Wrestlemania Countdown: Match Countdown #75-26

50 more big matches revealed!
75. The Undertaker defeated Ric Flair in a No Disqualification match (18:47)(Wrestlemania 18)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 4/10
Total: 13/25
Analysis: I can see why Undertaker had to maintain that undefeated streak. At this point, it was a yearly tradition and an institution to mention what Taker’s record was. However, Ric Flair was totally degraded in this match and during the entire feud. His best friend and oldest son were beaten up, and Flair got to have his ass handed him by The Undertaker. The logic put forth by Jim Ross that Flair wasn’t in wrestling shape is understandable, but Taker’s tendency to eat up babyfaces and not give them anything really showed itself here. I was never a big fan of him as a heel in the ring for that very reason. The match itself is good, but when the way this entire feud came off was just wrong and a degradation the legacy of Ric Flair. And Jerry Lawler acting like a moron during this match, as well as some other matches, only served to further annoy me. Jim Ross wasn’t perfect either, but at least he didn’t make a complete ass out of himself, although the main event came mighty close.
74. Shane McMahon defeated Vince McMahon (w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) (w/Mick Foley as special guest referee) in a Street Fight (14:12) (Wrestlemania 17)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 13.5/25
Analysis: Internet smarks smarter than be gave me the perfect phrase for this match, “entertaining crap.” This match seems to work despite itself. Thanks to Shane McMahon seemingly being willing to run WWE from a wheelchair, you have a passable match. Apparently, Wrestlemania 2000 wasn’t good enough to keep this whole McMahon family saga going. We needed another Wrestlemania to keep this damn soap opera going. If nothing else, watching two hot women like Stephanie McMahon and Trish Stratus did a fine job killing some time. But there was some okay brawling for the most part. The real highlight of this match was of course Shane-O-Mac doing the Van Terminator onto his father. Wonder how Wrestlemania 17 announcer and former ECW owner Paul Heyman felt about this sitting at ringside. At least he hit it, and it finished a pretty decent little match.
73. John Cena defeated Edge (c) and The Big Show to win the WWE Heavyweight Championship (14:42)(Wrestlemania 25)
Match Quality: 6.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Total: 13.5/25
Analysis: WWE followed one of the greatest matches in the history of Mania (Taker vs. Shawn) with this wonderful soap opera. In one of the rare instances of the match quality being higher than the entertainment value, this triple threat did not have a lot going for it. Instead of focusing on the championship, we got a love triangle involving Vickie Guerrero, Edge, and Big Show. Cena inserted himself into the match by revealing the triangle, and if nothing else, his expression after showing the video was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on Raw. The match itself was good with Edge and Cena doing as good of a job as is possible under these circumstances. Big Show dragged the match down to his level at a couple point but nothing too major. With the exception of a chosen one or two though, these multi-man matches come off as being less important.
72. Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus to win the WWE Women’s Championship (8:48)(Wrestlemania 22)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Totals 13.5/25
Analysis: Yeah, now we’re talking. Know how good Wrestlemania 22 was? This was the best storyline going on in WWE at this point. If you think it’s because it teased lesbianism between two hot women, then you’re absolutely right. Even so, it was something a little different. The match itself was pretty okay, but I’m deducting points because of the obvious edits done by WWE. I did not see this match, but my friend informs me that Mickie James licked her hand and rubbed it in Trish’s crotch. So it’s okay to show a 40 year old man getting speared through a flaming table, but a sexually suggestive move isn’t? Anyone see the inherent hypocrisy here?
I will say because of the great angle, the entertainment value immediately went up. The video package… amazing to see a women’s title match get its’ own video package… added a little something extra because it summarized this feud brilliantly I’ll go far as to say this is one of the best women’s title matches ever at a Wrestlemania. They even used psychology in this match with Micki working on Trish’s left knee. If only Micki was actually getting some love from the WWE these days instead of being shafted for women who can’t wrestle like Ashley.
One more thing to address before we move on. I mentioned it before when talking about Wrestlemania 22, but this Chicago crowd was completely disrespectful through the whole show. Even Jim Ross went out of his way to talk about how the crowd was being defiant toward some of the babyfaces. It would get worse. This match was no exception as they booed Trish out of the building and embraced the crazy lady. Look, I liked Micki’s character but find me a diva who busted her ass harder then Trish… Go ahead. I’m not saying she’s better then Micki or Victoria. I’m just saying she worked hard and had an actual character to accompany her beautiful looks. Despite all this, I really enjoyed this match a lot.
71. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) defeated Diesel (16:46) (Wrestllemania 12)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 13.5/25
Analysis: I know what you’re thinking. There is no way a match-up between Mark Calloway and Kevin Nash could possibly be good. Well, you’d be wrong. Nash was somewhat motivated during the latter days of early ’96 because he wanted that nice fat contract from WCW or WWF. When you consider who The Undertaker has wrestled in his first few appearances at Wrestlemania, Kevin Nash is Bret Hart when you compare him to say… Giant Gonzalez. Like I said, this is an good match, ironically carried by Diesel. I’m sort of thankful these two would never meet again because in no way do I think these two could possibly have a better match unless there was some sort of miracle. There’s a lot of historical value to this match as this is the last time Kevin Nash wrestled at a Wrestlemania. Amazingly his total matches at this show are two, although he made two other appearances as a bodyguard for Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 10 and Scott Hall’s second at Wrestlemania 18. To this point, this would be the most important victory for The Undertaker at a Wrestlemania. It wouldn’t come close to what would happen in upcoming Wrestlemanias, but thankfully he was out of the mid-card once and for all. The next feud for ‘Taker would turn out to be a turning point in the career of the WWF. Mankind would take Mark Calloway to new waves of violence. He would force him to take his game up a notch. And ultimately, because of how hard ‘Taker worked, he would be rewarded with the WWF championship…finally… one year later in Chicago at Wrestlemania 13.
70. Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) defeated Tito Santana (10:39) (Wrestlemania 8)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 13.5/25
Analysis: Sherri was usually out there to make sure the steroid mongers sold for the puny Shawn Michaels. Good thing for Shawn is Tito has some actual professionalism and an ability to have a decent match. That’s exactly what this was, perfectly acceptable wrestling. It was a chance to show what Shawn could do and give him a nice victory over a veteran on a show the magnitude of Wrestlemania. Although Bobby Heenan put over Michaels hard as being a future champion, I’m not sure anyone would bought it until at lhe won the Intercontinental title in late ’92. Certainly a nice showcase for the future Mr. Wrestlemania although the finish looked screwed up. This is also Tito Santana’s last time wrestling at the big show too in addition to being Michaels’ first singles match at a Wrestlemania.
69. Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) in a Hair vs. Hair Match (6:54)(Wrestlemania 3)
Match Quality: 2.5/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 13.5/25
Analysis: I know Roddy Piper didn’t actually retire after this match like he was supposed to, but this was still a great moment. The match itself wasn’t really that good, but it doesn’t even matter. Piper wins his farewell match before going to Hollywood to film the movie They Live and appear on some television shows. He would come back to the WWF at Wrestlemania V to cause trouble with Morton Downey Jr. and Brother Love. He’d wrestle off and on for the next eight years for the WWF. I’ve already talked about that abortion of a street fight. Thankfully, he got to redeem himself with an induction speech and an appearance at Wrestlemania 2. I wouldn’t want my lasting memory of Roddy Piper at this show kissing a man wearing S&M gear.
This is also a pretty big moment since Brutus Beefcake completes his face turn by giving a really bad haircut to Adonis. He doesn’t even get all of his hair off. More symmetry with Wrestlemania 23 as Vince McMahon would get his hair shaved off in this same area after Umaga lost to Bobby Lashley. Nice to see such tight security too as a fan gets into the ring to congratulate Piper. If I ever see that at a Wrestlemania again, I for one will be stunned.
