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.

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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.

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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

Wrestlemania Rankings - The Openers

Well here we are three weeks until the biggest day on any wrestling geek's calender, the Grandest Stage of Them All. In the past two years I have done a variety of different post themes to celebrate the event, including a reflection with my friends on some of our favourite matches/moments, retelling the story of the event, and a ranking of the cards. In deciding what to do this year, I came up with an extension of the ranking idea that I did last year. I felt no need to redo a ranking, since there was only one more card added to the list, and very little has changed in my mind in the past twelve months. Instead, I will look at different events that have occurred in multiple events over the years, including Best Main Events, Best Matches of Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, Best Intercontinental Title Matches, and the one that I will feature today, The Best Opening Matches.

The opening match on a card is incredibly important, as it is charged with raising the crowds excitment and helps get them involved in the rest of the show. Often times in involves the smaller, or faster wrestlers pulling death defying moves to get the crowd on their feet, and other times it involves popular wrestlers who the crowd will start to cheer from right from the beginning. So without further ado, here are (in my humble opinion) the rankings of the first 24 opening matches in Wrestlemania history.

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#24.
Paul Orndorf vs. The Magnificent Muraco
Wrestlemania 2
Nassau Colliseum
Long Island, NY

The idea was sort of there. Take a big name like Orndorf out there early to get the crowd pumped, but the execution was all wrong. They should have had Orndorf go over clean to start the crowd out happy, but instead they ended with a boring, slow match that went to a double countout. They had many other matches that would have been great openers, including the NFL Battle Royal or the Tag Title Match, but those two matches were scheduled for the Chicago portion of the card, so were of little use here. Like many things about Wrestlemania II, this match had a good idea but came out flat in the execution. You've got to admire McMahon for trying again (and getting it right) the next year.

#23.
Koko B. Ware vs. "The Model" Rich Martel
Wrestlemania VI
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario

I don't think that they had many other choices on this really very dull card. These two put on what was essentially an extended squash for Martel to showcase his talents. It seemed more like a match to main event Superstars, and less of a match to open the biggest show of the year.

#22.
LOD 2000 win a 15 Team Battle Royal
Wrestlemania XIV
Fleet Center
Boston, MA

And so continued the obvious tradition of trying to get as many men onto the card as possible. I quite enjoy a good battle royal, but this was certainly not one. The rules were complicated, with one member of a team having to be eliminated, and hardly ever followed (Mark Henry hung around for minutes after his partner had been eliminated). Also, there were a few moments with outside interference from Barry Windham and Kurrgan the Interrogator. They really should have been involved in a match to begin with. Also, the outcome was incredibly obvious from the get go when LOD 2000 was lead to the ring by Sunny.

#21.
D'Lo Brown and The Godfather vs. The Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan
Wrestlemania 2000
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

Wrestlemania 2000 started off great, with a very over face (The Godfather) coming to the ring being lead by a celebrity singing his new theme song (Ice T). It seemed like a sure fire way to start things off nicely. However, instead of having a nice, fun match, they ended up with a plodding, slow affair that ended with the heels winning, cleanly. For shame booking team, for shame.

#20.
The Allied Powers vs. The Blu Brothers
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT

How the mighty had fallen. The year prior, Lex Luger had looked to be on his way to the World Title at the event, and a few months prior, Davey Boy Smith was about to win the Royal Rumble and challenge for the title at this event. Yet, here they were in a team against The Blu Brothers in a dull and relatively meaningless encounter. Luger was well past his prime here, and Davey Boy was not against the right opponent, thus putting them in a fair amount of trouble here. All in all, not the greatest match, and a sub-par start to a sub-par event.

#19.
Hercules vs. King Haku
Wrestlemania V
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

I really don't know who thought this was a good idea to open up any show. Neither of these two were particularly over, and neither were really capable of putting on an exciting match. Somehow though, these two put on just about the best possible match imaginable, and saved this one from being better than at least five other encounters.

