10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wrestlemania 24.... Started Slow, But Eventually Gained That Wrestlemania "Feel", March 30, 2008
This review is from: WWE WrestleMania 24 (DVD)
This years show did indeed have it's good, and it's bad. Although my hopes weren't too high for this years "Showcase of the Immortals" as the build up wasn't very well done in my oppinion, for a Wrestlemania anyway. Was it a good PPV? Answer: Yes, it was a BRILLIANT PPV! A good Wrestlemania? Well, for the most part, yes. A solid 4.5/5 in my oppinion. Now let's have a look at the matches while staying completely spoiler free.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield VS Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) in a Belfast Brawl
-It seemed suitable to open the show with this match as I always had fears the fans interest would wan during it. JBL is quite boring in the ring, and while I love Finlay as a wrestler, he isn't completely "over" yet. So I feared this match would be met with silence. Opening the show prevented that as it meant everything was freash for the fans. Unfortunately the match sucked. After the most build up out of any match (It dated all the way back to last year and the whole "Who is Vince's son?" angle), the most emotional storyline... we got, well we got nothing really. The "brawl" was nothing. Finlay's emotion leading up to WM was wasted. The match completely failed it's purpose.
CM Punk VS Shelton Benjamin VS Chris Jericho VS Carlito VS Montel Vontavious Porter VS Mr. Kennedy VS John Morrison in a Money in the Bank ladder match
-Good bump showcase. Not as good a match as previous years, but some awesome bumps. Seemed a bit unorganized though. Still, the winner truly deserved it, even if he was underused in the match. Shelton takes a bloody killer bump. I shared the same expression Carlito wears when it happened.
Umaga VS Batista
-This match didn't stand out at all. I don't think it was expected to though. Easily could've been done on a usual PPV or RAW/SD. Not WM worthy.
Kane VS Chavo Guerrero to win the ECW Championship
-Really, there was no one else that would've won this. And it's revealed early in the night so I don't consider it a spoiler. Kinda odd they didn't show the hyped on TV battle royal, but then again, WWE doesn't make sense often. Quick match, pretty pointless.
Ric Flair VS HBK in a career threatening match
-What an emotional match. Longtime wrestling fans are sure to be overcome with emotional during this match. A fantastic story is told in the ring, backed up solid ringwork. Besides the Money in the bank, this is the only other match so far that has had that unique WM feel.
Beth Phoenix and Melina VS Maria and Ashley in a Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjill match
Lumberjills: Cherry, Eve Torres, Michelle McCool, Victoria, Mickie James, Jillian Hall, Katie Lea Burchill, Kelly Kelly, Layla and Maryse.
-I took a toilet break at the start of the match as I knew this match would be crap. A boring match made worse by a mishap during the match. Only worth watching for Snoop Dogg's entertainment. He's one cool cat.
HHH VS Randy Orton VS John Cena in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship
-The match was, alright. Didn't really tickle my fancy but I can see some people really enjoying it. Just fast forward John Cena's entrance... it's some goofy marching band entrance. Ergh! The end is quite unexpected and was well done.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. VS The Big Show in a No Disqualification match
-This match was way better than I expected. Slow, but it had a big feeling to it. Which I found impressive, that they gained that bigtime feeling. A real shocking ending. Pure wrestling fans will despise it, but it's more entertaining than expected.
The Undertaker VS Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship
-THIS is what Wrestlemania is about! What a main event! It had the big feeling to it and truly gave off the feeling anything can happen. The false finishes, reversals, everything was done beautifully. This match saved the show from being a 3 star Mania, to making it a 4-4.5 star mania!
As for the promo's and backstage segments... they were alright. Some entertaining ones. They all pretty much added to the WM feeling.
...Also, it looked SPECTACULAR in High-Def!!!
If possiable it should be watched in HD!
Every current wrestling fan should watch this, to see what the Mania "feeling" is. Because by the main event, the show is oozing that bigtime feel. Past fans... watch it for the classic Flair/HBK match and Edge/Taker match (Both 4- 4.5 star matches in my oppinion). Plus you get several good 3- 4 star matches. Skip the belfast brawl (which could've been good, considering the 2 wrestlers are excellent brawlers) and the Diva match.
The DVD/Blu-ray should also come with the Hall of Fame ceremony which makes this a worthy buy as we see the end of an era.
4- 4.5/5 Stars.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Blu-Ray version looks TOO good at times., May 21, 2008
I'm not going to go into great detail about the card of the night because I'm pretty sure most know what it was by now. I will say besides a few duds, it was a great card. I will go as far as to say that it is the best Wrestle Mania since the days of Stone Cold and The Rock headlining the main event.
I'm mainly here to talk specifically about the Blu-Ray version. This is by far one of the best looking, clearest, most colorful Blu-Rays I have seen yet. I don't have HD cable so I watched WM24 in standard def. After watching it on Blu-Ray, it was almost unbelievable on how much more detail the Blu-Ray version had. I was able to see bruises and cuts on superstars that I was not able to do in SD. Everything just had almost a three dimensional "pop" to it. Something worth noting that it is only in 1080i(in which I it was viewed from a 57" 1080i HDTV in my case)but it is so incredibly crisp, I don't see how you would notice. I've viewed atleast 30-40 Blu-Rays since getting my PS3 and WM24 is easily at the top of the list.
