For 19 WrestleManias, The Undertaker has conquered foes from Jimmy Snuka to Shawn Michaels. Sure there have been a few clunkers, but the Dead Man has delivered some WrestleMania classics over the last decade. In honor of the streak, let’s look back at the best Undertaker WrestleMania matches.
There aren’t many more WrestleMania matches left in The Undertaker. More impressive than the streak has been the resilience of The Undertaker during the twilight years of his career. While most pro wrestlers slow down with age, The Undertaker has actually delivered his best WrestleMania matches over the last ten years. If there is one thing that you can count on over the last few years it is that The Undertaker’s WrestleMania match is going to be a great one.
1 – The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels …WrestleMania XXV.Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had an absolute 31 minute WrestleMania classic. These two didn’t miss a beat since their exciting series of matches a decade earlier. This was a great back and forth match that had 70,000 plus going nuts from entrance to finish. The old dogs showed the current class of wrestlers what stealing the show at WrestleMania is all about.
2 – The Undertaker vs. Batista…WrestleMania XXIII. Batista reportedly walked back to the locker room after this match and screamed, “Top that!” He had every right to brag because this match was simply awesome. Even more impressive is that you had two guys with real low expectations. Nobody expected the WrestleMania classic that they delivered. This match had it all from brawling, close finishes, and was just non-stop action from bell to bell. There are some wrestlers that just have great chemistry and Batista vs. The Undertaker had exactly that. As good as HBK vs. The Undertaker’s WrestleMania XXVI match was, it wasn’t even close to as great as this one.
3 – The Undertaker vs. Edge…WrestleMania XXIV. While fans may have had low expectations for this one, the WWE hoped for much better and put these guys on last. This was another real fun back and forth match similar to the Batista match but different. Instead of the power moves you had from both guys, this one had a lot more “wrestling” with a lot of close near falls and cool transitions. Like above, Edge and The Undertaker had great chemistry here and lived up to their main-event billing.
4 – The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels…WrestleMania XXVI. I think the legend of this match has grown well past the match itself. Unlike the WWE announcers who tell us that this was the greatest WrestleMania match of all time, I tend to disagree. While this match was great, their WrestleMania 25 encounter blew this one out of the water. This one was a little too one-sided in The Undertaker’s favor as opposed to the first match which was fairly equal. However, taking a backseat to the above matches is nothing to be ashamed about.
5 – The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair…WrestleMania X8. It amazes me how quickly people have forgotten about this great match. The finish of the match is one of the most climactic in WrestleMania history. A bloodied and beaten Flair constantly kicked out of the Undertaker’s finishes. The Undertaker got so frustrated he attacked the referee which was just tremendous. Unfortunately, Flair had nothing left after a Tombstone and went down 1-2-3, extending the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak to 10. This was one hell of a war and an underappreciated classic.
6 – The Undertaker vs. Triple H…WrestleMania X-Seven. It doesn’t get much better than seeing Motorhead play Triple H into WrestleMania. This was a real fun match which saw the two fight through the stadium. The highlight of the match saw The Undertaker chokeslam Triple H seven feet off the production area. Overall this was a great brawl which saw both guys elevate their WrestleMania game for the first time in either man’s career. I look back at this as a real breakout moment for both guys. Two veterans in the prime of their WWE careers (Hunter entering his) and a smart hardcore match that probably doesn’t get nearly the credit it deserves.
7 – The Undertaker vs. Randy Orton…WrestleMania XXI. Other than the Dead Man’s match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV, this was really the only time in recent memory that the streak came close to ending. The match itself dragged at times and only made the list due to the exciting finish. Interference from Randy’s father, Cowboy Bob Orton and an RKO created one of the most dramatic finishes in recent WrestleMania memory. The Undertaker survived but the final minutes of this match are some of the most exciting in WrestleMania history.
From here on out you have a lot of WrestleMania clunkers thanks to The Undertaker. None of the other eleven matches are even close to as good as the top seven. Mark Henry, Sid Vicious, Giant Gonzalez, and Kane aren’t exactly Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair. Out of respect to the future WWE Hall of Fame superstar I think I’ll stop here and call it a day.
The Undertaker‘s WrestleMania Streak is one of the most important, if not the most important streaks in all of Wrestling. There has never been or never will be another streak as significant as this one in the world of Wrestling. In non-wrestling fan terms, imagine if a team went to the Super Bowl or World Series every year and won. That’s what this is like in the eyes of Wrestling fans around the world.
With that being said and looking back at the streak, rather than give my thoughts on it like many people tend to do this time of the year, I thought I’d look back at some of the best Undertaker WrestleMania Dream Matches that never happened. Probably for most people it was Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker pre-WrestleMania 25 days.
But what about the rest? What Undertaker matches do I think would equal the biggest buyrates for the biggest show of the year? Which is going to give us the most buzz?
With that being said I kept the dream matches to people that are on or have been on the WWE roster. I could throw Sting and The Undertaker but we all know that’s an obvious one. Someone of these matches include competitors the Deadman has faced before but not on the largest stage in the Wrestling world. Let’s take a look at my list of the “Five best Undertaker WrestleMania matches that never happened.”
How about this test for The Deadman at WrestleMania? Imagine The Streak vs. the best Wrestler in the business today in Kurt Angle? Sure Undertaker has been tested by the best by the likes of Shawn Michaels but how about quite possibly the best in the game right now?
Angle, like Michaels, and many of the names on the list, will test The Streak better then a Mark Henry or A-Train ever could have. The Streak is important in Wrestling right now so there are no better ways to make the streak look more important then actual tests that can end it. Angle can be a man that can do that for the fans.
The Streak vs. The Best Wrestler in the WWE’s history. There are no two better wrestlers in the business that have made an impact like these two have. Steve Austin and The Undertaker on the biggest stage of WrestleMania would be like the New York Yankees taking on the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. They are the two best titans/franchises in their respective forms of entertainment and would be a true test of who is actually the best.
