Wrestlemania 20: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This is the 20th of 29 topics looking back on previous Wrestlemania events. Every couple of days I have been submitting a new one and will continue until all of the past Wrestlemania events have been discussed, leading up to the big day in April where Wrestlemania 30 will take place.

This thread will be for discussing.... Wrestlemania 20!

Wrestlemania 20 took place on March 14, 2004. It was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. There were 18,000 fans who came to watch the show. Here are the match results:

1. John Cena defeated Big Show (c) in a singles match to win the WWE United States Championship (09:12)

2. Booker T and Rob Van Dam (c) defeated Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak, The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) and La Résistance (René Duprée and Robert Conway) in a Fatal four-way tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship (07:52)

3. Christian defeated Chris Jericho in a singles match (14:45)

4. Evolution (Randy Orton, Batista and Ric Flair) defeated The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (The Rock and Mick Foley) in a Three-on-two handicap match (17:00)

5. Torrie Wilson and Sable defeated Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie in a Playboy Evening Gown match (02:41)

6. Chavo Guerrero (c) (with Chavo Guerrero Sr.) defeated Último Dragón, Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Funaki, Nunzio, Billy Kidman, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri and Akio in a Cruiserweight Open for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (10:31)

7. Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar in a singles match with Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee (13:42)

8. Too Cool (Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty) (c) defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin), The Basham Brothers (Danny and Doug) and The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) in a Fatal four-way tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship (06:02)

9. Victoria (c) defeated Molly Holly in a Hair VS Title match to retain the WWE Women's Championship (05:04)

10. Eddie Guerrero (c) defeated Kurt Angle in a singles match to retain the WWE Championship (21:33)

11. The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated Kane in a singles match (07:47)

12. Chris Benoit defeated Triple H (c) and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship (24:47)




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Wrestlemania 20, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in March 2004. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Wrestlemania 20 in this thread. The remaining Wrestlemania events will be getting their own retrospective threads shortly, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

An additional note on Chris Benoit, please keep comments on him limited to the match from this show. There's more than enough topics on him elsewhere in this section.

Discuss!

 

[AegonTargaryen]

Largely forgettable and disappointing Wrestlemania IMO, though it had a very big feel to it.
It'd have been a disaster had it not been for the two matches that saved it- WWE championship match and the classic triple threat match with Chris Benoit achieving his 18-yr old dream.

If I had a chance to change it, I'd scrap/change the following matches:-

WWE Tag team championship match. Reason- Who wants to see teams like a fattened Rikishi with Scotty 2 Hotty and The Basham brothers in a match that was 4-teamed just for the hell of it? APA vs The World's Greatest Tag-Team would've or could've been a very good match IMO with 2 distinct styles and it would surely have not been so forgettable as the match that actually happened.

World tag titles match. Reason- Again, just for the sake of having a 4-teams match when you don't have stars you place Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak, and La Resistance into it and by that time even the Dudleys had gotten the most overrated and stale tag-team(not to mention their abominable weights). I'd much rather have had Booker T and Rob Van Dam defend the tag titles against Ric Flair and Batista. Would've given us a much more memorable Wrestlemania XX.

Women's title match. Reason- The bikini showdown featuring Sable and Torrie Wilson was more than enough to expend time at WM. No need to show a woman being shaved bald on the twentieth anniversary of WM for chrissakes!

The cruiserweight match:-
Forgettable even though very unique and multifarious.

Chris Jericho vs Christian. Reason- Why embarrass Chris Jericho by a **** like Trish on the twentieth anniversary just for the hell of it? There were already 4 big singles matches happening and Jericho and Christian should've been together as a team to make up for the otherwise lacklustre participants who actually were in the 4-teams world tag team championship match. With Golderg vs Lesnar, Angle vs Guerrero, Taker vs Kane , and Big Show vs Cena, we didn't need another mid-card match just for the hell of it . Unless if it were for the IC title or something and potentially giving a classic like a ladder match.

Here's my Dream WM XX card:-

Raw:-

1)IC title hardcore match:-
Randy Orton vs Mick Foley

2)World tag team championship match:-
Ric Flair and Batista vs Rob Van Dam and Booker T vs Chris Jericho and Christian

3)Triple threat match for the WHC:-
Same as actual.

Smackdown:-
4)US championship:-
John Cena def The Big Show

5)WWE championship:-
Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero

6)WWE tag team titles Ladder match:-
Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio vs Haas and Benjamin
OR
Triple threat elimination match
Kidman and Mysterio vs Hass and Benjamin vs the APA

Inter-branded matches:-
7) Lesnar vs Goldberg in the same disasterfest it was doomed to be.

8)Undertaker vs Kane in the same short classic that it was.

9)Divas bikini thing with Sable and Torrie Wilson

Oh well oh well, that leaves us with The Rock , doesn't it? What would the Rock do? Well, just because the Rock wants to return, why ruin a perfect storyline with Randy Orton and Foley for them to battle in a hardcore match and why not let Batista and Orton really shine separately, in their first WM appearance? The Rock could be a referee if he wanted to, or invent a new opponent for him. May be Rock vs Brock II.
Or,
Rock vs Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg in a two-falls triple threat match to redeem The Rock's two losses with Stone Cold as the special guest referee whose sole function is to ensure that the rock does redeem his losses.

 

[enviousdominous]

Ahh, these are getting more vivid. This will be an easy one.

