Interesting note on WWE WrestleMania XX

[B1ade Runner]

I was watching the WrestleMania XX DVD the other night and I noticed something that I had never noticed before: Brock Lesnar was not wearing elbow pads in his match with Goldberg!

This means that Lesnar knew 100% that he would be doing nothing even remotely dangerous and chose not even to give the illusion that he was headed towards a challenge, especially since he announced his departure from WWE TWO DAYS before the event.

:gun Brock Lesnar

[fafhrd]

Well, I knew earlier than that that Lesnar was headed on out of WWE, but it was basically a week's notice.

But good call on Lesnar, shows more into my theory that the match was hastily redone to compensate for the fact that Lesnar was leaving and wouldn't do a high quality match. And it showed.

I hope Lesnar blows his knees out in training camp.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

Here is something that I always wondered: how come the match is half-way through the event? WrestleMania XIX had the four main events in a row (HHH/Booker, Hogan/McMahon, Rock/Stone Cold, Lesnar/Angle) and WM XX had only the last three (Guerrero/Angle, 'Taker/Kane, HHH/HBK/Benoit) with Lesnar/Goldberg being separated from the rest. I know the match was a disaster, but it still belonged in a main event environment.

[fafhrd]

They were hoping to give the fans a breather with the main events- having 4 main events in a row would prob mean the fans are dead for the last one. That happened WM X8, and they didn't want a repeat. So they gave the fans what was originally supposed to be a hot match between Lesnar/Goldberg earlier on, and then a chance to catch their breath with a filler match or two. And then onto the main events.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

The problem with WM X8 was that they had two matches after The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. Big mistake. Title or no title, that should have been the last match of the night. If they wanted to go for a double main event, they should have thrown Stone Cold and Kurt Angle into the undisputed title match with HHH and Y2J and made it a fatal-four-way.

But if they didn't want a repeat of WM X8, how come they had FOUR main events in a row at WM XIX?

[fafhrd]

Originally posted by B1ade Runner
The problem with WM X8 was that they had two matches after The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan. Big mistake. Title or no title, that should have been the last match of the night. If they wanted to go for a double main event, they should have thrown Stone Cold and Kurt Angle into the undisputed title match with HHH and Y2J and made it a fatal-four-way.

But if they didn't want a repeat of WM X8, how come they had FOUR main events in a row at WM XIX?

Actually, it was Rock/Hogan and then Y2J/HHH, nothing in between, if I remember correctly. I could be wrong.

The pacing for WM XIX was different; they spaced the two title matches out, with two non title matches in between them. HHH/Booker didn't work well, mainly because Hunter at the time was going through the motions too much, and really wasn't an effective champion. Hogan/Vince and Austin/Rock weren't story-oriented matches. What I mean by that is that the fans don't start slow and build to a crescendo like they did for the Angle/Lesnar matchup. Having two matches like that in a row would result in the same thing as WM X8 did. The two non title matches stayed on the same level throughout the match; there was little buildup within the matches. Thus, the fans never really got tired.

To be honest, that's good booking there.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

Originally posted by fafhrd
Actually, it was Rock/Hogan and then Y2J/HHH, nothing in between, if I remember correctly. I could be wrong.I wish. The match in between was Jazz vs. Lita vs. Trish Stratus for the Women's Championship. :rolleyes

Originally posted by fafhrd
The pacing for WM XIX was different; they spaced the two title matches out, with two non title matches in between them. HHH/Booker didn't work well, mainly because Hunter at the time was going through the motions too much, and really wasn't an effective champion. Hogan/Vince and Austin/Rock weren't story-oriented matches. What I mean by that is that the fans don't start slow and build to a crescendo like they did for the Angle/Lesnar matchup. Having two matches like that in a row would result in the same thing as WM X8 did. The two non title matches stayed on the same level throughout the match; there was little buildup within the matches. Thus, the fans never really got tired.

To be honest, that's good booking there.I agree. WrestleMania XIX is the perfect model for how a quadruple main event should be booked.

[fafhrd]

We could be fair to WM X8, though....no one expected the crowd reaction to Rock/Hogan.

But at the same point, no one was really looking forwards to Jericho/Hunter- if only because the whole feud was about Steph, Steph, and Steph. And not about Hunter vs. Jericho. Thus,t hat match felt very telegraphed.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

Originally posted by fafhrd
We could be fair to WM X8, though....no one expected the crowd reaction to Rock/Hogan.You mean that the crowd would be into it or that The Rock would get booed?

[fafhrd]

Originally posted by B1ade Runner
You mean that the crowd would be into it or that The Rock would get booed?

That the crowd was SO into it. And Rocky didn't get booed, really. More like both got ultra face heat.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

Originally posted by fafhrd
That the crowd was SO into it.So you mean that no one expected the crowd to be into The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan?!?

[fafhrd]

Originally posted by B1ade Runner
So you mean that no one expected the crowd to be into The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan?!?

They expected the fans to be into it. But they didn't expect the fans to be rooting for HULK HOGAN. He'd been the NWO character for the better part of 6 years, and been out of the WWE for well over 10 years. The fan reaction was surreal for that matchup, it completely blew away everyone- even Hogan and Rocky.

Fafhrd

[B1ade Runner]

That makes sense. I still think they should have saved the match for last.

[fafhrd]

Originally posted by B1ade Runner
That makes sense. I still think they should have saved the match for last.

Well, that's using hindsight...it's a non-title match, and the title should always be last.

Fafhrd