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LIVE! From MetLife Stadium. Sunday April 7, 2013
Current Official Theme: Surrender by Angels & Airwaves

WWE Championship Match
(C) The Rock vs John Cena (2013 Royal Rumble Match winner)


Less than a month after winning the Royal Rumble Match and announcing his intention of challenging for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 29, John Cena found out who his championship opposition will be on The Grandest Stage of Them All: The Rock.

The Great One upended CM Punk at Elimination Chamber, the last pay-per-view before The Show of Shows, to retain the cherished WWE Championship and solidify his place in WrestleMania’s main event.

In The Brahma Bull, Cena will be facing a foe who helped set in motion the tailspin of a year that was 2012.

A 10-time former WWE Champion, the Cenation leader has not held the title since October 2011, and the disappointment of his drought was exacerbated last year by his high-profile loss to The Great One at WrestleMania XXVIII. The devastating loss bookended one of Cena’s toughest calendar years, to date. A series of distractions, from dealing with former General Manager John Laurinaitis to falling into an ill-fated romance with AJ Lee, kept Cena away from the WWE Title picture for much of the year. And even once he found himself in title contention, he was unable to pry the WWE Title from Punk, making 2012 a largely unproductive year for one of the most decorated competitors in WWE history. (WATCH: Cena's WrestleMania Moments)

Fortunately for the Cenation leader, 2013 appears to be off to a markedly better start, thanks to his huge win at Royal Rumble. The larger question facing Cena is whether he will be able to keep the momentum going all the way to April 7, when he faces the Superstar who dealt him one of the biggest losses of his career.

The Rock has shown no signs of ring rust since returning to WWE and winning the WWE Title in January. In fact, The Great One overcame great obstacles — including The Shield and The Second City Saint’s underhanded tactics — en route to dethroning Punk and subsequently turning back his challenge in a rematch.

With The Rock and Cena informed by their epic encounter last year in Miami, both competitors will assuredly come to MetLife Stadium with a more sharpened focus than ever before. Cena is out to avenge last year’s WrestleMania loss to The Great One. The Rock, on the other hand, appears intent on keeping the championship he waited more than a decade to reclaim — the title that represents the sport that not only propelled him to success on the silver screen, but also captured his heart and mind at a young age. (WATCH: The Rock's WrestleMania Moments)

Now, all that separates The Rock and John Cena is time. On April 7, under the brightest lights that sports-entertainment has to offer, who will leave will the top prize: The Rock or John Cena?

World Heavyweight Championship Match
(C) Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger (2013 Elimination Chamber Winner)


The champion that fights for the people will go head-to-head with a challenger hell-bent on fixing everything about them that is “broken.” For at WrestleMania 29 on April 7, the self-professed “Real American” Jack Swagger challenges World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio for glory, honor and the top title.

Jack Swagger earned his right to headline The Show of Shows in excruciating fashion, emerging victorious in a brutal World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender’s Elimination Chamber Match at the pay-per-view of the same name, surviving a contest featuring five other former World Champions.

The ultra-aggressive competitor — who returned to SmackDown in early February after a long absence — has embarked on a relentless quest to “correct” all that is wrong with a “broken nation,” creating in its place the improved “Swagger’s America” for “We the people!”

Sided by outspoken compatriot Zeb Colter and armed with an extremely effective arsenal, the crown jewel being his Patriot Lock submission move, Swagger is certainly capable of breaking quite a bit to rebuild WWE with his own brand of patriotism.

But to reach the top of the mountain once again, the former World Heavyweight Champion will have to go through Alberto Del Rio. In recent months, the reigning titleholder has captured the hearts of the WWE Universe. After toppling Big Show to claim the World Heavyweight Title in the first of two explosive Last Man Standing Matches — his third World Championship overall — the Mexican champion has lifted the fans on his shoulders.

While Del Rio has earned the endearment of the people, however, that in no way means that he has become all flash and no substance. Instead, the skilled competitor is more dangerous than ever, armed with his dreaded Cross Armbreaker and skull-rattling kicks capable of putting anyone out at a moment’s notice. And with his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez in tow, overcoming the World Heavyweight Champion on The Grandest Stage of Them All will be no easy task.