#18.
Four-way Tag Team Elimination Match:
The Headbangers vs. The New Blackjacks vs.
The Godwins vs. Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon
Wrestlemania 13
Rosemont Horizon
Chicago, IL

I always kind of enjoyed elimination tag matches, they give a good amount of interaction between a good amount of teams. This was a fun match and every team really played their part well. However, my biggest complaint is the prize, it was a #1 Contenders Match for (I believe) the next night on Raw. Wrestlemania should end storylines, and not lead to throw away matches.

#17.
Tito Santana vs. The Executioner
Wrestlemania
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

The answer to any trivia questions about the first match in Wrestlemania history. This was a fun match, involving a relatively over face getting a clean win. While it could have been more competitive, it certainly had the right idea, with the right man going over.

#16.
Tag Team Title Match
Kane and The Big Show (c) vs. Chris Masters and Carlito
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL

Like many of the other matches here, I can't for the life of me think of why this was the opener, when JBL-Benoit, the Money in the Bank Match, or even Booker T-Boogeyman would have done a much better job, but yet here we were. This match was a rather slow, and plodding affair (to the surprise of nobody) and probably had the wrong team go over. What bothers me most about this match was that it meant nothing in the long term, as Kane and The Big Show lost the titles the very next night, and both teams had split up in a month.

#15.
Shawn Michaels vs. Tito "El Matador" Santana
Wrestlemania VIII
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, IL

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Here is where the matches go from being bland to good. As such, there is a considerable jump from #16 to #15, but a much slower jump until #5)

The start of Shawn Michaels's singles push, and ascent to the wrestling history books as Mr. Wrestlemania. While this was hardly the most auspicious of starts, he still showed some signs of greatness. Of course, this would have been much better had it been his show down with Marty Jannetty, but he was away either "selling the injury" or "in rehab" depending on who you believe here. This was a fun match, between two very talented performers, but it lacked the necessary emotion to push it into greatness.

#14.
Harcore Title Match:
Billy Gunn (c) vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow
Wrestlemania XV
First Union Center
Philadelphia, PA

The Wrestlemania debut of the Hardcore title was a fun, garbage filled encounter. It probably had the wrong winner, as Al Snow was the unquestioned fan favourite, but it worked out better to set up a Holly-Snow showdown later on. This match would have been ranked considerably higher had it involved the Road Dogg, as it was supposed to, and not had the very bizarre and non-sensical switch of the New Age Outlaws at the last minute.

#13.
Intercontinental Title Match:
Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Tatanka

Wrestlemania IX
Ceaser's Palace
Las Vegas, NV

Shawn Michaels' ascent to the top of the wrestling world was well under way here, and he was setting the world on fire as a great Intercontinental Champion. He put on a great showcase with the then-undefeated Tatanka. However, the match was marred by a boring disqualification finish, and like a few other matches mentioned, it did not really have the storyline build, as Shawn's real feud seemed to be with Mr. Perfect, who he would cost a match for later on in the show.

#12
Camp Cornette (Vader, Davey Boy Smith, and Owen Hart) vs.
Yokozuna, Jake Roberts and Ahmed Johnson

Wrestlemania 12
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, CA

This match is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I quite enjoy a good six to ten man tag team match, and this certainly was one of those. The stipulation was that if Yokozuna's team won then he woudl get five minutes alone with Jim Cornette in the ring, which got the crowd begging for some sort of cumupence for the big man. This really added, and helped take attention away from the obviously infererior talents of the face side. The heels worked a good match (no surprise) and the faces all stayed in the ring for a short time, thus keeping the action fresh. I still question having the faces (including Ahmed Johnson, who they were pushing hard at the time) take the loss though.

#11
Bellfast Brawl:
Finlay vs. JBL
Wrestlemania XXIV
Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

As I said last year "I thought that this was an interesting choice to open up the show, especially when they had the Money in the Bank match right afterwards. This match was pretty fun, especially when Finlay busted out a tope. The ending was pretty deflating, as JBL hit Finlay with a kendo stick, and then got a clean win (i.e. interference free). I thought that a Finlay victory was a sure thing here. I guess not...". Not much for me to add, fun match, with the wrong winner from a storyline point of view.

