Wrestlemania
So I watched Wrestlemania last night and it was for a change of pace actually good. The matches were good, they didn't waste too much time, all in all it was a pretty good show. Some moments were memorable even for an old school fan like myself. This lead me to decide to post my top 10 WWE moments of all time.
Honorable Mention: Mr. Perfect vs Bret Hart (Summerslam '91), Kurt Angle's Milk Truck, Booker T calls Hulk Hogan a Nigga(OK not really but it's funny)
10. Jericho wins the title.....no wait, but he
Back in the day I never missed a Raw and I nearly skipped this one. I remember the feeling on the show that night. Chris Jericho was playing a face and he was finally getting his shot at the title against HHH. Jericho beat Triple H that night and the crowd went absolutely ballistic. Only thing is that once we got back from commercial HHH forced the ref to overturn the decision. It was bittersweet but I actually cared about the product and the character back then. It would be a while before Jericho would, well I'll get to that later.
9. Papa Shango puts a curse on the Warrior.
Man, oh man did that shit terrify me. You don't need the full story odds are if you read this blog you know what I'm talking about.
8. Is that a tooth in his nose?
Mick Foley vs Undertaker's hell in a cell match was an instant classic. While the two of them will not earn any points from the perspective of a wrestling purist it was still an iconic moment.
7. HBK wins the World Title at Wrestlemania 12
He beat Bret Hart in the first ever(it think) 60 minute Iron Man match. It was an iconic match and the beginning of a new era. It was the last time I probably enjoyed a match with the naive eyes of a child. His emotional celebration after his victory was truly an amazing way to end the Bret Hart era.
6. Shane McMahon coast to coast on Vince
Why? Because I didn't expect it. I can usually call a move in advance but this shocked the hell out of me. The below video illustrates a coast to cost.
5. Warrior beats Hogan
22 years ago the industry was all about 1 man, Hulk Hogan. That was until The Ultimate Warrior. We loved this guy and as an adult I can't for the life of me figure out why. His promos are nonsense, I guess it was just the energy. This was the moment that finally put another "good guy" on top. Sure there was Macho Man before this but Hogan never would have even dreamed of putting Savage over. This moment is truly priceless and allowed WWE to begin to flourish.
4. Chris Jericho beats the Rock and Austin back to back.
I watched this PPV with Eric Jourdan, Scooby, Britt Ogle, Joe Bricker, and a few others. I'm also pretty sure I was stoned like a mutha-fucka. I walked in arguing that Jericho would be the man to unify the titles and they all doubted me. Jericho had for years been a top name in the WWE but hadn't yet been given his due. He beat the Rock and my confidence soared as all the others in the room doubted me. Suddenly the sound of broken glass hits and out comes Austin, just seconds after Jericho beat the Rock. Well my confidence wavered for just a minute. Ultimately Jericho would unify the titles and finally solidify his legacy as one of the greats.
3. Macho Man wins the World Title @ Wrestlemania 4.
In my childhood I had a strange infatuation with tournament brackets. So WM4 was definitely up my alley. Hogan was eliminated early in the tournament in a double DQ with Andre. So my little heart was crushed early on watching this one. However, Macho Man would go on to win with a Hulk Hogan assist(which further proves my argument that Hogan would never have personally put Macho Man over)
2. Undertaker goes 20-0 at Wrestlemania
The streak would continue last night and I don't think I need to say anymore.
1. Shawn Michels vs Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 19
In my opinion the single greatest match of all time. This was a true match that showed two different generations greatest going head to head. HBK was Jericho's hero when he was coming up and if you watch Jericho wrestle you can really tell. Jericho developed his own style off of watching Michaels and adapting it to his own strengths as he traveled the world before his ECW days. Michaels was a seasoned vet at this point and had seen it all. The two of them together was as pure as it gets. The match itself was a mixture of old school grappling, combined with high flying antics, and mixed in with a little submission. For me this was probably truly the swan song for my fandom. I still watch the PPVs with Ryan from time to time, and get a little nostalgic, but the fact of the matter is I will probably never enjoy anything WWE does again as much as I enjoyed this match.
