wrestlemania 10

Ten years in the making, back at Madison Square Garden, is Wrestlemania 10. This PPV event showcases the very first Ladder match and also the first Wrestlemania to have duel WWF title matches. This PPV was lacking in celebrities and also there would be no Undertaker at this PPV; since he was out with an injury. Most recently, anyone who won the Royal Rumble would get a title shot in the main event of Wrestlemania and the events leading up to the title match would be coined” The Road to Wrestlemania”. At the 1994 Royal Rumble, it came down to Bret “The Hitman” Hart and a new up and coming, soon deflated, superstar; Lex Luger, both of these men would eliminate each other simultaneously and both men would be granted a WWF title match at Wrestlemania against Yokozuna; thanks to then WWF president Jack Tunney. After last year’s Wrestlemania Bret Hart was looking for revenge, but Luger had also built up a name for himself as a new heavyweight contender. Wrestlemania 10 would be both an opportunity for both men to prove themselves; one would win the title and one would be forgotten. Also the Ladder match between “HBK” Shawn Michaels, and “The Bad Guy” Razor Ramon remains one of my top five favorite matches of the first 10 Wrestlemanias and also goes down in history as one of the most inspirational matches for young WWE superstars of today’s professional wrestling. Before we talk more about the Ladder match, let’s talk some more about Lex Luger and his feud with Yokozuna.

Yokozuna was a very dominate force in the WWF during 1994. Until Hulk Hogan beat him at last year’s Wrestlemania, Yokozuna was undefeated. Now a two-time WWF champion, he was looking for a new challenger; that challenger would be announced when whomever won that year’s Royal Rumble match. Still being managed by Mr. Fuji (my favorite manager of the early nineties) Yokozuna’s manager would declare a challenge for someone to body-slam the champion. Many would try and failed, but flown in by helicopter; Lex Luger would make his debut and become the first man to body-slam Yokozuna. This gives Luger recognition with the fans and he also receives a championship match at Summer Slam of 1993. Luger would win by a count-out so he would not gain the championship. Luger would then go on to the Royal Rumble and win it with Bret Hart. Both men would have a coin toss to see who would face Yokozuna first and Luger won. Which would lead us to our title match, but let’s first see Lex Luger body-slam Yokozuna.



Yokozuna was a 500 pound sumo-wrestler and Luger was an American body-builder so this match would involve a lot of powerhouse moves. Many years before joining the company Luger would have a surgery which would leave a metal plate in his forearm and this plate would be used to his advantage whenever he would go for his forearm smash finisher. Against Yokozuna’s weight, Luger was going to need all the help he could get. On top of having to fight a man twice his size, Luger was also surprised by a special guest referee; Mr. Perfect. Luger would start the match off strong, knocking Yokozuna out of the ring after a stare-down between the two. Yokozuna, once in the ring, would remove one of the corner turnbuckle padding and would attempt to slam Luger’s head into the exposed steel. Luger would reverse Yokozuna’s attempt and instead Yokozuna would have his head smashed off the exposed turnbuckle. After a few running power-moves, Luger would body-slam Yokozuna; then hit him with his finisher; the running forearm smash. Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna’s new manager; Jim Cornette would try to interfere in the match, but Luger would knock both men unconscious. While Mr. Perfect checked on the knocked-out managers, Luger would pin Yokozuna. Mr. Perfect would not see the pin, and Luger would come over to Mr. Perfect and shove him for not making the count. Mr. Perfect would then turn heel and disqualify Luger; allowing Yokozuna to remain WWF champion. Luger would never again rise to the fame of this match, as he would soon leave to join WCW. This match symbolizes how something or someone can be gone from professional wrestling in the blink of an eye…



Shawn Michaels, The Heartbreak Kid, an Icon in professional wrestling, started to be called “Mr. Wrestlemania” After this match. Michaels spent most of his younger years in a tag team called “The Rockers”, but would soon grow tired of tag team wrestling and turn on his partner. Shawn Michaels would then go on to be managed by Sensational Sherri and win the Intercontinental championship. Michaels became a very cocky heel and would refuse to defend his championship, so WWF president Jack Tunney stripped him of his title and held a battle royal to crown a new intercontinental champion. A new rising star, “The Bad Guy” Razor Ramon would win the battle royal and earn the right to be called the new Intercontinental champion. Michaels did not like this and challenged Ramon to a match at Wrestlemania to decide would be the rightful champion. This match would end-up becoming a Ladder match, and set the bar for many other Ladders matches after it. Both versions of the Intercontinental championship would be held above the ring and the wrestler would have to climb a Ladder and regain the championship to win. The Intercontinental championship had led many wrestlers to become heavyweight champion, and Shawn Michaels was the next.

