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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
I'm not a fan of Trump but this is so funny that everyone was cheering for him. Now probably over half of the people cheering him then hate his guts nowadays
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.
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
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 😢
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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...
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
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.
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.
@@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
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
@@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
Man, thank you for this surprise. WM 23 was the first WM I ever watched. Mid 2000 was some years where wrestling in my country was really popular. After 2010 the wrestling comunity was long gone. Thank God for the streams lol. So yeah...for me WM 23 will remain in my heart and soul forever. Take care and tnx again!
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
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
Kenny Olivier I’ll make an argument in a less political way- at this point, who the hell is Donald Trump to be no selling the Boogeyman? He’s just some rich dude. It’s like if all the Raw guests hosts no sold the wrestlers Granted it’s a throwaway segment so it’s not worth getting worked up over, but just making the case
@Ryan Smith More people watched The Apprentice than Monday Night RAW. Trump didn't really become more well known after running for President, not in the USA anyway. Pretty much everybody knew who he was. And most of those casuals bought WrestleMania specifically for Trump's involvement.
DejaVoodooDoll lol enjoy another four years. You “adults” can’t even figure out what bathroom to use and run a socialist and a guy with dementia as a president. You’ll be lucky to see another Democrat in office for the next 20 years bitch. The left is dead.
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."
This was the last wrestlemania triple h missed and I believe its the only one he missed since his debut (i could be wrong about this). He had tore his quad at new years revolution in January and wouldn't miss another wrestlemania for now
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.
Mr. Kennedy in the WWE needs a Wrestling With Wregret episode
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.
KENNEDY!
Agreed
Miz is a poor mans Mr. Kennedy
Misterrrrrrr. Kennedy.
Kennedy.
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.
I have to agree, his hair makes him look to much like his age these days too.
He kind of has his old hair style now, but i know what you mean. It just doesn't feel the same.
Michael Burke his 2013 hairstyle is much better and looks like his original hair style than that 2007-2013 one where he looks older
I liked that look tho. Vince 90s classic hairstyle was getting played-out. I personally like Vince's mid to late 70s hairstyle.
Vince's hair never had the makings of a varsity athlete
There's no way in Harley Race's Green Earth I'm googling "Step Dads Wrestling"
Suuuuuuuuure LOL just kidding
We swear it's the first thing that comes up if you type it all in one word, sport! "Stepdads vs" also works, Frisco! 👍
@@StepdadsWrestling haha, Much Love, y'all.
They're not my real dads
@@MrFnPink420 what the hell are you trying imply???
“Bam right in his eyes, gets nothing in the mouth” - Wrestling with Wregret 2020
69 likes. Nice
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.
Yeah it's not the only time Jeff did a huge spot when he could have easily won. For Jeff the spectacle was always more important than championships
@@ozricaurora6943 wrestlemania 33 would explained how he did a bigger spot and won.....
Title is just a prop, a toy, Jeff didn't need it to be over with the crowd unlike edge who would have been irrelevant without the titles
@@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716 now hold on there, Skippy. It may be a prop, but its arguably the most important one.
@@mentalcrowbar9434 so important they throw it on part timers?
Fun fact: Elijah Burke has on divas gear for the entrance because he felt the need to have some type of special gear but forgot his
Cdubya no way
I've wondered why he looked so funky for years
The Pope
"The Great Khaki" cracked me up every time.
Next time he's in one of the games, there's an attire edit to be made!
+Jeremy Russell
Yep.
This has to be his name from now on when ever he comes up in wrestling with wregret surely
The Great bu-Khaki
Shane Hill The Big Gold belt is what holds up The Great Khaki :P
Zanes impression of Austin: "Not respecting the law son" I lost it 😂😂😂
Hahahaha so glad someone commented this. I played that back so many times. Brian sounded just like him lol
In between the fingies... WOT
I dont think the crowd was anti Batista, they were just VERY pro undertaker
Facts
Batista was the de facto heel. Taker was so over in the mid-late noughties, practically everyone he ever wrestled was booed.