For Austin to get in the ring with The Undertaker bring legit testing to the streak. People would tune into this match and give some major buyrates to the WWE. It’s amazing that they never pulled the trigger on this match when they were both in the company. It’s probably because it never really seemed to work out this time of the year, but had it did, it would be a huge classic.
The Rock, like Austin, is one of the most important wrestlers of the Attitude era for the WWE. You could switch either one around to fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania. The reason I put Rock ahead of The Undertaker is because of how important The Rock can make his match feel like at WrestleMania time.
There is a reason why they put The Rock vs. Hogan at WrestleMania 18. The buildup with The Rock is more intense and easier to sell then Austin. Rock can sell it in his in-ring ability and promos, it’s not taking away anything from Austin, it just seems that Rock is more clutch around WrestleMania time. The Streak vs. The Great One has huge WrestleMania buyrates written all over it.
The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan never really got the ball rolling in the early 90′s when they first faced off and it could have been an ever more entertaining or exciting feud if they went in this direction following the “Tuesday in Texas” PPV, etc. But for whatever reason they did not and instead used it to capitalize off of Hogan/Andre hype, which worked. Despite encounters in the early 90s and during Hogan’s return in 2002, they never had a match at WrestleMania.
Imagine The Streak vs. the Babe Ruth of WrestleMania. It would be a headliner that wouldn’t need a title in it. It would be the true test of which wrestlers were the best on the brightest stage of WrestleMania. Because when you really look back at it and the best wrestlers for WrestleMania, these two will probably take the top two positions in that category. The impacts they have made for the grandest stage today has paved the way for the phenomenon WrestleMania is right now.
Now the John Cena haters are probably jumping up and down in front of their computer screens for this one. But lets be honest, this is a match that we have never seen before or haven’t seen in a long time. I’m sure Cena and Taker have fought before but they have never headlined a PPV or done a program together.
The Streak vs. The Biggest Attraction in the WWE right now would be huge for WrestleMania and I’m quite surprised they haven’t pulled this trigger yet. In the current WWE climate right now, this would be a huge matchup because they have never fought before. In the eyes of the WWE audience (I refuse to call them a Universe) the biggest test for The Undertaker at WrestleMania would be Cena.
Whether you like it or not, Cena vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania…right now…may be the biggest test for The Streak ever and the match that can bring in the biggest buyrates for the company. There is a reason they are doing some sort of Rock-Cena angle heading into WrestleMania 27 right now, because whether you realize it or not, it’s get you talking/excited about it.
There is no better WrestleMania match for The Undertaker that hasn’t happened yet then John Cena vs. The Dead Man.
WWE superstars annually try and outdo one another for that coveted “WrestleMania Match of the Night.” Shawn Michaels continued to be that guy, and for over fifteen years wrestled the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. While WrestleMania 26 was the end, Shawn Micahels’ WrestleMania legacy will never be forgotten.
Shawn Michaels wrestled the last match of his career at WrestleMania 26 against The Undertaker. The loss sent the Heartbreak Kid into retirement and ended the streak of great WrestleMania performances.
In honor of the greatness known as Shawn Michaels, I take a look back at the Heartbreak Kid’s greatest WrestleMania matches and rank the Shawn Michaels ten best WrestleMania Matches..
1 – Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle…WrestleMania 21. Generally, this HBK match has become a forgotten classic. In my opinion, this was Shawn Michaels’ greatest WrestleMania match. This was a Dream Match that had been discussed for years amongst hardcore wrestling fans. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels were at their best and the fans began demanding to see this great match. The build, the anticipation, and the payoff couldn’t have been better.
2 – Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho…WrestleMania 19. I tend to look at this match as more of a 1 A than a 2. This was the Heartbreak Kid’s long awaited WrestleMania return and boy was it worth waiting for. What I liked most about this match is that it was very different match for both Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. Both guys used new moves, new transitions, and told a phenomenal story which made this one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time.
3 – Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart…WrestleMania 12. Like many matches on this list, some will call this Shawn Michaels’ greatest WrestleMania match. I think the match tends to get a little more credit than it deserves. However, the last fifteen minutes were some of the most exciting in the history of WrestleMania. The WWE has attempted a few more Iron Man matches since this one, but the Iron Man match at WrestleMania 12 is still the only one anyone ever talks about.
4 – Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon…WrestleMania 10. This match is quite arguably the most important match in the history of WrestleMania. This match began to usher in a whole new style of pro wrestling and influenced some of the biggest stars in WWE history. Beyond the match, people generally forget about the great storyline behind the match. Scott Hall doesn’t get as much credit as he should because he was in another zone altogether during this match. All in all a true classic and well worthy of a top-five spot on the list.
5 – Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker…WrestleMania 25. I think the legend of this match has grown well past the match itself. Unlike the WWE announcers who weekly tell us that this was the greatest WrestleMania match of all time, I tend to disagree. While the match was great, Michaels’ other matches blow this one out of the water. However, taking a backseat to the above matches is nothing to be ashamed about. I appreciated this one a lot more after WrestleMania 26 because even they weren’t able to top themselves with the rematch.
6 – Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon…WrestleMania 22. This is an odd one and another match that tends to is often debated. It is hard for fans to give this match the proper credit because it involved Vince McMahon. However, the match told a brilliant story and was one of the most dramatic matches in WrestleMania history. I dare the doubters to watch the match back with an objective eye, forget that HBK is wrestling Vince McMahon, and argue against the greatness of this WrestleMania 21 match.
7 – Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H…WrestleMania 20. This is where the list separates between amazing matches and really good matches. For me, this was one of Shawn Michaels’ most disappointing WrestleMania matches. On paper, I expected the match to blow away anything from Michaels’ second WrestleMania run. It was a very good match, but nowhere near the caliber of the above matches. I think the tree man crowd really hurt a match that on paper looked like a sure WrestleMania classic.