The match would begin with offense from Ramon, until Michaels would send him to the outside of the ring. Shawn Michaels brought down his new bodyguard; Diesel, who would interfere while Ramon was on the outside. The referee would see this interference and order Diesel to leave ringside and return to the back. This left the opportunity for the match to be completely even. While on the outside, Ramon would pull up the outside ring padding to attempt his finisher on Shawn Michaels. Michaels would reverse the move and Ramon would fall bareback on the concrete floor. Michaels would grab the ladder and attempt to reclaim the title, only to be knocked down by Ramon. Michaels would set up a ladder in one of the corners and try for a splash on Ramon, but Ramon would reverse it and Irish whip him right back into the ladder. Ramon would try to grab the titles, but Michaels would climb the ladder after him. After both men exchanged some shots, Ramon would superplex Michaels off the ladder. Ramon would again reach from the title, only to have the ladder drop-kicked out from under him from Michaels. Shawn Michaels would hit his finisher, then called, The Super Kick and add a piledriver to that as well. Michaels would then grab the ladder and prompt it up against one of the corners of the ring, jump on the turnbuckles and use his weight to make it and himself crash down on Ramon. Michaels would recover and try again to win the match, but Ramon would throw him off the ladder. Michaels would get entangled in the ropes, and Razor Ramon would reclaim the title and be declared the winner and rightful Intercontinental champion. Shawn Michaels would go on to become a heavyweight contender, while Ramon would go on to feud with Diesel. This match keeps me on the edge of my seat every time I watch it and never has a dull moment. This match would lead to such other match concepts as the Money in the Bank match and the TLC match (Tables, ladders and Chairs). This match will always be remembered as the first sign of the things to come for the WWF called “The Attitude Era” but for now let’s take a look at some of the highlights of this amazing match.



After a nail-biting ladder match and our first WWF title defense, it was time for our main event match. Wrestlemania 10 was rematch time for Bret Hart. At last year’s Wrestlemania, Bret Hart would lose his title to Yokozuna thanks to assistance from Mr. Fuji. Hart would then go on to win the first ever WWF King of the Ring tournament and be entered in the WWF Royal Rumble match. Bret Hart would win the match with Lex Luger and lose a coin toss to him on Monday Night Raw. Luger would face Yokozuna first, but he lost. Now it was Hart’s turn to win back the WWF championship. This match saw one of the only celebrities on hand, as Burt Reynolds would be the guest ring announcer for the match. Long time friend of Harts and Wrestlemania 8 opponent; Rowdy Roddy Piper would be special guest referee for this match as well. Yokozuna would attack Hart before the bell rang, but would make a mistake with a clothesline; allowing Hart to reverse and knock the champion to the mat. As Hart would begin to gain offense, Yokozuna’s new manager; Jim Cornette would attempt to interfere, only to be knocked out by the special referee; Roddy Piper. While that was happening, Yokozuna would regain control of the match and hit Bret Hart with a leg drop and a belly-to-belly suplex. Yokozuna would pull Hart near the ropes and try for his finishing move; The Banzai Drop. Yokozuna would lose his footing and fall to the mat. This would allow for Hart to win the match and not only win the WWF championship for the 3rd time, but win it for the first time at Wrestlemania. No longer was the Red and Yellow running wild, but the Pink and Black attack would show again why he will always be remembered as “The best there is, The best there was, and The best there ever will be”.

Wrestlemania 9

From the entertainment capitol of the world; Las Vegas, Wrestlemania 9 came from Caesers Palace. On April 4, of 1993, the WWF (now WWE) had its first Wrestlemania outside. After the bomb threats of two years ago, the WWF could finally have an outdoor event. This event would showcase Hulk Hogan’s return to the company, the next turning point of the Deadman Streak, and the rise and fall of Yokozona. This would also be The Macho Man’s first stint as a commentator for the WWF, as he would join Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain Heenan”; who would enter the arena backwards on a camel. This moment in WWF history goes down as one of the funniest. Not to many celebrities were on hand, but the PPV was also the debut of one of the most recognizable voices of the WWE Universe and a WWE Hall of Fame member; Jim Ross. Let’s first talk about Hulk Hogan’s return to the WWF.



During much of 1992 WWF was promoting wrestlers who didn’t look like they were taking steroids. Wrestlers like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, took over for such stars as The British Bulldog, The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. During the summer of 1992, Hogan would be filming his 2nd movie “Mr.Nanny”; which would be released a year later in the summer of 1993. A long time friend of Hogan's, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake had been out with a face reconstructive surgery and three years later would make his return on the new popular WWF TV show Monday Night Raw. Beefcake would have a return match against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase but ends up getting double teamed when Debiase receives help for his partner IRS. Money Inc (Dibiase and Schyster) were then WWF tag team champions with manager Jimmy Hart. Jimmy Hart was known to be a heel manager but on this night he turned baby-face. Schyster would attempt to hit Beefcake in his newly reconstructed face, but Hart would jump in the way for the save. Shortly thereafter Hulk Hogan would make his return and come to the aid of Beefcake. They would form a tag team called “The Mega-Maniacs” with Jimmy Hart managing his first baby-face team. They would challenge for the tag team titles at Wrestlemania 9, only to lose by disqualification. The end of the match saw Hogan and Beefcake grab a hold of IRS’s briefcase, open it up and reveal stacks of cash; which they would then throw out to the crowd. This was one of those feel-good matches, because of the returns of both of the men who made up “The Mega-Maniacs”; Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. Hogan would go on to play a big role in the main event of Wrestlemania 9, but Brutus would soon leave WWF for WCW. Before I get to the main event, let's first talk about The Undertaker's biggest match to date against The Giant Gonzalez.



