Customer Reviews

WWE: WrestleMania XXIV [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

So, first off. This was my first WrestleMania and PPV I saw as it aired and it was an awesome experience. This event made me realize that professional wrestling is much better when you have no idea of what will happen. Now, as with all reviews, this is just the viewpoint of a wrestling fan, so it's all just my opinion. So, with that said, let's review the event.

Dark Match: Kane won a 24 man battle royal to win the #1 contender spot to the ECW Championship later in the night.
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So, this is a DVD extra and it really is just a basic battle royal. Although, I've personally always been a sucker for battle royals and it was enjoyable. As a big Kane mark, I was really excited when I found out Kane won.
6/10

1. JBL defeated Finlay
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The story behind this match was that Hornswoggle was revealed as Mr. McMahon's illegitimate son. However, Vince abused Hornswoggle, enlisting JBL to attack him in a cage. Finlay then came to Hornswoggle's protection.

This match was a Belfast Brawl, and while people tend to not like it as much. I personally enjoyed it for what it was. I thought it was a solid opener and a fun brawl filled with weapon spots including the frequent use of the trash can. My favorite spot of the match was JBL throwing a trash can at Hornswoggle (God, I can't stand him) outside of the ring. JBL wins a 9 minute Belfast Brawl with a clothesline from hell
8/10

2. CM Punk defeated Mr. Kennedy, Chris Jericho, MVP, Carlito, John Morrison, and Shelton Benjamin in a 7 Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match
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Besides the first Money in the Bank, this is my favorite Money in the Bank match to date. I was sure that Chris Jericho would win this match, but I was delighted by the nice surprise. The match itself features many awesome and unique spots with the ladders, including John Morrison's back flip off with one off the turnbuckle, Matt Hardy interfering and hitting MVP with a twist of fate off the ladder, Shelton Benjamin's superplex and powerbomb combo, and my personal favorite, the ladder V that was created. The ending was incredibly well done as CM Punk had Jericho in a tree of woe on the ladder as he unhooked the briefcase in 14 minutes.
9/10

3. Batista defeated Umaga
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As I watched this, I remember really disliking it. However, as I rewatched it again on DVD, I found out this is a pretty decent match. The back story for this is basically a battle for brand supremacy and that's about it. This is a pretty good big man match. There isn't a whole lot memorable about it, though other than a really crappy looking Batista bomb at the end for the victory at the 7 minute mark.
7/10

4. Kane defeated Chavo Guerrero for to win the ECW Championship
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There is really not a whole lot to say about this other than it was a disappointment. If they were given more than eight seconds, I'm sure they could have gotten a good match out of it, as proven by their Backlash match a month later. It was awesome seeing Kane win a championship, though. Other than that, it's an eight second match that ends with a chokeslam.
DUD

5. Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match
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The storyline to this was a good six months of buildup. Vince McMahon gave Ric Flair an ultimatum that the next match he would lose, his career is over. This match was one for the ages as Shawn Michaels steals the show like he always does at WrestleMania and Ric Flair puts on one last amazing match before he retires. The match was filled with pure emotion, including Shawn Michaels doing a sick springboard moonsault across the announce table and the final superkick, ending Ric Flair's thirty plus year career at around 20 minutes. The most dramatic match of the night by far, which followed up by an equally emotional farewell for Ric Flair the next night on Raw.
10/10

6. Beth Phoenix and Melina defeated Maria and Ashley in a Lumberjill Match
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Funny how the talented divas are on the heel team as the face team was two divas that received short Playboy pushes. The match was your basic uneventful diva tag team match. The right team won as Beth hit the glam slam on Maria. After the match, Maria got a kiss from Snoop Dogg.
3/10

7. Randy Orton defeated Triple H and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship
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I really enjoyed this match as it felt like a main event of WrestleMania should, although I was really surprised that this wasn't the main event. I much prefer their match at Night of Champions 2009, as this match was too short and ended as I was really getting into it. Some really cool parts of this match were Orton's double DDT on Triple H and Cena, the tower crossbody, and the ending which saw Triple H hit the pedigree on Cena, only for Orton to punt Triple H and pin Cena for what I thought was a surprise ending at 15 minutes.
9/10

