WrestleMania 27: Rapid Reaction to the Biggest Show of the Year

WrestleMania, the most anticipated sports-entertainment event of the entire calendar year, has come and gone.

Would the excitement surrounding the show, with the return of several legendary performers and the injection of youth up and down the card, live up the hype? Below is rapid reaction to all of the evening's events.

The Rock's introductory promo was unnecessary. He said and did nothing he has not done in the past and it came off as the same routine he pulls. Funny, as Cena is often accused of doing the same old thing over and over again.

The 14 minutes dedicated to Rock could have been dispersed to the eight man tag team match or the Daniel Bryan-Sheamus match that got bumped to the pre-show activities. Rock may have been the host of the show, but he absolutely did not need the amount of screen time he received.

The World Heavyweight Championship match, featuring Edge defending Alberto Del Rio, shockingly opened the show. Del Rio's entrance, in the Rolls Royce with the high definition graphics on the Wrestlemania stage, was fantastic. Edge and Christian entered to two separate pops while Del Rio was the object of many jeers.

The match was very solid, with Del Rio working over the previously-established injury to Edge's left arm. Christian and Brodus Clay provided the interference expected. A heated conclusion of the contests saw Clay interfere, sending Edge arm and shoulder-first into the steel post.

Del Rio capitalized with the arm bar but Edge withstood the pain and turned the submission hold into a roll-up. From there, he countered into the inverted Sharpshooter. Del Rio grabbed at the injured arm, breaking the hold.

As both men recovered, Edge exploded out of the corner with the Spear for the victory. Despite it's questionable placement on the lineup, both men worked very hard and the crowd was into it for the majority of its run time. Match Rating: ***

From the minute Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring for the second bout of the night, it became clear that the match between he and Rey Mysterio was dead on arrival from the fan reaction perspective.

Rey's Captain America outfit was decent but not up to the level of the previous Daredevil, Flash, and Joker ones. Rhodes was the star of the match, dominating the majority of the contest. Rey seemed to have little to do in the match other than hit his signature spots.

There were, at times, sloppily planned spots from the two but the delayed vertical suplex off the middle rope by Cody was spectacular and one of the more memorable of the night.

The finish saw Rey use the face mask against Cody, only for Cody to bring the knee brace back into play and use it to flatten Rey for the win.

Cody worked hard but Rey seemed a little "off" and as a result, what could have been an above-average match settled for being simply average. Match Rating: **1/2

The backstage segment with Snoop Dogg searching for a new act for his tour was both stupid and fun all at the same time. William Regal was phenomenal, Beth Phoenix proved she can sing as well as wrestle, and ZACK RYDER (!!!!) made the WrestleMania show.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper's cameo was fun and, despite my intense dislike for Hornswoggle over the years, seeing him finally talk was entertaining. The Bella Twins being on the screen at the same time may very well be clouding my judgment, though.

There really is nothing to say about the eight-man tag team match featuring The Corre taking on the team of Big Show, Kane, Santino Marella, and Kofi Kingston.

Without any hyperbole, the match was over before I finished typing my first notes. If anything, one has to question what is next for the Corre when they were so easily dispatched here. Match Rating: DUD

Randy Orton and CM Punk had the best match of the night, to this point. Much like Del Rio did in the opening contest, Punk worked the injured leg of Orton for the majority of the contest, even breaking out Bret Hart's old "figure four around the ring post" spot.

Orton looked poised to punt CM Punk right out of Wrestlemania and into a hospital bed but his knee gave out on the run across the ring. Punk, sensing an opening, tried to deliver his own punt. But Orton, playing possum, shot off the mat for the RKO.

Punk ducked out of the ring and tried for the springboard clothesline. This time, Orton caught him with the RKO for the win. The match was the longest of the card to this point and the result was a well-told story that saw Orton pick up another Wrestlemania win.

If there are any complaints, it is that there was never really a sense that Punk would pull out a victory. I full expect Punk to get his win back at Extreme Rules but for what it was, an old school wrestling match, it was a very well-constructed match. Match Rating: ***1/2

If there was ever a show where Shawn Michaels' absence was felt, Wrestlemania XXVII would be that show.

When Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Michael Cole was officially announced a few weeks back, I fully expected an old-school, sports-entertainment match. I expected Lawler to beat Cole senseless, Cole to get a small amount of offense in, Austin to deliver a few Stone Cold Stunners, and for Lawler to finish with a piledriver.

Instead, Cole dominated the majority of the match. He was nowhere near prepared enough to be executing wrestling maneuvers at Wrestlemania.

What resulted was a major lull in the action and several boring chants. Lawler made his comeback, Swagger ate a Stunner, and Lawler won with the ankle lock. Unfortunately, the decision was reversed by the anonymous general manager.

The aftermath, with Austin and Lawler celebrating in between Stunners to Booker T and Josh Matthews, was the normal for Stone Cold and it felt good to see him back at Wrestlemania after a year absence. Match Rating: 1/2*

On a side note, the fact that Stone Cold Steve Austin, the biggest star in the history of wrestling, was censored every time he uttered a curse word but The Rock was free to use them at will, is a joke.