Harvey Wippleman was a mediocre manager during the early nineties and would be the main reason for this match. The Undertaker would continue to dig graves for his victims and his latest challenge was Kamala. Kamala was managed by Wippleman and Undertaker would destroy Kamala at the 1992 Summer Slam. Kamala would get a rematch at the 1992 Survivor Series and The Undertaker would debut a new match, which would become one of the matches he is known for; The Casket match. He would lock Kamala in a casket and Wippleman vowed revenge. The Royal Rumble was now granting it’s winner a chance at the WWF title at Wrestlemania 9 and The Undertaker wanted his shot. Harvey Wippleman would then debut The Giant Gonzales at The Royal Rumble and cause The Undertaker to be eliminated. A match was then set between the two to settle the score at Wrestlemania 9. For two years now The Undertaker was dominate at Wrestlemania; using his Tombstone finisher and pinning the helpless victim, but this wouldn’t be the case for this match. The Undertaker would use all his strength against Gonzales, but would not be able to use his finisher. Wippleman would then throw a chloroform rag to knock out The Undertaker. Just when everyone thought the streak was over before it began, Gonzales would get disqualified and The Undertaker would earn another notch on his winning streak; but at the cost of a DQ. This would be one of The Undertaker’s worst Wrestlemania matches and we would not see The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 10 due to injury but would return to face King Kong Bundy at Wrestlemania 11, but that’s a tale for another time.

After the steroid scandal of 1992, Bret “The Hitman” Hart would drop the Intercontinental championship to a new rising singles star; Shawn Michaels and would beat Randy Savage to become the new WWF champion. After seven years in the business, Bret Hart had finally won the big one, but while he was riding high a new fear was growing in the WWF and that man’s name was Yokozuna. Managed by my favorite manager of all time; Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna weighed in at 500 pounds and was an unstoppable monster. Yokozuna would compete in the 1993 Royal Rumble and win it. The win would earn him a shot at Bret Hart’s WWF title at Wrestlemania 9. Up until Wrestlemania 9, Yokozuna was undefeated and it would continue on in this match. For every submission move Hart threw at Yokozuna, he would use the power behind his weight to brake out of every attempt. Bret Hart would continue to gain some kind of offense, when Yokozuna would miss two big splashes on Hart. Bret Hart knew he had to act fast, or his title would be gone. So he untied one of the corner turnbuckles, exposing the steel and drove Yokozuna’s head straight into it. Hart would then apply his submission finisher; The Sharpshooter but Mr. Fuji would throw salt in Hart’s eyes. This would enable Yokozuna to get the pin fall and allow him not only to remain undefeated but also give himself his first WWF championship. This match would be the first nail in the coffin for Hart’s WWF career, but he would go on to the next Wrestlemania to win back the WWF title, but that will be featured in the next post.



This was not the end of the match for Yokozuna however Hulk Hogan would come down to check on Bret Hart and be called on a challenge he sent out for Yokozuna. Both Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna had both already had a match that night, but Hogan accepted to fight Yokozuna for the WWF championship immediately. Hulk Hogan said in an interview on WWF Raw that he would be the one to put a stop to Yokzuna’s rampage and this would be his shot. Mr. Fuji would attempt the same salt throw on Hogan, only this time he would miss and hit Yokozuna. Hogan would hit his finisher and beat Yokozuna in the shortest WWF Title match; 21 seconds. This would be Hogan’s 5th title reign and his last for the WWF before leaving for WCW. For now let’s ravel in the last title reign, for the WWF, for Hulk Hogan.

Wrestlemania 8

Wrestlemania 8 was going to have a main event “dream match” of Ric Flair Vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF title, but controversy did not stop for the WWF. After last year’s Wrestlemania brought on the first death threats, leading into Wrestlemania 8 WWF gets accused of massive Steroid use. One of the main wrestlers on trial; Hulk Hogan had to testify to using steroids, and WWF would have a nation-wide court-case on their hands. Vince McMahon had no other choice but to change the main event match. After the court-case McMahon wanted to focus the attention on guys that didn’t look like they had been taking steroids, so a storyline was created to lead to a championship match between Flair and The “Macho Man” Randy Savage. It would be two years till wrestling fans finally see Flair and Hogan wrestle and it’s not even for the same company. WCW from Atlanta, Georgia, was now competition for the WWF and would begin to buy up all of the WWF’s talent. Ric Flair had come from WCW and every fan wanted to see him face Hogan, but instead this debacle happens, and Wrestlemania 8 almost becomes a flop of a PPV.



Wrestlemania 8 came from Indianapolis, Indiana from their Hoosier Dome. April 5, 1992 saw Bret “The Hitman” Hart become Intercontinental champion, we see an old master manipulator fall to a new one, and Randy Savage win the WWF title for the 3rd time. Not too many celebrities were on hand for this event, but Reba McEntire welcomed us with her rendition of “America the Beautiful”. Let me now tell you about the next chapter in the legendary book of the Hitman; Bret Hart.

Since 1986, Bret Hart had been wrestling as a tag team wrestler, but those times were soon put behind him. Bret Hart had won the tag team titles, so now he wanted a singles belt. Bret Hart had already won the Intercontinental championship once but his title reign wasn't memorable. This match would be the second time going for this championship, but this time without his tag team partner in his corner. The “Hot Rod” Roddy Piper was Intercontinental Champion, and Hart set his sights on winning the middle-weight championship back. The Intercontinental championship had lead to the rise of The “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and now it would be the next stepping stone for the Hitman. Wrestlemania would be a passing of the torch for Hart, as this would be the last Wrestlemania Piper would wrestle for the company. “The Excellence of Execution” showed why he was truly the best at the time, showing his technical mastery and his ring general mentality. Hart would go on to beat Piper and reclaim the Intercontinental championship; this time leading to a feature WWF championship match. Hart goes on to headline the next Wrestlemania, but I’ll keep that for the next post, for now let’s just witness the beginnings of the "'Best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be".



