John’s
Jargon
From
Professional Wrestling to Baseball and Everything In-Between
The Art of
the Promo:
My Top 10
Favorite WrestleMania Video Packages
By John Napolitano
Professional wrestling is the
product of addiction for masses around the globe. Different fanatics value
different aspects of the sport and various promotions emphasize certain facets
of entertainment as opposed to others. For example, fundamental wrestling and
technical prowess are esteemed in Japanese adaptations of pro-wrestling, whereas
organizations like World Wrestling Entertainment focus a great deal on
characters, storylines and entertainment value.
In
my humble opinion, professional wrestling in essence is theater, not dissimilar
from a Broadway production or a five-star movie. When a character arc or
rivalry between two characters transcends sport and captivates the audience to
their core, there is no comparable sensation on God’s green earth. Regardless
of how you get your wrestling fix, an imperative component of the product is
the “promo,” otherwise known as the video package or vignette.
The
promo or video package is a fairly modern concept in professional wrestling, as
the renaissance of the digital age has made it miles easier to not only produce
video packages, but create considerable artistic masterpieces. So what is a
promo? What does a video package aim to accomplish? The promo achieves what
old-time announcers during the television era had to do verbally, and that is
create a compelling retrospective prior to a huge matchup to generate interest,
appeal and ultimately increased viewership (buy-rates). In addition to being
advantageous marketing tools, promos and video packages are more often than not
legitimate dramatic visual manifestations of art.
In
this edition of “John’s Jargon,” I will rank my top 10 favorite WrestleMania
video packages. WrestleMania is the largest spectacle in the WWE, which means
the promos are historically the most enthralling and gripping in order to
promote the most interest. Without any further delay, I present “My Top 10 Favorite WrestleMania Video
Packages.”
10. Undertaker vs.
Batista (WrestleMania XXIII)
In
2007, “The Animal” Batista had fortified his reputation as the dominant force
on Friday Night Smackdown. Having claimed the World Heavyweight Championship
from King Booker at the 2006 Survivor Series, Batista was mowing down all
challengers and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest World Champions of
all time. Simultaneously, the “Phenom” of the WWE, the Undertaker, outlasted 29
other superstars, including Shawn Michaels, and won the 2007 Royal Rumble
match. With the main event of WrestleMania in the Undertaker’s back pocket, the
“Deadman” had a decision to make. That decision was what World Champion would
he clash with at WrestleMania 23. It was on the subsequent edition of Monday
Night Raw that the Undertaker and Batista would engage in an intense stare-down, implying that the Undertaker had made his fateful decision. At WrestleMania 23 in
Detroit, Michigan, it would be the World Heavyweight Champion Batista versus
the Undertaker and his undefeated WrestleMania streak in a true clash of
titans.
9. Undertaker vs. Triple
H (WrestleMania XXVIII)
At
WrestleMania 28, the end of an era was upon us. In a rematch from their brutal
No Holds Barred contest at WrestleMania 27, which saw the Undertaker reign victorious
over “The Game” Triple H, it was the Undertaker who sought redemption over the
now Chief Operating Officer of the WWE. Despite his hard fought victory in
Atlanta, Georgia, the previous year, the Undertaker was not able to leave the
ring under his own power, and he looked to avenge the barbaric beating he took
at the hands of Triple H. At first reluctant to get back in the ring with the
Undertaker, Triple H was eventually drawn back as the Undertaker took jabs at
Triple H’s in-ring inferiority to his best friend, Shawn Michaels. Because the
Undertaker continued to expose Triple H’s insecurities, Triple H not only
accepted the Undertaker’s rematch for WrestleMania 28, he raised the stakes and
demanded it be in the Hell in a Cell. These two icons undoubtedly stole the show in Miami,
Florida, on April 1st, 2012, at WrestleMania 28.
8. John Cena vs. Bray
Wyatt (WrestleMania XXX)
The
Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, saw John Cena’s legacy being compromised by
the “Eater of Worlds” and radical thinking, Bray Wyatt. After Wyatt and his
disciples Luke Harper and Erin Rowan cost John Cena the WWE World Heavyweight
Championship at the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-Views,
John Cena had no choice but to face this threat head-on at WrestleMania 30. This
rivalry consisted of mind games and bizarre vignettes in which Bray Wyatt
claimed that John Cena was a liar and that he would expose him for the monster
that he truly was. The build to this matchup at WrestleMania was not
exceptional, but the final promo leading up to their bout was pure magic.
