As much as I wanted Benoit/Lesnar II, the build and feel to Lesnar/Goldberg I is pretty solid. And this match generated perhaps the single most memorable fan reaction in the history of WrestleMania. So it's got some things going for it to cause pause when rebooking.

How does Goldberg not swallow his bubblegum when wrestling!?

Not sure anyone physically embodies the quintessential pro wrestler look better than Goldberg and Lesnar.

If Benoit was giving Eddie nose kisses earlier, then Lesnar just nose fucked Goldberg.

Did Goldberg have a skin cancer spot treated before this match? Some mole removed? What's the deal with that bandage under his armpit?

Now Goldberg passes the booger STDs by nose fucking Stone Cold.

I wonder how sticky things get after a beer bash.

And an outdoor pyrotechnic display above MSG seems like an awfully bold move so soon after 9/11. Feel like hearing all those explosions would've had me a little on edge if I was a New Yorker within earshot.

/////

Now a sincere thank you from Vince. How cute.

What was Hogan doing instead of appearing at this show in any capacity?

Time for another WrestleMania four-way tag!!!

Of these four, funnily enough the champs seem the least deserving of a spot on such a big WrestleMania. Rikishi & Scotty's time had super expired by this point.

Danny Basham's pleather pants SCREAM 2004 indies.

And is Scotty just wearing snowboard pants instead of actual customized ring gear?!

This should've just been a straight tag with do or die stakes between super over face brawlers APA and super heated heel grapplers WGTT in a fun clash of styles.

Part of me wishes Bradshaw had competed in an interrupted streak of four-way tags at WrestleMania before becoming JBL.

/////

Edge is coming back like it's 1998 him.
@whocares?

/////

Now pirate Ventura comes out to interview our outgoing president.

Molly.

Drool.

Victoria.

Also drool.

Jan 9, 2021 13:27:10 GMT 🤯 said:

How does Goldberg not swallow his bubblegum when wrestling!?

Dude I fucking HATED anyone that is chewing during entrance. At least when Shawn did it he was a fucking scumbag so it made sense to hate him.

One thing I always hated was Kurt doing his entrance while the shaving was still going on.

Also has a heel ever lost and just got in the chair Thanos style or do they always flee?

Storyline idea. The heel finally escapes in the fleeing and the babyface spends months chasing them just to get the chance to earn his reward. Again.

But then it's double or nothing and he loses.

Does he run himself and become a hyprcrit?

And then they understand each other and form a tag team?

TO THE FED THREAD~

Jan 10, 2021 0:31:33 GMT @ness said:

One thing I always hated was Kurt doing his entrance while the shaving was still going on.

Also has a heel ever lost and just got in the chair Thanos style or do they always flee?

Storyline idea. The heel finally escapes in the fleeing and the babyface spends months chasing them just to get the chance to earn his reward. Again.

But then it's double or nothing and he loses.

Does he run himself and become a hyprcrit?

And then they understand each other and form a tag team?

TO THE FED THREAD~

Isn't what your describing EXACTLY how Da Baldies came to be in ECW?

Kilgore, fact check me on that?

Jan 10, 2021 0:43:49 GMT 🤯 said:

Jan 10, 2021 0:31:33 GMT @ness said:

One thing I always hated was Kurt doing his entrance while the shaving was still going on.

Also has a heel ever lost and just got in the chair Thanos style or do they always flee?

Storyline idea. The heel finally escapes in the fleeing and the babyface spends months chasing them just to get the chance to earn his reward. Again.

But then it's double or nothing and he loses.

Does he run himself and become a hyprcrit?

And then they understand each other and form a tag team?

TO THE FED THREAD~

Isn't what your describing EXACTLY how Da Baldies came to be in ECW?

Kilgore , fact check me on that?

Damn WWE steals KING KID 's ideas into the future. ECW be stealing mine in the past.

I think I'm going to use Dr. Emperor's terrific format from the MOTY threads to rank all the WrestleMania matches. Keep an eye out for that at some point. Maybe once I finish WMXX. Then I'll update as I go, every 5-10 Manias.

Fuck what's your network password?

In fact PW should have a shared network account.

For history purposes.

Jan 10, 2021 2:13:23 GMT @ness said:

Fuck what's your network password?

In fact PW should have a shared network account.

For history purposes.

