Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Every time I talk about this situation, I always preface it with this – I understand that the story-lines in professional wrestling are not real! They are not really punching each other – they are not really kicking each other, for the most part they don’t even dislike each other. Professional wrestling is better described as sports entertainment with an emphasis on entertainment.

 

This, however, is about the night where wrestling got real.

 

Most of you who are reading this know what happened on that fateful November evening north of the border. But I’m sure there are some that think something called the “Montreal Screwjob” would not be appropriate for this website. Here is a bit of an overview of the events that led up to the 1997 Survivor Series –

 

Bret Hart was the top name in Vince McMahon’s WWF in the mid-90s leading what was called “The New Generation” after the likes of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage left for Ted Turner’s WCW. In 1997, Hart also signed with Turner for what was at the time the largest contract ever for a wrestler. At the time he signed with WCW, Hart was the WWF Champion, so plans were laid out as to how Hart would lose the title before leaving the company.

 

The main event of the Survivor Series that November was a rematch of WrestleMania 12 with Hart taking on Shawn Michaels. The rivalry between Hart and Michaels didn’t stop when the cameras were turned off. The two had a very heated rivalry backstage – so much so that real fights broke out between the two. Losing the title cleanly to Michaels was something that Hart just did not want to do.

 

The Survivor Series in ‘97 took place in Canada (Montreal to be exact) where Hart was/is a bit of a national hero. What Hart had wanted to do, to save face in his country, was to end the title match with Shawn Michaels at the Survivor Series with a disqualification, or no contest – something that would see Bret leave that night with the belt. He would then walk on to Raw the following night, thank the WWF fans for everything, and hand the belt over.

 

McMahon, however, was very weary of that idea. WCW had been beating the WWF in the ratings war for over a year at that point. The war between the two companies was intense. On an episode of WCW’s Monday night show “Monday Nitro” Medusa, who at the time was the WWF Women’s Champion wrestling as Alundra Blayze, walked on to the Nitro set and dropped the WWF Women’s belt into the trash live on national television. Allowing Hart to leave the Survivor Series as champion, while NOT under contract, created a déjà vu situation that McMahon wanted to avoid…at ALL costs.

 

Hart wouldn’t budge though. In a final meeting to go over what would happen in the match, McMahon agreed to Bret that the match would end how he wanted and he would make his last appearance with the WWF the following night to hand the belt over.

 

At least that is what Vince told Bret.

 

After Bret left the meeting, Vince sat with Michaels and Triple H, who were also in the meeting, in a silence that said everybody was thinking the same thing. It was Triple H who made the initial statement, “F*** it! If he won’t do business, we’ll make him do business!” The match was supposed to end with Michaels putting Hart in his own finishing move, the SharpShooter, which Bret would reverse and lead to allies of both Michaels and Hart to come out and the match would end in a no-contest.

 

Unbeknownst to Hart though, McMahon had instructed the referee to call for the bell as soon as Michaels had Hart in the SharpShooter and awarded the match and the title to Shawn Michaels. Hart spat in McMahon’s face in the arena, went to the backstage area and punched him in the eye, and proceeded to head down south to WCW. With the exception of a Hall of Fame induction in 2006 and a quick interview spot in 2007, the WWF would not see Bret Hart again until hatchets were finally buried in 2010.

 

So that’s the story behind wrestling’s most controversial night. Everyone has questioned the events of that night and pointed the finger at each side. For the sake of discussion, I would like to throw out a couple simple “WHAT IF” scenarios.

 

WHAT IF Bret never signed with WCW and stayed with WWF?

 

Quite honestly, I think Bret leaving the WWF would be inevitable. The WWF was going through the transition from “The Next Generation,” a time where the show was almost completely made for children to the “Attitude Era,” a time where the show was something that some parents were trying to keep their children from watching.

 

Hart showed a little attitude during his run as a heel before he left the WWF in 1997, but I get the sense that Bret Hart the man would want nothing to do with the antics that were happening during the Attitude Era. In no way is that a shot at Bret though – guys like Bruno Sammartino disassociated themselves completely from the WWF during this time and they’re still considered to be amongst the greatest of all time. It’s just a clash of styles. Bret was great for the mid 90s, may not have been as great for the late 90s.

 

WHAT IF McMahon stuck to the original match plan and allowed Bret to leave Survivor Series with the title.

