By Shawn Valentino, PWTorch Specialist

The most amazing experience a wrestling fan can enjoy is being in the audience for a WrestleMania. I have attended seven of the last eight Manias and no matter the match quality, every year the spectacle is sensational. Attending the "25th Anniversary" of WrestleMania live generated a mixture of many emotions, ranging from utter boredom to sheer exhilaration. It exemplified everything both good and bad about the wrestling business.

Perhaps more than any other year, this WrestleMania suffered from a jumbled buildup that hurt many of the actual matches on the show. The WWE should study the crowd reactions for Money In the Bank, the Hardys match and especially the Orton versus Triple H debacle and realize that convoluted storylines and stale characters will severely hurt the final product.

At the same time, they can take a look at The Undertaker-Shawn Michaels masterpiece and understand that planning, patience, and focus can result in something truly special. Today, I will attempt to share with you all a live perspective on the entertainment value of a historic occasion for the wrestling world.

Miz and Morrison versus Carlito and Primo: Tag Team Title Unification Match

With the WWE's bizarre lack of regard for their tag division, wrestling fans saw this one for what it was, two meaningless championships converted into one. Even so, none of us could have imagined that this match would not even make it on pay per view. Thankfully, the live audience was treated to a very good opener that was better than most of the matches on the actual show. The last few years, I spent the dark match at the concession stands, but I did not want to miss this.

Like some of the other matches on this show, it also felt disconnected to the back-story of the contest, which focused on the Bella twins more than the titles. Nobody was complaining because it was nonstop action from bell to bell. This was a really exciting match featuring four young stars that got the crowd hot. Primo and Morrison showcased their athleticism, and the finish was a surprise. We in the live audience were just as amazed that this did not even make the televised program, because many anticipated it and it was really good. Hopefully the finish means that WWE will branch Morrison off to a solo career because he has incredible star quality. I would also say that this is the beginning of a rebirth for the tag division, but we all know better than that.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 6 out of 10

Finlay vs. Kane vs. Mark Henry vs. Christian vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin, vs. Kofi Kingston vs. CM Punk: Money in the Bank

The massive crowd was already excited from a great tag match as well as a beautiful intro package that celebrated the history of the event. There was no better way to get things really popping than showcasing their top spectacle match of the year. This year's Money in the Bank match was not as breathtaking as some of the previous ones, but it featured many innovative spots that will be remembered for a long time. Even the clashes between the big men were not as bad as expected. We were particularly amazed by Kofi Kingston's jaw-dropping athleticism which he exhibited numerous times. Shelton showed once again why he is the true Mr. Money in the Bank with more life-threatening stunts.

While this was a thrilling ladder match, it also was the victim of a really weak cast of characters that the WWE has not given any reason to get emotionally behind. Imagine how much more the amazing moves would mean if the wrestlers were allowed to talk about how much winning the briefcase would mean to them in the weeks leading up to the event. The one wrestler the live crowd really got behind was Christian and hopefully Vince McMahon can see the reaction to give him the push he really deserves. Every time he was close to climbing his way to victory, most of the people were on the edge of their seats.

When Punk scored the victory, it was a huge disappointment and there were groans from much of the fans. I was at Raw the next day and whenever they showed clips or photos of his win, it drew boos. It is not so much that the fans hate Punk, but the fact that we have seen the story before, and it did not lead anywhere more than a meaningless championship reign made them not care. Again, a couple interviews with Punk where he expressed how much it meant to him to taste the glory of being world champion and how he wanted to grab another chance at this honor would have made his repeat win mean so much more. Hopefully, the company gives his character some more dimension and tells a story that elevates his status.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 8 out of 10

Kid Rock Concert/ 25 Diva Battle Royale

I am lumping the Kid Rock concert and the Battle Royale together because the Divas match was really about the entrances anyway, and those were messily thrown together with Rock's performance. I am not a Kid Rock fan and felt that this time would be better spent adding to the other matches. Apparently, I am not the only one, as I joined hundreds of others to line up the stands to take a bathroom break. By the time I returned, it was almost over. I can understand why they included this, however, as they want a clip to play on future video packages that make WrestleMania seem like a big deal that attracts mainstream celebrities.

When the stream of beauties came out to dance to the music, I did not even realize those were the women wrestlers until they walked to the ring. I do not really care enough about the Divas to be upset, but what was the point of bringing back so many of the former "stars" without even acknowledging their presence. It would have been nice to see Sunny, in particular, get one more moment in the sun pardon the pun. There were more signs for her in the crowd than many of the active wrestlers on the roster. We could not even tell if she was in the match, nor could we see what other ladies had returned for the "action."

