Wholeheartedly agree...was a huge fan of Kennedy, maybe not the best wrestler but I loved his promos, he was super charismatic...sadly, through various circumstances, some no fault of his own, some that very much were, never got to see him become the megastar in WWE I thought he could have been. I liked some of his work in TNA too, but not to the same extent.
I hated how Vince's hair was never the same after this. When he started growing it out again he had that stupid combover style. His Pompadour was legendary.
Fun fact: Cole's "I SWEAR TO GOD I HAVE *NEVER* SEEN BATISTA GO TO THE TOP ROPE BEFORE" was like word for word what he said months earlier at Survivor Series 2006 when Batista went to the top rope.
Jeff took the bump on Edge because you can see Matt goading him to do it. The match gains a whole star in my eyes if you just look at Matt Hardy as this manipulative SOB who managed to get his own brother to take out himself and Edge through playing on Jeffs' highflying ego, and after all this is the same Matt who gets Booker to stop by holding a woman hostage just minutes later.
@@CobaltCruiser what im saying is no mater who undertaker faces, he gets cheered over his op. Even today it still happens. And he didnt really do anything heelish that match. Not sure how being a heel for one match would work anyways lol
Definitely agree. At this time Undertaker was respected by most of the fans, and anyone who stood against him was going to be booed no matter what. The fans loved Batista, but they *KNEW* they wanted Taker to win.
This Wrestlemania in my opinion is pretty underrated. Especially an excellent main event between John Cena and Shawn Michaels and Batista and Undertaker. Thanks for reliving memories Brian.
My favorite part about the Batista vs Undertaker match is remembering back in 2007 before the match happened, all the message boards were pretty much like, "Well, the match might be bearable if Undertaker can actually carry Batista". Then the match ends up being a match of the year candidate. Batista and Undertaker had really good chemistry.
To be fair, the concern was warranted. To that point the only memorable singles match Batista had was his hell in the cell with Triple H. He wasn't known as the best wrestler, but as you said this match showed the chemistry he and Undertaker had with one another leading to a memorable series of matches.
@@govardhanposina17 Batista's never ending feud with Booker T in 06 which produced precisely 0 good matches (And 1 alleged real fight) was fresh on people's minds. That summer/fall of stinkers didn't give much confidence to Batista being able to hang with the Undertaker on the big stage.
@@denniswilliams6519 imo that was just down to the two guys having 0 chemistry with each other and WWE doggedly pushing the feud on cause they didn't have another main guy for the WHC scene
I think the Jeff spot works because Jeff has always gone for the "big moment". It's canonically accurate and is a nice continuity keeper. Plus Matt convinced Jeff to do it at the time.
I actually talked to Monty Brown in like 2010, he is a personal trainer in Saginaw Michigan, he called my work to set up an order for Alpha Fitness apparel. Super nice guy
I picked up Monty Brown hitchhiking outside of Mobile,Al back in 2009. He said he was making his was up north to some hillbilly backwater town named Saginaw,he was going up there to build an underground sanctuary to restart civilization after the Mayan Apocalypse hits in 2012. On the way up he forced me to listen to his mixtape. After 45 minutes of 'music' I can only describe as "Hot Garbage",I kicked him out of my car in Chattanooga,TN & never heard from him again... Super Nice Guy!!
I ran into Monty Brown playing Pokémon Go in 2016 we were both trying to catch a Snorlax. I caught it he didn’t. He hit me with the pounce and stole my phone
I ran into Monty Brown in 1998 around Indianapolis actually. He was robbing a gas station with Gillberg and winked at me before escaping in a mail truck.
Eric Thomas he did take a long sabbatical from wwe after that match and i always thought that sabbatical would’ve, should’ve and could’ve been his retirement
Thank you Brian for helping support independent wrestlers in this crazy time with these little intros before every video while keeping us all entertained when we need it most! Your mother is proud of you & so are we. Such a good boy.
I had a very joyful reaction to the "Step Dad's" gimmick. That's hilarious. I'm absolutely NOT Google searching them, but I'll buy a shirt from them. Anyway, thanks for keeping me company while I batch cook through sheer boredom, Z-Man!
