Matt O’Brien writes and maintains the Wrestleview.com poll every two weeks
It was just a couple weeks ago that wrestling fans witnessed one of the biggest events in the history of the industry. Wrestlemania XXVIII was headlined by wrestling’s past vs. its present. On that night, The Rock returned to the ring and defeated John Cena after years of fans wondering what would happen if they ever went mano y mano. Aside from Rock-Cena, Wrestlemania showcased the best of its roster with matches such as Triple H vs. The Undertaker, Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk and a multi-man tag team match. Giving fans a couple of weeks to digest and gain perspective on the show, Wrestleview asked readers what they thought of the show. The results are as follows:
What did you think of Wrestlemania 28?
Spectacular 41.84% (1,472 votes)
Good 39.34% (1,384 votes)
Mediocre 15.01% (528 votes)
Awful 3.81% (134 votes)
Total votes cast: 3,518
After more than 3500 votes, most fans feel the show was spectacular. Readers went down the line with less than a hundred votes separating the top two categories. The majority of fans felt that Wrestlemania was at the very least a good show. A little of five-hundred felt the show was just okay, while very few felt it was awful.
Those who felt the show was awful point to the decision to have Daniel Bryan lose the World Championship in less than twenty seconds in the show’s curtain jerker. Given how over Bryan was with the Miami crowd, it would have been interesting to see the match unfold over the course of ten or fifteen minutes. Daniel Bryan had been World Champion for a little over three months when he walked into Wrestlemania. During that time, he turned heel and totally revamped his character. Given his incredible work over the past few months, some fans were disappointed with his quick title loss.
Ever since Chris Jericho returned to WWE early this year, internet fans began hoping for a Jericho-Punk showdown at Wrestlemania. It started with each man claiming to be the best in the world, then deteriorated into Jericho tearing into Punk over his family’s dark past. Punk and Jericho continue to feud over the WWE Championship as Wrestlemania was just the first stop in this fed.
After Wrestlemania XVII from Atlanta, immediate speculation began as to if Undertaker and Triple H would once again square off at Wrestlemania. While Cena and Rock’s war was scheduled a year out, Undertaker and Triple H’s remained an unannounced plan. Originally, most fans thought this would be just another match between the Dead Man and the Game. A predictable plan took a surprising turn when it was announced in Minneapolis that this year’s affair would take place within the confines of the Hell in a Cell. Business had picked up, but gathered even more intrigue when Shawn Michaels was inserted as the special guest referee. Undertaker debuted a new look that night in Miami as he and Triple H went to war for thirty minutes. There were times when they had the crowd believe that the streak would indeed come to an end. Undertaker walked out of Miami with the streak intact and another match that fans will talk about for years to come.
The big match of the night was Rock-Cena. There was so much riding on this match. Rock had not wrestled in eight years, with the exception of his appearance at Survivor Series. Wrestlemania was conceived as a larger than life show, an event that married wrestling and celebrity. A lot of celebrities of come and gone over the years, but The Rock was the perfect choice for this year’s big celebrity. Coming back, and having been punked out by John Cena over the past several weeks, he still walked away with the win over WWE’s top superstar. It was a finish that fans will debate for a long time. Should Rock have won, or should he have lost?
Regardless of the outcome, there is no denying that Wrestlemania was a well done show. Early numbers have the show breaking pay per view buy records as well. That is great news for WWE, and for wrestling. Thanks to all those who participated in the voting, and be sure to cast your vote in Wrestleview’s latest poll asking how soon, or if, Brock Lesnar will win the WWE or World Championship!