Impressions on Wrestling

I think Wrestlemania XXX will go down as one of the more memorable Wrestlemanias in history. There were some very happy moments, some confusing moments, and one downright shocking moment.  I look forward to talking about this show for years to come. Starting at 6:00 pm EST was the Wrestlemania Pre-show that delivered a very fun match.... The Usos def. Rybaxel, Los Matadores, The Real Americans for the WWE Tag Team Championship This match delivered as for the Pre-show.  It was fast paced and had some fun moments.  The last few minutes were the highlight of the match.  The Usos won with a double splash on Cesaro .  This then led to a post match face turn for Cesaro. Crowd was really hot for Cesaro's giant swing on Swagger.  Very good stuff. Rating : *** The main show opened with a long but very fun intro with Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Rock.  Hogan messing up and saying Silver Dome was hilarious, as was Steve Austin and the R...

Earlier tonight, the WWE presented the WWE Hall of Fame in it's entirety on the WWE Network.  It was a very interesting evening with quite a few highlights. One thing is for sure, this show went really, really, really long.  I have been fortunate enough to attend a Hall of Fame ceremony and it was nowhere near the length of this ceremony. The major reason for that was three very long speeches. The first long speech was from the first inductee, Lita.  I am a big Lita fan and I am extremely happy that she was honored.  That being said, her speech was over thirty minutes.  There was a fun highlight of Arn Anderson and Rey Mysterio getting Miller Lights that she owed them.  Overall though, I would just say that this speech ran too long. The best speech of the night came from our second inductee, Jake Roberts.  DDP had a nice speech to welcome Jake out that featured some funny stories.  Jake then came out and provided a moving, truthful, harsh, ...

Sunday night is looming, but there is still so much more happening before then.  Last night marked the beginning of the Wrestlemania Weekend coverage from the WWE Network with Wrestlemania Today.  It is a two hour talk show hosted by Josh Matthews, Alex Riley, Booker T and others.  I just wanted to take the time today to break down my thoughts on the first night of the show. First off, this is awesome.  The show feels slightly chaotic with people talking over each other, but it feels fresh.  Different wrestlers come up to the panel and get interviewed and give their thoughts on their matches or other matches on the Wrestlemania card.  There are also exclusive taped interviews and video packages.  The funniest moment on the show was the video package of Big E going around New Orleans getting his fortune told, meeting fans, and hilariously eating beignets at a cafe.  In a few short minutes, Big E was able to show how much personality he has. ...

It has finally arrived! 2/3 of the crew has assembled for the first episode.  Lars and I break down the Wrestlemania XXX card and give our predictions as well.  There is also a ridiculous into that you could argue is immortal... brother. Listen to this episode Download this episode (right click and save)

The day is drawing near. Wrestlemania XXX is three days away. Today is our last match preview.  Before we get into it, we have some fun announcements.  We will have our first podcast release later on today with our audio preview and predictions for Wrestlemania XXX.  We also have launched our twitter account  @IOWrestling .  If that's not enough, we have also launched a Facebook fan page ! Now that our plugs are out of the way, we will be covering two matches today, as they go hand in hand with each other and seem like the main matches on the show. Let's get do this! Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H This match has been building since Summerslam, when Triple H cost Daniel Bryan the WWE Championship.  Bryan finally gets his chance at revenge this Sunday.  This match didn't just happen either, they had to get to this match in a very different way. Triple H explained to the fans that he screwed Daniel Bryan because it was "best for business" and...

My goodness, we are inching closer and closer to Sunday and the little kid in me is giddy.  I can't help but find it strange that two months ago I didn't care about the show.  I feel there are several factors that led to this Wrestlemania feeling different and special.  There is the Daniel Bryan factor, which is a big deal, there's also the WWE Network hype.  One other thing that feels special and is this surge of young talent in big spots.  One talent in particular is skyrocketing to stardom this year... Bray Wyatt. That leads us to today's match. John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt Legacy. That word is being used a lot in the build to this match. That certainly could be because of Eminem, but it is also very fitting.  John Cena has crafted a legacy unlike any other.  He has been scrutinized by many fans, but has also been a symbol of hope for many children.  Love him or hate him, there is no denying the man's passion for WWE.  He wanted to ta...