#10
United States Title Match:
The Big Show (c) vs. John Cena
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

Not exactly the most fast past of openers, but still a good match none the less. It got a very over young face out there first, and gave him the first of many Wrestlemania moments for him. The match was hurt by The Big Show's obvious injuries, however, the two still strung together and entertaining encounter that kicked off one of the best cards in Wrestlemania history.

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

The last time that the Intercontinental title was defended at Wrestlemania, was a fun opener between two wrestlers with very different styles. It showcased Van Dam's ability to take a beating, as it looked like he was damn near dead on one of Regal's suplexes. While I understand them wanting to put RVD over with the title on the big stage, the feud seemed very forced, and Regal's prior feud with Edge was never really resolved, so a switch of partners between RVD and Edge could have gone a long way to improving this rather dull card.

#8.
The Can-Am Connection vs. Bob Orton and The Magnificent Muraco
Wrestlemania III
Pontiac Silver Dome
Detroit, MI

Essentially the prototype for fun opening matches. Two over teams in the mid-card, putting on a fast pace match with the faces going over in an exciting style.

#7.
Bad News Brown wins a 20 Man Battle Royal
Wrestlemania IV
Trump Plaza
Atlantic City, NJ

A very a-typical opening match, but it worked here. While logic would have put one of the tournament matches up first in order to use the Battle Royal as a "breather" of sorts in between rounds, however, this match went a long way to entertaining the crowd. The ending was particularly legendary, as Bad News looked to split the award with Bret Hart, however he decided to turn on Hart and keep the trophy for his own, only for Hart to return and smash it in a moment of heel-on-heel tension that really was ahead of its time.

#6.
Intercontinental Title Match:
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX

Had this been on any other card it could have been a contender for match of the night. However, given that it was on arguably the greatest wrestling event of all time, it could not even crack the top five of the evening. While this was a great match, with the right man going over, it felt rushed, thus preventing it from ranking higher on the list.

#5.
The Rockers vs. The Barbarian and Haku
Wrestlemania VII
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, CA

Fun, simple match that fit in a text book formula of power vs. speed. All four men played their parts well, and put on a great match. Easily the best of Micheals's three straight opening performances.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The next jump up is a very large one, as the top four matches really are a cut above their competition)

#4.
Cruiserweight Title Match:
Matt Hardy (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA

The Wrestlemania debut of the cruiserweight title was a fun and entertaining match between two very talented performers. While this was really just the start of their feud, which would culminate in a main event match on Smackdown in the summer, this was still a fun match. IU even did not mind the heel victory in the opener as it came suddenly and set up for what was actually a very memorable feud.

#3.
Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero

Wrestlemania 21
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA

Speaking of great feuds, this match kick started one of the best feuds that the WWE has put together in the decade, between two of the most talented performers in the history of the industry. While this match did not match their earlier encounters from WCW, or their later (more hate filled) matches during the year, this was still a great exhibition, and was filled with many great moments as Eddie clearly contemplated cheating against his friend, but let his conscious get the best of him, costing him the match.

#2.
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

While not the greatest Money in the Bank match, it certainly was the most star-studded, as it included three former world champions, and a number of rising stars. This match featured some great moments, including the Green Bay Plunge from the top of the ladder to Hornswoggle, Jeff Hardy nearly killing Edge, and a great RKO buffet by Orton. All 8 men worked hard and had a great match, with a shocker of an ending, and an amazing post-victory promo from Kennedy.

#1.
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY

While I had difficulty with a number of my choices, there really was no debate as to which match should top this list. Not only does this match easily top this list, it would probably top the list of best opening matches of any wrestling show, at any time. The storyline and build really was great, and the match was simply a classic. Both men delivered a technical classic, that featured counter upon counter, in what is legitematly one of the greatest matches that the WWF/E has ever put on. Owen's sudden victory was great and played off of him being only three seconds better than his brother, and really made Bret's celebration at the end of the night all the greater.

