WWE WrestleMania XXV

Non-Televised Lumberjack Match - WWE & World Tag Team Championships (SMDN/ECW)
Carlito & Primo Colon WWE Champions (SMDN)	def.	John Morrison & Mike "Miz" Mizanin World Champions (ECW)	via Pinfall (8:21)
Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- I was pissed that this match was not on the regular card. I missed it entirely because I was walking in the parking lot of the arena when it was going on. We were running late and knew we'd miss the opening dark match, but I didn't know it would turn out to be this one. And after I've now seen it, I'm more disappointed because it was a really cool match. Primo pinned Morrison after the Backstabber. Lumberjacks: Great Khali, Shad Gaspard, JTG, Jamie Noble, Charlie Haas, Gregory Helms, Goldust, Jimmy Wang Yang, Tommy Dreamer, Evan Bourne, R-Truth, William Regal, Paul Burchill, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, The Brian Kendrick, Ezekiel Jackson, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Mike Knox, Vladimir Kozlov. Oh yeah, Primo kind of looks like a skinny Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Match #1 - Eight-Man "Money in the Bank" Ladder Match (INTER)
CM Punk (SMDN)	def.	Kane (RAW) Christian (ECW) Kofi Kingston (RAW) Shelton Benjamin (SMDN) Finlay (ECW) w/Hornswoggle Montel Vontavious Porter (SMDN) Mark Henry (ECW) w/Tony Atlas	(14:23)
Notes: Punk made history again.

ON STAGE: Kid Rock held a brief concert, which I didn't really care about at all. Towards the end, all the Divas in the Battle Royal made their entrances. DVD note: This has all been completely edited out. The DVD jumps right to the Battle Royal with all the Divas already in the ring, with the ring announcer introducing the match as it begins. I don't care about Kid Rock that much, but as a completist and a historian, I hate editing like this.

Match #2 - 25-Diva Battle Royal (INTER)
Santina Marella (RAW)	def.	(See Below)	(6:03)
Notes: Mae Young was the guest timekeeper, and Candice Michelle was onhand to present the tiara and sash to the winner, who was crowned Miss WrestleMania. And this ended up being Santino Marella in drag. He announced his name as Santina Marella, Santino's twin sister. And then he/she proceeded to dance around in the ring. Couple of eliminations were close. Thought the Divas deserved better, at least their own entrances.

Match #3 - 3-on-1 Handicap Elimination Match (RAW)
Chris Jericho	def.	Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka w/"Nature Boy" Ric Flair	via Pinfall (8:57)
Notes: "...Four of the greatest of all-time..." --Michael Cole, referring to the legends team. Four? Three, I'll grant you. But what has Snuka ever done? I can't stand him. And surprise, surprise, guess who was the first guy eliminated? Snuka tapped to the Walls of Jericho at 3:45. Piper held out a little longer but was pinned at 4:45 after an enziguri. Steamboat was on fire after this. He came off the top right away with a crossbody. Jericho had him down for a short time, but Steamboat fought back, even skinning the cat. Impressive for a man of his age. But hey, this isn't WrestleMania III, although the crowd did start to believe that Steamboat actually had a chance. The Codebreaker laid him low. Kudos to Steamboat, though. Jericho beat down Flair after the match and called Mickey Rourke into the ring. Rourke took his sweet time, dragging things out. Rourke eventually punched Jericho and knocked him to the ground, putting him in his place.

Match #4 - Extreme Rules Match (SMDN)
Matt Hardy	def.	Jeff Hardy	via Pinfall (13:15)
Notes: Matt came out in a jacket that Paul Burchill used from his pirate gimmick days, and Jeff came out with his face painted like a zombie-babboon. Some cool spots. Jeff put Matt on a table, and then placed another table on top of that one. He then dove off the top rope to the outside, sandwiching Matt between the two. Then Jeff brought out two ladders and set them up next to each other in the ring. He climbed up one and leapfrogged the other, hoping to land on the still prone Matt. Well Matt moved and Jeff crashed on his ass. Why the two ladders? I don't know. Does the leapfrog actually add to the impact? The one he leapfrogged was a bit higher, so why not just jump off that one? Anyway, Matt stuck Jeff's head through a steel chair, and delivered the Twist of Fate. And that was it. Mattitude prevailed.