 

To me, this would have been a near fatal blow to the WWF, and it has nothing to do with what would happen the next night. Whether Bret would simply drop the belt the next night on Raw or if he would drop the belt…in a trash can…the next night on Nitro is irrelevant.

 

Without the events of that night and the one-on-one sit down interview that aired on Raw eight days later that gave us the infamous “Bret screwed Bret” line, we may not have been introduced to the biggest villain character of the attitude era – Mr. McMahon. With no Mr. McMahon, there would be no Austin/McMahon rivalry which ruled 1998 and basically saved the company.

 

Although he probably wasn’t thinking about it at the time, Vince needed the heat that was generated from the Montreal Screwjob to create the character that would give the WWF fans someone they were longing to see be stopped. In one of the DVD documentaries, Vince said that his reaction to the heat was “you hate me – ok, let’s go with that then.”

 

And go with it he did.

 

A few months after the Montreal Screwjob, a Monday Night Raw main event of Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon gave the WWF their first win over WCW’s Monday Nitro in the ratings in over 85 weeks and they never looked back. I am sure that the Vince Russo, Ed Ferrara and the rest of the writing staff for the WWF would have come up with other ideas for 1998, but it’s hard to imagine they would have come up with something that had the success that the Austin/McMahon feud did.

 

If you think about it, the real culprit in this situation was WCW and the Monday Night War. If WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff hadn’t played several underhanded tricks against his competitor (such as giving away Raw results and the aforementioned championship belt trashing) McMahon would probably have no issue with allowing his company’s most prestigious prize, the championship belt, to be in the hands of a wrestler who was under contract to another organization.

 

Simply put, McMahon had his back against the wall and needed to make a difficult decision. The decision he made was the right one. In the infamous “Bret screwed Bret” interview, Vince also made reference to the “time honored tradition” that Bret didn’t follow. It’s simple – to put it in the terms of the old territory days, Vince was the promoter. It is the wrestlers job to perform based on what is laid out by the promoter.

 

It’s not the way that Hart, McMahon, and even Shawn Michaels should be remembered. Shawn said it best that night in 2010 when hell froze over and Bret Hart was back on Raw. When you think of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, you shouldn’t think of Montreal, you should think of Anaheim and the two putting on an unprecedented WrestleMania performance in the 60-minute Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII.

 

Montreal is not how they should be remembered, but it was a night that will forever be etched in the stone of wrestling history.

 

Professional Wrestling is scripted – but life isn’t.

(WARNING – cliché late January WWE pun about to be made)

 

Well, it’s finally time take the on-ramp and start on the road to WrestleMania!!!!!

 

All joking aside, this is the start of the best part of the WWE year and my personal favorite event – the Royal Rumble!

 

Thinking of a way to take a look at one of WWE’s longest standing traditions, we have to do something more than just ranking the best matches or the most exciting moment, etc. So I give to you … (drum roll please – preferably from the drummer that HHH fired this past Monday which in turn made a kid cry in the front row…but much respect to HHH for his reaction to it!) … THE ULTIMATE RUMBLE!!!!

 

I went through and took a look at the order that everyone entered every Royal Rumble match and decided who was the best #1, the best #2, the best #3 etc. Only rule is that everyone could only be entered once (Stone Cold can’t be entered at #5 <1997> AND #24 <1998>).

 

So, channeling my inner-Howard Finkel, let’s all find out…who drew…number 1!

 

#1 – Two men have entered the Rumble at the number one spot and went on to win it. However, the first time it was done, it was in the shortest and possibly most unentertaining Rumble in history (plus the winner had a better performance that we’ll see later in the Rumble). AAAAAAAAAND the second decided that a strong legacy and great career were second to the thought of a double-murder/suicide decision…so…yeah he won’t be in this Rumble.

So with several other options to look at, the Ultimate Rumble will start with the swan song of CM Punk in 2014. Punk hung around for nearly 50 minutes before being eliminated by the already eliminated Kane. The elimination started a great storyline that took us to WrestleMania 30. That story involved Daniel Bryan since Punk didn’t come to work the next day, but a great story nonetheless.

 

#2 – Mr. McMahon won from this spot in ’99, but he did so by spending most of his time out of the ring. In contrast, Rey Mysterio set the record that still stands today by being in the Rumble for over 62 minutes en route to winning the 2006 match.

