This Mania had unbelievable potential based on the card. The actual road to WM be damned, the card that was assembled was excellent. I struggle to find a bad match outside of Rock/Cena. The biggest problem with this Mania is that it had exceptional potential to surprise, take risks, alter the landscape in major ways and give us something to talk about a decade from now, and didn't do it.

-The Shield match was solid, and clearly a victim of time constraints. Give those guys another 10 minutes together and it's a classic. They did a good job with what they had though. Orton was the only guy who really showed his ass, hitting his spots at just the right time and in grandstanding fashion. I will say Seth had himself a fine moment with that dive. When Orton tagged himself in that was a hell of a finish..... Until they fucked it up by making the aptly initialed Big Show be the guy to turn. Orton turning would have had the most impact emotionally by a good stretch. So, solid showing but still lacking. They played it safe and ultimately failed on that end. The plus here is that The Shield came away with a W. I like the WWE getting the kids over.

-The tag title match was a good match. Dolph sold the shit out of everything, the nod to Bryan's loss last year, Big E taking it to Kane like nobody's business. It was very well paced and action packed. A lot of great spots in this. Big E showed how green he was though. This was a worthy match. There's no real argument for one team going over the other though. That's one spot where the lackluster build made a difference on the surface, because there was never the feeling that anything was at stake. Still, it was a quality match. No Dolph cash-in is a huge missed opportunity.

-Fandango/Jericho was a quality match. It opened with Fandango getting the living shit kicked out of him and Bradshaw comically selling it. Fandango made his comeback though, and it was an entertaining match. He fucked up the key spots and that's hard to swallow, but was it a bad match? Nope. It was well paced, and a complete story was told. He had some comically smug moments dancing. He's a cheeseball character who takes himself insanely serious. What's not to love? Jericho's face at the end sold the whole bit, because he just smiled, as if to say "Fuck it, kid, you got me". Solid match.

-Ryback/Henry.... Some people here griped about Ryback getting his after the fact. I say, Henry got a solid win, and Ryback didn't lose face while suffering his first legit loss. It was win-win. The match itself left some to be desired, as it didn't really deliver the awesome hoss fight most of us wanted. Too much bearhugging for my liking. Ryback got Henry up not once, but twice. Henry got a nice W. He legitimized himself. It's a net gain for both men and while the overall match was sub-par, A Wrestlemania moment was had, and that's what we will ultimately remember about those two.

-Brock/Paul. Pretty good match. Had some great Hoss moments. Loved the finish. Not a 5 star epic, but a very good match. Shawn got involved, caught an F5, Heyman got his teeth kicked down his throat. This should not have been on after Punk or Del Rio/Swagger though. Quality Mania match that did just about what was expected. Not sure what else people wanted. My only gripe is that the pace was slower than I wanted.

-Del Rio/Swagger delivered. They turned in a very enjoyable match with some great spots, good pacing, and an exciting finish that came out of nowhere. Bravo to both men. Zeb and Ricardo were more than props without getting too much air time.

-Cena/Rock.... Eh. The fucking endless AA/Rock Bottom, People's Elbow/Five Knuckle Shuffle sequences were irritating. Still, the opportunity to turn Cena heel was there. The timing, motivation, situation, everything was perfect. I realize the tremendous charity work he does, but it's time to start finding that Next guy to take that role. Plus, I doubt a heel turn would change that too much. Some don't get why many clamor for a Cena heel turn, but it's just a natural progression at this point and it would refresh his character tremendously. This was a HUGE missed opportunity.

-Punk/Taker... Fucking amazing, as we all know. Great match, and the finale with the urn brought that build full circle. This was one for the ages.

So while I see plenty of missed opportunity (including the alleged 8 man idea that got nixed), the actual matches on the show mostly delivered. This Mania was solid in almost every respect, even if they played it safe.

I'm sure some think I took an L considering the lofty expectations I placed on it, the only L in my book is that it didn't live up to the fullest potential of the card. The show wasn't bad by any means. It was a quality show, just not a great one.