Match #5 - WWE Intercontinental Championship (RAW)
Rey Mysterio Challenger	def.	John "Bradshaw" Layfield Champion	via Pinfall (0:21)
Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- The most disgusting moment of the night. JBL came to the ring all cocky, thinking himself a conquering hero coming home to Texas. Rey Rey capitalized on the death of Heath Ledger by coming out dressed like the Joker from Dark Knight. Rey did look freakier than he normally does. The best part was when JBL put the boots to Rey Rey before the bell even rang. The bad news was that once the bell did ring, it was all Rey. He left right away, and a shocked JBL announced to the crowd that he quit. Farewell, JBL.

Match #6 (RAW/SMDN)
The Undertaker (SMDN)	def.	Shawn Michaels (RAW)	via Pinfall (30:41)
Notes: Shawn came out first, dressed in white. He was lowered to the stage floor, white lights everywhere and some heavenly music playing. Once he touched down, the white came off and "Sexy Boy" hit. He was all business as the Undertaker in turn made his entrance, rising up through the stage floor. Shawn was unimpressed and all business. Then perhaps the best match I've ever seen was underway. I could go on and on with the highlights, but I'll just say that you should watch the match. It is worth it. I was surprised and impressed, and was glad I witnessed it live.

Match #7 - World Heavyweight Championship - Triple Threat Match (RAW/SMDN)
John Cena (RAW) Challenger	def.	Edge (SMDN) Champion The Big Show (SMDN) Challenger	via Pinfall (14:43)
Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- Chavo wheeled out Vickie Guerrero before the match. Yay. Edge spit out his gum on the way down the aisle and batted it away in a way that would make Mr. Perfect proud. Sigh. I guess the end result was expected, although I didn't like it. The match was OK, I suppose, but anything following the last match would pale in comparison. Big Show pulled an Andre and got tied up in the ropes. No one did anything until Show barked at the ref to let him loose. Chavo had gotten involved, Edge knocked Vickie off the ring apron, Edge speared Show through the security wall, and stuff like that. Cena tried giving both Edge and show the Attitude Adjustment (formerly the FU) at the same time, but Edge slid off. Show got it first, then Edge got his right on top of Show, and Cena pinned Show to win the title.

IN RING: The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 was introduced: Terry & Dory Funk, "Cowboy" Bill Watts, Howard Finkel, "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware, The Von Erich Family (represented by Kevin Von Erich), Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and of course, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin was the last one announced and went backstage right away. His music hit, and Austin came to the ring on his 4-wheeler and drank a few Steveweisers one last time. Thanks, Austin.

Match #8 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship (RAW/SMDN)
Triple H (SMDN) Champion	def.	Randy Orton (RAW) Challenger	via Pinfall (23:33)
Notes: Randy, one of the best villains in years, couldn't do it. I liked the buildup to this match for the most part, but the match itself didn't deliver. If Trips was DQed or counted out, he'd lose the title. Which was pretty lame, because one of the few times the crowd came alive was when HHH made like he was going to hit Orton with a monitor. But the referee got in his face and warned him about the stipulation. So Trips dropped it and was going to Pedigree Orton through a table. Wouldn't the announce table be considered a foreign object and DQ worthy? Whatever. Either way, Orton backdropped Hunter onto the table instead. The ref got knocked down, so Orton brought out Triple H's sledgehammer. Before he could even get into the ring, Hunter kicked him in the head and used the sledgehammer himself. He stashed it outside the ring, hit the Pedigree and it was over. To me, the match just went on and then all of a sudden ended. And it seemed like not much happened in it.

Non-Televised Lumberjack Match - WWE & World Tag Team Championships (SMDN/ECW)

Carlito & Primo Colon
WWE Champions (SMDN)

def.

John Morrison &
Mike "Miz" Mizanin
World Champions (ECW)

via Pinfall (8:21)

Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- I was pissed that this match was not on the regular card. I missed it entirely because I was walking in the parking lot of the arena when it was going on. We were running late and knew we'd miss the opening dark match, but I didn't know it would turn out to be this one. And after I've now seen it, I'm more disappointed because it was a really cool match. Primo pinned Morrison after the Backstabber. Lumberjacks: Great Khali, Shad Gaspard, JTG, Jamie Noble, Charlie Haas, Gregory Helms, Goldust, Jimmy Wang Yang, Tommy Dreamer, Evan Bourne, R-Truth, William Regal, Paul Burchill, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, The Brian Kendrick, Ezekiel Jackson, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Mike Knox, Vladimir Kozlov. Oh yeah, Primo kind of looks like a skinny Del Griffith from Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Match #1 - Eight-Man "Money in the Bank" Ladder Match (INTER)

CM Punk (SMDN)

def.

