Top 15 Wrestlemania Matches of All-Time

With WrestleMania 27 less than a week away, Kaboom! Magazine was trying to decide which fifteen matches we would consider to be the greatest of all-time in the history of the spring classic. In preparation for Sunday's WrestleMania, let's look back at some matches that featured super human like moves, unforgettable storylines, and moments that could only happen at “the granddaddy of them all” as we run down the 15 best matches in WrestleMania history.

15. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - WrestleMania XIX

Chris Jericho idolized Shawn Michaels and claimed Shawn was the reason he became a pro wrestler. He would mimic all of HBK's signature moves and mannerisms. This match would steal the show. Some great athleticism from both men; There was some high flying moves, submission moves and some great mat wrestling. These two told a fantastic story in the ring. Their feud was mirrored in the ring with Jericho mimicking his idol's signature moves and mannerisms. At one point in the match, Jericho would do the "Kip Up" which is one of HBK's signature's. Jericho even tuned up his own band and executed a perfect Sweet Chin Music. Michaels would get the best of Jericho causing Jericho to cry because he couldn’t beat his idol. Shawn picks up Jericho to congratulate him on a great match and let him know that it okay, but Jericho low blows Michaels and leave him in the ring helpless. WWE could have done without the ending, but it was still a classic.

14. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart - WrestleMania X

WrestleMania X or any WrestleMania for that matter could not start the event in any better fashion than a brother vs. brother match. Their feud started at the Survivor Series the previous year where Owen was the only Hart eliminated from their Survivor Series team. Owen blamed Bret for all his failures and not being able to accomplish much, claiming Bret was holding him back. This would lead to their classic encounter at Wrestlemania X. When Bret Hart managed to break out and reverse the Sharpshooter applied from Owen, it look like big brother would best little brother again. Bret won the Royal Rumble earlier that year and has a title shot. People thought it was impossible for the No. 1 contenders to lose to his younger brother in the opening contest. The WWE thought otherwise, as Bret tried to roll through Owen and put him in a pinning position but Owen being his brother, knowing him well, he counters Bret and pins him fair and square. The crowd was stunned as they couldn’t believe what they had just saw. In the biggest upset in WWE history little brother had beaten his big brother and received the limelight. That light wouldn’t last long as Bret Hart went to win the Heavyweight title later that night.

13. The Rock vs. Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIX

The two biggest superstars of the 1990’s gave us one last match as the “Attitude” era came to an end. After his long absence from the WWE, Stone Cold Steve Austin would make his return at No Way Out 2003, a month before Wrestlemania XIX. Another superstar making his return at No Way Out of that year would be The Rock. It was inevitable that these two would clash at Wrestlemania, marking the third time they would meet at Mania. These two would not disappoint. The Rock was the heel in this match. He played it to perfection. During the match, The Rock slipped on the rattlesnakes vest. Rock working on Austin's knee's was a smart strategy, siting Austin's knee problem's over the years. This would be Austin's final match of his illustrious career.  

12. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan - WrestleMania XVIII

It was Icon Vs Icon at WrestleMania 18. The Rock and Hogan match was the dream match that no one ever thought they would see. Hogan, the superstar that ruled the 1980’s versus The Rock, who took wrestling to new aggressive heights in the 1990’s on the biggest stage of the all.  It was a match for the ages, with neither man disappointing their fans. Going into this match, few knew what to expect. The Rock was the babyface, Hogan the heel. As the two made their entrances, both received loud ovations. The crowd help make an iconic moment when both men stood in the middle of the ring face to face while the WWE Universe flashed every camera and every camera phone imaginable. It was amazing that Hogan was keeping up with The Rock step for step throughout the match as both men got up from the other finishing move. The Rock went on to win the classic match, but the real winners had to be the WWE fans. Fans thought they would never see a better story told during a match again….well that until they saw Michaels/Taker I.

