Wrestlemania Rankings - Women's Matches

Welcome to the sixth of the nine part installment, looking back at different rankings of Wrestlemania matches. Right now, in honour of the 25 woman "Miss Wrestlemania" battle royal, I look back at all of the great (and not so great) Women's wrestling matches that took place on the grandest stage of them all.

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#18.
Catfight
Terri Runnels vs. The Kat
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

A really, really, really bad match. And I am not a harsh critic of women's wrestling. These two had an unenviable position of following up the Triangle Ladder Match on the card, but they certainly did not deliver. This was just two women grabbing each others hair and rolling around. It blissfully ended with Mae Young performing a broncobuster on Moolah. I never thought that I would ever type that.

#17.
Women's Title Match
Sable (c) vs. Tori
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

Another dull one. Sable was just turning from uber-face to indifferent heel as she took on more of her own personality as a prima-dona. Tori tried to challenge her, but Sable's debuting bodyguard, Nicole Boss came down and cost Tori the match, thankfully ending the torture.

#16.
Playboy Pillowfight
Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

About as good as it sounds.

#15.
Lumberjill Match for the Women's Title
Melina (c) vs. Ashley
Wrestlemania 23
Ford Field
Detroit, MI

Ashley really had no place in the ring, as she was well over her head with a talented performer like Melina. This match was dull and served as a convenient break before the main event.

#14.
Women's Title Match
Fabulous Moolah (c) vs. Velvet McIntyre
Wrestlemania 2
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, IL

Pretty boring match, that was saved from being truly atrocious by being less than a minute.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: There is some perverse entertainment that comes after this)

#13.
Women's Title Match
Ivory (c) vs. Chyna

Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

On the other hand, this match had to be a squash, it really was the only way to end this feud. Chyna had been injured for months at the hands of the RTC, so this was the logical pay back, she had to get them, and she had to get them good. While logical, and crowd-popping, there was hardly enough here to get this to be ranked any higher.

#12.
Women's Title Match
Trish Stratus (c) vs. Chrsty Hemme
Wrestlemania 21
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA

The annual "Playboy Push" came to Hemme in 2005. She was really, really out of her league against Trish, who could not carry her to anything watchable. It seems no coincidence that Trish would take a few months off (with the title) shortly after this match.

#11.
Beth Phoenix and Melina vs. Maria and Ashley
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

The most recent addition to the list. These four ladies had to follow up the emotional Ric Flair retirement, and oddly the lights went out in the middle of the match. Still they had a decent affair, with the heels controlling enough of the offense, and getting the win to make it worthwhile. Also, Snoop Dogg knocking out Santino Marella was amazing.

#10.
Women's Title Match
Jazz (c) vs. Lita vs. Trish
Wrestlemania X8
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Probably the worst placed match in the history of wrestling. These ladies had to follow up the surreal experience that was Rock-Hogan, and needless to say, the crowd wanted none of it. Still, they worked fairly hard. This match could have, and probably should have, had Trish win the belt in order to excite the Canadian crowd a little bit.

#9.
Mixed Tag Team Match
Dusty Rhodes and Saphire vs.
Randy "Macho King" Savage and Sensational Queen Sheri
Wrestlemania VI
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Much like the Backland-Hart encounter I discussed in the previous post, this was a horribly, horribly disappointing match. Both (male) wrestlers are incredibly talented, and a straight up one-on-one match between the two could have been great! Savage's ability would have helped carry Dusty's theatrics to a very good match (a la Hogan and Warrior), but alas they were saddled with two untrained women to team with them, and it really just never clicked what so ever. Probably the worst match of either of their career, certainly considering how young they both were at the time.

#8.
Playboy Evening Gown Match
Stacey Kiebler and Miss Jackie vs. Sable and Torrie
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Part of a horribly offensive storyline that portrayed Stacey and Jackie as two women who were bitter that they weren't allowed to pose for Playboy. Still, the ladies kept this match short enough to be as offensive in delivery as it was in hype.

#7.
Mixed Tag Match
Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon vs. Doink and Dink
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

It's times like this that you've got to feel bad for Bam Bam. Here he was, a talented performer in his own right, teaming up with the terrifying Luna Vachon, to take on a clown and a midget clown. Thankfully he won, but the match wasn't much to write home about, it just sort of was.

#6.
Women's Title Match
Alundra Blaze (c) vs. Leilani Kai
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

A marginally better offering from the same event. Like most of this card, it just helped to kill time between Bret-Owen and Shawn-Razor.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: And here is where they get to be watchable)

#5.
Hair vs. Hair Match for the Women's Title
Victoria (c) vs. Molly Holly
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Again, another disappointing match. Both women here are more than capable, and are two of the greatest wrestlers to set foot in a WWE ring, yet they were given all of 5 minutes, and it just never worked out, which is quite the shame since they both have a ton of talent.

#4.
Mixed Tag Match
Marc Mero and Sable vs.
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna Vachon
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

A fun little match with some pretty interesting dynamics. See Sable (who was a huge face) was feuding with Luna (a heel), but Marc Mero (a heel) and Goldust (also a heel) got involved and this match was set. Mero and Goldust were able to work some good stuff, and Sable was able to get the crowd mega-behind her before the finish.

#4.
Inter-gender Tag Team Match
Chyna and Too Cool vs. The Radicals
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

I was hesitant to include this match, since it features one woman and five men. There were enough talented workers in the match to put on a good affair and stop it from being completely terrible. That being said, Chyna pinning Eddie Guerrero is something that never should have crossed my tv screen.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: And here is we get to the elite range)

#3.
Women's Title Match
Leilani Kai (c) vs. Wendi Richter
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

While this may not have been the strongest match ever, the heat for this one was simply off the chart. This match was a huge draw to the original Wrestlemania, as Cyndi Lauper helped corner Richter. Many of these matches have been hurt by crowd reactions, but this one was immensely helped by it.

#2.
Women's Title Match
Victoria (c) vs. Jazz vs. Trish Stratus
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA

Two-thirds similar to their match from a year ago, but miles better. These three, very talented women, went out and gave a great performance that added to a really stacked-show.

