PWP’s Zak Fellows is back and he’s covering WrestleMania 22… this review should be “BIG TIME!”
Little history lesson on yours truly: I remember very fondly when and how I became a wrestling fan. It was in the summer of 2005 and who would have thought that the mere act of flipping through the channels only to stop on WWE Smackdown to witness the entrance of the Undertaker would cause me to become such a fan of wrestling that I still watch and write about it almost 10 years later?
As such WrestleMania 22 does hold that distinction of being my first WrestleMania. Taking place on April 2 2006 from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Illinois, was WrestleMania 22 Big Time? Well I’ll let you be the judge of that:
World Tag Team Championship: Kane & Big Show (c) Vs Carlito & Chris Masters
This match served the purpose of getting all four people on WrestleMania especially Carlito and Masters who were over on the RAW Roster at the time. The commentary putting over Kane and Big Show as this unstoppable tag team champions was kind of a bait and swerve when you consider that they lost the titles the next night to the Spirit Squad. That said though this tag title match was functional if ultimately uninteresting, kind of what you expect from Big Show and Kane before this day and age where most people are sick of them and also foreshadowed Carlito’s babyface turn.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: This was Big Show’s first win at WrestleMania…it only took him 7 years
Money in the Bank: Shelton Benjamin Vs Rob Van Dam Vs Ric Flair Vs Matt Hardy Vs Finlay Vs Lashley
This was the second Money in the Bank match and with the well-executed cashing in of Edge’s title reign back in January of 2006 it became an annual match. So far as Money in the Bank matches goes, and maybe it’s because I have been spoiled by future ones, this stands as one of the most forgettable. Not to say it’s bad there were some cool spots as you expect they just don’t really stand out and stick in your mind. That said though it was enjoyable as Money in the Bank reliably is and people were into it due to those spots and how they buy into the Money in the Bank concept.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: This match made me realise how much I hate the ECW chant. Ric Flair and Matt Hardy E-C-DUB!
United States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) Vs JBL
For the record if an announcer tells you that a certain match will be a specific kind of match (in this case quote “The most physical match of the evening”) at least you know what you want to look for from these dictators of critiquing. So far as physical matches go it had the brawling and physical moves that you’d expect along with some technical wrestling and was pretty enjoyable. Some people probably would be annoyed the match would end with JBL’s hand on the ropes but me personally I’m fine with it because Bradshaw is a hypocritical heel. So yeah this match was good not the greatest that stands out in your mind afterwards but definitely serviceable.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: JBL doing the Eddie Guerrero dance in an attempt to get boo’s reminded me that this sick Eddie exploitation wasn’t just limited to Rey Mysterio.
Hardcore Match: Edge Vs Mick Foley
This hardcore match and feud had the combined goal of getting Edge on the show and to give Mick Foley that WrestleMania match and moment that he never got. And it fulfilled both purposes well: This match had a lot of good spots from Foley getting Edge to spear into Barbed Wire and the flaming table which to ECW fans probably won’t come across as a world beater but was executed well. The visual at the end of the match with Edge shaking like he’s in constant pain with one of his eyes completely covered in blood was really cool especially in this bloodless day and age.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: Edge got the highest rating for RAW in years dry humping Lita and his reward is facing a part timer.
The Boogeyman Vs Booker T & Sharmell
This was pretty much a squash to get an act that people were into with Boogeyman on WrestleMania and to give a blow off to the chicken shit heel trying to get out of matches getting what they had coming in Sharmell and Booker T. I actually remember hating Sharmell back when I was first watching and remembered specifically the thought of ‘If she’s causing so much trouble at ringside why isn’t somebody banning her?’ Anyway Boogeyman did his whole act of freaking his opponents out, eating worms and squashing somebody and in that sense it served its purpose. Boogeyman’s going to be in the Hall of Fame someday…calling it.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: Boogeyman wrestled on WrestleMania before Jerry Lawler AND Sting.
Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus (c) Vs Mickie James
It’s amazing how the view of something changes with hindsight. I remember myself being into this feud when it first happened but I don’t remember people being as into it as the crowd at WrestleMania 22 indicated. And thinking about it it’s a simple storyline of Fandom turned to Jealousy that Mickie and Trish pulled off to such a great deal you can’t help but get into it. The crowd being into it definitely helped the match as both women tried really hard to put on a good match and succeeded. It wasn’t a typical hair pulling match that I am normally accustomed and it was better off for it.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: Despite how much people were into Mickie James this was her only one on one match and win at WrestleMania.