11. "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania VII

Probably the most intriguing match in WWE history. Intriguing in the sense that two of the top superstars in the WWF at the time, would go head to head where the loser would have to retire. Wrestlemania 7 would see Ultimate Warrior face the Macho Man in a retirement match. This feud began when the Warrior refused to grant Savage a shot at his title. This would lead to Savage interfering in Warrior's title match with Sgt. Slaughter at the Royal Rumble, which caused the Warrior to lose his title. So the match was set. The two felt there hatred for each other was too much, and that the WWF was not big enough to hold the both of them, thus having this retirement match. Both men put on a classic. Very physical and draining, The stipulation made this match memorable. Every near pinfall had the crowd on the edge's of their seat. Like most of Savage's matches, very well choreographed and thought out. Those 5 elbow drops he laid on Warrior looked excruciating. This would lead to an unforgettable ending. After the classic match, Sherri who was managing Macho Man at the time was infuriated with Savage for losing the match therefore attacking Savage in frustration. Liz who was attending the event saw what was happening and would react by fighting off Sherri, and helping Savage. The two finally reunited and embraced each other receiving a huge ovation from the crowd. 30 minutes prior to this, Savage was the most hated wrestler on the roster and was a big time heel. He would leave the ring getting cheered.

10. Money In the Bank-WrestleMania 21

What happens when you get six rising WWE superstars in their prime in a ring with a ladder under the Hollywood lights……WrestleMania Gold! WrestleMania 21 would see the birth of what has now become a staple of the WWE, the Money in the Bank ladder match. A couple ladders and whoever is able to grab the briefcase that contains a guaranteed title shot, win's the match. The first Money in the bank would feature, Christian, Chris Jericho, Edge, Kane, Benoit and Shelton Benjamin.  “MTB” has had a great run in the WWE highlighting with own Pay-Per-View event, but it still the first match that everyone talks about. It was non-stop action from beginning to end highlighted by Jericho is attempting to grab the briefcase. Shelton sees this quickly weighs up his options, and runs up a ladder connected to another, and delivers a clothesline to Jericho, sending Y2J down 15 feet from the top. Edge ended up winning the match becoming the first wrestler to win the money in the bank.

9. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XII (Ironman Match)

Every great saga has to have an beginning and none was better than Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Bret Hart was the champ and WWE royality, while Michaels was the young daredevil that had a dream of one day being WWE champion. The two paths would finally cross at WrestleMania 12 in a one hour classic. 60 Minutes is a long time, especially for a wrestling match. To see two guys wrestle for that long is incredible. These two turned this into a classic, this is a must-watch for any wrestling fan. Both men pulled out all the stops trying to gain the upper hand over their opponent. Bret Hart reversed Shawn Michaels attempted Dropkick from the top rope into a Sharpshooter with 32 seconds left on the clock. Neither man could pin or submit the other in 59 Minutes and It seemed with Shawn locked in the Sharpshooter with that much time left, Bret had retained his title. Shawn Michaels withstood the Sharpshooter for over half a minute and forced the match into sudden death. After 60 minutes of intense wrestling, the classic continued….Sudden Death!.  Bret irate over the circumstances mounted some heavy offense on the Shawn's lower back and looked to be in complete control. However, Shawn managed to superkick Bret after avoiding the turnbuckle and catching Bret off guard. Shawn would then set up another sweet chin music. 1….2…..3! The boyhood dream has come true!  

8. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior - WrestleMania VI

The most anticipated match in WWE history! For the first time ever two good guys in their prime were set to do battle on the biggest stage of them all to settle the argument that every 13 yard old would have with their friends during recess. Hogan was the WWF Champ, Warrior the Intercontinental champ (At the time that was like you were Number 1A in the industry). Both were the top heroes of the company at the time. Fans were force to choose sides in this epic battle either you were a Hulkamanic or a Warrior. The 70,000 that jammed the skydome was torn on this one. Both would receive mixed reactions which created a unique atmosphere. Warrior hit the Gorilla Press Slam and splash on Hogan, Everyone thought it was over. Nope. Hogan kicks out and hulks up. Hogan hits the leg drop and we all thought that it was over for Warrior……Nope, he kicks out of the leg drop. Both men exceed people expectations and many consider this to be Warrior best match in the WWE. Warrior ended up winning the battle of the titans, as this was supposed to be the moment when Hulk Hogan would step away from wrestling and Warrior become the face of the WWE; but it turned out that Warrior was just a flash in the pan star and Hogan had to come back and save the day.

7. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant - WrestleMania III

Many would say this is the greatest match of all-time, Hogan/Giant feud spearheaded the popularity of wrestling in the 1980’s. "The Irresistible force, Vs The Irremovable object" both men approach each other slowly and face off in the middle of the ring, in front of 93,000 fans. At the time it was the biggest main event in wrestling history. It was a great back and forth battle with both men looking like immortals. Both men worked the crowd to perfection as Hulk Hogan generated all his energy from the fans as he tried numerous times to slam Andre, eventually dropping the big giant with the power slam heard around the world. Both told a good story, where Andre passed the torch to Hogan to lead wrestling into the 80’s and 90’s.

6. Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2 - WrestleMania XVII

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs…..OH MY! These Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz, and The Dudley Boyz competed in a TLC match in Summerslam the previous year, which was a great match in itself. No one thought they could surpass that TLC with a second at Wrestlemania…..We were wrong. It was fast and furious, non-stop action. These tag teams kept going bigger and bigger, and if you blink for even a second, you woulda miss something you would never see again. The highlight of this match was when Edge speared Jeff Hardy while he was hanging 15 feet in the air. For a second, you actually thought both men fell to their deaths. Edge and Christian ended up being the last team standing (Literally) as the capture the tag teams belts, but the crowd gave all competitors a standing ovation.

5. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - WrestleMania X (Ladder Match)

Shawn Michaels greatest performance in WWE history and at the time put him on the map as a main eventer. Whenever people talk about WrestleMania the first thing they talk about is this match. The Intercontinental title was on the line. It was Razor Ramon, going up against HBK, Shawn Michaels. This match, made me an instant fan of both, especially Shawn Michaels. Ladder matches prior to this classic, would only have the ladder present so that the competitors could grab the titles. These two went a step further, they actually used the ladder to gain an advantage over the other. Both men took their fair share of bumps. Credit to Razor for taking those nasty Ladder Shots to the back. An incredible match from both men. Razor Ramon ended up winning that match, but the real winner was Shawn Michaels as he became a good guy in the process and was on his way to superstardom. The ladder match would also be used as a blueprint for ladder matches to come especially the “money in the bank” match.

4. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXVI (Streak vs. Career Match)

If wrestling was a Godfather saga…..this would be Godfather II and arguably the greatest match of all-time. Undertaker v Shawn Michaels returned to the WrestleMania stage stole the show once again. Expectations for this were off the charts given the stellar outing a year earlier. From the moment the match first entered the consciousness during the Slammy Award ceremony where HBK accepted the trophy for the 2009 Match of the Year and turned to leave, only to turn back and sow the seeds for a rematch, the build was phenomenal. Undertaker saying no to a second go around, Michaels vowing to win the Rumble but falling short in heartbreaking fashion, Shawn then saying he’ll go through the Elimination Chamber to get at Undertaker only for Orton to foil his plans and then the implosion of DX before Michaels decides to interject himself in the Elimination Chamber Match and superkick ‘Taker to cost him the World Championship. From there, it was just a matter of time and when Undertaker added the retirement stipulation, the excitement level went off the scale…then the WWE production crew put together arguably the greatest hype vignette in living memory to leave us simply awestruck. The fact that the match lived up to the hype is probably the most amazing aspect of all, with an evolution of their last encounter and some fantastic counters and exchanges. The closing moments are as tense as you could hope for and the after-match show of respect for Shawn Michaels is genuinely touching.

3. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIII (Submission Match)

This match ended the days of the good guys vs. bad guys wrestling and brought us all right into the “Attitude” era. This feud began in the previous year at the Survivor Series, where Bret returned from a sabbatical after losing his WWF title to Shawn Michaels, went up against the foul mouthed, bird flipping Austin. The feud would lead to WrestleMania 13 in a submission match. Both men would exchange promos before setting up this Submission Match where you can only win by making your opponent submit. Going into this match, Austin was the heel and Bret was the face. Austin's cussing in his promo's started to gain popularity amongst the fans. The match was more like a no holds barred street fight than a submission match as both men literally beat the hell out of each other for 20 mins. Bret Hart locked Austin in the Sharpshooter. Austin who was busted open by then, was in immense pain and withstood the Sharpshooter for what seemed like an eternity. As Bret Hart continued to apply pressure to Austin's Back and legs in the Sharpshooter, blood poured from Austin’s face. The image of Austin screaming in pain as blood rained down his forehead has become one of the company’s most iconic images. Austin eventually passed out from the sharpshooter causing the ref to call the match. Bret may had won the match, Austin won the fans as the cheered for him and booed Bret.

2.  "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - WrestleMania III

Wrestlemania 3 was jammed with 93,000 fans in attendance. Most if not all of them went to see Andre vs. Hogan. Steamboat and Savage would steal the show. This match came about when Savage almost ended the career of The Dragon when he dropped him throat first across the steel railing and then dropping the ring bell on his throat Steamboat returned from his injury, and challenged Savage setting up this match. This match today is considered by many as the greatest in history. It was nothing the WWF had seen before at the time. The pace of the match was just relentless with both men trading near falls and counters. It was a wrestling clinic. Dragon's arm drags were perfect. Savage's Double axe handle's and "clotheslines" were on point. The reversals, close pinfalls, and incredible storytelling was what made this match memorable. Stemboat ended Savage title reign that night, but the both stole the show on an already legendary night.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - WrestleMania XXV

The Undertaker, the man with an astounding 16-0 Wrestlemania record going up against Mr Wrestlemania, Shawn Michaels. Wrestlemania 25, Shawn went into this match with huge confidence in ending the streak because the Undertaker had not defeated Shawn in his career. these two would thrill the 70,000+ at the Reliant Stadium. From the entrances to the finish, it was simply breathtaking. The match that went on to become Match of the Year for 2009 drove the crowd into a frenzy. The final 20 minutes of this match was amazing. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania always seemed a lock to win. However in this match, HBK made us think the unthinkable. Is this is it for the Undertaker? Is it going to be 16-1??? At one point, HBK skinned the cat and Taker caught him, and delivered a Tombstone, driving Shawn's head into the mat. The referee slid in for the count, and it looked like it was 17-0 for the Undertaker. You could hear the crowd getting ready to celebrate, "One, Two, Thr.... AWWWW!!!!". Somehow, Shawn miraculously kicks out of the tombstone piledriver. Jim Ross who was calling the match was in disbelief, "I Just had an outer body experience!!!" Incredible indeed, but no one was more shocked than the Undertaker. The look on his face after Shawn kicked out was golden. Undertaker did eventually land the tombstone on Michaels and got the 1, 2, 3 making the streak 17-0. This was the beginning of year long saga that would set another epic battle at WrestleMania that was a fitting ending to Michaels historic career.   Michaels/Taker II could have easily been No. l on our list but nothing ever comes close to your first time and this match is no different.

Top 10 WWE Divas in the WWE

Sex sells….and so does an ass kicking, so it only right that the WWE put both of those together. There have been many slideshows of the hottest athletes in this or that sport, some even covering all of sports, but WWE deserves a list all its own. The WWE Divas are a collection of some of the sexiest female athletes on the planet. Today Kaboom! Magazine will rank the top 10 divas in the WWE. Beauty, Brains, and Athleticism….it about as close as the perfect woman you’re going to get.  Let’s Begin!