For Cena vs Big Show, I wouldn't have made Cena's win a fluke. If I wrote out my full opinion on Super Cena it would read like a Greek tragedy, but we're talking about back then and how John could have been properly built into a future superstar.

The Big Show's curse is his size and in that it's so damn inspiring for a relatively smaller guy to overcome the odds. John didn't necessarily overcome the odds, he used a chain to knock Big Show out. Maybe they thought it was too early to push John as good enough to keep Big Show down on his own, but I think that at that point the fans would have accepted it. They didn't have big plans for Big Show after the fact anyway, so it wasn't like he was dropping the US title as a segue for dominating the world title picture.

Booker T and Rob Van Dam were decent, but there was no tangible hype in their match. I would have preferred a few angles invested in it, even though I realize that it was just an opportunity to get as many people on tv as possible. Something that bugged me though, they kept Hurricane and Rosie out of this match because they lost to Cade and Jindrak. Cade and Jindrak may have become more famous after this, but not in tag team matches with each other. I thought that Hurricane and Rosie were more entertaining, so this was disappointing for me.

Christian and Chris Jericho was, for me, a damn good match. There was drama and the match was high speed. I also remember that while the amount of hype invested in this match paled in comparison to Lesnar vs Goldberg, or either of the main events, Christian and Chris Jericho made the night more memorable for their contribution. I wouldn't change a thing about this one.

Chavo Guerrero taking on a who's who of WWE Cruiserweights was nifty, but confusing. It was cool to see Rey sport The Flash costume, and the spots during the match were ooh and awe worthy. It wasn't exactly a hyped contest between two determined individuals, so it really didn't impress me as a Wrestlemania contest to determine a champion. I'd have booked Chavo vs Rey, they were the top two Cruiserweights and they both would have been damn determined to make their spot on the card significant. Not knocking the other Cruiserweights, but this is Wrestlemania we're talking about here.

Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar. To quote Roger Ebert, I hate hate HATED this match. Unfortunately for me, I started to develop connections with those involved with pro-wrestling around this time. One man that literally EVERYBODY hated was Brock Lesnar. Brock was Vince's hot young prospect, an NCAA champion who looked damn intimidating on screen and in person. Brock was also an unprofessional douche who would deliberately sabotage matches and mouth off to just about anyone because he knew that he had Vince in his back pocket. Brock was ALWAYS paid more than anybody else in the locker room, then after all that Vince gave him he decided that he really just wanted to play football and pro-wrestling was only ever a way to get filthy rich.

Brock wanted this match to bomb because he felt slighted out of a win over Goldberg. He didn't care that the fans paid their hard earned money for a seat, he didn't care that fans at home had paid fifty fucking dollars to watch him flick everyone off. He did the job in the most unprofessional way I've ever seen someone do it, and he was proud of himself for it. The absolute worst match of this card, or of any Wrestlemania in history.

Another tag team title match. By this point, I wasn't interested. I would have booked a tag title unification match for this point in the card, and I would have had a tag team battle royal for the pre-show. Moving on.

Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle. I enjoyed this match, but it didn't seem like a PPV quality match with a title on the line. I really hated the finish. Eddie unties his boot, Kurt attempts the ankle lock but instead pulls Eddie's boot completely off and stands there dumbfounded before being rolled up. That's reminiscent of how Fantasio would win his matches, that doesn't translate into an epic match for me. They could have done much better with this one.

The Undertaker vs Kane was neat. I marked out when, at the Royal Rumble, Taker's music hit and Kane freaked out. Kane hammed up his acting, which for me made the match seem silly. Pretty average bout, I can't think of a way to make it better than it was. Undertaker got to become his old self unto the fans, so mission accomplished.

The main event was definitely the best match of the night. Chris Benoit was on fire and the crowd was warming up to him in a big way. Chris had been paying his dues for his whole career and had never been given a big finish like he was given at Wrestlemania. The match itself was loaded with high spots and HHH did a damn good job of making Chris look strong. The finish was absolutely perfect. HHH struggles and makes a valiant effort to escape, but Chris screams as a manages to hold the submission in place. HHH tapping was one of the most significant memories I have of a Wrestlemania, he made it look like Chris had really done something significant. Seeing Chris and Eddie embrace in the ring was damn special and it's unfortunate that history isn't ready to remember that. I wouldn't change a thing, Michaels played his part perfectly as well.

 

[jameswalsh292]

I actually remember this mania quite well and dont understand why people didnt enjoy it that much. I felt that it was one of the better manias.

I enjoyed the build for almost every match.

The only match that annoyed me was Brock v Goldberg. I thought the build for it was great. I was 14 at the time and so wasnt using the net so wasnt aware of their iminent departure, but I felt from watching the match something was up. I think JR even mentioned something about it during the match, that only made me more mad about the poor match. Austin helped tremendously, can you imagen if he wasnt around to stun them at the end. Still before the match I was excited for it.

I loved the build for taker v kane. The match wasnt fantastic, but it was more of a spectical, it marked the return of the deadman gimmick and paul bearer. You gotta love that.

I wouldnt change angle v Guererro either, that was great fun for me.

The triple threat main event is considered by many as the best triple threat of all time. To be honest with you I wasnt that into this match at the time, cause I was sick of seeing HHH and HBK fued. I do respect it though for what it was.

Y2J V Christian for me was a great build and match, loved the Trish turn.

