No matter who the champion is, no matter who the challenger is, and no matter how many or how few celebrities appear at the event, we always know one thing - you can’t, and won’t, be disappointed.
Wrestlemania is, as so many put it, the Superbowl, World Series, whatever you want to liken it to for the world of professional wrestling. Every year Wrestlemania talk begins as early as December, wondering who will win the Royal Rumble, and therefore be given the automatic title shot at Wrestlemania. Everything builds toward this one event all year long really, and it’s nothing short of amazing each and every year. I’ve been a WWF fan for about nine years now, I’ve seen Wrestlemania 9 through now as a fan, and I’ve seen tapes of most of the others. So what I’d like to do in this edition of the Tombstone is go through my Wrestlemania memories, my memorable moments if you will, and then also take a look at what I think about Wrestlemania 17.
Wrestlemania IX - Caesar’s Palace - Las Vegas, Nevada - April 4th, 1993
This was my first Wrestlemania, and it was a great one. First match out of the shoot was one that my brother and myself had been waiting for. Native American Tatanka was one of my favorites at the time, and Shawn Michaels was my brother’s favorite. So we were on the edge of our seats for this one. Shawn’s Intercontinental Title was on the line, and Luna was in Shawn’s corner, Sherri had made her way down to side with Tatanka. Good match, but Shawn ends up getting disqualified, and keeps his belt. So in a way, my brother and I were both happy. Another match that stood out for me that night for some reason was Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect. I still hope for another Mr. Perfect run in the WWF, as I was a huge mark for him back in the day. Luger won with his feet on the ropes, I was pissed. Of course I have to mention the main event, which pitted another of my favorites Bret Hart, the WWF Champion, against challenger Yokozuna. A classic mismatch, but it looked as though Bret would win, he had the Sharpshooter locked on, when Yoko’s manager - Mr. Fuji tossed salt into the Hitman’s eyes. Yokozuna got the easy roll up, and was the new WWF champion...for all of two minutes. Hogan came down and accepted a challenge from Mr. Fuji, to capture the belt for a then-record setting fifth time when Fuji accidentally hit Yoko with the salt. I’m still waiting for a Bret Hart vs. Hulk Hogan match as a result of that whole turn of events. Too bad it won’t ever happen.
Wrestlemania X - Madison Square Garden - New York, New York - March 20th, 1994
I had now been a WWF fan for a full year, and I was ready for another Wrestlemania. This was the tenth anniversary of the show, and it was the first time ever that Wrestlemania had been billed as "The Granddaddy of Them All" to my recollection. It was deserving though. Basically a triple main event had been set up. Bret Hart and Lex Lugar and both won the Royal Rumble by eliminating each other at the same time. Lugar won a coin toss to face the champion - Yokozuna first. However, to be fair, President Gorilla Monsoon set up a match for Bret Hart, so that whether it be Bret and Yoko or Bret and Lugar in the final match of the evening, both men would have already had one match. Bret fought little brother Owen in the opening match in what was easily one of the best WRESTLING matches I have ever seen. Owen got the win with a rollup, supposedly stepping out of the Hitman’s shadow. Well, for about an hour or two. Meanwhile, Yokozuna beat Lex Lugar by disqualification to keep his WWF title when Lex "assaulted" guest referee Mr. Perfect (Lex barely touched Perfect, but keep in mind who beat Perfect one year earlier). One way or another, it was now Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna for the WWF title in the main event. Rowdy Roddy Piper guest refereed this one, and when Yokozuna fell off of the ropes while trying to deliver his Banzai splash, Bret capitalized and became the new WWF Champion. All of the faces ran to the ring and celebrated with Bret as little brother Owen looked on, he was in Bret’s shadow again. Elsewhere on the card, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon had their epic ladder match, which can only be described as trend setting. It was awesome. Wrestlemania X was one hell of a show.
Wrestlemania XI - Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, Connecticut - April 2nd, 1995
Wrestlemania XI was actually my least favorite Wrestlemania. It had some high spots, I loved the Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels title match. It was a great match, and the next night on RAW was even better when they reunited. BUT - the thing that made me dislike Wrestlemania XI was the fact that the damn main event was a fu*king football player against Bam Bam Bigelow. Lawrence Taylor fought Bigelow in the main event of what is supposed to be the biggest spectacular of the year. I’m sorry, I hated it. Taylor did decent for himself, but it shouldn’t have been the main event, the title match should have. Jenny McCarthy and Pam Anderson being there helped was a nice bonus though. Elsewhere on the card the Undertaker fought King Kong Bundy. I had really started marking out for the Undertaker the past summer, so I was digging that match even though it wasn’t really a masterpiece or anything. Bret Hart beat Bob Backlund in an "I Quit" match, which was nice. All in all, I just wasn’t that impressed with this Wrestlemania, but all was forgiven the next year.
