Stone Cold Steve Austin is quickly turning into one of the most entertaining podcasters on the Internet. Austin’s podcast is a blend of both pro wrestling and topical talk but of course it is the wrestling that interests me. In addition to hosting, Austin has also turned into a heck of an interviewer. That is why I was excited when I heard that he was going to get a shot to interview Shawn Michaels.

Steve and Shawn are obviously friends and it made for a tremendous interview. Quite frankly it was one of the best I’ve ever heard with HBK. They hit on a lot of topics but the one that really grabbed me was when they went back in time and revisited WrestleMania 14. It is a rare opportunity to hear two of the biggest stars in wrestling history sit down and reflect on one of the biggest matches they ever had, especially when it was on a WrestleMania. I felt like I was listening to two a Raider and Patriot talk about the tuck rule game.

What makes this one so good is that there is more meat to this story than just any old wrestling match. Austin was super hot at the time, Michaels was on the way out, and there were all kinds of stories at the time about Michaels being difficult to work with. Now we get to hear the real story from the players themselves and to Michaels’ credit, he comes across as honest here as you can hope for when he looks back at that difficult time in his career.

As I said earlier the whole interview is great, but here is how it went down when Austin and Michaels went back in time to discuss quite arguably the biggest turning point in all of professional wrestling history.

Steve Austin: What did you think when Vince McMahon told you Mike Tyson was going to be involved, what ran through your mind? Were you down with that?

Shawn Michaels: At best I can recall I don’t think I knew about it, I can remember hearing about it but you did the first thing with him. To be perfectly honest I can remember I’m sure I can remember being a little jealous. “Mike Tyson is going to be here and I’m in the main-event with Steve and I don’t even get to do anything with him?” I didn’t know we were doing the D-X thing or anything like that the first time when you guys went out there and did the confrontation with him where you pushed him and all of that with Vince. I didn’t even know where we were going then. You know what I mean? As you know Steve somebody could have told me that and it’s gone now. You knew it was going to be big, you knew it was going to help obviously the pay per view, having done a fair amount of those WrestleManias with “stars” this one felt like this was going to be one that really worked to our advantage. Everybody knew, you’d have to have been a dummy not to know that you were coming on hot. For me and again, just being 100% totally honest it’s one of those things where you’re like you know it’s cool, all of the stuff that’s happening is big but you’re not a part of it and that was admittedly a tough pill to swallow and obviously not being the great guy that I am now (laughs)

Steve: The guy I’m talking to right now is a lot different from the guy back then. I remember back then that tension was high and we started building that WrestleMania 14 thing and we brought Tyson in and everything was going full speed ahead and I remember the time you super kicked me on the top of the ramp there that one time and Triple H was there and, it was a hell of a buildup but man it seemed there was a little bit of animosity there and you seemingly to me were just in a lot different space then you are now, you were beat up…

Shawn: The thing is the animosity was never you, it was at the situation, it was at Vince, the career is over, I’m dropping the title, it was palpable that this was going to be big, there was absolutely nothing good going on with me, so I was a dick to everybody.

Steve: That being said how were you on a physical level? What kind of pain level were you in going into that match through the build?

Shawn: I remember having that one dude Francois, he came down to my place and was working with me, you know every day before that. I have to be honest. I was on a fair amount of stuff so for me to say what I would have been like completely off it, I can’t say. I can tell you that going into it, when the whole thing started, it was excruciating. You have had that unbelievable pain going down your leg, the leg feels like it’s dragging, and I guess for me that was the thing that…pain for me, mentally I could always deal with pain. Mobility and feeling heavy always, that more than anything bothers me, frustrates me, and that’s the thing that also added to my frustration and my attitude and everything then knowing that, the one thing that I always had, even if I was the biggest prick in the world, I could always go out there and just rip it down and tear it up, and I knew that was not going to happen this time. That more than anything bothered me and affected my psyche more than anything else, you know what I mean? Does that make any sense?

Steve: It was interesting because I remember going into that match and I remember coming out of that match and I won my first championship but gosh, you and I had ripped the ring up 100 times when I first came into the company and then on the grand stage it wasn’t so much. It’s just honestly between you and me, as many matches of the year that you have had and that I’ve seen. Could it have been better? It could have been a lot better but given the situations and everything that was going on, we went out there and we did what we had to do. So I win the belt that night and you dropped the title to me, a big deal, a big step in my career and something that I’ll never forget. After that match where were you in your head? Was it a letdown, a disappointment, just part of the business, a weight off your back, where were you when that three count happened, you went back to the dressing room, and just kind of chilled?

Shawn: First thing was, there was no, it took a long time for me to get to the chill stage. Honestly now years later, it’s still the one 1 question people always ask me. “If you could change anything…” I’m not big on the whole regret thing because I don’t like to change anything because it might change where I’m at but if you could have one do-over that match has always been one of those things. I don’t know if you can remember but I remember creatively, I was always as were you, good. We ended up doing basically what you and Hunter had been doing at house shows. Just because I wasn’t even there mentally, had no drive to come up with something good and creative, I was never like that, even if I was in the ring with someone I didn’t like, my ring performance was never affected by that standpoint because that’s one thing that I wouldn’t let suffer. The fact that it wasn’t ripping the down bothered me. The fact that the company was moving bothered me. I can remember, me, my biggest priority that night was nobody putting a shirt on me, I can remember being angry about that! It wasn’t until I got home and I just got away from it all, that I think it finally sort of, I got a little relaxed and sort of felt like the weight of the world was off my shoulders. I can remember watching the show the next night and Hunter and Kid coming out and bringing all of that, and again him doing the promo, “you dropped the ball”, and all of that kind of stuff, and remember absolutely none of that bothered me in the least bit. Having the ability and the clarity to not get upset with the moving on when you leave, that’s the first time that I sort of felt like, “Holy cow”, you know what I mean? The shirt being laid on me yesterday bothered me so much, how come this doesn’t? That’s when I think the idea of, you know the job as great as it is it keeps you so busy and to just maybe have time to get a hobby, not go get in the car, to lay around, you know what I mean? To just sort of do whatever it is you want, I think that’s the first time I thought about since I was 19 years old. That sunk in, to answer your question probably 24 hours later it took time to settle in.

