WrestleMania XXIV - Articles - Zimbio

Mayweather Beats BigShow at Wrestlemania

Sun, 31 Mar 2008 22:18:37 GMT

posted by HickTownPress

Uh…if you are not married, all I can say is, just wait! Your husband will have you watching all kinds of stuff. And yes, mine has gotten me into “wrestling”. LOL

Congrats to Floyd Mayweather for knocking out the giant, BigShow!

There were chairs, brass knuckles, yet not an illegal tactic in the bunch, as Floyd Mayweather’s WrestleMania XXIV appearance ended like most of his prize fights — with a knockout victory Sunday over Paul “Big Show” Wight.

Mayweather came back to the ring — with Wight’s assistance — after an early onslaught, then used some help from his cornermen to get a metal folding chair (with which he landed a series of shots) and a pair of brass knuckles (which he snatched off a fallen cornerman’s necklace).

He wrapped the brass knuckles around his right hand and landed one punch, prompting a 10-count victory before before a crowd of 74,635, which produced a WWE-record live gate of $5.85 million.

The match lasted 11 minutes, 44 seconds…
source

WrestleMania® XXIV Online Poker Winner Announced - Gambling911.com

Tue, 19 Mar 2008 15:41:24 GMT

posted by curtom

Gambling911.com

WrestleMania® XXIV Online Poker Winner Announced
Gambling911.com, FL - 15 minutes ago
Just as MTV and Professional Wrestling formed a marriage back in the 1980's, online poker looks to do the same with UltimateBet.com with its very own WWE® ...

Orlando Orders Male Nipples Erased from WWE Billboard

Sun, 31 Mar 2008 12:45:00 GMT

posted by Towleroad

« State College, PA Mayor Presides at Same-Sex Commitment Ceremony | Main | Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno Screws Kansas Airport and Ben Affleck »

03/31/2008

WWE wrestlers John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton, Big Show, and boxer Floyd Mayweather appear over Orlando in a billboard for WrestleMania XXIV — but their nipples don't.

When asked about the nipple-less billboard, Orlando's mayor Buddy Dyer seemed to think it was because of city law. Said Dyer: "Apparently there's an ordinance that prohibits them from being displayed."

Turns out that's not the case:

"What happened, said a similarly uncomfortable city spokesman, Carson Chandler, was that city staffers asked the WWE and folks to create banners that weren't too provocative. And somewhere along the way, the nipples were airbrushed out before the giant sign reached Orlando."

WrestleMania's lead-in: 'Nipplegate' [orlando sentinel]

Sphere: Related Content

Posted 8:45 AM EST by Andy in Advertising, Florida, Floyd Mayweather, John Cena, News, Orlando, Sports, Wrestling | Permalink

Comments

This is ridiculous! Is there any other reason to watch WWE except for the nipples?!?

Posted by: John In Manhattan | Mar 31, 2008 9:38:23 AM

I'll try not to sound like an arrogant Californian...

But, are these puritanical hicks completely insane (well, I tried)?

Posted by: John in CA | Mar 31, 2008 11:59:14 AM

Reminds me of those old Star Trek episodes where Kirk would take his shirt off only to reveal that his nipples had been covered over with some kind of putty/makeup combination. Truly bizarre.

Posted by: seattle mike | Mar 31, 2008 12:10:57 PM

I was thinking of having my nipples airbrushed away for my trip to the beach this summer...I hear it is all the rage in Florida. And while I was at it, I was thinking of having my ass crack blurred too!

Posted by: jzn | Mar 31, 2008 1:03:02 PM

What century are these Floridians living in? Actually I can't think of any century in the history of the world where male nipples were removed from paintings, statues, hieroglyphs or even cave drawings. Has Florida actually manage to regress so far back BEFORE the Big Bang?

Posted by: FernLaPlante | Mar 31, 2008 1:14:17 PM

I don't think there's has ever been a time in Western culture that required males to hide their breasts.

Posted by: anon | Mar 31, 2008 1:37:56 PM

Male nipples, provocative? Why, I never! You just gotta love those wing-nut, jesus-loving Republicans. Sad thing is, they procreate. They vote, too.

Posted by: mike | Mar 31, 2008 2:08:19 PM

I live in this cow town. Trust me, if Michelangelo's David came to town, they'd cover it up too.

Posted by: dvdinorl | Mar 31, 2008 3:40:57 PM

Male nipples used to be indecent in many locations in the US. There was a time when men could not go topless (on the beach for instance) without being arrested.

Posted by: Older | Mar 31, 2008 7:40:49 PM

I live in Orlando, how embarassing. But as the article states it was not the city that had them cover up the nipples. The buses that went around town with the ad had the nipples showing.