 

#3 – The 1992 Royal Rumble is arguably the most star-studded Rumble in history. With the impending induction of the Macho Man and the obvious eventual induction of The Undertaker, HALF of the participants in this match are in the Hall of Fame! It takes a big name to come out on top of this one. It doesn’t get much bigger than the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Flair was in the match for over an hour en route to winning the WWF Title the only time the title was up for grabs in the match.

 

#4 – In one of the first dominant performances in his career, The Rock entered the 1998 Rumble at the #4 spot and stayed until the end when he was the last one eliminated by Stone Cold Steve Austin. He didn’t win, but he definitely showed that he can hang in there for the long run. Rock would win his first WWF title less than a year later.

 

#5 – While I have just an unlimited amount of respect for Drew Carey and his performance in 2001, I’m going to have to go in a different direction. Just like The Rock started a strong 1998 with his Rumble performance, Stone Cold Steve Austin did the same the year before. Eliminating The Undertaker, Vader and Bret Hart to win in a controversial fashion, Austin would use 1997 to launch his career en route to becoming one of the biggest stars in history.

 

#6 – Rick “The Model” Martel set the record in 1991 by staying in the match for about 52 minutes (though the record would only last one year). While this was an impressive performance, Kane gets the nod here for his dominance in 2001. The Big Red Monster would be the last man eliminated after eliminating 11 superstars himself – a record that would stand for 13 years.

 

#7 – The 1994 Rumble was the first, and only, to give us two winners. Neither of the winners were nearly as dominating as Diesel was that year though. Big Daddy Cool, who was still sporting a fantastic mullet, eliminated seven men before he was eliminated by a joint effort of five men. This was the first of many impactful performances for Kevin Nash as the big man would start one of the longest title reigns of the modern era later in 1994.

 

#8 – Randy Orton punted the owner of the company in the head. Less than a week later, he won the 2009 Royal Rumble match. Something to think about, folks. (Legal disclaimer – I am not suggesting you punt your boss in the head)

 

#9 – This is not exactly the most exciting number in the Rumble’s history – some big names, but no real memorable performances. So we’ll put Hall of Famer Yokozuna's time in the 1996 match here. At least he had a confrontation with the debuting Vader which still makes me wonder why Vince didn’t have a massive monster vs monster match at WrestleMania that year!

 

#10 – The 1993 Rumble was the first to give the winner the championship match at WrestleMania. Though the match itself was a bit ho-hum, the crowd went crazy when Mr. Perfect came down. Perfect had a short stay in the match but did manage to eliminate the hated Ric Flair from the Rumble…and then from the WWF all together the next night in the memorable Career Ending match the next night on Raw.

 

#11 – While I would have loved to have put Mil Mascaras jumping from the top rope to the outside which eliminated himself from the match, we’ll put one of the most memorable eliminations (not on themselves) here instead. In 2002, The Undertaker had eliminated both Hardy Boyz who were still distracting the American Bad Ass outside of the ring. Jumping on the situation, Tough Enough champion Maven hit The Undertaker in the back with a dropkick knocking him out. Taker would head back into the ring, eliminate Maven, take him to the concourse area and throw him through the window of a popcorn machine…but that’s besides the point.

 

#12 – What’s a Royal Rumble without surprise entrants? In 2001, the Honky Tonk Man made a surprise appearance. It was good to see Honky and hear him sing again…and then pretty entertaining to see Kane grab the Honky Tonk Man’s guitar and smash it over his head before eliminating the legend. Thanks for coming!

 

#13 – Everything starts somewhere! It may not have been that exciting compared to what the Rumble is now, but Hacksaw Jim Duggan was the first Royal Rumble winner back in 1988. Can’t take that away from him!

 

#14 – Through my research I have come to the conclusion that #14 is the least exciting number there has been! So, because I want to, from 1993, I’m putting in The Berzerker! Give me one good reason not too!! HUSS!! HUSS!!

 

#15 – 11 eliminations was impressive for Kane – but as they say in the wrestling world…12 is a bigger number than 11. Roman Reigns set the new record in 2014 and laid the ground work for what could be an impressive career. An injury delayed what was set to be a smooth push at the end of last year. It just makes you think what is in store for Reigns this year.

