An absolutely fantastic WrestleMania put on by the WWE; I remember watching it when it was first broadcast, and even to this day truly lives up to the 20th Anniversary, 'where it all begins again' tagline.

The show opened with a great rendition of 'America the Beautiful', performed by the Boys Choir of Harlem; brilliantly sung and the ovation it got showed how much the crowd were into the event from the start - which always makes matches even better than what they already would be.

John Cena vs. Big Show US Championship Match
A great choice of opener, John Cena really gets the crowd going in a solid attempt to give Big Show some heat. A relatively average match in terms of moves, but made much better with John Cena's selling of the 'David vs. Goliath' act commonly seen when competitors face the world's largest athlete. Exciting finish with the distraction of the referee and use of the custom US brass knucks, followed by a 500 pound FU like only the doctor of thuganomics can. Great fan reaction to the victory.
***

Fatal Four Way Match For The World Tag Titles
Exciting match with all 8 wrestlers getting some airtime without it seeming too squashed together. I loved the tag team of RVD and Booker T and loved the fact they retained, oh and a great frogsplash for the finish.
***

Christian vs. Chris Jericho
Good match with great storytelling of the feud between these two. Genuinely surprising turn of events involving Trish to end this one, turning heel and slapping Chris Jericho after 'accidentally' costing him the victory'. Solid match, but obviously there to mainly set up a rematch involving Trish and to strengthen the rivalry.
***

Evolution vs. Rock n' Sock
I really liked this match, mainly because I have always been a fan of Mick Foley as well as the much loved Rock in a one-time (up till then) return. The Rock showing that he can still hold the crowd in the palm of his hand, and Foley playing the hometown hero. Fairly slow until the finishing RKO on Foley (which apparently should have only been a 2 count). Foley's genuinely shocked reaction to the ref counting three only made the match more enjoyable though, as it made the disappointment between the Rock and Sock Connection look genuine, for obvious reasons, enhancing the feud further in a similar fashion to the Trish / Jericho saga.
***

Playboy Evening Gown Match
As expected really, a terrible match in terms of wrestling ability and moves, but who really cares (the crowd certainly didn't)!
**

Cruiserweight Open Match
Wow. This is exactly why the WWE must regain their cruiserweight division. Fast-paced, unrelenting, all-out talent. Definite highlight for me was Billy Kidman's shooting star press from inside the ring to the outside, as well as Rey Mysterio's usual level of awe-inspiring ability. Shame about the weak ending with Chavo cheating to win, but then again, we all know that was the much-loved Guerrero nature
****

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar (With Stone Cold As Special Guest Referee)
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. One of the few matches I literally could not wait for, and one which will go down in history as one of the biggest letdowns of all time. They literally stand there looking at each other for about 10 minutes, before a bit of punching, shoving, more staring then a jackhammer slam. Seeing as it was also these two's last matches, this is absolutely abysmal.
* (Only because of Stone Cold's appearance and because Goldberg normally is awesome)

Fatal Four Way Match For The WWE Tag Titles
Not as good as Raw's effort by far, but is interesting to watch back as it was Bradshaw's last match as the redneck brawler before his stupid alter-ego JBL reared his ugly and very beefy head. The champs retained, which I felt was a little disappointing seeing as Raw's also finished in identical fashion.
***

Victoria vs. Molly Women's Title Match
Really quite a poor match, lots of counters and rather slow paced. The finish, for what was at stake, was extremely weak! Molly should and would have kicked out easily with her hair on the line if it was up to her. However, the tantrum she sold while getting her head shaved did save it for me.
***

Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Title
With all three matches prior to this being a bit of a bunch of flops, this match was a breath of fresh air. I loved Eddie Guerrero and miss seeing him in the ring more. Kurt Angle is an absolutely fantastic competitor too. I loved the finish, another Guerrero cheating to win but in style. However, I don't think it was quite as good as their SummerSlam rematch in the same year.
****

Undertaker vs. Kane
With this match able to ride on the hype which was built for it no matter what happened, I do believe that in terms of what these two can and have done, it was a slight (only slight) disappointment. However, I didn't notice at the time due to being starstruck by Taker's predictable yet amazing return. Love the deadman, will always love the deadman.
***