#1.
Women's Title Match
Trish Stratus(c) vs. Mikey James
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

A great, great, great match here. The storyline was very well thought out, as it took months of build to finally pay off in this big one-on-one show down. Both wrestlers played their part well, especially James who really had Trish (her idol) scouted and used her own moves against her. Well worth a view, even though some parts have been edited out on the DVD.

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And there you have the good, the bad, and the ugly of the women of wrestling. Hopefully this edition makes it into the first category.

Until next time,

G


Achieved Posts:

The Openers
The Intercontinental Title
The Tag Team Titles
Celebrities
Extreme Rules
Women's Matches
The Dead Man
The Showstopper
The Main Events

Wrestlemania Rankings - Extreme Rules

The rankings continue, in honour of the very exciting Hardy-Hardy match coming up, today we will look at the best matches to have no rules. Well that technically is not accurate, since every match needs to have some way to declare a winner (except one God awful match on this list), however there are many matches ranging from steel cage matches, to ladder matches, to falls count anywhere affairs, that have taken place that fully allow any sort of weapon or interference possible.

When compiling this list, I realize that the matches are among the greatest ones ever performed on the grand stage. As such, there are a relatively few near the bottom, and the vast majority of these belong in the upper echelon of Wrestlemania matches.

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#28.
Hell in a Cell
The Undertaker vs. The Big Bossman
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

Simply put, an awful, awful match. It lacks any of the excitement, or intensity that the gimmick or event truly deserves. Bossman really was slowing down at this point, and gave the Undertaker nothing to work with, so we ended up with what is the worst pay-per-view Hell in a Cell match ever, by far. It all seemed like an excuse for an insulting post-match angle, when Edge, Christian and Gangrel hung the Bossman from the ceiling in a moment that should have killed him, but yet was never spoken of again.

#27.
I Quit Match
Bret Hart vs. Bob Backland
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT

Given the talent involved, I feel strange writing this match so low. While these two had a compelling classic at the Survivor Series before, this match was flat out boring. Bret Hart has stated that he felt that this was the worst match of his career, and it is easy to see why. Arguably the most disapointing match in Wrestlemania history.

#26.
Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. King Kong Bundy
Wrestlemania 2
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, CA

I found little redeeming qualities in this match, as it just seemed like Hogan's victory was never really in doubt, and it all seemed like a set up for Hogan to beat up Heenan at the end. Certainly worth a pass.

#25. Hollywood Backlot Brawl
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Goldust
Wrestlemania XII
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

Not so much a match, as a show long angle between two wrestlers fighting. It started in the street early on in the show, only for Golddust to escape in a white Bronco (a la OJ Simpson, for anyone who doesn't remember that Media side show) before coming into the arena. Oddly it ended when Piper stripped Goldust of his clothes to reveal women's clothing underneath. Very bizare, and only perversely entertaining.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's where we get our first of several very large jumps in quality)

#24.
Hardcore Title Match
Billy Gunn (c) vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

To put this in context, I ranked this match #14 on my list of openers, and now here it is 10 spots lower. That has more to say about the quality of this list than it does about this match. A fairly innofensive hardcore match that could be seen all over the place from 1998-2001, if you've seen one of them, you've probably seen them all.

#23.
Casket Match
The Undertaker vs. Mark Henry
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

When this match was announced, it seemed like it was destined to be absolutely horrible, however it turned out to be a perfectly acceptable match, with the easy high point coming when the Undertaker (in his 40s no less) dives over the ropes, over the casket to nail Henry. Taker lifting Mark Henry up and delivering a Tombstone is simply awe inspiring.

#22.
Hardcore Hijinks
Wrestlemania X8
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

What started out as Maven defending the hardcore title against Goldust turned into a great running gag throughout the show. During the match (which was rather bland) Spike Dudley ran down to the ring to pin Maven and win the title (this of course during the 24/7 rule of the title) Crash Holly ran out to try and win the title, only for the four men to run into the back. Throughout the night there were many great bits when different wrestlers including The Hurricane, Al Snow, Molly Holly, and Christian all won the title (or tried), before Maven snuck out a pin and left with the title that he started the show with. A fun joke throughout the evening.

#21.
Falls Count Anywhere
Randy Savage vs. Crush
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

A fun little match, that was a sort of going away part for Randy Savage. This match had a bizare rule, where the person who was pinned had to return to the ring within 60 seconds or they would lose. As a result, there were a few falls, before the match finished when Savage pinned Crush in the back, and tied him up in some scaffolding, which prevented him from returning to the ring. Some fun stuff, that was no doubt ahead of its time, but the match was lacking in the drama required for an epic blood feud.

#20.
Hardcore Holly wins the Hardcore Battle Royal
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

Simply one of the most crazy fun matches in Wrestlemania history! There was a fifteen minute time limit, where the goal was to pin the hardcore champion. The title changed hands an unbelievable 9 times. This took the fun hardcore matches taking place at the time to a whole new level of entertainment.

#19.
Dumpster Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles
The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

I mentioned this in my entry for tag team wrestling. I don't have much more to add, this was a fun match that served its purpose. All four men busted out some good spots, and the good guys won.

#18.
No Disqualification Match
Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. The Big Show
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

While I thought that it sucked at the time, I have grown to appreciate this match upon repeated viewings. These two did the best with what they had. They used the stipulation to hide their flaws, and delivered a pretty entertaining performance. The highlight of course being the Big Show take out Mayweather's posse.

#17.
Chicago Street Fight
Ahmed Johnson and the Legion of Doom vs. The Nation of Domination
Wrestlemania 13
Rosemont Horizon
Chicago, IL

One of the few brightspots on a pretty terrible card. These six men had a fun hardcore match that ended with a sweet double Doomsday Device. It provided a good amount of closure to the long running Johnson-Faarooq feud and served as a catalyst for the breakup of the original Nation. Well worth a viewing.

#16.
Belfast Brawl
JBL vs. Finlay
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

As I have said a few times. Fun match, with an odd ending that I certainly do not approve of (still). That being said, any match that includes Finlay busting a tope, and JBL throwing stairs at Hornswoggle is worth watching.

