There was a time when WrestleMania would have themes. This one was "Goes Hollywood" since it took place at LA's Staples Centre. Many promos were used with superstars and divas in the place of huge blockbuster films. Eugene played Forrest Gump, Undertaker was Dirty Harry, John Cena and JBL reenacted A Few Good Men, among others. So this ranks as perhaps the best Mania in terms of promos and marketing.
Aside from this, WM 21 saw the start of a new era. Although still part of the "Ruthless Aggression Era" this was the start of a slew of new superstars getting pushes.
The first match is only seen as a bonus feature: a RAW and Smackdown! battle royal. Booker T won. It is cool seeing all the old stars after all these years (despite being regular working wrestlers at the time) 8/10
The first regular match saw the WWE Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio going at it. This was the start of Eddie's last great feud and one of the best of the year. Rey won. 8.5/10
Next was the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Edge, and Kane set the new standard for a multi-person ladder match. The match is edited out so that Chris Benoit (who came close to winning a few times) is never seen well or heard. Either way, this was a phenomenal match. 10/10
Next off was a segment featuring Muhammed Hassan and Daivari ruining Eugene's moment. Hulk Hogan came out to save the day in a random but fun segment. 8/10
Legend vs Legend Killer was next: Undertaker vs Randy Orton. This feud and the Rey & Eddie feud were Smackdown!'s best of the year. Match of the night? Maybe, but awesome regardless. 8.5/10
The Woman's Title match is worth seeing because it features Christy Hemme. Champion Trish Stratus won in a terrible match. 3/10
Kurt Angle facing Shawn Michaels received critical acclaim. They are the best at their respective wrestling styles, but this match honestly bored the heck out of me. Here's what happens: headlock; both stars out cold; ankle lock; both stars out cold; headlock; both stars out cold; Angle makes Michaels tap. Highly overrated. 5/10
Next off was Piper's Pit with his special guest being Stone Cold. Carlito came out and both men beat him up. Not bad, still fun. 7.5/10
Big Show faced sumo wrestler Akebono in a sumo match. I know it was a gimmick match, but what were they thinking!?!? The real sumo guy won, but who cares? 2/10
JBL defends the WWE Title against upstart John Cena. Their feud was awesome. This was the start of Cena's massive push. Don't worry, Cena had a badass gimmick here. The match was underwhelming like everybody says, but still enjoyable. 7/10
I always loved the feud with Triple H and Batista. In 2003, champion Triple H recruited two new guys (Batista, Randy Orton) and the legendary Ric Flair to be his posse in a team called Evolution. The idea was to help Triple H maintain his status. When Randy Orton became the youngest World Champion in history by defeating Chris Benoit a year earlier, a jealous Triple H kicked him out of the group. Batista won the Royal Rumble earlier that year, and Triple H continued to push him around. Batista also left the group and their match series started here. Batista beat Triple H to a bloody pulp, but still saw a fun back-and-forth bout. 9/10
So most good made up for the bad. The way the event was handled was all awesome.
Aside from this, WM 21 saw the start of a new era. Although still part of the "Ruthless Aggression Era" this was the start of a slew of new superstars getting pushes.
The first match is only seen as a bonus feature: a RAW and Smackdown! battle royal. Booker T won. It is cool seeing all the old stars after all these years (despite being regular working wrestlers at the time) 8/10
The first regular match saw the WWE Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio going at it. This was the start of Eddie's last great feud and one of the best of the year. Rey won. 8.5/10
Next was the first ever Money in the Bank ladder match. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Edge, and Kane set the new standard for a multi-person ladder match. The match is edited out so that Chris Benoit (who came close to winning a few times) is never seen well or heard. Either way, this was a phenomenal match. 10/10
Next off was a segment featuring Muhammed Hassan and Daivari ruining Eugene's moment. Hulk Hogan came out to save the day in a random but fun segment. 8/10
Legend vs Legend Killer was next: Undertaker vs Randy Orton. This feud and the Rey & Eddie feud were Smackdown!'s best of the year. Match of the night? Maybe, but awesome regardless. 8.5/10
The Woman's Title match is worth seeing because it features Christy Hemme. Champion Trish Stratus won in a terrible match. 3/10
Kurt Angle facing Shawn Michaels received critical acclaim. They are the best at their respective wrestling styles, but this match honestly bored the heck out of me. Here's what happens: headlock; both stars out cold; ankle lock; both stars out cold; headlock; both stars out cold; Angle makes Michaels tap. Highly overrated. 5/10
Next off was Piper's Pit with his special guest being Stone Cold. Carlito came out and both men beat him up. Not bad, still fun. 7.5/10
Big Show faced sumo wrestler Akebono in a sumo match. I know it was a gimmick match, but what were they thinking!?!? The real sumo guy won, but who cares? 2/10
JBL defends the WWE Title against upstart John Cena. Their feud was awesome. This was the start of Cena's massive push. Don't worry, Cena had a badass gimmick here. The match was underwhelming like everybody says, but still enjoyable. 7/10
I always loved the feud with Triple H and Batista. In 2003, champion Triple H recruited two new guys (Batista, Randy Orton) and the legendary Ric Flair to be his posse in a team called Evolution. The idea was to help Triple H maintain his status. When Randy Orton became the youngest World Champion in history by defeating Chris Benoit a year earlier, a jealous Triple H kicked him out of the group. Batista won the Royal Rumble earlier that year, and Triple H continued to push him around. Batista also left the group and their match series started here. Batista beat Triple H to a bloody pulp, but still saw a fun back-and-forth bout. 9/10
So most good made up for the bad. The way the event was handled was all awesome.