There are some great takeaways there. Probably the biggest is just getting inside the head of a guy like Shawn Michaels who was on top of the world yet knew that this angle, no matter how big it was for the WWE, was the end of his run, and likely the end of his days as king of the mountain in the WWE. It was also interesting to hear how both guys were frank about the match being disappointing. I remember getting into an argument on Twitter with someone who took issue with the fact that I left this match out of one of my top 10 WrestleMania blogs. I always felt the match was average at best, not terrible, but nothing special, and to hear these guys who obviously have a lot of pride in their performance openly admit the same was fascinating.

I do remember seeing a few Austin-Michaels matches pre-WrestleMania, even one on Monday Night RAW. They were good, real good, which is why WrestleMania was such a letdown. Regardless of the letdown inside of the ring, it was obviously a gigantic success outside of the ring and that is all that really counts when you look at it from a business anyway.

Oh and why the WWE isn’t booking these Austin podcasts on WWE.com is probably the biggest mystery of all.

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Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time

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Not since the inception of the New World Order in World Championship Wrestling and the edgy attitude era of then the World Wrestling Federation (WWE) headlined by DeGeneration-X have we seen any major storylines or angles in pro wrestling that has really grabbed the attention of viewers and made people talk again and tune in for long periods of time.

Ever since WCW was purchased by WWE in 2002, Monday Nights have been basically un-eventful and exciting to watch. Sure we had a brief period of time a few years back when Total Non-Stop Action (TNA) Wrestling attempted to ensue another Monday Night War with its Impact show starting an hour earlier than Raw, just like Nitro did back in the mid 1990’s. However, Dixie and company got spanked in the ratings enough over a short period of time, Spike TV quickly moved the show back to Thursday nights in its original timeslot citing that TNA fans expected to see the show on Thursday’s rather than Monday’s.

Let’s say for a moment, that Monday night of March 8, 2010 TNA did something crazy and big enough just before Raw when on the air live, would we still have a new Monday Night War today? Hard to say, however, never say never, right? The question remains.

Because Vince McMahon doesn’t really have any competition on Monday Nights, his product has been more of the same old same old rather than new an innovative. Yes, after years of a stale attitude era, Vince made the right move by shifting back to a PG format. However, he still needs to do that next big thing that will get people talking if the company wants to see ratings increase above the 4-5 million (sometimes less) on Monday Nights’.

Raw is supposed to be the flagship show, but now with Main Event, which is showing signs of improvement from when it first debuted last October on ION Television, Superstars, SmackDown and now Saturday Morning Slam, the creative team has to be exhausted from writing what seems to be an over-abundance of WWE television. As much as l have enjoyed and not enjoyed Main Event, WWE should stick with Raw and SmackDown and focus more on innovative angles and storylines that will get people talking again.

When TNA debuted in 2002, it was promoted as an alternative to WWE, a place where talent could go after the demise of WCW. Since TNA’s debut they have struggled to really find their own identity. When they first began, they looked like what many referred to as a lighter version of the WWF Attitude Era, then shifted to family friendly, then back to the more adult oriented format, which to me is worn.

Now don’t get me wrong, TNA has great potential. I have been to three house shows in my market, and if it’s one thing TNA does well beside put on a great fan friendly atmosphere is an action packed house show. The problem is TNA is too busy trying to worry about what is going on in WWE. Eric Bischoff was smart in the beginning before Nitro. He focused on improving the product in great detail and being different from WWE before introducing a new show that almost put Vince out of business.

TNA really isn’t doing anything different. Yes, they have former WWE and WCW talent, some have come and gone (Christian, Booker T, Scott Steiner), but really aren’t making waves other than going on the road live every other week, which was a great move for the company.

The more reality based format that touted at the next big thing in TNA was interesting at first but with no increase in ratings, that format quickly was erased and forgotten about. While their television production looks great in one aspect, for the most part, they still have that look and feel of WCW 1999. I don’t know how much longer Spike TV will put up with a 1.2 average before telling TNA they can find a new network.

Until something huge happens in both companies that doesn’t include trying re-create big angles and storylines with imitation like NWO factions that have proved to be failures such as Nexus, The Core, such Main Event Mafia, Aces and Eights, and possibly The Shield, no matter how big of talent you have, until you do something different that will get people talking again, the return of the wrestling boom will be a memory re-lived on DVD from many years ago.

By Jerome Wilen (www.prowrestlingringside.blogspot.com)

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Stone Cold Steve Austin is everywhere these days. He is producing podcasts on the Internet, taping Redneck Island for CMT television, appearing at the NRA convention, and starring in movies. Ironically the one place he isn’t is on WWE television and for the life of me I can’t understand why.

I started watching the Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time WWE documentary on Netflix over the weekend and I couldn’t stop. I had a blast reliving the old angles and memories produced by Stone Cold during the Attitude Era. The more I watched the more I started asking the question, “Why in the world is this guy not in the WWE?”

Look I get it and completely understand the fine line that the WWE has to walk with the old stars of the past and the current and future stars. I understand that you can’t go back in time and sacrifice your entire program to a guy that isn’t wrestling anymore. However, you can’t tell me that the WWE couldn’t find an on-camera role for their biggest drawing WWE superstar in history. How is it that this man is everywhere but the one place he should be?