Wrestlemania XII - Arrowhead Pond - Anaheim, California - March 31st, 1996
In one of the weirdest, sickest matches I have ever seen, Roddy Piper beat Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl match...that ended with Goldust being stripped down the women’s underwear (don’t ask). Also, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his Wrestlemania debut by defeating Savio Vega. But the matches that impressed me were later in the night. First, the Undertaker finally put Diesel to rest, in Diesel’s final month or so of Federation employment. ‘Taker sat up from several of Diesel’s 'Jackknife Powerbomb', and finished off the former WWF Champion with a Tombstone that left Diesel laying in the ring for several minutes after the match had concluded. But of course the match that stood out on this night was the "Iron Man Match" for the WWF title between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Whoever could score the most decisions in the 60 minute time limit would be the WWF champion. Easily one of the best matches I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a whole damn lot of matches), this one ended in a draw at the 60 minute mark. Hart SHOULD have retained his title, but Gorilla Monsoon ordered the match to continue in sudden death rules (something that had never been mentioned before now). Shawn caught the Hitman off guard with the Sweet Chin Music to capture his first WWF Championship. Great match, screwy ending (because I was a Hitman mark), but that match is still used in all of the highlights of Wrestlemania and even other things. Whether it be Shawn’s entrance on a cable from the rafters, or a flying cross body onto Hart to the outside of the ring, that match was another trend setter.
Wrestlemania 13 - Rosemont Horizon - Chicago, Illinois - March 23rd, 1997
This Wrestlemania fell during the beginning of a time of transition for the World Wrestling Federation. Shawn Michaels had suffered the first of what would be several injuries he’d encounter during the next year, eventually retiring him. He wasn’t available to perform at Wrestlemania 13. Bret Hart was going through some changes, getting booed wasn’t something he was used to. Sid had returned to the WWF, and gained the WWF title a month before Wrestlemania. Undertaker had emerged as a serious Heavyweight title contender, not just a giant killer as he had been for so many years before. Rocky Maivia made his WM debut..against The Sultan. Or as we would know them today - the Rock against Rikishi. But most notably was Steve Austin’s performance at this year’s Wrestlemania against Bret Hart in an "I Quit" match. Hart pummeled Austin to the point that he was bleeding so bad the mat was more red than it was anything else. Hart locked in his Sharpshooter submission hold right in the center of the ring. Austin wouldn’t quit. He passed out from loss of blood and/or the pain. Guest referee Ken Shamrock declared Hart the winner, but the fans didn’t think Bret was such a winner. Hart left the ring to a mixed reaction, but when Austin got up, stunned a referee, and made his way to the back on his own two feet, the fans cheered the hell out of him. Bret and Austin had just pulled off a double turn. The main event saw the Undertaker in his only Wrestlemania main event appearance defeat Sycho Sid and take the WWF title for a 6-month title run. At the time, that wasn’t so impressive, but no one has held the title for that long since then. It was great to see Undertaker get the title for a mark like me, so Wrestlemania 13 was pleasing to me.
Wrestlemania XIV - Fleet Center - Boston, Massachusetts - March 29th, 1998
Wrestlemania XIV was probably my favorite so far. It was built up quite nicely, especially the two main contests. Not to mention the Dumpster Match and the Tag Team battle royal, there were two matches which basically stood out to me as 'main events' of this card. Despite not being billed as a "double main event", I considered The Undertaker vs. Kane to be just as much of a main event as was Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels. The Undertaker vs. Kane match had been built up for almost a year really. Starting with Paul Bear’s announcement that Kane was alive in June of the previous year, this feud had been building for a long time. It was the first meeting between the two brothers, and it took THREE Tombstones to put Kane down for the three, and that just BARELY got the job done. Great match by the two greatest big men to ever lace up boots, and also some funny shit with Kane’s first ever attack on Pete Rose prior to the match. In the main event, we saw Steve Austin take Shawn Michaels down for the WWF title in what (so far) was Shawn’s last Federation match. Mike Tyson served as the special enforcer for that match, and his double turn from unbiased to a DX member to siding with Austin added to the excitement. Great, great event, and it basically jump started the popularity wrestling has enjoyed for the last several years.
