Title:	Wrestlemania 21
Released:	Out Now
Promotion:	WWE

The Event

When WWE heads to Hollywood for its annual showcase, Wrestlemania.  You know its gonna be good and once again Wrestlemania becomes the benchmark for the year as it features everything a supershow should be.  With the likes of Triple H vs Batista, JBL vs John Cena, Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton vs The Undertaker and a Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

Wrestlemania is the granddaddy of them all when it comes to PPV’s, WWE pulls out all the stops and really pushes it as the top show of the year and coming in at just under 4 hours long, us fans can put aside memories of such PPV’s like Judgment Day and enjoy wrestling at its best.  WWE makes Wrestlemania feel more important by having bigger sets, flashier pyro and the matches all mean something; there usually isn’t a single match on the card that was just thrown together on Heat.  That is what makes Wrestlemania so special, WWE puts the time and effort into it that ultimately pays off with high quality product that makes you count down until the next Mania.

The show kicks off with Lillian Garcia singing the national anthem (got to admit I prefer when they get a celebrity in to sing it!) before an opening video featuring all the movie parodies (easily the best promo’s ever made by WWE in my view, and luckily for us they are all on the DVD) before getting to the Gladiator/Austin one which was also rather good.

Our opening contest sees the WWE tag team champions Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio facing each other in a fast paced contest that would have been much better if Mysterio hadn’t have messed with his mask that saw him constantly adjusting it, which got a little distracting!  Sadly we didn’t get a Guerrero heel turn but that would come just weeks later.  What makes this match interesting is how they used a different style to what we are used to seeing on Smackdown with more reversals and moves we don’t usually see. 

Backstage the two world champions JBL and Triple H go nose to nose, a shot of Adam Sandler in the crowd (I think it was one of the Black Eyed Peas in the background) following that we have a Money in the Bank Ladder Match where 6 superstars (Chris Benoit, Christian, Chris Jericho, Kane, Shelton Benjamin and Edge) try to get a contract from high above the ring for a title shot in the next year.

I was surprised to see this match so early in the show, but that doesn’t matter as this is one of the highlights of the night.  Oh and when Kane makes his entrance to this match, its one of those magic moments where a load of ladders catch fire.  Although it was Edge that won the match to become Mr Money in the Bank, it was Shelton Benjamin who made the biggest impression as he does some fantastic moves including a t-bone from the top of the ladder.  Just when you thought you had seen it all in a ladder match, throw these hungry lions in the ring on the biggest show of the year and they come up with the goods with many of them being tossed or jumping off the top of the ladder.  I would love for this to become an annual event.

Eugene comes out to the ring for his first Wrestlemania appearance that becomes one of the best moments in the show (oh yeah Midgets are awesome) as Muhammad Hassan comes out with Davari to put a beat down on Eugene which brings out the immortal Hulk Hogan to clear out, much to the delight of the fans!  Oh and former WCW champion David Arquette is in the front row with Brooke Hogan.

From one legend to another, The Undertaker faces the Legend killer Randy Orton in match that could have seen an end to the undefeated streak of Undertaker at Wrestlemania but sadly Orton was about to undergo surgery so ended up becoming just another victim.  But this was a hell of a contest and seeing Orton turn a chokeslam into a RKO is a mark out moment.  This match continues the trend of excellence at Wrestlemania with both guys putting in perfect performances.  Having Bob Orton come into the ring with the cast on was a nice touch and a throw back to the eighties.  But it’s the finish involving the reversal of a tombstone that keeps the Taker fans happy, (I wasn’t happy since I wanted Orton to win!)

What can be said about the Women’s title match between Trish Stratus and Diva Search winner & Playboy covergirl Christy Hemmy?  It didn’t last long and Christy can’t wrestle.  This was just one of those matches that everybody knew would be bad and WWE realised that by having a short match with Trish dominating Christy.  It’s a shame the women’s division has come to this.

Finally we come to the match that stole Wrestlemania 21, as Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle go toe to toe with nothing more than pride on the line.  These two did everything to put on a all time classic, this is without question the best and my favourite match of the night (if not the year) as Kurt Angle makes Shawn Michaels tap out to the ankle lock after each man does everything possible to outdo one another.  This is without question the best match on the DVD and is enough to warrant buying the DVD for alone.

When you put Rowdy Roddy Piper and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the ring together, you can be guaranteed its going to be entertaining and you won’t know what is going to be said.  Austin and Piper’s interview is rather odd since Piper had to quickly get used to the “What” chants but it was when Carlito Caribbean Cool came out it got fun as CCC is one of the most talented superstars around at the moment on the microphone.  Of course Stone Cold has a few beers and nails a couple of stunners, but hey it’s Austin.

In one of the oddest moments in Wrestlemania, Big Show faces Grand Sumo Champion Akebono in a sumo match, this might have done something for the Japanese fans but for us non Sumo fans, the least said about the Big Show in a thong, the better.  A great time to use the Skip button.

