Wrestlemania 24 results

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I will be adding on to this post as I get results.



Results:The End

By: Bryan Robinson
March 30, 2008

ORLANDO, Fla. – Deep down, Ric Flair knew this day would come. Mr. McMahon gave him a “win or retire” ultimatum more than four months ago, but the “Nature Boy” didn’t need a mandate to realize his in-ring career was coming to an end. And though tears streamed down his cheeks as he said farewell to the millions of fans he entertained for more than 35 years, Flair didn’t feel any agony in defeat to Shawn Michaels tonight at WrestleMania XXIV. After all, how fitting it is that the greatest wrestler of all time ends his career on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
What a week it had been for the 16-time World Champion! Flair received tributes from well-wishers across the country all week, from receiving the key to the city of Columbia, S.C., last Monday to his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Saturday night. It was as if “Naitch’s” millions of fans sensed he would not be able to avoid defeat like he had since last November. Everyone wanted to pay tribute to Flair and let him know how much they appreciated watching him for so many years.
Still, that didn’t prevent a hushed silence from engulfing the Citrus Bowl tonight after Michaels stunned Flair with Sweet Chin Music to the jaw and the Nature Boy wasn’t able to rise before the three-count. More than 70,000 of our screaming fans seemed amazed because they had just witnessed history – the end of a legendary career.
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At first, HBK couldn't bring himself to unleash Sweet Chin Music and it nearly cost him the match. But he realized during his second and third opportunity that he had to pull the trigger. Flair wanted it that way – no sympathy, no remorse. With tears in his eyes, Flair implored HBK. And with a whisper of "I'm sorry ... I love you," Michaels turned out the lights on Flair's legendary career.
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An exhausted HBK buried his head in his hands. The Showstopper – “Mr. WrestleMania” – had provided many unforgettable moments over the years at The Granddaddy of Them All, but this was not one that he wanted. Flair was his idol and his inspiration, the reason he chose to become a Superstar.
As a boy, and later as an up-and-coming Superstar, Michaels worshipped Flair and aspired to be everything the Nature Boy was in the industry. Even today, as a respected, grizzled veteran who has had his own Hall of Fame-caliber career, Michaels is like an awestruck boy when he is in the presence of Flair. Before WrestleMania XXIV, HBK himself said he couldn’t imagine the industry without Flair.
Whirlwind of emotions

However, the Nature Boy and new WWE Hall of Famer chose to face Michaels at WrestleMania. Flair said he handpicked HBK because he considered him “the very best,” and he had to know if he could still defeat the very best on sports-entertainment’s grandest stage.
Flair appreciated all the kind words from well-wishers, but he didn’t want – or necessarily welcome – any suggestion that a loss to HBK at WrestleMania was a foregone conclusion. In many ways, Michaels had no choice but to face Flair. If he didn’t, he would lose the respect of a man he loved. And Flair didn’t want sympathy from HBK; he didn’t want him to hold anything back. The only true way HBK could honor Flair was to give him his very best at WrestleMania.
A Showstopping encounter

And The Showstopper gave Naitch his very best. In some ways, Michaels’ onslaught was an elixir for Flair. The legendary World Champion at times seemed 20 years younger as he battled HBK with a ferocity and a ring mastery that showed our fans why he has been known as both “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” and “Rembrandt of the Squared Circle,” as Jim Ross likes to say.
At one point, thousands of necks craned and jaws dropped in the Citrus Bowl when Flair trapped Michaels in his trademark Figure-Four Leglock and HBK screamed, seemingly moments away from tapping out. As both legends traded momentum for nearly 20 minutes, it was easy to see why Flair has said he sees traces of himself in HBK.
But ultimately, Michaels outlasted Flair. He gave Flair what he wanted – his very best in the form of Sweet Chin Music. At first, HBK couldn't bring himself to unleash Sweet Chin Music and it nearly cost him the match. But he realized during his second and third opportunity that he had to pull the trigger. Flair wanted it that way – no sympathy, no remorse. With tears in his eyes, Flair implored HBK. And with a whisper of "I'm sorry ... I love you," Michaels turned out the lights on Flair's legendary career.
HBK cradled the "Nature Boy's" head, whispered in his ear and then left the ring. When Flair was able to rise, the tears welled in his eyes. Maybe he was relieved; maybe he felt tremendously honored. Flair knew he lost to not only a better competitor this night, but to a man he somewhat molded. In many ways, his career was ended by a near carbon copy of himself.
The Citrus Bowl erupted. Meanwhile, Superstars – Flair rivals and allies alike, who watched the battle from the locker room, gave him a standing ovation. Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat and Barry Windham – past Flair rivals who were now dear friends and currently WWE officials – saluted him. Flair blew kisses to his wife and children seated in the front row, and even hardened warriors and friends like Arn Anderson and Triple H in the back couldn’t fight back their tears.
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Back in 1978, the original "Nature Boy," Buddy Rogers, challenged Flair because he needed to know if his namesake was “for real.” Rogers passed the torch to Flair that night, and nearly 30 years later, the 16-time World Champion has passed it on to Michaels. The Showstopper beat “The Man” on the greatest stage in sports-entertainment. Still, Flair will always be The Man.
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"Little Naitch" Charles Robinson, who referred tonight's match and idolized Flair, wiped tears from his eyes. Robinson could say something no other wrestling official in the world could say: He referred "Nature Boy" Ric Flair's last match.
Now and always ‘The Man’