I remember scrolling through Twitter the week of WrestleMania and seeing a few of Austin’s tweets. Austin was tweeting about his podcast and promoting his new venture. Maybe it was just me but it seemed very odd that you’d have one of the biggest WWE stars of all time online promoting his podcast the week of what was set to be the biggest Mania ever.

Speaking of the podcast, his podcast is fantastic! I don’t get the chance to listen to many podcasts with my schedule so it is rare that I have a chance to find a new one I like. But this was Stone Cold Steve Austin and I had to give it a chance. His podcast is fantastic! How the WWE could allow this podcast not to live on its site is astonishing for me. A company that prides itself on social media should be ashamed of itself for not signing up this superstar to broadcast on its website. Talk about lost traffic!

So what could Stone Cold do on television in 2013? Well we know he can’t wrestle so of course you have to be careful with how you use him. I can’t see why they couldn’t use him sparingly, once every four to eight weeks in either an authority position, guest commentate, or some kind of Tough Enough spinoff to get new talent over. The point is that there are plenty of things you can do with him so for God’s sakes, do something with him!

I can’t think of any other reason other than some kind of business dispute that the WWE and Austin are having as to why he isn’t on television. Austin is arguably their biggest drawing card in history and is doing nothing in pro wrestling right now. Austin still has a ton of appeal and could really help get some angles or young talent over if he is put in the right position. I can guarantee you this. The right position isn’t Austin sitting on his couch and watching Monday Night RAW from home.

If there is no rift and the simple answer is that the WWE has nothing for Austin, well shame on them. How can you not have something for a guy that is an instant ratings draw? If that is the case, it’s time to fire the entire WWE Creative Team and get someone in that has the guts to tell Vince McMahon that they need Austin!

We have already seen what kind of impact The Rock can have on ratings. Imagine what Austin could do, in addition to raising the bar and bringing back a little bit of that Attitude Era that’s missing on television today.

That truly is the bottom line because I said so.

Pro Wrestling Radio returns live tonight Tuesday May 7 at 7:30 PM/EST! You can listen live and join the chat on http://ProWrestlingRadio.com.

Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time

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WWE.com is back at it again with a new list. This new list is certainly bound to raise debate among passionate fans from all eras as the website ranks the 50 greatest WWE championship matches in history.

This is a list a fan like me who has watched and followed pro wrestling for over 30 years can talk about. The thing I will say about this and all WWE.com lists is that they should be taken for what they are. In other words, the company is ranking its own matches so you have to expect these lists to be motivated by internal politics. As long as you keep that in mind, it is okay to have a little fun with these as opposed to getting angry over these fantasy lists.

How do you rank the 50 greatest WWE title matches ever? Did someone actually sit down and watch every title defense from television, pay per view, and old house shows? Of course not or at least I would find that highly doubtful.

Now if you wanted to put together a list by era or quantify a certain number of years, it would be much easier to put together a fairly accurate list. However when it comes to 1963-1984 you really are relying purely on folklore and legend at that point. The big championship bouts from that point forward are generally easy to find and all on video.

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels tops the list, specifically their WrestleMania 12 Iron Man Match. Is it irony that Shawn Michaels tops most of these lists or is the fact that he is really the only top legend on good terms (although Bruno Sammartino is now on that list) with the company? I am sure it’s just irony right?

Look let’s be honest. That is a great match but I don’t know if I would put that in my personal top 10 or even top 20 WWE championship matches. It’s a very good match but I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head that blew it away. Again these lists are subjective so that said, this one isn’t anywhere near the top of my list.

It was also real interesting to see Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid crack the top ten. It was a great match no doubt but is it the 8th greatest title match in WWE history? I can’t imagine that it is. The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy was another one that was fantastic but again not a match I’d rank in the top ten. That said I was a little surprised to see Triple H out of the top ten due to the political implications of the list.

The biggest disappointment is the complete lack of respect that Bob Backlund received on this list. Say what you will about Backlund but he held the belt for five years and had a handful of absolute classics during that time. Backlund vs. Ken Patera 1980 Texas Death Match, Backlund vs. Stan Hansen in a Steel Cage 1981, Backlund vs. Greg Valentine March 1979 and the 81 No DQ MSG, his series of matches with Magnificent Muraco in the fall of 1981, a handful of Backlund vs. Adrian Adonis matches, and of course the famous Steel Cage match with Jimmy Snuka. Now do I expect all of these to make the list? No, but I expected to see at least one if not two get proper recognition.

Anyway here is the list via WWE.com. Let the debate begin!

50. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, Survivor Series 1997
49. The Miz vs. John Morrison, Monday Night Raw (Jan. 4, 2011)
48. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Dude Love, Over the Edge 1998
47. Superstar Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund (Feb. 20, 1978)
46. John Cena vs. Batista, Over the Limit 2010
45. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL, Great American Bash 2004
44. CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, Over the Limit 2012
43. Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff (Jan. 18, 1971)
42. John Cena vs. Triple H, WrestleMania 22
41. Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker, Royal Rumble 1998
40. Mankind vs. The Rock, Royal Rumble 1999
39. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho, Extreme Rules 2012
38. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, SmackDown (Sept. 16, 2003)
37. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho, Vengeance 2001
36. The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam 2002
35. Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes (Oct. 24, 1977)
34. John Cena vs. JBL, Judgement Day 2005
33. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle vs. Triple H, SummerSlam 2000

