments from googlers on this are all the epitaph a man could ask for imo

Wow, people actually liked that piece of trash Simmons article? And I normally like his writing, even the stuff about wrestling. The guy had no clue about any of the storylines behind the matches. He went on and on about how he thought wrestling was better when he was growing up in the 80's (a meme that was old ten years ago). He made fun of how double crosses and ref bumps happen all the time -- um, yeah, that's wrestling dude, this isn't news -- not to mention that a guy whose whole shtick revolves around making exactly the same pop culture references 900 times in every article should know better than to make fun of the WWE for recycling the usual tricks that have been part of wrestling since forever.

Oh, and saying that he couldn't take the WWE seriously after Eddy Guerrero was champion is some seriously weak sauce.

oh i liked simmons' article, but mostly because it was sharp and funny. i have no idea about wrestling storylines, and haven't known about them for years.

i think i said this above, but i am genuinely shocked that -- after all the real-life animus between bret hart and vince mchmannon (however you spell his name) -- that hart would return to the wwe. it disappointed me, tbh.

i dug the simmons article too, but i'm a fan -- i watch enough TV to be able to get back in to wrestling but idk, attitude era is on such a high pedestal for me

what is the "attitude era"?

It's not really worth it tbh.

I was thinking of starting a proper hardcore 'Sam liveblogs watching Raw/Smackdown' if only because if I can get some lols from it, then maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't seem so depressing that I actually spend time each week watching this shit. Can't wait till I get a job.

attitude era= during the monday night wars of the late 90s... stone cold, mankind, the rock, kane, second version of dx, 'mr mcmahon' as a heel character etc. etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Attitude_Era

oh. i watched some of that (it was wwe v. nwa's successor organization (wcw), iirc).

this is probably the nostalgic kid in me talking, but i think the wrestling i saw in the mid-80s was better than that late 90s edition.

Was only but a sperm in the mid-80s so I cannot really compare. Wish there was a modern HACKSAW JIM DUGGUN though. Called Hacksaw but actually used a block of wood. No sense.

new age outlaws intro song is such a damn classic

yup. i miss that sort of personality.

(also reminds me, one day i should do a lol entrance theme poll or two.)

nothing will ever beat the "OH FUCK YEAH" of stone cold's breaking class coming out of nowhere

which reminds me http://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=77&threadid=255

http://twitter.com/LILBTHEBASEDGOD/status/11614308168

Kanyon's dead btw

nwo4life

just gonna stick this here rather than revive the long dead sleaze thread. WON, 1993:

There was a wrestling convention held over the weekend in Philadelphia with Formerly known as the Ultimate Warrior, Formerly known as the British Bulldog, Currently known as Road Warrior Animal, Would be Currently known as Kerry Von Erich if he could remember his name and what city he's in... Von Erich was supposed to wear a mask as Woman's secret weapon. Von Erich went to the ring wearing the mask, but had a ring jacket with "Kerry" on the back. As silly as that sounds, he was stopped backstage before he got out and someone told him that his name was on the ring jacket and he's supposed to be a masked guy so take the jacket off. Von Erich took the jacket off, walked about ten yards, seemingly forgot, put the jacket back on

best wrestling family ever imo