Ok JR
@@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.
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.
@@denniswilliams6519 huh, reslly surprising considering how well Batista improved himself in the ring in 2005
@@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
This was Chris Benoit's last Wrestlemania appearance
Lance Cade too!
If he had retired after losing to JBL the year before he and his family would still be alive
At least his match with MVP was good.
Who? Never heard of him?
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
Taz and Cole is an underrated commentary team.
Tony ThePokemonGuy no doubt about it
@Jeffrey Scott Joey styles wants to know your location
Micheal Cole wants to be JR so bad....its pitiful
Yes, Smackdown Just Bring It! is a perfect example of that.
Well Taz was good anyway…
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
He punched my child in 2013
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 actually played football with Monty Brown in high school. He wore an onion on his belt as it was the style at the time
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.
"DO WE LOVE BOBBY" was my ringtone for like 8 years lol
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.
Every mania of the RA era was great tbh right from 19 to 24
Agreed! I was there!
LETS GO BRANDON!
Don’t Forget The Great Khali vs Kane
Taker and Batista were pissed off at getting booked in the midcard so they decided to steal the show.
Shouldn't ALL wrestlers set out to do that?
@@mathewbarrie9149 they should but not everybody is allowed to.
Mathew Barrie they can, but they’d probably get their ass chewed out
That’s the problem with two world titles
@@Njbear7453 But they should all have that mindset, that they're going to steal the show. Otherwise what's the point of them being there?
All those damn kids with no parents. Where is Old man Tronson when you need him ?
Took me a minute, but I gotcha. That's hilarious
I still think it's a damn shame that he refused to even talk to Brian for the channel...
RockSmith1988 there was one man that didn't like the wrestling show his name is Old man Tronson
Old Man Tronson!
Seems like they could use a couple of Step Dads.
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.
Rock was right, Cole has had a LOT of idiot juice in his time.
@ronit1307 where do you think the factory gets it from? They just squeeze Cole a bit and get a refill
@@SirPunzalotbut not enough shut up juice.
When I think of "All Grown Up", the first thing that always comes to mind is that Rugrats spin-off on Nickelodeon.
Same.
I can even still hear the theme song.
I thought it was a good show for what it was, they did it right
When i hear saliva i think of 2007, including the Benoit tragedy and me going to that wm
Yeah, the one where they actually were'nt ALL grown up, they just were a few years older.
I still remember the theme of that show. *All Grown Up With....You!*
Vince probably watched Rugrats: All Grown Up and got inspired.
“BOOKER, TO HELL WITH HER!!! I LEFT PLENTY OF WOMEN!!!” JBL earned my respect on that day XD
Same
@Shane Hill facts
Shane Hill It’s because he had actual freedom to say what he wanted, same with Cole.
"AW GOD DAMMIT BOOKER!"
8:03
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 really don't like it
Moments last longer. Most people will remember that spot over Kennedy winning.
All that means is Jeff is dumb in canon, which is also true
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.
"You're mother" - wait, Brian is a mother?
@@SirPunzalot It took two years but somebody finally discovered Brian's big secret lol
“I swear to god, I’ve never seen Batista”
So that's where he got the idea he could become invisible to the eye
DUDE, a babyface in a company I was working in used Ladies and Gentleman back in 2010
I love Zane's Austin impression, especially the "WHAM!" on the stunner.
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
@@michaelrivera8360 Personally, I thought the match Cena and Michaels had the next night on Raw was much better.
@@mrlaidback83 agreed but this match was very good too this was the year Cena started to have fantastic matches
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
@@Breanna_monique it was wrestling observer and ticket master that said it.
Brian's impressions of Vince, Austin, Tazz, and Jerry Lawler are so amazing.
Khaki and the "bup" before the chop made me laugh
12:50
“Ladies and Gentlemen” was a bad ass song!!! I love it
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!
