WRESTLEMANIUM (Countdown to Wresltemania!): Top Five Wrestlemania Wrestlers
__________________________________________________________________________All March long, we will be counting down to Wrestlemania 26 with our WRESTLEMANIUM segments. WRESTLEMANIUM will be taking a look at multiple different aspects of the WWE’s biggest event of the year as we look at the best wrestlers, memorable moments, memorable Wrestlemanias, and other Wrestlemania-related topics all leading up to The March 28th spectacular that WE will be attending as part of the next leg of our Big Nasty World Tour.
For our first WRESTLEMANIUM installment, we count down the five greatest wrestlers in Wrestlemania history.
The Five Greatest Wrestlers in Wrestlemania History
5. Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Bret Hart did just enough to crack the top five, and surprisingly enough could still add to his Wrestlemania legacy if he puts on a viable match with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 26. Hart’s Wrestlemania almanac includes an under-the-radar performance in a fantastically bloody match against The Legendary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper for The Intercontinental Championship. This match was arguably the best match on a card that featured a showdown bout between Ric Flair and Randy Savage (in our opinion Flair’s best WWF match in the 90′s).
One of Hart’s most memorable Wrestlemania matches came against his brother, the late Owen Hart, at Wrestlemania 10 that set the standard for the brother vs. brother feud paying off at ‘Mania (Taker/Kane and Hardy/Hardy should have taken notes).
For all the times Bret “The Hitman Hart” rose to the occasion at The WWE’s Superbowl, Bret Hart’s last two Wrestlemania performances were perhaps his finest.
In Wrestlemania 12 Bret Hart went toe to toe with, real-life arch rival, Shawn Michels in the first ever 60-minute Iron Man Match. In the ultimate display of stamina, athleticism, storytelling, and drama the two battled to a 0-0 draw in a match that would have to be decided in overtime where Hart would come up short. Hart’s loss and prolonged departure would set the stage for an even more prolonged heel turn that culminated the very next year at Wrestlemania 13 when he faced The WWE’s newest antihero star Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The Austin/Bret Match was remembered for what it symbolized as well as being a great wrestling contest. This match signified the changing of the guard not only in The WWE but in the Wrestling industry as the ‘Capitain America (or Canada)’ babyface was becoming boring and the fans preferred a ‘bad ass’ babyface who broke all the rules. Hart did a magnificent job transferring what was left of his babyface heat to Stone Cold Steve Austin in this match and would later on revive (what was left of ) his career as an Anti-American heel.
Bret Hart’s Wrestlemania library, while somewhat premature, is still nevertheless legendary. Hart’s Wrestlemania history will forever live in pro wrestling lure and his performances on the big stage justify his moniker as The Excellence of Execution.
4. The “Macho Man” Randy Savage. From Wrestlemania 3 to Wrestlemania 5, Randy Savage blossomed from a high midcard attraction to a lighting in a bottle main event superstar. Savage’s iconic match at Wrestlemania 3 against Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat elevated him into rare air as a headlining talent that could hang with the best of them. So much so, that Savage was booked to win a star-studded 14-man tournament the very next year at Wrestlemania 4.
The Wrestlemania-long tournament, known as The Four Hour Spectacular! at Trump Plaza, included the likes of “The Million Dollar man” Ted DiBiase, Andre The Giant, Greg Valentine, The Ultimate Warrior, Andre The Giant and The Immortal Hulk Hogan.
To the naked eye, a rematch of Wrestlemania 3′s Giant-killing encounter between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, who would be competing in the first round of the WWF championship tournament of 1988, stood out as the main attraction. However, to the surprise of many, the two were eliminated after one round due to a double disqualification, setting the stage for a WWF Champion not named Hulk Hogan to be crowned for the first time in Wrestlemania history.
Savage went coast to coast as he went on to win The Wrestlemania 4 tournament, and his momentum would once again carry him to another main event showdown at Wrestlemania 4 against Hulk Hogan which, in our eyes, was Hulk Hogan’s best match in Wrestlemania history.
In the ‘under-the-radar’ category, Savage would go on to go 20 minutes with The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7 in a concept that is now universally mocked by pro wrestling insiders: The Retirement Match. Despite The Warrior’s limitations in the ring, Randy Savage’s lead dog role carried the hyped uberstar to his best match of his brief Wrestlemania career.
Savage solidified his WWF Championsihp legacy with another classic encounter at Wrestlemania in 1992. This time, it was at Wrestlemania 8 in a singles match against Ric Flair that saw him rise to the top of the food chain at ‘Mania for the first time since his legendary tournament win at the above mentioned Wrestlemania 4. Despite the unwritten rule back then that Hulk Hogan had to close the show, this match should have been the main event as the actual main event that night would see a DQ finish after a slow-paced Hogan/Sid match, and the resurfacing of the always-problematic Ultimate Warrior.
The Macho Man Randy Savage may have benefited from making his star under The WWF umbrella, as well as being good friends with The Hulkster back in the day, but nobody can deny the man’s talent and affinity for the big stage showdown. Would an ‘OOOOH YEAH’ be cliche’?
3. Hulk Hogan. Say what you want to say about The Immortal Hulk Hogan, the man carried The WWE banner on his back for years and almost always delivered in big main event. Wrestlemania was no exception. Starting with Wrestlemania 1 and runnin’ wild through Wrestlemania 9, The white hot Hulk Hogan Era came even more alive during Wrestlemania Season.
At Wrestlemania I, Hogan teamed with Mr. T to take on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in the main attraction of an event that put the WWF on the map. At Wrestlemania III, Hogan slammed Andre The Giant. The Rest was history.