Kane (RAW)
Christian (ECW)
Kofi Kingston (RAW)
Shelton Benjamin (SMDN)
Finlay (ECW)
w/Hornswoggle
Montel Vontavious Porter (SMDN)
Mark Henry (ECW)
w/Tony Atlas

(14:23)

Notes: Punk made history again.

ON STAGE: Kid Rock held a brief concert, which I didn't really care about at all. Towards the end, all the Divas in the Battle Royal made their entrances. DVD note: This has all been completely edited out. The DVD jumps right to the Battle Royal with all the Divas already in the ring, with the ring announcer introducing the match as it begins. I don't care about Kid Rock that much, but as a completist and a historian, I hate editing like this.

Match #2 - 25-Diva Battle Royal (INTER)

Santina Marella (RAW)

def.

(See Below)

(6:03)

Notes: Mae Young was the guest timekeeper, and Candice Michelle was onhand to present the tiara and sash to the winner, who was crowned Miss WrestleMania. And this ended up being Santino Marella in drag. He announced his name as Santina Marella, Santino's twin sister. And then he/she proceeded to dance around in the ring. Couple of eliminations were close. Thought the Divas deserved better, at least their own entrances.

Match #3 - 3-on-1 Handicap Elimination Match (RAW)

Chris Jericho

def.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
w/"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

via Pinfall (8:57)

Notes: "...Four of the greatest of all-time..." --Michael Cole, referring to the legends team. Four? Three, I'll grant you. But what has Snuka ever done? I can't stand him. And surprise, surprise, guess who was the first guy eliminated? Snuka tapped to the Walls of Jericho at 3:45. Piper held out a little longer but was pinned at 4:45 after an enziguri. Steamboat was on fire after this. He came off the top right away with a crossbody. Jericho had him down for a short time, but Steamboat fought back, even skinning the cat. Impressive for a man of his age. But hey, this isn't WrestleMania III, although the crowd did start to believe that Steamboat actually had a chance. The Codebreaker laid him low. Kudos to Steamboat, though. Jericho beat down Flair after the match and called Mickey Rourke into the ring. Rourke took his sweet time, dragging things out. Rourke eventually punched Jericho and knocked him to the ground, putting him in his place.

Match #4 - Extreme Rules Match (SMDN)

Matt Hardy

def.

Jeff Hardy

via Pinfall (13:15)

Notes: Matt came out in a jacket that Paul Burchill used from his pirate gimmick days, and Jeff came out with his face painted like a zombie-babboon. Some cool spots. Jeff put Matt on a table, and then placed another table on top of that one. He then dove off the top rope to the outside, sandwiching Matt between the two. Then Jeff brought out two ladders and set them up next to each other in the ring. He climbed up one and leapfrogged the other, hoping to land on the still prone Matt. Well Matt moved and Jeff crashed on his ass. Why the two ladders? I don't know. Does the leapfrog actually add to the impact? The one he leapfrogged was a bit higher, so why not just jump off that one? Anyway, Matt stuck Jeff's head through a steel chair, and delivered the Twist of Fate. And that was it. Mattitude prevailed.

Match #5 - WWE Intercontinental Championship (RAW)

Rey Mysterio
Challenger

def.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Champion

via Pinfall (0:21)

Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- The most disgusting moment of the night. JBL came to the ring all cocky, thinking himself a conquering hero coming home to Texas. Rey Rey capitalized on the death of Heath Ledger by coming out dressed like the Joker from Dark Knight. Rey did look freakier than he normally does. The best part was when JBL put the boots to Rey Rey before the bell even rang. The bad news was that once the bell did ring, it was all Rey. He left right away, and a shocked JBL announced to the crowd that he quit. Farewell, JBL.

Match #6 (RAW/SMDN)

The Undertaker (SMDN)

def.