68. Eddie Guerrero (w/Perry Saturn) defeated Test to win the WWF European Championship (8:30)(Wrestlemania 17)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: This was such a glorious match to watch and enjoy. Test is a talentless oaf who I was actually a fan of at this point. Thankfully, years of perspective have taught me what a complete idiot and shitty wrestler Test was. Eddie Guerro cheats to win as only he can. He completely outsmarts his way to another European championship. It’s not one of the best matches I’ve ever seen, but for sure a very enjoyable contest. Plus, Guerrero holding the European title actually seemed to give the belt some meaning instead of just being there for vanity sake. Additional points to Saturn for having the courage to wear that ugly ass hat in front of close to 70,000 people. Just think. This was before Moppy.
67. The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) (w/ Bobby Heenan) defeated Strike Force (Rick Martel and Tito Santana) (9:17) (Wrestlemania 5)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: *Holds up four fingers* It’s the only appearance for Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. It’s a good effort both of these teams. Strike Force’s days were clearly numbered since they hadn’t teamed much since losing the belts. This match served as the match to light the feud between Tito Santana and Rick Martel. Those two would feud for the rest of 1989 and even into 1990. Anderson and Blanchard’s work here was phenomenal. When you watch some of these other teams, then watch the Busters, it’s amazing to see just how much better Anderson and Blanchard were in that ring. These two were in a class all their own. Tito Santana also did one of the all-time great Wrestlemania sell-jobs on the finishing spike piledriver. Really has to be seen to be believed. The finisher and really this match is one of the real highlights of this show.
66. Triple H (w/Stephanie McMahon) defeated The Rock (w/Vince McMahon), Mick Foley (w/Linda McMahon) and Big Show (w/Shane McMahon) in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match to retain the WWE Championship (36:28)
Match Quality: 5/10
Historical Significance: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 4/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: I remember the result pissing me off in 2000. Eight years later, it has the distinction of still pissing me off. Having a McMahon in each corner took away from what this match should have been all about, the WWF championship. Rock even said as much in a very good promo he cut before this match. People don’t give a damn about the storyline even now. They’ll remember the match though. And it’s one of longest, most disappointing of any of these main events. There’s a lot to say about the main event of Wrestlemania 16, much of it not good. Let’s start with problem numero uno.
The Big Show, as evidenced by being elimnated about five minutes in, had no business being in this main event. All he did was job and that’s it after feuding with The Rock since The Royal Rumble. Mick Foley spent a whopping four weeks retired after losing his Hell in Cell match against Triple H before coming back. He had no business being in this match. The purpose of the feud with Triple H was for it to be Foley passing the torch and ultimately failing to achieve his dream of main-eventing at Wrestlemania. Rocky lost in the first movie. It was okay for Foley to lose at No Way Out. He had one last great rivalry, two awesome matches to make Triple H the biggest star of the WWF at that time. Hell, Triple H should still be giving Foley 5% percent of his salary because of what Foley did for “The Game.”
Considering Rock and Triple H were left as the final two anyway, they might as well have just been the main event itself. I would have rather seen what happened at Backlash happen here instead. Having Steve Austin appear at Wrestlemania (especially since he was there anyway) would have been a very good idea since he had been such a focal point of the three previous Wrestlemanias. Plus, Rocky and Triple H spend a whole lot of time laying around and selling while the McMahons went through with their dumbass soap opera.
A heel walking out of Wrestlemania was pretty historic. It would have meant a hell of lot of more if they had saved it for Wrestlemania 17 when they actually needed it. Steve Austin turning the following year was a major deal, but how amazing would it have been if HE were the first heel champion to end a Wrestlemania. I think it would have worked out much better for the WWF to work it out that way. And when you consider this from a historical perspective, Rock never really got his big Wrestlemania moment in the run. He’s the only guy to lose three consecutive Wrestlemania main events and the Toronto fans completely turned on him for his best moment at these shows against Hulk Hogan. This was a very frustrating match on what turned out to be a frustrating show. Far better days would be ahead at Wrestlemania 17. That would only turn out to be what I think is the greatest Wrestlemania…ever.
65. Chris Benoit defeated Montel Vontavious Porter to retain the WWE United States Championship (9:19) (Wrestlemania 23)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total 14/25
Analysis: This is of course, sadly, Chris Benoit’s last Wrestlemania appearance. And they had a dance party segment just before this match which was The Fabulous Moolah’s last appearance. Felt I should mention Moolah here out of respect for a true icon in women’s wrestling. This is actually the first Chris Benoit match I’ve watched since June of 2007. Watching this contest was almost heartbreaking. This was such an example of why Chris Benoit the wrestler was one of the best ever to step in the ring. JBL talking about him as a Hall of Famer and the respect given to him by the fans and the announcers… I almost have a hard time believing what happened in June of 2007 even today. The one thing I promised to do was mention his opponents and talk about their work. MVP was tremendous in this match, and you can see some of the things that will make him a future star in his own right. And I hope that no matter what, Alvin “MVP” Burke always remembers this night. I also hope he realizes that no matter how much you are associated with being a wrestler, don’t let it consume your life. And who knows? Maybe the tragedy of Chris Benoit saved his own life since in October of 2007, a rare heart condition was diagnosed early enough to be treated.
64. Batista defeated Triple H (w/Ric Flair) to win the World Heavyweight Championship (21:34) (Wrestllemania 21)
Match Quality: 5/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: After what happened with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero the year before, it was hard to care about these two young pups winning the respective WWE championships. This match was nowhere near as bad as the previous match or even some of the world title contests of the past. The problem is this whole main event just left me with a very cold feeling. I’ve never been able to muster any enthusiasm for Batista, regardless of which brand he’s on. By no means am I the king of the Triple H fan club, but I would much rather watch him than watch Batista. Other than a rare match here and there, he’s not a very good wrestler and if it wasn’t for a genetically enhanced body and friends in high places, he’d be lucky to have a job in WWE. How people can diss John Cena, yet cheer for this guy boggles my mind. Wrestlemania 21 was not a disaster by any means. There was the great “Money in the Bank” and Angle/Michaels but these world title matches just really brought the show down.
63. Christian defeated Chris Jericho (14:52) (Wrestlemania 20)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: Chris Jericho’s Wrestlemania appearances, with the exception of his match with Shawn Michaels, tend to be pretty disappointing. This is no exception. Now I’m not saying this is a bad match by any means because it isn’t. The problem is for a guy who was a borderline main eventer and a guy who a lot of fans kidded themselves into thinking was a main eventer, this was just a decent match. There was actually a nice angle associated with this match, so that helped out the entertainment value a little bit. See, Jericho had a bet that he could boink Trish Stratus. But the want to boink turned into a little puppy dog crush. This was the payoff as Trish, just like most women, broke Jericho’s heart and went with the CLB. God bless J.R. for coming up with this acronym. It means “Creepy Little Bastard” in case you forgot that bit of genius. The kiss that Christian gives Trish is pretty interesting too as it’s almost like a porn where he grabs her hair, and she just melts. That’s one reference to porn on this list in case you’re keeping track at home. Stay tuned to see if there are anymore.
62. Rey Mysterio defeated Randy Orton and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match to win the World Heavyweight Championship (9:18)(Wrestlemania 22)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Totals 14/25
Analysis: I have a lot to say about this match. Kind of amazing for a nine minute match. First of all, nine minutes? We couldn’t take away from the Vince beatdown and/or delete the damn pillow fight altogether so this match could get some decent time. These three fought at a rabid pace, and with a slower pace I believe this could have approached some of the great three ways of past WWE history. As it was, it’s a decent wrestling match with and ending that comes out of nowhere. Now, let’s talk about the individual performers because it’s an important aspect of this match.