32. Brock Lesnar vs. Eddie Guerrero, No Way Out 2004
31. Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff, Saturday Night’s Main Event (Jan. 3, 1987)
30. The Rock vs. Triple H, Judgement Day 2000
29. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle, Unforgiven 2001
28. CM Punk vs. John Cena, SummerSlam 2011
27. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase, WrestleMania 4
26. Randy Orton vs. John Cena, Bragging Rights 2009
25. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock, Backlash 1999
24. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho, Monday Night Raw (April 17, 2000)
23. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar, WrestleMania 19
22. Bruno Sammartino vs. Killer Kowalski (April 29, 1974)
21. Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Rock, Vengeance 2002
20. Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena, Monday Night Raw (July 25, 2011)
19. Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker, No Mercy 2002
18. Iron Sheik vs. Hulk Hogan (Jan. 23, 1984)
17. John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam, One Night Stand 2006
16. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind, In Your House (Sept. 22, 1996)
15. Ric Flair vs. Macho Man Randy Savage, WrestleMania 8
14. Edge vs. John Cena, Unforgiven 2006
13. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack, Royal Rumble 2000
12. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, SummerSlam 1994
11. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania 5
10. The Rock vs. Mankind, Monday Night Raw (Jan. 4, 1999)
9. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 23
8. Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy, Monday Night Raw (July 1, 2002)
7. Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Monday Night Raw (July 11, 1994)
6. Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior, WrestleMania 6
5. Royal Rumble match in 1992
4. John Cena vs. CM Punk, Money in the Bank 2011
3. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, WrestleMania 3
2. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, WrestleMania 17
1. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, WrestleMania 12

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I don’t think you will find two better talkers than Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chael Sonnen. The worlds of WWE and UFC recently crossed when Austin had Chael on his podcast. According to Sonnen, their paths may have crossed sooner.

Before I go on let me say this. This interview Austin conducted with Sonnen is absolutely phenomenal. Austin asks every question I’d ever want to ask if I was interviewing Austin. The sad fact here is that Austin who is not a journalist conducted a better interview than the paid MMA reporters who have interviewed him.

The interview touches on a variety of topics over the course of an hour. One of the more fascinating parts of the interview is when Austin has Chael take him through his routine from training to a fight, fight day, what he is thinking about as he walks to the octagon, and after the fight. It is great stuff!

From a pro wrestling fan’s perspective I thought the most interesting piece was when Chael told Austin about his attempt to get into professional wrestling. According to Sonnen, he may have been talking trash and throwing elbows on Monday Nitro as opposed to the UFC if World Championship Wrestling remained in business.

“I went down to the WCW Power Plant in 1998, Sarge was running it. “We had a tryout.” (Austin laughs and asks Chael if he knows Sarge) Yeah I knew him for three days, he tortured us, I mean he absolutely abused us absolutely abused us. It was a tryout, it was real simple, it was a lot like the Navy SEALs. Here’s what we’re going to do and as soon as you’ve had enough say “I quit.” That was it. Once you quit you get your stuff and go home. It was two and a half days, I showed up in very good shape, I just came out of a wrestling season, I was an All-American, it took every bit of grit that I had. They turned a bucket upside down and you had to do a squat. You had to throw your hands up, come up on your tip toes, your squat was down when your butt hit the bucket. That was it. Squat, squat, squat. But we just kept squatting. We squatted so much that there’s a little lining on the bottom of the bucket and that thing dug in to the back of my legs. I went down so many times. Once I was done you drop down, you do your pushups, you jump up, you squat, down, you do. All day long! I cant remember how many guys we had but we had some monsters in there, we had some big dudes in there. On the second day there was only two guys left, me and a guy from Jamaica. On the third day it was still just the two of us, and that was it. Both of us made it, both of us got invited back, I went and finished college and by the time I had, the WCW was gone.”

Wow! There are a lot of takeaways from that quote. One, this goes back to all of the stories I have heard about those Power Plant tryouts. Maybe WCW would have done a better job of creating more stars if they weren’t more concerned with bullying guys and breaking them down physically in training. I understand the mental game but what if Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan, or The Undertaker walked into the Power Plant. It’s doubtful any of those guys would have survived those kinds of workouts. It’s just ridiculous and talk about the money wasted on the Power Plant on top of all of the other wasted WCW money.

Austin then asked Chael if he had any desire to ever dabble in pro wrestling once his UFC career is over. Chael was non-committal but it didn’t sound like he was going anywhere.

“I appreciate that and I’ve talked with those guys and they do have big offers and it’s enticing but I’m a loyalty guy, I’m a Dana White guy, and the only way it would happen is if Dana said “this is what I want you to go do.”

The other part of the interview that people are talking about is the things that Sonnen said about his contract with the UFC. Chael told Austin that he didn’t have a contract to fight Anderson Silva and he still doesn’t have one going into the Jon Jones fight.

“I never, to this day I don’t have a contract to fight Anderson Silva,” Sonnen stated in the interview. “I never signed an agreement that said I would fight him, we never picked a dollar amount, we never picked a weight class. Nothing. I told those guys I would show up and I did.”

“They never had a contract with me, they said what they would do and they did. My UFC contract expired about four months ago, I don’t know if they just haven’t realized it because they’re so busy, or if they just know they don’t need one with me. But, I got a world title fight coming up, we’ve got a sold out venue — I don’t have a piece of paper with my name on it or Jon Jones’ or anything else, but I don’t need one either.”

Take away from that what you will. According to a story in BloodyElbow.com that is just not possible due to the rules of the NSAC. Speaking of Anderson Silva, Sonnen’s comments about his fights with Silva were also very interesting, especially when he talked about Silva’s comeback in their first fight.

Why Steve Austin is doing this podcast on Podcastone.com and not WWE.com is probably the biggest mystery of all. Check out the entire podcast here.

The Voice of Reason: A V.I.P. Pass to Enlightenment

Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time

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WrestleMania time always has me thinking of the great matches, and the great wrestlers, and the great Mania moments over the previous 28 editions of this great PPV. After all, the PPV is WWE’s version of the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Breeder’s Cup, whatever sports reference you want to use. WWE fans get to not only look forward to this year’s Mania, but they start reminiscing about past Manias. Many times, you will get to think about great memories,such as a great wrestler winning his/her first major title, but at times, you will remember sad ones as well, such as you remember seeing that wrestler in the PPV who is now dead .

