A TOP 10 FOR THE AGES!

Posted by bigD | March 16, 2008 .

I usually yap about sports but what about the fabulous world of sports entertainment? HA, HA, HA! With Wrestlemania 24 just a few weeks away I’ve decided to go in a different direction this time. For the record, I’ll take HHH over Orton and Cena, boxer - Floyd Mayweather over BIG SHOW (although if this was a true blue wrestling match there is no way in hell BIG SHOW would lose to a man the size of his left leg), Undertaker over Edge (an easy pick when you consider the Taker has never lost at Wrestlemania), Shawn Michaels over Ric Flair in the retirement match (simply because if Flair keeps going he’s bound to have a heart attack soon at age 92), I’ll take Mr. Kennedy to repeat in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Batista over Umaga (tough one to call), The Great Kali to win the 24 man over the top rope battle royal but I’ll take Chavo to somehow reclaim his ECW championship in a match immediately following the battle royal due to outside interference of some kind, I’ll take Finlay over JBL in the Belfast Brawl (whatever the hell that is) and in the Bunnymania Playboy Lumberjack Match I’ll take no one since the T and A of all participants is so incredible, WE ARE ALL WINNERS! Along those same lines, I decided to take it a step farther this time so on that note, to get us all in the feel for Wrestlemania on March 30^th, here are my top 10 all time greatest Wrestlemania matches… …Every one of these matches were definite SLOBBERKNOCKERS so here we go…

10. WRESTLEMANA 3 – HULK HOGAN vs. ANDRE THE GIANT – In 1987, an unbelievable 93 thousand plus fans filled the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit to see the biggest wrestling card and main event match in its history. Could the 7 foot 5, 500 plus pound Giant be beaten? It was Andre’s job to fall for Hogan but everyone was worried…would he? The truth is if Andre wanted to win, he would have. Even the people who didn’t want to admit back then that wrestling is “fake” must be aware of that nowadays when they reminisce of this huge match. Andre took the fall for Hogan and it was the day that Hulkamania was at its absolute peak. To this day, people still talk about how Hogan slammed the Giant before his tremendous victory. I remember Hogan trying to slam Andre earlier in the match and it almost backfired. Instead the Giant fell on Hogan and got a two and a half count. I remember freaking out as a little kid watching that moment. I thought Hogan had lost but all was well as the match continued. WHEW! I remember wondering if I had taken enough vitamins and said enough prayers the night before. Hulkamania almost died in the blink of an eye. Not only did this match revive Andre’s wrestling career to many extents but it also might have helped prolonged his life. Suffering from tremendous depression and rumored to be looking for a place to die in his home in the French Alps, this match brought life to the Giant. It wasn’t a great match technically and that’s why I don’t put it higher on my list but it was believable as for what a match could be when you have basically an enormous man vs. a gigantic man. In my opinion, whenever people think about Andre the Giant, what he meant to wrestling and what this match personally meant to him, I like to think that despite the fact that Hogan was who the fans wanted to win on that night, it really was Andre the Giant who filled the Pontiac Silverdome with 90 plus thousand people and that’s something no one will ever forget. Hulk Hogan was the face of wrestling. He was the man who made the WWF what it is today but this was the night that Andre the Giant took the biggest fall for wrestling. In many ways, this was wrestling’s make or break moment. It was the defining, all or nothing match and because it succeeded, wrestling succeeded. The WWF took that one big step to the next level…THANKS TO ANDRE THE GIANT!