Our shirts are the bee's knees! Thank you for the support, kiddo!
Stepdads Wrestling shouldn’t the shirts be “legit”?
Jim Cornette Oh Corny, when are you ever gonna give a guy a break?
I'm not a fan of Trump but this is so funny that everyone was cheering for him. Now probably over half of the people cheering him then hate his guts nowadays
Lol you’ve never been to a Trump rally. Dude puts more asses in seats than Raw does on a normal Monday.
@@firemarshal2629 lol. Facts. Sadly TDS is real
24:10 I want the new running gag to be that whenever Brian Zane mentions Marcus Cor Von/Monty Brown, he reminds everyone of his awesome theme song.
Yeah, I really did like that theme song. It's a shame he left wrestling so we didn't get to hear it more
Prison bound Monty Brown
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
Shawn Michaels waving at the fan was hilarious. I forgot all about that lol.
The DVD of John Cena my dad owns he was there until the fan left
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.
I will say watching RVD, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and The Sandman walking through the Wrestlemania crowd was pretty cool to see.
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
And on that walk RVD said fuck this company and knew he was leaving.
Sabu and RVD wrestled at Wrestlemania in their home state too
I miss Ashley, RIP. i had a big crush on her during this time.
U & me both.
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 😢
Me too, she was my first girl crush. The whole punk skater vibe from her attire and personality was honestly really amazing.
Used to beat my meat like crazy to her
Not gonna lie, Mania 23 holds a special place in my heart just because it's the first Mania I ever owned on DVD
Samee
Mania 23 was the first mania I ever ordered !
It was the last one I got to complete my collection. From 1-32 then I sold them all for a dollar each. DVDs are not a good investment
Mine was Wrestlemania 23 and 24
It holds a special place in mine because it's the only Mania I've seen in theaters
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
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
So is Shawn not wanting to be champion the only reason Cena went over in this scenario?
And now we actually get Edge vs Orton this year
@@kb4231 Right
Hbk vs cena vs hhh was the plan idiot
@@kb4231 Considereing all the shit he used to do back in the day to keep the belt, it's crazy how he changed in 07
regarding @38:29 when Michaels is in Cena's face, Cena was very audibly calling spots LOL. I have the original PPV recorded on a dvd
That John Cena vs Michaels main event is an underrated main event IMO
That was Match of the Night.
@@enigmaskull3495 agreed people are saying Batista vs Taker and that match was awesome but I though Michaels vs Cena was better
The rematch they had the next night on Raw was one of the best of Michaels’ career, and (imo) THE best of Cena’s career.
Shawn should’ve won...
@@cubeclutch4781 No we complain that WWE doesn't push new guys and at the time Cena was the newer main event guy dispute how fans "hated" Cena.
fun fact: the kid who dumped milk in his eyes is lactose intolerant. that’s why he didnt drink any of it.
But doesn’t stuff if it gets in your eyes get to your bloodstream faster ?
Don't mean to sound cruel, but why use him if he couldn't drink milk? Doesn't make sense.
If only Kurt Angle was wrestling on this show, so that kid dumping milk on himself would make more sense in context.
They could got Root beer
Arturo Gonzalez diabetes
12:47
One of the funniest moments in this channel's history. I laughed so hard and I don't know why.
I literally went back to the kid Austin to make sure that was not beer right before you mentioned it.
i believe monty brown left wwe because his sister suddenly passed away and he took care of her children.
Donald Trump, 2007: Do we love Bobby?
Lana, 2020: I love Bobby!
grow up!
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!
This was the first PPV that made me a WWE and wrestling fan. Great review Brian!!
Cool what got you into it
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.
Yes! I went to this show with my family it was a surprise Christmas gift from my uncle. So many great memories related to this show!
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.