A few notes about this show: The dark match was a tag team lumberjack match with Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms taking on Ric Flair and Carlito. Don’t ask what sense it makes because I don’t know, either. Batista was reportedly PISSED that his match with Undertaker was fourth on the card, and that probably lead to it being a more intense match with the “something to prove” mindset at work. He really wanted his match with Undertaker to be the show closer, with the sight of Undertaker holding the big gold belt being the final image of the show. It’s since been removed from all rereleases but a fan actually ran into the ring before the Michaels-Cena match. As said fan was being taken out of the building, Shawn got up on the turnbuckle corner and waved the guy goodbye, with J.R. covering by saying “well he’s playing mind games with Cena right now.” Not necessarily a fact, but an observation: the opening pyro was MASSIVE. There was an obscene amount of pyro being shot off and it really did look amazing.
My og DVD of this has the fan jump the ring, you can see him for a split second before it cuts to close ups, then you see hbk sitting on the turnbuckle waving goodbye
In regard to the dark match: It was an inter promotional Raw vs. SmackDown matchup in lieu of the traditional pre-show battle royal. The lumberjacks were there to enhance the brand feud feel. As for the teams, Flair and Carlito had been paired together in late 2006/early 2007. Carlito had been criticized for a lazy work ethic backstage, and that was the basis of his feud with Flair which eventually turned into them teaming with Flair playing the “mentor” role to Carlito. As for Helms and Guerrero, Chavo had won the Cruiserweight title from Helms in a “Cruiserweight Open” at No Way Out in February. They ended up forming a team after that match, and my guess is that they were plugged in the match so the Cruiserweight Championship made it on the show in some capacity.
Idk why but your comment made me go back and find my old WWE magazines. In one of them they cover The Streak and Batista talks about their match. "It's probably not politically correct, but I felt we should have been the main event of WM 23. Backstage, I was a little boastful, which I got heat for. After our match, I screamed 'Follow that!' Sometimes my pride gets me in a little trouble. Even though I lost, I think it was probably the proudest moment of my career." I find it funny how Batista goes a little off topic and doesn't really talk about the match itself. TBH I have to agree with him. The match was great and it makes sense for the Rumble winner to close the show. Also, Shawn had main evented Mania multiple times already and Cena would too later.
@@joedavidson6556 HBK, Cena, and a few backstage road agents have all gone on record saying HBK was pissed because Cena wasn’t selling. It’s also why HBK didn’t shake his hand. Do some research next time before you make yourself look stupid
Undertaker and Batista rightfully should have been the main event of this show. Undertaker did win the Royal Rumble. But they went out there with something to prove, and IMO, had the match of the night
I disagree Shawn vs Cena was a bigger draw at the time the ticket master said that the reason Mania 23 did that buy rate was Trump and Cena vs Michaels and IMO I thought Shawn vs Cena was better and Batista vs Taker was awesome
Michael Rivera mind me asking for the source to this claim from TM? Not doubting you, just never heard it before. Despite drawing power, Undertaker won the Rumble, and I think he and Batista had the better build, especially with that great pull apart brawl they had on the go home episode of SD before this
For real!! I loved her managing London and Kendrick as they became my favorite tag team so them pairing her up with them was awesome. Plus those SD belts at the time had such a simple design that made them so good. Think it was the blue that was incorporated on the gold that made me favor them as it also represented the blue brand to me
Steven Blocker I bumped into her at Wrestlecon during Wm 29 weekend, she was going to say hi to PAUL London, and Brian Kendrick. I literally had to do a double take, because I barely recognized her, the Stars tattoo was the giveaway. She looked way older than she was at the time, the only way I can describe it was years of hard partying, it was so sad, but she was very polite, she rubbed my arm, and apologized for bumping into me. So sad that I never got to meet her again 😢
it would be great if WWE got the rights of Enter Sandman to play when Sandman walk through the crowd and everyone singing together probably it would be one of the greatest moment ever of Wrestlemania
Can we talk about the day Trump"bought" wwe and sold it back for double ? Which was clearly a jab at Wcw ted turner. Vince did buy a wrestling company which he sold back for double which paid for wrestle mania.