In the next match I will talk about the next victim of The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania undefeated streak. For years the fans and superstars feared Jake “The Snake” Robert’s pet python Damian, but now the WWF had a new threat; The Undertaker. A few months back, Undertaker would play a major role in Ric Flair winning the WWF title; by giving his finisher "The Tombstone" to Hulk Hogan and putting the first “nail in the coffin” on Hulkamania. Later a match would be held to determine a new WWF champion, that person would be Ric Flair; which would lead to our changed WWF championship match. The Undertaker however had his sights set on domination; target: Roberts. The Undertaker would sit-up from two of Robert’s devastating DDTs, but would eventually tombstone Jake “The Snake” and receive another notch on his forming Wrestlemania streak. Robert’s days of scarring the WWF fan-base and it’s wrestlers was over, now there was a new darkness overhead; “The Deadman” The Undertaker.



Then we have the catastrophe that was the WWF championship match, between Ric Flair and The “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Aforementioned this title match was supposed to be the main event and a professional wrestling “dream match”, but instead we get a (first time ever) mid-card WWF championship match that would see Savage regain the title for the 3rd time. Nobody saw this coming, as everyone thought Hulk Hogan would face Ric Flair at the next big PPV; SummerSlam. Ric Flair would never end up facing Hogan until they finally meet in WCW, and would leave the WWF after only a year of being there. This title win would be the last for Randy Savage, as he later goes on to become a WWF commentator; than leaves the company for WCW. This match had no hype, and was a big let-down from the match expected, but to see Savage win was a surprise no-one saw coming. My final words for Wrestlemania 8; Welcome the “Pink and Black Attack”.

Wrestlemania 7

Wrestlemania 7 was the first event to have to move locations because of death threats put out on the WWF (WWE)for Slaughter. In the 80’s, Sgt. Slaughter symbolized America in professional wrestling; he was even in the cartoon T.V. show G.I. J.O.E. Since the beginning of the 90’s, Hulk Hogan was all that symbolized America, and SGT. Slaughter would turn his back on America and became an Iraqi sympathizer. This caused chaos in the WWF because Slaughter had always stood for what was good and now he had become a turncoat. The WWF was to hold Wrestlemania 7 at The Memorial Coliseum; but aforementioned they had to move the event to the Memorial Sports Arena because of a massive amount of death treats for the turncoat Slaughter. Now those within the company say it was because of low ticket sales, but this is still a good attention grabber. Once it was decided to move the event, everything else was set and ready to go.



So coming from Los Angeles, California; on March 24, 1991 is the controversial Wrestlemania 7. Wrestlemania 7 saw the beginning of the end of the tag team of the Hart Foundation; the first victim of the infamous Deadman Streak, and Hulk Hogan and America conquering Slaughter and Iraq. Wrestlemania 7 of course had Howard Finkel as ring announcer, but for the main event Alex Trebek of Jeopardy introduced Hogan and Slaughter. Wrestlemania 7 was also the first PPV to not feature Jesse “The Body” Ventura on commentary, but was instead replaced with “The Brain” Bobby Heenan; The leader of the Heenan Family. During the main event, Regis Philbin joined Gorilla Monsoon and Heenan on commentary. The opening of the show saw country legend Willie Nelson sing our national anthem; “America the Beautiful”.


The first match I would like to talk to you about is for the WWF tag team championships. This match featured a new tag team of The Nasty Boys, going up against the champions; The Hart Foundation. Bret “The Hitman” Hart, was on a slow rise to the top. Hart had become tag team champion, but that would be just the beginnings of his legendary career. The Hart Foundation would lose this match to the Nasty Boys; and lose their titles as well. After Wrestlemania 7, The Hart Foundation would spilt-up; Jim “ The Anvil” Neidhart would disappear from wrestling for a little while, while The Hitman would go on to excel in singles competition. We will see more of Bret Hart as the years progress, but Wrestlemania 7 would be the end of the tag team of The Hart Foundation.

From Death Valley, weighting in at over 300lbs and standing almost seven feet tall, the next match I would like to talk to you about is the emergence of “The Deadman”; The Undertaker. For twenty-six years now The Undertaker has created mass destruction for his victims. The Undertaker is known for is 18-0 Wrestlemania streak, as well as being an innovator of the Casket Match, The Boiler Room Brawl, and The Buried Alive Match. The Undertaker will surely be a feature WWE Hall of Famer, but this was the beginning. The Undertaker’s opponent was “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka; before there was the Hardy Boyz or HBK, there was Jimmy Snuka. Snuka would leap off of cages and wrestle bear-footed, he was a good friend of Hogan’s and was also in his corner at Wrestlemania 1. Snuka was on his game in the 80’s. but as the 90’s came around new high fliers were arising and Snuka was becoming obsolete. The Undertaker saw this as his way to make his mark; take Snuka out of his misery. The Undertaker would beat Snuka with his finisher: The Tombstone, and the first of 18 victims would fall at the hands of The Undertaker.



