How much action was in the match?
As with most, if not all, Wrestlemania matches, they are long and action packed from start to finish. From the early submission moves by both Michaels and Angle, to the ring post being used to attempt to break Michaels in half, to Angle being thrown over to ropes at full speed onto the floor. Michaels and Angle both became bloodied as well. I can easily say that this match was full of action and very entertaining to me.
What moves were used during the match?
This match included a clash of two completely different, but iconic styles of wrestling between the two men in the ring. Shawn Michaels has always had this mix of hand to hand (or foot to face talking about some Sweet Chin Music) combat as well as dazzling, highly acrobatic moves off of the ropes and turnbuckles. Contrasting to that, Angle had an “Olympic” style approach and liked to grapple and take his opponents down with submission moves such as his signature “Angle Lock” ankle lock submission move. He also throws plenty of suplexes around.
How realistic was the match?
Being a wrestling fan myself, I know that it is scripted, not fake, but scripted. I personally think that from the mid-late 1990s to the late 2000s was the golden era of WWE wrestling looking realistic, due to what they could do to each other with weapons as well as certain moves. The WWE was loaded with talent at this time so that helped a lot with the realism. But when it comes to a match with two future WWE Hall of Famers, I knew I was going to see a great deal of realism. This match looked extremely realistic to me.
How unpredictable was the match?
Starting off the match I had no clue who was going to come out the winner. I’ve always been a big Shawn Michaels fan so I was hoping that he would come out on top. He had a lot of momentum in the beginning so for me that was a good indicator that he would win. Not knowing the story line at this time, it is hard for me to really say just how predictable it was to me, so I wouldn’t say my opinion is too credible. Overall, I didn’t think that this match was very predictable.
Does the match tell a story?
Like I said before, I do not have a huge say in this category because I do not know the storyline between these two and how long the tension had been building up between the two. But as always with Wrestlemania matches, I can assume that this match was the conclusion to a long and high tempered feud between the two Hall of Famers. Wrestlemania is always the stage to show out and put a fantastic end to a storyline.
What was the match’s overall reaction from the crowd?
This match was full of wrestling fans being wrestling fans. They loved it from start to finish. From doing the “YOU SUCK” during Kurt Angle’s entrance, to the final moment that made Shawn Michaels tap out to Angle due to a vicious “Angle Lock”. This match produced some all-time great pops.
In 2007, I started to watch the WWE and I instantly fell in love with it. Watching favorites like John Cena, Edge, Jeff Hardy and The Undertaker at a young age is something I won’t soon forget. I stopped watching the WWE as heavily as I did around 2009 due to wanting to go out and do other things but I still kept up with it and who held the titles and such. I have watched quite a few classic matches from old Wrestlemania's, but I had never watched this one before, nor had I ever watched Kurt Angle, so I knew I was in for a treat. So, here’s my review of this match:
• How much action was in the match? 4.5
• What moves were used during the match? 5
• How realistic was the match? 5
• How unpredictable was the match? 4
• Does the match tell a story? 4
• What was the match’s overall reaction from the crowd? 5
CONNOR FREDERICK
Connor is a 19-year-old freshman from Barbourville, Ky. He's majoring in marketing at WKU and plans on being a marketing department head.
Final Average: 4.58 out of 5
