Seven Reasons WrestleMania 27 Was Great
for Gaming and Comics Fans
Story and Photos by Bill Jones
WrestleMania 27 took place Sunday, April 3, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., and aired live on pay-per-view to homes around the world. And whether wrestling fans loved or hated this year’s incarnation of the annual sports entertainment extravaganza, one thing was certain, it was a great WrestleMania for fans of gaming and comics. Pads & Panels recaps the top reasons why.
#1 Edge and Christian go all Street Fighter on a Rolls-Royce
If you haven’t already heard (SPOILER ALERT) Edge defeated the Mexican aristocrat Alberto Del Rio to retain his World Heavyweight Championship in the opening bout at ‘Mania. As per usual, del Rio entered the arena in a Rolls Royce. As Edge headed back up the ramp (Del Rio still in pain in the ring), he stopped to look at the car. A few of us watching actually made comments about the possibility that he would go Street Fighter on it (referring to the mini game in which characters beat up a helpless car). Then it happened. Edge ran and kicked the car, and continued to hit it, eventually getting on top and delivering an elbow drop to the vehicle. Christian joined him with a bat and crowbar, and the two proceeded to demolish the pricy vehicle. Things this awesome don’t happen every day in wrestling, folks.
#2 Rey Mysterio dons Captain America attire
Rey Mysterio is no stranger to comic characters, and it is starting to become a pattern. At previous events, Mysterio has donned costumes resembling the Joker and Flash. This time around, when his music hit, he was proudly sporting Captain America attire. And when it comes to Marvel’s two big summer flicks, we think he made the right choice.
#3 His opponent, Cody Rhodes, looked like a member of Organization XIII
Along with Cody Rhodes, Mysterio put on one of the best matches of the night, so it figures that, whether intended or not, Rhodes wrestling part of the match in a shiny black hooded get-up made him look like a member of Kingdom Hearts’ Organization XIII, albeit combined with a Phantom of the Opera shtick with his protective mask. It is just too bad he didn’t pull a keyblade out from under the ring.
#4 Triple H’s 300 entrance
Triple H is no stranger to elaborate entrances at WrestleMania, and it was all but guaranteed he’d have something special for his bout against The Undertaker. While it may not have topped his WrestleMania 22 rising throne, we’ve got to give The Game props for giving 300 a nod in his Spartan-inspired entrance. It’s just a shame he never yelled, “This is Sparta!” before kicking Undertaker.
#5 Clipping issues IRL
Fans of the Smackdown vs. Raw series have grown accustomed to (while the series has improved drastically over the years) clipping issues and moves just not hitting or being recognized correctly on occasion. Turns out maybe they weren’t glitches in the game, but an accurate representation of what sometimes happens in real life. The Triple H and Undertaker bout was a particularly good example, with several moves failing to connect the way they were intended – including a poor Taker dive to the outside and the Cole-mine that broke almost on a delay.
#6 Jerry Lawler is a legit comic artist
While most wrestling fans know the story of Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler’s battle with Michael Cole leading up to and culminating at WrestleMania, many likely we not aware of his true comic art skills until WWE played an Axxess package that featured a fan bragging about a fantastic Undertaker picture he did. Lawler also does covers for Dynamite, including Zorro. So, we’ll go ahead and say we told you so.
#7 The Cosmic Cube was suspended above the ring
We did a double take when we first saw the cube lowered during Edge’s entrance. What the hell was that seemingly floating over the ring? WWE put together a cube screen for special logos and entrance graphics. It may not have even been intentional, but for comics fans, it was hard to ignore the uncanny resemblance to the Cosmic Cube made famous in Jack Kirby comics.
Photos taken at Monday Night Raw March 28, 2010, in Chicago, with permission from WWE.
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