 

#16 – So in 1996, Squat Team #2 was on his way down to the ring as the recently eliminated Squat Team #1 was walking to the back. The two identical twins decided that since no one could tell them apart they would both just go back in the ring! How smart was that?!?!? So what if their gear looked obviously different and the face paint was a little off on one, just look past that! Also look past that they were eliminated very shortly after coming back to the ring.

Yeah…#16 was a pretty boring number.

 

#17 – A year after making history as the first woman in the Rumble, Chyna entered the 2000 Rumble and became the first woman, and only since, to appear in the Rumble twice. I wonder what she’s been up to since … … …

 

#18 – Playing off of an injury return angle, Shawn Michaels went into the 1996 Rumble as the clear fan favorite. After single handedly eliminating 1,100 pounds of Vader and Yokozuna and a Superkick to knock his best friend, Diesel, out to win, ol' HBK went on to win one of the most memorable WrestleMania matches in history against Bret Hart and had a pretty good career thereafter.

 

#19 – In 2012, The Rock and John Cena had a match that was billed as “Once in a Lifetime” at WrestleMania 28. In 2013, Cena won the Rumble and started the story for the rematch against The Rock. You know – “Once Twice in a Lifetime.”

 

#20 – Kurt Angle snuck his way into the 2005 Rumble by stealing Nunzio’s number after losing the WWE Title match that night. Angle came in and made an big impact including eliminating Shawn Michaels – which began the program for their five-star WrestleMania match that year.

 

#21 – One of the earliest “big moments” in the Rumbles history came in 1990 when fans got the first face to face confrontation of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. The moment was quick, but laid the foundation for one of the biggest WrestleMania matches in history.

 

#22 – Sheamus won the 2012 Rumble after entering at #22…but that Rumble was horrible. A much better Rumble was the first after the WCW merger in 2002 in which Triple H came back from his first career threatening quad injury to win the match.

 

#23 – Lex Luger is the only person to win a Rumble (1994 co-winner with Bret Hart) entering at #23 so he gets to be here.

 

#24 – Stone Cold won from #24 in ’98…but he’s already in. Rock won from #24 in 2000…but he’s already in. Both were more impressive than Hulk Hogan was with his win in 1991. But, process of elimination, Hulk gets the spot here.

 

#25 – In another surprise entrant spot, Rob Van Dam made a surprise one night appearance in the 2009 Rumble and received a HUGE ovation. He didn’t really have that impressive of a showing – but neither did anyone else that came out at #25.

 

#26 – Please don’t be fooled by multiple people from the 2000 Rumble being on the list, it wasn’t that good. But Big Show had a dominant run and was the last one eliminated so he gets a spot here.

 

#27 – This has been regarded as the ‘magic number’ of the Rumble as a record four men have won from this spot – Big John Studd in ’89, Yokozuna in ’93, Stone Cold in ’01 and our #27 man Bret Hart in 1994. Hart had his leg taken out by his brother Owen in a match earlier in the night but managed to still make it to the Rumble and was the co-winner as he and Lex Luger both hit the floor at the same time.

 

#28 – It would be fun to have Dude Love in ’98 here (the third Face of Foley in the match that year) or even Santino Marella in ’09 (eliminated in a record :01). But it’s hard to pass up the fact the Batista won the Rumble match from the #28 spot TWICE – once in 2005 and again in 2014. Since Batista winning in 2014 really did not make too much sense creatively, we’re going to go with 2005 for The Ultimate Rumble.

 

#29 – Brock Lesnar won from this spot in 2003 but a surprise return from an ACL tear to win the 2010 match gives Edge the spot here. Plus, he eliminated John Cena last, so that gets him some extra points.

 

#30 – I consider 2007 to have the most exciting ending to a Rumble match when we were given several minutes and false finishes from two of the industries greats – Shawn Michaels and the winner and our #30 entrant, The Undertaker. Pretty hard to come up with anything wrestling related that doesn’t include The Dead Man.

 

#31 - #40 – In 2011, the Rumble expanded to 40 people. Instead of putting those last 10 entrants in by default, we’ll just put Alberto Del Rio in since he won that year after entering at #38.

 

So who wins the Ultimate Rumble you ask? Well…you tell me! Leave a comment here! Let me know on Twitter @Tadigity24 and tell me who you think wins the Rumble of all Rumbles!

We’re getting closer folks!

 

The Bay Area is getting ready to be taken over for WrestleMania week!