8 – Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker…WrestleMania 26. This certainly wasn’t the Heartbreak Kid’s best WrestleMania performance but it is certainly worthy of being in the top ten. The match as a whole came off a bit too one sided in my opinion where it appeared that The Undertaker just squashed Michaels. The match was also seven minutes shorter than the WrestleMania 25 match. While 23 minutes was more time than anyone else had, it just didn’t feel like enough for such a big match. While the match wasn’t even close to their previous match in terms of greatness, it was still better than 95% of the matches you will ever see at WrestleMania.
9 – Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair…WrestleMania 24. I find this to be an incredibly overrated match. Watching it back today for the list, I almost found myself bored. Never once did it seem like Ric Flair was going to win. It is hard to match the emotion, yet it tends to dissipate now that Flair is wrestling again for TNA Wrestling. This was a very dramatic match, but Ric Flair was probably two years removed from being able to do this one justice.
10 – Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel (Kevin Nash)…WrestleMania 11. I tend to think this match doesn’t get enough love. It wasn’t the greatest, but it was a pretty decent match for the time period. Shawn Michaels’ 20 foot backdrop still gets a pop out of me. Critics tend to call WrestleMania X a one-man match and don’t give Scott Hall enough credit. In this one, the critics were right and this was truly indeed a one-man show. However, when that one man is a young hot shot named Shawn Michaels nearing the prime of his career you just can’t go wrong.
Once again, I am starting a new series of columns. This time, each column will focus on an event, wrestler or angle that should have been all-around more successful than it was, but for whatever reason, didn’t live up to expectations. For my first installment, I will look at one of my favorite PPVs, an event I happened to be at in the front row, and at the same time, a let down to many, that being the 19th installment of WrestleMania.
Now, after reading that first paragraph, you might be wondering how it could be such a letdown if it’s one of my favorite events? You raise a good question, one that I can and will explain over this column.
WrestleMania XIX, which took place in Seattle, WA on March 30th, 2003, and in all honesty, had the makings of one of the best ‘Mania events in history. The building was a legitimate sell-out and broke the attendance record for Safeco Field as nearly 55,000 fans packed the place to see what was, from top-to-bottom, a very loaded event. There was a little bit of something for everyone: a good (albeit short) Cruiserweight title match, matches featuring legends, a main event between two of the best technical wrestlers in the world, an awesome Women’s title match, the continued streak of the Undertaker, etc. In a rare occasion, an event that looked great on paper turned out to be great when put into practice.
When I say this card was loaded, I don’t mean strictly from an in-ring standpoint, although that was definitely present. The card was loaded in all the ways a wrestling fan could want. It featured plenty of star power and drama, in addition to the aforementioned in-ring product. Not only that, but you got two arguable dream matches. The first, Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, was easily a show stealer, and a match that both combatants have cited is one of their all-time favorites. The second, while not as great from an in-ring standpoint, was still a marquee match that many paid to see as Hulk Hogan took on Mr. McMahon in a street fight “20 years in the making”. Despite the combined age of the two men being over 100, they beat each other in a wild, bloody brawl that not only satiated those wanting blood, but was something special for the old school fans as well as those who prefer the legends. We even got a run-in from “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, a man who had not been with the company in nearly a decade.
We also got an added bonus, as this wound up being the very final match of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Austin took on the Rock in what was their third ‘Mania match, with the story that Rock had never beaten Austin in ‘Mania matches in the past. Rock finally got the duke in this third encounter. Although it was not nearly as good as their two previous bouts, considering that Austin went into the match after spending the previous day in the ER, it was much more than you could ever ask for from wrestling highest box office draw of all-time.
Overall, the event is considered by many to be one of the very best ‘Mania installments from a pure in-ring standpoint, and that’s a fair assessment. Aside from Undertaker beating Big Show and A-Train in a lame handicap match (his partner, Nathan Jones, was taken out earlier in the night by the FBI. Jones, BTW, I will most definitely get to in an future column) and a sadly lopsided affair between Triple H and Booker that was the culmination of a very racist angle, the show had some of the best wrestling WWE had put on in years.
After all this, you’re probably still wondering how or why the show is considered to be a big disappointment. Well, unfortunately, despite all of the critical acclaim and great action from start-to-finish (save for a couple hiccups, as well as a pillow fight I will never mention again), when the final rating came in, it didn’t bode well for future ‘Mania installments like this. After all was said and done, WrestleMania XIX drew only a 1.40, or roughly 560,000 buys, making it the fifth lowest buyrate in ‘Mania history and the lowest of this century thus far.
Obviously, it’s debatable that WrestleMania XIX was a sign of things to come, but at the same time, it’s telling when can see that the overall match quality at ‘Mania installments has been lessened in favor of celebrity tie-ins, pointless backstage segments or filler matches that are seemingly thrown together and lack fan interest. Obviously, WrestleMania has still produced some great matches since that year, so before you lynch me for trashing every event since then, I’m not saying the event always sucked; this is merely my viewpoint, and a trend I’ve noticed since then.
WrestleMania XIX should have been a huge success. For those fans who understandably complain about match length/quality on today’s PPVs, this event should have been a dream card. Instead, it got a very low buyrate, possibly giving the WWE the idea that maybe we as fans really don’t want good, long matches at the biggest show of the year. Whether that is true or not, WWE seems to feel that way, and for every year that the show gets longer, we seem to get shorter, lesser quality matches simply there to stuff the card.
Fortunately, this year’s installment is shaping up to break that chain with 2 great title matches, the first ‘Mania Hell in a Cell in 13 years and a dream match between John Cena and the Rock. Hopefully, fans respond the right way, and open their wallets for what could be one of the better ‘Manias in recent years.
BACKGROUND
WrestleManias these days are more like the Super Bowl than ever before. In the NFL’s biggest annual game, while the outcome determines a champion, thus making the game the most relevant part of the weekend, the lure and aura of the halftime show, commercials, and interminable pre-game shows loaded with puff pieces draw in the casual viewer.