Firstly, Kurt Angle. How sad is it that a guy who’s had so many great matches will be completely forgotten because he’s an idiot and decided to let the business and drugs consume his life? The worst part is he’s continuing his embarrassment by letting his wife and Vince Russo’s horrific booking overshadow someone who I considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. I consider this to be the last time we ever got to see the real Kurt Angle. I know he had a few matches afterward, but this is the Wrestlemania and Kurt Angle put together another great match. Somehow he walked into two Wrestlemanias with three belts. He lost all three and was not pinned in any of the falls. Got to be some sort of record. Seven Wrestlemanias and this is his last one. We miss you Kurt.
Randy Orton pretty much lost my respect the moment he told Rey Mysterio Eddie Guerrero was in hell. I know it’s likely he was told to say that, but what the fuck kind of human being do you have to be to let those words come from your mouth? It also says a lot about his character that he was suspended shortly after this match for pretty much acting like the biggest tool in WWE. Considering some of the other people in the company, that’s pretty freakin’ hard. Orton amazingly did not use any chinlocks in this match, which certainly helped the entertainment factor.
Finally, we have Rey Mysterio, the winner of this match. Now, I’m all for tributes and honoring someone who meant so much to these people, but this is truly prostituting a dead man’s name for the sake of buyrates. No way does Mysterio even sniff the world heavyweight title without his friend dying. Hey, I’m a Mysterio fan. But this was truly a charity case. Mysterio gets placed in the main event after losing to Orton at No Way Out. He botches a finisher badly in this match and doesn’t even pin the champion. After this he would be squashed multiple times by guys like Khali and JBL. In no way am I saying Mysterio is a bad wrestler, but there are just some guys who have no business being world champion. Mysterio is that man because he’s just too small and really isn’t that complete of a wrestler like an Angle or Triple H.
Overall, this was a decent enough match, but I was uncomfortable with all the tributes and the Eddie Guerrero mentions. Not to mention the briefness of the match and Michael Cole being a crappy announcer. I’ve said enough about this match so let’s move on.
61. Terry Funk and Hoss Funk (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated the Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana (11:42)(Wrestlemania 2)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: Just for Terry Funk being in this match, that’s one point under entertainment value. Poor Dory Funk. His one and only Wrestlemania and he gets saddled with the horrific name, Hoss. History is made as this is the first Wrestlemania match with a Hebner brother as the referee. We also have two former NWA world champions in there, another first for Wrestlemania. Since we have two great wrestlers and one good wrestler, that pretty much makes up for the blackhole of sucktitude that is JYD. This was just a good solid tag team wrestling match, something WWE has no interest in doing anymore. It’s not a classic by any means, but this was gold compared to a lot of the stuff at Wrestlemania 2.
60. Tournament Quarter-Final: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) defeated Greg Valentine (6:06)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: Best match of the Wrestlemania 4 championship tournament and of the whole show. Two great professionals had a solid match here. Nothing too complicated, but since the muscleheads were nowhere to be found, you had an actual good match. This is very similar to the Steamboat/Valentine match so it’s only fitting that they’re so close to each other. My favorite aspect of Savage as a wrestler is how he can morph from a Memphis heel, a role he played so well at Wrestlemanias 2 and 3, to play the underdog babyface getting his ass kicked by the big mean Greg Valentine. It’s matches like these that make me wish Savage hadn’t gone nuts and somehow burned the WWE bridge beyond all repair. It’s funny because I wrote back when I first wrote this in 2008 that we needed a Randy Savage DVD. Guess we actually got it. Never would have believed.
59. Tournament First Round: Greg Valentine defeated Ricky Steamboat (9:12)(Wrestlemania 4)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: This is one of the better matches of the tournament. Ricky Steamboat’s last Wrestlemania match ever was a good one. This was referred to as an upset by some while certain fans are pissed Steamboat didn’t win to set up another Wrestlemania 3 match. With this tournament and the way it was structured, not to mention the long night Savage would go on to have, there was no way Savage and Steamboat could come close to topping what they did a year earlier. I’m almost glad they never wrestled each other again since their rematches could never ruin our visions of their classic confrontation. Believe me, I won’t be going over their match for a while. This match also made me realize how underrated Valentine was in the ring. The guy was never world champion material, but he’s wrestling’s version of a grinder. He could wrestle anyone and make everything look realistic.
58. Steve Austin (w/Ted DiBiase) defeated Savio Vega (10:00) (Wrestllemania 12)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Total: 14/25
Analysis: I will ignore all the Piper bullcrap since I’ve said all that’s needed to be said earlier on in this list. This was a very good match, highly underrated amidst all the hype surrounding the main event, the backlot brawl, Warrior’s return, and Taker against Diesel. Even though the crowd was deader than Savio Vega’s career right now, it’s still a very good stiff effort with a lot of cool nearfalls and reverse pins. The ending wasn’t exactly mean, but I think it worked and set up their MOTYC strap match in May. Did I mention this was the debut of Steve Austin? I’d say that’s pretty darn important too considering the role he’d have in the years to come. This would also be the last time we see Dibiase as a wrestler or manager. There’d be some cameos in the years to come, but he would never again be a regular character in the WWF/E. If it weren’t for the crappy crowd and the Piper stuff, this match would be a lot more entertaining. As it is, a lot of the awesomeness is taken away.
57. Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero (12:39) (Wrestllemania 21)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6.5/10
Total: 14.5/25
Analysis: This was the opener of Wrestlemania 21, and while there really wasn’t anything bad, it was below expectations. This was one of the first times I think you really began to notice just how much the injuries had destroyed the moveset of Rey Mysterio. This is sadly the last Wrestlemania for one Eddie Guerrero, and this match would lead to one of the more crass angles the WWE has ever done. It involved Rey Mysterio’s son, and I don’t really want to focus on that because it still bothers me to this day. Clearly, both of these guys were nervous and it led to some botched moves early on. Throughout the entire match, Mysterio was fidgeting with his mask and the lesson there was to never debut a new outfit. This was also a match that didn’t get a whole lot of time to develop. I think with about five minutes and Mysterio able to fully focus on the match, this is one of the best openers of all time. As it is, it’s just a good solid match with a great deal of flaws.
56. Mr. Kennedy defeated Edge, CM Punk, King Booker (w/Queen Sharmell), Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Randy Orton in a Money in the Bank ladder match (19:05) (Wrestlemania 23)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 14.5/25
Analysis: This match was a clusterfuck if I’ve ever seen one. This is also the weakest of the three Money In The Bank matches. For some reason, this match just didn’t have the flow of the first two. With eight wrestlers and six announcers, keeping focused on this match was very difficult. JBL was clearly the class of the announcers when he chastised Jeff Hardy for hitting a dangerous move on Edge instead of going for the briefcase. Kennedy wouldn’t even get to cash his prize in thanks to an injury. That immediately ruined the historical significance. The positives are that ladder matches always have entertainment value and there were enough spots to keep things fun.
55. Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defeated Los Guerreros (Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero) and Chris Benoit and Rhyno in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship (8:46) (Wrestlemania 19)
Match Quality: 6.5/10
Historical Significance: 1/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 14.5/25
Analysis: Wrestlemania got off to something of a slow start. Everything from here is much golden because it’s either really good or a main event quality match. This has become something of an underground classic, in my opinion because of the people involved. I’ve always been a Sheldon Benjamin fan so it was to see him holding a championship and beating the quality of opponents they did. This was also kind of the last stand for the WWE tag team championships meaning anything since you had two really good teams in there. There must have been a lot of folks from Western Canada since Benoit got an unusually large pop from the crowd. They were in Seattle, it’s logical. This match is very faqst-paced and loaded with action. I only wish this match could have had five to ten more minutes because with that amount of time, you would have had a real Wrestlemania classic. Benjamin and Haas used their intelligence to win here. And I also need to point out how brilliant of an idea it was to have these two young pups be associated with Kurt Angle. I only wish Edge’s little buddies got the same respect and love from the WWE.