Evolution v rock n sock was great too. However, if you have Rock on the card I dont know why you dont use him in a singles match.
What I personally would have done was have Mick v Orton in the match they had at backlash. Leave HHH v Benoit, that would have been just as great without HBK. Then we have rock and hbk free. Perfect opportunitry for their fued. Hollywood rock v hbk would of been great. To make space for this match I would just drop the cruiseweight match.

Lets not forget the great moment with Eddie and benoit at the end, even if WWE would like us to forget.

My WM20 Card

Benoit v HHH

Taker v Kane

Rock v HBK

Angle v Guererro

Brock v Goldberg (cant take away anything from their drawing power)

Foley v Orton

Flair/Batista v RVD/Booker T

Cena v Big Show

Y2J V Christian

Although I cant complain with the card we got as I feel it was great too.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

This is a weird one for me as I really wouldn't change much, but at the same time I only find the show to be above average to good, but not in the same class as say the top 5 or so Mania's. I attribute that to the right matches being booked, but those matches turned out to be duds. Specifically two matches come to mind.

Lesnar v Goldberg:

This was a match everyone wanted to see. The build was right. Each guy caused the other guy either the title or a shot at the title which kept them both looking strong heading into the match. In my mind this was the main event of the card. Now I can't blame WWE too much for what happened in the ring. Each guy was on their way out and gave little to no effort. Sad because this match could have been so much more.

Undertaker v Kane:

We had the death of biker Taker and the rebirth of the real Taker. This should have been awesome, it should have been epic, but Taker and Kane served up a turd. Unlike Goldberg/Lesnar they don't really have an excuse. They weren't going anywhere.

The title matches were both good, but not great. The Benoit/Guerrero moment to end the show worked and I always felt it was a tipping of the hat to the moment 10 years prior in MSG at Mania X.

The best match was Jericho v Christian. This had it all, a good build, the dissolving of a friendship and a Mania double turn with Jericho and Trish (of course not on the Bret/Austin level but a double turn nonetheless).

 

[The Brain]

I think WM20 is one of the more underrated manias. It was a pretty strong show but I think it was hurt by how long it was. This show was over four and a half hours long and probably would have been a lot better if it was an hour shorter. My favorite match was the main event. I was against a triple threat match at the time and would have preferred Chris Benoit vs. Triple H one on one but the match really delivered so I've changed my stance on that. Those last few seconds with Triple H trapped in the crossface and the eruption of the crowd when he finally tapped was awesome. My least favorite was the Playboy Evening Gown Match. As I mentioned the show was too long and this is definitely something that could have been cut to shorten it.

The changes I have in mind involve the lesser matches on the card. Let's start with the cruiserweight gauntlet match. I would have made this Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio one on one. None of the other guys needed to be on mania and most didn't look good getting pinned so quickly. We basically saw nine matches in ten minutes. Was that really necessary? Rey and Chavo were the only ones that mattered so I say give them about six minutes and leave the rest off the card. Next I would have just cut the evening gown match all together.

My next change involves the tag title matches. I would have condensed the two four way matches into one with both titles on the line. It would have been RVD & Booker T vs. The Dudley Boys vs. APA vs. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin with Haas and Benjamin being Smackdown champs going in. If either of the challengers pinned a champion they would win that team's title. If the challengers pinned another challenger the winning team would win that brand's title. For example, Bubba pinning Faarooq means The Dudley Boys win RVD and Booker's title. If a champion pins a champion the titles would be unified and if a champion pins a challenger both champions retain. It may seem complicated but at least it's something different. There are all kinds of different scenarios and it would be interesting to see who goes for what. Would Benjamin want to pin Booker to get both titles or would he be content pinning Faarooq and just retaining his own? Interesting possibilites.

These changes eliminate two unnecessary matches and shorten another one which would help with the length of the show. As I mentioned before at the time I was hoping for Benoit vs. HHH one on one. Back then I was thinking maybe HBK vs. RVD in a ladder match may have been good ten years after the famous HBK vs. Razor ladder match at MSG at WM10. Considering how good the main event was I'm glad things played out the way they did.

 

[Wald]

When I think of this Wrestlemania it reminds me a lot of WM13, in that it was completely and utterly saved by one fantastic, genuine 5 star match. That was the triple threat for the title of course. What an effort by those three guys, genuinely is one of the top five matches in Wrestlemania history and gave us the right finish of Triple H tapping out to the Crossface.

Other than that, I really liked Christian vs Jericho as a I was a big fan of the two at the time and I liked the story they were telling. Good heel turn from Trish as well, didn't see that coming at all. The Rock n Sock Connection vs Evolution was a fun match but that's about it for me on the positive side. So much filler on this one that's it hard to look past chopping a few of those matches off the card to trim it to a 3 hour PPV show. Brock vs Goldberg was a horror show of a match, Taker vs Kane wasn't much better to be honest. Eddie vs Kurt is up there was one of the biggest letdowns in Mania history too, a very average match from two guys who should have been able to do better with their position.

To change the card I'd go for a nine match PPV. I'm still booking some of these matches I said were a let down, they still were the right calls to make but just didn't work out for whatever reason.

World Heavyweight Title
Benoit vs HBK vs Triple H

WWE Title
Angle vs Eddie

Christian vs Chris Jericho

Rock n' Sock vs Evolution

Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar

WWE Tag Titles
World's Greatest Tag Team vs Rey Mysterio & Ultimo Dragon

US Title Match
John Cena vs Big Show

Goldberg vs Kane

20 Man Battle Royale (winner gets a title shot the next night on Raw stipulation)
Booker, RVD, Dudleyz, Too Cool, APA, Chavo, Kidman, Jamie Noble, Taijiri etc.