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So there we have the list of the opening matches. Keep turning back here for more lists as we get closer, and closer to April 4th.

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

Trade Deadline Winners and Losers

My apologies for any delays in this, as it is far from instant analysis, but after some reflection, I think that we are now ready to assess teams performances at the biggest swap meat in sports, the NHL trade deadline!

As usual, I will look at a few teams that I think did particularly well on the day, or particularly poor. So without further ado....

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WINNER: Ottawa Senators. While it was far from a blockbuster involving Jason Spezza, they still made a big trade aquiring Pascal LeClaire and a 2nd round draft pick for Antoine Vermette has to be considered a good deal.

Also, to have Martin Gerber get picked up on waivers is definitively a good thing, and to have him get picked up by the Leafs, certainly means that the Sens will get another few wins against their provincial rivals.

That being said, I feel that they overpaid for Kuba, and am rather surprised that they were unable to move Chris Neil. Certainly some team would have given up a 2nd round pick for him.

LOSER: Philadelphia Flyers. They were unable to make a big move to vault them into the upper level of the Eastern Conference, as they remain firmly in the second tier behind Boston, Washington, and New Jersey. Their one move of consequence was trading Scottie Upshall and a draft pick for Daniel Carcillo.

Carcillo will be loved in Philadelphia for reasons I have outlined before, but giving up Scottie Upshall, a second line winger for a third line pest really makes little sense. If they had needed this to clear cap space to make a later move then maybe it would have been ok, but they didn't, so thumbs down to them.

WINNER: New York Rangers. A few months ago, I certainly didn't see myself saying this, but the Rangers did the smart thing by reaquiring Sean Avery. Not only did the super pest return, but they also added Derek Morris and Nik Antropov. While, I know that none of those players will get them the Stanley Cup, they will shake things up nicely. This is a team that was playing far below their expectations, and need a shot in the arm.

While they may have overpaid for Morris, they were able to get Antropov for less than the asking price, which has to be seen as succesful. The change in team dynamic should help propel this talented team into the post-season.

LOSER: Vancouver Canucks. While I'm glad that they didn't overpay for Boumeester, as was expected, they still didn't quite do enough. This is a team that thinks that they can compete in the Western Conference, but are still well behind Detroit, San Jose, Chicago, and Calgary. They needed to make a big trade and make a statement, and they did nothing. Even getting an extra top four defenseman would have been beneficial.

WINNER: Phoenix Coyotes. What a great deadline for these guys!! They unloaded two disgruntled veterans, dumped some salary, and got some great picks and prospects in return. Both Dimitri Kalinin and Matthew Lombardi can play now, and should fit well on their new team, and the rest of the prospects (and draft picks) should develop well in a franchise that has an excellent recent history for player development. This should really help the Coyotes finally make it back to the playoffs in a few years.

LOSER: Buffalo Sabres. Adding Dominc Moore and Michael Telqvist are hardly going to set the world on fire, and certainly don't feel like they offset the loss of Kotalik. This team is supposed to be in the middle of a playoff drive and Moore and Telqvist are not even close to the answer.

WINNER: Chicago Blackhawks. They didn't make quite the splash that many have been expecting, but they made a quiet, but very solid addition of Sammy Pahlsson. Pahlsson was phenomenal in the Ducks run to the Cup, and was a great addition to their checking line. He was a huge part in shutting down the Sedins, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg en route to the Cup victory. Since the Hawks will probably be seeing both the Cancucks and Wings in the palyoffs, this pick could silently go a long way come spring.

LOSER: Anaheim Ducks. Talk about sitting on the fence. After weeks of speculation that they were going to move Pronger, they decided to keep him, indicating that they would "go for it", however, they turned around and dumped Moehn and Pahlsson, who would certainly help them in the stretch drive. It seems like they are aiming for 8th, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 10th.