So the video quality(You know, one of the main reasons to get the Blu-Ray version) is easily rated 5 stars IMO.
Other than that, it's an amazing pay per view regardless if it has a few matches that aren't that great. Just having Ric Flairs historic last match on here makes this worth the price of admission alone.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A WrestleMania Keeper!, May 22, 2008
This review is from: WWE WrestleMania 24 (DVD)
UPDATE 2/10/09:
I recently ordered the Blu-Ray version of this card and let me say as great as it looked on regular DVD, it is BEAUTIFUL on Blu-Ray! If you have a Blu-Ray player or a machine that can play Blu-Ray discs, then its worth it plus its more convenient as you have one disc for the card and one for the Hall Of Fame show!
The review below was mainly on the original 3 disc set:
For me, when I bought this set (which also came with the McMahon DVD as well that came out two years ago), I bought it mainly for Michaels Vs. Flair but I've looked at the whole card and here is my opinion:
JBL Vs. Finlay (Belfast Brawl) - Kind of a weak opener considering that both men are very good brawling wrestlers! JBL comes out on top in this one.
Chris Jericho Vs. Shelton Benjammin Vs. John Morrison Vs. Carlito Vs. MVP Vs. C.M. Punk Vs. Mr. Kennedy (Money In The Bank Ladder Match) - Too many high spots to call but I will say this, a couple of them had me cringing in pain, particularly Shelton's fall on the ladder and Morrison's fall on his b*lls from the near top of the ladder onto the top rope! To Morrison, I have one word for you: ICE and plenty of it!
We also see a surprise appearance from Matt Hardy as he prevents MVP from winning the match with a "Twist Of Fate" from the ladder. Ends when C.M. Punk ties up Chris Jericho's legs on the ladder and claims the briefcase for himself.
Batista Vs. Umaga (Smackdown Vs. RAW) - Not a great match BUT I've seen a lot worse too. Worth a look or two. Ends when Batista gets in his "Batista Bomb" on Umaga, which he nearly botches but manages to correct it in mid-drop to keep Umaga from falling on his head or worse!
Chavo Guerrero Vs. Kane (ECW Championsip Match) - Two words: 12 seconds!
Shawn Michaels Vs. Ric Flair (Career Threatening Match) - The main reason I purchased this set. Even knowing what was going to happen and what did happen afterwards, I found myself nearly in tears again just like the night they held the in-ring tribute on RAW the next night!
As for the match, I wouldn't rate it a 10 BUT it was no lower than an 8. Had this had been Michaels Vs. Ric Flair of the 1980's, then this would've been a 10 without question! As it was, its even more impressive that Flair (at around 60) could still put on a good match. No real words I can write will give this match justice. All I can say is see it and if you are really the sensative type, break out the tissues! It's that emotional!
Maria & Ashley Vs. Melina & Beth Phoenix (Playboy Bunny Lumberjack Match) - Not really worth watching except for the end when Snoop Doggy Dog did a surprisingly good clothsline on Santino Marrello as he was taunting Maria after the match! Even more surprising was seeing Snoop make out with Maria! Hope Snoop cleared that with his wife first! LOL!
John Cena Vs. Randy Orton Vs. HHH (WWE Title Match) - Got to admit, as a former band geek myself from my high school days, I found myself watching Cena's unique entrance in this match. Nice to see.
As for the match, it was good but not great. It was mainly finishers in this match. The surprise of the bout (for me) was seeing HHH break up Cena's STFU on Orton with....THE FREAKIN' CROSSFACE! The fans actually cheered on this one! I, myself, was thinking "He lost the World title to that hold back in 2004! Wouldn't this be irony if he won the WWE title with the same hold!" Of course, that didn't happen as Triple H hit his Pedigree move on Cena only to have Orton steal the pin after his punt kick to the head of "The Game."
So, as of this WrestleMania, Triple H is still winless since 2004. John Cena has lost his first WM since 2004 and Randy Orton has WON his first WM since 2004! Talk about irony!
The Big Show Vs. Floyd Mayweather - More entertaining than expected. I actually enjoyed this match. Even though he lost at the end, I loved seeing TBS beat the hell out of Floyd and his crew! Ends when Mayweather kicks TBS in his "manhood" and uses some brass knuckles to knock him out!
The Undertaker Vs. Edge (World Heavyweight Title Match) - This was Edge's first main event and let me say he showed he belonged there. I love The Undertaker BUT I have to give credit where its due....EDGE KICKED HIS A**! Sorry but its true though I am glad to see UT could pull it out at the end! Ends when UT catches Edge in his gogoplata chokehold for the submission after a lengthy bout dominated mostly by "The Rated R Superstar." Great way to end WM.
This set also has the Hall Of Fame ceremony. I haven't watch that yet but I'll come back and update my review once I've looked at it. Great purchase!
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