8. Floyd Mayweather defeated Big Show in a No DQ match
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Now, this match was probably the very best celebrity involvement I have ever seen in professional wrestling. Mayweather and Big Show put on a very entertaining 12 minute match as Big Show nearly has Mayweather beat numerous times, but Mayweather gets the knockout with the brass knuckle use.
8.5/10

9. The Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship
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This match is my favorite WrestleMania main event ever. This match just told an amazing story as it started out slow, but progressively picked the pace up. Edge countered many of Undertaker's signature moves until Undertaker hit a tombstone, but the ref was out. By the way, Charles Robinson running down the ramp was a funny sight. Edge hit a second spear on Undertaker, but Undertaker countered into Hell's Gate, causing Edge to tap out at the 24 minute mark. That moment in time, I really rethought the obvious result. This was one hell of a match and I'm glad to have witnessed it as it progressed.
10/10

The Hall of Fame class of 2008 was also a good one and it was a very good induction ceremony featured as a bonus on the DVD.
-Ric Flair inducted by Triple H
-The Briscos inducted by JBL
-Rocky Johnson inducted by The Rock
-Peter Maivia inducted by The Rock
-Gordon Solie inducted by Jim Ross
-Mae Young inducted by Pat Patterson
-Eddie Graham inducted by Dusty Rhodes

Overall, this was one awesome event that was filled with some incredible moments and amazing matches, including Edge vs. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair. This event was one week before my 18th birthday, so it was a great feeling to watch it.

Wrestlemania 24 was the second WM I've seen on PPV (WM23 being the first). I enjoyed it, but I felt it wasn't the best WM I've seen to date.

My Mum got me the limited edition tin case edition of WM24 for my 21st birthday on 13/07. I was going to buy it anyway, so that was a bonus.

First off, I have to commend the WWE for the packaging of the DVD. The tin case is superbly made, the DVDs themselves have a full colour photo on them and the whole thing is gorgeously made. They put a lot of effort into the packaging of the DVD and it shows. As a bonus, a card with a filmstrip of a scene from a past Wrestlemania is included - Shawn Michaels vs Steve Austin. A cool collectable.

Now, onto WM itself. It was a good event, worth the time and money, but in my personal opinion, it wasn't as good as the past few WMs. Let's rundown the matches:

Belfast Brawl: Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) vs JBL
I was expecting this match to be boring because of JBL, who can't wrestle to save his life, but it was actually really exciting and a good opener to the show (I know the battle royal was the actual opener, but this was the opener on TV). It was great seeing Hornswoggle back and he even got involved. Loads of weapons were involved and there were a few great spots. The only downer was that JBL won. That makes it lose a star. (4/5)

Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs John Morrison vs Carlito vs CM Punk vs MVP vs Mr. Kennedy
Another exciting MITB match, I think this one was better then last year's. Highlights included Shelton Benjamin's fall onto a ladder (and Carlito's facial expression afterwards), Matt Hardy running in to stop MVP getting the briefcase and CM Punk and Chris Jericho's fight at the top of a ladder to get said briefcase. CM Punk won and I'm glad. A great match. (5/5)

Battle For Brand Supremacy: Batista vs Umaga
This match was kinda boring. It wasn't up to WM standard and could have been featured on Raw or Smackdown. Speaking of which, Batista won, which means Smackdown is the better brand? I don't think so. Raw has been way better then Smackdown since the beginning of 2008. And Batista was wasted in this match, they could have found a way better match for him. But he won, and that's good. A mediocre match and Batista messed up the Batista Bomb, so that ruined it. (3/5)

ECW Championship Match: Chavo Guerrero (champion) vs Kane
This was the first match for a title, and yes it was only 8 seconds long but it was damn brilliant. I can't stand Chavo, so to see him lose that fast was just hilarious. It was great to see a new ECW champion and the whole thing was just funny. I can't give it a high mark though. (2/5 - just for the funny)

Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels
Match of the night, without a doubt. This one was worth the money of the PPV alone. I'm a huge Shawn Michaels fan, so to see him in a huge match such as this was just amazing. I think everybody knew that Ric was going to lose and retire, but it didn't ruin the match. Both men had their strong moments, and I winced when Shawn did the moonsault onto the announce table and cracked his ribs. The moving moment when Shawn mouthed "I'm sorry, I love you" made me cry and the standing ovation Ric got after ity was over was a perfect ending. Epic and should have been nearer the end of the card, for sure. This match also lead into a superb feud between Batista, Shawn and Chris Jericho that culiminated in some amazing matches at subsequent PPVs, too. (5/5)