With WWE’s ratings and buyrates waning incrementally from the Attitude Era’s ending, Vince McMahon has discovered other ways to appeal to the casual viewer, especially come “WrestleMania season.”
In the last year and a half or so, World Wrestling Entertainment has dove into the deep end of social networking. You can’t sit through more than five minutes of Monday Night Raw anymore without Michael Cole prattling on in his cacophonic shriek about “hashtags” and “trending” and whatnot. Wrestlers tweeting threats to each other on off-days, usually in character, have begun to replace traditional story elements of tag team miscues and title shot demands as a means of fueling feuds and grudges.
With Twitter and Facebook as prime means of communication, it’s no doubt that WWE would exploit any chance to reach potential viewers.
Of course, WWE also continues the time-honored tradition of immersing past stars into the present story world. In recent years, we’ve seen Chris Jericho run afoul of Hall of Famers like Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat on the Road to WrestleMania. One year later, Vince McMahon and Bret Hart modified their years of bad blood into a three month story arc that culminated in one of WrestleMania’s most unlikely matches.
With a Georgia Dome to fill, and fans to get talking, WWE brought somebody in off the bench to help ensure the likelihood of both. It had been nearly seven years since he was last seen….
But finally……he came back.
THE EVENT
On February 14, 2011, a day devoted to love, wrestling fans jilted by the loss of WWE’s classic spontaneity and assertiveness were greeted to the sports entertainment equivalent of John Cusack standing below their bedroom window with a boombox.
One week after Vince McMahon announced a special guest host for WrestleMania, The Rock showed up in Anaheim, to an ungodly ovation from fans who had missed one of the sport’s greatest heroes. Dwayne Johnson systematically riffed on The Miz and John Cena, the two would-be main eventers, the latter in particular for some scathing public comments. Cena had derided Rock for leaving WWE completely behind in his pursuit of Sunset Boulevard, and now “The People’s Champion” was back to dress down his verbal attacker.
For weeks, Rock and Cena exchanged jibes back and forth so often, you’d think they were facing off at WrestleMania. Instead, Cena (who won #1 contendership at Elimination Chamber) would be challenging The Miz for the WWE Championship. Miz became a secondary figure to Rock and Cena’s trash talk, even while Michael Cole was championing Miz as “the most must-see WWE Champion in history.”
Ahh, Michael Cole’s heel turn. That ties into WrestleMania as well, as Cole, now pro-heel to the hilt, kept getting under the skin of Jerry Lawler, his longtime partner. When Lawler attempted to become WWE Champion in his only-ever shot, and felt short vs. The Miz, Cole rubbed it in to Lawler in antagonistic fashion. Emotions spilled over when Cole let slip that Lawler’s now-dead mother watched her son lose, and “The King” finally put his hands on his partner.
Soon enough, a match would be signed, with Jack Swagger as Cole’s trainer, and Stone Cold Steve Austin (what did I say about classic acts?) as the guest referee.
We haven’t even mentioned the Royal Rumble winner yet. Alberto Del Rio won the only 40-Man Rumble in history, and selected Edge, the World Heavyweight Champion, as the hilltopper he wished to knock off the summit. This feud had the added advantage of involving Christian, whom Del Rio put out of action in the fall of 2010. The reunited brothers (not friends, screw you WWE) banded together against Del Rio, his servant Ricardo Rodriguez, and protégé Brodus Clay.
To add more star power, The Undertaker’s streak of eighteen WrestleMania wins would be put on the line. Rumors swirled about who would try to end the mark. First, former UFC Champion Brock Lesnar was considered, but a deal never occurred. Then Sting was to jump from TNA, but re-signed with the company in the eleventh hour. Finally, Triple H stepped in, and engaged in weeks of tremendous dueling promo monologues with The Dead Man. The one from March 28 involving Shawn Michaels was some of WWE’s best TV to date.
CM Punk would face Randy Orton in a war over some of Orton’s past acts of aggression. And speaking of aggression, Orton would take out each of Punk’s Nexus flunkies on the road to their showdown.
Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Josh Mathews provided commentary, with Jim Ross and Booker T joining in later. Keri Hilson performed America the Beautiful. The Hall of Famers included Shawn Michaels, The Road Warriors, Paul Ellering, Sunny, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Abdullah the Butcher, Bob Armstrong, and Drew Carey.
THE RESULTS
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge def. Alberto Del Rio in 11:10
(Not only did the Royal Rumble winner open the show, but he also lost, looking like quite the “chumpstain” in the process. This would be Edge’s final match before retiring due to spinal injuries, but at least it was a really good opener. But still, why did it have to open?)
Cody Rhodes def. Rey Mysterio in 12:00
(This was quite an important match, as not only was it really good, but it showed that Rhodes can shine in a role outside of being Randy Orton’s lackey, or Ted Dibiase’s co-conspirator. If you wonder why Rhodes is trusted with a serious push, look here)
Kane/Big Show/Kofi Kingston/Santino Marella def. The Corre in 1:35
(As of this match, Santino Marella is 2-0 at WrestleMania, and Big Show is 3-8. Let that sink in)
Randy Orton def. CM Punk in 14:48
(If the crowd wasn’t so restless by this point, and if the night didn’t have a sour tone overall, this would be remembered as something more. Damn good match, but greater things lie ahead for both. Especially Punk about three months later….)