We have gotten off the highway on the road to Wrestlemania and we are pulling into New Orleans this Sunday. Last night we had the go-home edition of Monday Night Raw. While the show was not the best, it ended well and I am still looking forward to Wrestlemania. I will say the WWE Network has a lot to do with that, but that's another discussion for later this week. Let's get on with our match preview! Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar The Streak vs. The Beast Here is a match that I am looking forward to, but I feel disappointed in my lack of excitement. This should feel like one of the biggest matches on the show, and it feels like it's in fourth place on my match listing, in regards to my excitement anyways. That being said, I have faith that these guys will put on a hell of a show. Undertaker is the man, and Brock is truly a freak of nature. Undertaker's Streak of 21-0 at Wrestlemania is truly something special. The "Streak" will never happen again...

Hello again, my friends!  Today marks the go-home edition of Monday Night RAW as we kick off Wrestlemania week.  This week WWE plans on having live shows streaming on the WWE Network from New Orleans hyping the fandom for Wrestlemania XXX.  This is an exciting prospect for my inner child.  I can remember me in my youth feeling like there wasn't enough coverage of my favorite event, my Super Bowl.  Now, we are getting non-stop coverage. Thank you to the technology, the internet, the WWE Network, and this blog, I will now be hyping most of the week.  On to today's match preview, shall we? The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal This match can also be known as the "Get everybody on Wrestlemania" Battle Royal. I am totally fine with that.  All of these guys bust their balls every night all over the country, they deserve to be on the show. The interesting part about the match is the four unknown entrants.  I'm hoping they will be surprises o...

Tomorrow we start Wrestlemania Week with the go-home edition of Monday Night RAW.  I look forward to getting that final bit of hype before the show of shows. Today we will be talking about one match... The Shield vs. Kane & The New Age Outlaws I will admit that I was slightly disappointed that this was going to be the match for the Shield.  The good news is that they are still together and they have been getting to show a new side of themselves now that they are the "good guys."  They are also getting to work with legends from the Attitude Era.  Unfortunately, Kane is "Corporate" and not the Big Red Machine we know and love. This match should be fun, but I can't help but wish that the Shield got a bigger spotlight. The Shield have changed the landscape of WWE's product from day one when they interfered in the main event of Survivor Series 2012.  It's crazy to think of the quality they have produced since that evening.  Their feud wit...

As we head into Wrestlemania week, we preview some of the matches we have to look forward to on April 6, 2014 in New Orleans.  I will be cranking these out over the next few days before we have our first podcast, where we will be giving our predictions. We will be building up the previews from "bottom" to "top" in a way. On today's post I want to talk about two matches that are lower on the totem pole.   Those matches would be the Divas Championship Invitational and the Fatal Four Way for the WWE Tag Team Championships.  These matches probably aren't going to be selling Wrestlemania for many people or convincing them to buy the WWE Network.  What they will do, however, is give the opportunity for wrestlers to get on to the show of shows, much like another match that we will get to on another post. Up first... Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational: 14 women, one match, pure chaos.  In all seriousness, I am happy for the ladies that get to...

Welcome to the first ever blog post from Impressions on Wrestling.  I look forward to bringing this project to life.  In the coming weeks we will have new content, including a podcast.  What I want to do is set up the future of this site, and ultimately the future of wrestling. To do that we need to do a little trip through history on our road to Wrestlemania XXX.  So we need to walk to the launching pad and climb in the spaceship and load it with rocket fuel (Hulk.... Hogan....) . Wrestlemania XXX is a pivotal point in wrestling history. Who could have imagined in 1985 that there would be 30 events and that it would be broadcast on a network owned by Vincent Kennedy McMahon? Nobody.  This is the first Pay-Per-View ever broadcast live on the WWE Network.  This is monumental...  I want you to take a moment and realize the historical significance of that statement.  WWE rode the wave of television, cable, and Pay-Per-View and created a phenomeno...