@@ogome2927 *Khaki
Alpha's Dank Shit oh yh sorry the great khaki
Thomas Fyrehart
Weird. I liked it. Maybe it was the commercial free raw. Idk why I liked it, it was just good imo.
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.
What Vince did was sell the Saturday 6:05pm timeslot to TBS to air NWA TV.
And Donald only bought RAW, not the whole company.
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.
Same here, first wrestling ppv I ever saw was summerslam 2006!!!!! Been a fan ever since.
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.
Sorry to hear about your sister. Did you also go to the Saturday night main event at cobo hall? Those were the 3 events I went to. So cool.
The First WWE DVD I Got: Mania 23. And One Of The Most Nostalgic PPV's For Me
First WrestleMania I ever saw as a kid still love it to this day
My first was tombstone history of taker, incredible dvd
Backlash 2008 was my first WWE DVD
Even just watching this review made me quite nostalgic for this event. An underrated wrestlemania and a childhood classic in my eyes.
Nostalgia is the first term that comes to mind when remembering this particular WM, reason I was so looking forward to this review.
When you said "All Grown Up", I thought about Steph's old theme 😂
Syria Jenkins I can't think about Steph without thinking of those huge McMountains of her!😃
@@dwaynemalone4026 same 🤤
abdiel miranda Love to climb those peaks!😃
@@dwaynemalone4026 sorry for being 4 months late but 😂😋😋🤤🤤🤤
@@uainjansun It's cool.
There was a dude that tried to go in the match but go kicked out. Shawn waved bye 👋 lol
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
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
That was after Wrestlemania.
That match pissed me off. It was way too long. Every time they came back from commercial, I kept yelling out, 'They're still wrestling?!' I hated it .
I still have the match 😅
It was a very rated match.
Bobby Lashley was being groomed to be WWE's next big thing. 14 years later, he finally wins the WWE Championship.
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
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...
JBL's Commentary on King Booker is hilarious, bruh.
Why wasn’t JBL this good on commentary from 2012 - 2017?
@Gene Bone he copied Jr's line, like "GAWD DAMMIT Booker!"
My favorite JBL line is the to hell with her Booker I've left plenty of women lol
@@paulgarcia8608 Yeah, that's exactly what I said included.
JBL drunk in the Survivor Series 2006 extras was hilarious.
Rob Van Dam keeping his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania alive!!
He lost the pre-show match at WM19.
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
If Hulk Hogan vs Big Show did happen, I would have loved to see Hogan do that back stroke in his entrance at 27:57.
Hogan's not taking that bump brother! 😂
When trump became president that match managed to be more iconic then it already was lol
I frequently use many of the gifs it spawned
How weird would it be if Obama came to WWE and started managing someone lol
33:58 Too bad that Stunner was booty.
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.
Those Trump pictures of Vince's need to be in a museum.
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.
Love your classic reviews Brian, you need to do more of these during these lockdown times!
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.
Thank you Brian for doing this PPV! This was my first wrestlemania I watched
from what ive read, Shawn was yelling at Cena for not selling enough
I figured he was taking the opportunity to witness at Cena.
Nice to know that Shawn was still in ego Kliq-mode around that time 🙄
People literally believe everything they see online. None of you know any facts. Y’all be overselling this crap.
@@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
@@Jerry_Freestylewell to be fair, cena's selling was never his strong suite, he's pretty bad in that department if we're being totally honest.
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 think that was booker t who threw the ladder
miranda Booker T brought it out 6:50, Edge threw it at Punk 6:53
@@LINKMASTERX sorry for being 4 months late but thanks
I almost went to this Wrestlemania. They need to come back to Detroit. It's been thirteen years.
Crash Agreed!!
I went (road trip from IL) loved it. Would go again if it came back to Detroit.
@@1justinswift Did you go to Wrestlemania 22?
@@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
@@1justinswift I was talking about the one a year before in Chicago
Man, thank you for this surprise. WM 23 was the first WM I ever watched. Mid 2000 was some years where wrestling in my country was really popular. After 2010 the wrestling comunity was long gone. Thank God for the streams lol. So yeah...for me WM 23 will remain in my heart and soul forever. Take care and tnx again!