Austin created an entire era of sports-entertainment with his defiant attitude yet, he is bleeped for saying the same thing Rock went on to say uncensored later in the evening. It was a joke and added to the feeling that Rock was being specially catered to.

Unlike the majority of the card to this point, there is not one negative aspect of the performance The Undertaker and Triple H put in at this year's Wrestlemania. Over the last five years, Wrestlemania truly has become The Undertaker's show.

The legendary "Streak" is as important, if not more important, than the world title matches. He is undeniably the face of the show and people tune into the pay-per-view event each and every year just to watch him work his magic. With that said, this year's show belonged to Triple H.

From his entrance, set to Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," to the tremendous, bruising bumps he took throughout the course of the match, "The Game" finally enjoyed his Wrestlemania moment. After a succession of disappointing performances at the last couple of 'Mania events, Triple H cemented himself as one of the true legends of the sport.

The story he and Undertaker crafted for their match was brilliant. For the first-time ever at Wrestlemania, The Undertaker was made to look weak. He was beaten, battered, and all-but-destroyed by "the King of Kings." For every move the Undertaker had, Triple H had three of four different counters.

He delivered three Pedigrees and nearly beat Undertaker with his own Tombstone piledriver. But just as it looked like Undertaker and his mythical streak were about to die, he caught a, perhaps, overconfident Triple H with the Hell's Gate submission.

After several minutes of Triple H desperately searching for a way out, he had no choice but to tap out and send the "Dead Man's" record at Wrestlemania to 19-0.

The match cannot be compared to the Shawn Michaels-Undertaker series because the stories were completely different.

While Shawn tried to use every trick in the back to out-wrestle Undertaker, Triple H went toe-to-toe, punch-for-punch with Undertaker. He showed no signs of fear or intimidation and as a result, was able to catch Undertaker off guard with several high-impact finishing maneuvers.

Tonight's match was, like the aforementioned series, a live performance work of art, and both veterans should be proud in what they were able to accomplish. Match Rating: *****

There has not been one return more disappointing than that of Trish Stratus. Perhaps it is the general disinterest for the Divas the WWE seems to have but Trish has been treated as an absolute afterthought since returning at Elimination Chamber.

She is the greatest female performer in WWE history and has been relegated to the role of "just another Diva." The six-person tag match, while focused majorly on her and Michelle McCool's interaction, served as little more than a media tool.

WWE used Snooki and her participation to attract the media and it worked. Snooki more than held her own and appeared genuinely thrilled to be apart of the show.

Clocking in at only three minutes, the match had no real time to gain traction and as a result, much like the eight-man tag from earlier in the night, the match was little more than a collection of spots. Match Rating: *

The WWE Championship match between John Cena and The Miz closed the show. The Miz entered just after a spectacular video that recapped his journey from The Real World to WWE Champion.

Cena's entrance featured a full choir a video featuring a voice over, presumably, by a local pastor. Cena entered to a largely negative reaction. What followed the pre-match introductions was, at best, awkward.

Because of the build-up for The Rock and John Cena that preceded the the event, the crowd seemed utterly disinterested for the match between the champion and challenger.

Instead of investing themselves in the match, the crowd seemed more interested in Rock's impending arrival. While Cena's signature spot served to get their attention, the crowd remained largely silent until a double count-out finish woke them up.

The Rock appeared, ordered the match to restart under no disqualification, no count-out rules, and immediately planted Cena with the Rock Bottom. Miz covered and retained his title.

The end of the show saw The Rock deliver the Rock Bottom to Miz, as well as the People's Elbow, before standing tall as Wrestlemania XXVII faded to black.

Where to begin? The Rock's interference and physical attack on John Cena was expected so even the Cena mark in me cannot be disappointed at the outcome of the contest.

What is disappointing is that two men who have worked very hard for the last calendar year to get to the position they were in found themselves overshadowed by a more anticipated showdown.

Miz, as the WWE Champion and a genuine success story in a business where they are few and far between, did not deserve to be tossed aside in the manner in which he was.

The decision to have Rock stand tall at the close of WrestleMania when, in all likelihood, he will once again be gone from WWE at the conclusion of Monday's Raw, was questionable.

He may have been the guest host of the event, and a major marketing tool for the company, but one has to wonder whether or not it was worth tarnishing both Cena and Miz just to give an already-established icon such as The Rock the spotlight.

John Cena will not be hurt by the so-so main event contest. He has proven to be bullet proof. But Miz was in a terrible position. He needed a star-making performance and quite frankly, the crowd in Atlanta did not allow for that to happen and it had nothing to do with them.

What should have been a huge, history-making moment for all three men involved, turned into a rather jumbled mess with a questionable end. Match Rating: **1/2

Wrestlemania XXVII, much like the equally-disappointing 25th edition, will be remembered for one match. For the third year in a row, the Undertaker and a member of the infamous "Clique" tore the house down at Wrestlemania and set a new standard for future performers to try and match.

No matter how much WWE tried to make The Rock's presence as guest host the focal point of the evening's broadcast, it was two veterans lacing their boots and performing in the ring that captured the imagination of both the fans in attendance and those watching at home.

Overall Event Rating: ***, only because Triple H vs. Undertaker really was something special.