My Favorite WrestleMania Matches: XXV-XXVIII

WRESTLEMANIA XXV

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

Pretty much the exact same deal as the year prior as I watched the “25^th anniversary of WrestleMania” (which I believe is numerically inaccurate) as the next year’s was gearing up. 2009 wasn’t quite the year 2008 was in WWE, but there were still quite a few things I wanted to see on this show.

CM Punk won a second straight Money in the Bank match, Santino Marella in drag won a Divas battle royal, and Rey Mysterio dressed as the Joker beat JBL for the Intercontinental title in 21 seconds. Matt Hardy beat his brother Jeff in an Extreme Rules match that wasn’t bad, but people never seem to like watching the Hardys feud (my dream booking here was a four-way match between these two, Edge and newly-returned-to-WWE Christian for one of the main titles, which would have felt like a cool showcase of homegrown stars for a milestone Mania). The double main event was a bit of a mess as John Cena defeated World champion Edge and Big Show in a triple threat that lacked steam while Triple H retained the WWE title against Randy Orton in what felt like a tame blow off to a hot feud. In another match that at first felt like a missed opportunity had Chris Jericho in a handicap elimination gauntlet with Hall of Famers Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat—it was supposed to be Jericho against actor Mickey Rourke, but it fell apart—but Steamboat showing up with his work boots after over 15 years away from the ring salvaged the moment.

Still, it felt like another anniversary WrestleMania that didn’t meet the mark—until Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker took the stage.

It had been over a decade since the Undertaker nearly inadvertently ended Shawn Michaels’ career in the last of a trilogy of fantastic matches, and aside from a few classic interactions in Royal Rumble matches, they had been separated ever since. Here, HBK got back to his roots as the impish underdog, looking to cement his legacy by knocking off the unstoppable monster and pulling out every mind game in the book to do it. Both men used all their finishers and busted out moves they hadn’t used in years, but nothing seemed to get the job done until Undertaker hit a brutal looking jumping tombstone piledriver to finish it. It was two guys synonymous with WWE providing a story that truly marked a landmark chapter in WrestleMania lore.

WRESTLEMANIA XXVI

The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

I did not have to wait a year for this one as my pal Craig Tello from WWE gifted me the DVD during San Diego Comic Con a mere four months after the show. It was a good thing too as I was really psyched for this one.

Some people say WrestleMania XXVI collapses under the weight of its own hype—it was really well hyped—but I think it’s a really good card with nothing clocking in as a clunker and even the lesser stuff having a certain charm. There’s a quickie opener Tag title match that showcases the champs, ShoMiz, then a triple threat between the members of Legacy that turned out to be a nice chance for Randy Orton to get back on top and Cody Rhodes as well as Ted DiBiase Jr. to strut their stuff. Jack Swagger came out of nowhere to win a massive 10-man Money in the Bank and Triple H overcame Sheamus in a hard-hitter. Rey Mysterio and CM Punk had a snug six-minute back-and-forth that set the table for even better things to come. Bret Hart made his return to WWE a dozen years after being screwed, getting vengeance on Mr. McMahon by hammering with chair shots for over 10 minutes, but that was a moment more than a match. Chris Jericho and Edge had a technical clinic for the World title and John Cena regained the WWE title from the awesome heel Batista with a 10-Diva tag match sandwiched in between.

Finally, fittingly in the main event spot, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker faced off in a rematch from one year prior, this time with HBK’s career on the line. At the time the show took place, Megan and I were in Aruba on our honeymoon; we were supposed to get back Saturday morning and I was considering ordering WrestleMania, but a series of delays to our flight led to us spending until early Monday morning in the airport, and as a result I was frantically checking my laptop whenever I can, hoping that my favorite wrestler had not been forced into retirement. Alas, after a build even more awesome than the previous year—Shawn begs Taker to give him a rematch, Taker refuses, Shawn barely fails to win the Royal Rumble and thus costs Taker his World title at Elimination Chamber to goad him into it—HBK delivered one last classic before hanging up his boots. Providing a perfect parallel to two years prior, as Ric Flair stood defiant in the face of a superkick, Michaels delivered a final crotch chop before receiving a tombstone and getting counted down, a poetic end to a storybook career.

WRESTLEMANIA XXVII

Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes

A year later, back to the waiting game, as I saw this show via OnDemand shortly after I moved into my current place in Edison, New Jersey; I believe this was also the first WrestleMania where the Marvel-WWE relationship was really in full force thanks to the efforts of Craig as well as Joe Villa, so I got to interview The Miz during the lead-up and post it on Marvel.com.

The big news for this show was The Rock coming back from movie stardom to serve as host, antagonizing his longtime critic John Cena and costing him the WWE title against Miz in the main event. Elsewhere on the card, Edge retained the World title against Alberto Del Rio in what would prove to be his final match before a forced retirement due to a neck injury, Randy Orton beat CM Punk a confrontation between two guys on their way back to the top, and Michael Cole bested Jerry Lawler by DQ in a weird situation where the bad guy won despite having the deck stacked against him with Steve Austin as guest referee. Undertaker followed up on his classics with Michaels by beating Triple H in a half hour-long No Holds Barred match, and all of people Snooki from Jersey Shore proved a capable celebrity guest competitor, teaming with John Morrison and Trish Stratus for a win over Dolph Ziggler Michelle McCool and Layla.

My personal favorite from this show came from Rey Mysterio—done up Captain America style—and Cody Rhodes, one veteran and one star on the rise on a mission to make their mark. This was the rare modern day mid card feud that had an awesome prolonged build, as Rey injured Cody by driving his knee into his face months earlier, leading to “The Dashing One” covering his coveted good looks with a mask and creating a deranged Phantom of the Opera type character who was essentially the dark mirror of his rival. Cody was on the roll of his career here character-wise, and Rey helped give him the showcase match at a marquee venue he needed to vault him to the next level, even putting the kid over clean.

WRESTLEMANIA XXVIII

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE title

And that brings us to just about the present, as one year ago WrestleMania came to Miami, though I would once again see it a little down the line, thanks again to the kindness of my friends at WWE and their generous distribution of DVDs to my person.