here's a few Fun Facts 1) Triple H was supposed to face John Cena in a rematch with Hunter winning this time, but then his quad injury put the kibosh on that. 2) There's were even rumors that it was gonna be Shawn Michaels w/ Trump Vs King Booker w/ Vince but once again triple h's injury changed that 3) Edge Vs Randy Orton was planned for the event but their team breakup was prolonged a bit so they ultimately put them in MITB match
This Mania is special to me because it was the only WWE event that my late brother and I went to. I remember the countdown to the beginning and Lillian telling us to yell as loud as we can. The opening pyro was legendary. At that moment a 20 and 24 year old became 6 and 10. We were arguing with two kids in the row in front of us during the Cena vs. HBK match. We really thought that HBK was going to take a cheap Sweet Chin music to Cena after the bell and Kennedy was going to cash in his briefcase. But when Cena went up to the ramp we still thought Kennedy was going to jump him from behind. We kept yelling “Kennedy! Kennedy!” in anticipation of him cashing in. Great memories!
I love these. I look foward to every couple weeks when the new one is going to come out. Can we get a wrestlemania 14 review though? Thats my childhood
This was my first Wrestlemania ever! I had just started getting into WWE in late 2006 as a little kid too. I remember when we ordered this PPV, we had already missed the Money in the Bank match and I was looking forward to it lol but it was still a great time!
I started right after WM 21, however during 22 I had no idea about the said significance of Wrestlemania so 23 did come off as a first time experience for me.
I watched from a super young age, born 99 and my parents loved wrestling so they watched it but my earliest memory was when John cena got drafted to raw after wm21 as well as Halloween raw 2005 cuz I was there and on TV😂
Thanks for the review, This was one of the two ppvs I attended, along with Survivor Series 2005. I was 14 and my mom bought the tickets and gave them to me for Christmas. My sister died the following month in mid January so when we went in April it really helped take our minds off things for a while. I'll always be grateful to have been there.
You did forget to mention the hour long match on raw that John and hbk had where allegedly Shawn called an audible and that match ended up taking up the whole show leading up into backlash. And underrated classic in their feud.
Edge and Orton were supposed to wrestle eachother on that Raw as well. Orton was sent home from the tour early due to unprofessional conduct. (Go figure) The match was still advertised, but Cena/HBK went long to cover for Ortons absence
Michael Rivera honestly I remember not knowing anything about wrestling. And then I was strolling through the TV and saw the Battle of the Billionaires in real time, and I was so into that story they were telling. And then Batista/Taker vs Cena/Michaels tag match in a rewatch.
Police officer: Do you know where Dave Bautista was on the 1st of April, 2007? Michael Cole: I'VE NEVER SEEN BATISTA, I SWEAR TO GOD I'VE NEVER SEEN BATISTA
I don't think I saw much of the build for Battle Of The Billionaires but I always remember watching Mania 23 and not caring about it. I liked Umaga & Estrrrrrrrrrrrrada well enough, and watching Vince get his head shaved was fun, but that's about it. That said, finding out the original plan was Hogan/Big Show? Fuck we dodged a bullet. Hogan? In 2007? The shape his body was in? Against a guy like Big Show who works best when he can throw people around like they're a rag doll? Yeah, no, that match would've been a fucking trainwreck. Also, christ, the thought of Big Show having to LOSE to Hogan in 2007? Fuck that noise.
you think that’s bad? what if they went with the plan of khali? who’s already a terrible wrestler imagine the dumpster fire that would be hogan vs khali glad we didn’t get that.
@@ogome2927 Pretty much any match involving Hogan (or Khali) was gonna be shit or just too obvious regardless of who they went with. Seems the whole thing was doomed from the get go really.
that weekend, met gregory helms, chavo guerrero, and super crazy at axxess. bumped into jeff hardy as he was leaving the bathroom at the video game tournament. also met rick the sign guy after the hall of fame
Thank you, Zane! I was at Westlemania 23, aisle side, the energy in that place was spectacular! The Undertaker’s entrance was awesome it was annoying when your trying to see him come out and the cameraman is standing right in front of him. I was crushed when HBK lost, I was hoping to relive the WM12 moment but I had respect for Cena for putting on a great match.
Watching this review is getting me all nostalgic, because this was the first Mania I ever saw live, so this show holds a special place in my heart as a fan.