The match itself is not even worth analyzing, as it was obviously just a vehicle to get some eye-candy on the show, but the ending did generate a mixed reaction of laughter and embarrassment. Cross-dressing is not really my type of humor, but much of the audience loved Santina. Hopefully, they do not stick with this gimmick for too long as it will get old real fast.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 2 out of 10

Chris Jericho versus Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat

Let me start off by saying that if it were not for Ricky Steamboat's involvement in this match, it would have been a complete and utter disaster. Piper and Snuka have no business being anywhere near a competitive wrestling match ever again. The crowd tried hard to be respectful, but most of us were either laughing or shaking our heads as we saw them awkwardly stumble around the ring, looking every bit as old as their years. Piper attempting a dropkick produced the unintentional comedy moment of the night. I stood up and applauded when Jericho ended their humiliation by eliminating them from the match.

What more can be said about Steamboat's inspired effort after being out of the ring for fifteen years? The best way I can describe his performance is to analogize it to seeing Yoda yield his light saber in Attack of the Clones. He was an old warrior that looked like he could no longer do battle, but showcased he still had his majestic skills when he had to. Similarly, if I were to see the Dragon on the streets, I could mistaken him for an elderly math professor. The balding head of gray hair and the expanded belly makes him practically unrecognizable when comparing him to the handsome, muscular specimen that thrilled audiences two decades ago. When he faced off with Jericho, however, we saw signs of what made him such an electrifying force years ago.

The Dragon was my first favorite wrestler when I started watching wrestling around WrestleMania 3 and watching him do some of the same maneuvers he did against Randy Savage in that classic event was unbelievable. We should all be considered lucky that we were able to see one more glimpse of that unmatched arm drag takedown. I hope this does not preclude a longer return to the ring, but for one weekend, fans were treated to something magical. The crowd chanted his name and yelled, "You still got it," as he valiantly fought on behalf of the legends until finally being defeated by the younger lion. Jericho played his part perfectly as the intense, angry tiger looking to eradicate the previous generation of superstars hanging on to their glory.

Unfortunately, the man who played his role the least well was the man who portrayed a wrestler better than anyone in the history of film. I am not sure how it came off on television, but the Mickey Rourke segment came off as really awkward. Rourke not only looked uncomfortable and hung over, his timing and his walk to the ring did not suggest that he understood how to have a star presence in front of a live crowd.

The crowd, most of which probably did not even see "The Wrestler," was largely indifferent to him, and he had to beg for cheers to get fans excited. If he had at least made one appearance on Raw in the previous weeks, he may have been more comfortable and garnered a larger ovation. Flair assisted in getting Rourke over, despite the ridiculous boxing sequence and phony looking punch that did what four of wrestling's biggest legends failed to do. As I mentioned above, other than Steamboat's tremendous display, this was a booking and visual mess.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 5 out of 10

Jeff Hardy versus Matt Hardy: Extreme Rules

This was a match that many felt would be the show-stealer of the evening and while it felt short of that, it was a fairly entertaining exhibit of wild spots. Unfortunately, it also suffered from the disjointed build as well as the fact that nobody is really convinced that these two hate each other. Again, why are we supposed to be interested in these two settling their differences in the ring after Matt supposedly tried to kill his brother? Adding the fact that both of these men are weak on the microphone and were not able to convey the intensity of emotions in their promos made it hard to get too involved in the match.

Matt had a different look, but unfortunately this included a big gut from too many late nights at the bar. Jeff carried most of the excitement in this contest with his unbelievable daredevil athleticism. The fans popped for the big spots, but never really got truly behind the story of the struggle. Jeff was not as wildly over as he was a few months ago, and it has become apparent that he should have either never been given the title or they should have waited for WrestleMania to give him a meaningful victory. Matt's victory allows the feud to continue, which nobody is really too excited about, unless they really step up their promo skills. If this were not an Extreme Rules match, it would not have generated much enthusiasm from the crowd, but with the gimmick, it was a solid undercard spotfest.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 7 out of 10

JBL versus Rey Mysterio Jr: Intercontinental Championship Match

It is difficult to describe the experience of watching a match that is less than a half-minute long, but I guess it served its purpose in giving JBL a somewhat memorable exit. The fans were on the verge of cheering him when he came out, but he quickly ended any chance of that as he unleashed a tirade of stinging sentiments to the audience. Hearing him call the Texans a bunch of losers "drinking their lattes" and "looking for a job in the Houston Chronicle" was tremendous. JBL has been a sensational heel because of his immense microphone skills and it was good to see him go out with the role he plays best.

