Ranking WrestleMania: The Worst to the Best – The Finale

Hello again, gerweck.net readers! If you’ve stuck with me through this series of columns, I say thank you! While our opinions may differ, you stuck with it much like I did and respected my opinions enough to have a normal conversation in the comments sections. For those that didn’t grasp the concept of respecting someone’s opinion because it was different than there’s, well, thanks for reading but I’m not going to change my opinion to better suit you. If anybody is just now reading this column, here’s the first five portions:
Part One: http://www.gerweck.net/2013/04/02/ranking-wrestlemania-the-worst-to-the-best-part-one/
Part Two: http://www.gerweck.net/2013/04/03/ranking-wrestlemania-the-worst-to-the-best-part-two/
Part Three: http://www.gerweck.net/2013/04/04/ranking-wrestlemania-the-worst-to-the-best-part-iii/
Part Four: http://www.gerweck.net/2013/04/05/ranking-wrestlemania-the-worst-to-the-best-part-four/
Part Five: http://www.gerweck.net/2013/04/06/ranking-wrestlemania-the-worst-to-the-best-part-five/

Let’s look at the top three, shall we?

3. WrestleMania X (March 20, 1994; New York, New York)
Main Event: Singles Match for the WWF Championship: Yokozuna (c) vs. Bret Hart
Notable Undercard Matches: Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart, Randy Savage vs. Crush (Falls Count Anywhere Match), WWF Championship Match: Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger, WWF Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Razor Ramon (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Match of the Night: Tie: Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart and Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels
Show Notes: Only WrestleMania to feature two WWF Championship matches. Randy Savage’s last WrestleMania appearance.
Overview: How anybody could rank WrestleMania X outside of their top five is beyond me. Sure, it was a downtime for the wrestling business around this time, but this show was awesome. It may not have much of historical significance on it, but how many times does a show have TWO candidates for not only Match of the Night, but Match of the Year? Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart and Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels were classics that everyone needs to see. Owen and Bret kicked off the show with a fantastic, 20-minute bout that was hard to follow. Randy Savage defeated Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere Match in his last Mania appearance. Yokozuna defended the WWF Championship twice, beating Lex Luger in the middle of the show and losing to Bret Hart in the main event, both of which were respectable contests. A Mixed Tag Team Match with Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon vs. Doink the Clown and Dink, Alundra Blayze vs. Leilani Kai, The Quebecers vs. Men on a Mission, and Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb round out the card, as well. If you haven’t seen this show, watch Owen/Bret, Savage/Crush, Yokozuna/Luger, Ramon/Michaels, and Yokozuna/Bret, for sure, but go ahead and watch the entire show, because it kicked major ass.

2. WrestleMania X-Seven (April 1, 2001; Houston, Texas)
Main Event: No Disqualification Match for the WWF Championship: The Rock (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Notable Undercard Matches: WWF Intercontinental Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal, Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit, Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon (Street Fight), WWF Tag Team Championship Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match: The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz, 19-Man Gimmick Battle Royal, The Undertaker vs. Triple H
Match of the Night: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Show Notes: The second of three Rock/Austin matches at a WrestleMania event took place. First WrestleMania after WWF’s purchase of WCW. The Undertaker’s streak went to 9-0, in the first of three Mania matches against Triple H.
Overview: This is regarded by most as the greatest WrestleMania event of all-time. As you can see, it is number two for me. No doubt this was a fantastic show, but there were a couple of matches that took the rating down very slightly for me (Tazz/APA vs. Right to Censor and Chyna vs. Ivory). Other than those two matches, this show had it all. The first half of the show was full of good matches. Jericho/Regal was a good opener, Kane/Raven/Big Show had a good triple threat brawl for the Hardcore Championship, Eddie Guerrero and Test had a decent match, and Angle/Benoit was great. Chyna/Ivory came next, and it was just there in the middle. After that, the main events took over and the show really took off. Shane and Vince had a vicious Street Fight, Edge and Christian prevailed in a TLC Match against the Dudley Boyz and Hardy Boyz. The Iron Sheik won a nostalgic battle royal, which was fun to see. Undertaker and Triple H 1 was a very good brawl, and who can forget the Austin heel turn and allignment with Vince McMahon in the main event? If you’ve never seen this show, watch the entire thing. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

1. WrestleMania XIX (March 30, 2003; Seattle, Washington)
Main Event: Singles Match for the WWE Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar
Notable Undercard Matches: The Undertaker vs. A-Train and The Big Show (Handicap Match), Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H (c) vs. Booker T, Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon (Street Fight), The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Match of the Night: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho
Show Notes: Last WrestleMania match for Hulk Hogan. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s last match. Only WrestleMania from X8-22 where Triple H wasn’t in the final match. The Undertaker’s streak went to 11-0 (only time Undertaker has faced more than one opponent in a WrestleMania match).
Overview: And the number one WrestleMania, in my opinion, has been revealed. Seattle won the sweepstakes here. The only WrestleMania with no bad matches, and no matches that left you wondering why they were on the card. The only gripe with this show that I have is that the first half of the show’s matches should have gotten more time. The early matches all had under ten minutes, but the performers delivered anyway. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio kicked things off with a pretty good match for the Cruiserweight Championship, and Undertaker vs. A-Train/Big Show followed that. Trish/Victoria/Jazz had a good Triple Threat for the Women’s Championship, and then a good match between Team Angle, Los Guerrero, and Chris Benoit and Rhyno wrapped up the first half before the main events. Michaels and Jericho provided the match of the night, while Triple H and Booker T had a memorable match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Hogan and Vince had one hell of a street fight, and The Rock finally beat Austin at WrestleMania. The show wrapped with Lesnar vs. Angle in a fantastic match that is memorable for Lesnar’s attempt at a Shooting Star Press. If you have never seen this show, you should! You need to watch the entire thing, from opening to close.

That’s it, folks. The finale has come and gone. Thanks for sticking with me for six days. Where will WrestleMania 29 fall on my list? Where will it fall on yours? Who knows, we’ll have to wait and see. The show could surprise a lot of us. Again, leave thoughts and opinions in the comment box below, and on Twitter (@TheMichaelRiba). And remember, it’s just my opinion.