I always felt Wrestlemania 23 was the start of where there was never any long term planning happening afterwards. Everything with Trump was not really mentioned again with Lashley and McMahon after and it seemed like most Mania's after start to use their shows as more of an end than any beginning of something.
sheeit, i never realzied till now that was Jeffs payback for the spear off the ladder at wm17. Also edge threw that ladder so hard at punk, wonder what he was thinking
I was there live and it was my first ever live event. I was so naive I wondered where the commentary was while i was in my seat lol. Still even without it was an amazing event. I felt Undertakers fire from the 2nd balcony where I was seated. I was so pulling for Shawn to win against Cena.
I’m happy that the Battle of the Billionaires match wasn’t Hulk vs Big Show. It may have been a bigger draw but it would’ve been a worse match. Hogan probably would’ve taken a Stunner tho so that would’ve been the only bright spot
I would of preferred the review on New Blood Rising just for the Judy Bagwell on a forklift match. Oh well at least this ones got the battle of the billionaires
Judy Bagwell on a forklift, Goldberg going into (worked) shoot mode, Vampiro and the Great freakin' Muta winning the tag titles for one day, the fact that the New Blood faction was gone by the time the PPV happened so the name made a lot less sense... That sure was a show.
On paper, Taker vs Big Dave must be a real stincker, like a modern version of Taker vs Diesel... And eventually, the chemestry between them was UNBELIEVABLE. Every Batista vs Undertaker encounters/matches were freaking GREAT. Very unlikely to say the least...
Brian, Thank you for this and the distraction/entertainment... It’s been a rough week (and i hate saying that given how much worse so many others have it right now) but I just wanted to say thank you for this.
Ah my first WrestleMania, I remember going to school as Mania was starting, seeing the end of the MITB Match. Ladies and Gentlemen was a fantastic song choice for the show. That stage was simple but sweet. Both World Title matches were great.
True this was the start of awesome Taker matches at mania which lasted until the Punk match and IMO that Cena vs Michaels match is an underrated main event
@@prod.justjae9957 yes those matches were great but what I mean is this mania every Mania until Mania 29 he consistently had match of the year candidates at Mania
This Wrestlemania was pretty special to me because it was the only Wrestlemania I watched in theaters. Went out with my friend and it almost made me feel like I was there. Great stuff.
I always come back to this show because it was the mania that cemented me as a fan. It’s unfortunate but watching Chris Benoit wrestle made me want to be a pro wrestler.
As a kid, this was the first WrestleMania I ever saw of as a new fan at time. My Dad, God rest his soul, was a casual WWE viewer and I would see RAW and SmackDown on the tube occasionally. January that year (before I really knew anything about WrestleMania season and such) I BEGGED him to purchase Royal Rumble for me. It was the first and last PPV we ever watched together. Miss that man!!!
The reason for the Money in the Bank swap with Edge was because not only was Kennedy injured, but The Undertaker was injured too & he had to have surgery. Basically Edge was "right place, right time."
@@Crashj7f67h yep me and a group of 5, we drove 6 hours. It was a super fun time. One of my favorite shows I've been too.. Would love to see WWE bring it back to Detroit
Would love to see Bryan talk about the backlash 2007 only for to see his reaction to the taker vs Batista last man standing match as that is one of the most memorable matches of my childhood
Vince shaving his head was a terrible idea cause his hair took YEARS to go back to its original state. I hated his hair style from 2007 - 2013 lol Also funny how they had a kid Austin with the milk. Even though when WrestleMania 3 happened, Austin was like in his 20’s 😂
His finisher was as well. The Pounce looked so powerful depending on who was taking it,I specifically remember when he did it to Sabu and MCV sent him flying across the ring 😂
Brian, great stuff as usual. I remember this mania because as a kid I was fully invested in the product at the time. I remember watching this, then spending the night at my friends house to watch the following Raw. The Hardys winning the tag belts had me and my friends popping so loud in his living room. But after the Benoit stuff, I turned away from it. This would be my last Wrestlemania for a long time, so watching you review this as an adult was really cool and I appreciate you doing it.
I thought his look from 90-93 was his best. Scary as fuck and the way he was portrayed as this other worldly monster who was impervious to pain was great. Plus he was a lot more agile then as well. I loved the top rope walk when he first joined the WWF, nobody else was doing things like that back then. That’s only my opinion though.
