Trump/McMahon

[$heriff Tom]

Ok, so here is your match.

Umaga (with Vince) vs Bobby Lashley (with Trump)

Special guest referee.....STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN.


I like the match. This is a great opportunity for Lashley to step it up. Vince LOVES the guy, and this will put him out there. Lashley is not all that bad in the ring, obviously he is green on the mic, and in the ring a bit, sure. But Umaga and he can have a hard-hitting match, and I think he'll shine. And being with Trump, and getting the rub here, will raise him to a new level.

Good stuff here. Sure beats Umaga vs a stale Mick Foley, or a rumored encounter with a horror show like Khali.

[jwmcc]

I like it.

[$heriff Tom]

Me too.

Add this to Michaels/Cena and Taker/Batista, and you have a great start for this card.

[grover]

That's a bit of a surprise, but a good one. That should be a solid power brawl. That's a good match up. I like it.

That's 3 very good matches.

The money in the bank match is becoming a fun tradition at WM, and that should also be a solid match.

[$heriff Tom]

First two guys locked in for that are Edge and Punk. Nice start.

I agree, Lashley and Umaga will be a solid power brawl. You nailed it.

[grover]

And Lashley gets to be the guy who thumps Umaga. That's a good choice. Lashley's got a solid look to him, and can become a huge wrestling superstar in a few years. This will help that along.

The key to this is how each guy sells each other's power moves.

[sancho231]

I fuckin HATE Lashley, but this should be a good match. I just hope lashley can bump around for Umaga before lashley destroys him. any word as if this is going to be ECW title vs IC title?

i like throwing stone cold in there as a ref. much better then having Stone cold actually in the match. Might as well strap a rocket on Lashley's back cause this fuck is getting pushed to the moon.
one can onlt hope he doesnt fail any drug tests

[sancho231]

[MSBNYY]

Boring. This match could be on any episode of Raw. Good opportunity for Lashley of course, but for a gimmick match, it falls short. There's nothing about this Wrestlemania that is special or different than any other PPV, except that it's called Wrestlemania.

I hope at least that Lashley no sells everything Umaga does and it's a squash match.

[$heriff Tom]

Balls, your ignorance is astounding. This said, what match would YOU make? This will end up one of the best matches on the show.

Again, Lashley is one of the future studs of the company. This is a great move, in putting him out there in the public conciousness. Sure beats WCW going with Diamond Dallas Page in a mainstream angle with Jay Leno.

Sancho, I had heard that picture was making the rounds to confirm things, thanks for posting. And I am sure Umaga will get his offense in.

This also means an obvious Umaga turn by summer - after he loses Vince will blame him, and all Hell will break loose as Vince sends some henchmen after him.

[MSBNYY]

First of all, Umaga sucks. The man is a fat slob with no talent doing a move that even you can do. An evil thumb. So Umaga wouldn't be a main eventer by a long shot, nor would he be more than a midcarder at best.

Lashley can get a push in other ways. Win King of the Ring. Win the Royal Rumble. Go on a show that people actually watch.

This is hardly Hogan/Mr. T v. Piper/Orndorff. THAT was an angle.

Again, there is nothing about this match that couldn't be done on an ordinary Raw.

Who cares if Umaga turns? He sucks.

WM is supposed to be about great angles, and matches you wouldn't necessarily see. This is an episode of Raw.

[$heriff Tom]

Umaga has an entire arsenal of power moves. You dont go 15 minutes with John Cena in what was universally called a four star match using your thumb. His slams, suplexes, and splashes are all done well. Funny a guy who glosses over Hulk Hogan all day, a guy who has not used more than 5 moves in the last decade, is ripping ANYONE for getting by.

The hair vs hair stuff, as much as I hate Trump and am bored by Vince, is HUGE. This IS a great angle, and its getting WWE an incredible amount of publicity. This promises to be the most viewed Mania in history. What are you going to say then? Who are YOU to talk about what makes a great Mania?

Hogan/T vs Piper/Orndorff was almost 25 years ago...what are you going to talk about next, Whipper Watson vs George Hackenschmidt in a 6 hour draw? GET OVER IT.

[MSBNYY]

Hogan/T v. Piper/Orndorff set the bar for all WMs.

This will get publicity because Trump is involved, but it's not like Trump is wrestling McMahon. Hell, LT v. Bam Bam was better done than this. Umaga no sells and uses his thumb. He is a run of the mill, boring wrestler with no talent, charisma, or mic skills. He's a fat slob.

Hogan NOW is better than Umaga.

There is absolutely NOTHING about this WM that distinguishes it from an average Raw.

[grover]

You're forgetting what might distinguish it, and that's longer, better and more memorable matches than you would see on RAW. There are a few gimmicks to the matches, but with this event, it begins and starts with the wrestling.

And what would distinguish it from an average RAW? If Jack Bauer was in Hogan's corner trying to defuse a bomb or if Batman was in The Undertakers corner?