The Undertaker vs CM Punk


CM Punk already lays claim to the longest WWE Championship reign of the modern era, and at The Showcase of the Immortals, the irreverent Superstar will try to make history again by doing what no man before him has been able to accomplish: snap The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak.

At a perfect 20-0, The Deadman’s record at The Grandest Stage of Them All is arguably the most revered feat in all of sports-entertainment, so it is only fitting that a Superstar who insists he is The Best in the World has now chosen to take aim at it so vehemently.

The Straight Edge Savior fought his way into the coveted position by triumphing over former World Champions Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show in a Fatal 4-Way Match arranged by Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero on the March 4 Raw. Now, the Superstar who is known for holding absolutely nothing sacred seeks to blemish the mightiest of records.

Obstructing Punk’s quest for immortality, however, is WWE’s one and only Phenom. Footage of The Undertaker at a WWE Live Event surfaced in late February, and The Deadman materialized for Punk and the entire WWE Universe to see on the March 4 edition of Raw. Although The Undertaker’s in-ring appearances have been few and far between since last year’s WrestleMania, ring rust is unlikely to be a factor for the legendary Demon of Death Valley, who has repeatedly proven to be all but unbeatable the one day of the year when it matters most.

Still, there is little reason to believe the fearless Punk — who already holds a rare and controversial submission victory over The Phenom — will be intimidated when he enters MetLife Stadium. Punk apologists and neutralists alike concede that the tattooed proprietor of the “pipe bomb” has been stellar in recent years, accumulating high-stakes victories over John Cena and even “unofficially” pinning The Rock at two consecutive pay-per-views.

Perpetually believing himself snubbed by WWE upper management, Punk decries the fact he’s never headlined The Show of Shows. Yet, in challenging The Undertaker’s Streak head-on, The Straight Edge Savior arguably finds himself involved in the one WrestleMania contest possible of overshadowing even the World Championship matches.

CM Punk contends he transcends the WWE Title, WrestleMania and WWE all wrapped into one — a lofty claim that others have assigned to The Undertaker and his Streak. The outspoken Superstar has even gone so far as to call himself “God,” but for the defiant ex-champion to attain unimpeachable greatness, he must first pass through WrestleMania’s ultimate gatekeeper on April 7.

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar (No Holds Barred Match; If Lesnar wins, Triple H must retire)


In his obsession to settle the score with the 266-pound Anomaly who’s methodically targeted those closest to him, Triple H may have unwittingly ushered in the final chapter of his proud career as a WWE Superstar. The King of Kings will war with the uncontrollable Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania on April 7, but the opportunity comes at a cost: If Lesnar wins, Triple H must retire from in-ring competition. (WATCH)

The No Holds Barred and the retirement stipulations were both ploys of Lesnar and Paul Heyman, who convinced the incensed Triple H to sign on for the fight before knowing the exactly what type of contest it would be. Although The Game likely perceives the No Holds Barred environment — in which all maneuvers and weapons are fair game — as an ideal format for him to reciprocate the pain Lesnar’s inflicted on the McMahon-Helmsley family, less foreseeable was the possibility Triple H’s 18 years as a WWE competitor could come to a close at The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Then again, given the tumultuous tone of the his rivalry with the only former WWE, NCAA and UFC Heavyweight Champion in history, maybe Triple H has viewed a WrestleMania showdown with Lesnar as an all-or-nothing affair all along.

After having his arm broken in a loss to The Anomaly at SummerSlam last year, The Game appeared ready to hang up his boots and focus on his front-office duties as WWE COO. Yet, when Lesnar — who quit WWE the night after SummerSlam, boasting he had nothing more to prove — shed his free-agent status and returned in January by breaking the hip of Triple H’s father-in-law, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, The Game was spurred back into action. (WATCH: Triple H and Brock’s raging rivalry)

This time, The Game takes on the responsibility of defending not only the company he helps oversee, but also more importantly, his family and closest allies. According to Heyman, for Triple H to fall short against Lesnar would be the ultimate disappointment — a letdown for the WWE Universe, Triple H’s family and The Game himself. But with his career as a Superstar now on the line, the stakes at WrestleMania simply could not be higher for The King of Kings.

