WrestleMania 21 (2005 TV Special) User Reviews

Wrestlemania 21=Best Ever ???

[bassdrumbrett · 9/10 · 11 May 2005]

Holy crap was this PPV Great ! Awesome to watch live and it came out great on DVD.

Match 1:Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio Jr.

Not as great a match as there Halloween Havoc 1997 encounter which is probably one of the greatest matches I've ever seen.Yet this match is a good match to open the show.7/10.

Backstage,lame promo thingy where Triple H runs into JBL and drinks from an obviously empty cup.

Match 2:Edge vs Christian vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit vs Shelton Benjamin vs Kane OMG ! Shelton Benjamin is great.This match is great.Ladder matches usually are great,but this one blew all those others out of the water.A most own and a must watch !10/10 Eugene enters and talks about midgets at Wrestlemania 3.Hassan and Divari attack and beat him up until Hulk Hogan enters and makes the save.Great nostalgia moment.

Match 3:Undertaker vs. Randy Orton If it wasn't for the ladder match and the Angle-HBK match,this would have been match of the night.Was just played out perfectly.Taker glided to the ring,which gave me goosebumps.Cowboy Bob Orton got involved and brought the cast out of mothballs for the one night.Great match that just worked.8/10 Match 4:Trish vs Christy Worst match of the night.All I'm gonna say.3/10 Match 5:Angle vs HBK Match of the night,year,decade,and century.Everything just flowed and was pulled off right.What else can be said.This match kicked butt.10/10 Piper's Pit was good in the involvement of Carlito.I love that character and this fit right into the show.

Match 6:Big Show vs Akebono in a Sumo Match If Big Show had of won,it'd of sucked.Since Akebono won,I'll be generous to this match.5/10 Match 7:John Cena vs JBL Cena is getting to much crap for this match.Everyone blames this match on him,but he did absolutely nothing wrong.The only reason this match is getting any flack is the fact that the crowd just wasn't hot for it.Could've been better,but I enjoyed it.8/10 If you wanna talk about a waste of time,the Hall of Fame ceremony thing was just that.Too much honoring the Hall of Famers.

Match 8:Triple H vs Batista Let's get the record straight,Batista is the one who carried Triple H through this match.Great match and a great ending to a great show.9/10 Overall,I give Wrestlemania 21 a rating of 8/10

WrestleMania Goes Hollywood!!!

[LG2004 · 9/10 · 8 April 2005]

As I mentioned on the WrestleMania XX boards, WM's 17 and 19 were better than this one, but it was still worth the price.

Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Mysterio:

A great match between the 2 Tag Team title co-holders. I think that a move or 2 was botched, but a good match with Rey winning with a roll-up. 4/5

Money In the Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho Vs. Shelton Benjamin Vs. Chris Benoit Vs. Kane Vs. Edge Vs. Christian:

A lot of risk-taking moves in this one. What would you expect in a ladder match? Edge and Christian knock out Kane w/ a Ladder Duet (as Jerry "The King" Lawler called it), Benoit hits Kane w/ a headbutt off the ladder, Shelton runs up a fallen ladder and clotheslines Jericho, Shelton T-Bone suplexes Edge off a ladder, and Kane wounds Benoit's right arm by hitting it between a ladder. Benoit almost wins until Edge hits his injured arm w/ a chair, causing him to fall off, withering in pain. Edge climbs the ladder and retrieves the briefcase. 5/5

Legend Vs. Legend Killer: Randy Orton Vs. Undertaker:

Undertaker's entrance was just as good as WM 20's. This time, he (almost) literally glides to the ring! I personally wanted Randy to win this. Some people in the audience even had 12-1 signs. The match highlights include Taker's usual Old School and vintage leg drop off the apron (onto his opponent's head), interference by Randy's dad, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, a dragon sleeper submission reversed into a DDT, and a chokeslam reversed into an RKO. In the end, Randy tries to Tombstone Taker, but it's reversed into a Tombstone by Taker. Taker's streak at WM is intact at 13-0. 4/5

WWE Women's Championship: Trish Stratus (c) Vs. Christy Hemme:

Personally, I think that Christy did pretty well for her first title match. I was hoping (since Lita was training Christy) that Christy would shock us w/ a moonsault or a snap DDT, but it didn't happen. A few good roll ups here and there (and a Twist Of Fate) by Christy, but in the end, the Female Triple H retains w/ a Chick Kick. 3.5/5

Kurt Angle Vs. Shawn Michaels:

Possibly one of the best matches of the night. The fight went back and forth between the two. Kurt does an Angle Slam from the turnbuckle, a failed moonsault, and reverses an attempted Sweet Chin Music into an ankle lock, while Shawn attempts an elbow drop, and hits Angle w/ a springboard moonsault onto an announce table, but the table doesn't break. In the end, Kurt wins after making Shawn tap out to the ankle lock. 5/5

Sumo Match: Akebono Vs. Big Show:

It wasn't exactly my cup of tea seeing Show in a sumo outfit, but the match was good. Short and sweet, with Show actually lifting Akebono up, but Show is tossed out of the ring. Akebono wins. 3/5

WWE Championship Match: John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) Vs. John Cena:

JBL makes his best entrance yet, with a police motorcade escorting him to the ring and "In JBL We Trust" 100 dollar bills (w/ JBL's face on them) falling from the ceiling. JBL actually carries the Doctor Of Thuganomics through most of the match. Cena makes a late comeback in the end of the match and ends up winning the WWE title!!! WTF was WWE thinking!? They let JBL beat everyone else over the past 9+ months, but let him lose in a 12 minute match!? I was actually rooting for JBL. Well, JBL can always get the belt back in the future. 4/5 (minus a point since Cena won)

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H (c) Vs. Batista:

This is a little better than the JBL/Cena match since I like Batista more than Cena. Like the Angle/Michaels match, this goes back and forth. Flair even interferes a few times. WHOOOOOOO!! LOL Anyway, after reversing an attempted Pedigree on the steel steps, Batista busts H-Boy open catapulting him into the ring post. H-Boy hits a low blow on Batista while the ref deals w/ Flair. He goes for another Pedigree, but Batista is too strong and forces his arms free. Dave then nails a bloody H-Boy to the mat w/ a piledriver-esquire move. H-Boy's 10th World Heavyweight Title reign comes to an end after Batista hits him w/ a Batista-bomb for the 3-count. Batista celebrates in the ring as pyro goes off around the ceiling. Your winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion, Batista!!! 5/5

Very well done PPV

[goforthesilvergophers · 9/10 · 14 June 2005]

Well well well. Its that time of year again! WRESTLEMANIA!!! I for one thought it was great. Here is my review.

Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero. Great opener. Eddie really surprised me in this one by (in my opinion) out preforming Rey. Lots of risky moves and dives made this one quite memorable. Could have been longer though. 8/10.

Money in the bank ladder match. One thing I have to say is that its about friggin time we had a multiple man ladder match. This match was so good that I dare say that you could compare it to the ladder matches of 2000 and 2001. Simply perfect. 10/10.

Taker vs Orton. Not as bad as you'd think. Very fast paced (yes you hear that right) and lots of cool looking stuff (Takers freaky looking old school and of course the chokeslam counter). I was surprised to see Orton lose. I thought the streak would end. 8/10.

Trish vs Christy. Get a pillow for this one folks. Its another womens championship match. Christy sucked big time in this match and the ending had no flair what so ever (are we really supposed to believe the chick kick is that devastating?). 2/10.

Angle vs HBK. Mr.Michales all is forgiven. Being from Calgary, I used to hate this guy. I slowly have grown to accept him and after this match I do 100%. HBK and Angle were at the top of their game here. During the begging of this match you will probably think, what the crap, this is going nowhere. But at the end, it was main-event quality. Match of the night definitely. 10/10

Sumo match. Seriously guys, did you really think this would be worth watching? Believe me, don't get curious like I did and actually watch this. They take like 10 mins to prepare for the match and it ends after 1 min. 1/10.

Cena vs JBL. OK guys, heres my theory. Take the rock vs hogan match from wrestlemania X8 and turn the volume on mute. Pretty boring eh? Exactly. The match could be Flair vs Steamboat and it could be boring if the crowd is dead. Same case here. Almost Wrestlemania quality, but still good. The one thing that surprised me was JBL carrying Cena for almost the entire match. 7/10

HHH vs Batista. Oh, what the crap! The crowd was dead for Cena vs JBL and they were live for this! Come on! This was not a bad match, but it definitely was not wrestlemania main-event quality. The last little bit was good but HHH was really slow through the entire match. This was okay but not great. 6/10.