#15.
No Holds Barred
Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

Oddly, the lowest match to feautre Vince McMahon features the greatest in ring-performer of this generation. While Shawn certainly did his best, this match really just did not do it for me. There were some crazy bumps, including the leap off of the mega-ladder, but it really was just Shawn Michaels beating up Vince for a solid 18 minutes. While that is entertaining, it just wasn't enough for me to get any higher than this.

#14.
Hardcore Title Match
Raven (c) vs. Kane vs. Big Show
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

A forgotten match from one of hte greatest wrestling events of all time. These three men walked the line almost perfectly between comedy and violence, as they used some violent, stiff moves, but still kept it light, with the golf cart chase. After Kane won, I was really hoping that Pete Rose would run out and try to take the title, but was slightly disappointed on that one. Still, probably the best match for hte Hardcore Title that did not involve RVD.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Now here is where it starts to get really, really good)

#13.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Rob Van Dam vs. Ric Flair vs. Shelton Benjamin vs.
Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Matt Hardy
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

While the second installment of the now annual Money in the Bank Tradition was full of some excellent moments, including Shelton risking his life for our pleasure and the drama of Flair almost grabbing the case, it was probably the worst match in the series. Most of the spots were repeats of the previous years masterpiece, and RVD was the most logical winner, as much as I wanted to believe that Flair would pull of a miracle.

#12. Street Fight
Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA

I remember watching this match with several of my friends, fully expecting to hate it. I felt that two men in their fifties would not be able to pull off anything that was even remotely entertaining, and yet, here I have it ranked higher than several great matches. These two men pulled out all of the stops, including Vince McMahon of all people jumping off of a ladder, and one of the best Wrestlemania surprises ever, in a Roddy Piper run in. Hogan won, as everyone was expecting, but it was a great deal of fun.

#11. Street Fight
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

Probably the most overbooked matches in wrestling history. See, Vince got a divorce from Linda (who was knocked into a comma) and was cheating on him with Trish Stratus. Shane decided to come to his father's aid, but then just before the event, it was announced that the WWF purchased WCW, but it was revealed that Shane had boughten it underneath his fathers nose, adding a whole new dimension to the rivalry. Ohh, and Mick Foley (who had been fired by Vince) was named the special guest referee for this match. This probably had the highest scope of outside interference of any match ever, as all sorts of people at the time were expecting some sort of WCW run in. However, it certainly did not need it, as Trish turned on Vince, Linda walked again to attack him, Foley beat him up, and Shane delivered a Van Terminator (coast to coast dropkick) for the win. Confused? Can't say that I blame you, but it all added up to be a really entertaining match.

#10.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
Mr. Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. King Booker vs. Edge vs.
Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay
Wrestlemania 23
Ford Field
Detroit, MI

I already raved about this match when talking about the greatest opening matches in the history of the event. As I said then, this easily had the biggest names in the history of the match, as it featured three former world champions, two men who would go on to be world champion, two more who I think will be world champions soon enough, and a well respected veteran. This had some of the highest highs, but tended to drag between the spots, which prevents it from being even higher up on the list.

#9.
No Disqualification Match
The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair
Wrestlemania X8
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Had this been on almsot any other card in history, it would have received more hype, and be better remembered than it has been. This truly was a match between two of the all-time greats, and it certainly did not disappoint. Both men brought their A-game and were sure to deliver a fun brawl. The most obvious highlight being the return of Arn Anderson to deliver a picture perfect spinebuster. My one complaint with this match was a bit too one sided, as Flair should have been given more offense.

#8.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
CM Punk vs. MVP vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mr. Kennedy vs.
Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

One of the highlights of last years Wrestlemania. All seven men performed very well, and it was much better paced than the previous years performance. Shelton Benjamin proved to be a highlight again, especially when he balanced himself with one foot on top of the ladder, but the real star of the show to me was John Morrison, who busted out a great moonsault with the ladder. Well done by all men, and I was glad to see CM Punk get the win, even if his title reign left a lot to be desired.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: And now we get into the epic range)

#7.
Hardcore Match
Edge vs. Mick Foley
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

A seemingly random pairing that had less build than it probably should have, but turned out to be a great match. Both men really fought like they had something to prove, Edge that he belonged in the main event, and Foley that he could still make another heel (a la Rock, Triple H, and Orton) and deliver a solid match. The two fought a great affair, that showed just how great of a performers they both are. They slowly built all of the high spots (especially the table on fire) and had the crowd eating out the palm of their hands, until they finally delivered. The obvious highlight of the match was Edge going face first into freakin' fire. A very manly performance.

#6.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs.
Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane
Wrestlemania 21
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA

The first and still the best of the annual match. Going into the match I really wasn't sure as to what to expect, as we had never seen something quite like this on such a big stage. Yet all six men (seven, counting Tomko) played their part to perfection. I especially liked the beginning where all of the men took turns diving onto everyone, until Kane ended it by jumping onto six other people. Also, Benoit's selling during this match was amazing, and stands out as one of the best sell jobs of his long illustrious career. The highlight though was Shelton Benjamin running up one ladder to knock Jericho off of another ladder, Spiderman style. Edge's victory here helped set up his "Ultimate Opportunist" character that we all know and loathe to this day.

#5.
Triangle Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

A simply ground-breaking match. Sure we had seen ladder matches before, but nothing quite like this. These six men brought organized chaos to the big leagues and it's hard not to love every single minute of it.

#4.
TLC II for the WWF Tag Team Titles
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

It's hard to compare the back-to-back Wrestlemania encounters here, but I prefer this one ever so slightly. While they repeat a number of the same spots that they had done at Wrestlemania 2000, and Summerslam 2000, and the long-forgotten Raw ladder match between Edge and Christian and the Hardyz, this one just seems to be so much...more somehow. The addition of the three extra people as allies really helped make this even more of a train wreck, and it's hard not to love that. However, unlike most trainwrecks, this one ages quite well and is still as jaw dropping now as it was eight years ago.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is were we enter the legendary range, with three matches that any and every wrestling fan should have seen a number of times by now)

#3.
Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title
Razor Ramon (c) vs. Shawn Micheals
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

A match that is impossible not to love. These two men pulled out a very rare mix of high spots and story telling and gave us a true classic. It was here that Shawn Michaels officially became Mr. Wrestlemania, and he hasn't looked back since.