9. WRESTLEMANIA 18 – HULK HOGAN vs. THE ROCK – THE BIG D (moi) was in attendance for this one and in front of 65 thousand strong at Toronto’s Skydome, I saw something I had never seen before. It was otherwise a pretty dull Wrestlemania but this match stole the show and made it memorable. Hulk Hogan, a then heel (bad guy wrestler) and leader of the N.W.O. (The New World Order of Wrestling) began the match having a stare down with the Rock. Obviously Rock was a HUGE babyface (good guy wrestler) so the match predictably began with the crowd chanting “ROCKY, ROCKY, ROCKY” making me deaf but I was loving every minute of the deafening chants. After about 5-10 minutes, an average, slow match went on but no one cared. It was weird. The crowd was just so into it with their chants. It made the whole experience fun. Halfway through the match though, something happened I will never ever forget. The crowd actually turned on the Rock. An unreal 65 thousand strong stopped chanting, “ROCKY, ROCKY, ROCKY” and started screaming at the top of their lungs, “HOGAN, HOGAN, HOGAN.” No one there seemed to mind that Hogan was the #1 heel and leader of the N.W.O. Toronto was re-living their past with Hulkamania! And when Hogan did his body shaking and fist pumping, climbing back in the match with Rock like he always used to do in the past, the place went absolutely crazy. The looks on the faces of the wrestlers said it all. Both were so shocked at who the crowd was cheering for but that’s what made this match special. Hogan battled Rock down to leg drop time again but Rock kicked out and ended up finishing Hogan off as predicted. The thing is, the fans were actually booing. Despite Rock’s popularity it didn’t matter. HOGAN WAS BIGGER AT THAT MOMENT. HOGAN IS BIGGER THEN WRESTLING …PERIOD! Upon losing to the Rock, the other members of the N.W.O. (Scott Hall and Kevin Nash) ended up attacking Hogan but the Rock returned to the ring and came to Hogan’s aid to the delight of the fans who were going INSANE. The match ended with the 2 of them throwing out Hall and Nash and doing Hogan-like pose downs for awhile in the ring. As a technical match-up there was nothing special about this at all. As pure entertainment for the crowd who had fun with this match like nothing I had ever seen before this was really something to see. There was no doubt in my mind after leaving the Skydome on this night, HULKAMANIA WOULD LIVE FOREVER. Witnessing a crowd that big change its mind halfway through a match and the wrestlers actually performing around audience reaction in this way was truly something special and was worth the price of admission. MAN, WHAT A MOMENT!

8. WRESTLEMANIA 14 SHAWN MICHAELS vs. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN (special guest referee – MIKE TYSON)HBK had a bad back. Everyone knew it going in so everyone basically knew that Stone Cold Steve Austin was going to walk out of WM14 as the new champion. But how would he do it? That wasn’t a question that could be answered easily when you consider the DX core that backed up Michaels and a special guest referee named Mike Tyson who wasn’t exactly the most stable boxer on the planet so the deck was stacked against Austin. In an incredible match considering all of the pain that Michaels was in, he performed injured in an all time classic where, when it ended, everyone wondered how in the hell the Heartbreak Kid was still standing. Every move spent Michaels. He was noticeably in pain but he kept going, doing moves and his injury wasn’t showing as much as it probably should have been. This was truly one of the all time gutsiest performances by any wrestler. Knowing that, how would Austin do it? In the end, Mike Tyson turned on DX by taking off his DX T-shirt and revealing an Austin 3:16 shirt, knocking out HBK with a big punch and counting the 1-2-3 for Austin. Stone Cold had done it. The Texas Rattlesnake was the new champion, however as much as it was a great performance by Austin, the show that Michaels gave was nothing short of spectacular considering his condition. It was the next step and the big time for Austin. It was the hospital, surgery and a long haul in rehab for HBK. Only Wrestlemania can bring that kind of commitment and dedication out in a wrestler.

7. WRESTLEMANIA 7 – MACHO MAN, RANDY SAVAGE vs. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR – The loser of this match would be forced to retire (the equivalent of simply taking time off and coming back months/years later). This was the first match I ever saw where finishing moves were kicked out of but it got absolutely ridiculous. Savage ended up sending 5 flying elbows to the Warrior on this night and the Warrior still kicked out (seldom had anyone ever kicked out of 1 flying elbow let alone 5). Warrior gave Savage his press slam and splash but Savage even kicked out after those. In the end though, Warrior defeated Savage and the Macho Man was forced to retire. After the match, Savage’s sidekick and manager, Sensational Queen, Sherri took the loss out on Savage. Suddenly, Savage’s ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth came to his aid, throwing Sherri out of the ring and the 2 of them got back together. Fans were shown crying but BIG D found it to be a little sappy, a little tacky and quit frankly VERY CRAPPY! Despite the losing effort, Macho Man had one of the matches of his life against the Warrior. Although Savage lost and was forced to TEMPORARILY retire, he got his woman back and he put on a great show in one of the most unpredictable matches ever. The fact that they kept kicking out of each others finishers all because they gave that extra effort due to their careers being at stake, it truly was something to see at that time. The rejoining of Savage and Elizabeth after the match proved again how truly emotional wrestling can make people. This was a very entertaining Wrestlemania match with a fulfilling storyline ending!