The Hogan segment and pipers pit were great segments and both come to a 10 when it comes to segments.

All in all this ppv rules. It definitely made up for the No Way Out disaster. Good ppv. 8/10.

Angle vs Michaels Saved The Show.

[BunkhouseTito · 5 April 2005]

WrestleMania, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California was a pretty good show but did not live up to it's tremendous hype. Some matches were pretty bad while others were surprisingly good along with one Match Of The Year candidate. Usually, WrestleMania not only features matches that are built up and you want to see, but also surprise appearances and celebrity guests. This one featured very little extras or surprises, although Hulk Hogan was involved in a nice little spot on the show with Muhammad Hassan and Daivari.

Match Reviews. I'll keep them pretty short so I can fit them all on here.

TAG CHAMPION VS TAG CHAMPION Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero This match, although very good, was highly disappointing. They seemed a little nervous, which is surprising because of the fact that Eddie was in the co-main event last year and came through with flying colors. Some good spots and some great moves from Rey looked good, but did not compare to their Halloween Havoc '97 match. Rey Mysterio wins by pin.

MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH Edge vs Shelton Benjamin vs Kane vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Christian This was a pretty good match. Insane moves were sprinkled through the match but due to the over abundance of wrestlers involved in this match, this led to a lot of over selling, especially by the monster, Kane. Overall, an entertaining match. Edge wins by grabbing the briefcase.

LEGEND VS LEGEND KILLER Undertaker vs Randy Orton This match was much better than expected. Surprising, Undertaker can still put on a decent match. After some interference from Bob Orton Jr., who was recently inducted into the Hall Of Fame, Undertaker came back to keep his Wrestlemania streak intact at 13-0.

WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP Trish Stratus (C) vs Christy Hemme Pretty bad, even for the girls. Mostly due to Christy's inexperience I'm sure but I still enjoyed it. Stratus wins by pin.

INTERPROMOTIONAL MATCH Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels This was the match that saved the show. It went about 25 minutes and it told a great story. All of their finishing moves were used and ended up stealing the show. The only thing that compares was the Piper's Pit with Steve Austin. Austin wins by submission.

SUMO MATCH Akebono vs The Big Show Another horrible match which was all gimmick and hardly any entertainment. Basically, the same sumo matches Yokozuna used to do. Akebono wins to keep Big Show's WrestleMania streak intact at 0-6.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP John Cena vs JBL (C) Pretty basic match. The crowd was not really into this one. I think everyone knew who was winning and were just waiting for Cena to pin JBL. Big pop for Cena afterward. It was pretty cool seeing Cena win his first World Title.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Batista vs Triple H (C) This was kept pretty short for the main event. Triple H carried Batista pretty well. Not much special here except for seeing Batista win his first World Title. Big pop for Batista afterward as well as he soaked up the cheers afterward.

A show with this kind of hype pumped into it has little chance of living up to it. It was decent, but as I mentioned before, the only thing that I considered "WrestleMania worthy" was Angle vs Michaels and Piper's Pit. I give the show 7/10.

Hollywood Ending

[BigSmoke64 · 10/10 · 1 June 2005]

Now readers of Raw Magazine will now I copied that. It was truly are historic PPV and one of my favourite Mania's. It is probably the best one since WM17. Here is a breakdown Match by Match. Match One: Tag Champ vs. Tag Champ: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio: Both men made really good entrances. The match was lighting quick and if you blinked you would have missed something. Great opener. 9/10 Winner: Rey Mysterio after a 619 Match Two: Money In The Bank Ladder Match: This and the Michaels/Angle match were probably the best of the night. Amazing moves and as guest the young star Shelton Benjamin stole the show. Chris Benoit was so close to getting the case but then Edge hit his arm with a chair and he went to the floor clutching his shoulder/arm. Edge then claimed the Ladder and won. Winner: Edge, 10/10 Match Three: Legend vs. Legend Killer: Undertaker vs. Randy Orton: This was good for a UT match. I am a big UT fan but his moves are not original and its the same rountine every match. When WWE made this match one gimmick was going to be ruined. If UT won Randy Orton's legend killer gimmick would be ruined but if UT lost it would be the end of his WM streak. Taker won after Randy attempted a Tombstone but Taker reversed it and delivered his own Tombstone. Winner: Undertaker after a tombstone. 8.5/10 Wrestlemania Moment: Eugene was talking to the crowd when Muhammad Hassain and Khorsow Divari came out. Eugene got locked in the Camal Clutch but out comes...... Mr. Wrestlemania Hollywood Hulk Hogan. He beats up Hassain and Divari and does his pose just for old times sake. Match Four: Womens Championship Match: Champion Trish Stratus vs. Challenger Christy Hemme: Hemme did well for her first match. It's a shame however there are more talented wrestlers such as Jazz and Victoria who are now at mid-card status just because of Christy. Someone ponited out Trish is the Triple H of the Women's division. That is right. Winner: Trish by a Chick Kick, 7/10 Match Five: HBK vs. Kurt Angle: Wow! This was probably the greatest pure wrestling match of all time. No weapons just pure wrestling. Great performances from both men. Kurt Angle wins by an Ankle Lock. Winner: Kurt Angle Pipers Pit with Stone Cold: Piper welcomes Stone Cold with a slap. Austin returns and the the insults began. Next minute Carlito comes out with his apple talking about who's cool and who's not. Then Piper spits in Carlito's face and Carltio gets Stunnered and then Piper does. Match Six: Sumo Match: Akebono vs. The Big Show: Two fat men wearing thongs. Not my cup of tea. Time to go and get a coffee. Winner: Akebono, 2/10 Match Seven: WWE Championship: John Cena vs. JBL Champion: Short match for a Title Match. Good though I like some matches short and sweet. Well done to both men and JBL gave a good performance knowing that he was going to loose. Winner and new WWE Champion: John Cena. 8/10 Match Eight: Raw Championship Match: Triple H Champion vs. Batista Champion: What a match! Great performances by both men. Lots of bloodshed and a devasting Batista bomb for the win. Winner and new champion: Batista Great event I could watch it over and over again. A+

Not the best, but still good

[warhawk690 · 8/10 · 23 October 2005]

Wrestlemania 21 Goes Hollywood.

Eddie Gurrero vs Rey Mysterio. 8/10. Good fast paced match, though it's not what I expected as I remember the two's WCW cruiserweight days. Kinda depressing that at WM 20 Eddie beat Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Title, now he's jobbing to Rey in the opener.

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: 8/10 A six man ladder match in where the winner gets a title shot with Jericho and Shelton Benjamin in it. How can the WWE screw this up? By having Edge win the match. I don't get his gimmick and I don't think he draws enough. I thought Shelton or Jericho should've won because of their superior skills, but the WWE in their infinite wisdom thought otherwise.

Undertaker vs Randy Orton: 9/10 Taker can still wrestle, but Randy shows that he doesn't need any ring vets to carry him. Both do an exceptional job in a nail-biter of a match. The best part was when Orton managed to reverse a chokeslam into the RKO. Surprised the heck outta me. The run in with Cowboy Bob Orton was also a nice piece of nostalgia, especially with the infamous cast. Taker now 13-0.

Trish Stratus (c) vs Christy Hemme WWE Women's Title Match : 2/10 WHY DID THEY HIRE CHRISTY? She is untalented, and not very attractive. You can see how angry Trish got at the end of the match as she attempted to carry Christy in this train wreck.

HBK Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle 10/10: Match of the night. This needed to be the main event. It was darn good and suspenseful. Both men showed why they are some of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It seemed that Angle rose like a bat outta hell in this match which made it all better.

Sumo Match Akebono vs Big Show: 6/10 Entertaining for a couple seconds, then you realise how little clothing Big Show is wearing, which is really scary.

JBL (c) vs John Cena WWE Heavyweight Championship: 6/10 More of a slow brawl than a good match. It seemed neither was quite ready for this one. Cena is becoming like Hulk Hogan as he only ends a match in a certain way every time. The crowd was pretty out of it as they knew the Cena would win the title, and when he did, they exploded.

HHH (c) vs Batista World Heavyweight Championship Match: 7/10 HHH carried Batista for most of this match. Flair interfered which got some boos, but mostly wooooos. It was pretty sick on how much HHH bled during the match. There was a good feeling that Batista took the title from HHH since he won it from Unforgiven a year before. But there should've been more. I can say that Batista is improving and his ring skills aren't as sloppy as they use to be.