 

Some can say that the show is only as good as its main event. Some will also say that some of the “main events” weren’t the real main event of the show (i.e. WrestleMania 18).

 

As we get ready to see Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns close out this year’s version of The Granddaddy of Them All, let’s take a look back and find out what was the best main event (last match of the night) out of the first 30 WrestleMania’s.

 

#30

MATCH – Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow

TITLE/STIPULATION – None

WRESTLEMANIA – XI

LOCATION – Hartford Civic Center – Hartford, Connecticut

 

For those of you that are relatively new to the wrestling world – yes, I am referring to THAT Lawrence Taylor!

 

The countdown starts with the worst main event on what many (including me) consider to be the worst WrestleMania.

 

Credit where credit is due though. The match itself was not all that bad. The fact that THIS match was the main event of the show was bad though. Diesel and Shawn Michaels put on a great WWF title match earlier in the night – simply having that match last would have made this show look a little better.

 

Having an outsider in the main event of the biggest show of the year is just wrong.

 

#29

MATCH – Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs Rowdy Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff

TITLE/STIPULATION – None

WRESTLEMANIA – I

LOCATION – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

 

For the same reasons as the previous match, the inaugural main event finds itself towards the bottom of the pack. The fact that this was the main event in the very first WrestleMania give it a leg up on the LT/Bam Bam match. Having Muhammad Ali on the outside is a big help as well.

 

#28

MATCH – Bret Hart vs Yokozuna/Yokozuna vs Hulk Hogan

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship (both times)

WRESTLEMANIA – IX

LOCATION – Caesars Palace – Las Vegas, Nevada

 

This probably would have been a little higher had the event ended with the Bret Hart/Yokozuna match. However, they decided to continue the show and make people realize that the WWF wasn’t ready just yet to move on from the 80s and randomly give the belt to Hogan.

 

One year later WrestleMania ended with Bret Hart lifted up in a ring full of new stars as the WWF started what they called “The New Generation.” Much smarter move.

 

#27

MATCH – Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship/Steel Cage Match

WRESTLEMANIA – II

LOCATION – LA Sports Arena – Los Angeles, California

 

The main event of an event that technically had three main events – one for every city the event was held in. The event itself was on part with the aforementioned WrestleMania 11. Three times the cities and about one third of the excitement.

 

#26

MATCH – The Miz vs John Cena

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXVII

LOCATION – Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Georgia

 

The Miz was in the main event of WrestleMania…that’s really all that needs to be said for this one.

 

If it wasn’t for The Rock’s involvement this match would be a lot closer to the bottom - more so than it already is.

 

#25

MATCH – Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice

TITLE/STIPULATION – None

WRESTLEMANIA – VIII

LOCATION – Hoosier Dome – Indianapolis, Indiana

 

A few “why”’s come out from this event.

 

1 – After nearly a decade of debating who is the biggest star in the industry, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were FINALY in the same organization. Why not make that the main event for WrestleMania?

 

2 – It ended up being Flair/Randy Savage for the title – why not have THAT be the main event?

 

#24

MATCH – The Rock vs John Cena

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXIX

LOCATION – MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, New Jersey

 

Do you remember the movie Airheads with Adam Sandler and Brenden Fraser? One of the running jokes was that the band’s name was The Lone Rangers – how can you plural The Lone Ranger? Well, on that note, the biggest reason that this match is this low on the list is the fact that it was a rematch for a yearlong match labeled as “Once in a Lifetime.”

 

#23

MATCH – Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit

TITLE/STIPULATION – World Heavyweight Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XX

LOCATION – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

 

This match was great! A whole lot of back and forth…and forth…action from start to finish ending with the culmination of a man’s long journey to the top of the industry. How could a match with all of that find its way this low on the countdown?

 

…

 

…oh yeah…

 

#22

MATCH – Triple H vs Big Show vs Mick Foley vs The Rock

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XVI

LOCATION – Anaheim Pond – Anaheim, California

 

Nothing really worthwhile to say about this match. The match had plenty of star power plus the additional element of “A McMahon in Every Corner” but really didn’t provide a memorable moment. The best takeaway from this one was The Rock hosting Saturday Night Live and the other three competitors making cameos a few weeks prior to the event.

 

#21

MATCH – John Cena vs Shawn Michaels

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXIII

LOCATION – Ford Field – Detroit, Michigan

 

Same situation here. Cena and Michaels put together a solid match but it was on a show that had too many other memorable moments.