Playboy Bunnymania Lumberjack Match: Maria & Ashley vs Beth Phoenix & Melina (w/ Santino Marella)
w/ Snoop Dogg as the Master Of Ceremonies
Lumberjacks: Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Cherry, Jillian Hall, Victoria, Layla, Katie Lea Burchill, Eve Torres & Maryse
I think I'm the only person who didn't think this match was that bad. It was really a match to calm people down after the Shawn vs Ric match right before it. Beth & Melina won, but Maria and even Ashley got in some good offence. Jerry Lawler got involved, taking down Santino and even Snoop attacked him after the match. I would have preferred a Women's Championship match though. (3/5)

Triple Threat Match For The WWE Championship: Randy Orton (champion) vs Triple H vs John Cena
Before I get into the match, how hilarious was John's entrance? He had a whole brass band play his entrance music xD I had no idea who the hell was coming out until his video began to play on the Titantron. The match itself was very entertaining - I find most triple threats/fatal 4 ways to be. Loads of attempted pins and breakups of pins, loads of crazy moves and the such. I was laughing all the way through it. I think most people were surprised that Randy retained though, as most people predicted John to win. Good match though. (5/5)

The Biggest vs The Best: Big Show vs Floyd "Money" Mayweather (w/ his HUGE entourage xD)
I was expecting this match to be absolutely horrible, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it was rather entertaining. I find Floyd Mayweather incredibly annoying though and I was rooting for Big Show the whole time (so was the crowd I noticed). Show did get offence in on Mayweather that I enjoyed and he even got some of his entourage too. Mayweather won after hitting Show with brass knuckles. It was pretty good for the match containing a celebrity. (4/5)

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge vs The Undertaker
I know some people say this match was predictable considering it was Edge's title vs Taker's reign, but there were moments when I thought that Edge might have actually beat Taker. Especially the Spear, I was on the edge (hah bad pun) of my seat, willing for Taker to kick out. Edge got help from the cronies (Hawkins & Ryder) and overall the match was exciting. Of course the best moment was Taker locking on the submission move and Edge tapping out. Brilliant end to the PPV. (5/5)

Overall, the show was good but not outstanding. Shawn vs Ric, the WWE title match, MITB and the WHC title match were the best matches. Everything else was either good (Show vs Mayweather, Belfast Brawl), ok (Divas), mediocre (Batista vs Umaga) or just funny with how ridiculous it was (ECW title).

Also on the DVD is the 24 Man Battle Royal that Kane won to qualify for the short ECW title match. It was on before WM went to air, and was quite entertaining. I was glad Kane won.

The other thing on the DVD is the 2008 Hall Of Fame induction ceremony. I've never watch the HOF in full before but I wanted to see The Rock and Ric Flair's speech so I watched the whole thing. It was uber long but really entertaining. The Rock is very funny - I laughed when he made fun of Chris Jericho's hair and The Marine (John's face was so funny) xD Ric's speech was both funny and moving.
The one thing I didn't like is how it was on 2 DVDs, half of the HOF was on the 2nd DVD and the other half on the 3rd. It ruined the flow for me.

Overall, a superbly made DVD, a great Wrestlemania and one of the best matches of 08 in Shawn vs Ric. A great buy.

Watching this Wrestlemania was a joy. to me there was only one sub par match on the card and it was still descent. i guess i'll go match by match like everyone else.

finlay vs jbl- one of the better hardcore brawls we've seen in sometime. trash cans, kendo sticks, cookie sheets, steel steps were all used and this was the right match to open with. could of gone a little longer but was fun while it lasted and i loved the ending unlike a lot of people. fun match.

money in the bank- this one never disappoints and i thought this years was the best. i don't understand alot of people saying it's the weakest of them all. tons of action, killer spots, a great return of a missed superstar and a great ending with the right guy winning. this match ruled.