Casket Match: The Undertaker Vs Mark Henry
I’ll be honest with you I find matches where you have put your opponent into something pretty ridiculous and track record of Casket Matches doesn’t help that thought. That said this was kind of your usual Undertaker affair and in my opinion if you took out the Casket stipulation and it was just a normal match there would be no difference. It’s the typical Undertaker match with nothing standing out aside from the result. Hell I’m not joking when I say that it could have been made more memorable if Great Khali debuted HERE and not on the next Smackdown.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: The First and only Casket Match at WrestleMania…for good reason.
No Holds Barred: Shawn Michaels Vs Mr. McMahon
This was actually a pretty well built up feud: A suggestion from Michaels turned out of proportion by McMahon. And it made this match very satisfying because the intention is to just see Vince get the shit beat out of him and it accomplished its goal well. It felt like a really good culmination of months of build-up and that the beating that McMahon got he had coming the only real downside that I can give this match is that what was initially good turned bad because the feud didn’t end until September of 2006 with the intolerable DX reunion. And say what you want about Vince McMahon but the guy can sell pretty damn well for his opponents.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: Vince McMahon got a Match of the Year award before John Cena, CM Punk AND Daniel Bryan.
World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle (c) Vs Randy Orton Vs Rey Mysterio
I’m not that big of a fan of the execution of this match for a number of reasons: While there were some spots in the match that were good and it was fast paced and never left me bored the problem really was that it was very short for a title match with this amount of build-up and people were booing Mysterio towards his win. Also a big thing for me in terms of the build-up is that all three wrestlers had differing motivations in the storyline that never really mixed or gelled well. That said the match was OK despite a couple of blown spots (Mysterio messing up the 619 from the ring post comes to mind) but really Rey Mysterio’s big title win could have had a better blow off.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: This was Kurt Angle’s last WrestleMania match and the first time since the Brand Split’s Inception that the Royal Rumble Winner DIDN’T main event WrestleMania.
Playboy Pillow Fight: Candice Michelle Vs Torrie Wilson
Of course this being positioned between the two World Title matches is to give the crowd a chance to breathe so to speak. And because it is the breather match the people of Chicago didn’t care that much about (I guess you need to have your nipples covered in Tattoo’s for Chicago residents to care) this titillation showcase that didn’t do a good job in that regard. I suppose you need to be into this sort of match in order to be into it: Me personally as a Heterosexual wrestling fan am obviously not into two women in their underwear rolling around on top of each other…hang on a minute…
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: It’s a quick blink and you miss it but there was a Shillelagh underneath the bed in the ring…Hornswoggle must have been there too the pervert.
WWE Championship: John Cena (c) Vs Triple H
Of course the main event of WrestleMania’s 22 main intention was to give that validation win of Cena and cement him even further as the top guy in the company. This match definitely did a good job in doing so really helped by the emphasis on the crowd’s reaction to Cena and HHH, the commentators emphasised the differences between both guys (New Age Vs Tradition). It was a solid match that may not be the greatest main event in WrestleMania history but did its job in cementing Cena and providing a match for the first time ever facing HHH.
ZAK FELLOWS FUN OBSERVATION: First time Cena main evented WrestleMania…anything else? Oh yeah! That gangster in the brown suit with the shifty eyes was cool.
WrestleMania 22 had a number of firsts and lasts: It was WrestleMania debuts of Carlito, Chris Masters, Finlay, Lashley, The Boogeyman, Mickie James and Candice Michelle. It was the last WrestleMania appearances of Masters, Rob Van Dam, Mick Foley, Boogeyman and Kurt Angle. And as of 2015 WrestleMania 22 saw the appearances of six WWE Hall of Famers. And of course it was the first WrestleMania main event of John Cena.
Overall though WrestleMania 22 was definitely an enjoyable show. While it’s has not particularly stand out moments by comparison to other WrestleMania’s it is still a functionally entertaining and action filled show with little to no time sinks. If you want to see a straight up wrestling show showcasing a lot of differing styles of wrestling than I say give WrestleMania 22 a shot…and not the kind of shot that DX 2006 should have been got.
[Zak Fellows really didn’t like the DX Reunion]
Big Time was an awesome WrestleMania theme by the way…Fuck My Way.