7. Triple H vs. Brock
Lesnar (WrestleMania XXIX)
In a
match reminiscent of WrestleMania 26 where the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels
put his career on the line, it was at WrestleMania 29 in MetLife Stadium where
Triple H’s career was too at stake against the “Beast Incarnate," Brock Lesnar.
Brock Lesnar had been running rough shot through the WWE; in 2012 he defeated, sidelined
and fractured the arm of Triple H at Summerslam in what was tagged, “The
Perfect Storm.” In early 2013 Lesnar returned to Monday Night Raw to save his
manager, Paul Heyman’s job, and deliver a wicked F-5 to the Chairman of the
Board, Mr. McMahon. This was all the motivation Triple H needed to return to
the ring and not only avenge the breaking of his arm at the hands of Brock Lesnar,
but the attacking of his father in-law, Vince McMahon. These two beasts brawled
up, down and all over the “Road to WrestleMania.” Once Paul Heyman declared
that their bout would decide the fate of Triple H’s career, the entire WWE
Universe was ready to see these two bulls lock horns.
6. The Rock vs. Stone
Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIX)
By
2003, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin had established their illustrious
rivalry as one of the greatest in professional wrestling history. These two
megastars emerged from the Attitude Era as the undisputed faces of World Wrestling
Entertainment and bona fide legends. In 2002, Stone Cold Steve Austin departed
from the WWE due to a creative conflict, and The Rock was not shy about letting
the WWE Universe know what he thought about the “Texas Rattlesnake’s” act of
unprofessionalism. When Austin finally returned, he promised to raise more hell
than ever before, but The Rock still had volatile remarks for his long-time
nemesis. As WrestleMania 19 approached, The Rock confronted Austin and
exclaimed that although he has achieved a great deal of success in his career,
he wanted nothing more than to vanquish Stone Cold on the grandest stage of
them all. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated “The Great One” at WrestleMania 15
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and at WrestleMania 17 in Houston, Texas. The
Rock’s inability to beat Stone Cold at the show of shows ate him alive and was
the true catalyst for their final clash. In the final installment of the only
match to main event WrestleMania on three separate occasions, The Rock set out
to conquer his greatest opponent ever at Safeco Field in Seattle,
Washington.
5. CM Punk vs. Chris
Jericho (WrestleMania XXVIII)
“The
Best in the World vs. The Best in the World” was the tagline for the WWE
Championship tangle at WrestleMania 28 between CM Punk and “Y2J” Chris Jericho.
In the summer of 2011, CM Punk translated his superb microphone skills,
unmatched in-ring ability and massive amounts of heat into the greatest run of
his career. After making good on his promise to leave the company with the WWE
Championship at the 2011 Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View, Punk returned eight
days later to not only be the change he wanted to see in the WWE, but prove week
in and week out that he is the best wrestler in the world. In the final weeks
of 2011, unusual vignettes began airing on WWE programming proclaiming that the
end of thievery, plagiarism and the world as we know it would take place on
January 2, 2012. This eerie implication came in the form of the returning Chris
Jericho, who had not been seen in the ring in about a year and a half. Prior to
Jericho’s departure from the WWE, he carried the self-proclaimed moniker
of “The Best in the World” at what he
does and did not hesitate to let everyone know. This new version of Chris
Jericho came across as more cold, calculating and spiteful to the fact CM Punk
was now garnering so much attention and success under Jericho’s title of “The
Best in the World.” Matters got even more personal when Chris Jericho attempted
to tarnish Punk’s reputation by bashing his troubled family and bringing his
legitimacy into question in an effort to psych him out for their match at
WrestleMania 28. Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida, would witness history at
WrestleMania, when “The Best in the World” went head to head with the “Best in
the World” for the WWE Championship.
4. John Cena vs. The
Rock (WrestleMania XXIX)
The sight of John Cena slumped down on
the entrance ramp contemplating his historic loss to The Rock at WrestleMania
28 in The Rock’s hometown of Miami will forever be engraved in the annals of
professional wrestling history. It was losing the “Once in a Lifetime” bout to
the face of the Attitude Era, The Rock, that sent the current face of the WWE,
John Cena’s personal and professional life into a tailspin. The following year
for John Cena was punctuated by controversy, loss and a real-life divorce with
his wife. As 2013 arrived, the “Leader of the Cenation” vowed to turn his
misfortunes around by winning the Royal Rumble match and headline WrestleMania once
again; and win he did. The same night that John Cena cemented his spot in the
main event of WrestleMania 29, The Rock ended CM Punk’s 434-day WWE
championship reign and became an eight-time World Champion. When The Rock
successfully defended his newly won WWE Championship against the former champ
CM Punk at the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View, he too reserved a spot in the
main event of WrestleMania 29. John Cena and The Rock were two locomotives on a
collision course for WrestleMania, and this time it was for the WWE
Championship. The number one contender, John Cena, admitted that he wanted
redemption against his long-time rival and The Rock assured him that no such feat
would take place at MetLife Stadium on April 7, 2013, at WrestleMania 29.