batista vs umaga- this was the one kind of letdown. neither guy seemed overly inspired although umaga looked to be trying hard. big dave just seemed kind of off and i thought the powerbomb at the end was great even if it seemed a little botched. it still looked powerful and made sense given umagas size.

kane vs chavo- kane gets his moment, he deserves it. quick, no complaints as i don't think it would've been a good match otherwise.

ric flair vs shawn michaels-the best match of the night, hands down. great story, great wrestling, off the chart emotion. this will be a big wrestlemania moment forever. kudos to vince for letting flair go out on the grandest stage of them all with the best there is going right now. this match was incredible and the end was perfect. the cameras were spot on getting both guys and setting the incredible emotion in the ending of that match. nice touch for everyone to just shut up and watch flair walk that aisle for the final time. this is worth buying the dvd for alone. incredible.

the bunnymania match- a good cooldown match. i even enjoyed it. they tried hard and didn't screw anything up. it wasn't a mat classic but everything they did was well executed and they didn't even blink during the power failure. ashley still is pretty bad. maria did pretty good and the heel team were both good. not bad at all.

cena vs triple h vs orton- i loved this triple threat match. fast paced. some new inventive spots and i love how the match ended and who won. a great triple threat match and a great match period. the 2nd best wrestlemania triple threat just a hair behind wm 20.

big show vs mayweather- i expected an atrocity. whoever booked this deserves a huge bonus. this match was entertaining and turned out being ten times better than i ever thought it could be. mayweather sold like a pro and big show looked great here. fun match.

edge vs undertaker- glad this went on last as i think taker should've been in the last match at wm 23 coming off his royal rumble win. him and edge go on to have a hell of a match. started off slow and built it into a great match. the final ten minutes were great and i loved the ending. taker breaking out a suprise and something new. the perfect ending to an incredible wrestlemania.

i hope to be there in person next year but this wrestlemania comes highly recommended. a very solid and entertaining four hours. my only complaint is we watched it in hd which is widescreen and the release info says fullscreen. i'm hoping that's a typo. it was shown in high def widescreen so the dvd should be widescreen too. that's just a personal gripe though. don't pass this one up though. it's a hell of a show.

EDIT: The WWE did the right thing and released this dvd in a spectacular quality 16x9 widescreen transfer which was one of the things that was greatly debated before release. I won't review it again but watching it a second time just brought back the memory of what a great event it was. An excellent wrestlemania. I can only imagine how great the blu-ray version looks but this dvd looks great as well and is in glorious widescreen. Kudos WWE!

I was very happy with this ppv. This is one of the best Wrestlemania's in my book. So thanks for reading and please coment or rate!

Finlay vs. JBL-Belfast Brawl
An ok opener. I wasn't very crazy about this match and just thought that it was kind of a filler. Really these two didn't have a good rivalry going and this should have just been on RAW. This would have been a good match if JBLOSER hadn't have made it so slow. But the only good thing about this match is that it has a lot of good weapon use.
Match rating:3/5

CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Mr.Kennedy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Carlito vs. MVP vs. John Morrison-Money In The Bank Ladder match
A good match. Just like all the other money in the bank ladder matches, this match has a lot of highflying moves by morrison, punk, carlito, and benjamin. A wild moment with Benjamin flipping off a ladder and landing and going through another, and the crazy top rope moonsault with a ladder by morrison. Clever ending with punk getting the case after jericho got stuck in the ladder.
match rating:4/5

Battle of the Brands
Batiista vs. Umaga
Ok match. These two didn't have a great rivalry going, but this match is almost solid. Both men had a lot of moments like batista getting a botched batista bomb.
Match rating:3.25/5

ECW championship
Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero
No comment.
match rating:1/5

Career threatening match
Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
Another classic put on by these two. Put these two in a match and you will get one freakin' awesome bout. This match was voted match of the year and i agree. This match had moments like hbk missing a moonsault and going through the announce table, the 2 sweet chin music's, and the "Im sorry, i love you" said by michaels. Great match here and worth watching.
Match rating:5/5

Playboy Bunnymania lumberjack match
Beth Phoenix and Melina vs. Maria and Ashely
Terrible match here. Only five minuets and this thing is over. This match had no action and was the worst match of the night.
Match rating:0/5

