On May 19, 2009, WWE will finally release the Wrestlemania dvd set for Wrestlemania 25. The 3 disc set will contain the Wrestlemaina XXV matches you’ve seen on the PPV and the following contents according to Silver Vision’s UK site:
Home Video Exclusive
Lumberjack Match for the Unified Tag Team Championship
Carlito & Primo vs. The Miz & John Morrison
WWE 2009 Hall of Fame Ceremony April 4, 2009
* Terry & Dory Funk
* Koko B. Ware
* The Von Erichs
* Howard Finkel
* Bill Watts
* Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
* Stone Cold Steve Austin
WrestleMania Highlights
* WrestleMania Highlight
* WrestleMania 2 Highlight
* WrestleMania III Highlight
* WrestleMania IV & V Highlight
* WrestleMania VI Highlight
* WrestleMania VII Highlight
* WrestleMania VIII Highlight
* WrestleMania IX Highlight
* WrestleMania X Highlight
* WrestleMania XI Highlight
* WrestleMania XII Highlight
* WrestleMania 13 Highlight
* WrestleMania XIV Highlight
* WrestleMania XV Highlight
* WrestleMania 2000 Highlight
* WrestleMania X-Seven Highlight
* WrestleMania X-8 Highlight
* WrestleMania XIX Highlight
* WrestleMania XX Highlight
* WrestleMania 21 Highlight
* WrestleMania 22 Highlight
* WrestleMania 23 Highlight
* WrestleMania XXIV Highlight
You can scroll below for my personal review of the matches or click Wrestlemania DVD to know more about the DVD.
The matches, for those who don’t know include:
C.M. Punk vs. Mark Henry vs. Kane vs. Finlay vs. Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian - Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
This is a good MITB match, not as good as the past few years, but the highlighted spots performed by Kofi Kingston were quite impressive. Even Kane and Henry managed to help the flow of the match despite their sizes. The only down point was Christian never got to win and outshine Kofi and he lost to CM Punk despite the majority of the fan support.
7 / 10
25 Diva Battle Royale
There were 2 joke matches on the event, and this is the first. Despite hyping it as the greatest Diva Battle Royale where the Legends of the Divas will participate and hopefully be crowned as Miss Wrestlemania, it was a slap to all the Divas who participated. Trish, Lita, Blaze, the 3 most dominate Divas in history, never showed up. Instead, it was all an angle set up for the Santina Marella character, which was another joke……a major letdown.
1/10
Chris Jericho vs. Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper & Ricky Steamboat - 3 on 1 Handicap Match
I was hoping Hogan would showed up surprising and hulked up on Jercho, but….never happen. I have a lot of respect for the legends in this match, but Hot Rod is no longer hot and Superfly can’t fly anymore, as they demonstrated or lack of demonstrated in the match. The surprise is really the Dragon Steamboat. For a brief moment, he reminded me of his prime time working with Savage in Wrestlemania III as he was going toe to toe with Jericho and showed he still can fly through the air with grace. Ric Flair getting in the ring was expected but it was too short and I never really enjoyed the Mickey part.
6/10
Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy - Extreme Rules
Not as good as their old encounters. Despite the violence of the match, it never reached any climates I have felt before from watching their matches. Despite having Tables, Chairs, and Ladders, this match is still never quite as good as any of their TLC matches.
6/10
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. JBL - Intercontinental Match
The 2nd joke match I was talking about. Instead of letting Rey getting his win the hard and glorify way…..JBL should never have agreed to this squash match, he deserved much better even if you don’t like his character. Only if Kid Rock would sang two less songs……the minutes could have gone to this match.
1/10
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
This is the main reason to watch this Wrestlemania, this is the match that should have gone last. This is the match that has the perfect hype. This is the match to see whom is the greater legend still performing today. This is Mr. Wrestlemania vs. the Phenom of Wrestlemania. This match is filled with emotions, intensity, great counters followed by some more great counters that were followed by a few great false finishes that got the whole stadium excited. They didn’t really stole the show as this match is the Show itself. This is a Hell of a match which witness that while The Undertaker is really the Phenom of the WWE, Shawn Michaels is still Mr. Wrestlemania despite the loss.
9/10
John Cena vs. Big Show vs. Edge - World Championship
For people who hate John Cena, don’t bother to read any further. For others, this is the better of the two world championship matches. All wrestlers had the chance to prove their dominance throughout the matches, which was highlighted by Cena carrying both Show and Edge on his shoulders before recording the win. This is not the best triple thread match in Wrestllemania history ( Jericho vs. Angle vs. Benoit and Shawn Michaels vs Triple H vs Benoit were better ones).