It’s amazing to think Flair’s career was almost cut short before it really began. Some doctors predicted that he would never compete again after he was severely injured in a plane crash in 1975. Flair not only came back, but he made a career of defying odds and winning championships. There isn’t a legend or Superstar who has emerged over the last 35 years that Flair hasn’t met and defeated. He even made a believer out of the original “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, who fell to Flair in an iconic encounter in 1978.
Back then, Rogers challenged Flair because he needed to know if his namesake was “for real.” Rogers passed the torch to Flair that night, and nearly 30 years later, the 16-time World Champion has passed it on to Michaels. The Showstopper beat “The Man” on the greatest stage in sports-entertainment.
Still, Flair will always be The Man. Just look at the champions he has mentored and inspired – Triple H, Michaels, Batista and Randy Orton, to name a few. And DX, Evolution, the New World Order and any other wrestling supergroup that will form in the years to come owe gratitude to Flair’s Four Horsemen. “Also Sprach Zarathustra” has played for the last time, but the Nature Boy’s legacy lives on. Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair. Woooooo!

WWE: TV Shows > WrestleMania XXIV > Matches > Match Results

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Results:Big Red champion

By: Ryan Murphy
March 30, 2008



ORLANDO, Fla. — While Kane is revered for a combination of size, strength and agility that has allowed him to dominate WWE rings for the past decade, his in-ring strategy is often overlooked. But a brilliant plan is exactly what the Big Red Machine used to defeat Chavo Guerrero and walk out of WrestleMania XXIV as the new ECW Champion.
In his defense, Guerrero didn’t have much time to prepare for his match against the Big Red Machine. Kane earned an opportunity at the championship earlier in the evening by defeating 23 other Superstars in a hard-fought Battle Royal. Upon finding out Kane would be his opponent, the self-proclaimed “Mexican Warrior” may have spent the brief time between matches trying to figure out how to combat Kane’s raw power and brutal strength — or devising an underhanded way to hold onto his championship. What he didn’t prepare for was a sneak attack.
After entering the ring, Guerrero was greeted by the fiery blaze of Kane’s pyro. But instead of making his usual entrance through hellfire and brimstone, the Big Red Machine appeared from under the ring and took the ECW Champion completely by surprise. Before Guerrero even had a chance to react to the 7-foot monster, he was hit with a thunderous chokeslam and pinned. Guerrero never saw it coming. In a matter of seconds, Kane was declared the winner, adding a new championship to his collection.
Of course, it can be argued that Guerrero was given a taste of his own medicine. The Guerrero family has always prided itself on brilliant in-ring strategy, and two months earlier, Guerrero had taken advantage of interference from Edge in order to defeat CM Punk for the ECW Championship. What can’t be argued is that Guerrero will be dead set on getting a rematch against Kane and regaining the gold. Now that he’s champion, Kane will not only have to deal with an angry Guerrero, but giants like The Great Khali and Mark Henry who are hungry for the title. Kane’s reign won’t be an easy one, but the Big Red Machine wouldn’t settle for anything less.