Triple threat match for the WWE championship
Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
Good, solid match here, but way too short. This match had a lot of aggressive action and was good. This match went from cen/orton, to cena/orton/hhh because of a elimination chamber a month earlier. Good moments like a crossbody electric chair on cena. Cheap win by orton getting the pin on cena after a pedigree and punt on triple h.
match rating:4/5

No Disqualification
Big Show vs. Floyd "Money" Mayweather
This match was what was headlining wrestlemania. But, in my opinion, this match was just all hype. This match was just plain out dominated by show. The match didn't get good until the end when Maywheather tried to leave and show put him back in the ring. Funny and great moment when show gets knocked out with brass knuckles.
match rating:2.75/5

World Heavyweight championship
Undertaker vs. Edge
This is one of their best and first encounter of 2008. The buildup for this match was great after taker won a #1 contendership elimination chamber at no way out. This match had everything from counters, to submissions, to finishers, to even a cheap interferance by the edge heads(hawkins and ryder). Great ending with taker winning by submission and making edge bleed from his mouth. Definatly a match worth watching.
Match rating:5/5

This ppv is highly recomended and a great way to start a collection. The best matches that are definatly worth watching are the world title, michaels/flair, and triple threat match.

Belfast Brawl: JBL vs. Finlay (with Hornswoggle)
Nothing like a good 'ole hardcore match to start off the evening at the WWE's biggest and most important event of the year. The match was actually pretty good, with Finlay taking some nasty head shots with trashcans and trashcan lids. There was some back-and-forth action, with JBL also taking quite a few bumps, including a counter by Finlay off of steel steps, and Hornswoggle beat the crap out of JBL with a kendo stick at one point. The highlight of the match was when Finlay dived through the middle ropes and JBL dodged him and smacked him right in the head with a trashcan lid. JBL ate a Celtic Cross and was thrown through a table set up in the corner, but still kicked out. The finish came when JBL took Hornswoggle out by throwing a trashcan at him and then hit Finlay with the Clothesline from Hell to get the win. Winner: JBL. Match Rating: 4/5

Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Carlito vs. Chris Jericho vs.CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin
Another great match but it really pales in comparison to last year's Money in the Bank. There were some sick ladder shots everywhere, but there wasn't really anything new we were seeing. Morrison hit a moonsault to the outside onto most of his opponents using a ladder, which was a sick spot. At one point, Kennedy was about to superplex John Morrison off a ladder, but Shelton Benjamin, climbing the ladder next to them, hit a sunset flip powerbomb on Mr. Kennedy off the ladder, causing Kennedy to hit the superplex on Morrison at the same time! That was awesome. Later in the match, Shelton Benjamin got taken out of the contest after he was spilled off a ladder and through a ladder set up like a bridge, similar to what Jeff Hardy did to Edge last year. It would have been much cooler if we hadn't already seen it before, is what I'm saying. Carlito hit a Backstabber to Jericho off a ladder, which was awesome, and Jericho and MVP had a little "jousting" spot with ladders that was also interesting. Carlito spit apples in Mr. Kennedy's face, and Morrison got knocked onto the top rope off a ladder right on his groin, ala Shawn Michaels. Jericho nailed CM Punk with a Codebreaker using a ladder, which was also a sweet spot, but at one point, everyone in the match was down except for MVP. MVP started climbing the ladder, but then Matt Hardy (!!!) ran out to a big pop and hit MVP with a Twist of Fate off the top of the ladder to prevent him from winning the match! The run-in was sweet, if not a little expected, and it was sweet, sweet justice since MVP had injured Matt months before. The end came when Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho on John Morrison using the ladder and Mr. Kennedy then attempted to grab the briefcase, but CM Punk hit him with a ladder in a way similar to how Kennedy hit CM Punk at last year's match. Jericho and Punk then battled over the briefcase, but Punk tripped Jericho, causing Jericho to get stuck in a ladder rung and allowing CM Punk to win the match. It was an amazing and phenomenal match, it just wasn't as good as last year's. Winner: CM Punk. Match Rating: 5/5