3. Stone Cold Steve
Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XVII)
The main
event of what is widely regarded as the greatest WrestleMania off all-time,
WrestleMania 17, was none other than that of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The
Rock. For the second time in three years, “The People’s Champion” was set to
defend his WWE Championship against “The Texas Rattlesnake” Stone Cold Steve
Austin. In the year 2000, Steve Austin was on a hiatus from World Wrestling
Entertainment to treat a nagging neck injury he received in 1997. In his
absence, The Rock stepped up as the undeniable face of the company having
riveting rivalries with the likes of Kurt Angle and Triple H. When Stone Cold
returned to action, the WWE Universe was eager to find out who was the
undoubted face of the company. Perhaps the most anticipated return match of
all-time, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock II at WrestleMania 17, was sure
to blow the roof of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, for the WWE Championship.
2. The Undertaker vs.
Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXVI)
The
Undertaker and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels had the greatest match in WrestleMania
history at the 25th Anniversary of the event. These two living
legends stole the show on April 5, 2009, in Houston, Texas, but Shawn Michaels
came up a hair shy of conquering the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at
WrestleMania. At the 2009 Slammy Awards, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were
recognized for their stellar matchup, and that is when Shawn snapped. Obsessed
with how close he came to ending the streak at the 25th Anniversary
of WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels made it abundantly clear that he in fact could
beat the Undertaker at “The Showcase of the Immortals,” WrestleMania. When the
Undertaker declined Shawn Michaels’ plea for a second chance to end the streak,
“The Heartbreak Kid” became crazed and determined to meet the “Deadman”
one-on-one once again at WrestleMania 26. Michaels’ plan commenced when he
sought to win the 2010 Royal Rumble match and face the then World Heavyweight
Campion, the Undertaker, in the main event of WrestleMania. But once again,
Michaels came up short and it looked like there would be no rematch between
“The Showstopper” and “The Lord of Darkness.” Shawn Michaels became so consumed
with attaining his rematch with the Undertaker that he compromised his tag-team
success with long-time friend Triple H and even cost the Undertaker his World
Heavyweight Championship at the Elimination Chamber Pay-Per-View. Now that the
Undertaker was no longer the World Heavyweight Champion going into WrestleMania
26 due to Shawn Michaels’ actions inside the Elimination Chamber, the
Undertaker was ready to exact his revenge. He would agree to face Shawn in a
rematch at WrestleMania on one condition. If Shawn could not end the
Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania he would be forced to retire. It
would be Shawn Michaels’ 22-year career vs. the Undertaker’s 17-year undefeated
streak at WrestleMania 26 in Glendale, Arizona.
1. Daniel Bryan vs.
Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
Yes! Yes! Yes! My
absolute favorite WrestleMania video package highlights the journey of Daniel
Bryan. From NXT to the main event of WrestleMania 30, this epic retrospective
showcases rare footage of Daniel Bryan accompanied by a moving song entitled
“Monsters” by Imagine Dragons. The origin of this storyline took place at
Summerslam 2013 when the Chief Operating Officer of the WWE, Triple H, screwed
Daniel Bryan out of his newly won WWE Championship. Bryan had just beaten John
Cena for the title and all of a sudden “Mr. Money in the Bank,” Randy Orton was
at ringside ready to cash in his contract for a WWE Championship match. Just
when it looked like Daniel Bryan was ready to meet Orton’s challenge head-on,
Triple H blasted Daniel Bryan with a pedigree and allowed Randy Orton to cash
in his contract and win the WWE Championship. From then on, Triple H and his
faction known as “The Authority” would reign sovereign over the WWE with Randy
Orton as their poster child. After months of oppression and controversy, Daniel
Bryan grew tired of The Authority not seeing the potential that the WWE
Universe saw in him as the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Daniel Bryan
concluded that the only way The Authority would consider him as a legitimate
main eventer is if he defeated Triple H at WrestleMania 30. When Triple H
declined Bryan’s challenge, it took a revolution led by Daniel Bryan referred
to as the “Yes Movement” to persuade Triple H. April 6, 2014, in New Orleans,
Louisiana, at WrestleMania 30 will forever be remembered as the night Daniel
Bryan arrived.
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