54. Brutus Beefcake defeated Mr. Perfect (w/The Genius) (7:48)(Wrestlemania 6)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: Can we please cut out the cheesy interview segments at this show? Now it’s Brutus Beefcake. It’s so blatantly obvious these guys are reading from a script. Maybe I’m just an idiot for not noticing this earlier, but Wrestlemania 6 is being hurt by all this garbage between the matches. I almost wish this was Beefcake’s last match because it’s his only good match. Mr. Perfect does an admirable job carrying Beefcake. His selling in particular is something a lot of wrestlers could take note of today. That bang against the post leading to the big win by Beefcake was a big surprise. Perfect had been feuding with Hulk Hogan and the heat had been transferred over to Beefcake courtesy of some tag team matches with Perfect, Genius, Beefcake, and Hogan. The Genius had also gotten a count-out victory over Hulk Hogan of all people. Mr. Perfect had never lost on television up to this point, I really don’t think anyone was expecting Beefcake to pick up a victory here.
Ironically, Beefcake was supposed to get a huge push and even the Intercontinental championship at Summerslam by beating Mr. Perfect yet again. A boating accident took one Ed Leslie out of the ring for close to three years. And when he did come back, he was nothing more then a Hogan kiss-ass. I like to consider this one of his last times as a real wrestler instead of Hogan muppet. Beefcake even got full revenge courtesy of a haircut given to The Genius after the match was over.
53. Triple H (w/Chyna) defeated Owen Hart to retain the WWF European Championship (11:29) (Wrestlemania 14)
Match Quality: 6.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6.5/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: This was supposed to be Owen Hart’s big revenge for his brother being screwed months earlier. Triple H had recently defeated Hart on an edition of RAW to regain his belt after Goldust had dressed up like Helmsey, only to lose the belt to Hart. If that sounds confusing, then you just don’t understand the logic of one Vince Russo. Chyna being handcuffed to Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter should have evened the odds. But this authority figure had no chance against Chyna, who was cagey enough to interfere anyway and help her man stay the European champion. It wasn’t going to be all bad for D-X at least. The following month would see this feud end once and for all as Owen would turn heel, join the N.O.D, and the two factions would then begin feuding. The match itself was pretty good since Owen Hart is still one of the all-time best talents in the history of wrestling and Triple H was very carryable at this point. With Austin winning, I still think it should have been a complete dud night for D-Generation X, especially considering the heels would ultimately retain the Intercontinental and tag team championships. Hart also really deserved revenge for what happened to his brother. Unfortunately, neither Triple H or Shawn Michaels wanted to put him over.
52. Chris Jericho defeated Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka (with Ric Flair) in a handicap match (8:53)(Wrestlemania 25)
Match Quality: 5/10
Historical Significance: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: When Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka were in the ring, it was really quite sad to see these legends not doing so well in the ring. Then Ricky Steamboat came into the ring and redeemed this match in a big way. The ending few minutes was by no means perfect, but it at least had the advantage of letting a guy in Ricky Steamboat perform on a big stage one more time. Steamboat has almost become forgotten for just being that damn good and I question how many modern wrestling fans even saw him wrestle live in person or on Pay-Per-View. I’ve been a wrestling fan for 15 years and Steamboat’s last match came six months before I even became a fan. Also, just for the record, Chris Jericho’s comments about the legends always looking for one last moment in the spotlight proved right in the case of Ric Flair moreso than anyone who wrestled in the actual match. Mickey Rourke punched Jericho in the face after the match, and it didn’t come off as being special at all. Before watching this match, I barely even remembered it.
51. Marc Mero and Sable defeated The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna (9:11) (Wrestlemania 14)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: There was no reason for this match to be any good, yet it actually was. Marc Mero’s knee injuries took away much of his zip. Dustin Rhodes was never the best of in ring performers. Luna had never really been in any quality matches before and Sable never wrestled before. Yet somehow, the person with the least experience in the ring carried this match. Her exchanges and the intensity she brought to this match made me forget the days of those wretched mixed tags with Savage and Sherri against Rhodes and Sapphire. Sable punched and kicked her way into a very watchable match. Combining Sable’s intensity and the fantastic crowd reaction makes this a very solid Wrestlemania contest. Too bad success went to Sable’s head as the following she would have one of the worst matches on the card with Tori for the WWF Women’s Championship. Mero would be out of the company and divorced from Sable shortly after this. Luna and Sable would continue their rivalry next month where we’d get to see even more of Sable.
50. Hulk Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter (w/General Adnan) to win the WWF Championship (20:26) (Wrestlemania 7)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: I can understand why people like to hate on Wrestlemania 7. There’s the move from one place to a much smaller one. There’s the fact that the WWF went with Sgt. Slaughter in the main event instead of the natural rematch with The Ultimate Warrior. Then to further the problem, you’ve got Slaughter turning his back on the WWF in favor of becoming an Iraqi turncoat. Having this guy turn his back on the United States and turn a war into just another WWF angle is outright offensive. And now that they have far more obligations as a publicly financed company, you can bet the WWE won’t ever be allowed to do something like this again. The Muhamman Hassan disaster should have taught us that. Anyway, I digress. The recipe going into this match should have naturally led to a lame main event with an obvious finish.
While the finish itself was pretty obvious, Sgt. Slaughter worked his ass off like no other. Slaughter and Hogan aren’t the best of workers, but they came to play in this match. Slaughter did a fantastic job with character, offensive as it was, and an even better job bumping around for “The Hulkster.” What should have been a disaster turned into a very good match generally speaking. It would have been even better if not for Hogan defaming the Iraqi flag. Seriously, why is it so offensive for Slaughter to burn Hulk Hogan’s shirt (or even the United States flag), but it’s okay to have this guy tear up and wipe blood with another country’s flag. It’s a moment like that really hurt what turned out to be a surprisingly decent match.
49. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) and Danny Davis (w/Jimmy Hart) defeated The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) and Tito Santana (8:52)(Wrestlemania 3)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: This is such a glorious match for a lot of reasons. A little background since you really have to get the context of the match to appreciate the work being done. Tito Santana had been the Intercontinental champion before meeting Randy Savage in the Boston Garden. There was some controversy involving the referee who just happened to be Danny Davis. Then, a year later an even more controversial decision involving the Hart Foundation defeating the British Bulldogs for the WWF tag team titles, leading to Danny Davis being suspended as Gorilla Monsoon put it “life plus ten years.” Ignoring the fact that he became a referee within three years, he gets roundly booed and the most heat on the show to this point.
It’s also funny to point out who the announcers are. Jesse Ventura allegedly demanded to be announced to the crowd so he’s on the floor being announced and then taking care of the Bulldog’s mascot, Matilda. Therefore, Bob Uecker returns to the booth with Entertainment Tonight’s very own Mary Hart. It’s not as bad as you might think since Gorilla Monsoon knows how to manage the booth. Bob Uecker has had to put up with people like Joe Morgan and Bob Costas in the booth (so he’s dealt with far worse) and Mary Hart sort of sits there and makes a few observations, including the call of a big move.
The execution of this match is quite brilliant. See what happens when you put six professionals who know what they’re doing out there. And props to Jimmy Hart who took an absolute beating all night long from various people including Santana, Piper, and the biggest insult of all, Alice Cooper. The ending is also great because the babyfaces are so consumed with their hatred of Davis that they don’t bother pinning him. Davey Boy Smith even gets a freakin’ piledriver, a move that Mary Hart of all people calls, and David is dead. But he won’t pin him. So of course, we have a six man melee. Davis gets Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, waffles Davey Boy, and picks up the win with a 1-2-3. The crowd is pretty pissed needless to say. If I was a fan back then, I would be too, but with 21 years of perspective, I can appreciate just how much fun this match is.
