WrestleMania 27 seems to be one of the most "mixed reviewed" events in history. Many people think it was a bad event and many think it was outstanding. Whether it was a certain movie star being the guest host or the pageantry of the event, people are on both sides of the fence. Same goes with the matches. 

      The twenty-seven edition of the WWE's biggest pay-per-view was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on April 3, 2011. The theme song for the event was "Written In The Stars" by Tinie Tenpah (feat. Eric Turner), which a lot of people complain about, but I actually dig it and the tune fits the tempo of the show. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's opening salvo got the crowd hyped and created an electric atmosphere for this WrestleMania.

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: SHEAMUS VS. DANIEL BRYAN

This kind of tells you what the company thought of the United States Championship during this time. It also gives you an idea what they thought of Daniel Bryan. This match was really a set-up for an unnecessary battle royal. The Great Khali ended up winning, if you were wondering.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: EDGE VS. ALBERTO DEL RIO

Del Rio won the company's first and only 40 man Royal Rumble in January for this opportunity. This match was solid as Del Rio showed he could be a championship contender. Edge ended up victorious, with he and Christian destroying ADR's car at the end. This would end up being Edge's final televised match as he would announce his retirement on Raw the next week. Still one of the most saddest moments in wrestling history.

CODY RHODES VS. REY MYSTERIO

This match was vastly underrated. Rhodes was in his gimmick where he wore a facemask, which I actually enjoyed. Mysterio came out dressed as Captain America. It was a very fluid contest with Rhodes getting the pin on Mysterio, which I didn't mind.

EIGHT-MAN TAG MATCH: KANE, SANTINO, KOFI AND BIG SHOW VS. THE CORRE

This was trash. It didn't even last two minutes. Santino beat Heath Slater with the Cobra to end this debacle. Certain performers like Kofi, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett deserve better than this. Hell, so does Heath Slater.

RANDY ORTON VS. CM PUNK

This was a great contest between two students of the game. Like the Rhodes/Mysterio battle, this was a fluid bout. The ending saw Punk attempt a springboard off the top rope, which Orton countered into an RKO in one motion. Orton gets the pin in a match that I believe deserved more time.

MICHAEL COLE VS. JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER

Ok, I understand Jerry Lawler deserves his WrestleMania moment, but.....this whole match/segment lasted over 20 minutes. Steve Austin as referee really didn't mush well with this and Jack Swagger being second fiddle to Michael Cole was nauseaing. Swagger won the WHC just a year before. Lawler won the bout, but it was overturned by the anonymous Raw GM (Remember him). So not only did this take too long, but the wrestling legend/Hall of Famer didn't even win.

TRIPLE H VS. UNDERTAKER

Match of the night here. Despite both men being over 40, they both have the experience and knowledge to tell a story in the ring. Near pinfall after near pinfall, this contest made you sit at the edge of your seat believing that this will be the Undertaker's first WrestleMania loss. In a near 30 minute battle, the Undertaker kept his undefeated streak alive by making the Game submit with the Hell's Gate. Taker was unable to walk back in the dressing room with his own power, which the WWE turned into a motive for Taker's reason to face HHH in the next year's Mania.

MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH: JOHN MORRISON, TRISH STRATUS AND "SNOOKI" VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER AND LAYCOOL

If the WWE had the idea to have a Women's Tag Team Championship during this time, LayCool would have been great champions......this match lasted 3:17. So if you're keeping score, 14 competitors "participated" in 2 matches that lasted over 5 minutes combined. The highlights were Snooki doing a cartwheel and John Morrison giving Trish the cold shoulder.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: THE MIZ VS. JOHN CENA

The Miz's video package is one of WWE's greatest works, documenting his beginnings as a reality TV star to becoming the WWE Champion. Having the song "Hate Me Now" by Nas go along with the package worked perfectly. Cena came out to a singing gospel choir. The match was ok. It didn't click with the fans and it seemed as if there was too much of a build up for a little payoff (Ex. HHH vs. Orton at WrestleMania 25). The ending had Cena and Miz crash into the barracide at ringside. Also, I like to point out that the Miz suffered a concussion during this match, probably from smacking his head on the concrete going through the barricade. The match ended in a double countout, but the Rock restarted it. Once back in the ring, the Rock hit Cena with the Rock Bottom as the Miz pinned Cena. What should have been the Miz's time to shine turned into a gateway to a Rock/Cena Mania clash one year later.

         This WrestleMania was a good pay-per-view in my option. Despite the crappy tag team matches, the U.S. title "match" and the overrun of Lawler/Cole, the rest of the card had quality matches with HHH/Taker getting a match of the year consideration. The World Championship being the first match was unique, but it worked to set the tone for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, the WWE Title match seemed to underwhelm due to lack of enthusiasm....and the fact that the company used this main event of this Mania to promote and plant the seeds for the main event for next year's Mania didn't help matters either.

(For more content, check out our Facebook page and our website www.realsportsaz.com)