In this blog, I will post my personal top ten WrestleMania moments of all time. I admit it was hard to narrow it down to just ten, but I did. I should state that they are not in any strict order, as you could ask me next week, and I could write a different list. Before I start, I do want to say, that my definition of “moment” is broad: Moment could be defined from an embrace to the entire PPV.

Here we go, and I hope you enjoy.

10. Hogan slamming Andre in WM3 in Detroit, MI

No matter how many times Hogan exaggerates Andre the Giant’s weight, and no matter how many times I see on YouTube or on TV, this spot is amazing. The match isn’t great, but it is a heck of a moment. Hogan finishing off Andre with the leg drop was cool. It is one of the most defining moments in WrestleMania history, in front of over 93, 000 screaming fans at the Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit, Rock City (sorry. I had to get that in) in Michigan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMoXP6zY1QY&feature=endscreen&NR=1

9. “I’m sorry. I love you” – HBK defeats Ric Flair in Flair’s Retirement Match at WM 24 in Orlando, FL

The night after a very emotional, and teary WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which I was present at, the newly inducted Ric Flair, and soon to be Hall of Famer HBK Shawn Michaels had an excellent match which had all the emotional heat you could imagine. It was Flair’s “last match ever.” (of course we all know it would not be the case) Flair would have it with the best worker in the company, HBK, and why not. The ever defining moment was right before Shawn delivered the match winning Sweet Chin Music, he said, “I’m sorry. I love you.” After the pin, there was so much adoration and love between the two competitors and the fans, yours truly included. I was really believing that this would be Flair’s last. Great moment.

http://youtu.be/mMewKqXG9vg

8. World Champion Eddie Guerrero and his friend WWE Champion Chris Benoit embracing at the end of WM 20 in New York, NY

Yes, I know this pick is controversial, but this moment is still unforgettable nonetheless. I am not one to erase history because of the treacherous acts of one of the people in a sport or whatever.

Now, I was at this PPV, and AT THE TIME, this was a fantastic moment. It was very emotional seeing two guys who not only were friends, and were in not only ECW together, but WCW as well before joining WWE. Both guys were seen by some as “too small” to carry the World Titles, but were finally given a chance, and at the company’s biggest event, Eddie retained his World Title in a fantastic match against Kurt Angle, and Benoit, in one of the best WrestleMania main events ever defeated both Shawn Michaels, and the defending WWE Champion Triple H in one of the best Triple threats ever, at least in my opinion.

After the match, while Chris Benoit was celebrating, out came Eddie Guerrero with his belt, and the two embraced. It was such a great moment. Of course, as wrestling fans know, that image is marred by the devastating tragedies that would befell both men and their families. I want to add that I feel sad for Eddie and his family, and I CONDEMN Benoit for his TREACHEROUS ACTIONS. However, this moment is still one that is on my list regardless.

http://youtu.be/eh4hoiJppCQ

7. Anytime Vince McMahon got owned at WrestleMania

This moment is a culmination of moments, and it involves the one and only WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon (God, how I love saying that.). Vince McMahon has an 0-4 record at WrestleMania, and that is no accident. As much as some moan and groan about seeing him put himself in matches with his own talent, I think it is awesome, because we all know that he is going to get his ass handed to him. Now, I am going to show a couple of my favorites. In fact, I was present for two of them: Vince McMahon getting his head shaved bald by his fellow Billionaire (except his opponent is an actual Billionaire) Donald Trump at WM 23 in Detroit, Rock City in Michigan at Ford Field, and at WM 22 (I was 9th Row ringside.) in Chicago at Allstate Arena when Vince McMahon was laying on a table, the top half of him in a garbage can, and HBK did an elbow drop from the top of a huge ladder. The third, which I was NOT at, was when at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA at WM 19, Vince gets his comeuppance from Hulk Hogan. I was not at this PPV either, unfortunately (KISS was in Australia at the time, and I was there for three weeks for six of their shows), but at WM 17 at Houston’s AstroDome, Vince got his butt kicked by his own son, Shane, after his “comatose” wife Linda got up and hurt Vince where the sun don’t shine.

WM 22 against HBK (last part of match): http://youtu.be/9OIPmNZ0DDo

WM 23 gets shaved bald: http://youtu.be/UZ1L013k5Hw

WM 19: against Hogan ( last part of match): http://youtu.be/QbBXe_qNeUs

WM 17. Linda’s Revenge: http://youtu.be/E17jqpLYajg

6. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s bleeding face as Austin refuses to say “I Quit,” while in Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter in WM 13 at the then named Rosemont Horizon (now All State Arena) in Chicago.

WM 13 is not known as one of WWE’s best Manias. It is known as one of the worst. The highlight of this PPV is this “Submission” or “I Quit” match between “Hitman” Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Bret was going into a tweener mode in early 1997, while Austin was still in a heelish mode. During the buildup, there is this famous confrontation between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon where during an interview in the ring and Bret went on a obscenity filled rampage saying how he isn’t respected, etc. Austin eventually comes down and the two go at it.

The match at WM 13 itself is a classic. Bret Hart comes out as a babyface. Austin comes out as his heel persona. Ken Shamrock is the special guest referee. Austin and Hart go all over the arena, and during the match, the crowd changes loyalties. The crowd starts cheering for Austin, and Bret starts getting booed. When Bret locks on the Sharpshooter, and won’t let go, and Austin passes out from the pain, a few things happen. One, you get one of the most classic moments in not only WrestleMania History, but in wrestling history. Two, you have , at least in my opinion, one of the best double turns I have ever seen. I mean, I think this has assisted Austin becoming the top star that the company ever had, along with the famous, “Austin 3:16″ promo at King of the Ring 1996. Bret would go on to become an awesome heel, and start that Canada vs the USA angle, and create the new Hart Foundation with his brother Owen Hart, the British Bulldog, Jim “the Anvil Neidhardt, and Brian Pillman. Lastly, you see an example of the art of “putting someone over.” For me, it wasn’t so important that Bret “won” the match, that makes this so awesome. It was that Austin got put over. Watching the product today, it feels like forever since I have seen a promising young talent being properly put over.