Not the best, but entertaining.

Wrestlemania 21

[wrestlingsitewebmaster · 7/10 · 16 June 2005]

Match one pitted Rey Mysterio against his friend and partner, Eddie Guerrero. To be honest this was a minor disappointment. Although one angle was seriously botched, Rey's adjusting of his mask, was distracting to the viewers then it was too him.

Next up was the brilliant ladder match which consisted of Kane, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, Chris Benoit and the all improving Shelton Benjamin. The match contained less suicidal bumps then Wrestlemania 17 TLC match, but it was a huge enjoyable effort. Edge won the bout.

Then Eugene (whom no one cared about) came down to talk about his favourite wrestlemania moment, which sent everyone to sleep. The relief came when Muhammad Hassan came to the ring with Daivari. They attacked poor Eugene, when all of a sudden Hulk Hogan came down and beat the crap out of the two villains. However Hogan did not check on Eugene and he posed for a couple of minutes, which seemed like 5 hours.

In match number 3 , The Legend Killer - Randy Orton battled The Undertaker, in a surprisingly good encounter. Taker won when he Tombstoned Orton. Next up was the poor Women's encounter between Christy Hemme and Trish Stratus. This was poor and even though Trish tried to get the best out of Christy, it wasn't good enough. Trish won when she hit the chick kick.

Then perhaps the best match of the night, Kurt Angle battled Shawn Michaels. This was excellent and even though these two men aren't in their prime, they showed everyone that age isn't important. Angle won when he made HBk tap to the ankle lock. Then unfortunately, the event goes down hill. The Big Show battles Japanese sumo wrestler Akebono, in a crap sumo match. Akebono won (obviously) when he threw Show out of the ring.

Next up John 'Bradshaw' Leyfield battled John Cena in a poor match. Cena hit the F-U on Bradshaw to win the WWE title. However the fans knew that Cena was going to win, and it seemed like someone won a raffle as opposed to winning the title.

Then in the main event, Triple H battled Batista in an average match. The match went on for 22 minutes, which was probably long enough in Dave Batista's eyes. Batista won when he power bombed HHH and lifted the World Heavyweight Championship up, but no one cared! Overall 7/10

WrestleMania Goes Hollywood with a Solid Show!!!

[morantjavonte · 8/10 · 16 July 2020]

WrestleMania 21 Thoughts

WrestleMania 21 was the 21st annual WrestleMania taking place on April 3, 2005 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The WWE used the Hollywood as a traditional tagline with wrestlers having spoof roles in various movies pre-2005. This event was known to be beginning of an era where two young stars (who are now known today are legends) both starting their first World Championship reigns respectively after headlining the Main Events. This event also was notable for being the debut of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which would be a special match that the WWE would continue to use this day to build future stars. Other facts about this event was that it was the first WrestleMania where Stone Cold or the Rock would not wrestle, first WrestleMania where Undertaker's streak being broken was an important part in feuds, and sadly the last WrestleMania to feature Eddie Guerrero who past away in November of this exact same year.

The Good - Outstanding matches throughout the show. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Micheals was a all time great getting five star ratings by numerous fans and critics including myself. Both stars put up a high quality match that blew the roof off the building. The buildup was perfect for a dream matchup. The Money in the Bank Ladder Match was astonishing as in my opinion it might be the best Money in the Bank Ladder Match today. I feel it rivals WM 23s as the best of all time from my opinions. Edge winning finally was something people felt like he needed after his hard work and coming from an injury a year ago. Shelton Benjamin however stole the match spotlight as he was the best performer in the match. Randy Orton vs. Undertaker was an awesome thriller as Orton's legend killer gimmick was rising. The RKO from Orton that was reversed from a Chokeslam was the highlight of the match. The opening was good too (Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero). I also like to give credit to the segment of Rowdy Piper and JBL/Triple backstage as they were both funny.

The Meh - While Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio was good, I think Rey Mysterio focusing on his mask kinda affected the match a little. It still was good. Triple H vs. Batista sadly was a bit of a disappointment but seeing Batista beat his mentor for the Gold was a special moment in Batista's career.

The Bad - John Cena vs. JBL was boring and stale. With such good build up, the match didn't even feel special. It just felt like a Random title match. Can't blame the crowd for being dead. Both main events at the end of the show were disappointing conclusions overall. And the Sumo match was a stupid idea that I hope I never see again.

Overall - It hurts how this could have been a PERFECT WRESTLEMANIA as everything up to Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels was at least good with the worst Match actually being decent which was the women's match. Unfortunately the Sumo and the bland main events of Raw and SD decreased a lot. Still an overall solid show. With 3 spectacular matches and a good match opening the event.

Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good

0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the best of all time:

1. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio - 3.5/5

2. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Christan vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge vs. Kane: Money in the Bank (Ladder Match) - 4.5/5

3. Randy Orton vs. Undertaker (Legend vs. Legend Killer) - 4/5

4. Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme: Women's Championship - 2/5

5. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Micheals - 5/5

6. Akebono vs. Big Show (Sumo Match) - 0/5

7. John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield: WWE Championship - 1/5

8. Triple H vs. Batista: World Heavyweight Championship - 2.5/5

Best Match - Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels

Worst Match - Big Show vs. Akebono

Most Memorable Moment - Shelton Benjamin clothesline to Chris Jericho from the ladder.

Top 5 Performers

1. Shawn Michaels

2. Kurt Angle

3. Shelton Benjamin

4. Undertaker

5. Randy Orton.

A bad Mania from a bad year for Wrestling as a Whole.

[KillerK1991 · 6/10 · 3 April 2008]

The worst Wrestlemania I've ever seen was 21. This is coming from someone who missed 1-14,22 and 23. The main reason it flopped was its two horrendous main events and its misuse of talent(a major problem at the time especially).

Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero- It was perplexing to see Eddie open the show for the first time(after co-main eventing WM 20) and lose to Rey Mysterio. Even then I thought Eddie deserved the win and a better match on top of that. This match was okay. They could have done better. It was hampered by having nothing at stake(They could have made it a U.S title match), no buildup, or any special stipulations. It felt like a regular Smackdown match. (3/5)

Money in the Bank Ladder Match Edge def. Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Christian and Kane- This match was alright, nowhere near as good as other ladder matches, but like the last match, these competitors would have served better spread out across the show. Benoit and Jericho were worthy of main eventing Wrestlemania,something WWE only exploited once for each. (3.5/5)

Interpromotional Match Undertaker def. Randy Orton- The match of the night. The tombstone flip into a tombstone was a great spot, something not seen before at the time. (4/5)

Women's Championship Match Trish Stratus def. Christy Hemme w/ Lita to retain-This match was so bad I don't even remember it.(2/5)

Interpromotional Match Kurt Angle def. Shawn Michaels- This match was pretty slow and never seemed to take off, which is a surprise considering the competitors. People that say this was one of their favorite matches of all time obviously never saw Jericho v.s Michaels a couple years back, which was probably the best Mania match of all time.(3.5/5)

Sumo Matach Akebono def. Big Show-Hands down the biggest waste of time in WWE history.(1/5)

WWE Championship Match John Cena def. JBL to become new champion- People that complain about HHH, Cena, more recently Orton or anyone else for holding the title forgot about JBL's terrible 1 year reign as World Champ that felt twice as long. they still haven't learned their lesson, which is: World Title Reigns shouldn't last a year unless the CHamp a) is a great wrestler/entertainer or b) has considerable star power. WHile JBL is entertaining, he has neither of these qualities in spades. His reign should've ended at Summerslam. This reign single handedly murdered Smackdown, which was twice as good as Raw for quite some time beforehand. It still hasn't recovered. It should have been Eddie vs Cena. At least it was over quick. (2/5)

World Heavyweight Championship Match Batista def. Triple H to become new champion- This match, like most of HHH's matches of this period were just plain boring, which means it lasted twice as long as it should've and HHH just bled a lot(The worst of these was his craptacular 40 minute snoozefest with HBK at Bad Blood 2004). (2/5)

Overall=6/10

A Great WrestleMania With Plenty of Memorable Stuff

[carologletree · 8/10 · 10 February 2016]

This show, in my opinion, is an improvement over WM 20. It had a more consistent card from top to bottom and a lot of great stuff, including one all-time classic match.

Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero - Though it can't touch their classic from Halloween Havoc 1997, this was a very good match and a great way to start the show with its fast action and high-flying maneuvers. Rey Mysterio wins with a Hurricanerana. RATING: ***1/2

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane vs. Christian - The first MITB match, and arguably the best. The spots are innovative and the top-notch storytelling makes this more than just a spot-fest. Edge wins the briefcase. RATING: ****1/4

Legend vs. Legend Killer: The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton - This is a very exciting match. Randy Orton was a worthy opponent to the Undertaker, and the Undertaker proved that he still had it. The Chokeslam countered into an RKO was memorable. The Undertaker wins with a Tombstone. RATING: ****

Interpromotional Match: Shawn Michaels (Raw) vs. Kurt Angle (Smackdown) - Words cannot describe the greatness of this match. Two of the greatest athletes of all time put on a clinic in every way. The wrestling was perfect from bell to bell and the false finishes are some of the most dramatic you will ever see. Simply flawless. Kurt Angle wins with the Ankle Lock. RATING: *****

WWE Championship Match: JBL (c) vs. John Cena - This match was decent for what it was. JBL had most of the offense in the match, but Cena held his own. John Cena's title win was what mattered. He wins it with an FU. RATING: **1/2

World Heavyweight Championship match: Triple H (c) vs. Batista - Nothing too special, but still a good brawl and a fine ending to the show. Batista hadn't hit his prime yet, but Triple H carried him pretty well. Batista wins the Championship with a Batista Bomb. RATING: ***1/2

A great show that all wrestling fans should check out. HBK/Angle must be seen.

RATING: A-

Wrestlemaia 21

[Ikepoiyen668894 · 6/10 · 19 September 2005]

In terms of a wrestlemania this scores an average 6 out of 10 even though Cena won title(I'm A HUGE CENA FAN)In terms of a pay per view in the year 2005 it was probably one of the stronger ones. heres a rundown MATCH ORDER MITE BE A BIT WRONG

1. Rey Mysterio Vs Eddie Guerrero

6.5/10 Would have been a great match if not for mysterio and his mask he spent the whole match fiddling with his mask, but still an acceptable beginning.

2. Edge Vs Benjamin Vs Jericho Vs Benoit Vs Kane Vs Christian MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH

7.5/10 I have to admit i thought this match was over rated still very good but not the best ladder match you'll see...Benjamin was amazing in the match but it was far too short for my liking.

3. Undertaker Vs Randy Orton

7/10 Good match considering taker is finished, I'm a huge Orton fan so my analysis may be biased. Good match Bob Ortons involvement made the match better as false endings were created, Orton hits one of the best rko's your ever gonna see.

4. Christy Vs Trish(WOMENS CHAMP) womens title match

3/10 Both looked great, but poor match in terms of excitement and quality , christy isn't a wrestler so I'm not gonna slate her off like others choose to do ,she makes an effort which is good enough but she shouldn't be facing a legend like TRISH.

5. Kurt Angle Vs Shawn Michaels

9/10 This match made wrestlemania 21 ..an amazing match between the two best athletes in wwe today, angle is so good some fans even turn on hbk and back angle, which is saying something because as far as I'm concerned the Hollywood crowd were awful , they really couldn't be bothered with anything didn't help the event. anyway back to match ,great match great moves, hbk's injury selling is great as usual , bit of a surprising ending which made it even better TOP TOP MATCH!!!

6. Pipers Pit AUSTIN GUEST

3/10 pointless, nothing meaningful said..carlito comes out ,,,crowd show there poorness again by giving Austin a dry ovation when he deserves one of high quality.

7. Akebono Vs Big Show SUMO MATCH

2/10 awful spent half the time wiping themselves with powder, sumo match lasted bout 4 seconds max, both r looking awfully disgusting in nappy type clothing.

8. JOHN CENA Vs J.B.L (WWE CHAMP) WWe championship match

8/10 For me ...for everyone else probably 4/10 Great match for me because cena won, but really it was awful, jbl virtually punched and kicked cena the whole way thru ,crowd didn't help by being lazy and just sitting in silence, but it was slightly understandable cus the match was so poor, anti climatic finish to not just the match but the whole rivalry. Iv seen a lot better.

9. Batista Vs Triple H (WORLD CHAMP) world championship match

5.5/10 I hate Batista, so seeing him win annoyed me, ridiculous match because Triple H beat the crap out of Batista for whole match but by the end with Hunter busted open made it seem like Batista had given him a real rollicking, when really triple h carried Batista the whole way through, average match seen a lot better but it was better then the JBL Cena match.

Wrestlemania 21 was great!

[WWEfan321 · 10/10 · 29 July 2005]

I got the DVD a few weeks ago, and i still watch it again and again! here are the results.

Match 1) Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero This was a great opener for wrestlemania! I think Eddie shouldve won, but thats not important. There were a lot of high flying moves, along with some power moves by Eddie. Great Match! Match 2) Money In the Bank Ladder Match: Edge def. Kane, Y2J, Christian, Chris Benoit, & Shelton Benjamin This was one of my favorite ladder matches ever, and I've seen many! Beniot head butts Kane from the top of the ladder to bust his stitches open above his eye. There were a whole bunch of good spots here, Edge wins by hitting Benoit's injured arm to make him fall off the ladder.

Match 3) Undertaker def. Randy Orton I knew Taker would win, because this is his ppv! I think Orton should be the one to end Takers streak at WM. This shouldve been later in the ppv, but there are only 8 matches, so what do you expect.

Match 4) Kurt Angle def. Shawn Michaels This match was a Wrestlemania classic! It has everything a wwe fan wants to see. Highflying action, power moves, and technical wrestling. Match of the night in my mind. This match wont be forgotten any time soon Match 5) Womens Champion Trash Stratus (I mean Trish) def. Christy Hemee Not the best womens match I've seen, but not the worst. Christy only has 3 moves, and Trish dominates most of the match. This was actually a decent match-up.

Match 6) Sumo Match: Akebono def. The Big Show Not what I call a match. Only one good part where Akebono shoves Big Show right out of the circle out of the ring. Might as well skip it, unless you don't like big show.

Match 7) WWE Championship: John Cena def. JBL(c) Not a very good Smackdown main event, but with JBL champ, what can you expect. The match was 11 minutes long, dominated by JBL, and the ending was when jbl missed a clothesline and cena hit the fu to win. Could've been much longer, and much better Match 8) World Heavyweight Championship: Batista def. Triple H(c) This was one of the best Wrestlemania events iv seen in a long time! It was just as good as hhh vs. hbk vs, Benoit at WM 20! Batista wins with a Batista Bomb. Triple H started out dominated the beginning, but Batista fought back to make a great wrestlemania main event! Overall a great ppv! If you are a wwe fan, you'll want this

Poor Mania I ever got

[ChrisTreborn · 4/10 · 26 May 2005]

Am a great fan of WWF from the beginning. Now I watch every episode of its event on TEN Sports channel. I was blown away when I heard WWE decided to set their main event of the 2005 WrestleMania 21 in Hollywood, making a tag line "WWE goes Hollywood". I was dying for that larger than life event; but what I got was an ordinary weekend wrestling episode.

WrestleMania 21 (Spoilers******)

This is my first comment on a WWF/WWE entertainment program, I am hoping it will stand as right as I enjoyed. So here it goes, Continuing from 2005 Royal Rumble, the winner Batista has to fight against his former team member HHH for the World Heavy Weight Title in this event; making it as the main High Light of WrestleMania 21.

Plus adding spice to the event we have 7 following matches. First time in WrestleMania History, fight between a tag team members >> Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Misteryio <<. Then getting the agreement for next World Heavy Weight Championship Contender, six people have to fight for their destiny in the Suitcase Ladder Match were the participants are >> Shelton Benjamin Vs. Christian Vs. Edge Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Chris Benoit Vs. Kane <<. And the angry males like me for the cooling of minds a Divas Fight was set for finding the next Women Championship Winner. Followed with the Stupid Young Boy's dream to beat the Dead Man >> Randy Orton Vs. The Undertaker <<. Then the fight with real life Wrestler Vs fancy Wrestler >> Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle Vs. HBK Shawn Michaels <<. Same generic followed, this time in a Sumo style between two big ones, >> Big Show Vs. Aakimodo <<. Then comes the match to find the Champion of Smackdown >> John Cena Vs. JBL <<. Ending with World Heavy Weight match, we can see some celebrities in the viewer's side like Adam Sandler, C.S.I babe..etc,etc.

