Welcome to the Love-In, my friends!
We just got through WrestleMania weekend and in honor of the ‘Show of Shows’, this is a very special 5 Reasons to Love Wrestling. First, we have a brand new logo created by premiere tattoo artist McFarland Campbell. On top of that, our list the week focuses solely on the events of WrestleMania weekend, and we here at the 5 Worldwide (patent pending) have a couple of other major announcements. This week sees the much-anticipated arrival of my client. In addition to this, we’re expanding the “5” brand with a whole new list series called The High 5 where we’ll create top five lists for you regularly. That’s right, it’s been a big weekend, let’s enjoy it.
5. Gargano Saga
Don’t we love a good betrayal and revenge story?
Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, X-Pac and Kane, KO and anyone, Savage and Hogan, Hogan and Savage, Hogan and the fans… the list goes on and on. My point is this: even The Bible kicks off with a fraternal betrayal. Adding to this list now is the Saga of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Remember after the Festival of Friendship, Gargano tweeted out a picture of him blocking Ciampa from the TV. He jokingly implied he was preventing Ciampa from betraying him and we all laughed at the little joke. Who knew it was foreshadowing of an epic heartbreak. Ok, most of us who read wrestling news, but it was still masterfully done.
Gotta get rid of this thing..
Just in case. #FestivalOfFriendship pic.twitter.com/khGCIoFVCP
— Johnny Gargano (@JohnnyGargano) February 14, 2017
This whole story from DIY’s rise to Gargano’s revenge at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, has been an epic tale of betrayal and revenge worthy of Alexandre Dumas. Each run-in, each time Ciampa cost Gargano more and more, we invested more and more into the story. Ciampa’s injury didn’t even hurt the story, as this delay allowed it to build even further. Ciampa cost ‘Johnny Wrestling’ the NXT Championship, then his career. It all culminated in a match with all the passion and furry these men could muster.
Love Gargano for putting everything out there in the ring every time he performs. Love both men for the story they told. Lastly, don’t forget Triple H. I can’t wait until he’s telling stories of this caliber on the main roster.
4. Rowdy Ronda Rousey’s Transition to the Ring
I must admit something, dear readers. I, your bastion of positivity, have been more than a little skeptical about Rousey’s WWE debut. At best I can call my interest in the whole thing mild apathy. I was ignoring the hype until I could see her wrestle. Then she threw that smooth judo throw on Mandy Rose and I got curious.
Wow. At WrestleMania 34 Ronda Rousey marched to the ring in a kilt I don’t think Roddy Piper would have worn and delivered in a big way. Ok, she doesn’t have the natural mic skills like Kurt Angle, but she took to the ring just as quickly. This doesn’t just mean she could do a few moves, no. She was able to work the match and tell a story with three of the best (hate Stephanie or not, she knows in-ring psychology). You could argue they propped her up, but I prefer to see it as she held her own.
https://youtu.be/TX2pMN1Kl_0?t=5m33s
Rousey has a way to go being comfortable on the mic, but, remember, the number one fear in America is public speaking. That means it beat out death; people would rather die than speak in public. So, give Ronda time to adjust, because her in-ring work is amazing. Her martial arts background made some unique, brutal, and painful looking moves.
You can tell Ronda loves doing this; you can see her grinning ear to ear every time she comes to the ring, she can’t help it. After her defeat at the hands of Holly Holm, Ronda said she thought her life was over. She didn’t know who she was if she wasn’t the undefeated UFC Champion. Now, she has a new life and a new home with fans who love and embrace her. Ronda was humbled and she’s loving every second of this new life as a wrestler. Cheer for this woman, who is showing us all so much love, respect, and heart.
3. The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018
Ok, using the HOF as a reason to love wrestling is like shooting fish in a barrel. It is by nature one giant love fest, after all. There were plenty of tear-jerking moments to cover and really deserves it’s own 5 Reasons special (probably more than WrestleMania, truth be told)
All the speeches did what most HOF speeches do; they remind us of the love and sacrifice that goes into this business. The love Devon and Bubba Ray had for each other was apparent in their banter, not to mention the outpouring of affection they had for little Spike Dudley.
Ivory was, as always, a beacon of positivity. It was wonderful getting to see someone who did so much for women’s wrestling be honored, and her speech showed nothing but gratitude for being part of that legacy.