#2.
No Disqualification Match for the WWF Title
The Rock vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

The fourth match from Wrestlemania X-Seven to be featured on this list, which oddly, was not even supposed to be under consideration here. It was only announced at the last second that it would be a No Disqualification match, which should have been the first sign that something strange was going on.

Now, I don't want to talk too much about this match here, since I would like to save it for my post on the best main events (spoiler alert: this will be ranked quite high on the list), but if you just need to know how much I love this match head on back to a post from two years ago.

It could only be topped by one thing, it's necessary precursor.

#1.
Submission Match
Bret Hart vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Wrestlemania 13
Rosemont Horizon
Chicago, IL

Quite possibly the greatest match to ever take place in wrestling history. These two combined scientific wrestling with pure bloody hatred in an amazing match. These two simply pulled out all of the stops, from foreign objects, to guest referees, to blood to give us an amazing encounter. This match launched "Stone Cold" into mega-star status, and turned Bret Hart to his very intriguing heel character that he would end his WWF tenure on. While it wouldn't officially change, this match would set the WWF up for their amazing attitude era that would revolutionize the genre, and make it relevant once more.

Lofty? Of course. Inaccurate? No way. This is the match that spawned Austin and wrestling to new heights, and to think that the WWF was close to bankrupcy as this event approached, and this match probably saved it from happening.

Like the previous match, I have spoken about it once before, so give it a read if you want to know the history of this one.

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Until next time,

G

Achieved Posts:

The Openers
The Intercontinental Title
The Tag Team Titles
Celebrities
Extreme Rules
Women's Matches
The Dead Man
The Showstopper
The Main Events

Wrestlemania Rankings - Celebrities

Greetings one and all for the 4th of nine installment of my Wrestlemania rankings countdown. Today, in honour of Chris Jericho's Mikey Rourke fueled feud with the legends of wrestling, we will look at the best celebrity involvement on the grandest stage of them all. While there have been a number of wrestlers who served as guest ring announcers, or time keepers, those will be ignored. We are only going to look at the 11 times (by my count) that a celebrity has been involved in a match, in one way or another.

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#11.
Miller Light Cat Fight Girls vs. Stacey Keibler and Tori Wilson
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA

While this was not an official sanctioned match, it took far, far too much time to be ignored. The Miller Light Cat Fight Girls (it's ok if you forget who they are), were being interviewed, when Stacey and Tori came down, and a catfight ensued. If anyone ever asks, this is why RVD/Kane vs. Lance Storm/Morley was bumped to Sunday Night Heat. Such a crime.

#10.
Brawl for All Match:
Bart Gunn vs. Butterbean
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

One of the shortest, and most ill-advised matches to ever take place. For those of you who may not remember, the Brawl For All, was a bizarre attempt at a legitimate torunament that the WWF tried in 1998. They had felt that Dr. Death Steve Williams would win, and be a good challenger for Austin in the fall, however, Bart Gunn legitametly knocked him out in the second round of their match. Sensing an opportunity to push Gunn, the WWF worked his final two matches, to have him knock out his opponents. Sadly though, just about everyone in the tournament, including Gunn and Williams, were injured and had to take several months off as a result. When Gunn finally returned from injury (and I believe some time in Japan) he was pushed as a very tough wrestler, so logically he had to challenge Butterbean, who was a sideshow boxer at the time. Of course, keeping with the great idea, this match would not be scripted, and be fought "for real".

The most important thing to notice here is that it probably took you just as long to read about that as it did for the match to happen, as Butterbean won the match in 35 seconds, and this match (and the Brawl for All Tournament) was never spoken of again. I don't ever remember seeing Bart Gunn on WWF programming after this.

#9.
Boxing Match:
"Rowdy" Roddy Pipper vs. Mr. T
Wrestlemania 2
Nassau Colliseum
Long Island, NY

On the other end of the "ill-advised decision" spectrum is this match. Which, while still a bad move, was for a different set of reasons. Pipper and T had been involved in the main event of Wrestlemania the year before (more on that to come later), and their feud continued throughout the year. It was decided that it woudl be settled in a boxing match. However, unlike the Bart Gunn - Butterbean disaster, this would be worked. What resulted was 13 minutes of a boring, slow paced boxing match with no legitimate punches getting thrown. The only redeeming quality was Piper freaking out between rounds and throwing his stool.

The misery was stopped when Piper bodyslammed Mr. T to earn himself a disqualification.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Big, huge jump here to the next number, as all of them above here were quite good and actually added to the program)

#8.
WWF vs. NFL Battleroyal
Wrestlemania 2
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemeont, IL

One of the big attractions to Wrestlemania 2, and the second last match of the Chicago portion of the evening, was the WWF vs. NFL battleroyal, featuring a mixture of wrestlers and football players. This was a great showdown of titans, and helped bring in a great deal of fans to the event, which makes it a hard one to fault. The football players looked fine in the match, as they did not have to perform any real wrestling moves, and thankfully, it was won by a wreslter, and certainly one believable enough to eliminate the large football palyers.

#7.
Battle of the Billionaires
Hair vs. Hair Match
Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga
Wrestlemania 23
Ford Field
Detroit, MI

THE selling point for Wrestlemania 23 was the showdown between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon, via their charges. The story being that they were having differences and wanted to settle them in a match, and they would both pick a representative. Trump picked Lashley while Vince picked Umaga. The two wrestlers had an entertaining enough match, that ended with a Lashley victory, and Vince's head was shaved in a fun Wrestlemania moment.

This certainly was a fun match and fun celebrity involvment, but it woudl have been more highly ranked had Trump been a better talker, and Bobby Lashley had stuck around for longer than he did.