Battle for Brand Supremacy: Batista (with Theodore Long) vs. Umaga (with William Regal)
The consistantly good matches keep on rolling in for this pay-per-view. It's SmackDown! vs. Raw for this match, with Batista representing SmackDown and being managed by SmackDown's assistant General Manager Teddy Long, and Umaga being managed by Raw's General Manager William Regal. The match was pretty straight-forward, with Umaga actually dominating Batista for a good portion of the match, and the crowd even got behind Umaga a little. Batista did an excellent job of selling Umaga's submission maneuvers, no matter how stupid they were, and Umaga missed a flying headbutt off the second turnbuckle on Batista. Batista tried to scoop slam Umaga at another point, but Umaga converted the move into a crossbody. Later, Umaga tried to hit Batista with the Samoan Spike, but Batista powered out and hit the Spinebuster out of nowhere! He followed up with an astonishing Batista Bomb on the giant Umaga to get the pinfall and win the match for SmackDown!. Nothing amazing, but it was still a very solid and very entertaining match. Winner: Batista. Match Rating: 4/5

ECW Championship Match: Chavo Guerrero (Champion) vs. Kane
Wow, what a terrible idea. Instead of keeping the momentum and having an at least decent match between Chavo and Kane, the WWE decided to end this match in less than ten seconds. Basically, Kane starts out in the ring behind Chavo, having come through the crowd, gives Chavo a Chokeslam, and then pins him to win the ECW title. It's cool to see Kane with a championship again, but Chavo really deserves much more credit than to be beaten with a single move. Still, I'd rather have the crap short and sweet than long and painful. Winner: Kane. Match Rating: 2/5

Career Threatening Match: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels
Emotions. When a wrestling match makes you feel emotional, that's when you know it's an absolute classic. The stipulation was, once again, that if Ric Flair lost, he would be forced to retire. The match started out with a lot of powerful chops and with Flair and Michaels doing their usual routine, albeit with a lot more force put behind it. Flair took a lot of bumps, being dumped to the outside and landing pretty damn hard, but he nailed a picture-perfect flying crossbody on Michaels. At one point, Flair was resting against the announce table, and Michaels tried to hit him a springboard moonsault, but Flair moved out of the way, and Michaels hit his stomach on the edge of the table, with the rest of his body going through it! Absolutely breathtaking! Flair dominated for a portion of the match, focusing on Michael's now injured abdomen. Momentum went back to Michaels, and he nailed the Flying Elbow Drop! He then went for the Sweet Chin Music but hesitated at the last second. Flair tripped him and then locked on the Figure Four! Michaels was in the submission hold for a long time, but he got the ropes. Flair locked in the Figure Four Leg Lock again later, which led to a flurry of perfect counters from both competitors. The match went outside again, and Michaels hit a moonsault on Flair that was quite the spectacle. Back in the ring, Michaels hit Flair with the Sweet Chin Music, but astonishingly, Flair kicked out! Flair kicked Michaels in the groin, and when Michaels locked on the Figure Four, Flair's own maneuver, on the Nature Boy, Flair distracted the referee by taking the bottom turnbuckle off. This gave Flair the opportunity to poke Michaels in the eyes, just like the old days! The match continued with solid back-and-forth action, but Michaels went to a corner, ready to nail the Sweet Chin Music on Flair again. Tears were going down Michaels's cheeks, and Flair, bleeding from the mouth when Shawn slapped him in the face at the beginning of the match, stood up, ready to try to fight Michaels. Shawn said, "I'm sorry. I love you." and hit Flair with the Sweet Chin Music. That was all she wrote, and the legendary career of Ric Flair was brought to a close in one of the most emotional and heartbreaking matches in not only WrestleMania history, but the entire history of professional wrestling. Winner: Shawn Michaels. Match Rating: 5/5

Lumberjill Tag Team Match: Ashley and Maria vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina (with Santino Marella)
I was surprised that this match was actually good. Beth Phoenix is very talented as a wrestler and she reminds me of Chyna in so many ways, and coupled with the talent of Melina, I was still in doubt. I mean, Ashley and Maria are basically only known for their sexiness, and that's about all they're good for. Well, the match actually proved to be entertaining. Snoop Dogg was at ringside in a big old chair that looked like the King of the Ring chair, and there were a bunch of Lumberjills, basically all the other WWE Divas working for the company, surrounding the ring. Even Victoria was out there, which was nice. I miss her. Regardless, the match had some basic moves, with a surprisingly nice headscissors by Ashley, and Melina and Phoenix stole the show with an awesome moonsault off of Phoenix's shoulders by Melina. Santino interrupted a cover by Maria, so Jerry "The King" Lawler got up from his announcing seat and punched Santino in the face! Melina and Ashley and all the other Divas ended up in a brawl outside of the ring, and Phoenix took advantage of the chaos by hitting Maria with a stalled fisherman's suplex to get the pin. Winners: Beth Phoenix and Melina. Match Rating: 3/5

