Monday, March 30, 2009

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

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