So I'd basically switch Brock for Kane, purely so Goldberg and Brock can put over Undertaker and Kane on their way out. Beating Goldberg at Wrestlemania would still be a huge deal for a guy like Kane. Undertaker had kayfabe history with Brock of course and this would be a big match to reintroduce the dead man character after Biker Taker couldn't get the job done. You could have this be a springboard for a Summerslam match between Taker & Kane as well.

WWE Tag Titles become a spotfest match to try get all four guys over and everyone else cut from the original card gets dumped in the 20 man Battle Royal as well.

 

[Aquaman6686]

One of my favorite WrestleManias. I think the length was perfect, I've always believed WrestleMania should be at least four hours long and feature a minimum of ten matches, with EVERY championship defended. The only things I would change are:

1 - Goldberg vs. Lesnar would have been several minutes shorter. Once they saw how the crowd was reacting to that crapfest, they should have called an audible and had the match end earlier.

2 - The last three matches were three out of the four main events, and I would have changed the order of them. It went Guerrero vs. Angle, Undertaker vs. Kane II, Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit. I would have switched the positions of the Guerrero/Angle and Taker/Kane matches.

3 - Cut the evening gown match entirely.

4 - To make up for the time gained by cutting the evening gown match and shortening Goldberg/Lesnar, I would give each of the Tag Team Championship matches an addition five minutes. Both were very good tag bouts and I enjoyed the hell out of them. It's a shame it was the only time both sets of Tag Team Championships were defended at WrestleMania.

 

[The Brain]

1 - Goldberg vs. Lesnar would have been several minutes shorter. Once they saw how the crowd was reacting to that crapfest, they should have called an audible and had the match end earlier.

I actually enjoyed this match because of the crowd but it could have been shorter. You reminded me of another idea I had at the time. With both guys leaving and the crowd hating both of them I think at some point Austin should have just given both the stunner and declared himself the winner making the official result a no contest. Neither of these guys deserved to win that match anyway.

Another idea I had for Austin was putting him in the match against Evolution. This would make it a six man instead of handicapped match and put the three most popular stars of the attitude era together at WrestleMania XX. It crossed my mind but I don't know if I like it. Austin is the one guy (looks like HBK maybe too) to have his intended last match actually be his last match and I like the way he went out.

 

[Elchicano15]

This is one of my favorite Manias, where it all begins, again. A milestone returning to the Garden, you pushed some new school, brought back some nostalgia and also started a new tradition with the H.O.F being a part of Mania.

My favorite match of the night was the Eddie/Kurt match. They had great chemistry together, and both were really entertaining going into the match. The triple threat main event was pretty cool to but as James ( a few posts up) mentioned - and I do agree- it should have just been HHH vs Benoit. The end of that match was a pure Wrestlemania moment when Eddie and Chris embraced after the match with their respected titles.

I understand that this must have been the longest Mania they ever had, but that didn't bother me as it was a milestone and they rarely go over 4 hrs.

I would only make a few changes. The handicap match shouldn't have been a handicap match between Rock & Sock and Evolution. They should have thrown in a legend on the side of Rock & Sock or take Flair out of the equation and have Rock and Sock vs Batista & Orton, especially if Evolution is going over that night. Usually in a handicap match the smaller team would win.

Again, I actually like James' idea as well by having Rock vs HBK on the card, Foley vs Orton, and HHH vs Benoit in the main event. That would have been cool to.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

One of my favorite Wrestlemanias and I love the tagline of Where It All Begins Again. We also get the new tradition of the HOF being included in the weekend. The length was fine because it was a huge Show and milestone. There's never a point in the Show where it feels like it drags any to me.

Favorite Match is probably the Triple Threat with HHH/HBK/Chris Benoit. Just an outstanding bout and build going into it. The payoff was even better and we get a great WM Moment at the end.

Other Matches I like Eddie/Angle,Big Show/Cena,Rock & Sock vs Evolution,the CW Open is fun,both Tags are not bad either,and Jericho/Christian. Only Match that was a DUD was Brock/Goldberg which I think enough has been said about that one.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Mania 20 was an interesting event. it definitely had a ton of hype, justifiably so, and most of the matches had a really good build, but there were too many letdowns inside the ring for me to love this night.

in the Mania 17 thread, i rebooked very little, but Manias 18 & 19 got switched around a lot so that those 2 events, along with this one, would be overall more rounded out. that said, here is what my Mania 20 would look like...

US Title: Big Show vs. John Cena. i loved this match. the build was simple and logical, the pre-match rap with Cena was enjoyable and the match was good. i've always felt that both of these guys were/are hugely underrated when it comes to their actual in-ring skills and this match straight up worked for me. it was a great debut for Cena, winning a title in the opening match on the biggest stage.

IC Title: Orton vs. Foley. this match happened one month later at Backlash but should have happened here. this feud was told perfectly outside the ring and their confrontation at the Rumble sold this match. why it was pushed back makes sense in that it got Flair, Batista and the Rock on the card, but they could have all been on the card in other ways even if the handicapped match isn't penciled in. Orton/Foley one-on-one in a Legend Killer vs. Hardcore Legend Street Fight. book it. and not at Backlash.