Michael Cole by Jerry Lawler by DQ in 13:42
(Why yes, this got more time than the first two matches. Coupled with The Rock wasting fifteen minutes at the start of the show with a cheerleading session, and you see why Sheamus and Daniel Bryan’s US Title match was bumped. The only good this match provided was getting Jim Ross to do commentary for the rest of the evening. Watching Cole on extended offense is like watching a midget do a caber toss)
No Holds Barred: The Undertaker def. Triple H in 29:26
(Not the five star classic some were hailing it as, but still a match of the year contender, surpassed by Christian/Del Rio a month later, and then Cena/Punk at MITB and Summerslam. Just a wild brawl with an insanely intense last few minutes. Undertaker springing back from the dregs of death to make Triple H tap out was heart-stopping excitement, and it pretty much saved the show. 19-0)
John Morrison/Trish Stratus/Snooki def. Dolph Ziggler/Michelle McCool/Layla in 4:00
(I’ll say it: Snooki + WWE’s make-up team = mildly attractive. She filled out those shorts nicely, even if I find her repulsive otherwise. Morrison snubbed Trish for much of the post-match, out of protest for Melina not getting to be on the show, and would fall out of favor with WWE entirely, leaving by year’s end. Actually, factoring in Layla’s near year-long injury, and Dolph is the only one still there)
WWE Heavyweight Championship: The Miz def. John Cena in 16:10
(If there’s one thing Miz doesn’t know how to do, it’s put on an epic match. Pedestrian, Raw-like, and building to nothing exciting, the match ended in a double countout before Rock restarted it, just so he could screw Cena with a Rock Bottom. Then Miz, after winning, got one too, and Rock celebrated to end the show. Really, that was the ending. The Seinfeld finale was better conceived)
ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
Rock and Cena would immediately begin to hype their one on one match for a year later, but the fans were still coming to grips with the show that they’d just been fed. Bryan/Sheamus bumped? Edge opening? Rock rambling in horrible segments? Cole wrestling for fifteen minutes? Snoop Dogg hosting a sing-off? No title changes? SNOOKI?!?!
Four of the matches (Edge/Alberto, Rey/Cody, Punk/Orton, Taker/HHH) were all WrestleMania worthy, and keep this from being a complete clunker. That said, there were so many head-scratching decisions involved with WrestleMania XXVII, you’d think Vince McMahon was bound and gagged backstage while Vince Russo and Herb Abrams ran amok with the booking sheet.
As for the show’s most enduring image, it has to be The Rock. It was supposed to be, theoretically, a night for Cena and Edge, two longtime heroes, to wage war with two upstart villains, Del Rio and Miz, in championship matches, but they were mere appetizers. Rock leading the fans in a chant exhibition, and then cavorting around with Mae Young and Peewee Herman…..this was somehow necessary, according to WWE.
Rock standing tall to close the show is the official portrait, and that pretty much sums up the show’s downfall.
Generally speaking, WrestleMania is supposed to be the biggest card of the year. It’s the night where all of the major feuds end, new storylines begin, and we get what WWE hopes are the big matches that everyone wants to see. For the most part, the event succeeds, usually getting a big buyrate and high DVD/Blu-Ray sales once it releases on those formats. While even the worst WrestleManias generally feature pretty good lineups that give fans something they really loved and don’t mind seeing over and over, there is at least one exception to this rule, and it is nearly universally considered the worst event in the show’s 28-year history: WrestleMania IX.
WrestleMania IX took place on April 4th, 1993 from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, NV. In order to host the “Granddaddy of Them All”, A special arena was built next to the hotel and casino specifically for this event. Despite being sold out and earning over a million dollars in ticket sales, the crowd consisted of less than 17,000 fans. After seeing the card, it’s honestly a miracle it drew even that many. The show featured 8 main card matches, a dark match and a “bonus” main event, if you could call it that. When the announce team of Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Mean” Gene Okerlund and Jim Ross all made their appearances in full togas to go with the Roman theme of the locale, you knew things were off to a bad start. You might have thought, “Well, it HAS to get better from here.”
Well, you were wrong. So very, very wrong.
The main show (after the Tito Santana/Papa Shango dark match, that saw Santana get only his second win at a WrestleMania, but since it didn’t air, it doesn’t count) started off with Shawn Michaels defending Intercontinental title against Tatanka, who was in the middle of his nearly 2-year undefeated streak. While a match featuring Shawn Michaels might normally be worthwhile, the fact is, nobody really gave a damn about Tatanka, despite him being shoved down fans’ throats, and it really showed here. The crowd was pretty dead, and after nearly 20 minutes, Tatanka won via count-out. Count-out. At a WrestleMania. That’s never a good sign.
Fortunately, the next match, a tag affair pitting the Steiner Brothers against the Headshrinkers, was pretty good and fairly hard-hitting. The match saw Scott Steiner get the pinfall after a botched Frankensteiner, though, giving the only good match on the card a bad ending. However, it was a decent match, and it gave fans hope for the rest of the card.
Instead, each match seemed to get progressively worse than the last. Doink the Clown defeated Crush (and also lost all of his heel coolness when a second Doink interfered), Razor Ramon defeated Bob Backlund in a total snoozer, and Money Inc. retained their World Tag Team titles against the Mega Maniacs via disqualification (the third cheap finish of the night). Any time Hulk Hogan is on the card and isn’t booked either last or next to last, you know it means his night is not over yet. No matter how much you want to convince yourself he’s done, you will always be wrong. Anyway, to continue the card, Lex Luger beat Mr. Perfect in another dud, and the Undertaker beat Giant Gonzales, considered by many to be the worst wrestler in history, via disqualification (the fourth cheap finish, for those keeping score). I will definitely get to Gonzales another day.
Looking at this card already, this would have been bad even for a Coliseum Home Video release. Despite the overall star power on display, the matches just sucked. It seemed like not one guy could click with his opponent, and overall, the card felt like it was thrown together haphazardly about a week before the show, kind of like pretty much every TNA PPV.
The only match that really had any build was the main event, Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart for Hart’s WWF Championship. Yokozuna had won the Royal Rumble in January, guaranteeing his title match at the big show. Despite being a decent worker for being such a big man and being in the ring with one of the all-time greats in Hart, the match fell completely flat. Hart tried his damnedest to make the match watchable, but it just didn’t work, and when Bret Hart can’t make something work, you know things are really going to hell. After less than 10 minutes of action, Yokozuna defeated Hart after his manager, Mr. Fuji, threw salt in Hart’s eyes (cheap finish #5, BTW) and became the then-youngest WWF Champion in history. Now, you’d think that would be the end of the show, and if it had been, it would have made things a little better.