Finally we have the main event between champion; Slaughter and challenger Hulk Hogan. This will be the sixth Wrestlemania Hogan headlines, and becomes WWF champion for the 3rd time. After Wrestlemania 6, The Ultimate Warrior would lose his title to Slaughter; who by then had turned into a heel and turned his back on America. Hogan had been gone from the scene; filming his movie “Suburban Commando”, and would come back to stand up for America. America was in the middle of the Gulf War Crisis and what better than for Vince McMahon to make a storyline out of it. A lot of heat was put on the shoulders of Sgt. Slaughter, and the Hulkster would rally all of the WWF fans behind him for this match. The integrity of America was on the line, in the eyes of Hogan, and if he lost so did America. This match was one of the best built-up matches of the 90’s and showed the turn towards Face Vs Heel main events. The end of the match saw Slaughter try to disgrace Hogan by placing the Iraqi flag over his body and try to go for the pin-fall. By now WWF fans had been used to Hogan’s ideology inside the ring and knew what was coming next; Hogan would Hulk-up and hit the “Big Boot” and pin Slaughter to become the new WWF Champion. Hogan had stood up for all that was good and just in this world and defeated the enemy. Wrestlemania 7 would be the beginning of the end for Hulkamania, but for now Wrestlemania 7 was “Stars and Stripes Forever

Wrestlemania 6

Wrestlemania 5 saw the fall of the “Macho Madness” and the re-birth of Hulkamania. The rise of the Ultimate Warrior and the debut of Shawn Michaels. Wrestlemania 6 continued the Warrior’s rise, saw Andre leave the Heenan Family and focus on celebrates seems to be out of sight. Wrestlemania 6 was the last PPV that featured both Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura (former governor of Minnesota) on commentary, as Jesse would leave the world of wrestling to pursue a career in politics. Wrestlemania 6 came from the Sky-dome in Toronto Canada, and was the first WWF PPV outside of America; and of course Howard Finkel was the Ring Announcer. Let’s first talk about Andre’s departure from The Heenan family.



Wrestlemania 6 would be the last time the WWE Universe gets a chance to watch Andre “The Giant” wrestle. After many memorable moments in WWE, Andre’s health begins to get the best of him, and Andre starts to fade away from wrestling, but before he goes he makes another memorable impact. After joining the “Heenan Family”, Andre went on to battle Hogan; only to be defeated. Andre wins the title, only to hand it over to Ted Dibiase. The end of this match would be the result of pent up frustration, and a goodbye to Andre “The Giant”. Andre and another Heenan Family member Haku would win the WWF (WWE) tag team titles, and go on to defend them against Demolition at Wrestlemania. Demolition were two big men, dressed in leather; with face-paint on, these two man would end up defeating Andre and Haku and win the tag team titles. The manager and leader of the “Heenan Family”; Bobby “The Brain” Heenan would then get up in Andre’s face, after the match, and slap him in the face for losing the match. Andre would then start to slap Heenan around like a rag doll; finally punching and knocking him to the ground. Andre would than leave the building renewed again as a face. Although this was Andre’s last wrestling match, he does make an appearance at the next Wrestlemania; but then dies a few months later. Andre “The Giant” would than later become the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame.



The next match I would like to mention is the first ever mixed gender tag team match at Wrestlemania. After the fallout of Wrestlemania 5, The “Macho Man” Randy Savage would go on to become the top heel in the WWF. Hogan had taken his title, and his wife Elisabeth turned her back on him as well. Savage would then use the services of a new WWF Diva; Sensational Sherri. Thanks to Miss. Elisabeth, WWF divas started to rise in professional wrestling again. The Women’s Championship had been long forgotten, at this time, and women wrestlers were fading out. Instead of in ring talent, women started to become sex objects. Women began to be used only as valets, to catch the ref’s or the opponent’s attention and look pretty. Miss. Elisabeth and Sensational Sherri were polar opposites, which could help the new direction Savage’s character was heading. Randy Savage and Sensation Sherri would lose to “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire. The “American Dream” would have Miss. Elisabeth in their corner, which caused as a distraction for Savage, and won the match. This match is important because it shows the rise of female valets and the very first mixed gender tag team match at Wrestlemania. Randy Savage would go on to fight for another title shot, well Rhodes would leave the WWF for a new wrestling company; WCW, but we’ll talk about them later.



Finally the main event match, in front of more than 67,000 fans we witnessed the first ever “Champion Vs. Champion” Match. Hulk Hogan was the heavyweight champion, and the challenger the Ultimate Warrior was the Intercontinental champion. The match was named the “Ultimate Challenge” and featured two of the most famous WWF names. The Ultimate Warrior was on a continuous rise to the top and this match was the pinnacle. Although the Ultimate Warrior’s character begins to defuse after this main event, and would lead to his downfall. Hulk Hogan had conquered every challenge thrown his way, until April 1, 1990. This was the first PPV of the 90”s and my favorite Wrestlemania from the decade. I remember as both sides were 50/50, half had red and yellow t-shirts, while the other half had warrior face paint. Never had a crowd been so behind their favorite superstar. Crowds of the eighties were much more tamer, than in the nineties the fans started to become a part of the show it self; with poster boards and distinct chats, this match would be the beginning of a new change in the WWF. The match would be completely equal up till the end, both men almost got a 3 count and both men knocked out the referee. The Ultimate Warrior would get the final move in with his finisher “The Warrior Splash” and win the WWF title for the very first time. This had been the first time that Hogan had his shoulders pinned to the mat at Wrestlemania and sent goosebumps down your spine. The end of the match would lead to a symbolic passing of the torch, as Hogan would hand the Warrior the title and then pose with him as the new champion. This was the first time two big name faces squared off in a big match atmosphere and they blew the roof off the place. Matches like this one is why I remain a WWE loyalist and is why I’m writing this blog. Wrestlemania 7 will feature The Macho Man’s rise back to the top and the debut of one of the most important characters in WWE history; The Undertaker. For now, let’s ravel in the shinning moment for the Ultimate Warrior.

