WWE WrestleMania 29 Live Report
April 7, 2013
MetLife Stadium

Report by Samir Elias, PWTorch reader

- First thing first, being from N.J., I thought for sure that my friends and I would be stuck in traffic and would take forever to get into MetLife, but the staff there was amazing and well-organized. In my opinion, they were much better than at the Izod Center for Axxess.

- The first thing you notice when entering the stadium was the set-up, as the Statue of Liberty and bridge were amazing to see live.

- The Shield got a huge pop when they came out, as everyone in Section 213 was chanting, "Justice!" There was frustration/shock when the match ended so quickly, though.

- The fans were Jerichoholics all right, but Fandango had a few supporters early on. His entrance was one of the better ones, but the pattern of quick matches continued.

- When Ryback and Mark Henry faced off, my section started the "Sexual Chocolate" chant, hilarious, and it really picked up on Raw. The match ended quickly, and after the match, the trainers checked on Ryback off-camera.

- The place erupted when C.M. Punk came out; when Taker came out, it was more of an "Oh my God, it's The Deadman." By the way, we were at least 250 feet from the entrance and we all felt the fire from Taker's entrance.

- Triple H vs. Lesnar - I was shocked that the crowd was 80 percent dead the whole time. No one seemed to really care, up until the last moments. Although, Paul Heyman has a true gift in getting people invested, as his expressions were good. A good chunk of fans left after that match for snacks or bathroom, thinking there was a buffer match, but three minutes later, Cena's music hit and it was the running of the bulls for fans to get back to their seats.

- I think buffer matches help, as the three top matches in a row wore out the crowd, but not enough not to boo Cena like no other. I've heard Cena Boos, but this place was the loudest I've heard. The Rock was obviously the favorite since he wasn't Cena, but hence this WrestleMania was very predictable and it didn't help when Rock and Cena all of a sudden became best friends.

The crowd came to see there heels win, which didn't really happen until the next night at Raw. The atmosphere was what Mania was all about, but it felt like a time machine going backwards with nothing really to discuss afterwards.

- Overall, the crowd was going all night, they didn't get their wishes, many people were upset, but matches aside, nothing tops being surrounded by 80,000 fans who enjoy wrestling as much as you do.

Report by Jasmine, PWTorch reader

- It was my first-ever WrestleMania, but I was surprised by there only being one trailer selling WWE merchandise. It was really badly laid-out, as you had to way a good 40-plus minutes in a cluttered "line" to purchase anything. The merchandise was flying, but a downfall to it was anything "special" was all Cena gear.

- The crowd was mostly males, obviously, but more women and children then I expected. Flair's "Woo!" chant and "Yes! / No!" went on throughout the day. Everyone going in was pumped and seeing the set and the spectacle was really great. I had great seats on the floor about ten rows behind announcers. But, I had friends whose seats were higher up or in the back on the side, and they complained about not being able to see due to the pillars. Also, the lighting was so bright, but that did not stop the cold. It just got colder as the night went on. It's one of the reason hoodies were flying off the shelves.

- The Shield was over. There was a chant of "Believe in the Shield" before the show and in lines. Randy Orton definitely didn't get the reception I would expect and seems to go more with his placement on the show. Good reaction, but not the level of when I saw him a few years ago. But, I think everyone was waiting for something more to happen, which seems to be the theme of the night.

- The tag match was a bit odd because people love Team Hell No, but really like Ziggler, so there seemed to be confusion on who to chant for. The match was good, but short and the best part was when it seem liked Ziggler would get pinned a la Daniel Bryan in 18 secs.

- Jericho vs. Fandango - I expected more heat, as many were saying Fandango's name throughout the day, but, again, I felt people were waiting for something to happen instead of getting into this match. Jericho got a good reaction and no one seem to think much of the loss.

- Del Rio vs. Swagger was pretty flat. Zeb Colter got some heat, but it felt like he was trying too hard and people were just going through with it, but when the match happened people were waiting for Dolph Ziggler. Again, nothing happened.

- A small "Bruno" chant started during the Hall of Fame announcements.

- Punk vs. Taker was by far the highlight of the night. This was also the most-talked-about before and after the event. I was surprised how many people thought Punk was going to take it, though. It was a very pro-Punk crowd, but with tremendous respect for Taker. I would say the crowd was 60-40 Punk.

One note is that during the match, Punk played up heel, but before the match he was really playing up to the crowd, which just made people go even crazier. He may have had the biggest face reaction of the night. Maybe due to low expectations, but I enjoyed this better than the Hunter-Taker matches simply because this didn't have the strong story build up as those did and the "bells and whistles" as the Hunter matches. It was pretty awesome to watch, bravo to both guys.

