WRESTLEMANIA XLII - 4/18 & 4/19/2025

[Eivion]

33 minutes ago, The Natural said:

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/espn-reporter-who-covered-janel-grant-says-wwe-denied-wrestlemania-credentials/

Nobody does petty like WWE does.

I don't really think you can call not wanting to deal with an reporter likely to ask questions about major scandal on their biggest show of the year petty. 

[hammerva]

I would like to think they learned the difference between sports journalist and wrestling journalist but I doubt it.   They expect a bunch of Peter Rosenberg and Sam Roberts wh o are just marks with no credibility

The other thing I have noticed is if they thought sports fans would appreciate all this attention on ESPN because athletes do they were wrong.  Heard a bunch of "get this fake shit off my network" lately 

[odessasteps]

I’d be curious to go back and read the ESPN book to see what people thought about wrestling on the network in the 80s, considering some of the other wacky stuff they showed in the early years. 

[Eivion]

18 minutes ago, hammerva said:

I would like to think they learned the difference between sports journalist and wrestling journalist but I doubt it.   They expect a bunch of Peter Rosenberg and Sam Roberts wh o are just marks with no credibility

I suspect they know the difference now if they hadn't before. Unfortunately, that is also why it makes even more sense to not bother giving him access. Doesn't really do much for them.

Edited April 18 by Eivion

[odessasteps]

It is funny given how many workers were  on the four letter this week. 

[hammerva]

Wait there are fucking commercials after every match FOR WRESTLEMANIA?   Or do I need another tier of ESPN Limited?

I need someone to do a breakdown of how much Night 1 was wrestling compared to commercials.  Normally it is about 90/10 wrestling but man it feels like more 65/35 which is horrible

Edited April 19 by hammerva

[ChesterCopperpot]

What a steaming pile of horse shit 

[The Natural]

WrestleMania 42 Night 1 fucking sucked. Worst WrestleMania Night 1 ever easily.

[The Natural]

Congratulations to Bianca Belair and Montez Ford.

[hammerva]

The main word I have heard about this show is soulless.  It sure as hell didn't feel like a WM until the main event.   So many matches that could have been better with more time.  If you are watching the first 2 matches on ESPN2 regular and just a casual fan,  this does nothing to make you care.  The Unsanctioned Match felt like every single street fight in the last 3 years.  Liv vs Vaquer was just butchered by time restraints

 

[The Natural]

1 minute ago, The Natural said:

WrestleMania 42 Night 1 fucking sucked. Worst WrestleMania Night 1 ever easily.

Four of seven matches only went ten minutes with time wasted between matches on long breaks.

[The Natural]

1 minute ago, hammerva said:

The main word I have heard about this show is soulless.  It sure as hell didn't feel like a WM until the main event.   So many matches that could have been better with more time.  If you are watching the first 2 matches on ESPN2 regular and just a casual fan,  this does nothing to make you care.  The Unsanctioned Match felt like every single street fight in the last 3 years.  Liv vs Vaquer was just butchered by time restraints

 

Yep. I felt particularly bad for Vaquer/Morgan with a Women's World Championship match going only 9 minutes according to Wikipedia.

[zendragon]

6 hours ago, odessasteps said:

I’d be curious to go back and read the ESPN book to see what people thought about wrestling on the network in the 80s, considering some of the other wacky stuff they showed in the early years. 

Those Guys Have All The Fun? I don't recall any wrestling talk or really much talk about programing choices beyond calling it the Entertainment and Sports Programing Network because they thought they would have a hard time finding 24/7 sports content.

[Casey]

lol

[Niners Fan in CT]

I don't want to shit on the performers because I felt most of them were trying really hard.  Even Cody and Orton were trying to get something out of that main event.  It didn't work because of all of the trash surrounding it but they tried.  

My God between all of the ad breaks and the interference during almost every match, this was mostly trash.  Goodness. 

[hammerva]

I don't know if IWA Mid South is still doing shows but if they are I assume Ian Rotten will cut a 30 minute pre show promo about the WWE mentioning CM Punk's time in places like Mid American Wrestling

 

[username]

I was watching with my dad and as soon as the woman's title match started he asked if Liv was sunburned or something on her shoulders and while I initially said it was an optical illusion caused by her arm sleeves, when I took a second look they did seem to be very red. Given the match immediately went into a finishing stretch run I almost half wonder if she had an infection or something and they cut the match down due to it.

I thought the first half of the main event was a bit more interesting than I expected walking in, the sort of "is Randy actually hurt?" and wondering how far Cody will lean into heeling was a solid set-up. It got a bit away from them at the end.

Seth/Gunther was pretty solid, a bit more of a Seth match than I'd have hoped but I can't complain too much about it.

...I am out of complements to give OH WAIT congrats Bianca and Montez.

Pretty much everything else felt like a tv match, hope night two is better and if not that it at least gives us like a great spectacle entrance or something.

[Thunder Down Under]

Boy that main event just showed what the memorable WM’s of the Attitude Era lacked, Sean Landeta in the main event.

[Nineteen]

So... anyone else think it's weird Montez wasn't out there for that announcement?

Yeah, show was really weak overall and the stuff I was kinda looking forward to didn't really work out. Drew/Jacob didn't really live up to the unsanctioned stip given what both are capable of. I guess I liked Speed finally telling Logan to fuck off and getting to be on the right side with Knight and the Usos... even if the match never really clicked. Was really happy for the return in the women's match and was shocked at the win. I'm curious about this team is gonna work. I really liked Alexa's ring gear tonight and the nod to Bray Wyatt with the moth look. AJ Lee's entrance was great, even if it felt like this match was set up totally backwards, having the face win 3 in a row for the heel to finally pull of the win? Please god no don't let this be Liv's theme going forward and that match really felt kneecapped. Liv winning was the one thing I was really hoping for tonight but that was the weakest way it could have happened.

The whole McAfee thing at the beginning just killed that match for me. Was shocked Cody pulled off the win too. I wonder if that opening taking him out early was the big pivot after the crowd reaction to the whole jawn. Bringing the punt back is huge so wondering if this means Cody is gonna be out for a bit.

Hopes are a little higher for tomorrow but we're working with a really low bar right now.

[The Natural]

This didn't feel like a WrestleMania at all. WrestleMania in name only.

[Phantom Lord]

That ending was so damn anti climatic. Orton should have won....with or without McAfee's help.

[The Natural]

WrestleMania Sunday is going to go some to be as bad as this was. I don't think it will be. Night 2 looked the strongest of the two.

[The Natural]

Cody Rhodes is a mess.

[The Natural]

Great timing by Tony Khan.

[Johnny Sorrow]

I thought Orton got actually injured like two minutes in. He was wincing worse than Micheal's at Mania 15. I prefer slow work, but it got really slow. I was laughing picturing HHH in Robinson's ear telling them to run the blade to save the match. 

Edited April 19 by Johnny Sorrow