There’s no turning back. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, an intensely aggressive fighter as his opponent and absolutely No Holds Barred, can Triple H make Lesnar suffer the consequences for all the hardships he’s caused? Or will one of WWE’s most incredible careers end abruptly and gruesomely at the hands of The Anomaly? One of WWE’s two proudest warriors will suffer a mighty loss at the only event big enough to host such a brawl, WrestleMania, which kicks off on pay-per-view April 7 at 7 ET/4 PT.

The Ryback vs. Mark Henry


Two powerhouses are set to collide at WrestleMania when Ryback squares off against Mark Henry in what will certainly prove to be an event of mass destruction.

Along with both Sheamus & Randy Orton, Ryback has been a target of The Shield for months now, but the recent emergence of Mark Henry as an evident threat has shifted the scary-strong Superstar’s focus, as he’s become a marked man in the eyes of The World’s Strongest Man. The black-clad trio has made Ryback a constant target, opening him up to attacks by other Superstars looking to pick the bones. Enter: Mark Henry.

For weeks, The World’s Strongest Man has engaged in tense staredowns with Ryback whenever they crossed paths, as the two giants constantly measured each other up. With each increasingly hostile encounter, the WWE Universe braced for the fallout if and when the two monstrous competitors ever chose to actually lock up inside the squared circle, a prospect that became a reality thanks to SmackDown General Manager Booker T.

The budding rivalry truly came to a head on the March 15 episode of SmackDown, when Booker scheduled the two behemoths to face off in a highly anticipated one-on-one battle. Instead of witnessing the destruction two of WWE’s strongest Superstars would have inevitably caused, however, The Shield once again emerged in an attempt to take down Ryback, launching a 3-on-1 assault in the middle of the ring.

While Ryback was able to fend off his attackers, Mark Henry opted to involve himself, diverting his foe’s attention just long enough for The Shield to take “The Human Wrecking Ball” out with a devastating Triple Powerbomb.

Then, like an animal stalking wounded prey, The World’s Strongest Man took advantage of the prone Ryback, laying waste to him with three consecutive World’s Strongest Slams and screaming, “You will not run through me! Welcome to The Hall of Pain!” (WATCH)

Resilient as ever, though, Ryback arrived on Raw the following week with a clear purpose. After decimating David Otunga on the March 18 episode, Ryback addressed his attackers. Telling The Shield that he will deal with them in the very near future, with three words Ryback made his immediate intentions clear: “Feed. Me. Henry.”

Instead of getting his revenge on The World’s Strongest Man that very night, however, Raw’s Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero and Senior Advisor to the SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long arrived with some news for Ryback. The administrators took the beast out of the Six-Man Tag Match he was scheduled to compete in alongside Randy Orton & Sheamus and pit him against Mark Henry at WrestleMania.

So now, despite being Sheamus & Randy Orton’s chosen partner to take on The Shield at The Show of Shows, Ryback will lock up with The World’s Strongest Man on The Grandest Stage of Them All in what will no doubt be a legendary showdown between two of the most destructive forces in WWE history.

WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston


Hell, as Jean-Paul Sartre once said, is other people. If anyone knows the truth of this statement, it is Kane and Daniel Bryan. The warring WWE Tag Team Champions have been just as likely to beat up each other as any potential challengers to their twin titles during their bizarre, seven-month reign atop WWE’s tandem division as Team Hell No. But at WrestleMania 29, the squabbling anger management alumni may yet realize the full scope of the famous French proverb when they put their precious championships on the line against Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston.

At first glance, the matchup seems to be firmly in the favor of the Tag Team Champions, but Ziggler and Big E may yet hold the secret to tearing Bryan and Kane’s fragile — but effective — partnership asunder: They have the bout's proverbial x-factor on their side.