World Heavyweight Title Triple Threat
Wow. What a way to end the night. Simply stunning match, with loads of awesome spots. Shawn Michaels' ability to still steal the show with his moonsaults and the ability to sell like no one ever has still amazes me even now. Excellent finish too; a genuinely heartfelt ending. The now deceased Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit - no doubt two of the best wrestlers in history - embracing in the centre of the ring with both of the biggest titles in the business, on the grandest stage of all, really is something to behold.
Just wow, in my opinion there aren't enough stars to award this match.
*****

The WWE deffinetely succeded in making Wrestlemania XX on March 14th 2004 in Madison Square Garden the most successful PPV of all time, even with some card fillers and no Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart. The 3 Disc Set DVD lasts around 8 hours long with almost 5 hours of it being the actual event which is as follows:
WWE United States Championship Match:
John Cena vs Big Show.
(4/5) This was a typical Wrestlemania opener and both men delivered a good match - Well Done Big Show.

Fatal Four Way WWE World Tag Team Championship:
Booker T and RVD vs The Dudley Boys vs La Resistance vs Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade.
(3.5/5) An alright match which deserved a bigger build up. Some good moves produced but not the best tag match iv'e seen.

Christian vs Chris Jericho.
(4.5-5/5) Excellant match with a surprising ending. One of the best matches on the card and well deserved.

Handicap Match:
The Rock and Sock Connection vs Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista.
(4.5-5/5) Another outstanding match by all men with some funny moments. It was well worth Mick Foley returning to wrestle after 4 years and The Rock after almost 1 year. The encounter could have done wiyh some blood and weapons though.

Playboy evening Gown Match:
Torrie Wilson and Sable vs Stacy Kiebler and Miss Jackie.
(2.5/5) for wrestling and (5/5) for everything else. Wow this deffinetely didn't dissapoint.

WWE 10 Man Cruiserweight Open Championship Match:
Included Cruiserweights like Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman and Chavo Guerrero etc.
(4.5/5) Sperb and the best cruiserweight match ever with lots of risk taking moves. The match was a bit too short though.

Inerpromotional match: Special Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Brock Lesner vs Goldberg.
(3.5/5) A big dissapointment to a match that was built up the most and the origional contender for the main event. You saw there main moves though which is something. Best part was Austins actions and the crowds reaction of which i was part of. The two wrestlers havn't been in the WWE since so it's an historic match still as they are unlikely to return.

Fatal Four Way WWE Tag Team Championship:
Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty vs APA vs The Bashams vs Shelton Benjamen and Charlie Haas.
(3.5/5) Quite a good short match actually with not enough build up again. Ignore the crowds non reaction during this - they were still pissed off.

WWE Womens Championship:
Molly Holly vs Victoria.
(4/5) Boy these women can wrestle, but who cares Molly had to be shaved bald which was a (5/5) Wrestlemania moment.

WWE Championship Match:
Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero.
(5/5) Great match by two great athletes. It was quite technical aswell - what a mania match.

The Undertaker with Paul Bearer vs Kane.
(4.5/5) for wrestling and (5/5) for the return of the taker which will stay in every ones minds for years to come. This was one of the biggest reactions of all time. The match would have been better with a stipulation and more high impact moves and resiliance by kane but still was fantastic.

Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship (No Disqualifications):
Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit.
(5/5*) In my eyes the best match of the night and the greatest of all time. The fans deffinetely left the arena happy. The Backlash rematch was a cheap rip off by the way.

Overall i give the card (5/5) and deserves it respectfully.

Ah, Wrestlemania XX. Certainly one of the best PPVs WWE have ever done. Certainly a contender for the best Wrestlemania. Certainly a good buy to any WWE fan's collection. And also, certainly not perfect. But a very good try nontheless. But does it live up to the hype of a PPV that boasts the 'final' matches of The Rock, Goldberg & Brock Lesnar? And the grand returns of Mick Foley and the Deadman Undertaker, with Paul Bearer? And the final ascension to the main title of Benoit (touchy subject)? Well, what do you think?

Disk 1
A so-so disk. The opener between Cena and the Big Show is the best of all of their matches, even to date, and is certainly intense. Good conclusion, really good opener. Then mediocrity begins. The tag compromise (of two on the show) is a lazy excuse to put a bunch of teams together with no heat and most of the wrestlers cruising on autopilot. A waste of Booker T and RVD, a waste of the Dudleys. Overall, a waste. Christian vs. Jericho is okay - the two wrestle cleanly and tidily - but something, I dunno, just strikes me as pedestrian. Until the ending, with the twist ending - or should that be Trish ending - and somehow you feel fuller than you ought to feel, a bit like drinking a gallon of Pepsi. Decent match, could have been better. There's a very wierd promo with Evolution standing in different places, like the top of staircases and stuff, going on about Mick Foley and The Rock. I remember the promo being weird. A bit 'too' rehearsed.

