7. 25th Anniversary Of WrestleMania
Mania 25 had its fair share of detractors. There has been nearly universal praise for the first WrestleMania encounter between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker much of it in the form of hype as the best match of all-time. Yet, outside of one incredible match, the rest of the card came under a lot of fire, particularly the main-event for the WWE Championship. Randy Orton vs. Triple H was a mixed big for the majority of the fanbase. Many people loved the build-up that saw the first TV confirmation of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's real life marriage. Orton's dissection of the McMahon Family turned into a rehash of the old feud between mentor and protégé from Evolution. The match called for many things that did not happen. It should have been an all out brawl, but it wasn't. Many thought Orton should have won to solidify his place as the #1 heel in the business since Trips, himself, but he didn't. The bottom line was that the match was actually quite good. It just was not what people had anticipated. Was it great? No. Did it help draw an impressive buyrate for a Mania that did not feature a strong celebrity as had been the case in the two prior years? Yes. Was it overly memorable? No. Did it add to the overall card / is it worth a watch today? Yes. It is thought of as a one match show, but perhaps that was because the one match just so happened to be, arguably, the greatest ever, overshadowing the accomplishments of several other really good matches. The triple threat for the World Championship (Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena), Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy, and the Money in the Bank Ladder match joined the aforementioned Trips vs. Orton bout as strong efforts in the 3-3.5 star range that simply were overshadowed by a 5-star classic. When all things are taken into consideration, Mania 25 was a very good show.