Again, The Rock grabbed the headlines, taking on John Cena in a big time money main event that felt every bit as grand as a huge WrestleMania match should. The same can be said for Undertaker once again fending off Triple H, this time inside Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as guest referee in what was billed as the “end of an era” and concluded with all three men embracing for an iconic scene. Also, Daniel Bryan lost the World title to Sheamus in 18 seconds, Big Show won his first ever Intercontinental title over Cody Rhodes, and John Laurinaitis became general manager of Raw and Smackdown via his team winning a 12-man tag.

One of the most highly anticipated bouts and the one I most enjoyed was CM Punk putting his WWE title on the line against a returning Chris Jericho. Two of the most intense, dedicated and athletic guys around ignited a feud based on classic stuff: the championship and wanting to be the best in the world. They worked a hybrid of brawling, high flying and submission style to present more or less everything you could look for in a wrestling match. Punk pulled out a hard fought victory with his Anaconda Vise, and provided a tough act for the remaining competitors to follow.

My Favorite WrestleMania Matches: X8-XXIV

WRESTLEMANIA X8

The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair

My friend Jay moved off campus during my sophomore year of college, so I would drive over to his place every Monday to watch Raw, which mostly consisted of the Invasion angle involved former WCW and ECW wrestlers banding together as the Alliance to take over the WWF. However, WrestleMania fell over spring break, and while I headed home, the dudes I watched wrestling with in high school were scattered to the winds on trips and having different weeks off, so I seem to recall watching this one solo in my basement, a far cry from two or three years earlier.

It’s an uneven show, with some great matches and memorable moments, but a general sense of letdown, I think. I believe most people agree the Invasion angle should have been extended and paced to end here—it began in July of 2001, so that would have been roughly eight months—but they ran through it faster than the bulk of fans were hoping and blew it off at Survivor Series instead, leaving the company somewhat directionless and coasting on stuff like Ric Flair battling Vince McMahon for control, a-year-too-late nWo invasion, and Chris Jericho unifying the WWF and World titles. We all knew coming out of WrestleMania they were splitting the roster into two brands—Raw and Smackdown—so it all felt a bit anticlimactic.

That said, while the main event of Jericho defending his Undisputed title against Triple H fell a little flat and Steve Austin taking on Scott Hall felt like an afterthought, this was the show where Hulk Hogan made his WWF return after nearly a decade away and faced off against The Rock in a match that hearkened back to the larger-than-life WrestleMania moment of the early days (the crowd response and how both men played it may never be duplicated). There were also several good matches that tend to slip under the radar like Kurt Angle vs. Kane, Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal for the IC title, Diamond Dallas Page defending the European title against Christian, and the Women’s title three-way with Jazz, Trish Stratus and Lita.

Once again, though, my pick goes to the Undertaker, who took on Flair in a bloody brawl that showed both guys still more than had it. The build was great, as Flair was trying to be an executive but Undertaker goaded him into a match by attacking his friends and family; classic, but for a reason. Thought beyond past his prime in WCW a year earlier, Flair dusted off his work boots here as he had against McMahon two months earlier at the Royal Rumble and looked better than he had since 1994, masking what he had lost with age by utilizing his second-to-none abilities as a storyteller. Taker, despite being a monster, sold Flair’s offense perfectly, making the “Nature Boy” look like a legitimate threat, but still keeping himself strong enough to serve as the big bully. It was a great dynamic and two legends clashing for the first and only time on a huge stage.

WRESTLEMANIA XIX

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

In 2003, WrestleMania fell not during spring break, so me and my best bud Jordan took the five minute drive over to Jay’s place to enjoy the show (another of our friends, Erin, decided to tag along last second, but she mostly did homework and occasionally asked us who somebody was). The combination of Jay, who I watched weekly with, and Jordan, who was not quite as into WWE but super enthusiastic about it nonetheless (and who had gone to the Royal Rumble with me live two months before)—plus a girl who knew nothing about what we were watching but freaked out when somebody did a high flying move or got busted open—made for one of my all-time favorite groupings to watch WrestleMania with.

Fittingly, this was a tremendous show, one I would have up until recently called the most underrated of all-time, but as the sage gents on the Place2BePodcast have pointed out more than once, at this point so many people have recognized that fact that it’s more universally appreciated.

Matt Hardy in his great heel Cruiserweight champion role kicked things off against Rey Mysterio, who had dope ring gear based on my beloved Daredevil movie. Trish Stratus and Jazz put on their second straight awesome Women’s title triple threat, this time with Victoria stepping in for Lita. Triple H beat Booker T to retain the World title in a match that drove us crazy hoping Booker would win. Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon pulled out all the gimmicks for a street fight—including Roddy friggin’ Piper, returning after seven years away. Steve Austin had his final match, capping off a classic WrestleMania trilogy with the Rock where he finally ended up on the losing end. And in the main event, Kurt Angle, neck being held together by crazy glue, coughed up the WWE title to Brock Lesnar, who nearly killed himself on a botched shooting star press during a 20-minute wrestling clinic we were freaking out for all the way through.

For me though, the highlight of the night was my all-time favorite wrestler, Shawn Michaels, who seemingly ended his career five years prior at the show I saw live in Boston, making his return to the big stage to go up against a guy who had in part supplanted him in my eyes, Chris Jericho. It was the longest match on the card, with HBK clearly determined to show he was truly back, and Y2J equally motivated to prove he could hand with his idol. Every near fall had me jumping out of my seat (on the floor) as I truly didn’t know who was going to win, but rooting hard for Michaels, my Jericho fandom out the window. Not only did all of Shawn’s classic moves look crisp as ever, Jericho’s approximations of them (his own superkick, his own kip-up) were great touches. In the end, after throwing out everything he had, HBK pulled it off and I cheered…then cheered again when a frustrated Jericho kicked him low after faking a good sportsmanship hug. I’ve watched this one time and time again and it still holds up big time.