Rey got a big ovation, but this was really all about the pompous, arrogant jerk getting his comeuppance. The look on Layfield's face after "the match" was priceless, although his announcement did not generate as big of a response as it would have in a better story. You notice the trend here right? The crowd chanted the "Nah Nah Nah Nah Goodbye" as he left the ring in embarrassment. Hopefully, this means he will return as a color commentator because is terrific in that role.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 3 out of 10

John Cena versus Big Show versus Edge: World Championship Match

Imagine following Michael Jordan in a slam dunk contest. Imagine following Babe Ruth in a homerun hitting contest. Imagine following Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley in their primes on stage. Cena, Show and Edge had the impossible task of following a match for the ages. Those that were there live will remember the long line of people exiting the aisles to get food and recover from the classic they had just witnessed. As I joined that line, we all commented with laughter that the World Title Match had become a bathroom break! Not only were they following a legendary battle, they were part of a storyline so bad that Cena himself acknowledged that it was nonsense on an episode of Raw.

Give these three men credit because they overcame all odds and put on a fairly entertaining match that kept the crowd excited. I stuck around long enough to see the entrances, and much of the crowd, me included, were happy to hear Cena's old "Word Life" theme. The Chain Gang of Cena look-alikes was extremely cheesy but this was one of the better reactions he has received at Mania.

As I said, I missed much of the actual match, but the crowd was hot throughout, despite their exhaustion from the previous contest. The finale, where Cena picked up Edge and Show, was absolutely incredible and generated a justified awestruck sigh from the crowd. When he made the pin, the majority of the audience was behind him. Unfortunately, lost in the mix was a World Title change that nobody really cared about. Why would WWE not just wait to put the championship on him until WrestleMania instead of rendering the honor meaningless with a multitude of switches in the previous months.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 6 out of 10

Hall of Fame Announcement

Although the actual Hall of Fame ceremony the night before was not as good as years past, this was a terrific segment. The announcement of all of the inductees gave the show a classy touch. When Austin left early to the back, we knew something memorable was coming. The Rattlesnake did not disappoint, as he came out in an ATV to a rousing reaction from a rabid crowd. It was truly an awesome sight that perfectly fit his character. If we never see Austin on WWE television again, it was a proper sendoff to a legendary career.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 9 out of 10

Randy Orton versus Triple H: World Championship Match

Let me preface this by sharing that I have been to over fifteen pay-per-views and countless Raws. I have never seen an audience so completely and utterly lifeless in all my years of watching wrestling. What is there to be said when a throwaway Divas match generates more reaction than your main event? Hell, the dark match had the crowd hotter than this uninspired borefest.

For those of you who watched this "contest" at home, let me tell you all that the dead crowd was not a result of exhaustion or the fact that we had seen a phenomenal match earlier. None of us expected Orton or The Game to top Taker and HBK, but we expected a solid, emotional brawl. Instead, the most entertaining part of this for the audience was the commentary of the people next to us of how atrocious the match was. One guy said that he wished this was a Blindfold Match, only the crowd would be wearing the blindfolds. Another commented, "And wrestling fans say MMA is boring?" The absolute highlight was the guy sitting next to me who literally fell asleep during the match!

I am not sure if the production team edited in some cheers on PPV, but we were all bored stiff. For the first time ever, I saw cameras maneuvering around the crowd in an effort to manufacture some cheers from fans who just wanted to get on television. This was the wrestling equivalent of playing a laugh track during a live comedy performance. This type of comatose reaction to a WrestleMania main event is inexcusable. At least, Goldberg versus Lesnar was laughably bad, and the crowd had fun with it. We did not even care enough to start a "boring" chant.

So let us analyze why nobody cared about this lame excuse for a championship match. Let us look at the buildup. The McMahons have been hated heels for years, and Orton beating them down almost was turning him into a babyface antihero. Nobody has had a more annoying or unlikable television presence over the years than Stephanie McMahon. Nobody has evoked less emotional sympathy than Triple H. Suddenly, we are all supposed to care that they are married and get behind them? If properly built up, it may have worked, but the story had taken so many unnecessary twists and turns that it rendered the match nearly unnecessary. How do you follow home invasions, steel cage beat downs, sledgehammer attacks, and brutal beating of a wife?