 

#20

MATCH – Yokozuna vs Bret Hart

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – X

LOCATION – Madison Square Garden – New York, New York

 

The second of two title matches on the show, WWF basically righted the wrong it made the year before at WrestleMania IX. So much so that Vince himself was quick to exclaim that THIS was the start of “The New Generation” as Razor Ramon and Tatanka hoisted Hart on their shoulders.

 

#19

MATCH – Sycho Sid vs The Undertaker

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XIII

LOCATION – Rosemont Horizon – Chicago, Illinois

 

Bret Hart’s involvement aiding his heel transition added some intrigue to this one. Really though, the main, and possibly only, reason this match is remembered is the image of The Undertaker with the belt to close a WrestleMania. LONG overdue!

 

#18

MATCH – Triple H vs Randy Orton

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXV

LOCATION – Reliant Stadium – Houston, Texas

 

Decent match but really The Game and The Viper had no chance. The two had the unenviable task of following what many, including me, consider to be the greatest match in WrestleMania history with The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. They tried, but the crowd was just too blown up.

 

#17

MATCH – Chris Jericho vs Triple H

TITLE/STIPULATION – Undisputed WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XVIII

LOCATION – SkyDome – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Same exact situation here. The Toronto crowd was electric for The Rock and Hulk Hogan earlier in the night. Both Triple H and Jericho has said that The Great One and the returning legend should have ended the show knowing how worn out the crowd would be. They were right, and it showed.

 

#16

MATCH – Randy Savage vs Ted DiBiase

TITLE/STIPULATION – Finals of WWF Championship Tournament

WRESTLEMANIA – IV

LOCATION – Trump Plaza – Atlantic City, New Jersey

 

This was a solid way to end the first ever WWF Championship tournament as Savage won his fourth match of the night to become the champ. If anything, it was nice to see a change after Hulk Hogan’s four year run with the belt. A change indeed … even if Hogan was in the ring to help Savage celebrate … and then win the belt back at the next WrestleMania. Gotta love change!

 

#15

MATCH – Sgt. Slaughter vs Hulk Hogan

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – VII

LOCATION – LA Sports Arena – Los Angeles, California

 

For a guy that had been back with the company for less than a year after a seven year absence, Slaughter held his own. A bloody Hogan, very taboo for the time, added a lot to this match that ended what was built as the most patriotic WrestleMania. And go figure – the American hero beat the Iraqi sympathizer.

 

#14

MATCH – Triple H vs Batista

TITLE/STIPULATION – World Heavyweight Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXI

LOCATION – Staples Center – Los Angeles, California

 

The beast was indeed unleashed. The classic student vs teacher battle was fantastic way to end a jam packed card. The first title win for Batista ended up being the start of a spring full of great matches between the two.

 

#13

MATCH – John Cena vs Triple H

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXII

LOCATION – AllState Arena – Chicago, Illinois

 

This may be a little local bias. The match was good, don’t get me wrong. But what made this match fun to watch was the atmosphere created by the Chicago crowd. I credit this event as being the start of all of the Cena hate. On behalf of the Windy City…you’re welcome!

 

#12

MATCH – Edge vs The Undertaker

TITLE/STIPULATION – World Heavyweight Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXIV

LOCATION – Citrus Bowl – Orlando, Florida

 

Just like WrestleMania 13, it is always a plus to have WrestleMania end with the image of the conscience of the WWE in the middle of the ring with the belt. I think that this was one of the more underrated WrestleMania’s and it was capped with a very entertaining way to keep The Undertaker’s streak alive.

 

#11

MATCH – Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XIX

LOCATION – Safeco Field – Seattle, Washington

 

A great match from two of the best ring generals in the business. This match had plenty of action in it. It says a lot to how entertaining this match was when the memorable moment involves Lesnar nearly breaking his neck on a botched shooting star press.

 

#10

MATCH – The Rock vs John Cena

TITLE/STIPULATION – None

WRESTLEMANIA – XXVIII

LOCATION – Sun Life Stadium – Miami, Florida

 

Once in a Lifetime…when we thought it would be seen once in a lifetime. The match was set the night after the previous WrestleMania and the match lived up to the hype. The crowd was intense and the two icons of their respective eras kept everyone on the edge of their seat from bell to bell.