48. The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated The Barbarian and Haku (w/Bobby Heenan) (10:41) (Wrestlemania 7)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: For a guy who’s nickname was Mr. Wrestlemania, his first five Wrestlemania appearances haven’t exactly delivered the greatest of result. In all seriousness, this could very well be one of the better openers you’ll ever see at a Wrestlemania. Even more amazingly, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty carried the future Faces of Fear to a darn good match. They managed to keep a quick pace as well as a believable finish. Too bad for Bobby Heenan. This would be his last Wrestlemania as an official manager. Yet, he was also serving as an announcer for all but the two matches involving his men. His replacement in his match? Hacksaw Jim Duggan. On the plus end, this means he isn’t wrestling. On the negative side, he has to talk for about fifteen minutes. He actually isn’t as bad as you might think, but after listening to Jesse Ventura for six shows, he definitely pales in comparison. This would prove to be the last Wrestlemania for Barbarian, Haku, and even Marty Janetty. Look it up everyone. Even though he would be off and on in the WWF, he never wrestled at another Wrestlemania. This also marks the first victory for the aforementioned Michaels.
47. The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) and Ahmed Johnson defeated The Nation of Domination (Crush, Faarooq and Savio Vega) (w/Wolfie D, J.C. Ice and Clarence Mason) in a Six-Man Chicago Street Fight (10:45) (Wrestllemania 13)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 15/25
Analysis: There’s really only one way to follow one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history. STREET FIGHT. Even though it was on the mean streets of Rosemont and not Chicago, this was what the kids call entertaining crap. You know it’s gonna be a cartoon type of street fight when you see an actual kitchen sink being used. You’ve pretty much got six of the worst in-ring wrestlers in this match too. Go back and look at some of my ratings to see proof of that. Letting these six go out and create chaos was a very intelligent move. It also kept the crowd involved since there was all kinds of action everywhere. I could have lived with all the fire extinguisher shots, but what can you do? This would be the second and last appearance for Crush (darn) and Ahmed Johnson, the return to Wrestlemania for L.O.D., and the first ever street fight in Wrestlemania history. See, now why couldn’t they just do something like this for Piper and Goldust? Probably wouldn’t have been any better, but the message could have been gotten across. Fun little match with very little flow, but a whole lot of entertainment value. I only wish this would have been the blowoff for the Johnson/N.O.D feud. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be and Johnson’s WWF career never fully materialized because of injury.
46. Edge (w/Lita) defeated Mick Foley in a Hardcore match (14:37)(Wrestlemania 22)
Match Quality: 8/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Totals 15/25
Analysis: This match was a little sad to watch. Mick Foley coming out of retirement yet again was almost pathetic. And I don’t give a damn what anyone says. This wasn’t even close to a classic Wrestlemania match for one Mick Foley. I’ve seen better street fights from both guys before. Although I will say, the barbwire Foley wrapped around his chest to counter the spear was quite clever. The spear through the flaming table just reeked of a stuntman looking for one more night of glory. I’m assuming (and hopeful) this is the last time Mick Foley ever wrestles at a Wrestlemania, so history plays a part in this contest. This is another match that I think has aged well in the last couple of years and has taken on a new life. I still think people overrate it, but I can see where people have come to embrace this as one of the better Mania matches.
45. Lawrence Taylor defeated Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Ted DiBiase) (11:42) (Wrestllemania 11)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 15.5/25
Analysis: I’m usually the first one to bash celebrities for even trying to step in the ring and compete as professional wrestlers, mostly because they usually fail miserably. I look at guys like Mayweather, who was covered for beautifully by Big show, and Mr. T, who was carried around by Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, as guys who didn’t respect the business all that much. I have no idea what LT thought of this match or what kind of attitude he had, but I certainly give him all the credit in the world for stepping in the ring and having such a good match. Of course, Bam Bam Bigalow deserves a great deal of credit by himself obviously carrying Taylor, but LT, in what was indeed his first and last match, executed a lot of holds and maneuvers that takes years for other guys to learn. That balls to walls attitude Taylor brought to football was definitely brought here too.
Before diving into the match, I feel an obligation to discuss Steve McMichael. See, he was notable during this time period for calling out Kama while on commentary during an episode of RAW. I guess WCW saw this and decided to make him a commentator on Nitro. They were then further inspired to actually try him a wrestler as well. Neither really worked out well for WCW.
Salt ‘N’ Pepa (remember them?) performed Taylor’s entrance theme song. They re-mixed one of their hits as part of the entrance theme. In addition, all of the members of the Million Dollar Corporation and LT’s all-pro team get introduced individually. This eats up a great deal of time. No wonder everything was so short. Ultimately, I think everyone was satisfied with how this match turned out. It was better than it had any right to be, and gave everyone a happy ending. Sadly, Bigalow would be out of the WWF by the end of the year and never really recovered from this loss. Sadly he would pass away at the beginning of 2007 after a near 20 year career. Taylor would eventually conquer some of his own demons and is now apparently clean and sober.
44. The Undertaker defeated Triple H (18:17) (Wrestlemania 17)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 16/25
Analysis: It was good to see Undertaker win this match in his hometown because I was quite tired of Triple H winning all the time. This is a pretty important match in the history of the WWF, although you might not realize it. Triple H had beaten just about everyone in the WWF at this point except the dead man. When he used the sledgehammer and was about ready to pin ‘Taker, I was borderline ill to my stomach at the thought of Triple H winning yet another match. The match itself used some gimmicks and a whole lot of work on the outside to hide the fact that ‘Taker wasn’t having very good matches at this point. Once he lost weight and started enjoying MMA, that’s when Undertaker actually began having the best matches of his WWF/E career. What’s also interesting about this Wrestlemania was this was the first time ‘Taker’s streak was actually emphasized and it was mentioned that “Hey, this guy has never lost at the biggest show of the year.”Maybe the streak will end at some point, but thank God it didn’t end here considering what was about to happen in the main event.
43. Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette) (w/Roddy Piper as Special Guest Referee) to win the WWE Championship (10:38) (Wrestlemania 10)
Match Quality: 4/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 16/25
Analysis: I know this match is ranked ridiculously high, but screw it. This is one of my favorite moments in the history of Wrestlemania. Bret Hart, having already had a classic match, didn’t even try to do different things with Yokozuna like he did at Wrestlemania 9. It was just a basic back and forth match with a tremendous ending. Bret Hart sells that knee injury from earlier like a champ throughout the match. What could have been a mundane main event becomes something special once Hart finally wins the title. It was one of those moments where Vince McMahon seemed to realize the error of his ways and just gave the title to the man who deserved it the most. Hart not only won the title clean, but he got a celebration unlike any other. All the babyfaces came out to celebrate with Hart. Roddy Piper, a WWF legend and referee, made the count and was one of the first people to congratulate Hart. Lex Luger, who choked earlier, also came out to congratulate Hart for slaying the dragon. The Macho Man, another legend, joined the celebration. The celebrities, Gorilla Monsoon, and Vince McMahon were also there too. It was such a classy moment and perhaps the finest hour in Bret Hart’s career. Maybe the match wasn’t the best, but like I’ve said before, Wrestlemania isn’t always about the match itself.
42. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (w/Jimmy Snuka) defeated Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (w/Cowboy Bob Orton) (w/ Muhammad Ali as guest outside referee) (13:13)(Wrestlemania 1)
Match Quality: 5/10
Historical Significance: 5/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 16/25
Analysis: The entrances alone are better then just about every other match on this card. Billy Martin starts the tradition of the lit up ring announcer. Burt Reynolds would follow this tradition 10 years later. He is also the first of three straight baseball guys (Martin, Tommy LaSorda, and Bob Uecker) to make appearances. The Garden going crazy and chanting”Ali” alone was one of the best Wrestlemania moments that I wish WWE would talk about once in a while. Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, Hulk Hogan, and even Mr. T knew their roles and played them perfectly in this match. Maybe it wasn’t the best of matches, but it was the first of its’ kind.
