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.

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.

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 *****

54,087 fans jammed Seattle's SAFECO Field on March 30, 2003, for certainly one of the greatest WWE productions that I, personally, have ever seen. Now I'm not going to get into any intricate comparison on what is THE greatest WrestleMania of all time, but I will say that this was a beautifully crafted, technical and nostalgic event. Let's get to the action, shall we?

Cruiserweight Championship Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio

A fast-paced kick-off to this event; great opener. Mysterio displayed his always amazing aerial prowess, and Hardy showed us why he is one of the more valuable players in the WWE. Time didn't effect this one for me as there was much more to come. 6.5/10

The Undertaker vs. Big Show & A-Train

Will Undertaker's unprecedented WrestleMania streak FINALLY be broken by the terrifying duo of the new Natural Disasters?? (note the sarcasim)Surprisingly not that bad a match if you consider some of the talent involved here. I don't like Limp Bizkit that much, but they complimented Taker's entrance quite nicely here. 5/10

Women's Championship Victoria vs. Jazz vs. Trish Stratus

This match just shows that the Women's division is getting better and better each year. Great action in this match; I'm going to go out on a limb and call this the best women's match of all-time (no bullsh*t) Great performance by all involved, even Steven Richards who unfortunately will never get anywhere by wearing those little pink tights (haha) 6.5/10

WWE Tag Team Championship Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros vs. Chris Benoit & Rhyno

Why, oh why did Benoit get shafted into midcard hell on the biggest card of the year? The same goes for Guerrero, but he and Chavo work well as a tag-team. Anyways, these three teams were great as always; I'm really impressed at how much Team Angle has evolved recently. I had no problems with this match, except for the amount of time that was given. Great contest nonetheless. 7/10

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

What can I say about this match other than it was just beautiful. Some may criticize it's pace, but it built-up well over time, and actually told a story. The selling was very believable, and I could almost feel Jericho's ongoing urge to show and prove he is better than his childhood hero. Everything was great about this contest, from the background story to the moves to even the lighting used. The definate show-stealer here. Simply Amazing. 9.5/10

World Heavyweight Championship Triple H vs. Booker T

Now this one was quite a shocker to me. Definately Triple H's best perfomance in 2003. Booker was great as usual. I loved how the Harlem Hangover and Indian Deathlock were pulled out. Flair was hilarious as usual, and King was at his comedic best in this one. Great match that represented Raw quite nicely. 7.5/10

"20 Years in The Making" - Street Fight Vince McMahon vs. Hulk Hogan

The most-billed match on the card without a doubt. I didn't expect much from this, but it was just what it needed to be. A shocking return (although i wish they hadn't used HIM on later television) and a great bump made this worth it. Ohh, and I can't forget Vince's sick, bloody impression when he looks over the ring apron...that was pure GENIUS. Haha the finger he gave Hogan after the match was funny as well. A brutal, bloody and barbaric street fight. 8/10

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock

This match was no where near as good as their match at X-Seven, but I will stop comparing and say that it added to this unbelievable card very well. Some funny moments here, from the new and improved HEEL Rock (yea) and the ending was very well-done and came as a shock to the crowd. You can always expect a great match from these two. 7.5/10

WWE Championship Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar

Well, here it is, a wrestling purist's dream. Olympic Champion vs. NCAA Champion. Two of WWE's best going at it for the richest prize in the game. This match was great, especially considering how Kurt Angle was risking paralysis by competing; he is one of the most gutsy, professional and inspirational wrestlers ever, no doubt about it. I also appreciate the fact that the rookie Lesnar continued the match in a concussed state after somewhat of a blown spot that made yours truly CRINGE. As a matter of fact, I was cringing during the entire match. So Angle walks in risking his health, and Brock leaves almost just as bad - how ironic is that? Great main event to end of the show! 8.5/10

Overall, WrestleMania XIX was wonderful and should be considered one of the greatest of all-time (comes close with X-Seven) The extras weren't anything special but damnit why couldn't John Cena spit his freestyle on the actual show rather than on Heat which I missed? Oh well, anyways, WrestleMania XIX is a sick event that culminated a year of hard work and dedication. Recommended to everyone, even if you don't follow wrestling.

Final Rating: 9/10

Peace

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.