The much-hyped return of Piper's Pit fizzled completely. It's not that Steve Austin and Piper weren't in top form (could you think of two better guys to get on the mic and face off?), it's the last minute addition of Carlito. Just when the two began trading banter giving the fans what they wanted, out walks the newcomer for no apparent reason. A future and current Hall of Famer do not need help. Austin ended up stunning both parties and downing beer before leaving.

The first ever sumo match in Wrestlemania (WWE?) history was pretty much a wash. Akebono and Big Show did just as advertised as they fought for position in a ropeless ring. Eventually (after maybe two minutes), Akebono threw Big Show out on his back with little or no fan reaction. This did nothing to create fans of the sport here in the U.S.

A major letdown, John Cena took home his first WWE title against JBL. There's little of note here in a match absolutely dominated by Bradshaw. The fight was short and to the point without much worth mentioning except for another finish that came entirely from left field. After taking a massive beating, Cena must have been informed they were running out of time and just slapped JBL down to the mat with the FU. There was no flow to the bout at all, which makes the decision to give Cena the belt questionable. Afterwards, all of the Hall of Fame inductees are brought out, with the focus clearly on Hogan.

Though the main event between Triple H and Batista was entirely predictable, the great build-up (something we haven't seen in a long time) and unforgettable blade job by HHH made it worthwhile. HHH was busted open with a well-done catapult from the disassembled ring steps into the turnbuckle support. This was a long bout with a little bit of everything. However, it was a step down from last year's classic triple-threat. The finish was again abrupt, a real rarity in Wrestlemania main events. Those close calls and faux finishes always get the crowd on their feet, but once Batista hit his finisher, it was over. Triple H never recovered.

This was a rare Wrestlemania, one that didn't feature a single tag team match and the only "gimmick" match was the six-way ladder dance. The event really needed that extra push, and a cage match or no-holds barred brawl probably would have helped. Still, it was a night with some great pro wrestling, just not enough to really put it into the upper echelon of Wrestlemania's. In fact, it seemed like most of the WWE programming as of late, a little lazy without much originality.