#6.
The Pete Rose Run Ins
Wrestlemania XIV, XV, and 2000

This was legitametly a highlight of the attitude era Wrestlemanias. It all started when Rose was serving as a guest ring announcer before the Kane-Undertaker match at Wrestlemania XIV, he ran down the crowd, only for Kane to come to the ring, chokeslam and tombstone baseball's hit king. While that was entertaining enough, the next year, Pete Rose would run down again and attack Kane, only for the Big Red Machine to get the upper hand again. The next year, it would happen once more, this time with Rikishi (Kane's partner in the tag match) giving Rose a stinkface.

While Kane was fighting for the hardcore title at Wrestlemania X-Seven, I really hoped that after he won, Pete Rose would run in and steal a pin on Kane to get the title, before Kane would tombstone him again, but sadly, the tradition ended after three very entertaining years and moments.

#5.

No Disqualification Match:
Big Show vs. Floyd "Money" Mayweather
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

A fun little match, that got a lot of play on sports shows. While at first it may have seemed stupid and a waste of the Big Show's return, it ended up giving us some great moments. Floyd Mayweather was made to be a wrestling heel, as he has all of the mannerisms down pat, and knows how to cut an "I'm better than you" promo as good as almost anyone on the roster. I was really hoping that he would make a return for this years event, but I guess not.

(EDITOR'S NOTE:...and, break!)

#4.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT

Probably the best wrestler vs. celebrity match ever. These two had a surprisingly competitive match, and Bigelow had no problem making Taylor look like a million bucks. This is one of few non world-title matches to close Wrestlemania, and is one of the few bright spots on an otherwise forgettable card.

#3.
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Rowdy Piper and Paul Orndorff
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

An insanely important match in the history of wrestling. While there had been previous celebrity involvment in matches, it had never been like this. This received a huge amount of hype, and was central to the entire "Wrestlemania" concept coming to be. Sure the match wasn't that great, but it helped make it all happen.

But there was another...

#2.
Women's Title Match:
Leilani Kai (c) vs. Wendi Richter
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

That's right, I have this one a slight nod. After appearing on television a number of times, Cyndi Lauper got involved with the women of wrestling, and feuded with Leilani Kai and her manager, the Fabulous Moolah. She got herself a "temporary managers license" to stand in the corenr of Wendi Richter. While the match was far from spectacular, Lauper's involvment was a huge boost to the event, and got everything featured on MTV, which was new and hip at the time (and actually played music). This helped get a lot of people into wrestling, and helped create a huge amount of life long fans.

#1.
WWF Title Match:
Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Steve Austin
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

A huge, huge, huge match, with a huge, huge, huge celebrity involvment. It was announced that Mike Tyson, the baddest man on the planet, would be involved at Wrestlemania. When he showed up on Raw, Steve Austin got in his face and a shoving match ensued. A few weeks later, Tyson showed up on Raw, and he ended up siding with Shawn Michaels and his group, D-X. This received a *huge* amount of coverage on news agencies, and it became a big deal. During the match though, Tyson switched sides, and joined Austin, giving him the victory and officially starting the most profitable era that the WWF ever experienced.

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Assuming that Rourke gets involved in Jericho's match, we could have some room up near the top. Well, at least it will have to be better than the Miller Light Cat Fight Girls, right?

Until next time,

G

Achieved Posts:

The Openers
The Intercontinental Title
The Tag Team Titles
Celebrities
Extreme Rules
Women's Matches
The Dead Man
The Showstopper
The Main Events

Wrestlemania Rankings - The Tag Team Titles

The countdown to Wrestlemania continues with a look at at the best matches for the Tag Team Titles being counted down. The upcoming title unification bout between Miz and Morrison against the Colons is going to be the 21st tag team title match, and to be honest, I think that it has a legitimate potential to be in the Top 3 all time.

Here are it's contenders...

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#20.
Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. D'Lo Brown and Test
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

Such a shame that a match with four talented workers can be ranked so low, but them's the breaks. See the back story to this match was pretty negligible. Owen and Jarrett were without a challenger (since Mark Henry had suffered an injury, thus leaving D'Lo without a partner), as such, the WWE decided to have a special battle royal during the pre-show with the last two finalists getting to challenge for the title, thus the random pairing of D'Lo and Test. The match was very short and unspectacular, with the champions retaining after the challengers continued to fight. Given the talent in this match, it could have been great with more time or more of a story, but sadly it lacked both, and remains a boring and sad footnote on Wrestlemania history.

#19.
Money Inc. (c) vs. The Natural Disasters

Wrestlemania VIII
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, IL

A sad addition to one of my favourite events of all time. The super team of Ted Dibiase and IRS were running rough-shot over the tag team division. The Natural Disasters of Earthquake and Typhoon seemed like logical opponents. However, even the veterans of Dibiase and Rotunda couldn't pull a great match out of the big lugs, and gave us a slow, plodding affair. Worst of all, the champions walked out for an intentional countout in a pretty low and boring move.

#18.
The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. Owen Hart and Yokozuna
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT

The match was originally billed as Owen Hart and a "Mystery Partner" challenging The Smoking Gunns. While at the time, it seemed like Jim Niedhart would be the most logical partner, it ended up being the 500lb former world champion. The match was essentially an extended squash as the challengers simply manhandled the Smoking Gunns. The match was a rather slow and uneventful affair, with the only worthwhile moment coming after the finish of the match when Owen Hart celebrated like he won the World Title, Academy Award and Super Bowl all at once.

#17.
The Colossal Connection (c) vs. Demolition
Wrestlemania VI
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Demolition were a very good tag team, and both members of The Colossal Connection, Andre the Giant and Haku had their share of good matches, but this was certainly not the time or the place. Andre the Giant was at the end of the line, and he very clearly knew it. He did not step into the ring, as Haku spent the entire match in the ring. This was simply an excuse to get the title off of The Colossal Connection and to turn Andre face, so that he could fade off into retirement soon after. A sentimental affair, but not much more than that.

#16.
The Quebecers (c) vs. M.O.M.
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

You have to hand it to these guys, as this was probably the best match that these two teams were capable of, certainly with a count-out finish. That being said, it really wasn't that great, with the double suplex of Mabel being the high point of the match. As with most of this card, it really served as filler between the big matches.