6. WRESTLEMANIA 13 – BRET “THE HITMAN” HART vs. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN (submission match -special guest referee - KEN SHAMROCK) - These 2 had a great feud going in and they both made RAW very entertaining leading up to Wrestlemania 13. The fact that this was a special submission only match made things very interesting and made Hart the favorite going in since he was more of an anything goes wrestler. Austin was more of a power type but tough as nails. The match went back and forth in and out of the ring. Austin ended up being a bloody mess with Hart putting him in his patented submission move – THE SHARPSHOOTER. Austin vowed that Hart would never, ever, ever make him submit no matter what and he didn’t. Fighting the pain and the fact that Austin couldn’t break the Sharpshooter, he passed out and Shamrock declared Hart the winner despite the fact that Austin never verbally tapped out. After the match, Shamrock and Hart partially got into it after Hart wouldn’t stop beating on a passed out Austin. Hart went into the match as a huge babyface but the tide was clearly turning. Fans started to enjoy Austin and his antics and were past the point of liking the crowd pleasing babyfaces now. They wanted something new. Enter the mean, beer swilling, crude Austin 3:16 and you have what everyone desired. The fans had a new respect for Austin and an even lesser one for Hart after the match. In many ways, this bout began Austin’s rise to the top even though he lost. It was neat to see a match end this way because it wasn’t the routine pin or submission result. It was a pass out, not a tap out! Austin was just so tough, mean and nasty that everyone wanted to buy into his character and people ended up watching wrestling just to see what he’d do next. Austin 3:16 says this match kicked all ass!

5. WRESTLEMANIA 17 – EDGE/CHRISTIAN vs. THE HARDY BOYS vs. THE DUDLEY BOYS (TABLES, LADDERS and CHAIRS) – When ranking these matches, I wanted to center on the wrestling side of it more so then the hardcore types of matches that Wrestlemania produced over the years but after witnessing this one, there is no way in hell it can’t be included and in the very least make your top 5 list. This match was the closest thing to suicide that I’ve ever seen in wrestling. These 6 men put their bodies on the line and didn’t seem to care. The match was absolutely loaded with outside interference, power bombs through tables and chair shots to the head. A couple of notable highlights were: Matt Hardy and Buh Buh Ray Dudley falling off a 20 foot ladder and through four stacked tables, and the craziest move of the night and possibly that I’ve ever seen – Edge speared Jeff Hardy while he was actually hanging from one of the tag team title belts above the ring. To even attempt a match like this one is absolutely insane but again, you see this kind of thing only at Wrestlemania. Still though, for high flying, risky, yet entertaining moves, there will never be a match like this one again, despite the fact that this wasn’t the first tables, ladders and chairs match between these 3 tag teams. The other/s were equally as crazy but the stunts that were performed in this one were by far the sickest.

4. WRESTLEMANIA 10 – BRET HART vs. OWEN HART – This was one of the few Wrestlemanias where a storyline was actually played out during it. That in itself was a bit of a risk but it worked. Basically Owen was jealous being in his older brother Brett’s shadow but Owen claimed that it was just the opposite…that his “lowsy brother, Brett” was jealous and scared of Owen succeeding so the storyline played out with Owen challenging Brett in a brother to brother showdown. Although nothing was on the line except pride, these 2 absolutely battled it out with reversals, counters and counters to their counters in one of the greatest technical wrestling displays of all time. Being as the 2 were brothers they had a certain chemistry that allowed them to have the greatest opening match in Wrestlemania history. The match’s result was awesome too simply because no one expected it. Bret Hart was so crisp and perfect as a wrestler in his prime when this match took place, few believed he could be beaten at all let alone by his little brother who no one thought possessed the skills of Bret. In the end, Owen shocked the world by pinning Bret in a very entertaining encounter. On this night, Bret was scheduled to fight the last match for the world title and ended up defeating Yokozuna for the world championship. As all the babyface wrestlers were out congratulating Bret, Owen came out near ringside and just stared at Bret celebrating as if to say, “You did it to me again, Bret. You stole my moment and my thunder as always.” The storyline played out well and made this Wrestlemania the best one as far as I am concerned. The match itself between these 2 was an absolute pleasure to watch and certainly deserves top 5 mention. The Harts were a special blend of both talent and charisma and despite Bret going on to bigger and better things, this was probably Owen’s finest hour and his crowning moment in wrestling.

3. WRESTLEMANIA 10 – SHAWN MICHAELS vs. RAZOR RAMON (LADDER MATCH) – This is the match that many people think started “the new era” of wrestling. Wrestlemania has become known for its ladder matches (nowadays they have a “money in the bank” style ladder match every year) and this was the first ever ladder match in wrestling history. No one knew what to expect. I remember watching it on pay per view thinking it would just be a mockery but it wasn’t. These 2 put on an unbelievable match for it’s time and showed the world what top notch wrestlers could do in their primes in this style of high risk wrestling. HBK had his usual incredible match of high flying craziness and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) was a perfect counter to all of Michael’s insanity. Finally, after many falls, ladder shots and just about everything else you can think of, HBK got his foot stuck in the ropes. That was all Razor needed. Hall climbed to the top of the ladder and grabbed his championship. The rest was history. Since then there have been many ladder matches and the moves/stunts pulled off in them have far exceeded what happened here on this night but for the time period of this match, for what it introduced wrestling to and for the pure entertainment value, the original ladder match will never be forgotten. It was just another tremendous match in the career of the great Shawn Michaels. One other interesting thing to note…before the match, as each wrestler was coming down the runway, HBK walked around the ladder, meanwhile Razor walked under it yet still won the match, proving that there’s no such thing as bad luck in professional wrestling…I THINK.