7/10
Randy Orton vs. Triple H - WWE Championship
This is one of the best build ups leading to a Wrestlemania Main Event, the match itself, however, was something else. It was slow and boring at times, as reflected by the crowd. The no DQ stipulation really hurt the match as after the long, intense buildups, fans would love to see the McMahon’s or Legacy run-ins. That never happened and the clean pinfall of Orton by Triple H really hurts the rivalry if it is suppose to go longer than a few months. This is indeed a letdown match and definitely not even close to the best Wrestlemania main event in its 25 th history.
6/10
Overall, this is a decent Wrestlemania with one hell of a match, a couple good matches, and 2 really lame matches. But then if you haven seen this Wrestlemania and felt good about it, be sure to grab a copy upon release. Even if you don’t like the matches, the bonus and extras on this set should win you over.
For more indepth contents and match listing, click Wrestlemania DVD.
Wrestlemania Information
Nicknamed "The Grandaddy of Them All", Wrestlemania is a worldwide global wrestling event that draws the attention of millions of wrestling and entertainment fans every year. First produced by WWE owner Vince McMahon in 1985, it has lasted for more than 25 editions, with the 26th anniversary taking place in 2010.
Since its creation, It has quickly become the most prominent event in professional wrestling. Its popularity and success have helped many of WWE’s superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, and more to the rise of stardom. It is also currently the dream of thousands of wrestlers and fans alike to be able to participate in the Superbowl of professional wrestling. To most wrestlers, being able to partake in the event is considered to be highlight of their careers and most would be label as having unsuccessful careers if their names do not show up on the event card.
Wrestlemania usually takes place in late March or early April annually. Most of the television shows such as Raw and Smackdown are designed to eventually reach their climax at the event, which features most of the organization’s championship titles, especially the World Heavyweight Title and WWE’s own World Title. Besides these, the event is also well known for putting up specialty and gimmick matches such as the recently addition of Money in the Bank, where the only way to be declared the winner is to climb a ladder in an attempt to reach a briefcase suspended high above the ring while fending off five to seven competitors. This fast pace and exciting match, filled with high flying maneuvers, amazing aerobics and stunts, have been a fan favorite since its inauguration five years ago.
Just How big is Wrestlemania? For a typical wrestling event, sports arenas is usually the prefer method of attendances. However, nine of the 25 editions have been held in large stadiums used by the NFL and the MLB. Those attendances goes from the low 54,097 at the 19th edition in Seattle to the current world indoor attendance record of 93,173 in Pontiac, Michigan at the event’s 3rd anniversary. That edition is widely considered to be the pinnacle of the wrestling boom in the 1980s and was the largest paying attendance in professional wrestling at that time.
Perhaps some of the greatest wrestling moments occurred at Wrestlemania. Long time wrestling fans will mention Hulk body slamming Andre the Giant, the acclaim match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat, the Ultimate Showdown, the classic Ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, the 60 minute Iron Man, Stone Cold’s first world championship, the various Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, The Rock and Hogan showdown, the emotional retirement of Ric Flair, and the Undefeated 17-0 streak of the Undertaker.
Due to the popularity and the wide appeal of Wrestlemania, many celebrities have participated with different levels of involvement throughout the 25 years. The first edition witnessed boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Mr. T. The second edition saw a 20 man battle royal pitting WWE superstars against NFL players. Mike Tyson appeared at XIV as the special guest enforcer, while professional welterweight boxer Flyod "Money"Mayweather battled The Big Show at XXIV. Even business tycoon Donald Trump was featured in a Hair vs. Hair match against owner Vince McMahon at the 23rd edition. The latest saw Oscar-nominated best actor Mickey Rourke as a spectator for a match that ended with him delivering a knock out blow to wrestler Chris Jericho.
Furthermore, many renowned musicians such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Little Richard, Boyz II Men, Ashanti, John Legend, Motorhead, Limp Bizkit, and Kid Rock have also performed at the events.
After a quarter of a century, Wrestlemania is still not showing its aging legs since cities around the world continue to wrestle for their right to hold the event in their respective cities. The impact of the event is certain because those cities know Wrestlemania have brought in millions of dollars of revenues to the host cities through the years. Would we continue to witness astounding matches and moments from the event in the future? The answer is simple: Definitely.
