Pre-show notes:

- Comments, shares, likes, whatevers are appreciated!

- As with last year, this is a live Mania report, so please excuse me if I mention (or don’t mention) some stuff that was either explained by commentary or obvious to people seeing things through the camera’s lens. It’s hard to pick up some of the small stuff when you are an acre away, trying to figure out whether the MetLife Stadium french fries are vegan.

- Be sure to be back here tomorrow for the Best and Worst of WWE Raw report, because as you may know, post-Mania Raw is like a thousand times better than Mania proper. I don’t know why.

Please click through to enjoy the Best and Worst of WrestleMania 29 live.

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"Great. Now what am I supposed to do with THIS?"

Tonight on the post-WrestleMania 29 edition of the WWE Raw open discussion thread:

With John Cena the new WWE Champion, Miz new Intercontinental Champion and Triple H’s career still alive, what will unfold less than 24 hours after WrestleMania? Here are five things to look for on tonight’s Raw at 8/7 CT on USA Network. (via WWE.com)

Our five-point preview, as always:

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And now, the grandaddy of them all.

WWE WrestleMania 29 takes place tonight, Sunday, April 7, live from New York New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The event is main-evented by the ONCE IN A LIFETIME 2: THIS TIME, IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE showdown between WWE Champion The Rock defending against John Cena.

As always, With Leather’s wrestling community will be on hand to make the best jokes, most insightful commentary and astute observations while the guy who runs the site sits behind a skyscraper decoration and tries to watch the show live.

Your full card is below:

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Hey guys, my name’s Nathan and for some godforsaken reason, I like my fake underwear fighting to make sense.

My desire for lucid pro-wrestling goes beyond “no gaping plot holes, thanks” — I also like recognizable human motivations and characterization! Failing all that (and wrestling usually fails all that) I at least like when matches have some sort of compelling, logical hook. Assuming you’re not just rage-reading Brandon’s Best And Worst columns every week, I bet you feel the same way.

Well, I’m happy to say the build-up to WrestleMania 29 has made a shocking amount of sense! Nearly every match feels like it exists for a reason, and yet I can’t remember a year when I’ve been less excited for the show. Let’s take a stroll through this solidly assembled, yet totally sleep-inducing card, shall we?

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Punk was at -100 before he decided to desecrate the Undertaker's urn. Or, uh, whatever.

You guys know I love pro wrestling right? Yeah, pro wrestling’s not real. It’s not a sport. It’s a television show. Performance art, whatever. I’m not revealing some grand carnival scam when I note that people get together and decide who should win which match and how it should all go down before the fights happen, because they want it to be entertaining or accomplish some weird purpose or sell a specific guy’s t-shirts. You get that, right? Sports elements, competition elements, sports presentation, but not a sport.

If you read that and still want to bet on WrestleMania, the biggest show of the year for people who are not really trying to amateur wrestling pin each other, you have a gambling problem. But hey, it’s not my job to come down on you about your hang-ups … if you think CM Punk being +700 against the Undertaker is a steal, by all means, lay your money down.

Here are the betting odds for WrestleMania 29, courtesy of Bovada:

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Pre-show notes:

- If you’re wondering what I’m up to this weekend, make sure to stick around after the Top 10 Comments of the Week for a handy “Brandon At WrestleMania And Assorted Things” guide. I want to hang out with you and be friends in real life!

- The With Leather Bad Wrestling Theme Lyrics March Madness Tournament has reached its final four, so if you haven’t voted in that yet, please hop over and do so now. Worst case scenario, you’ll get to listen to Funaki’s music.

- Comments, shares, likes, and anything else that gets people to come here are appreciated.

- Follow us on Twitter @withleather, follow me personally @MrBrandonStroud and like us on Facebook.

- IMPORTANT REMINDER: I”M MAKING A MOVIE AND COULD SURE USE YOUR HELP. Me, Dustin Rhodes (!) and a bunch of other crazy talented folks are making a horror movie in Austin this May called Meet Me There, and it’s gonna be rad. It also sorta needs your help, so if you read the report and you want to be kind (or you’re just rich) (either way works) please consider hopping on over to our IndieGogo fundraiser and chipping in. We’re almost to the 3K mark, and if you put us over, e-mail me about it and I’ll give you a special perk. MY EVERLASTING LOVE.

Please click through to enjoy the Best and Worst of WWE Raw for April 1, 2013.

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