#15.
Fatal Four Way Match:
Rob Van Dam and Booker T (c) vs. La Resistance
vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Speaking of filler, we have the very definition of it here. This match was randomly announced, with the three challengers having to qualify a few weeks before the event. This match was short and largely forgettable. Thankfully though, the team that was far too good for this match ended up winning.

#14.
Money Inc. (c) vs. The Mega Maniacs
Wrestlemania IX
Ceaser's Palace
Las Vegas, NV

If you want to see why this card is so despised look no further. This was easily the second best match of the night, and see where it ranks on this list. This was Hogan's big return to challenge the evil heel tag champions with his good friend Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. This match was heavily hyped with the crowd being really into it. That being said, the lame disqualification finish did nothing for me, and made me feel like I was wasting my time.

#13.
Fatal Four Way Match:
Rikishi and Scotty Too Hotty (c) vs. APA
vs. The Basham Brothers vs. World's Greatest Tag Team

Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Wrestlemania XX was the only card to see both the WWE Tag and World Tag titles defended (since the World Tag Title match at XIX was on the pre-show) and neither of them had much in the way of back-story to them, and neither of them were very good. Chances are, these matches being what they were no doubt helped lead to the creation of the Money in the Bank match taking palce the next year as a way to get the mid to upper card wrestlers a place on the card.

This match was marginally better than the other one, and that was mostly due to the portion of the match when Haas and Benjamin controlled the offense. The champs retained in this match, in yet another bland match that was not much to write home about.

#12.
The US Express (c) vs. The Iron Shiek and Nikolai Volkoff
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Fine little match that the crowd was firmly behind. The very pro-America tag team champions defended against the common foes of the Soviets and the Iranians (note: Wrestling has never fully matched the real world of geo-politics). However, the heels were able to pull of a huge upset of a victory, which nearly sent the crowd into a riot. Like the Maniacs-Money Inc. match, the crowd helps pull this one up a few spots.

#11.
Kane and The Big Show (c) vs. Chris Masters and Carlito
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

The only match on this list that I previously mentioned. Not the greatest match at all, and I fully believe that the wrong team won here. Not much to add that I didn't mention already. Hopefully Carlito can deliver more this year!


(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is an infamous break point, as the matches above here get considerably better)

#10.
Handicap Match
Demolition (c) vs. The Powers of Pain and Mr. Fuji
Wrestlemania V
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

Fun little match, as the face champions, Demolition, fought against their old manager and his new clients in a handicap match. The build to this match is one of the few times that the WWE has been able to pull of a double turn successfully and they deserve to be commended here. The finish to the match came as Fuji got stuck in the ring with Demolition, only to be hit with the Decapitation Device, for the victory. While not a classic, this was fun, harmless, and had a satisfying ending.

#9.
Four Way Elimination Match:
Billy and Chuck (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. APA vs. The Dudley Boyz
Wrestlemania X8
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Unlike the Wrestlemania XX matches, this would be an elimination match. This match started out decent enough, with all teams running around and hitting their big moves, but after the rapid-fire eliminations of the APA and the Dudleyz, the quality dropped. Like the Wrestlemania XX matches, the champs retained, and also like the Wrestlemania XX matches, not much was done as a follow up to this. But a big step up from the XX matches.

#8.
Dumpster Match:
New Age Outlaws (c) vs. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

Essentially a tag-team equivalent of a casket match, as both members of a team had to be thrown into a dumpster and the lid had to be closed. This was in the middle of the New Age Outlaws rise to fame, but just before they joined DX, so they were not quite at mega-star level yet. The crowd was quite into this feud as it had gotten rather personal, since the Outlaws had severely injured both Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie. The match was a great hardcore style encounter, with all four men pulling out some fan hardcore spots. The finish came when the challengers used a forklift to put their opponents into a dumpster backstage. Even though the Outlaws would regain the title the very next night on RAW, the challengers needed a moral victory (like this) on a big stage to give closure to the feud. Well done by all.

#7.
The Hart Foundation (c) vs. The Nasty Boys
Wrestlemania VII
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, CA

The Hart Foundation was seeking revenge against their original manager, Jimmy Hart, who was with his new clients, The Nasty Boys. In a great fast-paced match, Jimmy Hart used his megaphone against a team that had been the beneficiary of those shots more than any other over the course of their career. This would be the last match for the Hart Foundation, as Bret would start his rise to superstardom after this. A solid ending to a great team.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is one of the famed splits, as the matches above here are into the very-good to great range)

#6.
Owen Hart and The Brittish Bulldog (c) vs. Mankind and Vader
Wrestlemania 13
Rosemont Horizon
Chicago, IL

Fun match on an otherwise horrendous card. Given the absolute glut of talent involved in this match that really should be of no surprise. This is one of the rare occasions when the WWE has ever really done a heel vs. heel match, certainly at Wrestlemania. They had been teasing a Bulldog face turn (which would have fit nicely), but apparently they wanted to keep Hart and Bulldog as heels so that they could reform the Hart Foundation since Bret was turning heel, so those plans were scrapped at the last minute. The alignments certainly hurt the match, as it made it difficult to cheer for either team, however the worst part was definitely the finish to the match, as it ended in a double countout. That being said, this is easily the best double countout match between two heels that you will ever find.

#5.
Triple Threat Match:
Team Angle (c) vs. Los Guerreros vs. Christ Benoit and Rhyno
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA

Great match between six great performers. The champions retained in a wild flurry of a finish, that saw them steal a pin on Chavo Guerrero after he was nailed with a Gore by Rhyno. While it was a touch short, it certainly was a great one. Were this match to take place on a weaker card it would probably be more fondly remembered.

#4.
Strike Force (c) vs. Demolition
Wrestlemania IV
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

Demolition kicked off their legendary 478 day reign with a bang in this great match. Both teams played off one another well in one of the few good matches on a long and boring card. A simple, effective big team vs. little team encounter, and certainly well worth a view.

