WrestleMania 22 Thoughts
WrestleMania 22 was the 22nd Annual WrestleMania taking place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Illinois. Attendence was said to be 17,155 as it would be the last WrestleMania taking place in an Arena as the followings WMs would all be held in Stadiums. WrestleMania 22 is regarded to be one the better WrestleManias and often given credit to WWE for it's hard-work of buildup due to last minute changes headed up to the season. Few changes of the show would include the World Heavyweight Championship match and HBK's match as both were changed months before due to Batista unfortunately needing surgery as he was suppose to face Randy Orton and Eddie Guerrero's passing as HBK vs. Eddie Guerrero was the dream interpromotional match Vince had planned. The World title would instead be placed on Kurt Angle as he defended against Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. HBK would be involved in a feud against Mr. McMahon as they battled in a No Holds Barred. John Cena vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship was the main event and Edge/Mick Foley also made a huge impact tonight.
The Good - Edge vs. Mick Foley was what I would say the match that Mick Foley should be credited for as the moment he made Edge a future top guy on the chain. Edge's cash in against Cena months prior was overshadowed by it's timing and Edge losing it back but this match made Edge probably the most memorable Superstar of this entire show. The blood and build up to this feud and have an outstanding match was just phenomenal. I thought both world title matches were good. Major improvements over the previous WMs title matches. The Money in the Bank Match was what I would say one of the weak Money in the Bank matches of all the good ones in the category (if that makes sense). RVD being the winner was a perfect choice and good booking to the fans as RVD for years was leading in the midcard. Last thing, The Women's Championship match was good. It was about time WWE booked a proper female WrestleMania match as for years the Divas division at the time was used as a joke at WrestleMania (unfortunately this would continue the next year).
The Meh - I would honestly give credit to the WWE for the changes but I still think there were better options for the card. Like Rey Mysterio winning was special but his time as World Champion proved putting him up the top due to his best friend's passing wasn't a bright idea. The Ladder Match was good but I thought it could have been better had 3/6 of the participants would have been changed. I also seen the original footage of this show and WWE did a lot of bad editing from the looks of the WWE Network version (not just talking about Mickie/Trish;) ).
The Bad - Opening was bland. At least someone like Carlito being in a snooze fest Opening was kinda sad. I probably will get heat for this but I was never a fan of Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon. It's simply just Shawn beating the crap out of Vince 90% of the match. I normally get surprised with all the praise this match gets. Also the length of the Triple Threat Match getting cut for some time of the Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle pillow fight was plain disrespectful. Boogeyman vs. Booker T/Sharmel is atrocious.
Overall - I find this to be one of the most overrated WrestleManias. I'm normally not that picky guy when it comes to opinions but this one doesn't quite impress me honestly. It's not a bad show but I think this could have been a heck of a lot better.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Big Show & Kane: World Tag Team Championship - 1.5/5
2. Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Bobby Lashlay vs. Ric Flair: Money in the Bank (Ladder Match) - 3.5/5
3. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Chris Benoit: United States Championship - 2/5
4. Edge vs. Mick Foley (Hardcore Match) - 4.5/5
5. Booker T & Sharmel vs. Boogeyman - 0/5
6. Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James: Women's Championship - 3/5
7. Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match - 1.5/5
8. Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred) - 2/5
9. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle: World Heavyweight Championship - 3.5/5
10. Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle - I skipped this
11. Triple H vs. John Cena: WWE Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Edge vs. Mick Foley
Worst Match - Booker T/Sharmel vs. Boogeyman
Most Memorable Moment - Edge's Spear to Mick Foley on Flame Table
Top 5 Performers
1. Edge
2. Mick Foley
3. John Cena
4. Triple H
5. Rob Van Dam.
WrestleMania 22 was the 22nd Annual WrestleMania taking place on April 2, 2006, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont Illinois. Attendence was said to be 17,155 as it would be the last WrestleMania taking place in an Arena as the followings WMs would all be held in Stadiums. WrestleMania 22 is regarded to be one the better WrestleManias and often given credit to WWE for it's hard-work of buildup due to last minute changes headed up to the season. Few changes of the show would include the World Heavyweight Championship match and HBK's match as both were changed months before due to Batista unfortunately needing surgery as he was suppose to face Randy Orton and Eddie Guerrero's passing as HBK vs. Eddie Guerrero was the dream interpromotional match Vince had planned. The World title would instead be placed on Kurt Angle as he defended against Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. HBK would be involved in a feud against Mr. McMahon as they battled in a No Holds Barred. John Cena vs. Triple H for the WWE Championship was the main event and Edge/Mick Foley also made a huge impact tonight.
The Good - Edge vs. Mick Foley was what I would say the match that Mick Foley should be credited for as the moment he made Edge a future top guy on the chain. Edge's cash in against Cena months prior was overshadowed by it's timing and Edge losing it back but this match made Edge probably the most memorable Superstar of this entire show. The blood and build up to this feud and have an outstanding match was just phenomenal. I thought both world title matches were good. Major improvements over the previous WMs title matches. The Money in the Bank Match was what I would say one of the weak Money in the Bank matches of all the good ones in the category (if that makes sense). RVD being the winner was a perfect choice and good booking to the fans as RVD for years was leading in the midcard. Last thing, The Women's Championship match was good. It was about time WWE booked a proper female WrestleMania match as for years the Divas division at the time was used as a joke at WrestleMania (unfortunately this would continue the next year).
The Meh - I would honestly give credit to the WWE for the changes but I still think there were better options for the card. Like Rey Mysterio winning was special but his time as World Champion proved putting him up the top due to his best friend's passing wasn't a bright idea. The Ladder Match was good but I thought it could have been better had 3/6 of the participants would have been changed. I also seen the original footage of this show and WWE did a lot of bad editing from the looks of the WWE Network version (not just talking about Mickie/Trish;) ).
The Bad - Opening was bland. At least someone like Carlito being in a snooze fest Opening was kinda sad. I probably will get heat for this but I was never a fan of Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon. It's simply just Shawn beating the crap out of Vince 90% of the match. I normally get surprised with all the praise this match gets. Also the length of the Triple Threat Match getting cut for some time of the Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle pillow fight was plain disrespectful. Boogeyman vs. Booker T/Sharmel is atrocious.
Overall - I find this to be one of the most overrated WrestleManias. I'm normally not that picky guy when it comes to opinions but this one doesn't quite impress me honestly. It's not a bad show but I think this could have been a heck of a lot better.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Big Show & Kane: World Tag Team Championship - 1.5/5
2. Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Bobby Lashlay vs. Ric Flair: Money in the Bank (Ladder Match) - 3.5/5
3. John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Chris Benoit: United States Championship - 2/5
4. Edge vs. Mick Foley (Hardcore Match) - 4.5/5
5. Booker T & Sharmel vs. Boogeyman - 0/5
6. Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James: Women's Championship - 3/5
7. Undertaker vs. Mark Henry (Casket Match - 1.5/5
8. Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon (No Holds Barred) - 2/5
9. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle: World Heavyweight Championship - 3.5/5
10. Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle - I skipped this
11. Triple H vs. John Cena: WWE Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Edge vs. Mick Foley
Worst Match - Booker T/Sharmel vs. Boogeyman
Most Memorable Moment - Edge's Spear to Mick Foley on Flame Table
Top 5 Performers
1. Edge
2. Mick Foley
3. John Cena
4. Triple H
5. Rob Van Dam.