Wrestlemania XV - First Union Center - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - March 28th, 1999
I wasn’t overly excited for this Wrestlemania either. Undertaker was engaged in one of the stupidest storylines ever - the Ministry. Stone Cold and the Rock were going to go at it in the main event, and in my view that struggle was a little stale at that point. Kane and Triple H were engaged in a feud that centered around Chyna, and it just all seemed very odd to me. The only Hell in a Cell match that I have ever thought sucked occurred at Wrestlemania XV with a ridiculous hanging angle at the end of the match. Triple H vs. Kane ended in a DQ when Chyna low-blowed Kane and reunited with Triple H, who she had turned on a few months earlier. Kane did manage to get in another beating on Pete Rose however, who tried to attack Kane before the match dressed as a giant chicken mascot. Just when it seemed that Triple H and Chyna were back together with DX and all was good again, during the X-Pac/Shane McMahon match, Triple H made his way to the ring and Pedigreed X-Pac, turning heel in the process. In the main event for the evening, Austin defeated the Rock to once again become Federation champion. All in all it wasn’t the best Wrestlemania action wise, but it did set up the storylines fairly well for the next year or so. And of course it began Triple H’s monstrous run as a heel.
Wrestlemania XVI - Arrowhead Pond - Anaheim, California - April 2nd, 2000
A great card top to bottom. All of the tag and triple threat matches made it easier to fit more of the roster onto the card. The Intercontinental/European triple threat two of three falls match was classic. All three men solidified their futures in that match. Of course the TLC match was breath taking. Kane’s match alongside Rikishi against X-Pac and Road Dogg wasn’t that great, but once again Kane got to take down Pete Rose. That always is good for a laugh. Of course then there was the main event. Perfectly set up (except that Big Ho was in it, but he was eliminated first, so it’s all good). With Linda McMahon representing Mick Foley, Vince representing the Rock, Shane with Big Ho, and of course Stephanie with Triple H, everything was in place for a real classic. Vince turned on the Rock in the end to help Triple H return the title. Awesome. One of a whole twice that the title hasn’t changed hands at Wrestlemania (not counting WM 1, where the title wasn’t on the line), and the first time a heel had walked away Champion. Triple H deserved it. Great, awesome card, especially when you consider that Austin and the Undertaker were both on the shelf.
Wrestlemania XVII - Reliant Astrodome - Houston, Texas - April 1st, 2001
Here’s what the card looks like so far:
WWF Title Match
Stone Cold vs. the Rock
Triple H vs. The Undertaker
Street Fight
Vince vs. Shane
Intercontinental Title Match
Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
Triple Threat Hardcore Title Match
Kane vs. Big Show vs. Raven
Women’s Title Match
Chyna vs. Ivory
Tag Team TLC Title Match
Dudleyz vs. Hardyz vs. Edge & Christian
European Title Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Test
Gimmick Battle Royal
PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED SO FAR: Gobbeldy Gooker, the Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch), Doink the Clown, Brother Love, Sgt. Slaughter, Freebird Michael Hayes, Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik, Kamala
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Tazz/APA vs. Right to Censor
With the exception of the Women’s Title match, this could turn out to be the best Wrestlemania in years. Actually, does anyone even give a flying rat’s ass about Chyna OR Ivory? Cuz I don’t. In fact, the only way they’d ever get ANY reaction out of me would be if they had a lesbian scene right in the middle of the ring. Although my reaction would be to puke, at least it’d be a reaction, right? We’ll all use Chyna vs. Ivory as a bathroom break.
The gimmick battle royal, if it’s really true, will be funny as hell. All of those guys are long gone from the Federation, at least as active participants. I’m hoping they throw Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle in there, and maybe T.L. Hopper or Avatar. Hell maybe we could get Kane to give us Isaac Yankem one more time, or Rikishi could break out the Sultan.
Hopefully the two rumored matches become official, both of them have real potential. And there’s nothing that makes me giggle like a little girl faster than seeing Steven Richards get choked out.
Seeing Kane and/or Raven beat the holy sh*t out of Big Ho would be a nice Wrestlemania bonus. If Big Ho wins, I’m going to go postal. I mean it. You’ll see me on the news with an oozy screaming "NOOOOOOO! NO MORE BIG HO! NOOOO!" Anyways...
Triple H against the Undertaker should be classic. This is a fresh feud that we haven’t seen before and so far I like it. I’m sure it’ll be more brutality than wrestling, but that’s okay. Not sure who I want to win this one. I’m a mark for both of them.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Test and William Regal vs. Chris Jericho should both be good wrestling matches, but I’m not real sure what the storyline behind Guerrero and Test is supposed to be. Just for the record, Jericho pissing in Regal’s tea was easily one of the funniest moments ever on a WWF show.
Vince vs. Shane should have it’s share of surprises. I imagine Vince will pull the victory out somehow.
And of course Stone Cold vs. The Rock for the WWF title. If the heel turn plans for Austin come true, I will be a happy happy man. I loved Austin when he was a heel, I’ll mark out for him again if he goes back to being a bad ass heel. And one way or another, I want Austin to walk away with the WWF title when the smoke clears.
So there you have it. I would just like to state for the record that I am typing this on Thursday, March 22, so if anything becomes untrue card wise after that, I apologize for that, but I had to get a couple columns in as I won’t be here all of next week.
Until next time...