Mick Foley was very disappointed in this match. Listen, Foley is clearly fed up going into the match - when he cuts a promo with the Rock it's very clearly Foley hasn't got his fire back from 2000 yet. The Rock, on the other hand, is extremely hyper. And it damages his performance! He just acts really manically, like he's had that gallon of Pepsi I mentioned all in one big guzzle. This kind of weirdness carries over to the Rock'n'Sock vs. Evolution match. It's... hollow. The Rock is out of it and it's a bad 'final' match for the Rock's in-ring career. Foley is clearly struggling regaining his passion and zeal. Flair is Flair. Orton manages to be great and awful at the same time. And Batista stinks the place out. So it's a bad match, especially for such an important match as Foley's big return and the Rock's final match (currently).

We'll ignore the pointless evening gown match (nice sunset flip, though! ^_^ ). The Cruiserweight match manages to be excellent, completely brilliant. Jamie Noble and Rey steal the first disk away with an outstanding performance, and the other cruiserwights are similarly on top form (you spot monkey, Billy Kidman, you!). Then we've got another 'final' match. Goldberg vs. Lesnar with Austin waiting in the wings. Look, I've not got a lot to say about this match except Goldberg and Lesnar don't really put on a great match and I personally found Lesnar a little bit unprofessional at the end. They seemed lazy, bored and I'm not kidding when I say this was the worst match of the card. Look at who is in the match - how the heck COULD it be bad unless the two guys just didn't care!!! And if they didn't care... it's WRESTLEMANIA XX?! Your final match. Don't the fans deserve better? Apparently not.

Disk 2

Another boring Tag Team Compromise. Then we have a hair vs. title match between Victoria and Molly. I'm a BIG Molly and Victoria fan, I make no secret of it. Here, though, they're not at their best. They have better matches elsewhere (check out the Royal Rumble 2004 DVD), but this isn't to say this is their worst encounter either. I remember pretty vividly Victoria's superkick 'cause it looked pretty nasty. But yeah, this is more memorable for the conclusion, which led embarrassingly to Victoria (spoiler!) shaving Molly's head into even the next match... Kurt vs. Eddie. These two could wrestle underwater and it still blows away anybody else on the card. Good match - again, not their best, not their worst - solid enough. And you have a genuine feeling of excitement when the match wraps up. Well done. RIP Eddie.

The Undertaker / Kane match is basically a squash match. I don't know how I feel about it. It's an awesome showcase to bring Deadman Undertaker back with Paul Bearer, and it's one of the now iconic Undertaker images. This match single-handedly restored my interest in WWE after I lost interest in 2003. But it's spectacle. It's not a great match. At all. It's very, VERY pedestrian and for some reason the fans were apathetic. Fans can make an average match exciting. Not so here.

The Triple Threat with Benoit / HBK / HHH isn't the classic everybody says it is. That doesn't mean it's not a classic! It's just not in the top ten of matches any of these men would contest. Again, that doesn't make it bad. It's very hard hitting, well told and all three men are on top form. The winner - at the time - deserved the win and it's one of the rare times a conclusion feel like it genuinely matters. The only sad thing is this match has forever been tainted by the actions of Benoit in 2007. And you can't forget it, when looking at this masterpiece. It's a shame.

The Extras? Well, really wonderful actually. There are scores of interviews, extra Heat matches (my usually favourite extra), Ric Flair hosting an amusing documentary on the best Wrestlemania moments, Hall of Fame moments and a score more. THIS is how to do an Extras package. The disk is full of greatness here, and just as the event closes down, the disk ramps up because of the extras. This makes the disk worth every penny and bursts with value. The extras are five stars alone, definitely.

Any wrestling fan should own this DVD for the events that transpire in the final match, controversy tinged though they are. They need it to close off the careers of The Rock, Goldberg and Lesnar. Any Wrestlemania fan should own this because it's one of the best and is only slightly marred by the averageness of some of the matches and pointless Tag Team rubbish. Time has not been the best friend of this Wrestlemania as at the time of release, it was certainly a five star candidate. Now we'll have to make do with four. Buy it, and enjoy.