That wild card, of course, is AJ Lee, whose own metamorphosis from meek-mannered arm candy to a scheming master manipulator began at last year’s WrestleMania after her “good luck kiss” to then-boyfriend Bryan cost him the World Heavyweight Championship in 18 seconds. From then on, AJ claimed vengeance by steadily manipulating the hearts and minds of several Superstars, Bryan and Kane both among them. In fact, the rivalry that led to Team Hell No’s formation was initially borne of Bryan’s jealousy toward AJ’s affections for The Devil’s Favorite Demon. AJ was the one who, during her tenure as Raw General Manager, forced Kane and Bryan into therapy and made the decision to form them into a tag team as part of that therapy. It can be argued that Team Hell No was, in fact, her brainchild to begin with.

The threat to Hell No, then, is threefold, because dealing with Ziggler and Langston won’t be a picnic either. Bryan and Kane certainly match up size-wise against Ziggler and Big E, respectively, but The Showoff’s championship pedigree speaks for itself, and his status as Mr. Money in the Bank makes him one of the ring’s most dynamic Superstars. Langston has yet to compete in an official match, but he’s dropped everyone from John Cena to Hell No themselves in the past. With a surprising quickness belied by his massive size, he’s already shown the ability to swing a marquee contest all on his own.

And that’s all without AJ muddying the waters with her mind games. Some may say that Kane and Bryan surely know better by now then to fall for her schemes and that they’ve learned their lesson and are unified in their efforts to retain the Tag Team Titles. Some may say that, for all their differences, they’ve managed to stick together when the title gold is up for grabs and make the necessary compromises to keep the twin championships. It is true, the animosity between Bryan and Kane has grown from a (forced) marriage of convenience to something of a true friendship. A recent productive streak has claimed several of WWE’s tag teams as victims. Battling a unified Team Hell No on The Grandest Stage of Them All may seem something of a fool’s errand, especially for a duo whose teamwork is as untested as Ziggler & Langston.

Come WrestleMania 29, those theories will be put to the test. For their sakes, Kane and Daniel Bryan will need to make sure their minds and bodies are both ready for the rigors of in-ring competition against two of WWE’s most dangerous Superstars, and the mental manipulation of its most dastardly Diva. Because rest assured, attacks are coming on both fronts, and the champions had better be ready … or they’ll find themselves robbed of their titles and plunged back headlong into their own personal hells.

Randy Orton, Sheamus & Big Show vs. The Shield


Although heated rivalries like The Rock vs. John Cena and The Undertaker vs. CM Punk are already setting The Road to WrestleMania 29 ablaze, a newly created and extremely volatile contest could very well steal The Show of Shows’ spotlight and prove to be the most intense and personal match of all: Randy Orton, Sheamus & Big Show vs. The Shield.

After weeks of vicious attacks and fierce reprisals, the infamous Shield threw down the gauntlet on the March 15 edition of SmackDown. Unhappy with not being part of The Showcase of The Immortals, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns interrupted the post-match celebration of two Superstars who have been locked in their crosshairs of late: Randy Orton and Sheamus. The treacherous trio told the two former World Champions to find a partner to face them in a Six-Man Tag Team Match on The Grandest Stage of Them All on April 7.

Never ones to back down from a fight, The Viper and the Irish brawler immediately declared the blockbuster match was on, and quickly set out to find a powerhouse third Superstar who is just as hungry to defeat the “Hounds of Justice” as they are. Although their initial selection for a third member was Ryback, the “Human Wrecking Ball’s” found himself removed from the bout by Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero, leading Orton and Sheamus to select Big Show (who had expressed a previous interest in joining The Celtic Warrior and Apex Predator) as his replacement.

The move could swing the contest either way. The monstrous Big Show has a huge score to settle with The Shield, following the trio’s repeated attacks against him over the span of several weeks. Pairing with two former World Heavyweight Champions in Sheamus and Orton, Show certainly has been spoiling for a fight against Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns. This could be his chance.

