Opinion
WrestleMania 21: The Best 4 Segment Stretch In WWE History?
WrestleMania 21 was immediately one to remember, but I remember it for the best 4 segment stretch in WWE history.
WrestleMania 21 was immediately one to remember, but I remember it for the best 4 segment stretch in WWE history.
There’s not a ton of new content to talk about right now (but don’t worry, I’ve got some thoughts on this week’s NXT featuring Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa that you will love to see), but WWE has more content on the WWE Network than we can ever fully watch. One that you’ve almost assuredly seen before is WrestleMania 21.
WrestleMania 21 was a night when “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood.” The show emanated from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and is often remembered for the night John Cena and Batista each captured their first world titles (over JBL and Triple H, respectively), along with the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match. I will always remember it for the greatest match I’ve ever seen: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle.
But above all else, I will always believe that there is no four segment stretch put on by WWE better than the first four segments of this event. Allow me to elaborate.
Opening Match: Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
WrestleMania 21 kicked off with an outstanding battle between the then-World Tag Team Champions, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. Guerrero was trying to prove to himself that he was still a viable singles competitor, having successfully defended the WWE Championship over Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 20 one year prior.
Eddie would ultimately fail to gain the victory he so desperately sought, but not until after he and Rey put on a great opening match at WrestleMania 21, one I called the best WrestleMania opener for the next 9 years until it was supplanted by Daniel Bryan and Triple H at WrestleMania 30.
Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kane
It’s rare that you can do something for the first time in wrestling, even back in 2005. But the second match (segment) of WrestleMania 21 was indeed the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match. The briefcase and cash-in stipulation was initially just the motivation to add a ladder match to the WrestleMania card. In hindsight, it could have just been for Shelton Benjamin’s Intercontinental Championship, but it’s better that it wasn’t. Fifteen years later, Money In The Bank is now its own pay-per-view, and the cash-in provides some of the most anticipated moments of the year, year in and year out.
This match was won by Edge, who could probably proclaim himself King Of The Ladder Matches. But it’s also a breakout performance for Shelton Benjamin, who my Chairshot Radio co-host Patrick O’Dowd would ultimately dub “The Gold Standard Of Not Killing Himself.”
Hulk Hogan Rescues Eugene from Muhammad Hassan and Daivari
Look, I know we all love to hate Hulk Hogan. But this is 2005, the year Hulk Hogan was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, and Eugene was one of the most beloved characters in the entire company.
Eugene kicked things off by entering the ring unannounced and cutting a promo about WrestleMania 3 and the midgets (called that at the time) would band together and attack King Kong Bundy. He would be interrupted by Muhammad Hussan & Shawn Daivari, who would eventually attack the lovable character.
Hulk Hogan would make the save, eventually gaining the advantage and remove both Hassan & Daivari from the situation, while still getting in all those poses to make the WrestleMania 21 crowd happy.
Legend vs. Legend Killer: The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
The fourth (and last) installment of this stretch was the 13th WrestleMania match for the show of shows’ most legendary performer: The Undertaker. Randy Orton was coming off of his short-lived world title run from SummerSlam 2004, and slotted himself into the first of many “Randy Orton Match” spots at WrestleMania. He’s had early card matches with the likes of Kane, Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, and more. Had WrestleMania 36 been a one night affair, it’s possible his showdown with Edge would have occupied the “Randy Orton Match” spot, but I bet it goes on later than that.
The build to this match wasn’t the longest, as it started in early March when Orton laid down the challenge to the Deadman at the advice of Superstar Billy Graham. The build was still great, and the match delivered in a big way as well. Despite coming after his first world title win, in my eyes this is the match that “made” Randy Orton.
We Almost Had Five For WrestleMania 21
Man, this article was almost the Best Five Segment Stretch In WWE History, but Trish Stratus vs. Christy Hemme takes place before Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle, which was followed by Piper’s Pit with Carlito and of course “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
So I guess it really could have been a six-segment stretch!
I could probably sneak in a fifth by counting Lilian Garcia’s rendition of America The Beautiful. Lilian, a Spaniard, provided one of the best versions of this song in WrestleMania history. I was surprised they didn’t use any part of it, or all of it, for one of the nights of WrestleMania 36.
WrestleMania 21 provided us with the Best 4 Segment Stretch In WWE History. Agree? Disagree? Comment and let me know!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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