T!T$&A$$4eva

It was only recently I discovered that Akio was supposed to be in that Cruiserweight Battle Royal. Supposedly Tajiri's mist is so powerful it has the ability to defeat wrestlers before they even step foot in the ring. That's still one of the most disappointing matches in Mania history for me. I think an easy fix would be to make it a fatal six-way between Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman and Ultimo Dragon. That would have given the match some kind of novelty on the card and allowed it to be an action-fest with all sorts of crazy spots.

Jan 9, 2021 13:42:03 GMT 🤯 said:

What was Hogan doing instead of appearing at this show in any capacity?

This is one of the most annoying parts of Wrestlemania XX for me. They had him and 19 and 21, but they had to fall out and miss having the Hulkster at the big annviersary show in MSG. Very annoying.

Jan 9, 2021 13:27:57 GMT 🤯 said:

Not sure anyone physically embodies the quintessential pro wrestler look better than Goldberg and Lesnar.

This is definitely an area where Goldberg has Lesnar beat.

Brock always had that baby-looking face.



And the high-pitch voice breaks to go with it.



Especially in his first run, his attempts to show intensity came across forced. Like most modern wrestlers really.

Goldberg's intense expressions, especially in his ascent in WCW, may be some of the best ever.



As far as a wrestling destroyer goes, Goldberg's physique, face and intensity may be the best combo ever. He just looks and feels like the ultimate badass, more so than UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock.

Jan 9, 2021 13:41:16 GMT 🤯 said:

I wonder how sticky things get after a beer bash.

Wrestling canvases have to be fucking disgusting. On this show alone, I'm sure Rock was spitting all over the place like usual and Austin throwing beer all over the place and Benoit must've been blowing his snot all over the place and some of Molly's hair getting stuck in the mess, before HBK bled all over it. At least the ladies rolled all over it, half-naked. That's what they need to put up in the physical Hall of Fame they should build. An unwashed canvas from a big show.

Jan 10, 2021 3:35:27 GMT Big Pete said:

It was only recently I discovered that Akio was supposed to be in that Cruiserweight Battle Royal. Supposedly Tajiri's mist is so powerful it has the ability to defeat wrestlers before they even step foot in the ring. That's still one of the most disappointing matches in Mania history for me. I think an easy fix would be to make it a fatal six-way between Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman and Ultimo Dragon. That would have given the match some kind of novelty on the card and allowed it to be an action-fest with all sorts of crazy spots.

It really was a bizarre match choice. Even if you keep it as the 10 men, why not just make it a spotfest extraordinaire? Making it a gauntlet match was a woeful idea. You have to pin, submit or mist out I guess your entire division in one match. With those eliminations happening super quick, everyone looks weak. It is almost guaranteed to be a mediocre-to-bad match where you make the whole division look bad, sure, let's book that.

We can't have fatal for six-way. Triple threat. Fatal-four-way. Was there ever a match with five? Nothing is springing to mind immediately. There was the Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven 1999 and I've only just realised that was probably a reference to a six-pack of beer with Austin being the ref. But that wouldn't fit here. I can't think of anything that works well right now.

The multi-man match gives them the perfect finish if they want Chavo to sneakily retain. Chavo gets wiped out, Rey hits a whole bunch of stuff on everyone as he is the star of the show and while he is doing so, Chavo Sr pulls Jr over someone for the stolen pin.

Jan 10, 2021 4:20:19 GMT PB said:

This is one of the most annoying parts of Wrestlemania XX for me. They had him and 19 and 21, but they had to fall out and miss having the Hulkster at the big annviersary show in MSG. Very annoying.

I've always said he should've at very least been the HoF headliner. They should've pushed for that. Hell, they did Hogan, Piper, Orndorff and Orton the year after when that would've been perfect for XX. Get Mr. T involved (I know they didn't get him until 2014) or try to get Lauper.

Jan 10, 2021 0:31:33 GMT @ness said:

One thing I always hated was Kurt doing his entrance while the shaving was still going on.

Resuming by rewatching Victoria/Molly. Those girls deserved so much more.

/////

Forgot that Eddie/Kurt might've actually had decent build. I was sooo against this program IRL because of how mad I was about Benoit/Lesnar II that I probably tuned the build out entirely. Kurt is so good. Perhaps the GOAT. He gets pro wrestling at such a prodigious level.

/////

Kurt coming out while the haircut is still in progress is a major missed opportunity for a nod from Kurt to Molly that going with the cueball actually improves one's career.

/////

So much juicy pulp to get into in Strobe's post... Per usual. Let me end this here now, and go quote his post.