WWE: TV Shows > WrestleMania XXIV > Matches > Match Results

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Results:Perseverance makes Punk ‘Mr. Money’ in Orlando

By: Corey Clayton
March 30, 2008


ORLANDO, Fla. – The Straightedge Superstar shot straight to the top of the championship ranks Sunday night, thanks to his latest acquisition.
Former ECW Champion CM Punk fended off Chris Jericho on top of a 15-foot-high ladder to claim the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania XXIV. The victory over a talented field of six other Superstars gives Punk the opportunity to immediately challenge for any of WWE’s three major championships – anytime, anyplace.
But what was more shocking than Punk’s victory was the return of Montel Vontavious Porter’s most persistent rival, Matt Hardy.
Fully recovered from a ruptured appendix suffered late last year, Hardy rushed to ringside to thwart the United States Champion’s chance to claim the briefcase, knocking down SmackDown’s king of bling with a Twist of Fate off the ladder as the Citrus Bowl crowd roared.
Sources tell WWE.com that MVP was irate in the locker room, knowing now that the No. 1 threat to his U.S. Title is back and gunning for him.
After Punk's win in this human destruction derby, all of WWE’s champions will have to watch their backs and keep their guards up. But as last year’s winner, Mr. Kennedy, found out last year, “Mr. Money in the Bank” is a target for all those in the locker room who seek a taste of that king-making power.
But for one immortal night in Orlando, CM Punk is “money.” And our fans worldwide know it.


WWE: TV Shows > WrestleMania XXIV > Matches > Match Results

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Results:JBL picks up brutal win in Belfast Brawl

By: Ben Zoldan
March 30, 2008


ORLANDO, Fla. – The Citrus Bowl crowd of more than 70,000 fans buzzed with electricity and excitement as the Granddaddy of Them All kicked off – and pummeled, and hammered away at – with a Belfast Brawl, a match where anything and everything goes. And although Sunday’s worldwide audience seemed firmly behind Finlay and his returning son, Hornswoggle, it wasn’t enough to withstand a kendo stick Clothesline from Hell from JBL.
The physical action began before the bell could even sound, with the two ring warriors quickly bringing out a small arsenal of weapons including trash cans, tables and, of course, a shillelagh. JBL jumped out to an early advantage, pummeling the Irishman who loves to fight. He even found moments in between to abuse Hornswoggle, as JBL tossed a trash can with a Finlay-shaped dent in it directly at the loveable leprechaun, knocking him to the ground.
Finlay risked life and limb as he dove to the outside between the ring ropes towards a prone JBL, but the Wall Street warrior was quick on his feet and countered with a baseball-like swing to Finlay’s face with a trash can lid, eliciting gasps from the capacity crowd. Finlay would briefly regain the advantage after Hornswoggle interfered with a kendo stick shot to JBL’s back, but it would not be enough as JBL set Finlay up with a shot to the knee with the very same kendo stick, then finished it up with the Clothesline from Hell for the victory.
For Finlay, it was a chance at revenge against JBL, who exposed that Hornswoggle was in fact Finlay’s son, not Mr. McMahon’s, and proceeded to beat Hornswoggle within an inch of his life on Raw more than two months ago, leaving him hospitalized and in critical condition. For JBL, it was a chance to show the entire world that despite his two-year retirement, the former WWE champion is back in a big way and will show no mercy, regardless of size, color or creed.
At the biggest spectacle in sports-entertainment, JBL did precisely that. As Layfield basked in his WrestleMania victory, one could only wonder whether this was the last chapter in this ultra-personal rivalry between two of WWE’s toughest competitors. Has JBL settled the issue once and for all, or will Finlay and Hornswoggle continue to defend their family-forged honor against the wrestling god?


WWE: TV Shows > WrestleMania XXIV > Matches > Match Results

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Results:One-Man Dynasty Indeed?