WINNER: Florida Panthers. As much as I have derided Vancouver for not doing anything, I am quite happy with Florida not doing anything. They did the right thing in keeping Bouwmeester, and sent a good message to their fans. The fact remains that this is a franchise that needs to make the playoffs, and are looking like tehy will. I am glad that they didn't sell out any part of their bright future, and did not get rid of any part of their present. Well done Florida, they should get about 6 games of palyoff hockey this year.

LOSER: Tampa Bay Lightning. On the other side of the state thigns are different, very, very different. This is a team that was suppsoed to be "going for it" in the off-season as they signed everyone out there, and then things do not work out for them in the end. They had a host of players to trade, but little was done. They give a classy guy like Gary Roberts a very unclassy end to his career, they go one step short of selling a 4th round draft pick to Toronto, and do very little to improve their team in the long or short term. Thumbs down for sure.

WINNER: Calgary Flames. The undisputed winner of the deadline. Oli Jokinen is an excellent long term addition, and should match well with Iginla, and Leopold is a smooth skater who will help their powerplay. Calgary is solidifying their status with the Sharks and Wings as the upper echelon in the West and should be a solid Cup contender.

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Of course, games are played on the ice and not on paper (or blogs), so it remains to be seen what will happen. Back in 2007, I said that both the Ducks and Sens were losers at the deadline, and they made it to the finals that year, so shoudl that trend continue, expect a Vancouver-Tampa Cup showdown.

Until next time,

G

Deal or No Deal -- 2009 Edition

It's the most wonderful time of the year once more!!! That's right, the NHL Trade Deadline is approaching very rapidly, and it has potential to be an insanely interesting day. Last year there were a number of very large trades that happened, and a few shocking ones that did not happen. This year, there seem to be less big names in play, however there are more teams that could potentially be buyers, and given Economics 101, lower supply, with higher demand could yield some pretty major prices out there.

In a change of format this year, I will look at the 10 or so biggest names that have been floating around as likely candidates for a change of scenery (note: this does not include LeCavalier, who will more than likely be a member of the Lightning for ever much to the chagrin of Habs fans). So without further ado...

Jay Bouwmeester
Defenseman
Florida Panthers

Easily the most discussed name at this deadline. He is in the last year of his contract, and has been having a fairly productive year. Apparently, there is a high chance that he will walk on to greener pastures next season.

So the Panthers ship Bouwmeester off to a contender for a package that would have made the Predators and Thrashers blush in 2007, right? Well it's not that simple. See Florida is have a great season, and is in position to make the playoffs for the first time since the Clinton years. So do they ship away the veteran and risk missing the playoffs, or do they hold him for the stretch drive, make the palyoffs (probably to lose in the first round, and certainly not make it past that) and let him walk for nothing?

I don't envy Jacques Martin on this one. He has said that the package would include picks, prospects, and a player that can play and help the team out now. They have a ton of depth on defense, and could probably use a first line winger, which is something that most contenders are not going to part with. So as fun as it would be to see him go to a team like Boston or Philadelphia, I just don't see it happening. For better or worse, Jay is staying. Remember, Martin is a coach first, and coaches care about one thing: winning. This one is clear.

Glen's Verdict: No Deal, rightly or wrongly the Panthers are going for it.


Tomas Kaberle
Defenseman
Toronto Maple Leafs

Here's an interesting one for sure. The Leafs were insanely close to moving Kaberle last season to the Flyers, reportedly for Jeff Carter and a 1st round pick, and given how well Carter has played this season, the Leafs nation should be pretty regretful about that Kaberle refused to waive his no trade clause.

However, things are different now, as Kaberle has provided a list of 10 teams that he would accept a trade to, and it is believed that they are all in the Eastern Conference. Kaberle is an excellent two-way defenseman, but at 31, he is probably too old for the Leafs to really build around. Apparently the price has been set very high, at picks, prospects, and a roster player. Call me crazy, but I think that a team like Boston or Philadelphia would consider paying a high price in this case, since teams rarely win the cup without a puck-moving defenseman, and you really can never have too many of those.

