7:00pm: Lillian Garcia opens up the show with a rousing rendition of "God Bless America." How much do you think fans had to pay to have their views of the ring obstructed by one of four giant palm trees?
7:07pm: As anticipated, the first official match of the night is Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan. It's kinda strange to have these guys coming out with the sun still up.
7:08pm: Add Daniel Bryan's Ric Flair robe to the list of apparel that should be for sale on wweshop.com - along with Jericho's LED jacket and Sheamus' medallion.
7:10pm: What?! I'm entertained, though I'm also unsure this bodes well for me feeling like I got my (I'm a little too embarrassed to put the actual number here) bucks worth. However, isn't this exactly how the Cena-Rock match would go, if wrestling weren't fake? Also, would it not be the best thing EVER if Sheamus and Bryan grabbed a mic, said, "April Fools!" and started the match over again?
7:13pm: If less Sheamus-Bryan time means more Big Johnny time, I support it.
7:17pm: The entrance ramp tonight is badass!
7:18pm: Despite being on Smackdown, I'm not so sure blue is Randy Orton's best color.
I promise, some of these comments will become more substantive as the night progress (some).
7:30pm: After a slow start, Kane-Orton turned into a decent match with some big moments. It's interesting that Kane won - suggests that the feud will continue. I suspected that the match was just filler for what is a long pay-per-view, so if they can turn it into something more it'll be a good thing. That being said, they need to make the conflict at all interesting if they expect anyone to start caring about it.
7:35pm: Cody Rhodes' robe > Daniel Bryan's robe.
7:40pm: I'm rooting for Big Show to leave Wrestlemania as the Intercontinental Champion. It would give his character something to do other then being the world's largest athlete, and it would set up an angle in which Rhodes could get retribution without regaining the title, and then be propelled into the World Heavyweight Championship picture.
7:44pm: I'm feeling better about the anonymous sum of money I paid to watch this.
7:45pm: Is that Big Show's wifey? Why am I struggling to come up with an inappropriate nickname for her right now?
7:47pm: And we can add Beth Phoenix's headband to the aforementioned list for wweshop.com.
7:50pm: I was hoping the Divas match would be scheduled closer to 8:30 - I was hoping to use it as the break I need to cook dinner.
7:51pm: Just noticed that the WWE fake tan's don't look out of place when they're performing outdoors, in Miami.
7:53pm: I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the first bit of actual wrestling we've seen tonight occurred during this match, but still...
7:57pm: There were some impressive moments in that match from a wrestling standpoint. Beth Phoenix is really good, and Kelly Kelly did her part. But the finish was weak. There was no reason for Beth to be diminished like that - here's what should have happened:
Regardless of which team won, Beth Phoenix should have attacked Kelly Kelly and Maria Menu-I-don't-actually-know-her-last-name until Kharma, Natalya or even Trish Stratus came out to make the save. That would have provided a high-impact moment as well as established an interesting arc going forward. Maybe Kharma isn't ready? Maybe Trish isn't available, either for the evening or for the followup? But Natalya's there, wasting away her talents just like Beth. Sad.
8:13pm: Haha - Shawn Michaels can't take his eyes off of the Undetaker's bald head.
8:14pm: "Carcinogenic right hand"? I miss Good Ole JR!
8:39pm: This is absolutely riveting!
8:42pm: I was not a fan of HBK being named the referee for this match, but Michaels has played the part perfectly, significantly adding to the drama and gravity of the moment.
8:47pm: That match alone was worth my $64.95. That's right, I said it.
As I am with every Hell-in-a-Cell match that doesn't ascend to the top of the structure, I was a little disappointed that didn't happen, but HHH and The Undertaker put on a match befitting of the era they're closing. It would have been nice if the build to the match was more entertaining, but that's forgotten now. This was an iconic moment for two of the industry's largest icons.
8:51pm: And now, with Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy presumably up next, it's time to break to cook dinner.* With regards to that match, all I care about is that Team Johnny is victorious - I could care less how.
*Why am I not just ordering sushi?
8:55pm: My girlfriend is cooking dinner so I can watch Wrestlemania interrupted. I have the world's best girlfriend!
8:57pm: Haha - Edge and Jack Swagger have clearly been going to the same barber.
9:04pm: Kofi Kingston's track suit > Beth Phoenix's headband > Cody Rhodes' robe > Daniel Bryan's robe, but I want them all!**
**For the record, I want the headband as a gag gift for my sister.
9:18pm: I didn't watch all of that match, but the finish was excellent. Ryder came in on fire after the hot tag and with the Miz and Ziggler executed some outstanding moves. I also like how Eve was used - much better in this match than her own. More importantly, Miz got the pin, hopefully igniting a bit of a push for him.
9:21pm: Please tell me Alex Rodriguez's view is obstructed by a giant palm tree, please...
9:40pm: I love the lose-title-by-disqualification stipulation added to the Jericho-Punk match - it allows Jericho (and Punk) to perform at his very best. This should be the highest quality match of the night, and it's been good so far.
9:56pm: Great match, but I hate that Jericho tapped. However, the WWE can do a lot with this if Jericho comes back at CM Punk more vicious than before. CM Punk did deserve his Wrestlemania moment based on everything he's achieved since last summer, and I'm glad he got it.
10:01pm: I... have... no... words!
10:08pm: Touch the furry wall!
Are these going to be the entrance songs for Cena and Rock? Wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.
10:10pm: Rap to a live drum makes rap at least five times better than it otherwise is.
10:15pm: In the battle of the entrance songs, advantage Cena (seeing as how MGK is actually performing hip hop while Flo-Rida is a weak pop artists).
10:22pm: Everyone realizes that all this filler is the result of the WWE's fear that The Rock can't hack it for an extended match anymore - or that he'll forget what the plan is unless he has it written on his wrist.
10:32pm: Smart move having Cena assume the heel role in this match by dictating its flow and maintaining the upper hand early. It plays better to the crowd - building towards an eruption when The Rock makes any comebacks - and negates any ring rust The Rock may have. What's really interesting is how old-school Cena's style is - as he is the uber-babyface, we rarely get to see him operate in this fashion.
10:35pm: Nice flurry by The Rock culminating in an epic spinebuster - and nice job by Cena taking that bump.
10:43pm: I'll give the man some credit - I'm impressed with how well The Rock has dictated the second stretch of this match.
10:50pm: Cena takes that sprinebuster bump so well!
10:55pm: That was an outstanding finishing sequence, but also a stupid finishing sequence. I don't understand the decision to have The Rock win - unless it was another Vince McMahon swerve worrying that too many people assumed Cena would win. Ultimately I agree with Cole - there wasn't really a loser in that match. Cena hoisting The Rock from the mat, then above his head to deliver the AA was the most impressive act we saw all night!
Overall, I'm impressed and satisfied by the quality of the performance John Cena and The Rock put on, and am willing to be patient for tomorrow night to see if the WWE can make sense of Cena's defeat.
Thanks for bearing with me through my first Wrestlemania experience in quite some time!
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