The list goes on and on, as Hogan’s fingerprints were all over Wrestlemania for almost a decade. In fact, Wrestlemania ended with Hulk Hogan as The WWF Champion for 4 out of its first 5 years, and 6 out of its first 9 years! Hulkamania and Wrestlemania were almost interchangeable, and Hogan helped catapult the event into The WWF’s trademark pay-per-view.
In a statistic that has to be considered ironic, The WWF’s first Wrestlemania without its biggest star was at Wrestlemania X: The ten year anniversary of what had become the biggest spectacle in entertainment, at Madison Square Garden. In fact, after defeating Yokozuna for The WWF Championship, in an impromptu match at Wrestlemania 9, Hulk Hogan would not be seen at a Wrestlemania for 9 years. When Hogan returned to the stage he made famous at Wrestlemania 18, he would revive his Wrestlemania swagger with a ‘dream match’ against Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock.
The two didn’t put on a five-star match, however the atmosphere and overzealous crowd reaction during the contest made Hogan/Rock the once-in-a-lifetime showdown that it was supposed to be on paper, and reassured the very fact that Hulkamania was still alive and well in The WWF almost two decades later.
2. The Undertaker. The Undertaker is the only wrestler on this list who has never lost at a Wrestlemania. Hell, it’s his legacy. If this list was about wins and losses, Taker would be far and away #1 with a gun and a clip. However pro wrestling has never been about wins and losses (our #1 wrestler on this list is 5-8 at Wrestlemania), it has always been about performance, and while The Undertaker has had a history of getting good matches out of bad workers against all odds, very few of his 17 wins at Wrestlemania were great matches.
The Undertaker’s streak has seen him defeat the likes of, freakshow hall of fame members, The Giant Gonzales, King Kong Bundy, Kane (masked Kane) and even Mark Henry.
Until recently, Undertaker matches at Wrestlemania have always seen him take on wrestlers that dwarfed even the 7-foot Phenom of The WWE. The Undertaker would act as ‘The Conscience’ of The WWF/WWE as he was the only man powerful enough to take down the forces of evil. Along with this simple yet effective storyline, The Undertaker was also the only wrestler on the roster who could have decent match with the limited yet money making talent he often found himself across the ring from.
However in the second half of his Wrestlemania career, The Undertaker slowly began to develop a knack for stealing the show. The Undertaker was paired with Triple H at Wrestlemania 17 as the two had nothing else to do and were not the stars that main eventers Steve Austin and The Rock were. Helped by a strong build towards the rare encounter between these two characters, Triple H and The Undertaker had one of the best matches on a card that would later go down as arguably the best in ‘Mania history.
The Undertaker faced off with the legendary Ric Flair at Wrestlemania 18 in the only match where it seemed that the streak may be in jeopardy (We swear to God when Arn Anderson delivered that spinebuster we thought it was over). This match was supplemented by a hot crowd but was still a very strong wrestling contest between two legendary figures in the annals of pro wrestling.
The Undertaker’s past three Wrestlemanias, where he defeated Shawn Michaels, Edge, and Batista, have arguably been his best. The brilliance of The Undertaker character is that despite the absurdity of ‘The Undertaker’ concept on paper, he always finds ways to reinvigorate the character, keeping it fresh and new. He has done the same with his in-ring career as his recent Wrestlemania history is more impressive than anything he did in his prime. Undertaker vs. Shawn was thought by many as the greatest wrestling match of all time, and The Undertaker will have his chance to top that classic this year at Wrestlemania 26.
The Undertaker’s streak, like his character, is something that should never die. His Wrestlemania legacy is one that no other legendary competitor can lay claim to as he is undefeated and can always be counted on to deliver the goods at the granddaddy of them all.
1. “The Heartbreak Kid”, Shawn Michaels. As with any list, there will be a litany of arguments concerning the subject featured at #1, but we don’t want to hear any of them in this case. Of the 5 best matches in Wrestlemania history, a Shawn Michaels match could easily be considered for at least four of those spots. His groundbreaking match against Razor Ramon? Classic. His Championship meeting 2 years later with Bret Hart? Legendary. His breathtaking contest against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 21? Epic. Wrestlemania 25 against The Undertaker? ‘Nuff said.
If The WWE wants to start pumping out DVD’s that people will actually buy, make a Shawn Michaels’ greatest Wrestlemania moments DVD. It would be a three disk set and would be a great buy for any wrestling fan. Shawn Michaels outdoes himself at every Wrestlemania, and even matches that may not have been considered in the upper-echelon of Shawn Michaels’ ‘Mania library are considered classic for their own reasons.
Michaels fought through career threatening back pain to launch The Attitude Era, and surrender it to Stone Cold Steve Austin, at Wrestlemania 14. He, ahem, ‘retired’ Ric Flair in an emotional contest at Wrestlemania 24. Michaels had, what we felt, was the best match on The Wrestlemania 19 card and it was his first match at Wrestlemania in five years.
The book of Shawn Michaels was written at Wrestlemania. Who can forget Heartbreak scaling from the rafters during his entrance at Wrestlemania 12 against Bret Hart, or being escorted to the ring by Pamela Anderson at Wrestlemania 11? Triple H, who has his own share of ‘Mania history, very well may have had his best match in a triple threat main event against Chris Benoit and, yes, Shawn Michaels.
Shawn Michaels’ accomplishments at Wrestlemania, win or loss, can never be discounted. And this isn’t even taking into consideration his days as a Rocker. There is a reason they call him Mr. Wrestlemania, and it’s because he doesn’t just have good matches at Wrestlemania, he has industry-defining great matches whenever he is called on to deliver them.
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