It was supposed to be the best WrestleMania but it failed to deliver the expected excitement. With minor appearance of old stars like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Piper with surprise cameo of new faces like Mohammad, Eugene and Carlito Cool, the show was weak to suppress the die hard fans like me.

In my opinion first mistake was its Ring settings, it has no big expensive ring as I expected. The ring looked ordinary were the slanted path way was the worst part of the building. Second comes the matches. All the matches except the Six Man Ladder match were average or below worst average! The first match Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Misteryio has nothing new, nothing fresh except Misteriyo appeared in new cutting mask and new tight fit T-Shirt which has the picture of his back tattoo. The match between the chicks was too quick and short, it did not deliver the glamour/nudity which every fan expected. I liked Trish Stratus's attitude, I liked her approach to satisfy the meat loving fans even though she appeared in shirt and strapped pant. The match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels was great at the last moments. Kurt Angle did an outstanding performance; I was surprised to see him lifting the Heart Break Kid whole upwards to the backside with his only left hand! Sumo match between real life Sumo championship winner Aakimodo and the WWE big superstar Big Show was fun at a different aspect. Yahe, seeing those fat men in semi-nude was funny, really. And I knew that winner would be Aakimodo, 'cause in Sumo/Asian wrestling there is no faking; they worship the truth in every athletic martial form. The fight between John Cena and JBL was below average, I have seen it a thousand times in Smackdown episodes, shame for them for not bringing something new to a WrestleMania match.

The Worst match was between Randy Orton and Undertaker, it sucked, it sucked a lot. From the beginning Undertaker's arrival to the ring in a tiny dolly was silly and sucked me lot. Then after the match started none of the wrestlers rise up to expected levels. Randy sucked in each and every minute while Undertaker failed to show his anger. Before WrestleMania Undertaker made a death message to Orton by slamming Durphy's head in Steel Platform by his finishing 'Last Ride' move. Watching that I expected a war from Undertaker but what I got was LAME FAKED SCRIPTED Fight. It sucked in all means.

The best match was the 6 MAN LADDER MATCH. It was really thrilling, after a long period WWF/WWE showed an outstanding match which reminds me the late 80's-90's of Wrestling. Each and every micro second ROCKED! I don't have any prejudiced winner for this match, but watching and enjoying Kane's performance and mannerisms I was hoping for his success. I think he is the real life version of Jason Voorhees! But things went totally upside down when Edge took the last and the best shot of his carrier! Truly it's the Super match of WrestleMania XXI.

By the way, last but not least, the main match HHH Vs Batista was simply OK, but not the best or the outstanding. Big fight of WrestleMania which includes Ric Flair with Triple H Vs. Batista doesn't have the 'near the edge experience'. I wanted an ultimate clash between Triple H and Batista. I wanted like this.. a lot of blood run, lot of destruction, a helper intruding fight, wrestle becomes a street fight that penetrates into the viewers, Batista's unseen failing chances and his unforgotten Damaged face!, with a last cutting edge finishing result. Neither the expectations comes true except HHH takes the courage to show his wounded forehead for the loosing of the World title.

WrestleMania 21 = Lamed Mania Ever.

Great WrestleMania!!!!!

[the_kiss_army_45 · 9/10 · 1 January 2006]

I absolutely loved this WrestleMania. Leading up to it I was not too sure if I would like it as much as I do now. Here is the results and my comments on the matches from WrestleMania 21! I'm not quite sure if they are in order or not.

1. Rey Mysterio Def. Eddie Guerrero; in a very entertaining match with two very talented entertaining wrestlers. (R.I.P. Eddie) 9/10 2. Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Edge Def. Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Christian and Kane; in a very entertaining match with great high risk moves and bumps. 8.5/10 3.Interpromotional Match: Undertaker Def. Randy Orton; this was a pretty good match with Legend v.s. Legend Killer, Taker wins another WrestleMania, still being undefeated on the grandest stage of them all. 8/10 4.Womens Championship: Trish Stratus Def. Christy Hemme w/ Lita to retain her title in an alright match. I can't say that this was the match of the night but it was not horrible. 7/10 5. Interpromotional Match: Kurt Angle Def. Shawn Michaels, in a great match, this was possibly the match of the night. Kurt Angle is an amazing wrestler as is Shawn Michaels. Great match, with great skill. 9.5/10 6. Sumo Match: Akebono def. Big Show, this was a pretty sad wrestling match although I am not much of a sumo wrestling follower so it may of been good to sumo fans. It was pretty short and stalling at the beginning. Possibly the worst match of the night. 5/10 7. WWE Championship Match: John Cena Def. JBL to become the new WWE Champion! This was a pretty good match with some alright skill. 8/10 8. World Heavyweight Championship Match: Batista Def. Triple H, to become the new World Heavyweight Champion! This was a pretty good match with some good skill. 8.5/10 So there you have it Wrestling fans, This was a great WrestleMania and I am looking foreward to WrestleMania 22! 9/10

Solid Wrestlemania

[Amasian08 · 8/10 · 16 September 2005]

This Wrestlemania was definitely a good one. Plenty of solid matches. There were also a few bad ones, but in comes with the package. One thing that could have definitely been improved was the number of matches. Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrerro A nice lead off match, with both guys having a heated rivalry over the past couple of weeks. They were a great tag team and they knew each other so well and kept each other going. Their high flying antics kept the crowd going. 8/10 Akebono vs. the Big Show in a Sumo Match This was a goofy and pointless match and ended incredibly quickly. Thank God it did. 2/10 Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker One of the better matches of the night. Randy Orton kept up to pace with the Undertaker and did a good job at being the heel and the Undertaker proved he was still one of the best, despite all of his nagging injuries he has had over the years. , though Randy's father "Cowboy" Bob Orton kept interfering and that was just annoying instead of adding excitement. Still a good match. 8/10 Women's Champion Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme Christy Hemme in not a wrestler. Most divas in the WWE are basically glorified models. This was one of Trish's easier matches and Christy was not a wrestler. Trish attempted to make it look like a good match, but in vain. Christy is hot and sells tickets, but a better match would have been Victoria vs. Trish 2/10 Money in the Bank Ladder match: Edge vs. Kane. Chris Benoit vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho Definitely one of the more exciting matches. It was very interesting to see how Kane would fair in a quicker, high paced match-up, but he held is own, despite looking a bit winded at times.. Some of the times when the guys were at the top of the ladder, they hesitated, clearly waiting for someone to knock them down, but still a solid match, though the ending was bit of a disappointment. 8/10 Kurt Angle vs. "HBK" Shawn Michaels Definitely the best match of the night. Both guys aren't really in their prime, but are two of the best showmen of all time. HBK had fought through his back injuries and Kurt Angle through his broken neck and both guys wrestled their hearts out. Kurt Angle proved, once again, he is one of the best, but HBK put up a solid effort. Excellent match. 10/10 Sometime during the show, Eugene decides to come out and talk, effectively putting the crowd to sleep. Muhammad Hassan and Daivari then proceed to come down and beat the crap of him. However, just as things were looking bad for Eugene, BAM! The "Real American" music hits and Hulk Hogan comes down and destroys both Hassan and Daivari. You could tell that both Hassan and Daivari were playing along, but the crowd loved it and I thought it was great to see Hulk Hogan again. 10/10 Piper's Pit with Stone Cold A bit of an out of place sideshow, but still interesting. Watching Carlito get his butt kicked but "Stone Cold" and Piper was pretty cool though. 8/10 WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield vs. John Cena Neither of these guys is a good wrestler, so this was really just a glorified fist fight. JBL carried John Cena a bit, but Cena still proved that he could make a solid main event. Not the best match, but still solid one. 7/10 World Heavyweight Champion Triple H vs. Batista Definitely an over-hyped match. Triple H was sort of carrying Batista, but Batista held his own despite being a weak wrestler. Triple H also looked like he was going a bit slow, but is always a solid performer. Still got the crowd going, but the JBL/Cena was better. Definitely a good Wrestlemania, but could have used more matches. The best match of the night was HBK vs. Kurt Angle, while the championship matches were okay.

Well-Liked and Deservedly So!

[Movie-ManDan · 10/10 · 23 April 2016]

There was a time when WrestleMania would have themes. This one was "Goes Hollywood" since it took place at LA's Staples Centre. Many promos were used with superstars and divas in the place of huge blockbuster films. Eugene played Forrest Gump, Undertaker was Dirty Harry, John Cena and JBL reenacted A Few Good Men, among others. So this ranks as perhaps the best Mania in terms of promos and marketing.