WRESTLEMANIA XX

Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit for the World title

I was supposed to go on a cruise with my friends Jordan, Liz and Maggie during the spring break of our senior year, but I got sick and had to stay home. Silver lining: got to watch WrestleMania XX live with my dad—well, he came and went, but still, first wrestling PPV I watched with my dad in nearly 15 years, so, pretty cool.

WrestleMania XX is the successor to WrestleMania X in so many ways. Once again, it emanates from Madison Square Garden so it goes without saying that the crowd is fantastic. Also, like X was highlighted by a couple of classics, this show had an excellent Eddie Guerrero WWE title defense against Kurt Angle plus an underrated Chris Jericho vs. Christian contest…and then a lot of filler. XX does have the advantage of its less than great matches being better for other reasons: Undertaker vs. Kane had Taker’s return to the Deadman character, Brock Lesnar vs. Bill Goldberg getting booed nearly out of the building because both guys were leaving WWE. The Evolution team of Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista had a fun handicap match against The Rock and Mick Foley, plus Victoria and Molly Holly put on a solid Women’s title encounter, then there were a lot of “get everybody on the card” deals like the Cruiserweight Open and two separate Tag Team title four-ways. Ultimately, against like WrestleMania X, I feel like this show suffers from having to live up to being an anniversary.

I’ll be honest; I struggled with my favorite match here. I was tempted to go with Jericho-Christian as a sentimental pick or Guerrero-Angle as a great match, but truth be told, I was rabid for the main event: a triple threat with Triple H defending the World title against Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. I hesitated because I’m not a person who can separate Benoit the performer from what he did and I could never watch this match again, but there’s no denying how good it was. I’m the biggest Michaels fan you’ll find, and I was actively rooting against him, wanting Benoit to pick up the win here, and I’ve heard many HBK and HHH devotees alike echo similar sentiments, it’s just that well-built as a story. That image that closed the show of Guerrero and Benoit—two guys who could not match the classic “WrestleMania image” less, but who fans loved—embracing and holding the top two titles in wrestling was incredible, and it’s sad that WWE can never trot it out again.

WRESTLEMANIA 21

Money in the Bank

At this point in 2005, I had graduated college and was living in the tiny burg of Highland Falls, New York, five minutes away from West Point and nothing else. I had a tiny apartment where everything broke constantly and ordered WrestleMania to watch solo on my futon with my feet up on my makeshift coffee table and pasta boiling on my tiny stove; it was the portrait of a man chasing the dream.

Even though it was a decent show, I had trouble paying attention, as there was nobody else to share the experience with and too many distractions on my computer and elsewhere to divert my focus. I do distinctly remember the “WrestleMania Goes Hollywood” theme of the show, which yielded a cool set and a lot of neat vignettes with wrestlers spoofing different movies (Eddie Guerrero and Booker T in Pulp Fiction, Kurt Angle and Christy Hemme in When Harry Met Sally, and the Basic Instinct and Tax Driver mash-ups being the best; the John Cena/JBL A Few Good Men one was pretty weak).

Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero kicked off the show with a decent match that crumbled a bit under the weight of their WCW encounters from years earlier. The Undertaker beat Randy Orton in the first actual “beat the streak” deal. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels had an unsurprising classic. The double main event with John Cena and Batista beating JBL and Triple H for the WWE and World titles were underwhelming as it felt like both were going for Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI moments and neither could quite live up.

WrestleMania 21—besides pissing me off with lack of Roman numerals—marked the advent of the Money in the Bank Ladder match, a six-way chase for a briefcase containing a contract the winner could cash in for a title shot for up to a year. In his second book, Chris Jericho details how he and a member of the WWE creative whose name I’m failing to recall came up with the idea of a multi-man ladder match in hopes it would become a WrestleMania fixture (which it did until it got its own pay-per-view in 2010). The inaugural installment was the perfect mix of ladder match veterans—Edge, Christian, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit—a show-stealing rookie—Shelton Benjamin—and a big dude to catch the little guys—Kane. Edge became the first-ever Mr. Money in the Bank and history was made.

WRESTLEMANIA 22

I have never seen WrestleMania 22; it’s the only one. If I recall correctly, I was headed back from visiting Megan at Connecticut College to my friend Jamie’s house in New Jersey, got caught in traffic, and missed the show. In the seven intervening years, I’ve never watched it.

Anybody got a copy?

WRESTLEMANIA 23

Batista vs. The Undertaker for the World title

2007 was my first full year living with Megan, and thus the end of my “I’m bored so I’ll order a wrestling pay-per-view tonight” days. Now shows really had to sell me, and this one did not, though I was in the minority as I believe it still stands as the most watched WrestleMania of all-time. I personally watched it for the first time just a couple weeks ago on WWE Classics OnDemand.

Most of the aforementioned interest came from the “Battle of the Billionaires” where Vince McMahon and Donald Trump put their hair on the line, pitting proxies Umaga and Bobby Lashley against one another with Steve Austin as the special referee; it’s not a bad match, but more memorable for Vince’s entertaining histrionics. There’s also a decent Money in the Bank match, a nice moment with the ECW Originals getting a WrestleMania win, and John Cena defending the WWE title against Shawn Michaels in a match where I was rooting for HBK to get the championship six years after knowing it didn’t happen.

That Cena-Michaels match got to go on last, and reportedly Undertaker and World champion Batista were not pleased they got bumped to the middle of the card. Accordingly, the two heavyweights went out and beat the star out of one another, determined to steal the show. It’s the polished up version of Undertaker-Diesel from a decade earlier, with a Taker who has gotten way more versatile and an opponent equipped to hang with him. They work an athletic power style with plenty of believable false finishes and an earned ending. These guys clicked nicely and would go on to have many more excellent encounters.

WRESTLEMANIA XXIV

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

This was the first time I indulged in WWE OnDemand’s putting the previous year’s WrestleMania up in the week leading to the upcoming one, watching this in 2009, 12 months after it went down. It would be the first one I watched in the comfort of my Saddle Brook, New Jersey apartment, and over the course of several days with the ability to pause, rewind, etc.