But the giant, as has been made abundantly clear since he signed his ironclad contract under former Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis, is in it for himself these days. Show does not play well with others and has openly admitted there’s no love lost between him and his partners. The feeling would apparently be mutual, and taking into account Show’s past issues with Orton and Sheamus (from whom the giant wrested the World Heavyweight Championship last year), and it’s a very fragile partnership between The World’s Largest Athlete and his A-list teammates indeed.

This, of course, is not the ideal situation with which to confront The Sheild. If recent events are any indication, the men in black should not be underestimated for a second. They have made this abundantly clear with their series of victories as a team, which have come at the expense of some of WWE’s most powerful Superstars.

Working as a seamless, vicious unit, they fight tooth-and-nail like a pack of wild dogs. Having defeated or devastated the likes of WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No, The Rock and John Cena, in addition to each of the three Superstars they will face on April 7, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns could be the most cohesive and dangerous entity in WWE, as they continue their quest to eradicate injustice.

At WrestleMania 29, will Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show prove to be the Superstars to break The Shield? Or will The Showcase of the Immortals become, as Rollins put it, “the showcase of justice”? The stage is set and the answer will come April 7.

Chris Jericho vs. Fandango


Since his Royal Rumble return, six-time World Champion Chris Jericho has continually found himself in the middle of the action, most recently engaging in an epic and enthralling series of matches against Jack Swagger. But as WrestleMania approaches, the emergence of a flashy, dancing Superstar named Fandango has stuck a thorn directly into Y2J’s side.

Fandango may be one of the more enigmatic figures in recent memory, but his refusal to compete in a match because announcers and Superstars alike couldn’t seem to pronounce his name to his liking has infuriated the WWE Universe and frustrated potential opponents. Being the legendarily outspoken Superstar he is, however, The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla had no problems calling out WWE’s newest competitor, as evidenced on the March 18 episode of Raw when Y2J hilariously mocked the dancing Superstar’s name as only Y2J can. (Y2J BRINGS THE FUNNY)

For his part, Fandango was not amused, and the building tension reached a breaking point on the March 22 episode of SmackDown. That night, Fandango shocked the WWE Universe — and Y2J himself — by violently attacking Jericho during his match against No. 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, Jack Swagger. Not only did Fandango potentially cost the former WWE Champion a victory by leveling Y2J as he set up to hit the Lionsault on Swagger, but Fandango also re-entered the fray to assault the prone Superstar after the “Real American” pinned Jericho. Later, on the blue brand edition of “Backstage Fallout,” Fandango shared some provocative words of warning for Y2J, saying, “Chris, you now know that I’m a threat, and you will take me seriously from this day forward.” (WITNESS THE FALLOUT)

On the March 25 episode of Raw, Jericho struck first by attacking Fandango. Then after Jericho defeated Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston viciously assaulted Jericho. With Y2J still reeling, Fandango struck back, adding insult to injury by dancing over Jericho, brutalizing him and then finally launching himself from the top rope onto The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla. Later that same night, Jericho revealed that Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero officially made the match.

Now, the two outspoken Superstars get set to “dance” upon The Grandest Stage of Them All. How will Fandango fare in a scheduled match at WrestleMania against one of WWE’s all-time greats?

Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls vs. Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins



At WrestleMania 29, The Grandest Stage of Them All will feature a funky dance party … and most likely, a long-winded lecture, as Brodus Clay & Tensai & The Funkadactyls square off with Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins in eight-person mixed tag team action!

Announced by WWE.com, this talent-laden, multifaceted contest provides Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes of Team Rhodes Scholars with a chance to overcome two super-sized Superstars who have attracted their ire of late: Tons of Funk. Although, the exuberant best of friends recently beat Clay and Tensai on Raw on March 25, Sandow and Rhodes remain at a deficit to the dancing duo after dropping matches to them the previous week on SmackDown and also during the Elimination Chamber Pre-Show.

Although the debonair Rhodes Scholars take every opportunity to deride the “childish” high jinks of Clay and Tensai, there’s no denying that the plus-sized pair have been on an impressive roll since they started boogying together. The Funkasaurus and “Sweet T” may be fun-loving WWE fan favorites, but when the music stops, they can bust much more than just a move in the ring — a reality with which Sandow and Rhodes are all too familiar.