Women's Title: Victoria vs. Molly Holly. actually really enjoyable so i'd leave it exactly as is. the match wasn't the greatest i've seen from women's wrestling, but it is certainly a standout moment with Molly Holly getting her head shaved. i'd keep it on the show because i think these two ladies, both personally and professionally, earned the right to do something memorable and they accomplished that well.

Tag Team Titles: Unification Match. simply put, the tag team division wasn't what it was even just a year or two prior to this event. and 2 matches featuring 8 "teams" was a bit much for me. lots of teams were being thrown together, split apart, on their way out of the company, etc. i'd make this a 4 Corners Elimination Match with the four best teams available. i'm honestly not sure who that even was at this point but i'll do my best here; APA vs. Dudley Boys vs. World's Greatest Tag Team vs. Basham Brothers. World's Greatest Tag Team unifies the titles and so earns their name on this night.

Cruiserweight Title: many have suggested Rey vs. Chavo one-on-one and i definitely see the value there. these two had a pretty great feud a few years later and i really enjoyed their matches, specifically their "I Quit" Matches. given that this is Mania and these two had some amazing history/chemistry together, i'd make this a ladder match. it'd be pretty appropriate given that it's 10 years after the infamous HBK/Razor ladder match, also at MSG. so this would be my switch from the Cruiserweight Battle Royal we got.

Y2J vs. Christian stays exactly as is. this was a really enjoyable feud and build up. the turn from Trish was totally unexpected (at least i didn't expect it) and i was thrilled to see Christian get a big solo win here. their Steel Cage and Ladder Matches later in the year were also amazing.

Goldberg vs. Lesnar was horrible in execution. and to be totally honest, i wasn't too impressed with the idea even on paper. i totally get the idea; both of these guys were physical beasts with an undefeated streak as part of their gimmick, and both had arguably the most impressive rookie years in the history of professional wrestling. also, both guys had pretty sweet finishing maneuvers. but i would have scrapped this match entirely. especially since the WWE knew that both guys were on their way out.

instead i'd have Taker vs. Lesnar. i know we're getting this match at Mania 30, but it's 10 years too late in my opinion. Lesnar destroyed Taker for over a year. i'd switch up the Survivor Series storyline and have Lesnar help McMahon bury Taker instead of Kane. this sets up the return of the Dead Man seeking revenge on the guy that buried the Biker. Taker gets a big win as Lesnar heads out.

and then i'd have Goldberg vs. Batista vs. Kane. Kane and the Animal are also pretty physical beasts in their own rights and they would need a match. all 3 of these guys had history leading up to Mania; Batista "injured" Goldberg for Triple H and Kane fought Goldberg in a Triple Threat Match that saw Goldberg lose the World Title. throw these 3 guys into a match and have either Batista or Kane win as both are sticking around after the night is over.

World Title #1: Angle vs. Guerrero. i loved this match and i loved their feud all around. the only thing i'd change is the build. Angle would win the World Title from Lesnar at the Rumble in their final match together. Guerrero then walks into Mania as the challenger and wins the World Title for the first time at Mania, as opposed to winning it at a lesser ppv after outside interference. make Guerrero's first and only World Title win more meaningful on this stage instead.

World Title #2: Triple H vs. HBK vs. Benoit. absolutely perfect. this is one of the best matches in Mania history. or just history period. don't change a thing about it. the build and the match were epic in every way. one of the most incredible Mania moments of all time as the show closes with Benoit and Guerrero celebrating their respective World Title wins. so richly deserved.

Hogan vs McMahon. Street Fight. i moved this up a year. i totally loved this match and the build was so personal and was so deep in its history. i just always felt that this match would have been better, and certainly more poetic, if it happened on the 20th anniversary instead of the 19th, and in the exact same arena where both WrestleMania and Hulkamania were born. so same match and same build, just bumped up a year.

that leaves Austin and Rock. i had Austin vs. Goldberg at Mania 19 as Austin's last match. since he's not gonna wrestle again but should still be on the card, i'd have a Piper's Pit segment with these two icons as the guests. 3 of the best talkers in all of sports entertainment going at it on the microphone for 10 or so minutes. it'd just be flat out enjoyable in every way.

Mania 20 had some very bright spots, but it was a little too hit and miss for my preference.

 

[LODemolition]

This was one of my favorite Manias because of how much the ending surprised me. I completely thought Shawn Michaels was walking out of WrestleMania XX as World Heavyweight Champion. I remember thinking Benoit had pretty much no chance of winning that match. Either Triple H was retaining or Shawn was winning to end the night, in my mind. I can't think of another main event in WM history where the result surprised me as much as this one did. This was my favorite match of the event, but Guerrero vs. Angle is an extremely close 2nd. As much as I enjoyed this WrestleMania, there are (as usual) some changes I'd make to help improve it even more.

World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit

Just a 1 on 1 would've been good enough for me here. Yes, it would've probably made the ending more predictable, but we had seen Triple H and Shawn in the same ring plenty of times. Plus, I've got a better match for Shawn.

The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels

The match on nearly everyone's fantasy list. With hindsight being 20/20, this would've been the perfect time (and one of only 2 chances) to have this match at a WM after Shawn's 2002 return and before Rock's departure from the ring for 8 years. This could've been one for the ages.

WWE Championship: Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Kurt Angle

No reason to change anything here.

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar (with Austin as referee)

Though the match didn't deliver, they got it right with putting these 2 monsters against eachother with Austin in the middle.

Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Kane

Though I'd keep the opponents the same, I'd have definitely added something since they had squared off at WM before. HIAC or a casket match, buried alive match, etc.

United States Title: Big Show (c) vs. John Cena

No reason to change anything here. This was a really good way to open the show and kick off Cena's WM career to foreshadow how he would be a big part of WWE's future.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Orton (c) vs. Mick Foley

I didn't care for the 3 on 2 handicap match of Evolution vs. Rock n' Sock Connection. To me it said Rock & Foley didn't need help because Flair was irrelevant. Yes, he was about 55 years old, but don't disrespect one of the all-time greats like that. Orton and Foley 1 on 1 would've been a much better match and a great way to kick off the "legend killer" angle.

Booker T vs. Batista

With me breaking up the Evolution handicap match, Batista would need an opponent of his own and I think Booker T would've made a pretty good one. I would've given them a decent 10-12 minute spot on the card.

Chris Jericho vs. Christian

Perfect the way it was, with the swerve from Trish.

WWE Tag Team Championship Triple Threat: The APA (c) vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Too Cool

Definitely no need for 2 sets of tag team belts. These were my 3 favorite teams from the era, so they get the match for me.

Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin

This could've made for a good filler match between 2 great high flyers.

Cruiserweight Title Fatal 4-Way Match: Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Rey Mystero vs. Ultimo Dragon vs. Billy Kidman

The Cruiserweight Open was pretty ridiculous. I can't really argue with most peoples' opinion of a 1 on 1 between Chavo and Mysterio, but I always liked Kidman and Ultimo Dragon. So they get thrown in for me as well.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Favourite match is Triple H vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels, which is why I'm probably gonna regret changing this in my fantasy card later on.

Worst match is easily Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg. I guess the WWE should have figured that both men didn't care about putting on a good match with each other since they were both on their way out.

My changes...

1) Big Show (c) vs. John Cena for the WWE United States Title

2) Booker T & Rob Van Dam (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Batista & Ric Flair vs. La Resistance for the World Tag Team Titles

Replace Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak with Batista & Flair

3) Christian vs. Chris Jericho

4) Randy Orton (c) vs. Cactus Jack in a Hardcore Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title

Move their match from Backlash down to Wrestlemania.

5) Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Tajiri for the WWE Cruiserweight Title

The Cruiserweight Open was a clusterfuck, so just book a Triple Threat here between Chavo, Rey & Tajiri for the belt.

6) Goldberg vs. Kurt Angle

If you remember at the Royal Rumble, Angle eliminated Goldberg in the Royal Rumble match. In my scenario, I'd have Goldberg eliminate Kurt in the Rumble match, and Angle, enraged at getting eliminated especially since he was dedicating a win for the troops in Afghanistan, distracts Goldberg from the action in the ring and causes him to get eliminated from behind ala Sid Vicious/Ric Flair at Royal Rumble 1992, beginning a slow heel turn from Angle. After Goldberg hits the floor, him and Angle get into a huge brawl and have to be seperated by lots of officials and backstage personnel. The rest of the build up can be the same as Lesnar and Goldberg's, with Goldberg going to No Way Out and costing Angle a title match or a #1 contenders match. During all of this, Angle can officially turn heel on Smackdown by attacking & beating up crowd favourites and throwing shots at Goldberg every week.

Goldberg wasn't known to put on great matches, but I think Angle could've gotten one out of him. Angle could pull off a great match against anyone.

7) Too Cool (c) vs. The Worlds Greatest Tag Team vs. APA vs. The Basham Brothers for the WWE Tag Team Titles

8) Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Title

Move their match from No Way Out to Wrestlemania and have Eddie's big win take place here. Like Angle with Goldberg, let Eddie pull out a solid match from Lesnar.

9) The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels

Like I said above, the Triple Threat was a great match which is why I'll probably end up regretting this change, but when you have both The Rock and Shawn Michaels available to compete at the same Wrestlemania, it's just hard for me to not want to book this match. It's not like Michaels needed to be in the title match anyway and I'm sure this would've been just as great as the Triple Threat match. Have The Rock return a month before Wrestlemania and cut a promo, talking about how he's done everything in the WWE except for one thing - face Shawn Michaels. Rock then throws down the challenge to HBK, and a week later Shawn responds to Rock and accepts the challenge for Wrestlemania.

10) Lita (c) vs. Molly Holly in a Hair vs. Hair Match

I think Lita would've been better for this match than Victoria. Part of Lita's unique character was her red hair, it was her trademark, and it would've given this match more meaning if she put it on the line along with the belt. Lita could lose the title to Victoria at Backlash the next month.

11) The Undertaker vs. Kane

The match sucked but it was all about Taker returning as The Phenom, so keep this match just for that moment.

12) Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Title

 

[Mac]

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

This WrestleMania had a lot going for it; all the top matches delivered except one (Brock/Goldberg) most of the matches had good buildup, the WWE hyped up the event pretty well and it felt like a big deal. I loved that they went back to the Garden, I wished they stuck to the tradition and had it at the Garden for WM 30. Anyway this was a well put together show. With that said it could use some changes.



My favorite match was Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit. At first I didn't like the idea of a triple threat match as the Mania main event. But it worked out and we got a classic.

My least favorite match was the evening gown match, just awful.

Now I do feel that the show was good but it could've been better.

World Heavyweight Championship Match- Triple H (c) vs Chris Benoit
The triple threat match was a classic. But I was never a fan of triple threat main events at WM.