Triple Threat WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (Champion) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
This match literally made me laugh out loud by the end of it. Throughout the contest, Cena, Triple H, and Orton did their usual stuff, with Orton trying to use cheap tactics at the start by nailing Triple H in the face with the WWE Championship. Cena showed off by getting both Triple H and Orton on his shoulders, but Triple H fell off and then kicked Cena right in the groin! Orton performed a double DDT off the second rope to Triple H and Cena, and then couldn't decide who to RKO in a particularly entertaining part of the match where Orton was crawling around and drooling in anticipation. It was almost scary. Cena got up first, and Orton tried to RKO him, but Cena pushed him onto Triple H! The rest of the match was pretty solid, with Orton nailing the RKO on Triple H, who smartly rolled out of the ring, to Cena locking on the STFU on Orton. Triple H got back into the contest and started brawling with Cena, incapacitating him by throwing him so hard into the steel steps that they literally flew out of position. Back in the ring, Triple H tried a very well done inverted Indian death lock, but Cena broke up the submission. Orton then suffered yet another STFU from Cena, but Triple H broke it up by pulling Cena's arm away from Orton's face and locking in the Crossface! Cena got the ropes, unfortunately, and the match went on with Cena nailing his usual power moves and Triple H taking most of the pain. However, Triple H managed to hit Cena with the Pedigree out of nowhere! Triple H made the cover, but Orton punted Triple H in the head, his good `ole concussion kick, and then pinned Cena for the win! Hilarious ending! I love it when Cena loses, and it was awesome to see Randy Orton, the best bad guy around in WWE right now, retain his championship at WrestleMania. Winner: Randy Orton. Match Rating: 5/5

No Disqualification Match: Floyd "Money" Mayweather (with his entourage) vs. The Big Show
Just like the women's tag team match earlier, this match surprised me with its quality. Big Show took some sick jabs from Mayweather at the outset, and Mayweather outmatched Show with his speed. The fans were behind Big Show the entire time, which was great and it worked really well, especially when Big Show started nailing some moves back. Big Show actually stomped on Mayweather's arm, and he knocked a member of his entourage off the apron when Mayweather started mocking Big Show. Show gave one of Mayweather's entourage members a sick chop across the chest, and then followed up with one for Mayweather. Mayweather and his entourage then started to retreat down the ramp, but Big Show followed them, taking out a few members of Mayweather's entourage, and then dragged Mayweather by his head back down to the ring! Show was about to nail his Chokeslam, but a member of Mayweather's entourage ran in and smacked Show in the back with a chair. Show responded with a Chokeslam for this guy, but then ate a chair to the head and back from Mayweather! Mayweather then hit Big Show with two absolutely sick chair shots, and then pulled some brass knuckles off of one of his unconscious entourage members. Mayweather straight-up punched Show right in the face with the brass knuckles and pinned him for the win. It's disappointing that we didn't get to see Mayweather get Chokeslammed, but the match was pretty entertaining, and it was cool to see the fans behind Big Show. Winner: Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Match Rating: 4/5

