Wrestlemania XIX

Cruiserweight Title Match
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Matt Hardy (c)

In-ring competition got started with Cruiserweight Title action, which saw Matt Hardy manage to retain the title from Rey Mysterio in what has to go down as something of an upset.  Fast paced right out of the gate, and lots of fun... while it lasted.  Inexcusably, they only got 5 minutes before Hardy scored the pin, thanks to a distraction from Shannon Moore and a handful of the ropes for illegal leverage. 

Undertaker & Nathan Jones vs. Big Show & A-Train

Limp Bizkit performed as the Undertaker entered the ring ahead of his match with the Big Show and A-Train. An attack on Nathan Jones during the Sunday Night Heat portion of the show resulted in the contest becoming a handicap match. Taker again looked sharp, but at over 10 minutes, this one still had its slow moments.  Taker looked beat after a chokeslam from the Big Show, but Jones finally ran out to join the fight.  He took out Show with a spin kick, and booted A-Train into an admittedly impressive-looking Tombstone Piledriver.  Taker scored the win to stay undefeated at WrestleMania.

Women's Title Match
Jazz vs. Trish Stratus vs. Victoria

Trish Stratus emerged victorious over Jazz and Victoria to take the women's title.   Pretty tight for the most part, with some especially stiff kicks from Jazz and Trish along the way.  The finish had Jazz and Steven Richards powder out after failed interference, leaving Trish to pin Victoria following a rude kick to the gut.

Smackdown! Tag Team Title Match
Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros vs. Chris Benoit & Rhyno

Team Angle came out on top in the three-way WWE Tag Title Match over Los Guerreros and Chris Benoit/Rhyno.  Lots of good stuff with the Guerreros during an early segment, and then this eventually settled into Team Angle controlling the match and keeping Benoit in the ring for a bit.    After a hot tag, chaos started breaking out, and in the mess, Rhyno (not legal) gored Eddie Guerrero.  The other guys were all brawling outside the ring, and as the ref tried to push Rhyno out of the ring, Shelton Benjamin snuck in and made the cover on Eddie to win the match for his team.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels beat Chris Jericho with a quick roll-up out of nowhere about 25 minutes into their grudge match.  Slower pace to start, but basically, but the 10 minute mark, we were moving along at full speed for the incredibly entertaining final two-thirds of the match.  No really shocking "Holy Shit" spots, but a general vibe of fast-paced stuff with a bit of high flying.  Mostly, it was just a solid psychological match, with Jericho's offense centered on Michaels' surgically repaired back and Michaels' comebacks perfectly timed for maximum impact.  The last 5 minutes or so had a few convincing near falls, but neither man would stay down.  Finally, Michaels countered his way into a roll-up to get the three count.  After the match, Jericho teased the Handshake of Mutual Respect, but instead (in a brilliant dick move) low-blowed Michaels and spat on him.

World Heavyweight Title Match
Triple H (c) vs. Booker T

Triple H retained the World Title by defeating Booker T.  Out of the gate, Booker was strong, but HHH made his comeback and was able to eventually sustain an advantage by taking out Booker's left knee.  This was a well-done and concerted attack, and by the half-way point in the match, Booker was selling it to the point that he could barely walk or run.  At about the 15 minute mark, Booker started his big comeback, and even (sort-of) hit the Harlem Hangover (actually, he sat on HHH's head in a wicked-looking foul up).  But it was not enough, as HHH kicked out and rallied with a Pedigree to win the match at about the 18 minute mark.

Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon

Hulk Hogan beat Vince McMahon in an improbably amusing 25 minute brawl.  In all honesty, there were some brutally sloppy looking spots, and a ton of transparent restholds designed to give the old men a few breathers in between the high spots.  But the highspots were well conceived and perfectly spaced, and by the end, the drama and surprises were more than enough to offset the "workrate" deficiencies here.  Shock #1 came as both Hogan and McMahon wore tremendous crimson masks after chair shots (Spanish broadcaster Hugo Savinovich wore one, too, for good measure!).  Shock #2 topped that, as Vince hit a sweet legdrop off a ladder through Hogan and an announce table.  And then, Shock #3 trumped them all:  Roddy Piper came out of the crowd and into the ring to a massive pop.  He teased attacking Vince, but instead, he throttled Hogan with a lead pipe.  From here, we entered the most steadily-action-packed portion of the match, as Vince took out referee Brian Hebner and called out his own crooked official, Sylvain Grenier.  But Hogan Hulked Up and took out Grenier, and then gained the advantage over Vince.  After some more typical Hogan action, ref Hebner came to just in time to see Hogan hit three consecutive Leg Drops o' Doom for the pinfall win.  After the match, Shane McMahon came to the ring with unclear motives, and wound up just checking on his father as Hogan left the ring without a huge celebration.

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock

The Rock got the WM monkey off his back, scoring a pinfall win over Steve Austin following a series of three Rock Bottoms.  This was a trademark Austin Main Event Brawl: not a whole lot more than punching and kicking, but somehow still exceptionally entertaining.  They did a few spots outside the ring, but there were no tables, no chairs, no blood, just back and forth brawling.  Austin got a near fall with a Rock Bottom of his own to send the match into End Game, but Rock kicked out.  Rock countered with a Stone Cold Stunner that got a two-count.  Austin finally got a chance to use his own hold, but it was to no avail.  Finally, Rock hit a Rock Bottom, and got two.  So he tried again.  Two again.  The third time, Austin stayed down.  The crowd, which stayed pretty anti-Rock during the match, gave Rock a semi-ovation, and Rock seemed to be selling it as a farewell deal; then they did the exact same vibe as Austin left the ring, too.

WWE Heavyweight Title Match
Brock Lesner vs. Kurt Angle (c)

In the main event, Brock Lesnar only narrowly avoided killing himself and then pinned Kurt Angle to win the WWE Title.  Chain wrestling and a few amateur things got us started off for the first 3-5 minutes, and the crowd was into it.  They moved into a more pro style at that point, and kept the pace going for a few minutes before Angle locked in a bow-and-arrow-type move for several minutes (guess Lesnar needed a rest?)... once we came out of that, it was all brawling and suplexes.  Angle hit both the "holy shit" suplexes (a German in which he tossed Lesnar into the top turnbuckle, and the overhead Super German), but Lesnar got a few licks in himself.  As we entered End Game, we again saw both guys trying to use each other's finishers to no avail.  When Lesnar finally hit an F-5, clean, Angle kicked out, leaving Lesnar to wonder what he'd have to do to keep Angle down.  The answer:  a Shooting Star Press.  After hitting another F-5 a minute or two later, Lesnar went up for the SSP.  But Angle was two-thirds of the way across the ring, and Lesnar shorted it badly, actually landing on his head.  Angle covered it by trying to make it look like he "rolled out of the way," and they quickly improv'ed a third F-5 and pinfall for Lesnar.  Lesnar and Angle shared a genuine Handshake of Mutual Respect as fireworks went off and the show closed.