Wrestlemania 5

The Trump plaza, once again, was the venue for Wrestlemania; only this time Wrestlemania 5. The Trump plaza is the only venue to hold Wrestlemania twice in a row, and what would Wrestlemania ,being at the Trump Plaza, be without Donald Trump Himself; who was live in attendance. This PPV was the last one of the 80’s and it was jammed pack with amazing matches. Howard Finkel is back, as well as a new WWE Icon appearing for the first time. Not that many celebrities were on hand, but RUN DMC came out and preformed.



The first match I would like to talk to you about is the debut match, at Wrestlemania, of Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels is the “’Show Stopper”, “ The Main Event” “ The Heartbreak Kid”, but before all that he was a part of an up and coming tag team The Rockers. Shawn Michaels along with Marty jannetty took on the team of the “Twin Towers”. the “Twin Towers” we composed of The Big Boss Man and Akeem and they would end up defeating The Rockers; and putt the first loss at Wrestlemania on the records for Shawn Michaels. Although The Rockers lost the match, they amazed the crowd with their high flying action and precise double team maneuvers. The story of The Rockers only begins here and with the help of The Hart Foundation they put tag team wrestling on the map.

The next match would be for the Intercontinental Championship. After debuting at Wrestlemania 4, The Ultimate Warrior would continue his rise to fame. The Ultimate Warrior had become Intercontinental Champion for the first time and remained undefeated. Now an every year event, The Royal Rumble would begin this feud of The Warrior and The Ravishing One. At The Royal Rumble, both men competed in a posedown match. The ultimate Warrior would win, and Rick Rude then attacked The Warrior; which would lead to a match at Wrestlemania 5 for the title. “Ravishing” Rick Rude was a member of the heel faction: The Heenan Family, and the founder; Bobby “ The Brain” Heenan would accompany Rude down to ringside. The Ultimate Warrior would dominate most of this match until interference from Heenan. Rick Rude attempted his finishing move on The Warrior but The Warrior tosses him over the apron. As Rude tries to get back in the ring, The Warrior would grab him to attempt a suplex; he would then have his foot held by Heenan and have Rude fall on him to get the pinfall. This was Rude’s first title win, and this was the first loss for The Ultimate Warrior. This match would not put out the flame of The Warrior, going into the nineties he makes himself a heavyweight contender; and will headline Wrestlemania 6; but we’ll get to that next post.


Now the main event, the explosion of the Mega Powers. The Macho Madness was running wild; along side Hulkamania, until jealousy got in the way of their friendship. Randy Savage began to think Hogan was messing around with his wife Miss Elisabeth and started to feud with him. This match would begin the end of Macho’s rise to fame; as he looses to Hulk Hogan. Hogan would become WWF champion for the 2nd time and would later star in his first movie, “No Holds Barred”. Savage however would lose his wife Elisabeth, and become the top heel of the early 90’s.

Wrestlemania 4

Wrestlemania 4 witnessed the first ever tournament to crown a new WWE champion. In the months leading up to the PPV, Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant had been feuding; this feud was continued from Hogan body slamming Andre at the previous year’s Wrestlemania. At a new PPV called The Royal Rumble, a contract was signed to give Andre a rematch for the WWE title. On what would be an early version of Monday Night Raw, Hogan and Andre had their match on Saturday Night’s Main Event . At the time a new referee was fresh on the scene, his name; Earl Hebner. At this point in time nobody knew that Earl had a twin brother named Dave. In Hogan and Andre’s match, Earl got knocked out, and from under the ring came his brother Dave; the only problem was that Dave was paid off by “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase to ensure Andre’s title win. After only 47 seconds, Andre gives the title to Dibiase for a huge lump sum of money and “ The Million Dollar Man” becomes the new heavyweight champion. Jack Tunney, who was the president of WWE at the time, stripped Dibiase of the title and vacated it. Tunney then decided to hold a 14 man elimination tournament for the vacated championship at Wrestlemania 4.

March 27, 1988 was the date and The Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey was the place. Fourteen of , at the time, The World Wrestling Federation’s greatest superstars of the 80’s faced off in seven one-on-one matches. The winners of those matches would face each other and so on until two men were left standing. Andre being the former champion and Hogan being the champion who never got a rematch were both in this tournament; already in the Quarterfinals. The stripped champion, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase would face “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. Dibiase would beat Duggan and advance to the Quarterfinals with Andre and Hogan. Thanks to double chair shots to one another, Hogan and Andre were both disqualified. Dibiase would beat his next opponent and receive a bye because of the dual disqualification. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase’s future was looking golden at Wrestlemania 4 going into the finals for the WWF (WWE) title.