I had been greatly anticipating this show as it kicked off what would be an awesome middle of 2008 that saw CM Punk’s rise to prominence—he wins Money in the Bank here—Edge reaching new levels as a heel—he loses the World title to Undertaker on this show—and even the ECW brand started to become a cool mix of veterans with up-and-comers—Kane takes the ECW title off Chavo Guerrero in eight seconds. There’s also an overlooked little power gem with Batista beating Umaga, Randy Orton upsetting Triple H and John Cena to hold on to the WWE title, and boxer Floyd Mayweather in a little sideshow with The Big Show.

But all the best stuff from 2008 kicks off from one incredible, emotional, brilliant tale of a match as Ric Flair put his career on the line against Shawn Michaels. For 25 minutes, HBK faced his childhood hero, giving it his all so the Nature Boy had the opportunity to go out on his terms with one last classic. Flair may have been a step or two off pace, but the emotion he poured in more than made up for any physical lag. Everybody who’s seen it will never forget the final moments: Flair staggers to his feet, daring his opponent to finish it, Shawn mouths “I’m sorry, I love you,” then a superkick seals the deal. The next night, Ric Flair got a hero’s sendoff on Raw. Over the coming months, Michaels would enter into a great feud with Flair protégé Batista. From there, it branched into a quintessential war between Michaels and Chris Jericho. A banner year and it all began here.

My Favorite WrestleMania Matches: XII-X-Seven

WRESTLEMANIA XII

The Undertaker vs. Diesel

I came back to watching the WWF in full force over the summer of 1996 as a lot of my buddies had already gotten a second wind, including the aforementioned Dave Hill, who had purchased this show and lent me the tape (pretty sure I gave this one back). Given what I’ve already written, you probably wouldn’t be shocked (I mean, if you’ve been actually reading thus far) that Shawn Michaels becoming WWF champion was more than enough of a hook to keep me around.

This is an interesting case, as at first glance it feels like it should be on the same level as WrestleMania XI in terms of wow factor, but the combination of some solid work by the guys in the first couple matches, a bit of smoke and mirrors with the Hollywood Backlot Brawl and the return of the Ultimate Warrior giving everything a bigger feel, and then a suitably epic main event buoy it nicely.

That said, even though the main event saw my guy HBK defeat Bret Hart to win his first WWF title, it’s an hour-long Iron Man match that’s technically sound but exhausting to watch with no falls over the course of 60 minutes and a formula that hadn’t quite come together yet. However, 20 minutes or so prior, the Undertaker and Diesel would put on a great clash of the power merchants that turned out better than I’m guessing most expected. In early 1996, ‘Taker was still in zombie mode and had yet to up his in-ring work to match his character, while Diesel was coasting after losing the WWF title. But, for whatever reason, these two brought out the best in one another, delivering one of my favorite hard-hitting big man matches of all-time.

Incidentally, Diesel’s pre-match locker room interview with Mr. Perfect is also a classic.

WRESTLEMANIA 13

Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom vs. The Nation of Domination in a Chicago Street Fight

By 1997, my high school buddies and I were bigger wrestling fans than we had ever been as kids, going to live events for the first time (we’d up to the Paul Tsongas Center in Lowell for shows including the infamous Thursday Raw Thursday where Shawn Michaels lost his smile and Rocky Maivia won his first Intercontinental title) and gathering regularly to watch Raw and pay-per-views together. We actually made a whole weekend plan for WrestleMania where we were going to have a battle royal in my basement on Saturday—we conned enough of our non-wrestling fan friends into coming over and letting us throw them around—and then watch the show at Dave’s house the next day. During that battle royal though (which was us moving the coffee table to the middle of the room and trying to throw each other over it), I eliminated Dave, he got mad and pushed me backwards into a wall, where my elbow went through the plaster, and while I wasn’t hurt, I freaked out and was mad enough at him that I boycotted the next night, claiming I had homework. He apologized to me by giving me the tape at school on Monday.

Though it was fun having a gang to watch with and the WWF was starting to heat up into the early stages of the Attitude Era, WrestleMania 13 (they drove me nuts not using the Roman numeral) was a bit of a downer, with lame thrown together undercard matches and a plodding main event between Undertaker and Sid. There were no celebrities or elaborate set pieces, so the whole thing felt really mundane.

However, two matches saved the show, the first being the one most people associate with it, that being the brutal, violent Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin I Quit encounter where Stone Cold passes out in the Sharpshooter and the Hitman gets the win, but becomes hated in the process while his vanquished opponent wins over the crowd. For my money, though, I’ll still take the chaotic brawl pitting Ahmed Johnson with the Legion of Doom against his hated rival Faarooq and his flunkies Crush and Savio Vega. There is no scientific grappling to be seen whatsoever, but I love all 10 minutes of stiff shots and guys just beating the hell out of each other, plus I loved seeing the LOD back on a big stage as they had left the WWF abruptly when I was 12. The fact that this followed Hart-Austin and the crowd stayed pumped says it all, I think.

Oh, and Hawk bringing an actual kitchen sink with him to the ring was a nice touch that has since been replicated to less effect.

WRESTLEMANIA XIV

The New Age Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie in a Dumpster match for the WWF Tag Team titles

This marked a very historic WrestleMania for me personally as it took place in Boston and thus I was able to be there live and in person—though it didn’t look like that was going to happen in the months leading up. My friends and I tried to purchase tickets, but we were dumb high school sophomores who didn’t really understand the urgency involved in such a process, and the show was sold out by the time we made a move. Fortunately, at the very last minute, a friend of my buddy Matt Corley’s father coughed up three tickets so Matt, Dave and I could make our way over to the Fleetcenter and catch the action.

No doubt I’m biased toward this edition of WrestleMania since I was there, but we lucked into a classic show. In addition to the main event where Steve Austin beat Shawn Michaels for the WWF title and kicked off the hottest era for wrestling in over a decade, the entire evening was packed with great moments and not a single weak match. Taka Michinoku and Aguila delivered a hidden gem, Sable became the most popular woman to that point in WWF history, The Rock got his ass kicked by Ken Shamrock but somehow kept his Intercontinental title, and Kane finally lost to the Undertaker—but not before giving Pete Rose his first tombstone piledriver. Even the bloated tag team battle royal at the beginning was a hot start and it was awesome to hear the pop for the return of the Legion of Doom live.