Jan 10, 2021 11:09:14 GMT Strobe said:

Jan 9, 2021 13:27:57 GMT 🤯 said:

Not sure anyone physically embodies the quintessential pro wrestler look better than Goldberg and Lesnar.

This is definitely an area where Goldberg has Lesnar beat.

Brock always had that baby-looking face.



And the high-pitch voice breaks to go with it.



Especially in his first run, his attempts to show intensity came across forced. Like most modern wrestlers really.

Goldberg's intense expressions, especially in his ascent in WCW, may be some of the best ever.



As far as a wrestling destroyer goes, Goldberg's physique, face and intensity may be the best combo ever. He just looks and feels like the ultimate badass, more so than UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock.

Jan 9, 2021 13:41:16 GMT 🤯 said:

I wonder how sticky things get after a beer bash.

Wrestling canvases have to be fucking disgusting. On this show alone, I'm sure Rock was spitting all over the place like usual and Austin throwing beer all over the place and Benoit must've been blowing his snot all over the place and some of Molly's hair getting stuck in the mess, before HBK bled all over it. At least the ladies rolled all over it, half-naked. That's what they need to put up in the physical Hall of Fame they should build. An unwashed canvas from a big show.

Jan 10, 2021 3:35:27 GMT Big Pete said:

It was only recently I discovered that Akio was supposed to be in that Cruiserweight Battle Royal. Supposedly Tajiri's mist is so powerful it has the ability to defeat wrestlers before they even step foot in the ring. That's still one of the most disappointing matches in Mania history for me. I think an easy fix would be to make it a fatal six-way between Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, Jamie Noble, Billy Kidman and Ultimo Dragon. That would have given the match some kind of novelty on the card and allowed it to be an action-fest with all sorts of crazy spots.

It really was a bizarre match choice. Even if you keep it as the 10 men, why not just make it a spotfest extraordinaire? Making it a gauntlet match was a woeful idea. You have to pin, submit or mist out I guess your entire division in one match. With those eliminations happening super quick, everyone looks weak. It is almost guaranteed to be a mediocre-to-bad match where you make the whole division look bad, sure, let's book that.

We can't have fatal for six-way. Triple threat. Fatal-four-way. Was there ever a match with five? Nothing is springing to mind immediately. There was the Six-Pack Challenge at Unforgiven 1999 and I've only just realised that was probably a reference to a six-pack of beer with Austin being the ref. But that wouldn't fit here. I can't think of anything that works well right now.

The multi-man match gives them the perfect finish if they want Chavo to sneakily retain. Chavo gets wiped out, Rey hits a whole bunch of stuff on everyone as he is the star of the show and while he is doing so, Chavo Sr pulls Jr over someone for the stolen pin.

Jan 10, 2021 4:20:19 GMT PB said:

This is one of the most annoying parts of Wrestlemania XX for me. They had him and 19 and 21, but they had to fall out and miss having the Hulkster at the big annviersary show in MSG. Very annoying.

I've always said he should've at very least been the HoF headliner. They should've pushed for that. Hell, they did Hogan, Piper, Orndorff and Orton the year after when that would've been perfect for XX. Get Mr. T involved (I know they didn't get him until 2014) or try to get Lauper.

Brock's look, and I was thinking more specifically only about physical appearances (not voice... -_-), still works as the heel side of the ideal coin IMO. His physique is more monstrous in that it's kinda lumpy and almost gorilla-like versus being more Superman-like like Goldberg's. Add in his ugly ass tattoos, goofy forced expressions, and mutated baby face... And I can see him making people as uncomfortable as Sloth from Goonies.

/////

A vertically hung canvas in a physical Hall of Fame would be so interesting to see. Probably also super gross. And that's just thinking of the stuff we CAN see, which is to make no mention of mold and fungus and staph. Also, shit particulate from anyone who sharts a little on snappy back bumps.

/////

Agree with all the criticisms about the 10-man open. What about a six-man/way scramble? Gets that alliteration, and scramble sounds fast and frantic like the match would presumably be.

/////

Back to WMXX...

Kurt/Eddie feels too long for this point on the card after an already long night.

Kurt's best Mania matches up to this point...

1.) WM17: vs. Benoit
2.) WM20: vs. Eddie
3.) WM18: vs. Kane
4.) WM19: vs. Brock
5.) WM16: vs. Benoit vs. Jericho

Credit where due, the premise behind the Kane feud revival to bring back the Deadman was solid.

If you’re finding Wrestlemania XX too long you’re never going to finish this when you get to the 30s.

Did unmasked Kane really need to cosplay as Taz though with the towel on his head?