Are you gonna keep calling Khali 'Khaki' whenever he's on one of these PPVs now? That would be hilarious.
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.
One of the greatest mysteries of wrestling was solved...that was Vince McMahon's real hair.
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.
Random fact before the main event starts a fan tries streaking into the ring and that's why shawn michaels randomly jumps onto the ring post waving.
18:50
People say, There are 1001 reasons to dislike DT, and this is one of them. To Quote Brian from the legends scene.
;)
Cheers from Canada
We need more Brian Zane impressions of Stone Cold Steve Austin
My mom saw that edge and hardy spot and ran out of the room screaming “he killed him” haha we still joke about it haha
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.
I watched New Blood Rising on the Network it was CRAP
That Lance Storm vs Mike Awesome Match was God Awful
@If you become a Patreon and donate maybe it will!
I wanted New Blood Rising as well.
GTA40120 Yeah would rather see anything from WCW 2000 than anything from WWE today!
Lets be honest, Vince's hair has never been the same since
Brian thanks for all the excellent content and good times reliving all the memories. 👍
Agreed Brian is underrated my fave wrestling youtube channels are this and Wrestletalk
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.
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.
Dillon Haggett my first mania was 26 I remember my cousin came over to watch it good times
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
Michael Rivera his first awesome match was at 17 with hhh
Michael Rivera also his matches with Flair and Orton at 18 and 21 were great
@@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
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.
The ‘Step Dad’ on the left sounds like Ryan Reynolds, just sayin’...
And the one on the right looks like Dolph Ziggler´s older brother.
When you said the next review is WM6 I was like yeah get in!! The first WM I watched live on tv as a kid. Still my favourite WM for that reason!!
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
Go nominate it on patreon
My first wrestlemania I ever saw. Clicked instantly! Glad you’re covering it.
I made the trip to Detroit for this one and remember it pretty well. Glad Taker vs Batista holds up.
I actually thought it was funnier that Trump didn’t sell it rather than the predictable reaction
Yeah, the reasoning behind was bad, but yeah it makes more sense for him no selling for Boogeyman.
It would have been great if Trump no sold Boogeyman, but then got terrified of the worm sandwich Boogeyman could have brought.
Kenny Olivier I’ll make an argument in a less political way- at this point, who the hell is Donald Trump to be no selling the Boogeyman? He’s just some rich dude. It’s like if all the Raw guests hosts no sold the wrestlers
Granted it’s a throwaway segment so it’s not worth getting worked up over, but just making the case
@Ryan Smith
More people watched The Apprentice than Monday Night RAW. Trump didn't really become more well known after running for President, not in the USA anyway. Pretty much everybody knew who he was. And most of those casuals bought WrestleMania specifically for Trump's involvement.
DejaVoodooDoll lol enjoy another four years. You “adults” can’t even figure out what bathroom to use and run a socialist and a guy with dementia as a president. You’ll be lucky to see another Democrat in office for the next 20 years bitch. The left is dead.
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."
I'm about to point it out on the main board but in case you overlook it, this was also the Mania Edge's undefeated streak came to an end
Only the Ultimate Opportunist could wind up the big winner after losing
He literally deserved to win this MITB for the second time
Thank you for posting legit content. Nothing like that ad laced April Fool's prank on Conrad's channel.
This was the last wrestlemania triple h missed and I believe its the only one he missed since his debut (i could be wrong about this).
He had tore his quad at new years revolution in January and wouldn't miss another wrestlemania for now
I also thought having batista v undertaker as the 4th match was quite silly it should have been on a bit later
@@frozyre7854 triple h said in a interview thank God he's not there
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.
Loved JBL on commentary at this time and Benoit had a great match here as well as the year prior with Bradshaw for the US strap.