One could say the entire match could be a moment, but it is the image of Austin’s bleeding face and the aftermath that is so striking.

(Last part of the match) http://youtu.be/qTYcx8dq7KY

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin shaking hands with Vince McMahon after defeating The Rock at WM 17 in Houston, TX.

Well, here is another Austin moment, and it involves my personal favorite WrestleMania main event match EVER. Mind you, I have seen six WrestleManias in a row, Manias 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, and I plan to be at this one. I mean, my readers who know me well, you all didn’t think I was going to miss Edge being inducted into the Hall of Fame now, did you? Anyway, the only one that had a shot of toppling this particular Austin match was Mania 24′s Edge (c) vs Taker in Orlando. Very VERY close. This match also happens to be my favorite match by Steve Austin.

Before I go on, I nearly made the entire PPV the 5th best moment. WM 17, at least in my opinion, was an amazing PPV. I just thought every match was booked just about perfectly, even the silly stuff like the McMahon vs McMahon stuff. I mean, there was something memorable about every match, and I can not remember a match that was bad. I thought it was a nearly perfect PPV from the McMahon match (as in being a fun match), to the Taker/HHH match to the TLC match (Edge’s spearing Jeff Hardy in mid air is a memorable moment in itself) to this fantastic main event between the Rock (C) vs Austin.

As I discussed previously about the “I Quit” match, Bret Hart went on to have his heel run in 1997, and everyone knows what happened on November 9, 1997 in Montreal at the Survivor Series. Well, out of the ashes came this whole Evil Mr. Vince McMahon character where he was the evil owner who would try to thwart the hard working hero Stone Cold Steve Austin. As most fans know, this feud lasted for years during the Attitude Era.

Well, leading up to this particular match between the Rock (C) and Austin for the WWE Championship, Vince McMahon was manipulating both men by having Austin’s wife, Debra promise that there would be no contact between the two. Well, when there was contact between the two as one week, Austin gave Rock a stunner, and the Rock in retaliation, gave Austin a Rock Bottom, Debra got fired by Vince.

The match itself was a spectacle, and a classic. Great work by both guys, and Earl Hebner was fantastic as referee. Both Paul Heyman and Jim Ross were great on commentary. Ross especially was great, especially at the start when he was wondering about the mysterious announcement before the match began that the match was “No Disqualification.” Fans were treated to two terrible looking Sharpshooters, but other than that, the match was great. During the latter part of the match, who comes down the aisle, but Vincent Kennedy McMahon in his wrestling gear from his prior match with his son. There was a point where Rock had the cover, and the likely win where Vince pulled him out. Rock gave Vince the look of death, and chased Vince around the ring, and it was on. With the help of Vince and some chairs, Stone Cold Steve Austin not only won the title, and not only turned heel (which even he admitted was a bad idea), but did the unimaginable. He shook hands with the once evil, and reviled, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and had beers with him.

That is an image I can’t get out of my mind, and I can STILL remember Jim Ross going crazy.

Scroll to about the 30:00 mark and go to the end: http://youtu.be/zwkQ2WNkXqY

4. Undertaker’s Return to face his brother Kane at WM 20 in New York, NY

Yes, I know that there are certain things that are guaranteed in this world: Death, Taxes, and the Undertaker winning at WrestleMania. Taker has defeated 19 previous opponents, and sorry, Hunter, as much of a die hard fan of yours that I am, you will be number 20. You could have Shawn as the ref, and Peyton Manning calling your plays or designing your game plan, you are, for the THIRD TIME, lose to the Undertaker. Heck, even the newly retired Hines Ward breaking through the Cell, and giving Taker one of his famous hits with former Steeler teammate James Harrison coming in, and hitting Taker, and leading with his helmet without fear of Commissioner Goodell is going to help HHH. HHH is losing at Mania……Career vs Streak or not.

That being said, what is also guaranteed is Undertaker’s long, but fantastic entrances. I mean, sure it takes him forever and a day to get to the ring, even on Raw and Smackdown, but at a PPV, especially at WrestleMania, it is well worth it.

In late 2003, Undertaker took some personal time off when he lost a Buried Alive Match at Survivor Series to Vince McMahon of all people, with the help of his “brother,” Kane. During this time Kane had gloated about putting away Taker, and said Taker was dead, etc. Right before Mania, on Raw, he faced a casket in the ring. The ring lifted up with Kane in it, and there was an urn with 11-0 in it which was a challenge from the Undertaker.

At the event itself, it was a spectacle to see. Out came the druids with flames, and with Paul Bearer leading them, and finally, the Undertaker. I was at this show, and it was a great site to see. I had seen Taker wrestle previously at shows, but this was my first WWE PPV, and I had never seen Taker all decked out in his costume walking with the druids and Bearer with Bearer carrying that urn. Great stuff to see live for the first time.

Of course we know who won, but that’s not important. Great moment.

At the 1:16 mark: http://youtu.be/dWd4B4Onu2o

3. A pair of Edge Landmark Moments. One at WM 21 in Los Angeles, and the other at WM 22 in Chicago

Well, my readers didn’t think I was going to leave Edge off of my favorite moments of all time list, did you? Well, I paired these two moments up into one because I feel they were landmarks and were kind of intertwined.