We also got an extra treat as the Jackyl—who had been off TV for awhile—showed up in the corridor leading to our row and watched a bunch of matches with some jacked up blond dude. Jackyl was a pretty hilarious jerk, telling a little kid who wanted an autograph to get lost, and hey, that blond dude turned out to be Edge.

My personal highlight was, interestingly enough, a match we didn’t even get to see all of live, as they ended up brawling backstage and we had to watch a significant portion on the video screen. I’m referring to the Tag Team title contest, where the only way to win was to toss both your opponents into a dumpster. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie—who ditched the pantyhose and basically appeared as plain old Terry Funk—are maybe the two best brawlers in wrestling history, and the New Age Outlaws hung in with them, taking a hellacious beat down with various weapons and dishing out plenty of abuse themselves. After 10 minutes of mayhem, getting to see the joy on Cactus’ face as he got to share his mentor’s first WWF title with him shone brightly from all the way in the back.

WRESTLEMANIA XV

Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac for the European title

With more of my friends watching wrestling than ever by 1999, my basement became the destination for anywhere between five and 15 high school juniors to be every Monday night (much to the delight of my two-years-younger sister’s friends and her annoyance, as “they were just my brother’s idiot friends”). For WrestleMania, we moved the table out of the room and the couches over to the side so we could put down a mat and do moves to one another while we watched the show (Matt Corley suffered many a Rock Bottom and became the victim of a vicious Eric Master ankle lock that fateful night).

At this point, the quality of the product was almost a non-factor, as getting together with my buddies to cheer the guys we liked and boo the ones we hated was what made wrestling fun. That was a good thing, because this was the height of the Attitude Era and Vince Russo’s tenure as booker, where characters and storylines were stronger than ever, but in-ring action as well as logistical consistency often took a backseat.

It’s a pretty muddy and messed up show that made little sense, typified nowhere better than the New Age Outlaws pursuing singles titles for months, then Road Dogg winning the Intercontinental title—the one Billy Gunn wanted—and Billy Gunn winning the Hardcore title—the one Road Dogg wanted—and taking one another’s places in convoluted matches involving three or four people. It was pretty much darts being thrown with a Gatling gun, but we loved every minutes.

Aside from the great brawl main event where Steve Austin finally got the WWF title back from the nefarious Rock, the angle that really captured my crew’s attention was D-Generation X’s two-match battle with the Corporation. Midway through the show, Chyna helped Triple H out against Kane—though she cost him the match by disqualification—and DX was seemingly reunited as heroes. 15 minutes later, both HHH and Chyna turned on X-Pac, helping Shane McMahon retain his ill-achieved European title and turning out to be Corporation bad guys all along. But besides the cool twist ending, the match was surprisingly—at the time solid—with this being before anybody knew Shane McMahon could go as a wrestler and also X-Pac’s first chance to step up at WrestleMania after half a decade on and off in the WWF; both guys had something to prove and they succeeded big time.

I should also mention that a little over two years earlier at a house show we went to where all the big stars were on a European tour, Bart Gunn gave us all high fives, becoming one of our collective favorite wrestlers, so we were devastated when Butterbean destroyed him in their Brawl for All match.

WRESTLEMANIA 2000

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian in a Ladder match for the WWF Tag Team titles

It was my senior year of high school in 2000 and a bunch of my friends and I packed into Mike Cherny’s living room—admittedly much ritzier than my basement—to watch what we figured would be our final wrestling show together. We had bought a toy ring and Titan Tron that keyed off certain figures to play their entrance music, then each had our own figures we’d walk through it when they came on the TV (I was Christian, my buddy Alex Verdaguer was Christian). We also had purchased a foam WWF title belt which we christened the Newton South Hardcore title that could be won at any time anywhere by pinning the current titleholder for a three count with official referee Matt Corley present; the title was contest on front lawns, at restaurants and in the halls of our high school, which annoyed our head of campus safety/my high school wrestling coach to no end.

The girl I was dating and her best friend (who was dating one my friends I was watching the show with) also ordered this WrestleMania just so they could call and ask us questions about what was going on/bother us during matches we cared about (it didn’t work out). I think Cherny and one or two other people may have opted for the “WrestleMania All Day Long” package where the pay-per-view broadcast began hours early and Ivory and whoever was her co-host showed highlights of past shows until the real thing started.

There was a lot to like about this show, particularly if you were watching in a group of friends. Whereas the year prior WWF had a decent amount of talented guys on the roster, by 2000 their roster was stacked with breakout stars and WCW defectors. The Hardcore battle royal was crazy fun, though I think most of us were bummed when Tazz didn’t win. The six-person with Chyna and Too Cool against Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn was a great example of how WWF could seemingly make anybody a star at that point (no knock on any of the people in that match, they were all great, but to think a year earlier that Brian Christopher and Scott Taylor would be the hot commodities they became was ludicrous). The crazy 2/3 falls match for two titles with Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit was all over the place in terms following the stipulations, but of course the wrestling was great. Truth be told, the main event four way frustrated my gang a little bit, as we were still very conditioned to expect the biggest show of the year to end with arch villain Triple H getting his, so the swerve with him winning knocked us off course, but it was bold.

Unquestionably my favorite match of the night was the Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian going nuts in a three way Ladder match. I’m in the minority, but I actually prefer this to their later TLCs at SummerSlam that year and the next WrestleMania, simply because it was the first one, and even if they improved on the formula later on, that novelty went a long way. Besides the wow factor of spots like Bubba powerbomb anything that moved through a table and Jeff doing a Swanton off a giant ladder, strangely enough the intricate choreography and amount of planning that had to go into this impressed me a lot. It was six guys willing to do anything to steal the show, and I really appreciated their efforts. I was also a mark not only for Edge and Christian, but for guys who hadn’t held the titles winning them the first time, so the ending left me more than satisfied (and Alex and I got to play our music).