10. The Bella Twins

You couldn’t add one Bella to the list and not add the other could you? Brie made her debut on SmackDown in August 2008; as part of her in-ring persona, she would disappear under the ring during matches, emerging revived. Eventually, however, it was discovered she was switching places with her twin, Nikki, to gain an advantage. After that revelation, the two became members of the WWE roster, eventually competing on all of WWE's brands. Since arriving in 2008, “Twin Magic” has been a big hit during live television and WWE Charity events. Recently Brie and Nikki got their big in-ring push during the Daniel Bryan saga when the two went from crowd favorites to heels. Good or evil, the Bella Twins are always going to be loved by their fans (Even when you wanna boo you cheer for them), now with their recent push to be of a wrestling factor in the divas division, expect “Twin Magic” to be WWE Divas champions.

9. Maryse

WWE Divas has come a long way from the times of Mai Yung back in the 60’s to the sexiness of Maryse, If you don’t think so ask Shawn Merriman. After spending years modeling, including winning Miss Hawaiian Tropic Canada in 2003, Maryse was hired by WWE in 2006, after she participated in the WWE Diva Search competition. In March 2008, Maryse appeared on SmackDown, competing in a swim suit competition. Three months later she made her television in-ring debut. In December 2008, Maryse captured her first title with the company, the WWE Divas Championship, and would hold onto it for seven months. In April 2009 she was drafted to the Raw brand, during the 2009 WWE Draft. She won the Divas Championship for the second time in February 2010, making her the first wrestler to have the championship on more than one occasion. In April 2007, Maryse appeared in Timbaland's music video "Throw It On Me" featuring The Hives. Maryse also appeared in the January 2009 issue of Muscle & Fitness along with Eve Torres and Michelle McCool. She also made a special appearance on Redemption Song, which was hosted by WWE wrestler Chris Jericho, along with Candice Michelle, Mickie James, and Eve Torres.

8. Rosa Mendes

Rosa was a self-described "tomboy" growing up, and was once suspended from school for fighting. She is trained in kickboxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Rosa cites WWE legend Trish Stratus as her inspiration in professional wrestling. In November 2008, Roucka began appearing on Raw, where she became associated with Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella. The following October, she was moved to the ECW brand and started an on-screen relationship with Zack Ryder, who she began to manage. The pair returned to the Raw brand in February 2010, and Mendes was drafted to SmackDown in April. Many folks in the WWE offices feel that Mendes has a very bright future with the company.

7. Gail Kim

In her WWE debut, Gail Kim won the WWE Women's Championship. After being released by WWE in 2004, Kim joined the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and became a star singles competitor. She later left TNA in August 2008, to return to WWE in March 2009. Kim posed topless for a cell phone ad campaign in South Korea. In 2007, Kim was listed on Forbes' Top 40 list of "America's Most Eligible Bachelorettes". In 2009, Kim was a part of the cast of the independent psychological thriller entitled Royal Kill. Gail is a big sports fan, during her vacation time you could usually catch her doing outdoor activities.

6. Melina

Melina is one of the most athletic superstars in the WWE. Melina began her career as a model; she won a Miss California beauty contest and also modeled athletic wear for Nike. She decided to become a professional wrestler after talking to wrestler Mike Henderson in 2000. She was signed to the WWE in 2004, she was a manager for the tag team MNM. She managed them to three reigns as WWE Tag Team Champions, as well as Johnny Nitro to two reigns as WWE Intercontinental Champion. Perez made her WWE singles debut in 2005 and is a three-time WWE Women's Champion, winning the belt twice in 2007 and once in 2009. She also captured the WWE Divas Championship on two occasions in 2009 and 2010, making her a five-time champion overall. Melina is the best in-ring performer in the WWE Divas division, her matches with Natalya Neidhart have been classic matches. Many would consider Melina the female version of WWE superstar Rey Mysterio.

