Well, Wrestlemania is in the books, and it sure seems to me to be the greatest pay per view ever. Four ****+ matches is unprecedented, and it had one of the biggest heel turns in the history of the business. Everything that sucked was kept short, and a few aPa allies were even there for the big event. So here are my thoughts on the show:

Chris Jericho v. William Regal was a decent and short little match. The ending actually came out of the blue and I didn’t like it; losing to a simple suplex and pathetic finisher like the Lionsault gives Regal no credibility as a wrestler. Still, it was a very good and entertaining match, and was probably Regal’s best WWF match. ***

Kane v. Raven v. Big Show was decent enough. Raven’s bumping carried the match, and Kane is usually only as good as his opponent is. With Raven bumping like an ECW madman and Kane also looking impressive, the match was watchable. Kane’s legdrop off the stage was fun to watch, too. Show still sucks, however. **

aPa & Tazz v. Right to Censor was mercifully kept short, with the right person (Bradshaw in Texas) going over. No Godfather and hoes return :( *

Test v. Eddie Guerrero was disappointing, IMO. The ending was a complete surprise, as I thought the Test squash push was still raging on. He also got his foot caught in the ropes so badly that even Eddie broke kayfabe to help. I’m glad Eddie is once again representing Europe, as he’s the best Euro champ since D’Lo Brown. **1/2

Kurt Angle v. Chris Benoit was just simply awesome. I was very happy to see the crowd appreciate the amateur wrestling sequence at the beginning, and it was also very fun to watch. I’m shocked the crowds are digging Benoit, though. Pleasantly shocked, however. The finish was old-school heel tactics, leaving the door open for a rematch at Backlash. Even though I’d rather see Benoit/Austin for the title at Backlash, I’m happy. Fantastic match. ****1/2

Chyna v. Ivory may be the most enjoyable Chyna match I’ve ever watched. Extremely short, and a squash after lots of buildup. Classic "heel dominates and gloats, face wins the final match" sequence here, and the squash was fun to watch, even for someone who hates Chyna like I do. This slaughter brings back memories of Taker/Roberts at WM 8, without the coolness of Taker and the overall awesomeness of Jake’s "Trust Me" run. DUD

Vince v. Shane shows just how dedicated to the business both guys are, as the McMahons consistently perform better than half of the roster. Shane busting out the flying elbow through the table was awesome, as was the VAN SHANINATOR~! (TM someone, I forget who said it). Once again, the "heel gloats, face wins the final match" storyline raged on here, and while I didn’t really like the middle part being all storyline, it was good to see 4 people beat the crap out of Vince. ***1/4

Tables, Ladders, & Chairs II was exactly what you’d expect. All 6 guys rule and take insane bumps. The spear was amazing, as was the ACID DROP TO THE OUTSIDE THROUGH THE TABLE~! Sadly, the 6 guys in the match were overshadowed, as Spike and Rhyno were the real stars of this match. Both of these guys bumped their asses off and made the match special. Lita getting 3Ded brought back Beulah memories, and the 3D ruled. I’m not sure if this was better or worse than TLC I. ****1/2

The Gimmick Battle Royal was won by Iron Sheik simply because he can’t fall over the ropes. Sheik does rule, though, but so do Heenan, Cornette, Kamala and Kim Chee, Slaughter, and a host of others. I still hate the Bushwhackers. Hillbilly Jim is in great shape. Slaughter and Sheik fight after the match, and I wonder where General Adnan is. No rating.

Undertaker v. Triple H stole the show, IMO. Rock/Austin was the best match, but Taker/HHH may be the most remembered. Despite Lemmy’s complete off-key singing, Motorhead still rocked live. That pop for Taker was deafening. Fun match, and the right man won, as Taker keeps his streak going. The Tombstone was finally brought back, which was great. The chokeslam off the stage onto padding was still a good visual, as was the elbow off the stage onto it. That Last Ride -> sledgehammer spot was arguably the best thing on the show, and the roof blew off the place when Taker kicked out. This rivals Taker/Kane at WM 14 as Taker’s most remembered and special WM match, and while that one had Pete Rose getting Tombstoned and the greatest entrance ever, this one was clearly the better match. ****

The Rock v. Steve Austin joins the select company of Bret/Owen, Bret/Austin, Shawn/Razor, and Steamboat/Savage as the only perfect matches in WM history. This match was just incredibly awesome in every sense. Austin got a deafening pop to begin. Austin’s catapult of Rock into the pole was the best catapult spot I’ve ever seen. Austin bladed exactly like he did at WM 13. Both did the Sharpshooter spots and did the Million Dollar Dream -> walk the ropes spots, and both almost brought a tear to my eye with its sheer awesomeness. Vince McMahon made the longest run-in in history, but that doesn’t matter. Austin and Rock using each other’s finishers also ruled. Rock jobbed for the 3rd straight WM, but this time he looked strong, taking a Stunner and 18 chairshots before he went down and making up for jobbing last year to one weak chairshot. McMahon and Austin together was unthinkable until around now. *****

But now the question is, who will Austin fight now that The Rock is making his movie?

-Undertaker is obviously the No. 1 babyface. The fans want him to be, as judged by the pops he’s getting, especially at WM and on Smackdown. He’s a company guy, he’s put up with a lot of stupid shit (re: Giant Gonzalez, Million Dollar Corporation, Fake Undertaker, etc.), and he’s delivered big time with Austin before (Summerslam 98). Scott Keith would give the match negative stars just because Taker’s in it, but it could draw a big buyrate and could be successful. But he’s getting old.

-Kane is obviously another choice. He’s also a hugely over babyface and also a good company guy. He’s had good matches with Austin on TV before, and they are familiar with each other. But that feud with X-Pac may have killed him, and he’s still unproven for a 20 minute interview.

-Chris Jericho is another good choice. The fans love him, it would be a dream matchup that’s never happened before ever, and he could have great verbal duels with Austin. The pop he got when he beat Triple H for the world title was amazing, and the fans want him to do well. But he has been sloppy, something which could hurt Austin, and he’s also too goofy a character to be considered a legit main eventer. He needs to get serious.

-Chris Benoit is the choice that everyone is drooling over. He’s getting over as a babyface, he’s the best wrestler in the world, he’s had great matches with Austin on TV before, he can be carried on the stick by Austin’s heel mic work, and he probably won’t hurt Austin too badly. But he also is unproven on the mic for long interviews, and he has to kill Kurt Angle dead before he moves up.

-Kurt Angle could be another choice. He’s a great worker, he had a fantastic match with Austin on RAW a while ago, he’s one of the best in the business on the microphone, and the fans desperately want to cheer him. But he’s a heel now, and Benoit has to kill him at Backlash first. Angle may end up as a long-term choice, like Fully Loaded, but he doesn’t seem likely now.

The main problem is that the three best challengers to Austin are either at his side (Triple H), too disruptive to the locker room (Shawn Michaels), or making a movie (The Rock). If Shawn cleans up, he would be perfect, as they have history between each other. Rock/Austin should main event Summerslam (with Rock cleanly winning the belt) and Survivor Series (with Austin screwily winning the belt), and heel Austin v. face Triple H seems like a dream Wrestlemania main event. But until Rock’s return for Summerslam, Austin can rotate for now. Taker sounds good for Backlash, Kane for Judgement Day, Benoit for King of the Ring, and Jericho for Fully Loaded.

Here’s hoping to Austin doing as well as heel as he was as babyface.