WrestleMania has been one of the most anticipated events of the year for me for most of my life. But it wasn’t until I finally got to witness this sports entertainment spectacle in person (even getting to take part in a pre-show press conference where John Cena himself answered my question) that I truly felt the electricity and excitement that is in the air at a live WrestleMania. And now that a full week has passed and I’ve had a chance to fully digest the overall experience, it seems like the time is right to share my WrestleMania experience.

Already known as the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania XXVII proved to be one of the grandest of the grand, breaking the Georgia Dome‘s attendance record with almost 72,000 people. And by the time Cena‘s extended entrance, featuring a full gospel choir, got the main event  underway, I had already felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up several times throughout the night.

Following Atlanta’s own Keri Hilson singing “America the Beautiful” to get things underway, WrestleMania host the Rock made his first appearance of the night.

After that, it was moment after moment of breathtaking splendor. Surprisingly, the first match of the night was the much-hyped bout between World Heavyweight Champion Edge and this year’s Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio. Despite its placement on the card, this title match proved to be one of the more exciting bouts of the night, with Christian helping Edge fend off Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez and his season four NXT rookie Brodus Clay to retain his title. Edge and Christian then joined forces in a celebratory vandalization of Del Rio’s Rolls-Royce, still parked on the entrance ramp.

Like a classic comic book story of good vs. evil, the second match pitted the allegedly disfigured (and previously “Dashing”) Cody Rhodes against Rey Mysterio, whose Captain America-inspired outfit was complemented by a Roy Lichtenstein-like pop art entrance video. While I don’t think Rhodes’ victory got him over as much as WWE would have liked (especially since he didn’t even try to unmask Mysterio as he had previously vowed to do), it did further establish Rhodes as a one-time pretty boy distraught over his marred appearance. The match itself was an early contender for match of the night, especially after Rhodes held Mysterio in the air for several seconds before backdropping him into the ring from the top rope. Ironically, it was Mysterio who removed Rhodes’ mask, using it as a weapon against Rhodes, before Rhodes hit Mysterio in the face with a leg brace behind the referee’s back to get the victory.

In one of the shortest matches of the night, the Corre fell to the team of Kane, the Big Show, Santino Marella and Kofi Kingston (replacing Vladimir Kozlov, who was injured by the Corre earlier in the weekend at WrestleMania Axxess). In a whirlwind of chaos in which all eight competitors hit big moves in and out of the ring, the Big Show quickly leveled Heath Slater with a punch to the face to get the pin.

CM Punk and Randy Orton put on another great match, with Punk further establishing his villainous persona by focusing on Orton’s injured knee and Orton hitting the mid-air RKO for an impressive victory.

Though it didn’t end with Michael Cole on the bad end of a Jerry Lawler piledriver as many had hoped, the next match definitely provided the comic relief it was meant to bring to the show. It all started with special guest referee “Stone Cold” Steve Austin riding to the ring on the ATV he used at WrestleMania 25 (which had also been on display for several days at WrestleMania Axxess) and almost running over Jack Swagger on the entrance ramp. The next few minutes basically consisted of Lawler showing Cole why he is “The King,” and “Stone Cold” showing a clear bias towards Lawler. After making Cole tap out, Lawler and Austin celebrated in the ring with a “Stone Cold” toast, only to have the anonymous Raw general manager reverse the decision and award the match to Cole via disqualification. But Lawler still had the last laugh as he and Tough Enough‘s new host celebrated with a
“Stone Cold” beer toast that resulted in Booker T and Josh Mathews receiving Stunners.

Things went from comical to serious as Triple H then made his grand entrance flanked by Spartan-like warriors and wearing a skull mask with a king’s crown, to the tune of Metallica‘s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” The Undertaker then made his deliberate descent to the ring with little fanfare other than flames, smoke, a layer of fog hovering across the arena floor and that haunting Johnny Cash song that has become his new theme music. This match would become the most impressive match of the night, with Triple H dominating the early portions of the match, even going so far as to use the Undertaker’s own Tombstone Piledriver against him, followed by a confident mockery of the Undertaker’s pinning technique… only to have the Undertaker kick out just when it seemed that his undefeated WrestleMania streak had ended. There would be several more kick-outs and near finishes, proving that neither man was willing to give up this fight.

After putting each other through almost every possible physical test (including plowing through Michael Cole’s glass commentary case), Triple H eventually reminded the audience that this was a no holds barred match as he brought his signature sledgehammer into play. But Undertaker surprised us all as he clamped on his own previously-barred submission hold, the Hell’s Gate. Though he lasted longer than anyone else has ever lasted after having this chokehold applied, Triple H eventually had no choice but to tap out. And even though the Undertaker’s streak remained alive, it was the Undertaker who was carted out of the ring on a stretcher while Triple H was able to walk away in defeat.

This incredible athletic display was followed by the match that many fans were dreading: Trish Stratus, John Morrison and Jersey Shore‘s Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool and Layla. This match served its purpose, however, providing a moment of silliness in which Snooki surprised many by hitting a series of backflips to get the pin over McCool. The match was over quickly and, even though neither male competitor was ever tagged into the match, Morrison and Ziggler got to show off a little with Morrison hitting Starship Pain outside the ring.

Though I still don’t understand why Edge and Del Rio didn’t get the same fanfare that Cena and the Miz (or Triple H and the Undertaker) got in the main event for the WWE Championship, I was definitely impressed by the extended video package that preceded the Miz’s entrance, which featured the back of Miz’s head as he watched a wall of monitor screens displaying his rise from The Real World to WrestleMania main eventer. And even though I also still don’t quite get why Cena had a gospel choir sing for about ten minutes before he ever made it to the ring, it was yet another moment that sent chills down my spine.

This match lived up to the hype it had built up for the past several weeks, with the Miz proving that he’s a viable champion and Cena showing why he is one of the most respected (though clearly not one of the most popular) members of the WWE roster. After a surprise double countout that left both men lying outside the barricade, the Rock finally made his much anticipated appearance, restarting the match as a no disqualification match, exacting his revenge on Cena for the previous week’s Attitude Adjustment with a Rock Bottom that allowed Miz to get the victory.

Featuring superstars from at least three different eras, WrestleMania XXVII not only bridged the gaps between these different eras for fans young and old, it also allowed younger talents to prove their worth against more established competitors. WrestleMania XXVII had pretty much everything you could ask for from any type of entertainment show, with thrills, humor, drama and displays of athleticism that made this arguably one of the best WrestleMania’s of all time.

Though it was clearly catering to a broader audience than some traditional wrestling fans would like, this WrestleMania renewed my faith in what is now known as sports entertainment. And getting to experience it live in my hometown only made it that much more exciting.

Review by Jason Von Stein. WrestleMania press conference footage courtesy Russ Weakland of Hollywood Life.