Another rising star in WWF was “The Macho Man” Randy Savage. At last year's Wrestlemania he lost his intercontinental championship to Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. So Savage was looking to make himself a heavyweight contender and a main event caliber entertainer. Savage first fights a non name named Butch Reed, then goes on to face Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and beats him with the Macho elbow off the top rope. Savage would then go on to the finals and win by Disqualification when One Man Gang ’s manager Slick gives him his walking cane to use on “The Macho Man”; the referee would see this and Savage would advance to the finals to meet “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase for the vacated WWF title. The “Macho Madness” begins.


Now as a wrestling fanatic it would be asinine for me not to include these little pieces of information. One; Howard Finkel was there as ring announcer. Second; Gladys Knight began the show with American the Beautiful. Other than that, there were no celebrities at this show. So not only does this event give us our first match to end as a DQ (disqualification) but it’s also the first Wrestlemania to focus only on it’s wrestlers and no celebrities. Speaking of which, Wrestlemania 4 is the debut of a new promising superstar The Ultimate Warrior.

The Warrior’s debut was amazing for a wrestling fan. The Warrior broke and ripped a metal chain necklace off his opponent's neck before the match. During the match, any offense Hercules tried to give the Warrior had no effect. Finally Hercules goes for an Inverted Full Nealson Suplex, as both man come down their shoulders are on the mat, and at the last second The Warrior gets his up before Hercules and shows the beginnings of this , then thought of, unstoppable force. As the years progress we will read the rise and downfall of The Ultimate Warrior.



Finally we have our main event for the vacated WWF championship. “ The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase Vs. “ The Macho Man” Randy Savage. Although Dibiase bought the title from Andre, he was stripped of it and had it removed from his win/loss record. So, both men were coming into this match never being heavyweight champion. Savage had just fought One Man Gang, so he was extremely exhausted. Dibiase on the other hand, had a bye; so he was able to dominate most of this match. When Savage finally begins to mount some offense he goes for his finisher The Macho Elbow, but Dibiase rolls out of the way. Dibiase then applies his finisher; “The Million Dollar Dream” as Savage begins to be beaten down by fatigue. Andre the Giant interferes in this match, as well as Hulk Hogan. In the end, a distracted referee misses a chair shot to the head of Dibiase from Hogan, and Savage climbs to the top tope again; this time nailing his maneuver and gets the victory. We have a new, and for the first time, WWF champion; “ The Macho Man” Randy Savage. Savage celebrates his win with Hulk Hogan and his, then, wife Miss. Elisabeth. The end of this PPV would be the beginning of Wrestlemania 5’s Story, but we’ll keep that for the next post; let’s now just enjoy the spreading of the “Macho Madness”.

Wrestlemania 3

In 1987, Wrestlemania 3 was held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan. This event holds the world record for largest attendance for a live indoor sporting event. 93,173 people came to watch the next chapter in the Rise of Hulkamania, the emergence of the importance of the Intercontinental Championship, and what celebrities would be on hand. One celebrity was Aretha Franklin who sang the National Anthem for the start of the show. This event saw the first professional wrestling midget match and the return of a familiar ring announcer Howard Finkel. Let me now go into more details about Wrestlemania 3.

During a segment on The Snake Pit The Honky Tonk Man Smashed an acoustic guitar over the head of Jake “ The Snake “ Roberts. Roberts was always considered a heel (bad guy) up until this point, with being smashed in the head by a guitar and challenging The Honky Tonk Man to a match at Wrestlemania, Jake became a face (good guy). At Wrestlemania 3, WWE did not let down with celebrities; shock rock singer Alice Cooper accompanied Roberts to the ring. Roberts was known for bringing a Python snake down to the ring with him and after Honky Tonk got a dirty win, Alice Cooper let Damien loose (Jake’s snake). This match continued the importance of entertaining the WWE universe.



Next we have WWE’s first midget wrestling match. King Kong Bundy, who one year ago headlined Wrestlemania 2 in a steel cage with Hulk Hogan, was teamed up with Lord Little Brook and Little Tokyo in a mixed tag team match against Hillbilly Jim and his team of Haiti kid and Little Beaver. This match is a perfect example of how a professional wrestlers career can become a gimmick. Showing his aggressiveness, Bundy interfered in the match while the midgets were wrestling and got himself disqualified; because he was only to fight Hillbilly Jim. This match also featured baseball legend Bob “Mr. Baseball” Uecker on commentary, another one of the many humorous moments in the history of Wrestlemania.



This had been the third Wrestlemania and until this match the Intercontinental Championship match was just another match on the card. The champion; The Macho Man Randy Savage VS. Ricky “ The Dragon “ Steamboat engulfed the WWE universe into a technical masterpiece. With top rope, high flying action and brute force submission moves, this match is highly considered one of the greatest matches in all of WWE history. The Macho Man was on his way to the WWE title; which meant Steamboat would become new Intercontinental Champion. From this match on the Intercontinental Championship was no longer looked at as an afterthought, it became one of the most anticipated matches on the card and would lead to the rise of many WWE superstars.


Last we have our main event; the slam heard around the world. Andre the Giant had shown his massive dominance for two Wrestlemanias; the first winning the 15,000 body slam match, the second winning the 20 man over the top rope battle royal. For Wrestlemania 3, Andre decided that he wanted to be heavyweight champion; only there’s one problem, Hulk Hogan is champion. After years of being known as a face, Andre turns on Hulk Hogan and teams up with The Heenan Family; which he had fought against for two years previous. This would lead to the main event match for the WWE title between the two. This match was considered to be Andre passing the torch to Hulk Hogan. Finally after many failed attempts by weaker wrestlers; Hulk Hogan body slammed Andre The Giant for the first time in his career in front of more than 93,000 people. This match would put a seal on Andre’s wrestling career; but not his legacy and Hulk Hogan would prove again why Hulkamania was running wild!