Obviously, you forgot Hogan was booked on this card.
In one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history, Hogan came out, challenged Yoko to an immediate title match, and proceeded to squash the new champion in less than a minute. In the aftermath, this was done in order to have Hogan eventually lose the belt back to Bret Hart, thus patching the torch, but that’s another story for another day. Needless to say, despite the fact that Hogan wasn’t drawing flies at this point, he was once again the top guy for no apparent reason, and the show ended with him celebrating with his fifth WWF Championship, a record at that time.
Needless to say, fans were not pleased, and the show was universally panned by fans and wrestling critics. If you have never seen this show and still want to know how bad it was, when R.D. Reynolds, the owner of popular website Wrestlecrap.com – a site dedicated to the worst of pro wrestling-released his first book, the front and back cover photos were almost exclusively shots from this event. As for the ratings, they told the same story. Although higher than some of the following events (somehow), it still only drew a 2.3, with less than a million buys and making it the sixth lowest watched event in WrestleMania history.
If you’re ever in a position to book a major PPV event and want to know exactly what NOT to do, watch this show and do exactly the opposite of everything that you see.
WRESTLEMANIA XXV
From Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
April 5, 2009
BACKGROUND
There have been many to criticize WWE for not knowing their history, often distorting facts and erroneously relaying anecdotes with the frequency of a con man on the witness stand. But this time, WWE is going to be taken to task for its poor math skills as well.
WrestleMania XXV was dubbed “The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of WrestleMania”, which implies that WrestleMania began in 1984. While one may argue that the idea for event’s inception may have come from the year of Ronald Reagan’s re-election, the first event, clearly, took place in 1985.
“The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of WrestleMania” was a repeated phrase, used dozens of times per broadcast in the weeks leading to the April 5 bonanza. It seemed almost apropos that a company would get something wrong, and then to their guns, continuing to get it wrong night after night, week after week, in every medium in which WrestleMania was advertised.
WWE can make its audience run a gamut of emotions, from “high satisfied to the point of pledging lifetime loyalty” to “wow, what made them think THAT was a great idea?” A misnomer in advertising would merely be the tip of the iceberg for a show that held high expectations.
Since WWE was demonstrating their ability to make continued miscalculations, it makes sense that they would bungle a number of other roads to their grand spectacle.
In the two world title matches, one would feature a nonsensical home invasion incident that would serve to take the story’s villain and reduce him to being a weakened oaf. The other would see the hero reveal a love triangle that featured the champion, his shrill authoritarian wife, and a seven foot monster.
Thankfully, there was one historically great match that would keep the show out of the landfill of wrestling’s mismanaged atrocities.
THE EVENT Randy Orton would win the 2009 Royal Rumble, adding another brick to his well-built newer persona. Orton had ditched his generic “evil jock” routine, and was now bent on playing an unstable creep, whose deplorable random acts of violence were facilitated by intermittent explosive disorder (IED). The condition came to the forefront six days before the Rumble when Orton, about to be fired by Vince McMahon for insubordination, struck the boss, and then delivered a vicious punt to his head.
Orton would then target the McMahons further, horribly injuring Vince’s son Shane, and then dropping daughter Stephanie with an RKO. The latter act was done as a message to the WWE Champion, Stephanie’s husband Triple H.
After Hunter broke into Orton’s house and attempted to maim him with a sledgehammer, Orton one-upped the champion by DDTing Stephanie a week later, while Hunter was handcuffed to the ropes. Then, to punctuate his misdeed, Orton kissed Stephanie’s lifeless face while Triple H could only scream at him helplessly.
Over on Smackdown, Edge had finagled his way into becoming World Heavyweight Champion the same night he lost the WWE Title. After being eliminated from Smackdown’s Elimination Chamber at No Way Out three minutes into the match, Edge attacked Kofi Kingston and took over in the Raw match, outlasting champion John Cena and others to win the title.
In order to keep Cena out of the title picture, Vickie Guerrero inexplicably announced that Edge would defend the World Heavyweight Title against Big Show at WrestleMania. Cena, however, interrupted the signing by whispering something to Vickie, who then canceled the signing abruptly. Cena then was inserted into the match, as it was revealed that Vickie and Big Show had been having a discreet affair, and Cena had used video proof to extort his way into the match.
Speaking of depravity, Matt Hardy had double crossed his brother Jeff, costing him the WWE Title in January. Hardy had tired of Jeff stealing the spotlight designed for both Hardy Boyz, and would sign to face him in an Extreme Rules match at WrestleMania.
Also on the demented side, Chris Jericho‘s obsession with the movie “The Wrestler”, starring Mickey Rourke, had brought him to rail against legendary figures who hang on for too long. Jericho would violently assault Ric Flair, Jimmy Snuka, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and Ricky Steamboat, leading to him signing for a three-on-one elimination match against the latter three Hall of Famers. Rourke would be in attendance as well.
On February 16, Shawn Michaels def. JBL in a match where the winner would have the right to challenge The Undertaker for WrestleMania, with a chance to end his streak at stake. Michaels would try to outduel Taker with the mind games, pointing out how “The Phenom” never once pinned him, and also tried to get in his head with religious overtones. Michaels was content to break his nice-guy facade, one upping The Undertaker with sneak attacks in the winding weeks as well.
Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Michael Cole called the entire event as a trio. Nicole Scherzinger performed “America the Beautiful”, while Kid Rock performed a song medley. The Hall of Fame saw inclusion of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ricky Steamboat, Cowboy Bill Watts, The Funk Brothers, The Von Erichs, Koko B. Ware, and Howard Finkel
THE RESULTS Money in the Bank: CM Punk def. Kane, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Finlay, Christian, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry in 14:24
(The fans actually booed when Punk, still a face, won. That may have been the catalyst for one of my all time favorite heel runs in wrestling history. Match was solid, but nothing great, thanks to some very awkward spots)
25 Diva Battle Royal: Santino Marella won, last ousting Beth Phoenix and Melina in 9:26
(I refuse to dignify this crap any further. You can’t make me)
3 on 1 Handicap Elimination Match: Chris Jericho def. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky Steamboat in 8:53
(Jericho’s point about legends needing to go away was vindicated by Piper and Snuka wrestling like, well, Piper and Snuka. Steamboat looked amazing for having a 15 year layoff, and he and Jericho salvaged a crap match with just four minutes of work)
Extreme Rules: Matt Hardy def. Jeff Hardy in 13:13
(An underrated match sees both men have as violent a spotfest as possible. Hilarious moment: Jeff misses a pointless ladder leg drop, Matt hits a chair-wrapped Twist of Fate (which looked SICK), wins, and JR screams of how Matt has ruined the moment for Jeff. Uhh, Jim? Matt’s trying to win too)
WWE Intercontinental: Rey Mysterio def. JBL in 21 seconds to win the title
(The first time the Intercontinental belt is defended in the “WWE” era at WrestleMania, and it goes twenty one seconds. What a way for JBL to go. I did enjoy Rey’s “Joker” tribute though)
The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels in 30:41
(If not for this match, we’d be talking about WrestleMania XXV the same way we talk about WrestleMania IX, or even an orphanage burning down. Just dramatic as could be throughout, and it deserved all the accolades that it received. It’s one of the five or ten greatest WrestleMania matches ever, and it saved the show)
World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena def. Edge and Big Show in 14:42 to win the title
(It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, as it did have a number of creative double teams and wild moments. But Cena winning (again), Show jobbing (again), and much of the action just seemed so derivative. It was alright)
WWE Heavyweight Championship: Triple H def. Randy Orton in 23:34
(They decided to blow off one of their hotter angles with a slow, awkward, punch-filled alleged brawl in which the crowd, all 70,000+ of them, was totally dead. Orton losing failed to get any kind of reaction, and you’ve noticed that Triple H hasn’t been involved in a major World Title program since)
ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
There was a Tag Team Title unification match scheduled for the show, with John Morrison and The Miz taking on Carlito and Primo, but due to time constraints, the match was relegated to the pre-show. Those fans who didn’t check the internet during the show didn’t realize the match had already taken place until near the end of the night.
It seems about right that WWE would take four hard working young talents and excise them from the main card in favor of the Divas Battle Royal, which had a 10 minute concert that no one liked, followed by 10 minutes of insulting “wrestling”.
This is one of those nights where WWE seemed to not know what the fans wanted. Triple H won to no reaction. John Cena won, again, to the misery of his detractors. Piper and Snuka waddled through the motions while the two aforementioned teams got pushed aside.
But at least, with Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, the fans were treated to a half hour of no pointless swerves, no cutesy self-congratulation, and no overbooking to build to another show. Instead, two of the greatest wrestlers in history wrestled, and they wrestled well.
WRESTLEMANIA XXIV
From The Orange Bowl in Orlando, FL
March 30, 2008
BACKGROUND WWE as we knew it changed forever in the early summer of 2007. At that time, the company received some of its most extensive media attention to date, although it was for regrettable and horrifying reasons.
The story, which bears no necessity to rehash fully, sees Chris Benoit murder his wife Nancy and seven-year-old son Daniel, before hanging himself on a warm Georgia weekend. Accusations of “roid rage” ping-ponged through media circles, while television commentators asked empty questions about a serious story.
While Benoit’s catalyst for ultimately snapping is likely an undetermined combo of diminished mental capacity (due to years of hard landings and impacts in wrestling), a failing marriage, and a disconnect from life and faith after losing several friends at young ages (particularly Eddie Guerrero), steroids became the hot topic.
After some probing into his life, and his death, Benoit was found to have been received shipments of steroids and other drugs from an online company called Signature Pharmacy. By the end of the summer of 2007, a whole host of WWE superstars would receive suspensions for having their names linked to the pharmacy, including Edge, John Morrison, Umaga, Booker T, among others. Soon-to-be World Champion Randy Orton was reportedly on the list wasn’t punished. Batista and Rey Mysterio were both also linked to the company, but were never formally accused of association.
Gradually, as the scent of Benoit dissipated from WWE’s climate, the company began to alter their avatar, painting over the low-brow, violent, overly sexual image with, well, low-brow, family friendly colors.
Blood would disappear from WWE almost entirely, as would weapon shots to the cranium. The divas began to wear more clothing, in addition.
WWE was attempting to return to “family entertainment” at a time when they needed a safe place to rebury their roots.
THE EVENT Randy Orton had reigned as WWE Champion since October 7, 2007, after John Cena‘s year long reign ended after he tore his pectoral muscle. Orton was handed the title at No Mercy, lost it immediately to Triple H, and then won it back at night’s end.
Cena, who was due to be out anywhere from six months to a year, was back in four. To the complete surprise of onlookers at Madison Square Garden, John Cena entered the 2008 Royal Rumble last and eliminated Triple H to advance to WrestleMania.
But what if he didn’t want to wait that long?
In an interesting move, Cena chose to cash in his title shot against Orton at No Way Out, six weeks before the big dance. Cena would win the match, however, he won by disqualification, meaning that Orton had outsmarted the challenger, making him blow his earned opportunity.
Triple H, meanwhile, had won a #1 contender’s Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out, getting a shot at Orton at WrestleMania. Cena managed to defeat Orton the next night on Raw in a non-title match with “The Game” as referee, to make the match a triple threat match.
The three men would then spend several weeks booking his opponents in difficult situations, as the three attempted to wear each other down before March 30.
Over on the blue brand, however, Edge was reigning supreme as World Heavyweight Champion after shacking up with Smackdown’s interim GM, Vickie Guerrero. With Vickie now in his hip pocket (among other places), Edge had also amassed a small army, consisting of Vickie’s nephew Chavo Guerrero, as well as Edge’s own wannabe doppelgangers Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.