By: Bryan Robinson
March 30, 2008


ORLANDO, Fla. – Before some 70,000 stunned fans who were convinced that either John Cena or Triple H would walk away with the gold, Randy Orton proved tonight that reports of his demise as WWE Champion at WrestleMania XXIV were premature.
A wave of boos and a spattering of middle fingers greeted Orton as he held the WWE Title high for everyone in the Citrus Bowl and millions of pay-per-view watchers worldwide to see. “I told you so,” Orton seemed to be saying as he celebrated his victory. Many critics seemed to believe that it was a foregone conclusion that the Legend Killer’s five-month reign as WWE Champion would end at WrestleMania XXIV. And the arrogant Orton was keenly aware of this – and that’s why he reveled in his own special WrestleMania moment as a despondent Triple H and Cena looked on incredulously. Orton is the first World Champion in five years to succesfully defend his title at WrestleMania. (The last was Triple H in 2003.)
Seeds of a Dynasty

Ever since he won the WWE Championship, Randy Orton has been telling every and anyone who would listen that he is a “One-Man Dynasty.” Since October, he had shown he would do absolutely anything to keep the WWE Championship – no one, no relative was safe and nothing was over the line for Orton in his quest to keep the gold. The Legend Killer had emerged as a force atop the WWE mountain and turned back the challenges of elite contenders such as Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho and Jeff Hardy.
But as sadistic and egotistical as the third-generation Superstar is, he is also a proud champion. Tonight was the first time he headlined WrestleMania as champion and he was determined to prove a point. He was also annoyed that so many fans and critics anointed Cena and The Game as the next WWE Champion at WrestleMania.
In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania XXIV, Orton even made it a point to stun his two opponents on separate occasions with sudden RKOs when he believed they had forgotten about him and were too focused on each other. Orton saw Cena and Triple H as two nuisances, gnats that were always flying around his title and would never let him bask in his greatness. By eliminating by Triple H and Cena on The Grandest Stage of Them All, he believed he would prove once and for all that he is a “One-Man Dynasty.”
Three-Way Quest for Redemption

And tonight, Orton went a long way towards legitimizing his dynasty claims, but not without a fight from both Cena and Triple H. These three warriors are as different as anyone can be, but they share a common passion for the Holy Grail of sports-entertainment. And like Orton, Cena and The Game felt like they had something to prove.
Cena wanted to reclaim the title he never lost. Thanks to Orton, he was injured last October and had to relinquish the WWE Championship. Cena had to watch as the Legend Killer put a vise grip on the gold. Cena’s torn pectorial muscle was supposed to keep him out of WrestleMania, but he couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch someone else hold his title. He decided to risk it all for an opportunity to reclaim the gold at WrestleMania XXIV.
Triple H’s odyssey to WrestleMania XXIV was full of twists, turns and potholes. Sure, he had headlined WrestleMania several times before, but this year was different. He saw WrestleMania XXIV as a chance at redemption. Last year, he missed WrestleMania due to injury. His 11th title reign was cut way too short by Orton, his former friend and Evolution teammate. And The Cerebral Assassin was haunted by Cena, a man he had never defeated. He still remembered tapping out to Cena’s STFU at WrestleMania 22. Cena also prevented The Game from winning this year’s Royal Rumble.
Triple H was proud that he overcame all sorts of obstacles, gauntlets and five opponents in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out to make it back to The Grandest Stage of Them All. But he wasn’t going to feel complete unless he left the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship with the gold. Triple H lives to be WWE Champion. He wanted – needed – to show the world at WrestleMania XXIV that he truly was The King of Kings and back on top of his Game.
A Cerebral Legend Killer: 'I Told You So'

Unfortunately for Cena and Triple H, their dreams of redemption at WrestleMania were just that – dreams. The Triple Threat Match was a war where the tide shifted several times between Cena, Orton and Triple H. Weeks of one-upmanship and mind games came to a physical head tonight as all three warriors showed they would do anything – and use any weapon – to win the gold.
However, in the end, brains turned out to be the deciding factor over brawn. Orton showed that he had indeed learned his lessons well from The Cerebral Assassin in their Evolution days. After watching The Game crush Cena with a Pedigree, Orton disposed of an unsuspecting Triple H with a punt to the skull and covered the vulnerable West Newbury, Mass. native for the stunning three-count.
So, The Champ is still here … but it’s not Cena. To the chagrin of Cena, Triple H, many of our fans and the locker room, Randy Orton is still the WWE Champion. And believe us, the self-proclaimed One-Man Dynasty loves to say, “I told you so.” There really will be no living with him now.


WWE: TV Shows > WrestleMania XXIV > Matches > Match Results