Now its time to swap discs, the WWE Championship is on the line next as JBL defends his belt against the up and comer John Cena.  JBL’s entrance was completely over the top with all the money dropping down from the ceiling, which was a sign he wasn’t walking out with the belt  .I got to admit I was looking forward to this match as JBL held the title way too long, but he is a very talented heel.  And boy did he prove his worth here, this match just fell apart with Cena seeming to hit the FU out of nowhere for the win, since he barely got any offence in this match at all.  Apparently the show was running late so they cut some time off this match (well I doubt they would take a couple of minutes from Triple H).    It’s a shame this match didn’t live up to the hype, but after seeing them in an I Quit match at Judgment Day, they weren’t aloud to make the match better than Hunters. 

Now the Hall of Fame has become a yearly event, this year’s class (including Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart, Bob Orton, Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, Paul Ordnorff and Rowdy Roddy Piper) came out to the crowd, each with a Diva on their arm.  This bit was cut short due to running late, but at least they had the previous night and of course both Piper and Hogan had been out previously.

And finally we get to the main event, Triple H defending the championship against his former Evolution friend Batista.  The crowd was into Batista big time, oh and Motorhead performed Triple H’s theme song however someone forgot to tell Lenny (the Motorhead lead) the words to the song.  I remember thinking at the time they played how bad they sounded live and they don’t sound much better on the DVD (at least the screeching was edited out).  Triple H vs Batista is a much better match then the Cena/JBL or even the Booker T/Triple H one from Wrestlemania XIX as Batista seemed to step up to take his place as the lead guy.  The match was a lot better than I thought it would be though I still think Batista took too much abuse from Hunter.  But at the end of the day Batista powerbombed his way into the history books and the main player to face Triple H for the summer.  But how long will Triple H let Batista hold the title? 

There is no doubt that Wrestlemania 21 was all about the future with both Batista and John Cena walking out as World Champions symbolising that they are the future of the company.

The Extras

Once again the WWE DVD department does us proud with a 3-disk box set for Wrestlemania 21, unlike the previous Wrestlemania DVD’s it doesn’t contain too much Wrestlemania history as the third disk has the entire Hall of Fame 2005 ceremony on it (unlike last year where it was released separately) which makes the DVD more value for money.

Disk 1 contains just the chapter selection and Spanish commentary with disk two having more of the extras including all of the movie parody trailers such as Stacy doing Basic Instinct, Triple H doing Braveheart, Eugene doing Forest Gump and the rest of the roster doing Taxi.  Personally I loved these trailers and its great to see them all included on this DVD.  There is also a bloopers outtake collection which is rather funny such as Ric Flair trying to get the donkey to move, Funaki sounding like Jackie Chan and Edge going nuts.

Also on the DVD is some career highlights of Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels plus the 30 man RAW vs Smackdown battle royal (which is rather good and they are all wearing Smackdown/RAW t-shirts) plus some Wrestlemania promotional work in Los Angeles that saw WWE wrestling at Hollywood Boulevard (which I hadn’t seen but was standing there on the morning of the show), Motorhead backstage with Triple H & more.

There are some promotional spots for the main matches, not only that it comes in a nice little box that folds out to show both Batista and John Cena holding their titles high. 

I wasn’t too sure if I should include the Hall of Fame show in the main feature or extra section, but I figured that since I wouldn’t have brought the Hall of Fame DVD if it was sold separately, I would count it as an extra.  This to me makes the extras extremely good value, as there is an entire disk set-aside for the hall of fame.  With the class of 2005 consisting of Nikolai Volkoff, Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton, Jimmy Hart, The Iron Sheik, Rowdy Roddy Piper and of course Hulk Hogan.  It was definitely a time to honour those who made an impact at the original Wrestlemania.  How the show went was that each inductee had a promo video showing their greatest moments with a voice over explaining their story, and then someone would come out and talk up the inductee even more until the inductee comes out to deliver a speech.  The reaction Hulk Hogan got from the fans and colleagues makes the show worth watching just by itself.  Compared to last years two disk set which had bonus matches of each of the inductees, this DVD falls short since the only thing on the DVD is the ceremony, but considering it’s a bonus DVD with the Wrestlemania 21 set, it does finish off the weekends event into a perfect package.

Overall

There is no doubt that when Wrestlemania comes around, its my favourite time of the year as the show is built for months, each match is given a story and everyone puts their all in.  Wrestlemania 21 was exactly the same with huge matches that we’ve never seen before plus that little special something that makes the whole event, a Wrestlemania moment.

One thing that is noticeable about Wrestlemania 21 compared to previous events is how the crowd isn’t as loud as their NYC or Toronto counterparts, though not a part of the show which instantly comes to mind as important, having a hot crowd really makes a show even more special.

Wrestlemania 21 has got a excellent set of wrestling matches (Angle/HBK, Batista/Triple H, Ladder Match) but it’s a shame the Sumo, Women’s title and even the WWE title match had to put a little bit of damper on it. 

I will admit this DVD is of more value to me since I was one of the 20,000 fans in attendance so it’s a fantastic way of reliving an awesome night, so for anyone who was there live this DVD is a must buy and if you didn’t attend the show but still want to own probably the best show since the last Wrestlemania, pick up a copy now.  Add to that they have put the Hall of Fame show on here as well makes the DVD great value for money.

RATINGS
The Event	9
The Extras	10
Overall	10