Further complicating — and beautifying — the much-anticipated contest are four striking and dangerous Divas who have plenty of motivation of their own. Since their return several weeks ago, WWE’s resident femme fatales, Brie and Nikki Bella, have made no secret that they intend to shake up the Divas division once again. By attacking The Funkadactyls – Naomi and Cameron – backstage on the March 15 episode of SmackDown, however, The Bellas may have inadvertently bit off more than they can crew with the impressive, up-and-coming adversaries.

The Funkadactyls one-upped Brie and Nikki the next week on SmackDown and stopped them from interfering in the Clay & Tensai vs. Rhodes Scholars match, helping their dancing partners to victory from ringside. On April 7, however, they will be competing in the ring alongside them.

With four Superstars and four Divas involved, it doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to calculate that this Eight-Person Mixed Tag Team Match promises intense, chaotic action. Who will be celebrating after Tons of Funk & The Funkadactyls battle Team Rhodes Scholars & The Bella Twins?

Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett vs. The Miz


In a WWE.com exclusive announcement, Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett will defend his illustrious title against The Miz at WrestleMania, waging war in a battle for pride and glory that could only be settled at The Showcase of the Immortals.

The announcement of the monumental championship contest came on the tail end of The Awesome One’s huge non-title victory over The Barrett Barrage on the March 25 edition of Raw. Not only was it the first time Miz and Barrett squared off one-on-one, but The Miz also actually made The Bare-Knuckle Brawler tap out to the famous Figure-Four Leglock.

The trouble between the two Superstars, however, began when the reigning champion stole a Triple Threat Intercontinental Match victory on the previous week’s Raw, snatching the pinfall away just seconds after The Miz hit the Skull-Crushing Finale on war-torn nine-time Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho.

Then, as Miz was tending to his commentary duties on WWE Main Event, Barrett deliberately flashed the title in his face. This action pushed The Miz to make a statement of his own on SmackDown. After placing a post-match Figure-Four on United States Champion Antonio Cesaro, the determined Superstar glared at Barrett, who was sitting ringside. The Awesome One was clearly serving notice that he was gunning for the Intercontinental Championship gold, a point that rang loud and clear with his non-title triumph.

In addition to the Intercontinental Championship, Miz has held the WWE Championship, as well as the U.S., WWE Tag Team and World Tag Team Titles. Although he is no stranger to championship success, can he overcome the cunning nature of the brutal English champion who has finally made his way to the top of the mountain and has no intention of surrendering the high ground anytime soon?

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Do you think we get a Kane vs Daniel Bryan match.

Have them lose the titles soon on Raw, they turn on each other.

I would like to see a Kane v. Bryan match with all the other tag teams as lumberjacks. Have it where Kane wins they give up the belts. If Bryan wins, have a tag team battle royal with said lumberjacks for the straps.

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CSFMB: Home of the small minded

33 days

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Man....

My favorite WrestleMania of all time was 10 years ago (XIX @ Safeco). Can't believe how old I'm getting.

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Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

It's weird for me to be friends with someone so old. But I like to keep shit diverse, yo...

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This is my signature...

Happy birthday to you too.

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Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

My favorite was Wrestlemania X-Seven. How do you think I feel?

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I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

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Should the first match of Mania, be Kendall Gill vs Tim Doyle.

Finish what they started from this week.

has big fan been picking at your jokes again rents?

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The updated weather forecast for WrestleMania 29 calls for periods of rain at night with a low of 41 degrees and a "RealFeel" temperature of 34 degrees. There is a 56% chance of rain at night for WrestleMania 29.

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Makes me think of this match: http://www.wwe.com/videos/hulk-hogan-vs-big-john-studd-wwe-championship-match-october-19-1985-25057061

Hogan vs. Studd in Puerto Rico in 1985.

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Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

Does anyone else see the irony of Mother Nature just totally shitting on this PPV?


Anyone?

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It is starting to show it's possible to F up Mania. Since I want to be excited about it, I'll give it another week. Low expectations...........until NOW:

WWE announced today that Brodus Clay, Tensai and The Funkadactyls will face Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes and The Bella Twins in an eight-person mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 29.