Glen's Verdict: Deal, and a high price at that.

Nik Antropov
Right Wing
Toronto Maple Leafs

You can essentially punch this ticket out of Toronto. After Brian Burke called out Anropov a few weeks ago the writing on the wall became even clearer. He simply does not fit into the teams long-range plans.

Apparently the asking price is a first round pick, which quite frankly seems ludicrous. However, when you look at the lack of depth of high quality forwards, and you have to think that maybe, just maybe, Burke will get his asking price, especially as other teams get nervous as the deadline approaches.

If Antropov does get traded, expect it to be to a team that is sorely lacking second line scoring like Columbus, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Montreal or Washington, with the Blue Jackets being my most likely pick.

Glen's Prediction: Deal, another first round pick going to TO



Marian Gaborik
Right Wing
Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are in a really tough position. While they currently sit in 10th place, they are very much in the middle of the very tough Western playoff race, especially with a number of games remaining against teams they are in the race with. However, contract talks between Gaborik and the Wild have been pretty far apart all season, and chances are, he would have been traded by now if had not spent the majority of the season on the IR.

Chances are good that a team will be willing to take some sort of a chance on getting something out of Gaborik, however, it may not be enough for the Wild to justify trading away their franchise player, given that the return would probably be low. However, like I said with Antropov is one of the other few "marquee" forwards on the block, so some team will do something stupid. Apparently there was talk of Pittsburgh being interested, and they may still be, also expect Montreal, and the Rangers to check in on the situation.

Glen's Verdict:Deal, assuming that he doesn't get injured eating breakfast on deadline day.

Niklas Backstrom
Goaltender
Minnesota Wild

An interesting one, that is not getting nearly enough talk. Much like Gaborik, Backstrom is nearing the end of his contract, but unlike Gaborik, Backstrom has performed, and performed very well this year. He has been quitely having a very strong season and is the main reason why the Wild are in any sort of playoff contention right now.

So what the heck do the Wild do? Backstrom, far more than Gaborik, is instrumental to any sort of stretch run that the Wild can make. So trading him would be a clear singnal that Minnesota is throwing their season away. But Backstrom is in line for a huge raise in the off-season, especially when you look at the contracts singed by Huet and Theodore during the summer (and how both of them have been enjoying time on the bench all season), so it is doubtful that the Wild can come to any sort of an agreement with their elite goalie.

A number of high level teams, including Philadelphia, Detroit, and Washington have been having goaltending issues, and would love to have a solid, dependable goalie for the stretch run. I think that some of these teams, especially Washington, would pay a premium for Minnesota's goalie, and it may just be too tempting of an offer not to take.

Glen's Verdict:Deal, in a shocker at the last minute


Ryan Smyth
Left Wing
Colorado Avalanche


Smyth was shipped from the Oilers at the 2007 deadline in a huge shocker and wildly debated move. He has since moved on to the Colorado Avalanche, a team that is currently languished at the bottom of the Western Conference. His name has once more surfaced in rumours, being particularly linked to the Montreal Canadiens.

As much as I would love to see Captain Canada return to the Great White North, I just don't see it happening this year. Smyth has a no-trade clause, and apparently enjoys the city of Denver, and likes playing there. Also, his contract is a bit steep, especially for a career 70 point producer, no matter how much some teams would love to add his grit for a stretch run, I just don't see it happening. I would not be too shocked to see him go on Draft Day though.

Glen's Verdict: No Deal, at least not yet


Keith Tkachuck
Left Wing/Centre
St. Louis Blues

Perennial trade bait, Keith Tkachuk's name has come up once again. A few years ago, Tkachuk was shipped to Atlanta for an absolutely staggering package, that helped set the bar so high for rental players. Of course, the Thrashers failed to even win a single game in the playoffs, and finished near the bottom of the standings the following years, which has left a number of teams questioning the decision to hire rental players. Of course, Tkachuck went out and resigned with the Blues that following summer, and his contract was coming up this season, leaving many to think that they would do the same thing again.

