The Wrestling Thread: WWE WrestleMania 31 [NSFW]

[zXe]

has anyone got a video or gif of stone cold on his quad bike?

[Balloon Sod]

I think Matt Hardy's terrible outfit has been completely swept under the sea of Wrestlemania hate.

He looked much better like that. He's a little tubby, but I thought the outfit was fine.

[Zellery]

I think Matt Hardy's terrible outfit has been completely swept under the sea of Wrestlemania hate.

He looked much better like that. He's a little tubby, but I thought the outfit was fine.

It was a special WM outfit though with 'MH' on the back in the same style as 'WM' so I doubt you'll see it again.

[Bene Version 2]

I think Matt Hardy's terrible outfit has been completely swept under the sea of Wrestlemania hate.

He looked much better like that. He's a little tubby, but I thought the outfit was fine.

Decent match too. Got holy gooseberry fool chants out of the crowd which aren't too common these days.

[Zellery]

Matt Hardy didn't do anything to get those chants, he never does any high flying or risk taking anymore. I assume it's something to do with his legs but meh.

[KK]

Tons of news coming in now concerning last night. Apparently the PPV broadcast itself was plagued with problems.

Comcast, which is the country's latest cable provider, had problems with the WWE WrestleMania XXV HD & SD feeds last night. Big chunks of the show on both feeds in many areas did not air. Comcast did end up offering refunds to people which, in the end, will cost WWE buys for the PPV.

Time Warner Cable in Northeast Ohio had problems with On Demand PPV last night during WrestleMania. Many customers couldn't get the show until over an hour into the event.

RCN cable in Philadelphia also had issues with their HD feed last night, causing some people to order the standard version of the event.

There were also problems in England, with several people complaining about the PPV freezing up during the show [Virgin Media, again - KK]

The feeling backstage to WrestleMania was that HBK vs. The Undertaker stole the show, Ricky Steamboat looked great at his age, and that HHH vs. Randy Orton came off "poorly".

WWE realized that something was missing from this year's Hall of Fame Ceremony, due to the time restraints. The company now plans to sit down and interview the inductees to allow them to discuss their careers more. It is not known if this will be for WWE.com, or if it will be added to the WrestleMania XXV DVD.

Steve Austin was said to be very happy over the weekend because he got to catch up with so many people. The word going around is that Austin looked at the event as a way to close his wrestling career, but does plan to remain associated with the company in the future.

TMZ had a feature on Mickey Rourke and WrestleMania earlier today. They called his fight with Chris Jericho the only thing faker than his hair.

Potential Raw Spoiler concerning Orton/Triple H

There is expected to be a major angle on RAW tonight involving Triple H using the sledgehammer at WrestleMania. This will set up a rematch between the two at tonight's RAW or at the Backlash PPV.

[Adam Pollard]

Sod Matt Hardy's ring gear, WTF was on with the whacky entrance attires: Finlay and Hornswoggle's gay jackets and Kofi's AJ Styles-esque hooded vest =

[sw26]

Finlay and Hornswoggle's gay jackets

I didn't watch 'Mania so didn't see the jackets but you mentioning it did remind me of a post I read on the Wrestlecrap boards this morning about it - it was something along the lines of 'all Finlay needed was a slicked back mullet and he'd be back kicking William Regal's ass in WCW as the Belfast Bruiser again'.

[Floex]

Wow, just got through reading your lots comments on the event. It looked bad on paper, sounded worst when played out live. Seeing as no one new has come through, where does it setup WWE for the rest of the year?

If they are (which i'm sure they are) going with Orton/HHH who is actually giving a gooseberry fool about this

I have come in here a few times about saying I wish more of you lot would watch TNA but their Lockdown event is shaping up to be something truly great. For people who was disapointed about the crowds being dead, the PPV is going to be in Philly and you know they are going to be loud as strawberry float.

Again, I said it before but there gaunlet cage match 2 weeks back was something else and suggest anybody who is bored in the WWE product to give it ago

Bah, no one is going to listen to this anyway

[Skippy]

Wow, just got through reading your lots comments on the event. It looked bad on paper, sounded worst when played out live.

Wrongfax. The fact it could have been so good is why we're so dissapointed. Everyone and their mums knows Orton and HHH could have put a damn fine match on but the whole show just turned into "How Not to Book Wrestling: A 3 hour tutorial"

My main problem wasn't even the matches it was just how disconnected it felt, only two backstage segements with no talking. No funny skits. No reunions. No returns. How much would seeing Edge/Christian or a returning Batista backstage helped fire the crowd up?

[Adam Pollard]

JBL blog on the WWE UNIVERSE bullshit wankery site;

JBL No More, Thank You.
April 6, 2009

It doesn't get any bigger than Wrestlemania 25. WM 25 was in my home state of Texas with my childhood idols being inducted into the hall of fame.

I had wanted to make it to WM 25 for years, and when injuries cut my career short the one regret I had was that I wouldn't make the 25th anniversary of Wrestlemania-well, I made it. I never dreamed after I retired the first time that my back would get better and I would be allowed to return to wrestling.

Standing there last night in front of over 70,000 people in my home state ended a journey that was unreal to me. For a kid from Sweetwater, Texas to be able to travel all over the world and realize his dream is pretty cool.