 5. Natalya Neidhart

Neidhart is a third-generation wrestler and member of the Hart wrestling family. She trained in the Hart family Dungeon under the tutelage of her uncles Ross and Bruce Hart.  She debuted on the main roster in April 2008 as Natalya, allying herself with Victoria. The following year, she moved to the ECW brand to manage the debuting Tyson Kidd. They were later joined by David Hart Smith to form The Hart Dynasty and moved to the SmackDown brand. In April 2010, The Hart Dynasty won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship and were moved to the Raw brand. In September, Natalya began focusing on singles competition, which culminated in her winning the WWE Divas Championship in November. In the ring, Natalya is by far the best wrestling diva in the WWE. With hard work, confidence, and super woman type strength, Natalya has fastly became the face of the WWE Divas division. By the end of her career expect Neidhart to hold the most Divas championships in WWE history and be talk about amongst the greatest divas of all-time. 

4. Eve Torres

In 2007 she entered the 2007 Diva Search and won, earning a contract with WWE. She first appeared on WWE programming as a backstage interviewer in 2008, and also appeared in non-wrestling contests such as bikini contests and dance competitions. She later became a full-time wrestler in 2009, After acting as the valet for R-Truth in late 2010, she won the Divas Championship for the second time at the 2011 Royal Rumble in January and is still champion. While attending the University of Southern California (USC), Torres appeared in commercials and music videos. Torres was the co-captain of the USC Fly Girls dance squad and created much of their choreography. She also danced for The Southern California Summer Pro League, the only summer league for National Basketball Association (NBA) players, in Long Beach, California. After graduating from college, she moved into dancing and modeling full-time. After reaching the tryout finals in previous years, Torres became a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–07 season. Torres is trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a blue belt from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California. Torres also participates in kickboxing.  

3.Kelly Kelly

She debuted on the ECW brand in June 2006 as 'Kelly Kelly', with the character of an exhibitionist and performing a striptease. She continued her stripteases, in a segment known as Kelly's Exposé, weekly on ECW, and also became a manager. Kelly then began participating in more wrestling matches, and was moved to the Raw brand in July 2008. Theroughout the next year, she unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Women's Championship, before moving to SmackDown in early 2010. There she challenged Lay-Cool for the WWE Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful. Kelly Kelly was a fan of professional wrestling as a child, and cites Stone Cold Steve Austin as her favorite wrestler. While growing up, Kelly participated in gymnastics for ten years, before she was forced to quit due to an injury. She later took up cheerleading. Kelly studied broadcast journalism, hoping to become a television anchor. She was also a Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear bikini model before she entered professional wrestling.

2. Layla

Layla was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines. Following that, she began dancing for the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat franchise, where she danced for two years. As part of the Miami Heat dance troupe, she received a championship ring. During this time, she appeared on-stage with John Legend as one of his backup dancers. She also danced for P. Diddy and Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2006, Layla was a contestant in the 2006 WWE Diva Search, which she won to earn a contract with the company. Initially appearing on the SmackDown brand, she was moved to the ECW brand in January 2007, where she formed the Extreme Exposé dance troupe with Kelly Kellyand Brooke Adams. In 2008, she was drafted to the Raw brand, where she began managing William Regal. The following year she returned to the SmackDown brand, where she formed an alliance with Michelle McCool known as Team Lay-Cool. In May 2010, Layla won the WWE Women's Championship for the first time, making her the first British woman to hold the championship. Layla is best known as one half of the greatest divas duo of all-time in “Lay-Cool”, but if you ask us…Layla is the most underrated wrestler in the divas division. Layla can adopt to any opponent she faces and expect her and Michelle McCool to battle it out for the top seed of the divas division for years to come.