However, in the past few weeks the Blues have been right in the thick of things, and appear to be inching towards a potential date with the post-season. Since the Blues are in dire need of some success, after being post-Lockout laughing stocks, many have thought that they would become buyers to send the right message to their fans. While I doubt that they will turn into buyers, I think that they will stay the course and try to make it on their own, especially if teams like Minnesota and Anaheim turn into sellers. A few weeks ago I would have said that Tkachuk was as good as gone, but not anymore.

Glen's Verdict: No Deal, Tkachuck will be singing the blues for a few more months at least

Bill Guerin
Right Wing
New York Islanders

Another overpaid rental case from St. Louis in 2007. The Blues traded Guerin to the Sharks for a boat load, however, unlike Tkachuck, he did not resign with the Blues, instead went to the Island, where he has been quietly posting a solid season despite a mediocre supporting cast.

Guerin's name has been coming up in rumours, but proceeded to get a little strange the other day. He was a no-show for a game, and was labelled a "precautionary scratch" and was expected to be dealt before the game was over, however nothing ended up really happening. Apparently people are waiting for the mystery team, thought to be the Washington Capitals, to make up their mind.

If the Capitals have not made up their mind by now, do not expect them to. If this deal does not go through, there are still other options, look for teams that were interested in Tkachuk, notably the Boston Bruins, to make some sort of noise for this one.

Glen's Verdict: Deal, he seems to have made his name as a rental over the past few years, look for that to continue.

Oli Jokinen
Centre
Phoenix Coyotes

It wouldn't be the trade deadline without at least one Jokinen rumour coming up, would it?

It seems that Jokinen's name came up year after year when he was in Florida, and when he was finally dealt to the Coyotes at last years draft, it seemed that those rumours would be put top rest for at least a few season.

Well, I guess not.

Apparently, Jokinen is not fitting in well in Phoenix, and both sides have agreed to part ways, it is just a question of whether it would be now, or some time over the summer. Teams like Calgary, Columbus, and Montreal have been heavily linked to any discussions involving the Finnish centre, and conincidently those are the teams that come up just about every season. Given the lack of depth of the "impact forward" on the market, I think that somebody will pay for this one, with the Flames being the most likely option.

Glen's Verdict: Deal, and a good hockey one at that.

Chris Pronger
Defenseman
Anaheim Ducks

Easily the most interesting name as the deadline approaches. Pronger has been linked to a number of teams, including San Jose, Boston, and New Jersey. After acquiring Ryan Whitney last week, there is little reason to think that the Ducks can afford to keep Pronger, Niedermayer and Whitney on the same defense corps. So, assuming Scott Niedermayer will return next season, it seems that Pronger may just be the odd man out. With the asking price apparently being a good young player who can play now (presumably a forward to deal with the loss of Kuniutz) and a first round draft pick.

So, why would a team not jump at such a price for the best defenseman of the past decade? Two words: Salary Cap.

Not only are most of the teams who want tom ake a splash pushed up against the cap, but Pronger is locked in for a while with a mighty high pay cheque, and it appears that the Salary Cap is going to fall for the 2010-11 season, one the real world economic problems start to really catch up with professional sports. As a result, I don't see much happening on this front until the off-season when the teams that want to restructure are able to with a bit more breathing room. So as much as I would love to see Anaheim make a huge splash at the deadline, I just don't see it happening, not yet at least.

Glen's Verdict: No Deal, the people who want him just can't make it happen.

There are of course a number of other names being thrown around, and I could type all day about it, and that would mean that we would miss all the action. Since I am 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard, I am not going to be live-blogging the Trade Deadline, but be sure to check TSN's Trade Centre for the most up to date information, but I will be back late this week to reflect on the day's flurries.

Until next time,

G