 

#9

MATCH – Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker

TITLE/STIPULATION – Career vs Streak

WRESTLEMANIA – XXVI

LOCATION – University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, Arizona

 

These two had a lot to live up to in the rematch of their instant class a year before. It didn’t quite make it to that level, but the added intrigue from a possible Shawn Michaels retirement added to the excitement. It was odd to see a WrestleMania end on such a somber tone, but it worked.

 

#8

MATCH – Randy Orton vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWE World Heavyweight Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XXX

LOCATION – Silver SuperDome – New Orleans, Louisiana

 

(Any chance I can get to bring up Hogan calling it the SilverDome I am going to take!)

 

I have mentioned before about matches that had to deal with going on after phenomenal matches/moments. These three had to follow what many consider to be the most shocking moment in WrestleMania history when The Undertaker’s streak came to an end. The match was really good but the reason that the crowd stayed as with it as they did was the fact that there guy, Daniel Bryan, was finally getting his due! YES! YES! YES!

 

#7

MATCH – The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XV

LOCATION – First Union Center – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

The two biggest stars of arguably the biggest era in the industry collided for the first time with the top prize on the line. The match kept everyone on the edge of their seats until Austin reclaimed his title. If it weren’t for a lackluster rest of the card this match may have even been higher.

 

#6

MATCH – Randy Savage vs Hulk Hogan

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – V

LOCATION – Trump Plaza – Atlantic City, New Jersey

 

The Mega-Powers exploded a year after the two celebrated Savage’s WWF Championship tournament win. The two biggest names in the WWF in the 80s created a really intense back and forth match that really had you guessing who would win. At least at the time you would be guessing. Looking back, hard to think Hogan would lose.

 

#5

MATCH – Shawn Michaels vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XIV

LOCATION – Fleet Center – Boston, Massachusetts

 

“The Austin Era Has Begun!” Jim Ross at it again to help create the atmosphere surrounding this match. The build-up itself was memorable with Mike Tyson getting involved as the special guest enforcer. Above all, the fact that Michaels put on this match with a back that forced him out of the ring for over four years is just inspiring!

 

#4

MATCH – Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior

TITLE/STIPULATION – Title for Title

WRESTLEMANIA – VI

LOCATION – SkyDome – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Two guys that would never really be considered the best in-ring performers put on a match that fans still talk about as one of the best. This was the first time that two fan-favorites locked up in such a high profile match up. Some thought that it would create a negative split in the crowd. Well it created a split, but that split just helped egg each side on to outdo to other side.

 

#3

MATCH – Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – III

LOCATION – SilverDome – Pontiac, Michigan

 

Most say that the success of the WWF was based on the first WrestleMania – I say it was due to this match. The first WrestleMania planted the seed and Hogan/Andre was the blooming flower. An indoor attendance record of 93,173 people was set which was just unheard of for that time! They all came to see that match.

 

#2

MATCH – Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship/Iron Man Match

WRESTLEMANIA – XII

LOCATION – Anaheim Pond – Anaheim, California

 

Hour long matches were really a thing of the south. You hear more about NWA title matches that went an hour, but not in the WWF. Pat Patterson came up with the idea of putting Bret and Shawn in an hour long match and was flat out told it would never happen – especially at WrestleMania. “It would be impossible to keep the crowd’s attention for that long” was the reason given.

 

Something changed Vince’s mind and, in my humble opinion, I think it worked out pretty well. Not only did this turn out to be one of the most talked about matches in WrestleMania history, but it is so without a fall until an impromptu overtime period. Hard to think of two other stars in that era that could have pulled that off.

 

#1

MATCH – The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

TITLE/STIPULATION – WWF Championship

WRESTLEMANIA – XVII

LOCATION – Astrodome – Houston, Texas

 

Many consider this to be the best WrestleMania in the event’s 31 year history so it would need to top notch main event. Add together two of the biggest stars of the company’s history (both as fan favorits), the action starting before the bell rang, 68,000+ people going crazy, a very underrated commentary team of Jim Ross and Paul Heyman on the call and the unlikeliest of unlikely association of Stone Cold and Mr. McMahon and you have pure entertainment in your hands.

 

So there you have it! What do you think of the list? Should a match be higher? Lower? Where do you think this year’s probable main event of Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns fall? Let me know what you think on Twitter @Tadigity24 .