Aside from this, WM 21 saw the start of a new era. Although still part of the "Ruthless Aggression Era" this was the start of a slew of new superstars getting pushes.

The first match is only seen as a bonus feature: a RAW and Smackdown! battle royal. Booker T won. It is cool seeing all the old stars after all these years (despite being regular working wrestlers at the time) 8/10

The first regular match saw the WWE Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio going at it. This was the start of Eddie's last great feud and one of the best of the year. Rey won. 8.5/10

Next was the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Edge, and Kane set the new standard for a multi-person ladder match. The match is edited out so that Chris Benoit (who came close to winning a few times) is never seen well or heard. Either way, this was a phenomenal match. 10/10

Next off was a segment featuring Muhammed Hassan and Daivari ruining Eugene's moment. Hulk Hogan came out to save the day in a random but fun segment. 8/10

Legend vs Legend Killer was next: Undertaker vs Randy Orton. This feud and the Rey & Eddie feud were Smackdown!'s best of the year. Match of the night? Maybe, but awesome regardless. 8.5/10

The Woman's Title match is worth seeing because it features Christy Hemme. Champion Trish Stratus won in a terrible match. 3/10

Kurt Angle facing Shawn Michaels received critical acclaim. They are the best at their respective wrestling styles, but this match honestly bored the heck out of me. Here's what happens: headlock; both stars out cold; ankle lock; both stars out cold; headlock; both stars out cold; Angle makes Michaels tap. Highly overrated. 5/10

Next off was Piper's Pit with his special guest being Stone Cold. Carlito came out and both men beat him up. Not bad, still fun. 7.5/10

Big Show faced sumo wrestler Akebono in a sumo match. I know it was a gimmick match, but what were they thinking!?!? The real sumo guy won, but who cares? 2/10

JBL defends the WWE Title against upstart John Cena. Their feud was awesome. This was the start of Cena's massive push. Don't worry, Cena had a badass gimmick here. The match was underwhelming like everybody says, but still enjoyable. 7/10

I always loved the feud with Triple H and Batista. In 2003, champion Triple H recruited two new guys (Batista, Randy Orton) and the legendary Ric Flair to be his posse in a team called Evolution. The idea was to help Triple H maintain his status. When Randy Orton became the youngest World Champion in history by defeating Chris Benoit a year earlier, a jealous Triple H kicked him out of the group. Batista won the Royal Rumble earlier that year, and Triple H continued to push him around. Batista also left the group and their match series started here. Batista beat Triple H to a bloody pulp, but still saw a fun back-and-forth bout. 9/10

So most good made up for the bad. The way the event was handled was all awesome.

Lived up to the Wrestlemania Hype

[sjenkins32 · 10/10 · 10 April 2005]

I believe that this year's Wrestlemania really lived up to the hype. Sure, there were a couple of matches that weren't very good. The Sumo Match wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. To all of the haters of the WWE, SCREW YOU!!! You would have to be very stupid to not like wrestling. Don't hate. Just appreciate.

Best matches of Wrestlemania 21 Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle(win) Money in the Bank Ladder Match (winner: Edge) Randy Orton vs. Undertaker(win) Triple H vs. Batista(win)

Worst matches of Wrestlemania 21 JBL vs. John Cena(win) Trish Stratus(win) vs. Christy Hemme

I have the mad love for John Cena and Christy Hemme, but I thought the matches could have been better. Christy needs to learn some more wrestling moves and John Cena could have wrestled a longer match and maybe bleed a little. I don't think I've seen John Cena bleed. He will make a great WWE Champion though.

Hulk Hogan makes a triumphant return. LONG LIVE HULKAMANIA!!!!

This is definitely worth watching for a wrestling fan.

Main events poor as WrestleMania goes Hollywood

[stitch_1981 · 8/10 · 16 August 2006]

WrestleMania went Hollywood at the twenty-first instalment of wrestling's biggest extravaganza. The Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles California was the venue for some of the most eagerly anticipates matches in wrestling. Both Smackdown! and Raws main championships were up for grabs, there was a battle of the WWE Tag Team Champions, two inter promotional matches with four of WWE biggest stars, a Woman's Championship match, the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match and also a (cough, cough) Sumo wrestling match. WrestleMania 21 certainly had it all.

The opening match of the night was the battle of the WWE Tag Team Champions. Rey Mysterio took on Eddie Guerrero in what some people consider a mild disappointment. The match was great but if Mysterio wasn't having so much trouble with his mask this could have been the greatest opening battle in WrestleMania history. Unfortunately it just didn't make it. That honour will remain with the Harts brother battling at WrestleMania X. Rey Mysterio picked up the win.

The first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship was match number two. Raw's finest six did battle in a blistering contest. Edge, Benoit, Jericho, Kane, Shelton Benjamin and Christian really kicked things up a gear in this one. As good a Ladder match as you will see on any event this was breathtaking. Edge picked up the unpopular victory and in doing so propelled himself into the main event scene.

The Undertaker took on Randy Orton in the first inter promotional contest of the night. This was another fantastic match. Orton was the first guy since Triple H back in 2001 that I thought could actually end the dead man's undefeated streak. I was wrong. The Undertaker picked up his 13th win after a back and forth battle and turned back the challenge of WWE's brightest star.

Trish Stratus defeated Christy Hemme in an entertaining Woman's Championship match. Hemme's best move of the night was a kick direct to the "lower" mid section of Stratus.

Then came match number five. One of the most eagerly awaited one on one matches of all time without a championship being on the line. Smackdowns! Kurt Angle against Raws Shawn Michaels. This was a thriller. One of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history without a doubt. These two may not be in their prime anymore but by God this was amazing. Everyone in the Staples Centre and anyone watching this live was on the edge of their seats. Kurt picked up the victory after Michaels tapped out at the twenty-seven minute mark.

The crowd didn't have time to settle before Hall of Famer Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin came out for their Piper's Pit segment. After a few stone cold stunners to Piper and the interfering Carlito we moved onto the Sumo wrestling match between Akebono and Big Show. Akebono won this boring, unentertaining mess.

That took us to our main events. What we didn't know at the time was that after the Michaels and Angle match we all could have gone home. The two championship matches were dull and lifeless. John Cena ended John Bradshaw Layfields nine-month WWE Championship reign with a FU in a boring eleven-minute contest. Angle and Michaels could win match of the year and this could win worst match of the year easily. Post match, John Cena celebrated as though he had won a gruelling battle of Austin/Rock proportions whilst the crowd treated his win exactly as it was. A cheap and over rated victory.

And finally the main event of the night. Was Triple H going to lie down for his second WrestleMania in a row? Or was Batista going to learn the hard way who was really running Raw? The answer was the first one. Whilst the match was better than the WWE Championship match before it, this was still only average at best. Batista won the overlong battle and brought the crowd in the Staples Centre to its feet.

WrestleMania 21 was good. Should have been better but we can blame the last hour and a half for that. Worth watching for the under card alone, perhaps the best undercard in WrestleMania history? I'll let you decide.

Memorable

[jakespick · 9/10 · 19 April 2010]

This review is a little late, and I did watch this when it first premiered, but never thought about reviewing it on here. But I've decided that I actually have something to say, so here we go.

People I know who have seen this 'Mania, have been quite disappointed after viewing it. People compare it to the previous Manias, such as 19 and 20 (20, I think, paled in comparison to 21). However, I saw 21 as a kind of "New Beginning," that I hadn't seen since Mania 18, which was another alleged "let down," but one of my personal favorites. Like 18, 21 marked a new age for the business. 18 marked the beginning of the WWE itself, as opposed to the WWF, and was also the beginning of the Smackdown! branch, along with the convergence with WCW.

21 did something very similar, in that it converged with ECW, and turned ECW into an entirely new branch for the WWE. It also started something along the lines of the Undisputed Title (which was won by Triple H at 18), where both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were on one side of the brand, similar to what had happened with the World Title and the WWF title at 18 during the WCW-WWF/E convergence which was taking place.

Mania 21 was also the beginning of the now traditional Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and was the beginning of some of the longest-running and most dramatic rivalries in WWE history - Batista vs. Triple H (and the death of Evolution all together), JBL vs. John Cena, Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, and Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio, not to mention the feuds and battles between Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan. 2005 in general was and still is my personal favorite year in World Wrestling Entertainment, in that it was a year of new ideas and styles for the WWE, down to as things as little as the new-styled match cards for each PPV event.