I don't know what the future holds, never say never in life. But I have wrestled my last match. Months ago, I picked out this match. If Eddie Guerrero couldn't be here for it then my dear friend Rey was the obvious choice, and I'm proud he was.

I want to thank the WWE for a great career, for taking a chance on me and allowing me the keys to the car for a while. I will always represent the WWE wherever I go, I am proud of my 13 ½ years with the WWE. And, I am proud of the WWE for cleaning up a great sport to make it more healthy to everyone that is a part.

However, I have no current plans on doing anything in the future on a professional level with WWE. I don't plan on doing commentary, in fact; it hasn't even been brought up to me. I don't plan on being an on air character. I plan on starting the next chapter in my life, and closing the door on this one.

I have worked with some of the greatest people in the world; I have life long friends that are the best in the world. Everytime WWE is brought up or JBL, I will smile. I having nothing but great, great memories.

I have several projects that I am working on that will keep me more than busy.

I have worked with Charlie Haas to reform www.custom-muscle.com and together we plan on being the best nutrition web site in the world. Check us out, you can buy Layfield Products there, but you can also buy all the cutting edge supplements in the nutrition world there-and the plain old everyday supplements as well.

We plan on offering a full service web site, from information to updates on the world of fitness and health and of course the best prices for supplements of all kinds.

I plan on hunkering down and building my companies. I plan on building a world class distribution service in Nashville and a top notch global beverage company. I have a deal in the banking world that I hope to get done that will allow the disabled the first fully access bank online.

I have had a life that I could have only dreamed of so far, but it is my time to say thank you and go away. I have nothing but great and fond memories and I want to leave before any of that changes, I swore I would never stay too long-I have too much respect for this business to do that.

You may see me in the WWE again, I don't know-but that is not the plan. Right now, I have gotten up early today and am ready to go to work on the next part of my life that will hopefully exceed the first part.

I have been on the road for my entire adult life. I want to put the suitcases up and do my best to be successful outside of wrestling, today starts that journey.

Thanks to all you guys out there for cheering me, booing me and making signs about me. It is a little overwhelming to think of the great fans the WWE has today. I have been a bad guy for so long, and when I started you were a bad guy 24/7, I carried that mindset probably too long-well no more, today I am just a normal guy going to work.

It seems like yesterday I was sitting with my Grandfather watching wrestling, and telling him that one day I was going to be one of those guys. My grandfather never got to see me wrestle, but I am sure he is happy today. I hope Bobby Duncum Jr. and Eddie Guerrero were watching with him.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to be a part of the great theater we call "sports entertainment", personally I just always considered myself a wrestler.

Farewell to a WRESTLING GOD.

[Floex]

I really can't see these 'so good' matches. As much as I do like a good undercard, it's normally about the main events. To me, it's a 'seen it all before' mentality. Completely understand what your saying, mind. If Christian came out to help Edge, that would have been great. Even the build up and reading the comments, the storylines were utter pish going in. How do hype a PPV with no hype?

[Floex]

JBL - About strawberry floating time

[Drumstick]

Farewell to a WRESTLING GOD.

Amen to that.

[Skippy]

Hope he gets a send-off tonight seeing as most people thought last night was an angle.

[A J Styles]

I really like JBL he is a classic heel and he plays it very well.

Looking forward to Raw tonight as the Raw after Wrestlemania means something big might happen like the DX formation, Rock gets suspended, Brock Lesnar debuts and Umaga debuts.

[Adam Pollard]

I doubt they'll do owt, which is a shame.

Still, the last bit of offence he got in was booting Rey RIGHT IN THE strawberry floating FACE, so that's fine by me.

My favourite JBL memories:

+ The awesome matches with Eddie.
+ The even more awesomeness of him wiping out the midget with a trash can at Mania XXIV.
+ The whacky match with Cena at last years Great American Bash.
+ His awesome commentary on Smackdown, where he effectively put over everybody he was talking about.
+ The awesome build to the Judgement Day match with Mysterio, where he had the midget beaten up by Khali, Mark Henry and Kane
+ His AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME role in the (rubbish) Smackdown vs Raw fued at Taboo Tuesday.
+ Everything during the business hours of the Acolytes Protection Agency.

[Cropolite]

Surely JBL should slot right into the Smackdown announcing position?

[Drumstick]

I loved his entrance. The bell, the limo, it was just brilliant.

[A J Styles]

I doubt they'll do owt, which is a shame.

Still, the last bit of offence he got in was booting Rey RIGHT IN THE strawberry floating FACE, so that's fine by me.

My favourite JBL memories:

+ The awesome matches with Eddie.
+ The even more awesomeness of him wiping out the midget with a trash can at Mania XXIV.
+ The whacky match with Cena at last years Great American Bash.
+ His awesome commentary on Smackdown, where he effectively put over everybody he was talking about.
+ The awesome build to the Judgement Day match with Mysterio, where he had the midget beaten up by Khali, Mark Henry and Kane
+ His AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME role in the (rubbish) Smackdown vs Raw fued at Taboo Tuesday.
+ Everything during the business hours of the Acolytes Protection Agency.

What about him going to the Mexican Borders to stop them getting in to America.