Honorable Mention: Mr. Perfect vs Bret Hart (Summerslam '91), Kurt Angle's Milk Truck, Booker T calls Hulk Hogan a Nigga(OK not really but it's funny)
10. Jericho wins the title.....no wait, but he
Back in the day I never missed a Raw and I nearly skipped this one. I remember the feeling on the show that night. Chris Jericho was playing a face and he was finally getting his shot at the title against HHH. Jericho beat Triple H that night and the crowd went absolutely ballistic. Only thing is that once we got back from commercial HHH forced the ref to overturn the decision. It was bittersweet but I actually cared about the product and the character back then. It would be a while before Jericho would, well I'll get to that later.
9. Papa Shango puts a curse on the Warrior.
Man, oh man did that shit terrify me. You don't need the full story odds are if you read this blog you know what I'm talking about.
8. Is that a tooth in his nose?
Mick Foley vs Undertaker's hell in a cell match was an instant classic. While the two of them will not earn any points from the perspective of a wrestling purist it was still an iconic moment.
7. HBK wins the World Title at Wrestlemania 12
He beat Bret Hart in the first ever(it think) 60 minute Iron Man match. It was an iconic match and the beginning of a new era. It was the last time I probably enjoyed a match with the naive eyes of a child. His emotional celebration after his victory was truly an amazing way to end the Bret Hart era.
6. Shane McMahon coast to coast on Vince
Why? Because I didn't expect it. I can usually call a move in advance but this shocked the hell out of me. The below video illustrates a coast to cost.
5. Warrior beats Hogan
22 years ago the industry was all about 1 man, Hulk Hogan. That was until The Ultimate Warrior. We loved this guy and as an adult I can't for the life of me figure out why. His promos are nonsense, I guess it was just the energy. This was the moment that finally put another "good guy" on top. Sure there was Macho Man before this but Hogan never would have even dreamed of putting Savage over. This moment is truly priceless and allowed WWE to begin to flourish.
4. Chris Jericho beats the Rock and Austin back to back.
I watched this PPV with Eric Jourdan, Scooby, Britt Ogle, Joe Bricker, and a few others. I'm also pretty sure I was stoned like a mutha-fucka. I walked in arguing that Jericho would be the man to unify the titles and they all doubted me. Jericho had for years been a top name in the WWE but hadn't yet been given his due. He beat the Rock and my confidence soared as all the others in the room doubted me. Suddenly the sound of broken glass hits and out comes Austin, just seconds after Jericho beat the Rock. Well my confidence wavered for just a minute. Ultimately Jericho would unify the titles and finally solidify his legacy as one of the greats.
3. Macho Man wins the World Title @ Wrestlemania 4.
In my childhood I had a strange infatuation with tournament brackets. So WM4 was definitely up my alley. Hogan was eliminated early in the tournament in a double DQ with Andre. So my little heart was crushed early on watching this one. However, Macho Man would go on to win with a Hulk Hogan assist(which further proves my argument that Hogan would never have personally put Macho Man over)
2. Undertaker goes 20-0 at Wrestlemania
The streak would continue last night and I don't think I need to say anymore.
1. Shawn Michels vs Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 19
In my opinion the single greatest match of all time. This was a true match that showed two different generations greatest going head to head. HBK was Jericho's hero when he was coming up and if you watch Jericho wrestle you can really tell. Jericho developed his own style off of watching Michaels and adapting it to his own strengths as he traveled the world before his ECW days. Michaels was a seasoned vet at this point and had seen it all. The two of them together was as pure as it gets. The match itself was a mixture of old school grappling, combined with high flying antics, and mixed in with a little submission. For me this was probably truly the swan song for my fandom. I still watch the PPVs with Ryan from time to time, and get a little nostalgic, but the fact of the matter is I will probably never enjoy anything WWE does again as much as I enjoyed this match.
0 Replies:
Post a Comment
<< Home