WRESTLEMANIA X-SEVEN

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

My first year of college, I was fortunate to meet most of the people who continue to be among my very best friends in the world, and even more lucky that even if they didn’t share quite my level of passion, they had at least some interest in the stuff I was into, principally pro wrestling and comic books. We were unfortunate in that our college’s cable package carried the USA Network and TNT, but the WWF jumped Raw to TNN (not part of the package) like two months into our freshman year and then WCW ceased to exist a little while later, so our wrestling viewing options were Smackdown or bust. Thus I got most of my info online about what was going on with the product and with no off-campus buddies at this point, missed out on this WrestleMania altogether.

And what a WrestleMania to skip, as it’s the general consensus best of all-time, ending the Attitude Era with a bang as the WWF transitioned into being the only game in town; I got it on VHS as soon as it was available and that summer as a camp counselor forced my campers to watch it on their movie night because I hadn’t seen it yet (they thanked me for it by stealing my copy by the end of the month).

There’s not a dud on this entire show, and it also provides a great showcase of the full breadth of what one of the strongest rosters ever could do across the board. There’s a hot opener with Chris Jericho defending the IC title against William Regal; a wild hardcore match with Kane, Raven and Big Show; a technical masterpiece with Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit; and a pure nostalgic fun gimmick battle royal with all the old-timers getting their entrances and then rolling around the ring for three minutes while Bobby Heenan and Gene Okerlund call the action (due respect to Mean Gene, I wager even he’d agree the only thing missing was the late Gorilla Monsoon as Bobby’s broadcast partner). Eddie Guerrero pulled a really solid performance out of Test for the European title, Tazz teamed with the APA for a nice little brawl against Right to Censor, and even probably the worst match of the night—Chyna beating Ivory for the Women’s title—was over in under three minutes.

The big matches delivered big time as well, and picking a favorite is not easy. Vince McMahon and his son Shane—two guys who are not full-time wrestlers but among the best performers is WWF history—had the kind of showcase you didn’t mind being overbooked a dozen ways because it told a great story (I almost went with this one). The Dudleys, Hardys and Edge and Christian try to top their Ladder match by adding tables and chairs plus Spike Dudley, Lita and Rhyno. And of course you’ve got the main event, an intense half hour tour de force from The Rock and Steve Austin for the WWF title that sees everything including a questionable ending that supersedes the action itself for a lot of people.

However, I have to go with the second to last match of the night, where Triple H attempts to end the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak (before that really meant anything). If anybody was on a hot streak in 2001, it was Triple H, who after years of busting his ass to get to the top of the WWF was proving why he belonged there by tossing out amazing work with whoever was across the ring from him. Undertaker was one year into his American Bad Ass gimmick and looking totally rejuvenated. Their contest here additionally serves along with the main event as the perfect topper to the Attitude Era type of match, with an epic brawl bookended by traditional wrestling, a style that came about due to Austin’s neck injury and would gradually phase out as guys like Angle, Jericho, Guerrero and Benoit came to prominence. It’s also the first truly great WrestleMania performance by the Undertaker, as I dug his Diesel match at XII, but it doesn’t hold a candle to this or what was to come.

My Favorite WrestleMania Matches: VI-XI

WRESTLEMANIA VI

Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF title

This was most likely an early video purchase as it was from right before I started watching and I generally back track my hobbies pretty quickly and obsessively. The VHS case for this show is pretty rad and looks almost comic book-esque with the colorful pose down between Hogan and Warrior with a ton of lightning in between.

Aside from the main event and even the undercard, there’s a lot of memorable touches to this show, from the crazy opening where Vince McMahon narrates the constellations turning into Hogan and Warrior, to the return of the mini carts that carried people to the ring from three years earlier, to Steve Allen playing the piano in the shower with the Bolsheviks.

Believe it or not, at eight years old I wasn’t much of a Hogan fan or a Warrior fan (I was probably the only kid who considered Kerry Von Erich his favorite wrestler despite never having heard of World Class), but they delivered here in spades. First off, their dueling whacked out pre-match promos about natural disasters sweeping the Earth and saving planes about to crash are the stuff of legend (get the Ultimate Warrior DVD just for those promos if nothing else) and I can watch them whenever. When they got in the ring though, it was a transformative bit of magic where two guys known for their character over their wrestling prowess boosted each other to a great, intense match with the different formula of two good guys opposing one another, something I’d never seen. They captured lightning in a bottle that night and I should really try to hunt this one down, as I haven’t watched it in ages.

WRESTLEMANIA VII

Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior

Not honestly sure how I first watched this one. I remember renting it years later when I was old enough to think the idea of the blindfold match was dumb and realize those guys were not really Demolition, but I also think I saw it as a kid. Did a friend of mine order it? Possible, as my buddy Dave Hill would get these from time to time (I’m pretty certain there was a wrestling pay-per-view blackout between the years of 1990 and 1997 in the Morse household).

There are a few classic moments tucked among the quickie matches here, including Virgil’s great upset win by countout over longtime tormentor Ted DiBiase and the start of the Undertaker’s streak. I also recall as a nine-year-old being pretty freaked out by if not outright scared of Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, probably in large part because I didn’t think a G.I. Joe would betray America.

The match that makes this show though, and really one of my all-time favorites, is Savage vs. Warrior, career vs. career. It was a slow burn feud where Savage chased Warrior for months, cost him the WWF title, and they hated each other enough to put it all on the line despite not having ever fought (on television at least). It’s another classic Savage performance, with the pathos cranked up to the point where every big move feels epic, and Warrior keeping pace (as best he can). By the time Savage kicks out of the big splash and Warrior gets up after like 18 flying elbow drops, I was losing my mind wondering what was going to happen. It’s the time of match where the story is so larger-than-life that Warrior walking halfway down the aisle, looking “to his gods” and then coming back to win with a big shoulder block makes perfect sense.