And how are you going to bring up LT & Mr. T while complaining about Umaga's skill? That's quite contradictory.

[$heriff Tom]

Grover, its simple, you KNOW Balls does not watch wrestling for the "wrestling" part of it.

Maybe they should have the cast of The OC as lumberjacks during HBK and Cena. With their show cancelled, they have time to participate, and Balls has time to watch this.

[grover]

Maybe we can get an American Idol reject Vs. Dancing With the Starts Elimination Chamber match.

[MSBNYY]

Umaga is a boring fat tub of lard. Seeing him work a LONGER match is actually a reason NOT to buy the card.

LT and Mr. T actually worked solid matches, and of course, they were outsiders. You don't see THEM compete on a Raw. Umaga is a midcarder being pushed as something he just isn't.

Jack Bauer and Batman would be much more entertaining than an Umaga match. Then again, so would watching paint dry or a rerun of Desperate Housewives.

The cast of the OC would make the match more entertaining. But Umaga v. Lashley is boring. Just an ordinary match with ok stakes.

Austin as a referee? Yawn. How about Austin as Trump's representative? Or the Rock? THAT would work.

[grover]

Yeah, I'd love to see Austin's broken body deliver a various arsenal of moves after not performing in years, like punches and a stomp in the corner. He sure has a leg up on Umaga.

What's next, you going to tell us that the Ultimate Warrior should bring his immense technical skills to the match?

[MSBNYY]

Owen Hart--now--would be better than Umaga.

Austin spending 20 minutes doing the chicken dance would be more entertaining than Umaga.

Ultimate Warrior would at least be something different. Something worthy of Wrestlemania.

[sancho231]

Balls, if you want to see stone cold the rock, The Warrior, or even Hogan wrestle, go watch a tape their best stuff was 10, 20 years ago.with that logic im suprised you dont want Meledo Perez or Mickey Rivers to play for the Yankees this season. bottom line is Yes Hogan Could have been brought In for this, and it would haven been the same old shit.it would have gotten a nostiliga pop but thats is. vince wants to make money AND buld the future.

[$heriff Tom]

LT and Mr. T actually worked solid matches

Uh...

Mr T?? What match are YOU watching? He did a bunch of nothing in his Wrestlemania match, and lets not even get started on that boxing stuff, that even Piper admits was beyond awful.

Are you such a mark for Mr T you are going to act like he is Mil Mascaras all of a sudden?

[grover]

What would Ultimate Warrior do differently? Shake the ropes? He is one of thee worst champions skill wise, ever. What did LT do to Bam Bam? A few shoulders blocks. Mr. T did all of what? Let Hogan work most of the match? LOL!! Maybe you'd like Umaga more if the Banana Splits came to the ring with him.

If you're going to complain about the skill level of a match, try not to contradict yourself with the choices you present, or by calling for guys like Deuce and Domino to become tag champs when their skill level is disgusting.

Umaga isn't Owen Hart or the Rock. He's a throwback wild Samoan. He's a power move wrestler, not Ricky Steamboat.

[MSBNYY]

The Banana Splits are much more entertaining than Umaga. And the Ultimate Warrior wasn't a great skilled guy, but he is one of the biggest names in the history of the WWE. Mr. T actually did do some moves in the first match. I'll admit, he was out of shape in the boxing match, but part of that also was due to Piper's refusal to help out.

The wild Samoans were NOT good. They don't need a throwback. The gimmick sucked in 1985, and it sucks today.

[grover]

You're contradicting yourself. You're saying Umaga sucks because of his skill, but you are glossing over a wrestler who was waaaaaay WORSE in the Ultimate Warriror because of the gimmick. That makes sense.

[MSBNYY]

Umaga sucks because of his skill AND his gimmick.

[grover]

So if Umaga had a different gimmick, you'd be fine with it?

[MSBNYY]

I can't think of a fat slob wrestler I ever liked other than Bastion Booger.

[grover]

And you only liked Booger because of the gimmick, correct? No Dusty Rhodes? No Andre The Giant? So since you don't like fat out of shape guys, then Andre/Hogan WM3 must not have been that good, since on of the guys was a fat slob who sucked, right?

[$heriff Tom]

Balls, you sound like the worst kind of wrestling fan here. You mise as well pack up and head over to the IDOL thread. You're wasting our time.

And ENOUGH complaining about Mania. Its not tailored for YOU. In all due respect, how many of the last 20 Manias have you ordered? How many have you even SEEN. Be honest here. If you are not buying it, or seeing it, stop acting like this is some sort of major happening that needs to fit your needs.

[MSBNYY]

I've seen maybe 75% of the last 20 Manias. I buy based on if the card appeals to me and is worth $40. This one isn't so far.

Andre wasn't just some boring fat guy. He was the giant and a legend. I wasn't a big fan, but in his case, he was an exception.

There was just something about Bastion Booger. If you needed me to give an example of a fat guy that I liked, he would be the one I'd have to pick.