I'd still have to say my favorite Mania of all-time is X-Seven, though, but how could you not? However, smaller Match card Manias such as these (only 8 matches, as opposed to XX's 12 matches and XIX's 10) I always enjoy, because each match is given enough time to develop and flourish, and each performer is given enough time to... Perform. I mean I don't think I've ever seen a better Taker one-on-one match at any other Mania than here (save for Michaels vs. Taker, of course), and with Randy Orton? He can put up one hell of a fight.

Its Wrestlemanias like these that I remember, not for the match length or for the more violent matches, but for the moments like Orton's RKO choke slam counter, Hogan's return, Piper's Pit with Austin, Batista's thumbs down, and of course the Michaels vs. Angle match in general.

It was good, but last year's was better

[kliko400 · 8/10 · 4 September 2006]

This years Wrestlemania 21 was good, but i reckon last year's was probably a little bit better.

First match- Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio This wasn't really bad, a good test of strength between these two Tag Champions. Rey Mysterio wins after a hurricana roll-up on Eddie for the 3 count. 4/10

Second match- Money In The Bank Ladder match, Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane vs. Edge vs. Christian This was definitely the best match of the night. A lot of high-flying moves from the ladders & also suicidal moves as well especially from the ever entertaining Chris Benoit. Edge wins after knocking Benoit from the ladder then getting the briefcase to win the whole match. 7/10

Third match- Randy Orton vs. Undertaker This was also a enjoyable match, i wanted Orton to win but Undertaker just had to pull out a victory after delivering a Tombstone on Orton to get the pin fall & keep his Wrestlemania streak even more. 5/10

Fourth match- Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme for the WWE Women's Championship Pretty boring this match was, mostly like other Diva matches. Trish wins after a Chick Kick to retain her title. 2/10

Fifth match- Sumo match, Akebobo vs. Big Show One word, boring. This match was not entertaining, Akebono the Sumo Grand Champion threw Big Show out to win. 2/10

Sixth match- Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels This match was also the second best match of the night, so many great moves being applied & both men gave it all to give their best Wrestlemania match ever. I think they did. Kurt Angle wins after making Shawn Michaels tap out to the Ankle Lock in what was like a 30 minute match. 6/10

Seventh match- JBL vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship Good match between these two, i do reckon in my opinion that this match should of been a little bit longer but it was still good. John Cena nails a F-U on JBL to capture the WWE Championship & end JBL's 9 month reign as WWE Champion. 5/10

Eigth & final match of the night-Batista vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship Great bout between these two former best friends & Evolution members. Both men tested out each other in the main event & also gave a good match to the fans. But not better than last year's Wrestlemania main event. Batista captures his first World Title when he nails a Powerbomb on the bloody Triple H to defeat his former best friend & mentor. 5/10

Overall: This was a good Wrestlemania but not better than last year's. I'll give it 8/10 & B+.

good ppv

[kyle_adams781 · 9/10 · 30 June 2005]

now, i had to had to watch this ppv weeks later, and i've forgotten some of what happened so, if i'm wrong on this, disregard the wrong stuff. 1st match. Rey vs Eddie. this was a fast paced and good match...but wait, isn't this the same match we've been seeing week after week on smack down? Rey gets the better of Eddie(again) 2/5 (i don't exactly remember the order of how they went but i know all the matches.) Trish vs Christy. this match might have single handedly ruined Trish's career. don't get me wrong, i like Christy...but shes not a wrestling diva like Trish, shes more like a bikini contest diva, like Torrie. nothing interesting here. 1/5

money in the bank ladder match. edge has been complaining about not getting a shot at the title. you won. now shut up!!!! this was a good match with a crappy ending. Kane walks out and immediately gets ganged up on by everyone. Chris Benoit wrestles with a shoulder injury and stitches, both injury's come back to haunt him. Shelton Benjamin was the most impressive guy in the match, exploding with the T-Bone off the ladder. genius!!!! just about everyones down, Chris Benoit has the brief case in his hands, its about off the hook.....and edge hits Benoit in the "injured shoulder" with a chair, knocking Benoit off the ladder, edge climbs and gets the title. now, besides that, heres my problem with the match. Benoit's left shoulder is supposedly the injured one, but Benoit gets hit in his right and sells it like it was the injured one. 3/5

Shawn Michaels vs Kurt angle oh my god, i hate Kurt Angle but he is very good. i didn't want him to win, but i guess he deserves it. this match will be forever membered as a classic!!! but you know Vince, Shawn doesn't have to bleed in every match. highlight: the corkscrew moonsault by Shawn Michaels on Kurt Angle through the Spanish announce table(what are they racist or something? its always the Spanish table) also, Shawn beat Kurt at vengeance 2005, this if angled correctly(excuse the pun), will send the feud into a best two out of three falls at the next raw ppv. 4/5

Batista vs HHH

i've always liked Batista, and with how much every one hate HHH, i knew he was gonna win. i also knew he wasn't gonna go to smack down. Batista utterly decimates hunter in this match. pedigree reversed into Batista bomb for win 4/5

John Cena vs John bradshaw layfield

this will be pretty much the same as the last match review. i like John Cena, and with how him and Batista were the last two rumble competitors left standing, i knew i was looking at the new champs. i ordered no way out and watched Cena beat Kurt Angle. this was good, but too short, and was very predictable. 3/5

undertaker vs randy Orton

undertaker wins again. i hated this match cause either way, someones gimmick was ruined. but you know that wee isn't gonna let takers wrestlemania streak be ruined. taker, you need to forget about being a superstar, wrestle one more mania match against a younger guy, elevate him, then retire!!!! guys like you and Ric flair are holding the new guys back!! 2/5

the good:money in the bank, Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels the OK:Batista vs HHH, John Cena vs John Layfield, Rey vs Eddie, the horrible: womens championship, undertaker and randy Orton

The night Wrestlemania went Hollywood

[Stone_Cold · 4 April 2005]

20,193 fans packed into the Staple Center on April 3 2005 to watch Wrestlemania go Hollywood, and not too many fans left disappointed.

Decent matches, a great crowd and some good booking made Wrestlemania 21 one to remember, but could it be the best ever?

Match 1: Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio

A decent enough match with some great action and some high risk moves. A little slow in some places and some of the exchanges were very awkward, however it didn't disappoint and was a good starter.

Match 2: Shelton Benjamin vs Kane vs Chris Benoit vs Christian vs Chris Jericho vs Edge in a money in the bank ladder match.

One of the best matches of the night. Great moves, cutting edge stunts and some new and innovative action. Shelton Benjamin was quite impressive for his first match of this type (and on a huge show like Wrestlemania) and he didn't let anyone down. All 6 men deserve special praise for this effort; it was a great match and will be talked about for sometime.

Hassan/Eugene/Hogan

A brief break from the action saw Hassan and Eugene share a few choice words until the one and the only Hulk Hogan came out. The fans went nuts, rendering this segment a true "Wrestlemania moment". Mr Wrestlemania is Hulk Hogan as far as I am concerned, the man is magic and this was just another magical moment that the Hulkster has given us.

Match 3: Undertaker vs Randy Orton

This match started a little slow, but soon warmed up and turned into a decent match. A little bit of interference from Bob Orton didn't harm things at all and the Undertakers entrance was as good as ever. I understand Randy Orton was injured for this match, so he deserves a little bit of extra credit. Him and the Undertaker had a decent match.

Match 4: Trish vs Christy

I feel sorry for Trish Stratus. She is a decent competitor, and deserves a lot of credit for her contribution to the industry. Yet she gets a horrible task for the biggest PPV of the year. Christy missed most of her spots and was clueless for this match, Trish carried things as much as she could and looked quite professional while doing so. I really had wished that an accomplished woman competitor had been in there with Trish. I bet Trish wishes that as well.

Match 5: Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels

The match of the night (well it was on par with the 6 man ladder match, but for different reasons). Both men were excellent and worked really well with each other. Smooth exchanges, excellent moves and some great working of the crowd made this match excellent. Everyone knew this match could steal the show, and boy did it ever.

Pipers pit:

I found this to be disappointing. I didn't really understand what Roddy Piper was going on about and I don't think we saw enough of Stone Cold. Adding to this, Stone Cold makes a "big comeback" on an annual basis so that spark has gone when he makes his entrance. It's a shame, but hopefully he will stick around this time. On another note Carlito Cool is a great character, and fitted in well.