Seeing Jeff Jarrett back on a WWE stage was uncanny, to say the least. However, this was a bridge we all thought well burnt. Jarrett has had a long road back to the WWE, not only going head to head with them, but with his tumultuous personal life. Seeing Jeff fight back tears when speaking about Road Dogg and Owen Hart was heartwarming. Even their terrible rendition of With My Baby Tonight was endearing.
Goldberg and Mark Henry both made everyone weep like they were watching Old Yeller when they talked about family and sacrifice. Then, of course, Jarrius ‘JJ’ Robertson stole the show roasting the Miz and John Cena.
This was a beautiful event, as it is most years, and it’s an event specifically for celebrating wrestling. If you love wrestling, make sure you watch the Hall of Fame and remember Hillbilly Jim.
2. Old School!
Like Ronda Rousey, this is another case of my skepticism being laid to rest in the best possible way. The Undertaker is why I watch wrestling, and I even used to say I’d stop watching when he retired. Thank God I didn’t, I know you’d all miss me.
My love for the Undertaker notwithstanding, the man just turned 53 this year. He’s given everything he’s got for nearly 30 years, let him rest in peace. I’ve always thought the end of the streak should be his last match. However, he kept coming back, and the loss to Roman when he was in dire need of a hip replacement was hard to watch.
I couldn’t bear to watch my aging hero slog through another match, even if it was with a more skilled opponent. Then the ‘Deadman’ returned in full form. This was a glorified squash match, and ‘Taker looked 10x better than last year.
The Undertaker may never sail over the top rope anymore, but he moved around the ring with an agility we haven’t seen from him in years and he even went Old School for us. The amount of dedication it took for the Undertaker to get ready for this match shows just how much he loves this sport and us the fans. Thank you ‘Taker. And thank you, Cena, for that hilarious Scooby Doo moment when ‘Taker sat up and you pumped the breaks on the Five Knuckle Shuffle.
1. My Client…
Now it’s time for my client to make his presence known here on our humble series. Wrestling fans everywhere, I give you the baddest of the bad, the youngest up and coming star on WrestleTalk.com, ‘The Lion’. The Lion is here to conquer all those things we love in wrestling history and present them here to you, the adoring fans. Here, for the first time he gives you:
Lionizing History: WrestleMania XXV
We take our first journey down memory lane in an interestingly seductive manner while Kid Rock belts out an absolute banger because we are checking in at WrestleMania XXV. Yes, I hated writing that sentence just as much as you hated reading it.
To begin, we had a brilliant opener in the Money in the Bank ladder match, featuring insane stunts from Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston. The match was eventually won by CM Punk, as he became the first and only back-to-back Money in the Bank winner.
The next couple of matches were a bit naff, with the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal, won by Santino Marella dressed like a woman, and then Chris Jericho beating up some old men in a handicap match, namely Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat and Roddy Piper.
After, we had to get through a few ‘let’s not speak about them again’ matches, but then the real fun began. The Hardy Boyz competed against each other in an Extreme Rules match after a build that involved Matt killing Jeff’s dog. Seriously though, the build to this was pretty cool, with Matt costing his younger brother countless opportunities because, quite frankly, Jeff was more popular. The match itself was pretty good, with both men putting their bodies on the line and battering each other with foreign objects. It ended with Jeff attempting a leg drop off the top of a ladder, Matt dodging it, and then forcing Jeff’s head in between the seat and back of a steel chair, executing the Twist of Fate, and getting the pinfall victory.
Rey Mysterio then defeated JBL for the Intercontinental Championship in 21 seconds, which resulted in JBL throwing a tantrum and retiring. Marvelous stuff.
And then, the big one. In all honesty, Michaels vs. ‘Taker probably should have main-evented the show, as both matches that followed were slightly below-par.
This, however, was the perfect blend of drama, tension and in-ring precision, with the Undertaker putting his undefeated streak on the line against the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels. What I could do is tell you how good it is. I’m not going to do that. All I’m going to do is urge you to watch this if you haven’t and if you have, well watch it again. WWE uploaded the full match to their YouTube channel, so make the most of this opportunity to witness a WrestleMania classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdM5lGZZJ54&t=1s
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