I will start with WrestleMania 21. That was the very first Money In The Bank Ladder Match. Of course, being that it was a ladder match, as his fan, I was worried about his neck, and all, but the other guys are professionals and such. Anyway, as people know by now, the idea of the MITB match is the person who climbs the ladder, and grabs the briefcase hanging above, wins the case, and its contents which is a contract. The winner has a year to “cash it in” from that year’s Mania, and challenge for whichever World or WWE Title he wants.

Of course, everyone knows Edge won it. When he did, it was a great moment. Being at the PPV, I could sense that he got a lot of heat. Of course, Shelton Benjamin had that awesome spot with the ladder in the match. However, it was Edge’s winning moment. I felt at that moment that we could be seeing a potential star. Well, he cashed in his case at New Year’s Revolution in January 8, 2006 on John Cena, and since then won the WWE/World Titles 10 more times, and became one of the best heels, and one of the best wrestlers in WWE history (yes, I said it). I would say he became a star.

Now, the second moment I picked: Edge’s first title, despite his ratings success, lasted three weeks. He started a feud with Mick Foley who Edge blamed for costing him a chance to headline WrestleMania 22 as the WWE Champ. That lead to a feud between the two which lead to a Hardcore match.

I was 9th row for this match, and the match not only kicked ass, but it was the best match on the card. The match also, at least in my opinion, solidified Edge as a main eventer in WWE. At least in my eyes it did. It showed me that he was willing to do just about anything to prove to a lot of those “in the back” (and there WERE the doubters) that he was a great singles star. The moment for me was the image of Edge spearing Mick Foley into that flaming table. It was awesome, but scary as well. After it was over, I was more concerned that Edge got to the back and got treatment.

However, it was a great moment. Both were great moments, and I thought they related to each other well.

Edge Winning MITB at WM 21: http://youtu.be/XsBZCXkT40E

Edge Spearing Foley at WM 22: http://youtu.be/OP-Iz1tQQoI

2. Edge’s last match at WM 27 in Atlanta, GA

Well, at the previous WrestleMania, fans saw the “Career vs Streak” match between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker. Of course, Taker won the fantastic match which was a rematch of their sensational WM 25 classic in Houston. Shawn, of course, lost, and retired which he was going to do anyway. Shawn Michaels made a heartfelt speech at Raw tonight, and hugged HHH, his real life best friend after the speech.

The point of all this is that this particular last match, and retirement,was expected. The moment I am going to discuss was not, at least to the FANS anyway.

At WrestleMania 27, Edge was in a match to defend his World Title against the Royal Rumble winner, Alberto Del Rio. Inexplicably, at the PPV, the match , a WORLD TITLE MATCH, mind you, was put on first. Why WWE did that, I have NO clue. Being that it was for the World Title, and I know Smackdown is the red headed stepchild, but really. They could have started with the Rey/Cody match. Maybe it is just me, but I think when you have a World Title match, it should be higher up on the card than the curtain jerker spot. Anyway,in an excellent, 10 minute match where both Edge’s sidekick Christian, and Del Rio’s sidekick Brotus Clay (now the Funkasaurus) ran a little interference, Edge retained his World Title, and post match, destroyed Del Rio’s precious car.

Of course, we all know what happened with Edge about a week later on April 11, 2011, and the background leading up to the heartbreaking announcement. In recent interviews, Edge said that he had no idea it would be his last Mania. The plan was that they would get through the Ladder Match at Extreme Rules (where I assume Del Rio would get the belt), and he would take time off for his sore neck,but when the MRI came back, he was told he was done. He knew he planned to retire soon, but it just came sooner rather than later. He said everyone else was shocked, but he wasn’t as he knew his neck was off for some time.On a personal note, I had noticed for a few months that he seemed to be in a lot of pain, especially when he was hit in the left arm. I remember from his book when he started having neck issues, the left arm would go numb.Well, on that Raw after the 2011 Rumble, when Del Rio hit him with the guitar, even though he was selling, I could see him flexing his left hand trying to get the feeling back in. I was wondering if his neck was starting up.

The moment, at least to me, is incredible. Yeah, there were probably some who thought it was his last, but evidently it wasn’t the case. I thought after the ladder match he would take time off, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Yes, HBK retired, but I knew it was coming. Edge said he was going to retire within the next couple of years way back in June 2010, but I figured it would be in 2012 (right about now, and even he said this year’s Mania would have been his last had he not been forced to retire). It was just when I was trying to mentally prepare for Edge’s eventual retirement, that is when Edge made that announcement on Raw. It was so shocking. I just was not ready. I had such a crisis of faith as well. The realization that he had just wrestled at his last Mania was very hard to take. The finality of it. What’s even harder is the realization is that he can never wrestle again.

The great thing about it, though, is that a great wrestler , gets to leave on top, as champion. That does not happen a lot in wrestling. I am so glad, and so proud, as his fan, that he got to do that.

Edge’s Entrance and Match Only: http://youtu.be/O4shJ7k33kk

1. Shawn Michaels “Boyhood Dream” Coming True at WM 12 in Anaheim, CA

Well, here is the moment that for me is the best WrestleMania Moment EVER. It was at WrestleMania 12 at the Anaheim Pond in Anaheim, CA. It was in the Main Event, which was the 60 minute Iron Man Match. The two contestants were “Hitman” Bret Hart, who was the defending champion, against Shawn Michaels. The backstory is that Bret was going to take some time off, and Shawn was going to be pushed as the young man going for his “Boyhood Dream” of becoming WWE Champion.