However, it gets really good after the action’s over, when the evil Sensational Sherri turns on her meal ticket and Elizabeth returns to save the man who spurned her two years earlier and the first couple of the WWF reunites, Savage hoisting her up on his shoulder just as he did back at WrestleMania IV after winning the title. Savage then refusing to let Elizabeth hold the ropes for him and opening them for her instead is just the icing on the cake.

I have something in my eye…

WRESTLEMANIA VIII

Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart for the Intercontinental title

This should have been at the height of my childhood wrestling fandom, but I believe it also coincided with the months-long ban my parents put on me watching because I got suspended at school for getting in a fight (I was bad news when I was 10). I circumvented not being allowed to watch Superstars on Saturday morning by sneaking a little mini TV that got three channels into my closet, but obviously that wouldn’t work for pay-per-views, so I’m pretty sure I didn’t see this one live and later rented the tape instead.

For me, WrestleMania VIII is the changing of the guard/bridge between eras show, as not only does Hogan go away for awhile afterward, but up and coming staples of the 90’s like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker put away 80’s stars on their way out like Tito Santana and Jake Roberts. Randy Savage has a great match with Ric Flair to blow off the even better “she was mine before she was yours” angle involving Elizabeth, plus Ultimate Warrior came back after being gone since the previous year’s SummerSlam.

However, the highlight of the show for me is the final part of that torch passing trilogy, as Bret Hart gets firmly established in the big time mix by scoring a rare win over Roddy Piper to take back the IC title. You get about 10 minutes of solid chain wrestling and brawling, then the pathos play as the referee gets knocked out, Piper contemplates reverting to his onetime villainous ways by using the ring bell as a weapon, then Hart seizing on his hesitation to reverse a sleeper for the win. Piper is one of the best overall characters of all-time, but it’s cool he got to really show off the wrestling skills he did have here, and then Bret got to not only look like the top flight athlete, but also savvy as he outsmarts one of the WWF’s all-time craftiest guys.

WRESTLEMANIA IX

The Steiner Brothers vs. The Headshrinkers

I can’t remember what was going on with me and wrestling in 1993, but for whatever reason, I wasn’t as tuned in as years prior. That seems odd, as I was 11 and really had nothing better to do, because I was just shy of embracing new stars like Shawn Michaels and maybe still missing the late 80’s/early 90’s mid card that cleared out over the course of 1992. Regardless, I don’t think I watched this show until later on tape.

WrestleMania IX gets a pretty bad rap, mostly I think because people didn’t care for the Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna main event and what happened after the match. Stuff like Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales didn’t help matters and a lot of the card was just forgettable (though Michaels vs. Tatanka and Crush vs. Doink are both pretty ok). That aside, the done-up setting of Caesar’s Palace and everybody wearing togas certainly gave it a memorable look if nothing else.

The bright spot on the show for me—and I believe for others—was relative WWF newcomers the Steiner Brothers taking on the Headshrinkers in a super physical 15-minute tag team match. I was pretty much an exclusive WWF fan as a kid, but I switched over to WCW Saturday Night enough times to at least know who the Steiners and Sting were (Arn Anderson also left an indelible mark on me because he didn’t look like the wrestlers I was used to but was awesome in the ring). I would to this day call the Steiners my all-time favorite tag team, and this match is a good example why, as they snap off crisp suplexes on the mammoth Headshrinkers—who, to their credit, could take and dish out plenty of damage—keep the energy jacked up, then Scott polishes things off with the first Frankensteiner I probably ever saw.

WRESTLEMANIA X

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

My friend Dave Hill ordered this show and taped it; I may or may not have re-watched it with him shortly thereafter (I think I did), but I definitely swiped it again when we were in high school and it currently resides in the basement of my house. I was definitely onboard with the product again at this point, with the rise of Shawn Michaels and awesome Hart brothers feud drawing me back in.

That said, I think this is probably the most overrated WrestleMania of all-time, and while most people love it, I can take it or leave it. The argument in favor is that two of the best matches ever (almost) bookend the show, but that’s 40 minutes of awesome action, then the remaining two-plus hours are pretty bland (actually, the Randy Savage-Crush match isn’t bad either). It’s still an ok show, and has the benefit of the always great Madison Square Garden crowd, but so many people go on about it being among the best that I reflexively dislike it.

But man, those two good matches are really, really good. And as much as I love the Michaels-Razor Ramon Ladder match for the Intercontinental title, I love the Bret vs. Owen opener that much more. First off, it was just an incredibly intense and well done storyline, with Owen coming out of nowhere to be this great heel foil to his heroic brother (seriously, what was he doing a year before this?). But no matter how good the promos were, they don’t hold a candle to the in-ring product, as these guys put on a clinic in technical wrestling with the kind of chemistry I suppose only brothers who had been wrestling one another since they were kids could have. The ending is just perfect, and this is another match I can watch over and over.

WRESTLEMANIA XI

Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF title

1995 was the nadir of my pro wrestling fandom as I checked out somewhere shortly after Diesel won the WWF title and wouldn’t be back full-time for a couple years. I was aware of what was going on peripherally mostly because of the mainstream coverage they got bringing in celebrities like Pamela Anderson and Lawrence Taylor, but by the time Mabel became King of the Ring, I was totally out of the loop.

It would be some time before I watched this show, tracking it down years later once I went into completist mode. Not many people speak too highly of this one, from the bland undercard to the crappy venue (Hartford, Connecticut, quite possibly my least favorite city in America). A smorgasbord of mid-90’s celebrities arguably outshone the WWF roster here, with Salt-n-Pepa belting out “Whatta Man,” Jonathan Taylor Thomas beating Bob Backlund at chess, and, of course, LT putting on a match way better than anybody expected against Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event.

However, as impressed as I was by the work of Bam Bam and Taylor, on a forgettable show, I give my nod to the WWF title match, as my favorite wrestler, Shawn Michaels, got his first real shot (discounting Survivor Series 1992) and busted his ass even in a losing performance. Diesel knew well enough to let his buddy lead the dance and looked cool as heck with Pamela Anderson on one arm and Jenny McCarthy on the other, eyebrow cocked and smirk firing on all cylinders.