Tensai got Wrestlemania payday tickat!!

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Is Cesaro still without a Mania match?

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I'd be willing to bet Cesaro v Kingston will be your pre-show. I wonder if the cold weather will have any impact on Cesaro? He might end up cutting glass with those gimmicks.

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The US Champ and biggest future star can't get on the biggest payday of the year.

Gotta love the way they build new stars.

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In years past we get amped up for Mania, and it usually lets us down. This year not one person is excited on how they built this up. So by the law of Wrestling Inverses it is probably going to be an awesome Mania. Please don't quote this.

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Surprised it's not your signature

With two weeks to go, the main WrestleMania card looks to be just about finalized, with nine matches now officially announced for 4/7 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

Even with the increase in price, and something missing as far as the buildup of the key bouts completely clicking, it would be a surprise for the show to be anything but ultra-successful. The WrestleMania name itself has become almost like a Super Bowl or Final Four, and it being held in the New York market, where tickets legitimately sold out a month ahead, will make the late hype that much bigger.

The show, since the lineup decisions were made months ago, was built, and all main event decisions since the summer, were built for three matches, The Rock defending the WWE title against John Cena, The Undertaker defending the streak against C.M. Punk, and a Brock Lesnar vs. HHH grudge match.

Rock and Cena adds the title implication that wasn’t there for the first match, last year, which was the biggest money match in the history of pro wrestling. For all the obvious reasons, Cena should win this year. Cena was kept away from the WWE title all last year with the idea of keeping him away to build for his biggest career win at Mania. The finish may not go down well with the live crowd, since Cena is usually booed by the traveling fans, and no show has more of those than Mania, and Cena is also usually heavily booed in the big cities, and no city in the United States is bigger nor has fans who will go “against the grain” with Cena than New York.

Still, the match is missing the personal issue last year’s match had. It clearly has the WrestleMania main event star power. From that standpoint would be the biggest championship match on a Mania show dating back to at least 2005 with the tremendously built HHH vs. Batista match, or before that, since 2001 with the Rock vs. Steve Austin match that really was the climax, and the beginning of the end, of WWE’s hottest period.

Undertaker vs. Punk hasn’t had a strong storyline. While Punk has been an excellent heel, few believe he has a chance to win. While really, nobody should have thought Shawn Michaels or HHH the past four years did either, they were able to create strong enough arguments that perhaps this would be the year, which hasn’t happened here.

HHH vs. Lesnar does have the viable storyline, with Lesnar having broken HHH’s arm twice, Shawn Michaels’ arm once, and beaten HHH in their previous match. Adding the stipulation that HHH will retire if he loses should add to interest, but may also give the feeling that all three top match results are obvious.

The original idea for the match was to have Shawn Michaels in HHH’s corner, playing off that Michaels had his arm broken by Lesnar. It also makes sense playing off that, with the idea of trying to protect Lesnar for his planned main event next year with Rock, that it would take both a superkick and a pedigree to finish him. Michaels will be at Mania, doing autograph signings. But with only one Raw show left, nothing has even been hinted in that direction, and Michaels’ broken arm has not been brought up in the buildup. WWE released a video of Stephanie McMahon, whose name did come up in the buildup after being insulted by Paul Heyman on 3/18, and having those insults replayed on every show, showing her doing boxing training. It came across as a tease for her to be the one in her husband’s corner, leading to a spot where she beats up Heyman, or, Lesnar goes after her, leading to HHH taking extreme measures in his comeback.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. People make that complaint a lot of years. Sometimes, due to predictability, they’ll change one of the results. While some believe HHH vs. Lesnar was designed this way to be HHH’s retirement, since he’s an executive and likely is just about done with his active career, the match is booked for HHH to win unless they make a change based on it being too predictable.

Paddy Power, London oddsmakers who actual allow betting on a predetermined activity, have listed Cena as a 6-1 favorite over Rock. People in WWE probably could make a killing because they usually do one long odds upset every year. Undertaker is a 25-1 favorite over Punk. HHH is a 7-2 favorite over Lesnar.