Wrestlemania 2

The second Wrestlemania, held in 1986, was hosted from three different cities and each city had a main event. The most important main event was held at The Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angles, between “’The Immortal” Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy. This was the first time and only time a steel cage was applied as a main event attraction. This match was another stepping stone for Hogan; he retained his title and Hulkamania continued to run wild. Celebrities also continued to show their faces at Wrestlemania, cult movie star Elvira was one of the commentators for LA’s big steel cage match. Another person you would see year after year would be ring annoucer Howard Finkel. Finkel is now in WWE’s Hall of Fame; he coined the name Wrestlemania, inspired by Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania

The second main event was held in Illinois; at the Rosemont Horizon. This event would begin the careers of some now WWE Hall of Fame Alumni. The British Bulldog and the Dynamite kid, and the Hart Foundation of Bret ’Hitman’ Hart and Jim the Anvil Neidhart. Stampede Wrestling had recently been bought from Canada, and so had it’s wrestlers. Known as the British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid won WWE’s Tag Team Titles from a team called the “Dream Team”. The “Dream Team” had been champions for seven months, until Wrestlemania 2. Like LA, Chicago had it’s share of celebrities. Ozzy Osbourne, star of the T.V. Show ”The Osbournes” and the God of Rock N’ Roll, accompanied the British Bulldogs down to ring side. As well as former governor of Minnosota, Jesse ’The Body’ Ventura as a commentator for the event’s matches. This city held the main event of a 20 man over the top rope battle royal. This match included WWE wrestlers and NFL football players. The Hart Foundation would last till the end until Andre the Giant won the match. This would again show his dominance in WWE and at Wrestlemania. Last year’s Wrestlemania witnessed Andre Body Slam Big John Studd for $15,000. So, at Wrestlemania 2, Andre threw 19 other men other the top rope, some being NFL football players like William Perry, and showed the world again one of the wonders the WWE possessed.



The last main event was “ The Hot Rod” Roddy Piper Vs. Mr. T in a boxing match. This match came from The Nassau Coliseum, in New York, and was commentated by the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. After Last Year’s Wrestlemania main event, the grudge between Roddy Piper and Mr. T only escalated. Piper had made himself the top heel of WWE and despised Mr. T for being a Hollywood actor trying to wrestle. Mr. T tried to prove himself by starting a boxing open each week on WWE’s Saturday’s Main Event. In one of these matches he took on Bob Orton, who was an alley of Piper, Piper interfered in the match which led to the match-up at Wrestlemania. The match lasted four rounds until a frustrated Roddy Piper body slammed T which was illegal. Ray Charles was the celebrity on hand in New York, and began the show by singing our national anthem.

Wrestlemania beginnings and first event...

This is my first entry into the history of Wrestlemania. Wrestlemania started in 1985, created by Vince McMahon. Since it’s arrival it has gone on to become the “Superbowl” or “World Series” of it’s genre. Wrestlemania has amazed fans for over 25 years now. Wrestlemania started the merger of music with sports, and has been responsible for making many normal men become superstars. Since the 80’s stars like Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, have gone on to become household names and even movie stars. Wrestlemania was the beginning of many memorable and monumental moments for the WWF; now WWE. Wrestlemania led the way for many other Pay Per View ideas like the Royal Rumble, Summerslam and Survivor Series.



Wrestlemania 1 was held in Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people (which is small compared to this year’s Wrestlemania attendance of 73,000). The first PPV (Pay-Per-View) for this company showcased the main event of Hulk Hogan and Mr.T VS. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, as well as the 15,000 dollar body slam match between Andre the Giant and Big John Studd. MTV was just starting at this time and helped with the promotion for the “show of shows.” In edition to MTV helping to promote this event, Muhammad Ali, and Cyndi Lauper were there as well.
Muhammad Ali was the special guest referee for the main event match, and at one point knocked out Roddy Piper to restore order. Cyndi Lauper was in the corner of Wendi Richter going against Leilani Kai for the Woman’s Championship. This was the first time celebrities made a big impact in any kind of professional entertainment matter. Entertainers being a part of Wrestlemania has continued for 26 years now, as well as the singing of our national anthem at the beginning of each event. Now, let’s talk a little bit more on the importance of the two matches mentioned above.
Andre the Giant had never been body slammed by anyone, nether had Big John Studd. So 15,000 was put on the line and whoever could body slam the other would win. Andre won the match, and took the 15,000 and threw it out to the crowd. This was one of the first moments in Wrestlemania history of it’s superstars reacting to it’s fans. Now, there is the WWE Universe; a website just for WWE fans.



The main event match witnessed the beginning of Hulkamania. Hulk Hogan became an icon in the wrestling business and is known worldwide, but this was his first main event match. Roddy Piper had created the first wrestling talk show called The Piper’s Pit, this is where his and Hogan’s feud began. Roddy Piper being a more classic wrestler and Hogan being the next big thing, ideologies were put to the test. Roddy Piper would use his talk show to bad mouth the rise of the “Rock and Wrestling” and Hogan came on to defend it. This confrontation led to the main event match, and the beginning of professional wrestling becoming a dominate force in sports entertainment.