My Favorite WrestleMania Matches: I-V

WRESTLEMANIA I

Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff

I was three years old when the first WrestleMania took place, so certainly too young to even be aware of it, let alone watch it; I didn’t get into wrestling until my dad introduced me in 1990 (I’m actually curious now to ask my dad if he watched the first WrestleMania). While I saw clips and selected matches from the card over the years on highlight reels and compilations, I don’t believe I watched the entire show start to finish until just a couple years ago via WWE OnDemand.

This was a show not so much about athleticism, but spectacle. The longest match went 13 minutes, and only one other hit double digits, so none were that stand out, but they didn’t need to be; it was a chance for the WWF to trot out their stars for display in front of a big audience alongside mainstream celebrities like Mr. T, Cyndi Lauper and Muhammad Ali.

That said, while it’s tempting to be a know-it-all and say Ricky Steamboat’s sub-five-minute bout with Matt Borne was some sort of hidden classic, this show was all about the main event. The wrestling was fine, but it was the skill Hogan and Piper had for playing the hero and the villain respectively, plus all the bells and whistles beyond their partners—Ali as guest ref, Jimmy Snuka and Bob Orton as the corner men, and so on—that made it memorable.

WRESTLEMANIA 2

Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in a Steel Cage match for the WWF title

I’m fairly certain WrestleMania II (or 2, if you prefer, but I never stray from the Roman numerals) is the one I got my mom to rent for me when I was recovering from one of the many times I had to get teeth pulled when I was in elementary school. I seem to recall there was a really dinky video store in Newton Center that was a quarter of the size of the larger Wellesley Video down the street (Blockbuster was a couple years away), but they had this awesomely quirky selection of 80’s WWF Coliseum Video collections, including this one.

That said, I don’t remember a lot of the big matches from this show, including the first two main events with Mr. T against Piper in a boxing match and the British Bulldogs winning the Tag titles. I do remember Randy Savage against George “The Animal” Steele for the Intercontinental title, I do remember Andre the Giant winning a battle royal, and I do remember this match, the final one of the show.

I recently watched WWE’s Greatest Steel Cage matches compilation and gained a new appreciation for what Hogan can do in these particular matches against big guys like Andre there and Bundy here. He’s very good at using the psychology of the cage as a weapon to make himself more vulnerable than in his typical early matches, and bounced around spryly for Bundy here. The eventual super hero comeback and victory is textbook how it should be done stuff, and I think it’s a nice snapshot about what worked during this era. Bonus points for the crazy beating Bobby Heenan takes from Hogan per usual after the match (a match where Heenan just wrestled a cage would have been great).

WRESTLEMANIA III

Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental title

I inherited a tape of this show from I want to say either my friend Eli or his brother Nate at some point when I was in college. I’d seen the Hogan-Andre main event many times, but almost none of the undercard and the IC title match only in clipped format I believe.

Savage-Steamboat is widely considered not just the match of WrestleMania III (it was the perfect pairing with the moment of the night—which of course is Hogan slamming Andre—in a surreally huge venue to make this one of if not the most memorable Manias), or even just one of the best Mania matches of all-time, but one of the best ever, so it’s not shocking or controversial in any fashion to say I loved what.

What impresses me most though is that it’s 15 minutes long—longest match of the night—and I challenge you to find a single second that drags. Even when they’re in a rest hold—and there aren’t many—Savage’s intensity and Steamboat’s emotion make those exciting. I’m a guy with a short attention span, and this was one of the first matches I saw that started conditioning me to enjoy wrestling clinics that go longer than 10 minutes.

WRESTLEMANIA IV

Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Savage for the vacant WWF title

Another one I’m pretty sure I got from the Freedman boys. It was a two-tape VHS set that I retained until ditching my VCR once and for all when I moved last year; I believe Ryan Penagos now has possession of this one.

It’s a pretty boring affair, as the bulk of the show is devoted to the tournament for the vacant WWF title, and as a result of having to accommodate 11 matches there plus five more to boot, most everything is a forgettable five minute dash. I imagine watching it in 1989 and not knowing who would walk out with the championship the whole thing was pretty exciting—that’s how it was when I watched Survivor Series 1998 live—but the hindsight of knowing the end result kills that.

That said, despite temptation to tap the fun opening battle royal or Demolition’s coming out party winning the Tag titles, I’ve still got to go with the final match of the tournament. Savage was on fire all night, making the most out of whatever time he got and the crowd loved him. DiBiase is the perfect foil and they deliver a solid match made better by the presence of Hogan and Andre at ringside plus an awesome post-match celebration where Savage hoists Elizabeth on his shoulder carrying the belt; classic image and it’s cool to see somebody else with the title during that era.

WRESTLEMANIA V

Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF title

I watched this show at some point when I was a kid, most likely rented from Blockbuster’s ever-shifting collection of wrestling videos (which always had WCW Halloween Havoc 1995). Bought it on eBay or Amazon sometime around or after college graduation when I was going through a 1989 WWF kick (I had the Royal Rumble and SummerSlam as well). I think that year captured my attention around that time mostly because it was the period right before I started watching so I basically got to see the prologue to everything I dug growing up, but maybe also a little due to it being around the time everybody started getting amazing entrance themes (the intros to the Rude’s Brood vs. Roddy’s Rowdies match at Survivor Series is just musical bliss).

The Mega-Powers exploding in the main event of WrestleMania was the best storyline conclusion to date at the time—it’s still up there—with a solid match to back it up. The year build of Savage growing to resent Hogan with Elizabeth as the fulcrum was a thing of beauty, with perhaps the only flaw being that even as a kid you could kind of see that Hulk came off as the jerk. No matter, because Savage was a great villain and Hogan could still get it done as a hero, so their dynamic was great at Mania for their best match ever (that I’ve seen). I also like that it’s a break from Hogan’s formula to that point of dealing with lumbering monsters, instead having to content with a quicker, more devious, more athletic guy and come up with a new game plan.