2. WRESTLEMANIA 3 – RICKY “THE DRAGON” STEAMBOAT vs. MACHO MAN, RANDY SAVAGE – Many people will claim this to be the greatest match ever if for no other reason that Wrestlemania 3 was to be known for Hogan vs. Andre but this Intercontinental Title match drew all the attention for years after. It kind of flew under the radar a bit but it clearly was the best match at WM 3, maybe of all time. It stole the show. I remember watching it and not really giving a dam as I wasn’t a huge fan of either man at that time but the performance they both put on was nothing short of exceptional. There were two storylines that this match hovered around. In Steamboat’s corner was Detroit teacher out of the ring yet crazy assed monster inside of it – George “The Animal” Steele (Can you imagine learning your ABC’s from this guy?) who had a crush on Miss Elizabeth, and of course, with Macho Man taking a steel bell to Steamboat’s throat months earlier, it set up the revenge factor very well and again, these two didn’t disappoint. It’s important to note that at that time in wrestling most of the wrestlers were big and not as athletic. Enter two high flyers with reversals, counters and mainly, so many near pin falls. After about 20 minutes to a half hour, finally Macho Man went for a routine body slam and Steamboat hooked his leg and curled him up for the 1-2-3. Steamboat and Steele had done it in front of 93 thousand plus! The fact that it wasn’t expected to be as great a match-up as it was is what truly made it enjoyable. Some wrestlers just have that chemistry with other wrestlers to put on their best performances. Steamboat and Savage did just that in a wrestling match that 93 thousand will never forget.

1. WRESTLEMANIA 12 – BRET HART vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (THE IRONMAN MATCH) – Going in, the WWE higher ups were rumored to be worried. Most matches were 15 minutes long if that but in this match they were going to ask two wrestlers to do what had never been done before…wrestle for an hour. Could it be done? You certainly had the types of wrestlers in the match itself that could do it but would they? The other concern wasn’t just for the wrestlers but what about the fans? Could these two wrestle for one hour straight and continue to keep the fans interest? Well, they kept the fans interested alright. Most were standing all match long! What impressed me the most about this unbelievable match wasn’t just that these two wrestled for one hour straight but more that they seldom rested or took any breaks. They quite simply beat the piss out of each other for a solid hour and kept the fans into it. The rules of the match were simple – wrestle for an hour and the wrestler who had the most pinfalls after the hour long time limit would walk out the world champion. After about 55 minutes of no pin falls, of back and forth, in your face, in and out of the ring insanity, finally Bret Hart put Michaels in the Sharpshooter. The only thing left now was, would Michaels submit before the time ran out? HE DIDN’T. Hart walked away with the title but, being as the match never had a winner, the match was ordered to continue under sudden death rules…THERE MUST BE A WINNER! Asking these guys to continue wrestling after 1 solid hour was ludicrous but they pulled it off. After wrestling for about 5 more minutes, Michaels hit Hart with “SWEET CHIN MUSIC” and that was all she wrote. Finally Shawn Michaels had done it. He won the title but won it during the greatest match in the history of wrestling. If you think about the pure longevity of the match, how the crowd was as into it at the end as they were at the beginning, and the caliber of moves in this outstanding match there is no way that you can deny it of the top spot on your list. It was just too enjoyable and these wrestlers put on the show of a lifetime. Nowadays, IRONMAN matches are rare. It has been tried a few more times since WM 12 but none have even come close to this one special night where there were no losers. Both wrestlers were victorious because they gave their all and showed the world the greatest match of all time.

MUCH RESPECT DUE

Wrestlemania 17 – Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (McMahon and Austin shocked the world by joining forces)…

Wrestlemania 19 – Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesner (failed shooting star should have broken Lesnar’s neck)…

Wrestlemania 21 – Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (extremely entertaining)…

Wrestlemania 8 – Macho Man, Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair (a battle for the well being of Miss Elizabeth)…

Wrestlemania 6 – Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (a 50-50 Skydome crowd cheering for both men)

Well there you have it - My top 10 greatest Wrestlemania matches of all time. May Wrestlemania live on forever!

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A TOP 10 FOR THE AGES!

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