Posted by: Travis | Mar 31, 2008 8:44:59 PM

Wrestlemania XXIV Live…Right Here

Fri, 29 Mar 2008 11:15:59 GMT

posted by brianbommarito

Well, if you are a wrestling fan, you know the big daddy of wrestling events is occurring tomorrow evening. Yep, that’s right, the big one, the Superbowl of Wrestling, Wrestlemania. Here’s the good part of that, I plan to cover it live right here.

Awhile back, I read about a service called Cover It Live. Basically, Cover It Live is a service that allows you to create an account, and cover an event by typing live in real time. Other people can get involved and reply to whatever you type, or even send images or videos to it, just like a chatroom. When the event is ended, you can then go back and review exactly what happened, just like you were watching it the first time around.

I have been curious about playing with it, but have never really had the chance to mess with it yet. When I was invited to go watch Wrestlemania at a friend’s house, I decided I would do the coverage and see what CIL is like. So if you want to see the coverage, or just to see CIL in action, tune in at 7PM EST right here on this blog (I will post a link to the actual post with the live coverage here when I add it) and check it out.

Mayweather embarrassment to wrestling; Not vice versa

Sun, 31 Mar 2008 16:42:51 GMT

posted by KickinitwiththeKliq

I attended the historical event in Orlando on the 30th, Wrestlemania 24 and Ive been a fan of the business for 17 years.

Headlining this years show, at least publicity wise, was the bout between wrestling giant 'The Big Show' and boxings champion 'Pretty boy, Floyd Mayweather'

It didnt take long for us fans to realize where he got the name 'Pretty boy' from. As he headed towards the ring, my best friend snickered, leaned over and said 'He looks like a gangsta from the Flintstones'

Indeed. Certainly as goofy too, the match would prove.

Mayweather, a 'real' fighter, weighs in at 159 pounds and stands at 5 foot 8. His opponent outweighs him by nearly 300 pounds and 2 feet. But after all, wrestling is 'fake' isnt it?

If its so fake, why didnt this kid take any bumps? Not one. He danced around the ring like a fool for 20 minutes, and got his elbow stepped on. The majority of the match consisted of outside interference and 'The big show', beating up Mayweathers goons.

His goons took more bumps then him, and Mayweather got 20 million for this? How much did Shawn Michaels get for breaking 2 ribs last night? And Mayweather didnt break a sweat.

Let me just take a minute to touch on the other matches to try and explain where Im coming from.

The first bout was JBL vs. Finlay in an anything goes match. Not the best match on the card but definitely better then I thought it'd be. Finlay flew through the ropes landing on JBL at one point and JBL countered by simulataneously slamming the top to a garbage can against Finlays head.

Good match. Both wrestlers stepped up their game for Wrestlemania as they shouldve, but they deserve applause nonetheless.

The next match was arguably (And I could put up a pretty good argument) the best match on the card. The money in the bank ladder match. In the match was Jericho, CM Punk, MVP, Mr Kennedy, Johnny Morrison, and Shelton Benjamin. These young men, the future of the business all deserve a huge pat on the back. Each and everyone one of them got hurt over and over, Benjamin flying 13 feet into the air and landing on his back on a ladder which ended up breaking, Jericho hooked the walls of Jericho on Johnny Morrison on top of a 13 foot ladder no less, using the ladder as leverage right up against Johnny's back.

CM Punk continues to impress me. Hes impressing someone else too obviously as he ends up winning the match and getting a title shot anytime he wants.

The match was great, they all leave hurt, and Matt Hardy interferes at the end making sure his nemesis MVP didnt win the match. Good to see Matt back.

The match and its participates get an A + for an outstanding match that we the fans chanted 'Holy sh*t' to at least 8 times.

These hungry young men, the future of the sport really showed everyone why they are, where they are.

And then it was time for Ric Flairs farewell. After 30 years in the business, it was time for his last match against the person he sees taking his spot in the sport, Shawn Michaels. Now the highlight of the match, or at least the part everyone will be talking about, Shawn Michaels, with Ric standing outside the ring, does a moonsault from the top rope, flips over, landing on the outside broadcast table, his ribs coming down hard over the edge of the table. The immediate look on Shawns face, that shocked 'I cant believe I just broke bones' look. Ill admit, I immediately screamed and started crying.

The ref jumps out of the ring with fury, asking Shawn if hes alright. Shawn cannot even talk, finally he says 'Im hurt' And then something you never see in wrestling. Shawns opponent, Ric, bends down asking if Shawn is alright.

Your suppose to catch someone coming down on you Ric. Its your job to make sure they fall on you and not a table. But thats alright.......your like 100.