In the other major matches, Alberto Del Rio is a 3-2 favorite to retain his title over Jack Swagger, Ryback is a 3-1 favorite over Mark Henry. Chris Jericho and Fandango are both given 6-5 odds, essentially meaning even. Similarly, Kane & Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston is listed 6-5 both ways.

Del Rio and Swagger could go either way. I don’t expect Swagger to win the title, but it’s possible to build a longer program that Del Rio would come out on top of. It’s also possible to have the match, have Del Rio win, Swagger jump him after and leave him laying, and Ziggler cashing in. Del Rio would then have reason to first go after Swagger and Ziggler could defend the title against Orton or someone else, eventually leading back to Del Rio challenging Ziggler.

The original plan was to build for a submission rules match with Del Rio vs. Swagger at Extreme Rules, but the feud hasn’t gotten over to nearly the level hoped for. But they’ve invested a lot of time in the angle to blow it off after just one match. The idea of this program, and a major goal for 2013, is to make Del Rio into the Mexican babyface star that Eddy Guerrero and Rey Mysterio were. If he loses to Swagger, or beats Swagger and Dolph Ziggler cashes it in, it’s still all about building Del Rio.

Whatever the result ends up being, I can’t figure any logical result in Jericho vs. Fandango other than Fandango winning. Jericho doesn’t need the win. Fandango shouldn’t lose his first major match. A win by Fandango over someone with Jericho’s star power will up his credibility and he’s one of the key new acts being pushed. The match is huge for Fandango because if it isn’t good, Jericho won’t be the one people say isn’t good enough to be a headliner. And with Jericho, he does have the chance to come out of it not just with a win, but more important, with a very strong Mania match. At this point, the two guys on the show who have the most to gain and lose based on how they do are Fandango and Swagger. The only exception is if Ziggler wins the world title and he and Jericho are rekindled (since Jericho beat him clean on TV), but even then Jericho is established enough that he could lose to Fandango and still be viable in a program with Ziggler, and Fandango would still be hurt by the loss this early in his run on such a big stage and with all the hype.

If Swagger isn’t getting the world title, he and Langston could win the tag title. Obviously if he is getting the world title, it serves no purpose to win the tag title. It’s also possible they get the tag title to swerve and make you not think the cash in is coming later, and it leads to a tournament for vacant tag titles.

There are two other confirmed main show matches, Randy Orton & Sheamus & Big Show vs. The Shield, and Wade Barrett vs. The Miz for the IC title.

That makes nine matches, which is the total of matches last year’s four-hour show had.

With a one-hour pre-game show, there will likely be two or three matches added. A multiple person match to get everyone a payday is possible. The only other match that has been built for weeks, although not announced at press time, would be Brodus Clay & Tensai & Cameron & Naomi vs. Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow & The Bella Twins. Also likely is Kaitlyn vs. A.J. Lee for the Divas title. Lee would replace Layla, who was originally to turn heel on Kaitlyn and get the shot.

The Ziggler, Langston and A.J. group would be brought back to near the top, instead of their running in place role of the past few months, and be able to be that big-time couple superstar group with Ziggler and Lee both holding the titles, or a lesser idea is with the tag title, all three could have belts.

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Bullshit. These clowns were scrambling up until 2 months ago.

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Seriously. If Punk vs. Taker was decided last year, you'd think they would have come up with something better than the fatal four-way lead in.

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Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

I don't think it's that crazy to believe the top three matches were determined in the Summer. I think Taker was legitimately questionable, which left Punk in limbo for 1 1/2 weeks.

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Because that would overshadow Cena-Rock, and Vince wasn't having any of that.

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We agree champ.

Those polls are likely of internet wrestling cretins like us who Vince has no use for.

He wants kids and moms.

CM Punk isn't a kids and moms type of guy.

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Streak vs Streak would leave them with the problem of what to do with with Taker after he won the belt at Mania. No way he was going to do 2 PPVs in a row. What do you have him do? Turn around and drop it the next night at RAW?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."