WWE Championship Match- Kurt Angle (c) vs Eddie Guerrero
Angle defeats Brock for the title at No Way Out due to Brock being distracted by Takers mind games. Eddie wins a tournament to become the number 1 contender for the title at Mania. I'd have Eddie win the title at Mania as a opposed to at No Way Out.

Dream Match-The Rock vs Shawn Michaels
It's a shame we never got to see this match. This could've been perfect for WM 20.

Undertaker vs Brock Lesner
I would've had Brock take out Taker back at No Mercy in a indecisive finish. Taker plays mind games with Brock in the buildup to the match. Taker finally goes over Brock as Lesner is on his way out. On a side note I didn't like interbrand matches. I wanted Raw and Smackdown! to remain separate.

Kane vs Goldberg
They could've built up this feud from Armageddon 03. Maybe Goldberg eliminates Kane from the Rumble, then Kane returns the favor. Since Goldberg had limited dates towards the end of his run, that's a great way to keep them separate during the build. Kane goes over and gets a big WM win.

Intercontinental Championship Street Fight- Randy Orton(c) vs Mick Foley
They had a great match at Backlash the next month. I'd bump that match up to Mania. It would've been more memorable had it happened on this show.

Grudge Match- Chris Jericho vs Christian
This stays as is.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship 6 Pack Challenge- Chavo Guererro(c) vs Rey Mysterio vs Billy Kidman vs Ultimo Dragon vs Jamie Noble vs Tajiri
I'd scrap the Cruiserweight open and just put the 6 best cruisers together for this match.

WWE Women's Championship Match- Victoria vs Molly
This stays as is.

WWE United States Championship Match- Big Show(c) vs John Cena
This stays as is.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match- Too Cool vs Bashams vs WGTT vs APA
This stays as is. I thought this was a fun match and everybody involved deserved to be at Mania.

World Tag Team Championship Match- Booker T/ RVD vs Dudley's vs Batista/Ric Flair
I'd just change the match and leave these two teams in it. Plus I'd add Flair and Batista. Those other teams didn't deserve a spot on Mania.

 

[MCMG]

I enjoyed this Mania but it certainly wasn't a classic. The triple threat is one of my favourite matches of all time and the moment of two friends celebrating as World Champs was amazing. The three of them are up there with my favourite wrestlers of all time and they put on a classic.

Eddie v Angle obviously delivered and I loved the ending. Taker coming back as The Deadman was a great moment and, while the match was poor, the spectacle was great. Jericho v Christian was pretty solid and had a good twist at the end. Evolution were put over correctly and it is incredible to think Cena and Orton left this Mania holding mid-card championships.

Goldberg v Brock was one of the strangest matches in Mania history. It was just odd and a real disappointment.

Rock and HBK wrestled at the same Wrestlemania so I can't resist saying they should have faced off but I loved the triple threat and The Rock's role was fine. I'd also love to know the situation with Austin and, if pushed, he could have wrestled. Austin v Brock would have been great to see.

Ultimately, I would have taken a few of the guys out the Cruiserweight Open just so each match could have longer. I'd also tell someone to give Brock and Goldberg a slap and reiterate they are wrestling a huge match at Wrestlemania. Other than that, I quite enjoyed this Mania.

 

[Rocky84]

I didn't watch this Mania live, but even seeing it afterwards allowed me to appreciate the Eddie & Benoit storybook ending.

I really liked the Eddie vs Angle build up. The whole "he lies, he cheats, and he steals" was great for Kurt Angle to freak out over having a champ like that when he's all about integrity. Was funny watching the promo for it.

Brock vs Goldberg seemed like a good build. Although it was really a tease seeing Austin work so closely with Goldberg throughout the fued, and not be able to see them go one on one. I honestly think the crowd took them both out of it which is why the performance wasn't all that good. It was pretty obvious.

I wasn't big on the Rock n Sock connection taking on Evolution. I get it and all, but with The Rock being able to go, I would think they'd use him a little better. Gotta say like everyone else, Rock vs HBK was a no brainer. Leave it to WWE creative to drop the ball in big Mania anniversaries.

If I had to pick a favorite match I'd pick Angle vs Eddie. Worst was the women's match.

The change I would make if possible (using Austin in a wrestling role) I'd have....



Benoit vs HHH (c)

The Rock vs HBK

Goldberg vs Stone Cold

Torrie & Sable vs Stacy & Jackie

Kane vs Undertaker

Eddie (c) vs Angle

Batista vs Brock

Dudley's vs APA vs RVD & Booker T

Orton vs Foley (Street Fight)

Christian vs Jericho

Cena vs Big Show

Mysterio vs Tajiri vs Ultimo Dragon vs Kidman

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

A lot of people here keep saying HBK vs. The Rock, ideally this would be a great match up. Problem is, as I can recall, The Rock didn't want to work with Shawn Michaels at the time. I believe there was some beef between Shawn Michaels and The Rock years back so The Rock would probably have refused to work with him.

 

[Wolf Pac]

A lot of people here keep saying HBK vs. The Rock, ideally this would be a great match up. Problem is, as I can recall, The Rock didn't want to work with Shawn Michaels at the time. I believe there was some beef between Shawn Michaels and The Rock years back so The Rock would probably have refused to work with him.

They didn't show this bit on TV, but The Rock mentions in his induction speech at the Hall Of Fame 2008, that Michaels, Cena & Rey Mysterio are 3 superstars he always wanted to face.