Match 6: Big Show vs Akebono (sumo match)

Well I really don't know where to start. Firstly we have to see the Big Show and Akebono in sumo attire, and then the match is over as soon as it has started (and it took ages to start, after the sumo ring had took a while to set up!). It was a complete waste of time, and probably grossed out 99% of the audience. What was WWE thinking? Maybe some exposure in Japan, which must be it.

Match 7: JBL vs John Cena

Disappointing. I found this match didn't really have too much to offer. There were a few decent moves and a few nice pops from the crowd, but I found the finish a little bit of a waste. On another side note, I can see Cena going the same way as Jericho, Benoit and Guerrero.

Match 8: HHH VS Batista

Well, this was the big one. It didn't disappoint, and I think that the much was as good as it could be considering Batista's in ring limitations. They worked around Batista's limitations well, and there were some nice moves and great pops for any Batista offense. The finish was a little off again, and could have been a little more exciting but it was satisfying none the less.

Overall it was a great event, with some cracking performances and few let downs. A good show, and this is one of those shows that can be watched again and again. It wasn't quite a classic PPV, and it wasn't the best Wrestlemania ever but it was exciting, well booked and satisfying in the match results.

Well worth watching for any wrestling fan.

Wrestling? Yes, real wrestling!

[GazibBegins · 10/10 · 4 April 2005]

The best Pay Per View I've seen in ages- proves the back stage "antics" aka time filler are not necessary. Only one segment in the back, the rest just great wrestling!

Match 1: Eddie vs Rey

Extremely slow paced and not the best we've seen from these two. This match lacked competitive fire- and Rey surviving a heck of a power bomb to pull out the win was disappointing. Surf board from Eddie was the highlight of the match. Winner: REY Match Rating: 3/5

Match 2:Ladder Match,Shelton vs Benoit vs Kane vs Edge vs Christian vs Y2J Innovative, unique, entertainment of the night. Edge and Christian hit a concerto with two ladders on Kane. When Kane entered, five ladders caught on fire. Benoit was busted open again, Shelton proved he was the most talented man in the match. Benoit hit a head butt on Kane off the ladder. Benoit looked like he was going to win it but was whacked from behind by Edge. Winner: EDGE Match rating: 5/5

Hassan/Dhavari ganged up on Eugene but were annihilated by Hulk Hogan. Hogan could have stayed out there flexing for another hour and would have still gotten cheers.

Match 3: Undertaker vs Orton The worst match of the night, hands down. Orton has to carry the match with a bad shoulder because Undertaker moves so slow. Orton does an amazing job of selling taker's weak offense. Highlight of the match is when Orton reverses and RKO into a choke slam. Taker tombstones for the win. Yay. Winner: UNDERTAKER Match Rating: 2/5

Match 4: Christy vs Trish Would have been rated lower than the previous match but I wasn't expecting anything from a Raw Diva Search Contest winner. Christy doesn't completely blow it for her first shot at Trish. Winner: TRISH STRATUS Match Rating: 2.5/5

Match 5: Angle vs Michaels This was the wrestling of the night while the ladder match was the entertainment of the night. Way to let two wrestlers wrestle, no interference- no cheating, just like I prayed for. Kurt Angle has to hit two angle slams (one from the top rope) and latch on a third ankle lock to beat Michaels. The crowd was going nuts for Angle, I think he's on his way back to being a face- especially if he comes to RAW. Winner: ANGLE Match Rating: 5/5

Match 6: Sumo Match, Big Show vs Akebono Not as bad as everyone (including me) thought. Big Show tries to act sexy in the thong. Big Show actually picks up Akebono which was cool. Overall Big Show shows some sumo skill. A break from the usual. Winner: AKEBONO. Match Rating: 3/5

Match 7: Cena vs JBL, WWE Championship Second worst match of the night. I would have picked this as the worst but again, what do you expect from two people who can't wrestle? Cena is one of the worst wrestlers of the new bloods in my opinion and he actually has to carry JBL. Cena finally doing a better version of the F-U though. Winner: CENA. Match Rating: 2.5/5

Match 8: Batista vs Triple H, World Heavyweight Championship Batista is over more than Randy Orton will ever be again. Batista is dominated in the beginning, but shows some stamina by battling back. Catapult onto the ring post from the outside was something a little unique. Batista has come along way in the past few months. Hits a heck of a Batista Bomb to put the Game away. Winner: BATISTA Match rating 4/5

Wrestlemania 21 completely outdid 20 in my opinion. This had several matches really worth watching. Almost all the action happened in the ring- not a lot of jawing on the mike or tours of the evolution locker room. Well done, WWE.

DVD Status Play-Rewind-Fast Forward

[Hawkt101 · 8/10 · 17 April 2006]

Interpromtional Battle Royal Very good battle Royal. I suggest you watch. -Play-

Well it started it of with Eddie Guerrero Vs Rey Mysterio, the match wasn't that hot, exspecially Rey Mysterio was not a gift to look at with his freaky mask. -Fast Forward Through Parts-

Money In The Bank Ladder Match-They Match would of been boring w/t out Shelton Benjamine and Chris Benoit. They saved this whole match. -Play-

Eugene Sagment, Muhammed Hassan and Davari come attack Eugene hogan walks out. Fights Blah Blah Blah -Fast Forward near end-

Taker Vs Orton Watch the last 5 min of it. -FF Parts-

Trish Vs Hemme -Chapter Skip-

Kurt Angle Vs Shawn Micheals Very good match but extremely long. -Play the whole match-

Pipers Pit We all know what happens to Piper before the segment starts(or you buy the DVD) -Fast Forward stop Fast Forward-

Sumo Match: The Big Show vs. Akebono Akebono hasn't won a Sumo match in the last 5 years will this be his first match won in the past 5 years? -Chapter Skip-

JBL Vs John Cena Worst Match of the night i'd say almost like Grandpa playin catch with his grandson pace. -FF button may come to action-

Triple H Vs Batista Good match Bloody i suggest you watch it all. -play-

bonus stuff 5/5 2 Bloody people Chris Benoit and Triple H

WWE Wrestlemania 21

[yj002004 · 8/10 · 9 January 2006]

Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero Tag Team champions battled it out in an entertaining opener which got the crowd going. Great match but it could have been better and they deserved longer. Also there was one seriously botched move. Also Rey was adjusting his mask every minute which did get annoying. MATCH SCORE - (out of 10) 7

Edge def. Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Christian, Chris Jericho and Kane in a money in the bank ladder match This was the match that gave Edge his money in the bank contract and then his WWE Title at New Year's Revolution. This match was extremely entertaining. Shelton Benjamin gets my VIP of the match. MATCH SCORE - 9

SEGMENT - Eugene came out and spoke about midgets for a while before being interrupted by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari. Hassan then spoke about not having a match and not being able to have a Wrestlemania moment. He then said he was going to make one. Hassan and Daivari started beating up Eugene then Hassan applied the camel clutch on Eugene before HULK HOGAN came to the ring and beat up Hassan and Daivari. Nice segment. SEGMENT SCORE - 7.5

Undertaker def. Randy Orton Better than expected match. Both men did a great job and the run in of "Cowboy" Bob Orton worked well. Undertaker won and improved his Wrestlemania record to 13-0 MATCH SCORE - 8

Trish Stratus def. Christy Hemme to retain the Womens Championship Trish tried hard to make this match good but it didn't work. Luckily it didn't last long. I don't think anyone was paying attention to the wrestling, rather the divas themselves. MATCH SCORE - 5

Kurt Angle def. Shawn Michaels Match of the night. What a great match. MATCH SCORE - 9.5

PIPER'S PIT WITH SPECIAL GUEST STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN Austin and Piper argued. Carlito came and trash talked both of them. He then attacked Piper, Austin laughes then helped Piper. The predictably Austin stunned Carlito, drank beer with Piper and the Stunned Piper as well. SEGMENT SCORE - 7

Akebono def. Big Show in a Sumo Match What a great sumo match. This was so cool to watch. NOT. This was pure crap and what was so far a great pay per view go down a level. MATCH SCORE - 1

John Cena def. JBL to win the WWE Championship This match was okay. Cena won. It's funny because when Cena won the crowd went nuts, when he lost the title to Edge the crowd went nuts and there was no heel turn. MATCH SCORE - 6

Batista def. Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship Triple H carried Batista well here. This match was good. MATCH SCORE - 7

TOTAL SCORE - 60/10

GRADE - B