WrestleMania XIX

It has been over 4 years since this Wrestlemania took place. I was only 11 years old when i watched this live. The other day i watched Wrestlemania 23 which in itself was awesome, but i thought back to past Wrestlemanias and this one came to my mind and i couldn't quite remember why.

So i went out and bought Wrestlemanias 11-17 and 18-21 on box set. Well i watched 17 first because i had to see The Rock v Austin once more because it was awesome. And i skipped 18 and went straight to 19. Perhaps it is because i am now older and can appreciate this Wrestlemania a lot more now than when i first watched it because now i see it as the best Wrestlemania i have ever seen and this is because of a few matches that were simply amazing.

Well lets start off in order. The opening match of Matt Hardy against Rey Mysterio was a simply brilliant cruiserweight battle and Reys attire was pretty awesome. Shawn Michaels took on Chris Jericho in a match that was an instant classic. Hulk Hogan v Vince McMahon was another match that i will remember forever just because it was the whole 20 years on the making storyline.

And then perhaps one match that i will remember again, forever because The Rock finally beat Steve Austin at Wrestlemania. This match was the last time that Austin and The Rock ever met in the ring and it was another incredible match.

Finally the last match on the card, Brock Lesnar v Kurt Angle. A rivalry for the WWE title that had raged for quite a while and then it inevitably hit Wrestlemania. This, in my opinion, is the greatest match of all time because of the truly incredible athleticism that both men showed. From the reversals, to the quick pin attempts. From the huge Angle Slam to the German Suplex into the turnbuckle and finally from that failed Shooting to Brocks F-5 that finished the match, it showed what Wrestlemania is all about.

WWE Wrestlemania XIX was the best I have personally ever seen. I have seen everyone, and none can compare. Shawn Michaels v. Chris Jericho was without a doubt the best match of the night, However Kurt Angle v. Brock Lesnar was close. Wrestlemania is truly a celebration of life, and entertainment at its best, buy Wrestlemania XIX, its worth every penny...and more so.

Almost.

The undercard was a blur; matches like the Cruiserweight Championship and the Smackdown Tag Triple Threat were such fast-paced spotfests that you didn't really realize how good they really were until they were finished. Even the so-called "plodding" big men worked out of their tights and kept the fans entertained.

Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson are two of the most beautiful women on the planet, and on the other end of the scale, Trish Stratus- who could VERY easily get by on her looks alone, especially the way she looked tonight- worked her butt off in putting on a great match with Victoria and Jazz.

The upper card had a distinctly longer and psychological feel about it, particularly the Chris Jericho -vs- Shawn Michaels match, which was probably the best match on the card and proved that as good as non-stop action is, wrestlers don't have to move at the speed of light to entertain the fans. This match was one of the more anticipated on the card, and both men delivered, not "having" but "building" a fantastic match that gripped the fans.

Triple H & Booker T worked a simple but effective match, the age old technique of the heel exploiting a face's injury working well. Triple H even broke out an old school Indian Deathlock which is well worth seeing.

Vince -vs- Hogan made you want to groan for the first few minutes, but when the action spilled outside of the ring the match was well-planned enough- from a huge high spot by Vince to some of the clever camera work employed to a familiar old face making a run-in- that the match turned out to be quite entertaining.

Rock and Austin, whilst pretty much exactly the same as their last two Wrestlemania encounters, needs to be appreciated for what it was: probably the last time we'll see two of the greatest rivals in wrestling history go head to head. With Austin's injuries and Rock's flourishing Hollywood career, this may very well be the case.

Finally, the main event of Brock Lesnar -vs- Kurt Angle. While this was a great match between probably the two best in the business at the moment, I don't think it quite lived up to it's expectations of a month ago. Considering Kurt Angle's neck injury and the more careful style of match that they had to employ as a result, the fans already knew this would be the case, so that isn't the reason the match fell short of the mark.

It was because _Brock_ fell short of the mark. And you'll know what I mean when you see it. It'll make you want to cry.

What a show WrestleMania XIX was, it truly delived the goods. The match of the night had to be Hogan's. I have noticed that Hogan turns up the heat when he fight's the big dogs.

What a story they told and the booking was great.

***** out of *****

My first ever WWE PPV Show, first Wrestlemania show

There are a lot of great matches such as Hogan Vs Mr. Mcmahon, HBK vs Y2J, Triple H vs booker T, The Rock Vs Stone Cold and Kurt Angle Vs Brock Lasnar. All of those are my favorite matches.

This is Brock Lasnar first Wrestlemania.