I dont know how on earth Shawn was able to continue for another 20 minutes but in typical show-stopping form, he does. I would expect no less from my idol. He goes to connect with Sweet chin music once and stops himself, a wave of guilt coming over him. He doesnt want to be the one putting Ric Flair on the shelf of retirement. But in another ten minutes, thatll change.

Ric is down, Shawn is tuning up the band, and he pauses, the camera zooms in on Shawn....whats.......whats he saying?

'Im sorry' he mouths.....'I love you' and WHAM. Ric is down, Shawn covers him and before the 3 count can be reached, Ric is in tears. Shawn kisses Rics forehead, whispers to him and hurries to the back to get much needed medical attention.

I have never seen Shawn look so disappointed to win a match, at Westlemania no less. I think Shawn did it in all honestly because he considered it an honor he was chosen by Ric, to be his final opponent.

That match, again....better then I thought. Shawn proves again why he is what he says he is 'The man' And Ric gets the very deserved farewell and a standing ovation of over 74,000 adoring fans. There wasnt a dry eye in the house.

The next match was the Triple threat between Randy Orton, John Cena and Triple H. The match was decent, its hard to make a triple threat match work for obvious reasons but it was alright and I was happy to see Randy win. In all honesty I think alot of the focus of planning the evenings festivities went into the Mayweather embarrasment. I read they made his match an anything goes at the last minute to make up for Mayweathers slow progress in training and his lacking of wrestling ability. This guy does know where his fists are right? Jeez.

He comes out in FUR. Hello! You' in Orlando Florida! There is a palm tree behind you and you're in fur! Anyway, like I said....they danced around, Mayweather threw 3 phoney punches and jumped out of the ring and ran away and in all honesty the ONLY highlight of this much anticipated match was when it was OVER.

And when it was........ahhhh. Time for the big match. The title fight. The real main event for Wrestlemania 24. The Undertaker vs. Edge. Will the Undertaker go 16 and 0 at the big show or will Edge break his winless streak?

Well for one, The Undertakers entrance was, as always, amazing. Fireballs, darkness, smoke, and the ever so slow deadman like signature walk all the way down the long ramp. He turned 43 in March and god bless him, he is headlining the biggest show of the year. And he is there because hes earned it.

Getting off to a good start, the two men pulled out all the stops. Edge ws impressive, keeping up with the Phenom, nearly every move The Undertaker tried on him, Edge countered. The fans also got the two things Wrestlemania wouldve severely lacked had we not had, the old school walking on the ropes, and the deadman dive OVER the top rope landing on his opponent outside the ring. This guy is nearly seven feet tall, how does he do that?

The match had everything it needed to. The ref got knocked out, their was interference, Edge of course nailed the Undertaker with a camera before the 2nd official got to the ring and the Undertaker got to complete the Tombstone. But Edge kicked out.

Both competitors had that 'Now what' look on their faces. Next....Edge completes his second sphere of the night and as he is pinning Taker, The Undertaker executes his new chokehold and ........you guessed it! Blood from the mouth and we have a NEW champion!!! TAP TAP TAP!

16 and 0 and fireworks are shot from every direction. What a tribute to the Phenom. He kneels in the ring, holding up his belt, while fireworks lite the sky behind him.

Now my whole point is this. These non wrestlers coming into the sport has been done for years. LT, Lawrence Taylor competed at Wrestlemania 10, Mike Tyson was at Wrestlemania 14, and yesterday it was Floyd Mayweather.

It worked back then. It got people who normally would not tune into the show, to pay the 30 bucks (Now 60$) and watch. Nowadays, wrestling has evolved so much, and come so far that these scripted appearances and phoney matches are a step back.

Wrestling has come so far, the locker room has stepped up their game so much, that unless Will Smith or whatever sap has signed up for a gig is willing to put his body and health on the line, come crashing down on 4 tables, and be knocked off a 13 foot ladder......he is going to be dragging the card down.

That Mayweather match was the worst match I have ever witnessed, if you can call it that. It wasnt wrestling and it wasnt boxing. It was just a waste, and Ill tell you what bothers me as a wrestlin fan. That 20 minute spot could have been given to someone in that locker room who wouldve broken his ass, and given all of himself to those 75,000 people in the Citrus Bowl and the millions watching at home. Someone whose dreamed about performing in that ring since they were a kid. Someone who wouldve cherished that spot on a Wrestlemania card. Not this jackass who's suppose to be a real professional fighter and he couldnt take anything but a fake stomp on his elbow.

Im embarrased as a wrestling fake. Im embarrased for Vince Mcmahon and Im embarrased for the locker room.

Am I sorry I plopped down big bucks to witness all of this? Hell No......Im an old school wrestling fan, I knew that locker room would not disappoint....and they didnt. Its just too damn bad they were over shadowed by a name, and nothing more.