[youtube]GMv1raDM3v8[/youtube]

My guess is they put their beef behind them and all was forgiven after Shawn's 2002 return.

 

[Pedigree1]

WM20 was an interesting mania i actually enjoyed it!! Small changes i would have made not much, but small. I didnt like the gauntlet Cruiserweight title match,I personally would have made Chavo Vs Rey Rey one on one. That would have been an epic match,with Chavito being the heel and Rey,being the babyface.. I think that match should have opened the show,IMO and would have set the tone..

Also this is a wild idea,but why not have Randy Orton go one on one with the great one. I know that leaves out Batista,(IMO that year he wasnt ready for WM)and Flair and Foley. The legend Killer was coming into his own back then,and what a statement it would have been if Orton had gone one on one with The Rock.. Slight changes,IMO those two changes would have made this mania one of the best! But im glad things played out the way they did

 

[Judah's Lion]

The Rock vs. Shawn Michaels

The match on nearly everyone's fantasy list. With hindsight being 20/20, this would've been the perfect time (and one of only 2 chances) to have this match at a WM after Shawn's 2002 return and before Rock's departure from the ring for 8 years. This could've been one for the ages.

as LOD has stated, along with several others on this forum, HBK vs. Rock is a dream match for the ages and one that we never saw. guaranteed never to see. so here's my question...

since i feel that the Triple Threat Match for the World Title between Triple H, HBK and Benoit is absolutely flawlessly perfect and was set on a great stage at Mania 20 in MSG, could the HBK/Rock dream match have happened at Mania 19 instead?

HBK vs. Jericho could have happened another time and in fact did happen again down the line anyway. Rock vs. Austin III was kinda redundant and predictable. maybe HBK/Rock for Mania 19 would have worked better too since HBK was face and Rock was the Hollywood heel. just throwing out a question/suggestion...

 

[Wolf Pac]

as LOD has stated, along with several others on this forum, HBK vs. Rock is a dream match for the ages and one that we never saw. guaranteed never to see. so here's my question...

since i feel that the Triple Threat Match for the World Title between Triple H, HBK and Benoit is absolutely flawlessly perfect and was set on a great stage at Mania 20 in MSG, could the HBK/Rock dream match have happened at Mania 19 instead?

HBK vs. Jericho could have happened another time and in fact did happen again down the line anyway. Rock vs. Austin III was kinda redundant and predictable. maybe HBK/Rock for Mania 19 would have worked better too since HBK was face and Rock was the Hollywood heel. just throwing out a question/suggestion...

I think the reason why people would have preferred to have seen Rock vs. Michaels at Wrestlemania 20 instead of 19, is because they wouldn't wanna lose two great matches in Jericho vs. HBK and Rock vs. Austin. And by taking Michaels out of the Triple Threat, you get two great main events in Rock vs. Michaels and Benoit vs. Triple H instead of just one.

Austin vs. Rock may have been redundant and predictable, not that there's anything really wrong with that, but most would agree it was still a great match and was the perfect way for Austin to retire. If the WWE had booked Rock vs. Michaels at Mania 19, then who do you put against Austin in his last match? I know you suggested Goldberg in your fantasy card, but a match between Austin and Goldberg wouldn't have worked at that time. Goldberg was coming in, if you have him lose to Austin in his debut, nobody would take him as seriously as they did in his WCW run if you start him out with a loss. And there's no way Vince would let WCW's top main eventer go over his top main eventer, that would be like admitting WCW's top guy was superior to the WWF's.

I think Rock vs. Michaels would've worked better at 20. Babyface/babyface main events especally ones featuring two iconic superstars like Rock & Michaels, are more epic and the match would be held at MSG of all places. Just imagine the crowd reaction at MSG, the audience would be split down the middle, one half rooting for Michaels, the other for Rock. And it would give Mania 20 something it didn't have - a dream match. I don't count Lesnar vs. Goldberg as a dream match. Well maybe you could, but nowhere near the level of Rock vs. Shawn Michaels.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Ah Wrestlemania XX - a prime example of a crowd not helping matters. They totally sh*t ok the Goldberg - Brock match from the outset. Not saying it would have been better had the fans not known it was both their last matches, but perhaps the fan reaction caused them to phone it in.

Also didn't like the need for TWO fatal four way tag title matches - I always hated when Raw and Smackdown just repeated matches on ppv. One F4W would have been enough.

And don't forget, WMXX saw the resurrection of the Hall of Fame, which has now become a key part of 'Wrestlemania week', and added to the grandeur of the event

 

[Pérez84]

I prefer Rock vs HBK at XX too.

Insert Goldberg into the triple threat and find someone to try to take a decent match out of Lesnar, then you avoid the shitstorm in that Goldberg vs Lesnar match.

 

[MMA Mark]

I would scrap Evolution vs Rock 'n' Sock and Lesnar vs Goldberg and make:

Foley vs Orton, Hardcore match for IC title - Their classic at Backlash, pushed ahead a month.

Rock vs Brock II - Rock returns to Smackdown and is interrupted by Brock. Rock started Smackdown, but it's Brock's show now. Rock replaces Goldberg and costs Brock the title at No Way Out. Match is made, loser leaves WWE/Smackdown.

Batista w/Flair vs Goldberg - Tease a feud between the two while Goldberg feuds with HHH. Goldberg eliminates Batista at the Rumble, Batista returns and costs him as well.