1. Michelle McCool

Michelle McCool is the greatest heel to ever step foot in the WWE divas division. Before becoming involved in professional wrestling, Michelle McCool taught seventh grade science for four years. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted primarily as a personal trainer and occasional wrestler. She also acted as the manager to the team of K. C. James and Idol Stevens, collectively known as The Teacher's Pets, in 2006 after changing her on-screen character to that of a teacher. At The Great American Bash in 2008, she became the inaugural WWE Divas Champion, holding the title for approximately five months. She then won the WWE Women's Championship at The Bash in 2009, becoming the first person to have held both titles. At Night of Champions in 2010, she unified both titles becoming the first WWE Unified Divas Champion. Along with Layla, Michelle has formed a DX type fraction duo “Lay-Cool” and has become the fraction that WWE fans love to hate. Her mic skills; really set her apart from any other diva today and rivals some of the best males wrestlers of all time.

"Download The Kiss" opens on Blake Griffin in a gym, slamming home a reverse dunk to his friends' dissatisfaction. For his next dunk, Blake grabs a basketball and his Motorola ATRIX 4G smartphone, causing his friends to quiet in anticipation. Blake tosses the ball off the backboard and dunks it in one single motion. Thanks to the speed of AT&T's mobile broadband network, when he lands we notice a video has just finished downloading on his phone, much to the surprise of his friends. The spot ends with Blake's friends completely wowed, as the announcer reminds us that in the network, perfect endings download faster. 4G speeds are delivered when HSPA+ technology is combined with enhanced backhaul. 4G speeds will be available in limited areas with availability increasing with ongoing backhaul deployment.
 

Let’s admit it; we rarely buy CD’s these days. It’s all digital now; iTunes, Napster, and illegal downloads (knock it off, go support hip hop) seem to be the ways most of us get our musical fix. I’m right there with you; I get albums off iTunes all the time, but this CD had me make an exception. Now, I am a devoted follower to hip-hop; independent hip-hop is what usually gets my money, but this time the mainstream got it. So what album got me to make my first CD purchase since Atmosphere’s “When Life Gives You Lemons…”? Would you believe it was the debut album from Blink-182’s tattooed drummer Travis Barker?

Well, better believe it; this album, with the lineup it has and the buzz it was carrying, led me to scoop it up on the release date. What’s the verdict? I made a damn smart choice. Now, a good album for me means it: can be listened pretty much straight through with no track surfing, keeps the listener interested and makes proud the genre it represents. Does “Give the Drummer Some” live up to these expectations?

Travis Barker is known, of course, as a rock drummer, but is also as a big fan of hip hop. When I first saw the pre-orders up for this, I had my doubts. How many rock/hip-hop albums have failed before? Yeah, exactly. Yet, from the minute I popped the disc in, I never hit the skip button. Barker knows hip-hop, knows who stands out and it shows by his array of guests. Of course, you have your pick of the main eventers of the game right now like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and the Game, all on the lead off track, but for me it was seeing some old familiar names that brought the fire. Beanie Sigel, Bun B and Kobe rock my favorite track “Just Chill”, which has a hauntingly, melodic theme that highlights some very serious lyrics from all three. “Let’s Go”, a fast paced track with lyricists matching the track to breakneck speeds, showcases the genre’s fastest: Twista, Busta Rhymes, and Yelawolf with Lil Jon on the hook.

If you get the CD, get the deluxe version. If not, you’re missing out on four tracks, including “City of Dreams” with The Clipse, which is an anthem in its own right. Also, the booklet for the disc shows each track done in different artistic versions. The album showcases masterful collaborations and does the genre proud.

Barker provides the production on most of the tracks, showing he belongs in the genre he’s always loved. World, take note: THIS is how you do a hybrid genre album right. Nothing feels forced or out of place. Go to the store and get this; no way you will be disappointed. Be on the lookout for more from Barker: because after this he is bound to be on everyone’s radar. For more on Travis Barker, visit his site HERE.