- Lesnar-Hunter was odd. People seemed to be waiting. Again, for what? I don't know, but it started to pick up towards the end. The biggest reaction was HBK super-kicking Paul Heyman and when he got F5'd. There was a chant of HBK when he entered and the crowd livened up when it look like Brock may tap;

- Cena vs. Rock didn't feel epic or like it was a big showdown. Cena was hated and The Rock really didn't get a bigger reaction then most any of the stars. He even had to work for it at the end by mouthing, "Thank you." I can't tell you how ticked people were with the hug and Rock "passing the torch," per say (what torch is there to pass to a guy who has been the face of the company for 6-8 years?).

Also, I felt Cena was a little more smug, so take that for what it is. The best thing about this for me was that - as a non-Cena fan - seeing a few kids just light up when Cena was in the ring. I've never noticed kids at show before like this, but to the two or three kids in my section, it was like Santa come to life for them. This one kid was so scared Cena would lose and shouted, "Never Give Up." It was definitely something to see.

- Overall, I felt like, "Okay, that happened." Even as someone who knew what to expect and had low expectations, I was really shocked at how by-the-numbers this felt. Really, if it were not for Punk and Taker, I would have felt like I was at a B-PPV. The last note is that if Zack Ryder would have come out, it would have been huge. Lots of people wearing his "hair" and many seemingly wanting something lighthearted; after the show, people were asking why Sweet T and Brodus were not on the show. Well there you have it. Experience - B+. Show - C** based on the standards for WrestleMania.

Ryan from Australia (PWTorch VIP member Danceryandance)

I thought I'd just pass on some notes I took from being live at WrestleMania this evening. I was down in Section 2 (next to the ramp and entrance).

-The Shield were really popular. Really, REALLY popular! I don't know how it translated to TV, but their match came across as one of more over matches of the night.

-There were several "boring" chants in the stands during the Ryback-Henry match. It did feel slow, but the crowd seemed happy enough with the outcome.

-Ziggler's bumps looked even better live, especially his "missed splash" bump into the corner. The whole crowd was really behind him and I think it impacted the Del Rio-Swagger match, as a lot of fans were sort of waiting around with one eye on the entrance waiting for Ziggler to cash in MITB.

- Punk vs. Undertaker was one of the best matches I've seen in a LONG time. Sure, everyone knew what the outcome would be, but 80,000 people managed to suspend their disbelief for long enough that they all got right behind this story and it's outcome. When Undertaker sat up in the Vice, people around me were literally shocked! I won't lie, I haven't popped for something like that in years; it was great! My girlfriend (who is a non-wrestling fan) was going nuts during this match and walked away saying it was the only match that she got "sucked into" in the whole evening. Compared to Rock-Cena, where she sat there sighing through most of, it was pretty clear which match this show will be remembered for

- People didn't buy in to Triple H-Brock. Beyond the pacing of this match, the crowd was tired out from Punk-Taker and it never really felt like Triple H was really in jeopardy. A lot of people around me started getting really worked up when they thought Brock would tap, not because they wanted him to break it the hold, but because it really seemed plausible that Triple H would attempt to put himself over as "the guy who tapped out an MMA fighter."

After what seemed to be a botched announce table spot during Taker-Punk, the broken table spot in this match seemed out of nowhere and a lot of guys around me really popped for it! The crowd (around me at least) seemed far more in to chanting ridiculous things and talking amongst themselves than the actual match. Also, the blocked Sweet Chin Music into Pedigree spot didn't seem to get a reaction. In fact, I think people were more excited about the idea that this match might end soon. Also, as a side note, did Triple H really low-blow Brock? The face...low-blowing the heel?

- Rock-Cena was what it was. However, what it was wasn't good. After teasing a Cena heel turn and fans still wanting Ziggler to run in, I think people felt pretty let down when quite literally nothing happened. One good thing was Cena's facial expressions that seemed like he was still a little cocky, but even then, the crowd just never really got into it. By the last few minutes when they really stepped up, the crowd had had enough and was ready to go home. The "passing of the torch" moment that they went for at the end was flat, and a lot of the crowd around me was boo'ing.

- Overall, quite a few people seemed disappointed by the lack of mic spots or at least backstage interviews, and many felt that even with time restraints it would have been better to put the Brodus Clay eight-person tag in-between Punk-Taker and Hunter-Brock. Many people assumed this match would then happen between Brock-Hunter and Rock-Cena, which resulted ins o many people missing the start of the match since they thought it was a good time for a "drink and toilet break." Also, no video package leading into Rock-Cena?

High-Res photos from near the stage are below...



[ Photo Stream URL: http://sfy.co/t4En ]

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