Before L.T., Mr. T was the best celebrity wrestler of all time. Even though he’s kind of a punchline now, T was extremely popular in his day for the work he did on The A-Team. Piper is just one of the best heels I’ve ever seen. No one could get under the skin of his opponents better. Neither Piper nor Hogan were the best in-ring, but they played their roles so well that it almost didn’t matter. If only these guys had gotten to blow off their feud in the WWF.
This was pretty much a formula tag team match, but this is the match that gave Wrestlemania its’ reputation. Without this match, there might not be a WWF. Yes, Hogan vs. Andre was the biggest match, perhaps in the history of the business, but without this spectacle, who knows where we would be? Also, because of the magnitude of the event, a lot of the wrestlers seemed very nervous and trepadatious. Guys like Steamboat and Andre were a clear exception. These four, who I’m sure had butterflies flying all around their stomach, kept their poise and had the best match possible. It’s not a classic wrestling match, but even a workrate nazi has to appreciate all the pageantry involved in this match. The roles were so clear. These guys knew what they had to do and they did it.
I don’t think it’s one of the 5, 10, or 25 best matches of all time, but I will certainly give the first main event in Wrestlemania history its’ due.
41. Shawn Michaels (w/Jose Lothario) defeated Bret Hart in an Iron Man match to win the WWF Championship (1:01:52) (Wrestllemania 12)
Match Quality: 6/10
Historical Significance: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Total: 16/25
Analysis: This is one of the controversial and divisive matches in the history of Wrestlemania. To be honest, I did not enjoy this match at the stop, and I still find it hard to watch. It’s not that I don’t enjoy both guys’ work. Hell, both Shawn Michaels and Bret are two guys I would consider my favorites of all time. The problem is I believe these two tried to treat this match as a personal contest of wills instead of working a match. It’s why neither guy wanted to take a regulation pinfall, and why there was no psychology.
Bret Hart is a guy who once sold a knee injury through two different matches. In his opening match against Owen Hart, he injured his knee (kayfabe) and it ultimately cost him the contest when he lost to a simple victory roll. Later on that night Hart came out limping before his match with Yokozuna. After seeing Hart’s arm and shoulder worked on, he should have been barely lift it up. Instead, Michaels’ arm work goes by the wayside. We all know about the tension between Michaels and Hart, but at this point it was nowhere near the breaking point. I believe Hart felt he had so much to prove, he didn’t want to sell that arm for fear of showing any weakness.
The WWF obviously wanted this to be an epic contest or else they wouldn’t have given these guys 60 full minutes. With falling ratings and a depleted roster, you’ve got to give the WWF credit for having the guts to have a match like this. These kind of matches were fixtures of the 70s and 80s, but they had fallen out of favor in the 90s. That is unless you want to count that craptacular 60 minute match between Shane Douglas and Tully Blanchard. I actually watched the Rock vs. Triple H Iron Man match as well as the first C.M. Punk vs. Samoa Joe 60 minute draw from 2004 for a comparison. I’m not saying that any of those four are better workers then Michaels and Hart. What I’m saying is they worked smarter types of matches.
Rock and Triple H used multiple finishes in a realistic way. By having Triple H take such a commanding lead early, it made for a more dramatic finish. People wanted to see if the Rock could come back or if Triple H would regain the title. Now the ending was abysmal, but the whole of match was far superior to this match. The more enthusiastic crowd in Kentucky compared to the almost cationic Anaheim also helped too.
Punk vs. Joe from ROH’s World Title Classic was not an iron man match, but it worked because up to that point, people had been trying to beat Joe. Punk changed the strategy up and attempted to wear down Joe over the long period of time. Once you watch the other two matches, you’ll appreciate their entire trilogy, but the way they worked that first match was something special.
I feel using these two examples explain why I feel this way about the main event of Wrestlemania 12. Combining everything together, this was not executed well. The crowd has no interest. There wasn’t the kind of psychology that could have made this match special. Finally Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are not good enough to fill up 60 minutes. There are going to be some slow points and those are chances to talk about the psychology or story behind the match. Lawler is too busy making jokes about Hart’s father and Vince is… well Vince. Add it all together, you have one of the big disappointments in the history of this show.
40. Tournament Final: Randy Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth and Hulk Hogan) defeated Ted DiBiase (w/André the Giant) to win the vacant WWF Championship (9:27)(Wrestlemania 4)
Match Quality: 5.5/10
Historical Significance: 4/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 16.5/25
Analysis: I know you might be thinking this is a high rating, but this is a very important match. I already mentioned what I thought was the best match; however, throwing in the other two factors gives the edge to main event of Wrestlemania 4. Randy Savage, one of the WWF/E’s biggest legends, wins his first title and becomes the first WWF superstar to wrestle four times in one night. It’s one of Savage’s finest hours even with that leech Hulk Hogan at ringside. It gets even worse when you think about the ending of this match.
Obviously, the match itself isn’t the greatest and it’s really about Hogan countering Andre the Giant at ringside. What offends me is the same thing that bugs Jesse Ventura. Hulk Hogan uses a chair to hit Dibiase in the back to help Savage get the win. I think it’s ridiculous to have a role model, even if it’s against someone like the heel Dibiase, use a chair and destroy the story of this tournament. A small package leading to an improbable Savage victory would have worked out so much better. Hell, Dibiase being thrown off or distracted by the appearance of Hogan would have been much preferred over this ending. Savage was going to be the guy for the next year. Bad enough he almost had to be a co-champion with Hogan anyway. He couldn’t even get a clean win to pick up his first championship. The worst part is Hogan would even ruin Savage’s second world title victory in a different way at Wrestlemania 8.
39. The Undertaker defeated Randy Orton (14:14) (Wrestllemania 21)
Match Quality: 6.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 16.5/25
Analysis: This match did a great job of kidding us into believing Randy Orton was getting better and was even developing into a good wrestler. I can’t stand Randy Orton. I could before and I sure as hell don’t now. This, however, was a very well done match on all counts. I don’t think anyone believed Orton could actually win this match, but for a couple minutes I sort of thought Undertaker might actually lose. The moment I’m specifically referring to is when Orton turned a powerbomb into an RKO. To a lesser extent, the cast shot did the job too. I’d say three of the last four Undertaker Wrestlemania matches have been really good, and this was the start of that little run. This was also positioned perfectly as it came early in the show before any of the main events and the lame ass sumo fight. One of the better executed matches that came out of this evening. I only wish the two world title matches could have matched the drama and intensity of this match. Obviously, Taker winning equals some historical importance, and this was a very entertaining match to watch.
38. Steve Austin defeated The Rock (w/Mankind as special guest referee) in a No Disqualification match to win the WWF Championship (16:52)(Wrestlemania 15)
Match Quality: 6.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 16.5/25
Analysis: Shawn Michaels makes his contractually obligated Wrestlemania appearance to make sure Vince McMahon was the special referee. Here’s my thoughts on this whole situation. Why can’t we just have one referee officiate the match, have Austin and Rocky have the kind of epic title match we all know they can have and call it a day? Because Vince Russo is a putz. You may have noticed everytime I’ve talked about Wrestlemania 15, I’ve taken a cheap shot at Vince Russo. I’ve done this for a darn good reason. His slimy greaseball fingers all over every single one of these matches. In so many cases, his writing ruins potentially decent matches. The roster in 1998 and 1999 was not all that good, and the fact that the WWF was making somewhere between a bajillion and two bajillion dollars has nothing to do with it. Vince Russo sure as hell wasn’t the reason. Two guys wrestling in this match are the big reasons. Austin and Rock did everything in their power to cut through the crap and be the best damn wrestlers they could be. And that guy who returned for this main event, Jim Ross, facilitated this garbage too so it could make some semblance of sense. Yet Captain New York thought J.R. was too southern or too ugly or whatever. Well, I ask you this fair reader. Who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and is regarded as one of the greatest announcers of all time? Who did Austin and Rock raise hell for to have him call this match? Sure as shit wasn’t the head of TNA’s booking committee.