Shawn Michaels (RAW)

via Pinfall (30:41)

Notes: Shawn came out first, dressed in white. He was lowered to the stage floor, white lights everywhere and some heavenly music playing. Once he touched down, the white came off and "Sexy Boy" hit. He was all business as the Undertaker in turn made his entrance, rising up through the stage floor. Shawn was unimpressed and all business. Then perhaps the best match I've ever seen was underway. I could go on and on with the highlights, but I'll just say that you should watch the match. It is worth it. I was surprised and impressed, and was glad I witnessed it live.

Match #7 - World Heavyweight Championship - Triple Threat Match (RAW/SMDN)

John Cena (RAW)
Challenger

def.

Edge (SMDN)
Champion
The Big Show (SMDN)
Challenger

via Pinfall (14:43)

Notes: -TITLE CHANGE- Chavo wheeled out Vickie Guerrero before the match. Yay. Edge spit out his gum on the way down the aisle and batted it away in a way that would make Mr. Perfect proud. Sigh. I guess the end result was expected, although I didn't like it. The match was OK, I suppose, but anything following the last match would pale in comparison. Big Show pulled an Andre and got tied up in the ropes. No one did anything until Show barked at the ref to let him loose. Chavo had gotten involved, Edge knocked Vickie off the ring apron, Edge speared Show through the security wall, and stuff like that. Cena tried giving both Edge and show the Attitude Adjustment (formerly the FU) at the same time, but Edge slid off. Show got it first, then Edge got his right on top of Show, and Cena pinned Show to win the title.

IN RING: The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009 was introduced: Terry & Dory Funk, "Cowboy" Bill Watts, Howard Finkel, "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware, The Von Erich Family (represented by Kevin Von Erich), Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and of course, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin was the last one announced and went backstage right away. His music hit, and Austin came to the ring on his 4-wheeler and drank a few Steveweisers one last time. Thanks, Austin.

Match #8 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship (RAW/SMDN)

Triple H (SMDN)
Champion

def.

Randy Orton (RAW)
Challenger

via Pinfall (23:33)

Notes: Randy, one of the best villains in years, couldn't do it. I liked the buildup to this match for the most part, but the match itself didn't deliver. If Trips was DQed or counted out, he'd lose the title. Which was pretty lame, because one of the few times the crowd came alive was when HHH made like he was going to hit Orton with a monitor. But the referee got in his face and warned him about the stipulation. So Trips dropped it and was going to Pedigree Orton through a table. Wouldn't the announce table be considered a foreign object and DQ worthy? Whatever. Either way, Orton backdropped Hunter onto the table instead. The ref got knocked down, so Orton brought out Triple H's sledgehammer. Before he could even get into the ring, Hunter kicked him in the head and used the sledgehammer himself. He stashed it outside the ring, hit the Pedigree and it was over. To me, the match just went on and then all of a sudden ended. And it seemed like not much happened in it.

25-Diva Battle Royal
Exit	Name	Time	Eliminated By
1	Layla El	0:06	Bella Twins
2	Joy Giovanni	0:20	Torres, Bella Twins
3	Rosa Mendes	0:34	Bella Twins
4	Alicia Fox	0:39	Bella Twins
5	Sunny	1:34	Phoenix
6	Torrie Wilson	1:56	Phoenix
7	Jackie Gayda	2:27	Bella Twins
8	Maria Kanellis	2:43	Victoria
9	Gail Kim	3:02	Herself
10	Jillian Hall	3:04	Kim
11	Eve Torres	3:21	Phoenix
12	Tiffany	3:23	Phoenix
13	Kelly Kelly	3:45	Phoenix
14	Molly Holly	3:53	Phoenix
15	Maryse Ouellet	4:01	Phoenix
16	Katie Lea Burchill	4:07	Phoenix
17	Natalya Neidhart	4:19	Phoenix
18	Victoria	4:25	Bella Twins
19	Brie Bella	4:33	Phoenix
20	Nikki Bella	4:38	Phoenix
21	Mickie James	5:34	McCool
22	Michelle McCool	5:34	James
23	Beth Phoenix	6:03	Santina
24	Melina Perez	6:03	Phoenix
25	Santina Marella	WINNER

25-Diva Battle Royal

Exit

Name

Time

Eliminated By

Layla El