However, The Undertaker won Smackdown’s Elimination Chamber at No Way Out, and had revenge on his mind. Edge had cashed in a Money in the Bank privilege in May 2007 to injure Undertaker and take the World Heavyweight Title. Edge had also cost “The Dead Man” the championship at Survivor Series, so Undertaker now had a road toward revenge already paved.
Among the other marquee showdowns, Ric Flair was embroiled in an angle where he would have to retire if he lost one more match. After staving off the likes of Mr. Kennedy and MVP, Flair wanted a true test. He challenged Shawn Michaels to a match under WrestleMania’s bright lights, believing that if he couldn’t beat one of the all-time greats, then he should, indeed, walk away. After some hesitation, Michaels agreed to the match, which had both historical implications, as well as consequences.
In an attempt to add mainstream attention to an already stacked show, WWE brought in undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. to face Big Show in a no holds barred match. Mayweather had broken Show’s nose with a jab combo at No Way Out, setting the stage for their WrestleMania confrontation.
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler called the action for Raw, Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman handled Smackdown, and Joey Styles and Tazz would perform duties for ECW. Socialite Kim Kardashian served as the show’s “guest hostess”, while Snoop Dogg appeared during a divas’ tag team match. Singer John Legend performed “America the Beautiful”. The WWE Hall of Fame inducted Ric Flair, Rocky Johnson, “High Chief” Peter Maivia, Mae Young, Jack and Gerald Brisco, Gordon Solie, and Eddie Graham.
THE RESULTS
Belfast Brawl: JBL def. Finlay in 8:35
(I’d share with you the saga of how Hornswoggle was Vince McMahon‘s son, until JBL revealed it was a ruse and he was actually Finlay’s son and how JBL attacked Hornswoggle in a hospital and…well here, lemme bash you with this 2X4 so you’re not cross-eyed anymore)
Money in the Bank: CM Punk def. Chris Jericho, MVP, Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, and John Morrison in 13:55
(Somewhat disappointing given the talent level involved, but still a really good match. Shelton’s free fall through the bridged ladder prompted a legit look of horror from Carlito. Jeff Hardy was supposed to be in this match but, well, you can probably guess what happened)
Inter-Brand Challenge: Batista def. Umaga in 7:06
(What’s funnier: the fact that Batista was booed out of the stadium and botched the finish, or that these two were relegated to a forgotten “battle for brand supremacy”?)
ECW Championship: Kane def. Chavo Guerrero in 12 seconds to win the title
(E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB! No wonder Joey Styles quit commentary)
Career Threatening Match: Shawn Michaels def. Ric Flair in 20:23
(Here’s the deal: it was a pretty good match, but, in my opinion, it’s nowhere near as great as everyone makes it out to be. Overzealous fans were hailing this as a magnum opus, but Ric Flair blew more big moments than the ’86 Red Sox in this match. Flair should have stayed retired, but it was clear at points in this match that Michaels was carrying him. When Flair needs to be carried, it’s over)
Lumberjill Match: Beth Phoenix/Melina def. Maria/Ashley in 5:56
(The bad news is that Maria decided to ditch her general cute look and try for some oversexed Manga-esque appearance from here on out. The good news is Ashley wouldn’t be around much longer)
WWE Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton def. Triple H and John Cena in 14:09
(The crowd reaction when Orton wins is a sound to behold. I had this long-standing theory that Cena’s “pec injury” in 2007 was actually a quiet suspension for a wellness violation, because in 2008, he was embarrassed so many times on pay per view, jobbing here, jobbing to JBL, jobbing to Batista, etc. It wouldn’t be until November that he would see the title again)
No Holds Barred: Floyd Mayweather def. Big Show in 11:36
(If you can figure out what this match was supposed to accomplish, you’re a better man than me. Best I can tell is that it was a way to humiliate Show again. Which I’m okay with)
World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker def. Edge in 23:50 to win the title
(Best match of the night, which is overshadowed by Flair’s retirement, and the fact that Smackdown seems to get little or no respect compared to the events on Raw. Compared to now, when Undertaker’s broken down, and Edge is starting to get there, this match is a near masterpiece)
ITS PLACE IN HISTORY
I’ll say one thing about WWE: they’re lucky to have the roster of competent, experienced, and instinctive wrestlers that they have, because their efforts in making a show great often bail out horrible writing and uninspired storylines.
Going into this event, you had angles involving a leprechaun offspring, a champion courting a real-life widow for title opportunities, a giant facing an unlikeable boxer with an annoying posse, and a meandering angle involving three men fighting for a world championship, in which the two babyfaces involved are stale and, at that point, largely disliked by strong portions of the audience.
But, at least, you had Michaels and Flair. Do I think the match is overrated? I do, but I do enjoy what it symbolized. The ending, in which Michaels had to search his soul before trying to finish Flair, with Flair egging him on, telling him not to let up, before Shawn’s famous “I’m sorry, I love you” declaration, followed by the kick and pin, will be burned into the annals of WrestleMania history.
If only Flair had stayed retired. A tearful “Nature Boy”, embracing his wife and kids, walking out to a thunderous ovation, was the proper ending.
For 19 WrestleManias, The Undertaker has conquered foes from Jimmy Snuka to Shawn Michaels. Sure there have been a few clunkers, but the Dead Man has delivered some WrestleMania classics over the last decade. In honor of the streak, let’s look back at the best Undertaker WrestleMania matches.
Once again, I am starting a new series of columns. This time, each column will focus on an event, wrestler or angle that should have been all-around more successful than it was, but for whatever reason, didn’t live up to expectations. For my first installment, I will look at one of my favorite PPVs, an event I happened to be at in the front row, and at the same time, a let down to many, that being the 19th installment of WrestleMania.
Generally speaking, WrestleMania is supposed to be the biggest card of the year. It’s the night where all of the major feuds end, new storylines begin, and we get what 
