When looking at the worst received WrestleMania events of all time in WWE, WrestleMania 29 is one that usually crops up in the conversation amongst fans. When compared to some better editions of the show, it doesn’t hold up, especially when looking at the likes of WrestleManias 17, 19, and 30. However, is 29 really as bad as people make it out to be, and is it more enjoyable upon a re-watch?
The First Portion Of The Show Was A Glorified B-PPV
The pre-show match saw an Intercontinental Championship change, in a match that would probably have been better suited to the main show, given that it is a title that has such a long and prestigious history. The Miz would win in a fine enough match, but he lost it back to Wade Barrett the next night, rendering it pointless. The show opened with three of the biggest names on the roster, Big Show, Sheamus, and Randy Orton, putting over the young trio of The Shield in what was a fun match, though a predictable heel turn from Big Show left the ending on a stale note.
The second match was one of the worst in Mania history, with a previously red-hot Ryback being beaten by Mark Henry in a slow, plodding match that benefited nobody. With the popularity he had at the time, Ryback should have no doubt won, and in quick fashion. The next match was a solid encounter between Team Hell No and Dolph Ziggler & Big E, though it wasn’t worthy of being a Mania caliber match. The feud hadn’t been too great in the lead-up, and a debuting Big E would’ve probably benefited from a win.
Next up saw one of the biggest upsets of all time when the debuting Fandango defeated multi-time world champion, Chris Jericho. It was simply just a match, with nothing special, but it should have propelled Fandango into a bigger role, though WWE didn’t commit to his push, making this match seem even more pointless.
The Main Event Matches Had Only One Highlight
The next few matches were billed to be the more important ones on the card, but the World Heavyweight Championship match between Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio may have involved the least star-studded line-up for a World Title match in Mania history, and a poor storyline in the lead up too. It was a fine match, once again, but it wasn’t worthy of being on the show. The next match featured the match of the night when The Undertaker took on CM Punk in a fantastic contest which is looked back on fondly as being one of Taker’s last great matches. It had the best story going in, and it outshone everything else on the night.
The following battle between Triple H and Brock Lesnar was one that should’ve been much better than it was, Lesnar and HHH had already faced each other before, with Lesnar cooling significantly since his return which was a lackluster start to his second run. The match had some decent spots, but the ending was predictable, with Lesnar suffering his second loss in his first three matches since he came back. The main event between The Rock and John Cena was a finisher-fest, and an unneeded rehash of the “Once in a Lifetime” contest from the year prior. It didn’t need the WWE Title, and it was one of the more predictable main events in WrestleMania history, with Cena getting his win back.
Was WrestleMania 29 One Of The Worst In History?
There were some solid matches on the show, and outside of Henry & Ryback, nothing was especially awful. However, for a WrestleMania, there was not enough quality on the night at all. Apart from Undertaker vs CM Punk, the rest of the matches were not of the standard for the biggest PPV of the year, and unfortunately that one match couldn’t carry the entire event. It still felt big, with a remarkable stage and grandiose entrances, but it wasn’t a great show by any means.
There was a distinct lack of variety on the show, with just one gimmicked match, with the women’s spot being removed from the show altogether, which angered many fans both online and in attendance, in addition to the competitors in the canceled match. WWE could have done a lot differently, with perhaps adding CM Punk to the WWE Title match, changing up the competitors in the World Heavyweight Title contest, and simply building the show a lot better to make the matches mean more. The whole show isn’t terrible, but it is certainly among the worst WrestleManias of all time, with a lot lacking from the event from top to bottom, and a poor follow-up post-Mania to capitalize on names such as Ryback, Big E, Fandango, and even CM Punk.