#3.
The Dream Team (c) vs. The British Bulldogs
Wrestlemania 2
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, IL

Finally, Wrestlemania 2 gets some praise on this blog! This was easily the best match of the night, as both teams delivered and then some in the main event of the Chicago portion of the evening. This match has one of the most creative finishes ever, as Davey Boy Smith uses his partners head (which was notoriously hard) as a foreign object to lead to a victory.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Like the Intercontinental Title List, this was a clear cut choice between 2 matches. However, unlike the other list, these two matches are remarkably similar)

#2.
Triangle Ladder Match
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

A great match that put all six men on the map, in their Wrestlemania debuts. The men absolutely revolutionized both the ladder match and tag team wrestling, and took it to new heights (quite literally). A great match from start to finish, and it could only be topped by one thing, a rematch.

#1.
TLC II
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

Simply put, watch this match. These men took everything that they had done the year before and upped it. While I think that their encounter from Summerslam 2000 was the best of this trilogy, this match is not far behind. The addition of Lita, Spike Dudley, and Rhyno, essentially made this a nine person affair, and only added to the carnage. From Jeff Hardy's super Swanton to Edge's mega spear, this match is full of jaw dropping moments. You can understand why the WWE did not decide to redo this again the following year, since it simply would have been too much, and someone could have gotten seriously injured, thus making this match all the more special.

**********************************************

If the participants are given enough time and attention, they really can end up in the Top 5, and possibly Top 3 on this list. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Until next time,

G


Achieved Posts:

The Openers
The Intercontinental Title
The Tag Team Titles
Celebrities
Extreme Rules
Women's Matches
The Dead Man
The Showstopper
The Main Events

Wrestlemania Rankings - The Intercontinental Title

Welcome back as I once more continue my Wrestlemania Rankings. In honour of Rey Mysterio's challenge to JBL, this time we will be focusing on the best of the Intercontinental Title Matches of Wrestlemania's yore. Sadly, this once prestigious title that has brought us some of the great matches underlined, but hasn't been showcased at the Grandest Stage of them All in the past six events! Thankfully that streak will end, in what should be a good match between two wrestlers who have a long and storied history with one another.

This will be the 17th Wrestlemania Intercontinental Title Match ever, and the other 16 rank as follows...

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#16.
Rocky Miavia (c) vs. The Sultan
Wretlemania 13
Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, IL

Certainly not the most glamourous Wrestlemania debut for a man who would go on to be one of the greatest of all-time. Rocky Miavia (not yet Dwayne Johnson, not yet The Rock) would have a very boring 9 minute encounter. While that is certainly forgiveable, the truly insulting part is the aftermath. After Rocky gets a fluke roll-up to win, The Sultan's managers, Bob Backland and Iron Shiek join in for a 3-on-1 beat-down of the champion, only for Rocky's father, Rocky Johnson, to run down to make the save for his son. Simply a horrible way to get your good young face over, by having him need the help of his retired father. Thumbs down all around.

#2.
Randy Savage (c) vs. George "The Animal" Steele
Wrestlemania 2
Nassau Colliseum
Long Island, NY

Much like the previous entry, this was hardly the Wrestlemania debut for one of the greatest performers that the business has ever seen. Savage would later be renown as a man who could get a good match out of anyone (See: Warrior, Ultimate), but it did not work on this night. George Steele was far too worn out at this point, and did not bring enough to the table here, and Savage just phoned this one in. Certainly not a great follow up match to what I consider to be the worst opener in the card's history.

#14.
Four Way Elimination Match
Road Dogg (c) vs. Golddust vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Val Venis

Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

Storyline wise this really made no sense. Up to about two weeks before this show, Val Venis, Billy Gunn, and Golddust all expressed interest in Ken Shamrock's on-screen sister, Ryan (including Venis's brilliant movie title: Saving Ryan's Privates), so Shamrock logically wanted to defend her honour against his three foes. Meanwhile, Shamrock lost his IC Title to Val Venis, so a four-way match was set. However, just before the show, Road Dogg (scheduled to compete with Hardcore Holly and Al Snow for the Hardcore Title) challenged Val Venis on his partner's behalf, and Gunn challenged Snow for Dogg. Both of the outlaws won the titles that their friends were chasing, so they switched places. This effectively killed any momentum that either feud were building since some of the principal characters were switched. The Hardcore Title Match was able to be saved by the amount of plunder involved, but this one was a different story.

This match was too short for anyone to tell their story, and the double count-out elimination of Shamrock and Venis had no place on an event titled "The Ragin' Climax" and the Road Dogg's cheap roll-up win was essentially meaningless. Couple this with the fact that Golddust won the title in a one-on-one encounter the very next night, and it really made this match seem both pointless and insulting.

14.
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (c) vs. The Junk Yard Dog
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

The first Wrestlemania really is the hardest to asses these days, so I often feel harsh ranking anything about it so low. That being said though, there are a lot of matches on there that simply did not entertain me, including this one. I think that JYD was just too old, and Valentine was too beat up to make anything special here. Also, add the fact JYD won by count-out really hurt the match. I understand wanting to give him a big win, but it really did not add to any finality of the WWF's first supercard.

13.
The Rock (c) vs. Ken Shamrock
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

Odd that this is the second match to feature The Rock, a performer who I am quite fond of, performing in a match that I consider rather bland. Also, oddly, on my other list I gave the opening match of Wrestlemania XIV a low ranking, just as I am giving this one a low ranking, but it is an event that I consider to be a great one.

Anyway, this match was rather dull, and did not serve as a closer to this very long running feud, which should have logically ended with a Shamrock title win at the big event. Instead, we got a match that looked like it was going to be a squash for Shamrock (since he had never really gotten The Rock in a one-on-one encounter, due to interference from The Nation), but Shamrock refused to let go of the ankle-lock so the decision was reversed. So this match was too short, The Rock hardly got in any offense, and resolved nothing. Yeah that's enough for me to dislike this one.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is more or less when the list takes a jump from "offensive" to "bland")

12.
The Honky Tonk Man (c) vs. Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Wrestlemania IV
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

Due to the tournament going on this very night, the list of credible champions for The Honky Tonk Man was rather short, so they can be forgiven for choosing Beefacke here. Beefcake was a suitable challenger here to be someone that people thought might defeat Honky in the middle of his legendary reign. This is a great example of why Honky Tonk's title run was so great, he legitimately made you believe that anyone could defeat him and end his title run at any time, only to find someway (usually a DQ, such as this night) to prolong it. While I lament other lame DQ endings, with The Honky Tonk Man it just worked. That being said this match really isn't all that great leading up to the finish.

