WrestleMania 21 was special for several reasons. Namely, it marked a changing of the guard in pro wrestling. The Rock had gone on to Hollywood, and Stone Cold Steve Austin had retired two years prior. While workhorses like Triple H, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero carried the WWE through a transition year in 2004, they were in need of some star power. The Attitude Era was ushered out, and the era of Ruthless Aggession hit its pinnacle. They found those stars in John Cena, Batista, Edge, and Randy Orton.
But, WrestleMania 21 was also a master class in marketing. ‘WrestleMania Goes Hollywood’ and what have you. Who can forget those epic shorts re-creating Hollywood classics? JBL and Cena re-enacting A Few Good Men, Guerrero and Booker T doing Pulp Fiction – all of it culminating with Austin doing Gladiator. The whole look and feel of WrestleMania 21 exuded Hollywood.
It was a compact show, too – going against the conventional norm of having a lengthy card with plenty of mid-card and undercard matches. Instead, they had eight matches on the main show and a dark match battle royal.
It’s also worth pointing out that I was a much different wrestling fan at the time. I thought I knew it all – that I had the WWE completely figured out if only they’d listen to me. I was the 2005 equivalent of the dudes in 2019 sitting in crowds chanting ‘C.M. Punk.’ I’ve mellowed out as a wrestling fan since then – that’s safe to say.
So, every year during WrestleMania season, I pick a show or two to re-watch in anticipation of pro wrestling’s biggest holiday. This year, that show was WrestleMania 21. It was fun to reflect on ‘Mania 21 – namely because it took me back to fond memories of simpler times. It also pointed out just how much I’d changed in the last 14 years. Time flies, folks. But, before this post gets too sentimental – let’s hit the main show.
WrestleMania 21 Card
Rey Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero – Again, through the lens of a smarky know-it-all kid, I turned my nose up on this bout at first. “It’s good, but the tag team champs should DEFEND THE TITLES AT WRESTLEMANIA!” Going back and watching it again, it was pretty much the perfect opening contest. Not to mention, it pretty much kicked off one of WWE’s most iconic rivalries that culminated with the custody of a child on the line in a ladder match. Rating: 7.5/10. Fun, uptempo match between two of the greatest of all time.
Edge wins Money In The Bank I – In hindsight, I was incredibly stupid. I remember at the time thinking, “this is just a way to get all these guys they don’t know what to do with on the show!” Maybe to a certain extent that was true, especially as the match evolved in later years. But, I didn’t see it as a bona fide star-maker. Hell, I thought Chris Benoit was going to win it! Did NOT see this spring-boarding Edge’s career the way that it did. I never understood why this match ranked so high on everyone’s ‘Best WrestleMania Matches’ list. That changed when I re-watched it. It’s a prime example of how to handle a multi-man ladder match. Rating: 7/10. A fun human demolition derby that launched one of the greatest heel runs in WWE history.
Hulk Hogan saves Eugene – God, re-watching the Eugene bit was cringeworthy. And then, Muhammad Hassan showed up. Jesus. What were you thinking, 2005? Still, never going to turn down the opportunity to watch Hulk Hogan hit the ring and hulk up on assholes.
The Undertaker def. Randy Orton – It feels like this was the first year that the WWE used the streak for storyline purposes. Orton was the perfect guy to do it, this coming at the height of the ‘Legend Killer’ gimmick. This was far from their best match, and it felt odd to see ‘Taker going in the third match. But, on such a stacked compact card, it made sense. I remember liking it a lot at the time, and liking it less upon re-watching. Rating: 6.5/10. A lot of fun shenanigans in this one, and some real moments of doubt that ‘Taker might not win. Fun, but these two would go on to have some epic battles later.
WWE Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus def. Christy Hemme – Bless their hearts, they tried. I remembered this being a horrible match, and it pretty well was. For some reason, 2005 Stoney remembers this match lasting forever. It really didn’t – I thought it was relatively quick and painless. Rating: 2/10. One of the worst WrestleMania Women’s Championship matches in history.
Kurt Angle def. Shawn Michaels – An instant classic. I loved it at the time I saw it, but found myself completely blown away upon re-watching. How can I compile words in a way that does this one justice? Rating: 9.5/10. Probably one of my five favorite matches of all time. About as perfect as it could get.
Piper’s Pit with Stone Cold Steve Austin – Nice to see Carlito get some shine, but otherwise, a forgettable bit if you ask me. Let my heart rate slow down a bit.
Sumo Match: Akebono def. Big Show – You know what? I’m going to say it – I didn’t hate this. I know it’s blasphemous, and obviously being the genius I was in 2005, I shit all over it. But, watching it again in 2019, I caught myself being quite amused by it. Perfect spot on the card, too – giving people a chance to catch their breath after an all-time classic and before the two championship bouts. Rating: 5/10. @ me, cowards.
WWE Championship: John Cena def. JBL – I loved JBL’s WWE Championship run, but this marked a necessary changing of the guard. Cena was red hot, really from late 2003 on. This coronation was a long time coming, and it was a nice nod to the work that JBL put in throughout WWE’s transition year to give him the WWE Championship match slot. But, outside of that, I don’t think this one was anything other-worldly. I caught myself zoning out re-watching it. Rating: 6/10. Not the best, but a quality effort to get the strap on Cena for the first time. It was all about that shot of Cena raising the gold.
World Heavyweight Championship: Batista def. Triple H – It’s one of my favorite WrestleMania builds of all time. The whole arc of Evolution and how we got to this point was brilliant. The ‘thumbs down’ promo was re-enacted countless times throughout my life. Batista was THE GUY. The match? Well…upon re-watching, I don’t it exactly packed the punch it could have. Rating: 6.5/10. It pales in comparison to the Hell in a Cell match these two had later in 2005, but a serviceable main event, for sure.
Overall: 7/10. I don’t know if it belongs atop the list of great WrestleManias, but this was a unique show. It definitely stands the test of time, and belongs somewhere in the top 10. I’m not putting it ahead of 22, XIX, X-Seven, or, XXX, but it could very well take up that #5 spot.
The way the show was low on backstage shenanigans and put all of the action in the ring, it felt like watching a modern day NXT show. I loved the look, the set, and the flow of the show. But, I’m a sucker for the gigantic venue, and this show did miss that sort of grandiose atmosphere.
In a way, it felt like this show had six main events, too. It could’ve used a strong mid-card Intercontinental/United States Championship match. But, that’s nit-picking. This was a fun look-back on one of the WWE’s most interesting transition periods and an action-packed shows.
All in all, WrestleMania 21 will go down as one of the most distinct WrestleManias of all time.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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