Wrestlemania 15 will go down as one of the worst Wrestlemanias of all time. Thankfully, this is neutralized by the fact that a crapload of people bought it and the WWF was ridiculously hot at this point. These two have a very good match here. However, I think their match at Backlash was actually more epic and their main event at Wrestlemania 17 was one of the biggest matches in WWF/E history. For this reason, some of the history is lost. It’s a passable match, but all the fighting on the outside and four referees being taken out are major distractions.
37. CM Punk defeated Kane, Mark Henry (with Tony Atlas), Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Christian and Finlay (with Hornswoggle) in a Money in the Bank ladder match(14:24)(Wrestlemania 25)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 17/25
Analysis: Seeing Punk win at Wrestlemania 24 was like a dream. For him to win twice in a row was an amazing experience for me personally. I don’t think this was nearly as good of a Money in the Bank match as years past because of the inclusion of guys like Mark Henry and Kane. Sheldon Benjamin and John Morrison were of course highlights in this match with their willingness to bump all over the place and do some crazy stuff. Honestly though, I’d like to see the amount of men competing in the match back down to six just so it can become less of a clusterfuck and it comes off less scrupted and choreographed. The drama at the end was at least well done with Punk fighting everyone off before finally winning the briefcase. I doubt Punk wins it three years in a row, but I’d certainly love to see Kingston get based off his performance at this Money in the Bank and over the last year.
36. Hulk Hogan defeated André the Giant (w/Bobby Heenan) to retain the WWF Championship (12:01) (Wrestlemania 3)
Match Quality: 2/10
Historical Significance: 5/5
Entertainment Value: 10/10
Total: 17/25
Analysis: This will go down as one of the most important matches in the history of not only Wrestlemania professional wrestling. It drew one of the largest crowds in the history of the sport and it featured two larger than life figures having a match. If I could give extra credit for historical significance, I would.
What drags the match down is of course the quality. Lord does this match blow. Slow. Plodding. That’s being kind. This was definitely a sports entertainment spectacle as opposed to a pure wrestling match. I’m giving the highest rating possible based on just what it meant for the sport, but when I began constructing this list, I wanted a list that truly identified the best matches on a number of criteria, not just how much it drew or how many snowflakes it received.
35. Randy Orton defeated Triple H and John Cena in a Triple Threat match to retain the WWE Championship (14:09) (Wrestlemania 24)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 17/25
Analysis: I think this is going to go down as one of the more underrated world title matches of all time. Although it’s quite short, I was surprised by the performances of all three guys. The pace was brisk and fast throughout, and that did a great job separating this
match from the world heavyweight title match that came later in the show. I was positive Orton was losing the title here, and that this would be the main event of the show. I was clearly wrong on both counts. However, of all 24 Wrestlemanias, this was one of the best-paced I’ve ever seen. The four hours literally flew by. I’m not saying this was the best show, but the show itself came off very well.
There was also some history as Triple H maintained his losing streak at Wrestlemania, John Cena actually lost for the first time at a Wrestlemania, and Randy Orton escaped with his championship. The historical significance is hurt a bit by Orton turning around and losing the title at Backlash, but with this not being the main event and so much other important stuff happening, I think it was a good move for Orton to keep the championship here. I actually gained a measure of respect for Orton and continue to wonder why the hell Cena continues to be subjected to garbage from a lot of WWE fans. Good match though, and I’ll be talking about what I believe is a highly underrated match, which was the main event of this show, shortly.
34. Rob Van Dam defeated Shelton Benjamin, Ric Flair, Finlay, Matt Hardy and Bobby Lashley in a Money in the Bank ladder match (12:21)(Wrestlemania 22)
Match Quality: 7.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Totals: 17.5/25
Analysis: See what happens when you only have six guys? The results are so much better. Sheldon Benjamin’s propensity for stealing the show is quite amazing too. Seriously, why can’t this guy get a push? I thought the Ric Flair injury story was interesting, but it would have actually meant something if he WON THE MATCH. RVD winning this match and eventually cashing the sucker in for a world title match at One Night Stand a few months later makes this match slightly more historic. It also directly led to the one and only world championship title reign Van Dam would have. And isn’t it amazing how no one seems to mention that he’s also undefeated at Wrestlemania? Very good ladder match thanks to the work of Flair, Benjamin, and RVD.
33. Edge defeated Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Christian (w/Tyson Tomko) and Kane in the first Money in the Bank ladder match (15:17) (Wrestllemania 21)
Match Quality: 8/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 18/25
Analysis: This is quite the historical match as it’s the first ever for a new Wrestlemania tradition, the “Money in the Bank” match. The fact that Sheldon Benjamin didn’t get a push after this Wrestlemania based off of his performance is quite offensive. He used a great deal of athleticism and introduced new ways to use the ladder and ultimately hurt yourselves. I liked the idea of this match when it was first introduced because it gave people who weren’t necessarily in a program a chance to be on the show on a match that had some meaning. This was just after the whole deal went down with Edge, Matt Hardy, and Lita went down so I think people were a bit surprised he won this contest. Edge did win this match and used it to really catapult his career from mid-carder to perpetual main eventer. This is probably my second favorite “Money in the Bank” match because of the work of Benjamin. There was also some good drama with Chris Benoit and his selling of the arm. Kane seemed like an odd choice, but he really didn’t stick out like the sore thumb I thought he would be. His presence actually sort of centered things and gave all of the other small guys someone to shoot at so to speak. Truly a great tradition started out here. It definitely gives the early part of the show a little bit of drama and for sure something crazy to remember at every Wrestlemania from here on in. Plus, the tendency is to have someone win this match as a mid-carder and give themselves a shove into a main event spot.
32. Diesel (w/Pamela Anderson) defeated Shawn Michaels (w/Sid and Jenny McCarthy) to retain the WWF Championship (20:35) (Wrestllemania 11)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 18/25
Analysis: Before we get to the match, this from wikipedia: “Pamela Anderson had originally been scheduled to accompany Shawn Michaels to the ring but this was changed due to a real-life backstage confrontation that occurred between Michaels and Anderson’s jealous boyfriend Tommy Lee. “
Up to this point, this had been just about the worst Wrestlemania of all time. Thankfully, the last two matches somewhat redeem it. I already discussed the egregiously long entrances for the actual main event, but it’s pretty bad here too. I will say John Turturro was one of the better celebrity ring announcers. He didn’t seem drunk and was enthusiastic introducing Diesel and Shawn Michaels. Because of the jealously of one Tommy Lee, Pamela Anderson escorted Diesel to ringside. She would even get assigned to sitting next to Jenny McCarthy. I wonder if there was a near catfight there. Quite frankly, I don’t care if Shawn Michaels is wrestling Ric Flair in his prime, I’m watching those two fight. JTT’s tuxedo looks way too big on him just for the record.
Bret Hart discussed this match in comparison to the one he had with his brother the year before in various shoot interviews and his book. He said that Shawn did a terrible job keeping himself as the heel and pretty much just stole the show. Honestly, Diesel wasn’t the most over guy in the world ever either. I don’t see any way for Shawn to wrestle a quality match any other way. Shawn got a very large babyface pop from the crowd regardless of what happened during the match. He also carried Diesel to one of his best matches ever. Them both being friends and Kliq members certainly helped. There’s a lot of history here as it’s Diesel’s first time actually wrestling at a Wrestlemania and the first time these friends ever met. These two would actually top themselves a year later in a street fight, but sadly Mr. Kevin Nash picks up the deuce here. This is definitely the match where Shawn Michaels took a huge step, from upper mid-carder to someone who fans could now accept as WWF champion. One final thing about this match. And to the people chanting “Sid” and the person who brought that “PSYCHO SID RULES” sign, all of you should be ashamed of themselves. Its people like you that keep encouraging wrestling companies to sign him. Stop doing that and maybe he’ll go away.
31. Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (c) and The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (15:40) (Wrestlemania 17)
Match Quality: 8/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total: 18/25
Analysis: I can’t give this as good of a rating as their Wrestlemania 2000 match and even the first TLC match (if I was rating their Summerslam match) because this was almost too chaotic. Six guys wasn’t nearly enough. Rhino, Spike Dudley, and Lita decided to interject themselves throughout. I can see why they did this, because there’s only so many tables to go through and ladders to jump off of, but you could tell this great rivalry was losing steam at this point. Edge and Christian won their seventh and last tag team titles together. They also went 3-0 against their hated rivals in the various ladder matches. As good as the match was, I took some entertainment points because I really had a hard time staying with this match and enjoying it as much I did the one at Wrestlemania 2000. The original seemed to have some good ebb-n-flow while also having the highspots meaning something. This match, it just felt like these guys immediately went into high gear, and we had far more deadspots then we did before. I know it sounds like I hated this match, but I’m really just being picky because I still liked the actual a match a great deal, and I only wish the tag team division could be this good and heated again.
30. John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship (28:20) (Wrestlemania 23)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Totals: 18/25
Analysis: The main event of Wrestlemania 23 did everything it could to be the kind of epic contest any main event should be. As it turns out, HBK and John Cena went out and had a very good wrestling match. Unfortunately, I can’t really consider this a true classic. HBK’s early work on Cena’s knee went nowhere. If Cena had done a better job of selling throughout the rest of the match, I think this would be considered an instant classic. The other thing is this match just didn’t have the intensity so many other Wrestlemania matches had. I’m not quite sure why. Michaels and Cena had never had a big one-on-one match before, so perhaps that’s the reason. The proof of that might be that just weeks later, Michaels and Cena had a fantastic 55 minute RAW main event in London.
This was still a very good bout as the crowd heat was off the chart. Jim Ross showed why he is the best big match announcer in the history of pro wrestling. He told a great story and painted a very good picture of the strategy involved with both men. The final few minutes also seemed to be when Michaels and Cena got into the groove as I would put their ending sequence against any in Wrestlemania history. Also, you cannot ignore the historical significance of beating Triple H and John Cena by submission in back-to-back years.
29. The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid) (w/Ozzy Osbourne and Lou Albano) defeated The Dream Team (Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake) (w/Johnny V.) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (13:03) (Wrestlemania 2)
Match Quality: 7/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 18/25
Analysis: FINALLY!!!!! See, this is actually what I consider this to be the first three star match in Wrestlemania history. Up to this point, it was a parade of crap for the most part. This was the best match on Wrestlemania 2, meaning this is quite the step up for one Brutus Beefcake. This is a unique match for a number of reasons. First, there are two officials to prevent any shenanigans. And amazingly, you don’t have to read anything into it since the two official thing barely plays into the match at all. Secondly, Ozzy Osbourne is escorting his British brethren to the ring. Gene Okerlund also provides a very ironic comment considering what would happen to Ozzy later in life when he said, “Ozzy is shaking at ringside.” Ouch. Finally, this is the debut for both Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid at Wrestlemania.
28. CM Punk defeated Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Carlito, Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), Mr. Kennedy and John Morrison in a Money in the Bank ladder match (13:55) (Wrestlemania 24)
Match Quality: 7.5/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Total: 18.5/25
Analysis: I guess I should make it really clear that I have an intense bias toward C.M. Punk. Hence, I loved this match and the result a great deal. I had predicted Jericho was going to take the briefcase, and I was pretty alright with that, but to see Punk win this magnitude a match on this kind of stage was awesome to see. The negative of Punk winning is the historical significance still being too early to determine. If Punk ultimately wins the championship and goes onto have a lot of success, then you’d have to call this a pretty big deal. As far as the other “Money in the Bank” matches, I’d put this above the ones at 22 and 23, but still not as a good as 21. Having Sheldon Benjamin and John Morrison killing themselves for our enjoyment also didn’t hurt either. It was also nice to see Matt Hardy get some revenge on MVP, even if it was the most predicted run-in of all time. Points also go the triumphant return of Chris Jericho. Good to see Jericho back, even if he does have a Bon Jovi haircut.
This match featured the usual craziness mixed in with a couple of innovative ladder spots. The ending with Jericho and Punk fighting over the briefcase was one of the better endings of a ladder match I’ve seen in quite some time. Instead of an anti-climactic climb, there was dram up until the moment when Punk grabbed his first step towards being the next great WWE superstar. Very good match and I hope I can rate it even higher years from now.
27. John Cena defeated Triple H to retain the WWE Championship (22:02)(Wrestlemania 22)
Match Quality: 7.5/10
Historical Significance: 3/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Totals 18.5/25
Analysis: As much as I’ve criticized the Chicago crowd during many of these Wrestlemania 22 matches, they certainly created one of the most dynamic atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed for a main event at any show, let alone Wrestlemania. The only problem I have is how the crowd can cheer a guy whose married the boss’ daughter and essentially runs this company over John Cena. I know it’s become quite cool to hate Cena, but once again I think this crowd overreacted with their booing of Cena and cheering Triple H. Good of the announcers, Cena, and Triple H to acknowledge the crowd response. I thought the wrestlers adjusted nicely.
Funny note to mention: Jim Ross mentions Triple H is appearing at his 11th straight Wrestlemania, one shy of Bret Hart’s 12 straight. What happened the next year? Triple H is hurt and thus cannot tie Hart’s record. Also, it should be noted C.M. Punk gets a nice cameo as one of the gangsters during Cena’s entrance. Speaking of the entrances, I think they went a little too far. I know it’s sports entertainment, but it sure as hell ain’t a costume show.
The match itself is pretty good, especially with the fantastic atmosphere lending a hand to the drama of this contest. I know I took a shot at him earlier, but Triple H made Cena look like a superstar here. Tapping to Chris Benoit is one thing, but then tapping to John Cena the very next year is something quite different. I also loved the story of this match, with Triple H being the heavy favorite and Cena the big time underdog. Also, Triple H’s croch chop got a nice pop. There’s the other half of your D-X tease. I would have hoped this match would get the respect of this bothersome crowd, but that would be asking too much I guess. The chants of “You can’t wrestle,” “Fuck you Cena” and “Cena sucks” made me in a way cheer for Cena even more. I’m not a member of the chain gang, but at a certain point I almost felt sorry for the guy.
This was the best match at Wrestlemania 22 for so many reasons. If only the rest of this card had the build and fantastic booking this contest did. I only wish the crowd could give Cena the same respect.
26. Eddie Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Championship (21:32) (Wrestlemania 20)
Match Quality: 9/10
Historical Significance: 2/5
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Total: 19/25
Analysis: You want to talk about creepy angles and matches? This match is just that. I really don’t want to get into specifics, but this is yet another Wrestlemania 20 match that’s really hard to get into because of what’s happened since that fateful day in mid-March. Since I want to avoid the angle, I’ll talk about the match itself. While the triple threat world heavyweight title match went with a certain epic feel, Angle and Guerrero distinguished themselves by having a spectactular low-key technical classic. Guerrero had already had his wonderful celebration a month earlier when he beat Brock Lesnar at No Way Out.
Since this wasn’t the main event, I think the ending works out a lot better. Instead of hitting the big frog splash to pick up a win, he outsmarts Angle by feigning injury and using a simple schoolboy to pick up the win. The story of the match was Angle being able to dominate Guerrero at almost every turn, but no matter what he did, it just didn’t work. If only the tragedies has not befallen both of these men. I think this match has aged really well over the years because I originally had this match much lower on the list, but upon rewatching the match and reflection, I realized just how much I enjoyed what these two put together.