#11.
Mr. Perfect (c) vs. Big Boss Man
Wrestlemania VII
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, CA

Another example of a match that should have ended with a clean, and decisive win for the face. The Big Boss Man was on a tear through the Heenan family, after the Brain repeatedly mocked Boss Man's mother. The logical climax of that would be to take out Heenan's prize client, Intercontinental Champion, Mr. Perfect. After a great back and forth match, that really made Boss Man look like a million bucks, in one of the best matches of the big man's career. As the Boss Man looked to approach victory, Haku and the Barbarian run in to cause a lame disqualification.

Fun little match, but (as many on this list) bad ending.

#10.
Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Tatanka
Wrestlemania IX
Ceaser's Palace
Las Vegas, NV

The first of three matches to appear on this list as well as my previous one. As I said last time "He put on a great showcase with the then-undefeated Tatanka. However, the match was marred by a boring disqualification finish", which appears to be a common theme here.

#9.
Intercontinental Title Match:
William Regal (c) vs. Rob Van Dam
Wrestlemania X8
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

Bizarrely this match was also #9 on the other list. What are the odds, really? Not much else to add to this one, it was good, but they never really seemed to click as they really should have. However, credit must be given for putting forward an actual finish, unlike many of the other matches on this list.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here's were they start to get good)

#8.
Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Razor Ramon
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT

When I was compiling this list, I was simply amazed by the amount of lame non-finishes there were. But this really was the best of the 6 dq/count-out finishes here. These two had a very good chemistry with one another, and this was shaping up to be a really good one, but yet again, the lame finish took it down a notch. Had these two had a pin-fall victory for one or the other and this could have been vaulted up at least two spots on the list.

#7.
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

The third and final match that I mentioned in my last list. Not much else to say that I didn't say yesterday, good match but too short to be truly great.

#6.
The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. Ric Rude
Wrestlemania V
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

Heading into this match, it seemed like the still undefeated Warrior would get another victory, however, in a huge shock, the Ultimate One lost his belt to the cocky Rick Rude. This was easily the best match of Warrior's career to date, and the first of his back-to-back-to-back amazing Wrestlemania performances.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is where they jump from good, to down right legendary, and is easily the biggest leap on the list)

#5.
Two-fall, Two Title Match
Kurt Angle (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

The Wrestlemania debut for three men who would later go on to all compete in the Main Event in three consecutives years. The storyline going into it was that Kurt Angle held both the European and Intercontinental titles (calling himself the Eurocontinental Champion). It was decided that he would defend both of these titles against Benoit and Jericho in a two-fall match, with the first fall being for the Intercontinental title, and the second for the European gold. This match was really ahead of it's time, as all three men came up with all sorts of innovative spots in what was probably the best triple-threat match up to that point. Benoit pinned Jericho, and then Jericho pinned Benoit to make Angle loose both of his belts without taking either fall. Pure brilliance

#4.
Title vs. Title
Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior
Wrestlemania VI
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

While it is easy to forget, this match was technically for the Intercontinental Title so deserves to be mentioned here. This match really was a classic and was better than it had any right to be. Both men worked hard and really surpassed so many of their other matches. In the very first pre-Wrestlemania post I ever made, my friend Kory stated very clearly: "The crowd was absolutely amazing. From the entrances to the final bell they went crazy for every move. One can sum up the match as a series of clothelines, body slams, and shoulder blocks. Add to that the no-sells (hulking up and calling upon the gods) and you have the match pretty much covered."

Hard to argue with that my friend. Speaking of that post, the next match on the list was mentioned in the same post...

#3.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Wrestlemania VIII
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, IL

One of my all-time favourite matches, as evidenced by its high ranking. The match started out like it was going to be a show-down of two friends, but turned into a bloody encounter with both men trying their all to win, and both being too proud to lose. The highlight of the match was when Piper had the ring bell and was set to nail Hart with it, but let his conscious get in the way, and decided not to resort to his heelish ways, something that Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels would do later on. Speaking of the future, this match would end with Hart countering a sleeperhold by running the ropes and getting a pin for victory, a move he would later use on Steve Austin in their epic feud.

But this match was great, not only for the in-ring action, but the story that they told, and the history that it created.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The next two really need to introduction, if you have followed wrestling at all, you would have these two placed one and two on your list of best Intercontinental Title match of all-time, and probably near the top of any of your favourite matches of all time, as great as the last three have been, one and two were never in doubt. That being said, I felt that a tie was inappropriate so I made what I feel to be the right decision)

#2
Ladder Match
Razor Ramon (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Simply a fabulous match. While it was not the first ladder match, as it has often been citied, it really revolutionized the concept. While Shawn gets the credit for making this match amazing, and rightfully so, Ramon's efforts really are nothing to shake a stick at. Both men deserve all the credit in the world for using that ladder in ways that nobody had ever thought of. While it is tame compared to some later ladder matches, it still tells a great story, and includes some very entertaining parts.

#1.
Randy Savage (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat
Wrestlemania III
Pontiac Silver Dome
Detroit, MI

Mix two incredibly talented performers at the peak of their career, a simple yet emotional storyline, and the largest crowd in North American sports history, and you will get the closest you can come to perfection inside a ring. This fast paced, hate-fueled match really is something special to behold, and deserves it's rightful place at the top. There are times when roll-ups seem cheap and contrived, but then there are moments like this when it is absolutely perfect. These two were matched so equally that the only logical ending was for Steamboat to be just three seconds better than Savage.

That being said, there really is one glaring flaw with this match.

There never was a rematch.

************************************************************

While I doubt that JBL-Mysterio is going to crack the Top 5, it certainly has the potential to rank high on this list. Like everything else, we'll have to wait until April 4th to find out.

Until next time,

G


Achieved Posts:

The Openers
The Intercontinental Title
The Tag Team Titles
Celebrities
Extreme Rules
Women's Matches
The Dead Man
The Showstopper
The Main Events