Bret Hart made his usual entrance, and Shawn made this fantastic entrance that could be a moment in itself. He was wearing white and silver tights, and came down this wire from the rafters onto the floor. Great image. Anyway, after the rules of the match were laid out, etc, the two went back and forth in what I thought, and still think was a fairly good match. I personally am not in love with this particular match, despite the two participant, and despite many fans’ being in love with it. Anyway, in the last couple of minutes of the 60 minute regulation, Bret had Shawn in his sharpshooter, and Shawn would not give up. The time expires, and here was Bret, thinking he retained the belt, walking away, and all, but not so fast, the late Gorilla Monsoon announces that in case of a tie, they go into overtime. Let’s say the Hitman was not happy. He runs in and tries to finish off Shawn, but it was not to be. Shawn had to hit Sweet Chin Music twice to put the Hitman away, but Shawn won his first of four WWE/World Championships.

It is the post match moment that I just love. That moment of him with the belt. His looking at the belt, and cradling it. What a moment. That image of the man who would go on to become the Showstopper, the Headliner, the Main Event, or as I call him, the Greatest of All Time, with his belt is just amazing and will always be my favorite WrestleMania moment ever.

The moment is at about the 7:50 point, but this is the last 2 minutes of regulation: http://youtu.be/NpOZxSkp2DU

Well, that is my list. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Terri Bey currently blogs for CamelClutchBlog.com about Wrestling, NFL, and other sports/pop culture related subjects. Her work has appeared in BleacherReport and for F4WOnline.com. Terri can be found here at Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/TerriBey and at Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/giopontifan

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Hello loyal readers and welcome back for yet another WrestleMania countdown article. Yes, spring is in the air, the snow has melted away, birds are singing, and the internet is full of articles counting down every kind of WrestleMania list imaginable. Best matches, worst matches, top moments, etc. Well, never being one to miss getting on the bandwagon, I have compiled my own list.

Every year there are those special matches that you just can’t wait to see at WrestleMania. Maybe it’s the culmination of a feud that has been simmering for months or maybe a long gone star has returned to the spotlight. Of maybe there is even a historic first ever clash between two icons of the sport. Whatever the situation, there is always immense hype surrounding the biggest event of the year. But sometimes the moment doesn’t quite live up to the hype. Sometimes the wrestlers can’t deliver on the expectations of the fans. Here are the top five worst WrestleMania moments that had a lot of potential, but for one reason or another missed the mark, in my opinion.

5 -WrestleMania XXVI – Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon

This was it. The moment wrestling fans had waited over ten years to see. Bret Hart back in a WWE ring. And not only in the ring, but taking on the man that had basically ruined his life. Bret would finally make Vince pay for the “Montreal Screw Job”. Any even though Bret did get the win, it somehow felt empty to me. It just didn’t feel like McMahon suffered enough for all the pain he caused Bret.

And there was also this little devil in my ear wondering if Vince would have the stones to screw Bret again. Even though everyone wanted to see Bret come out on top, a small part of me was hoping for some kind of double cross again. Now that would have been a moment.

4 -WrestleMania XXV – Triple H vs. Randy Orton

I know what you’re thinking, “Who was looking forward to this match”. Well even though these two have fought about 100 times over the years now, this match actually had some decent build up to it. In the months leading up to the match, Orton had attacked both Vince and Shane McMahon, Triple H’s father-in-law and brother-in-law. While that alone wasn’t enough to generate enough heat, when he RKO’d Hunter’s wife Stephanie and then kissed her in the ring, which sent “The Game” over the edge. This was a personal feud along the lines of Savage & Flair at WM VIII. But the crowd had seen this match up too many times before. And following an epic battle between HBK vs. The Undertaker, this match never stood a chance. This just ended up being another routine match for these two, and a lost opportunity for us.

3 – WrestleMania X – Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger / Yokuzuna vs. Bret Hart

This had so many possibilities to it. The unstoppable champion Yokozuna against Lex Luger, with the winner to face the former champion Bret Hart. Back when there was only one World title, a double main event title match was huge. Throw in the match up of Bret having to face Owen also and this had the chance to be really special. The night started off great with a true classic between the Hart brothers. Then Luger finally gets another chance at the title, against the monster he body slammed ten months before. The set up was there for a stirring win and then a battle between the two men who eliminated each other together at the Royal Rumble. Instead we get a screw job finish by Mr. Perfect that was intended to start a feud that never happened. The match between Yokozuna and Hart was okay, the image of Bret celebrating and Owen fuming is classic. But since this was such a unique scenario, a DQ win for Yokozuna over Luger didn’t ring true for me.

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2 – WrestleMania IV – WWF Title Tournament

Talk about wasted potential. One year after the epic WM III main event, the WWF needed to up the ante. What better than a tournament to crown a new champion where anything could happen. And it did, just not in a good way. Rick Rude and Jake Roberts boring the fans for 15 minutes and ending in a time limit draw. The long awaited rematch between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant ends in a double DQ. The One Man Gang gets a bye to the semi-finals. What kind of tournament is this? The 1995 King of the Ring bookers must have watched this tape the night before the show (Mabel vs. Savio Vega in the finals…UGH). The end result, with Macho Man winning against Ted Dibiase was a nice touch. But the ends couldn’t justify the means in this case.

1 – WrestleMania XX – Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar

Talk about an all time stinker. Here was a matchup of two monsters that turned out to be a matchup of two kittens. Say what you will about Goldberg, but I found him damn entertaining in WCW. I loved that he would just come to the ring and steamroll people. And even though he looked like Stone Cold I never considered him a rip-off because there styles were so different. And Brock Lesnar could actually wrestle in addition to being a total beast. Unfortunately for both men, word leaked out that this was the last match for both in the WWE. The crowd was against them from the start.

Throw in the fact that neither was all that interested in getting hurt in their final match and this turned into a glorified pillow fight. The two could have done some epic damage to each other but instead wound up getting booed out of the arena. The only saving grace was the presence of Austin as the referee. But not even Stone Cold could save this all time turkey.

So there you have it. Do you have any WrestleMania moments that didn’t quite meet your expectations? Or maybe you feel I missed the mark on one of my selections? Leave me a comment; I would love to know what you think.

Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

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