WrestleMania XIX

This was very good. It had the Wrestlemania feel about it.

The first match was disappointing as Matt Hardy faced Rey Mysterio. Surprisingly Rey stared at the ceiling but what was most surprising was that the match was only booked for 6 minutes long. The match didn't stand a chance.

Next up The Undertaker battled A-Train and The Big Show in a handicap match, which was supposed to be a tag match putting Taker and Nathan Jones together. This was forgettable. Then Victoria, Trish Stratus and Jazz have a triple threat battle, which was OK at the very best.

Then Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas put their tag team gold on the line as they defend their titles against Los Guerrero's and Chris Benoit and Rhyno. This was a very good match. Next up two of the best wrestlers on the Raw roster battle it out as Shawn Michaels takes on Chris Jericho in a fine match. It was like watching an older Shawn battling a younger Shawn (Jericho) HBK won.

Then Triple H puts his World Heavyweight title on the line as he defends it against Booker T. This was good, and even though Triple H won, I was surprised by the finish, A clean pedigree. I repeat again A CLEAN PEDIGREE! Nope no Flair interfearing! Next up Hulk Hogan battles Vince McMahon in a street fight. This was shocking because 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper returned and turned heel on Hogan. But this was a very good match.

Next up 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin battles The Rock. This was OK but there have been more better battles putting these two men together. Rock wins after 3 Rock Bottoms.

Next up wrestling fans get their dreams come true as Kurt Angle puts his gold on the line as he defends it against Brock Lesnar. This was excellent but Lesnar nearly killed himself when attempting his shooting star press. Lesnar wins when he F5's Angle.

Very good!

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.

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.

This years Wrestlemania was really good. The best matches of the night, in my opinion, was Shawn Michaels Vs Chris Jericho, Hogan and McMahon, Austin and Rock and Brock Lesner Vs Kurt Angle. In my opinion, the show stealers of the night were Hogan and McMahon and Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. I have never seen McMahon put up a fight like he did up against Hulk Hogan and in the Michaels, Jericho match, every time you thought that Michaels was going to tap, or Jericho was going to get pinned, those two just wouldn't give up, they just kept on going and going and going. Over all this was a good Pay Per View, except for the Triple H, Booker T, World Heavyweight Title match. It would be nice to see Triple H loose for once, or have him compete in a match without Flair in his corner by ringside, or have someone different compete against someone else for the title. Over all good Pay Per View.

At the threshold knocks a dream, a dream that is inquired, inspired into reality. The Wrestlemania 19 match card that is the best match card in wresting history!

From Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho. Match of the year in 2003. To Hogan vs Vince McMahon. To Lesnar vs Angle in a gruelling match! To Austin vs The Rock 3 in the ultimate showdown! In Austin's final match. Wrestlemania 19 had it all! And then more! A wrestling fan's dream card! Vince McMahon and his father had a dream since the first instalment of Wrestlemania in Madison Square Garden. This event summarises the dream reaching above the clouds!

Where dreams come true.

Wrestlemania 19 is the epitome of wrestling imagination into reality. The best match card ever!

And a near masterpiece by entertainment standard!