This match should have been an intense, bloody battle where the two men were out to destroy each other. Why in the world were both competitors treating this like some pointless houseshow match? They entered the ring as if they were fighting for some five dollar parks and recreation trophy, not the biggest prize in wrestling. There was no sense of hatred or feeling that Hunter could not wait to avenge his family. Possibly, it was because he had already done so multiple times on Raw.

The psychology was completely disjointed from the build to the match. It was built on heavy emotion, as contrived as it was, but none of that came out in the ring. These guys should have pulled out all of the stops and did everything possible to make it look like they truly wanted to hurt each other. This was one match where outside interference was necessary, as the McMahons and Legacy played such an integral role in the story. The symbolic moment of the match was when Triple H had Orton in a sleeper, because the entire crowd was nearly snoring by this point.

Worst of all, The Game winning does nothing for either man. He already had the World Title anyway and has held it more times than we care to remember. Orton was becoming the hottest act in wrestling but has become damaged goods from a confusing storyline where he has been made to look weak nearly every step of the way, and participating in a bewilderingly bad main event Mania match. Hopefully, both Triple H and Orton are punished for this snoozefest because the audience has already been punished for having to endure it.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 0 out of 10

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker

I am saving the best for last because this is the match that deserved to be the main event of the show and for all of us who saw it, it was. How do I even attempt to describe the unparalleled adrenaline rush of being in the arena for this unforgettable experience? Let me create a picture of my years as a wrestling fan before I make a bold statement. I have watched wrestling for over twenty years. I have seen nearly every WWE PPV, all three Flair DVD's, as well as all of the AWA, ECW and WCCW compilations. Not only that, I was in Madison Square Garden when Benoit won the spectacular Triple Threat match. I was in the crowd in DC for the majestic Michaels versus Hogan showdown.

When WrestleMania went Hollywood, I was in the Staples Center to see the Angles versus Michaels clinic. Sitting in the Citrus Bowl watching Michaels end Flair's career was one of the most emotional moments of my life. Most memorable of all was experiencing the frenzy in the Skydome when wrestling's biggest icons, The Rock and The Hulkster, faced off. I thought nothing could compare to the unbelievable thrill of being part of that wild audience.

Watching The Heartbreak Kid face off in his epic battle against The Undertaker combined all of the good things in the best matches I had seen previously, and I say without reservation that it is the greatest match I have ever seen. For thirty breathtaking moments, they had every person in Reliant Stadium in the palm of their hands. The build to this match is a culmination of circumstances that is impossible to recreate. It is truly over twenty years in the making. We have the two most tenured legends of the WrestleMania years.

There is a history of classic matches between the two that built the aura of what they could do if they faced off again. You have the fact that Michaels nearly ended his career in their last match. Then we had the tease of things to come in that brilliant ending to the Royal Rumble in 2007. On top of that, there was the string of WrestleMania wins for Undertaker and the unmatched resume of classic Mania matches from Michaels. The notoriously impatient WWE actually kept these two apart for over eleven years. Each legend has become better with time and they were facing off on a landmark anniversary show of the biggest wrestling event of the year. The mere fact that The Streak would be up against Mr. WrestleMania was enough to make wrestling fans salivate with anticipation.

That Undertaker and Michaels not only met expectations but exceeded them showcases their pride and talents as phenomenal big-match performers. I will not even attempt to explain the action in the ring because if you have not seen this match, you need to do anything you can to watch it as soon as possible. This match alone was worth the plane ticket, the hotel costs and the price of admission. Unfortunately, what you cannot relive or recreate on DVD is the sheer exhilaration of being in that stadium on that magical night. All of us were on our feet the final twenty minutes of the match, utterly engrossed in a masterfully told story.

I talked to Kevin Von Erich after the show and he described it as "a work of art, a Rembrandt." These were two artists illustrating a beautiful portrait of the wrestling industry at its finest. The drama and the atmosphere of this showdown sent chills down the spine of any of us who were lucky enough to witness it. They did the impossible and actually made us believe that Michaels could end Taker's streak. The winner in this match was the entire wrestling universe because we all have a memory that will last a lifetime. I got a chance to personally thank The Undertaker that night and tell him that it was the greatest match I have ever seen. We should all be thankful for these two icons giving us the match of a lifetime.

Live Experience Entertainment Level: 10 out of 10

Please seed questions, comments and feedback to valentino.torch@gmail.com

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