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge (Champion) vs. The Undertaker
Undertaker always gives spectacular performances at WrestleMania, and with someone talented as Edge as his opponent, we all know that this match was going to be great the second it was booked. And man, it was. It started off fast and exciting, with a lot of powerful moves being used by both wrestlers, with Undertaker doing a variation of the Stone Cold Stunner using the ring rope, and Edge doing the same thing, only as a neckbreaker. At one point, Edge went to the top, but Undertaker knocked him to the outside, causing Edge to flip and just SMACK right on the ground! OUCH! Undertaker then dove out of the ring like he usually does, and nailed Edge with an amazing flying clothesline. Back in the ring, some more sweet spots were pulled, and Edge was actually dominating the match for a good portion of it, even nailing a superplex on Undertaker. Edge countered Old School twice, as well as the Snake Eyes/big boot combination, but Undertaker countered a Spear attempt by Edge. As the match went on, more solid and entertaining wrestling transpired, with Undertaker going for a knee in the corner, but ended up being dumped to the outside. Undertaker hit a Chokeslam on Edge finally, but Edge managed to kick out!!! Undertaker went for the Last Ride, but Edge ended up nailing a neckbreaker out of nowhere! Edge got frustrated and called for the Tombstone Piledriver...and ACTUALLY GOT UNDERTAKER IN THE POSITION! Undertaker countered the move into his own Tombstone and...EDGE KICKED OUT!!! Wow!!! Edge is really becoming a big thing in the WWE, and he's going to be in the Hall of Fame if he keeps putting on extraordinary matches like this. Edge dodged a big boot that hit the referee, and Edge took advantage of this opportunity by hitting Undertaker with a camera he stole from a cameraman on the outside of the ring, even knocking the cameraman flat on his butt! Undertaker still kicked out! Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins ran out after Undertaker nailed the Last Ride I believe it was, but Undertaker Chokeslammed one of them off of the apron and onto the other one in an absolutely sickening way! This gave Edge the opportunity to nail the Spear...BUT UNDERTAKER KICKED OUT AGAIN! The ending came when Edge nailed yet ANOTHER Spear, but Undertaker countered it out of nowhere into Hell's Gates, and Edge, bleeding profusely from his mouth, ended up tapping out. Phenomenal match. Winner: The Undertaker. Match Rating: 5/5


BACKSTAGE SHENANIGANS

There was a lot going on at WrestleMania XXIV. There were interviews, musical performances, and appearances by celebrities, including Raven Samone and Snoop Dogg, as well as Kim Kardashian. Snoop Dogg nailing Santino with a clothesline, and Dogg's interview that also included Mick Foley and Festus as part of the proceedings was pretty entertaining. The Hall of Fame highlights were tearjerking, and Mae Young's appearance was pretty funny. Edge gave a pretty good promo to hype up his match with Undertaker. It all went very smooth and surprise appearances by our favorite superstars was great. Rating: 5/5


EXTRAS

The entirety of the Hall of Fame ceremony is included. This is great, though a lot of the speeches just seem to drag on, especially Rocky Johnson's. The Rock's return to the WWE to induct his father was great fun, hilarious, and spine-tingling as he hinted towards "one more match", and even expressed interest in wrestling John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, and even Stone Cold Steve Austin one more time. Also included on the Extras is the Battle Royal for the #1 contender's spot in the ECW Championship match that took place later that night. Since you know who wins and the thing was just an excuse to get all of the WWE superstars an appearance at WrestleMania XXIV, it's not really that great, though there are some cool spots. Rating: 4/5


OVERALL EVENT

Almost all of the matches were absolutely wonderful. The opening match was a hardcore bout that was very entertaining, while the momentum continued with the always astonishing Money in the Bank ladder match, as well as an impressive battle between Batista and Umaga. The Flair/Michaels match was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once, plus it was simply a great showing between two of wrestling's biggest stars. The only disappointments were the tag team women's match (though it had its moments), and the ECW Championship match between Kane and Chavo. Big Show/Mayweather was great fun, and both the WWE Championship match and the World Heavyweight Championship match was great. I just can't get enough of John Cena getting pinned.

I've been a huge wrestling fan ever since I was a small child. I've seen every WrestleMania and I can honestly say that this is the best one ever. Everything that was great about WrestleMania for the previous 23 years you can find in this one event. I recommend this event for every wrestling fan, past and present. Standout matches include Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair, Edge vs. Undertaker, and the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Do yourself a favor and purchase this event. You won't regret it.

Sure this is not the best wrestlemania or great. But for less than 30 bucks you get 8 hours (4 main event and 4 from hall of event) in HD ! amazing transfer, despite is their first ever blu-ray disk, they did a amzing job, only thing they didn't do too well they lack upgrade their audio, is only 640kb. Transfer is sharp as what it should be. If you had any interest with wwe and own a blu-ray player this is no brainer over regular dvd. You won't go back to dvd once you see in HD!