The Magnificent Seven: The Top 7 Moments from the First Ten WrestleManias

Columns taking on the entire WrestleMania catalog in that vein are a bit unwieldy given how many shows there are to consider and given that, particularly in recent years, shows are so long. In the interest of breaking things down and recognizing a handful of under-appreciated moments alongside the more iconic ones, I’m going decade by decade. This week’s column looks at the seven best moments from WrestleManias 1 through 10, next week’s for WrestleManias 11 through 20, and the final Magnificent Seven before WrestleMania will look at WrestleManias 21-30. Yes, that leaves out 31-33—maybe we’ll get back to those someday, when they have more historical context to consider.

This column is concerned with memorability of the moment itself, its impact on WWE history, and how it played off of the history to precede it. As always, my personal opinion weighs heavily, though I did make an effort to distinguish opinion from objective greatness here—for example, my personal favorite WrestleMania moment is not ranked at number one on even this list from the first ten years of the event..

#7. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T Reign at WrestleMania 1

From the context of modern WrestleMania main events, it’s a bit outlandish to think of a tag match main eventing the biggest show of the year. Indeed, every other WrestleMania main event since has been everyman for itself—usually one-on-one, with a small handful of triple threat and fatal fourway bouts. The inaugural ‘Mania, however, was representative of its time when WWE recognized that the closed circuit and then PPV model would demand bigger matches than they put on TV, but nonetheless still had one foot in the mindset of not blowing off feuds anywhere but house shows, where people would pay to see grudge matches play out live in their home markets.

Hogan and Mr. T squaring off against Piper and Orndorff wasn’t really about anything, with no titles or special prizes on the line, and no gimmick attached to the match to suggest finality. On the contrary, if anything the match was built to not really blow off Hogan-Piper or Hogan-Orndorff, besides leaving the door open for the eventual Mr. T vs. Piper clash at the following year’s WrestleMania.

Just the same, WWE was starting to realize the core of WrestleMania, what with the top face Hogan and the top heel Piper in the ring, a celebrity who was both over and believable as a wrestler in Mr. T, and Paul Orndorff as a guy who checked all of the boxes for being a very good in ring performer, over as a villain, and boasting a killer physique. Add in Muhammad Ali as a backup referee (while Pat Patterson ensured things went smoothly as the primary official) and you had a fun spectacle of a match with an entertaining finish to send fans home happy and lay the foundation for ‘Mania shows to follow.

#6. Randy Savage Wins His First World Title at WrestleMania 4

Hulk Hogan was incredibly over in the 1980s and early 1990s, and it’s easy to understand why WWE would keep its top title on the guy for years at a time. Just the same, Hogan’s dominance at the top of the card meant that a number of guys who might have won WWE Championships in other eras like Ted Dibiase, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, and Mr. Perfect never got their title reigns in WWE. To his credit, Randy Savage emerged as the workhorse world champ of that era, and started his most memorable title reign in suitable fashion—by working four matches in one night, culminating in a pin fall victory over Ted Dibiase to win a tournament for the vacant championship.

While The Macho Man never got over at Hogan’s level, he wasn’t that far off as a legit icon of the period who is still probably one of the top ten or so most recognizable figures in wrestling history to casual fans. A lot of that notoriety started at WrestleMania 4. No, WrestleMania 4 was not an objectively good ‘Mania, but Savage’s cumulative performance at it was pretty great as he pulled off respectable matches against a variety of opponents, best of all that main event collision. The excitement of Hogan’s run in to help Savage win, grouped with the glory of Savage and Miss Elizabeth celebrating with the title, combined with the embedded promise of Hogan and Savage eventually feuding all added up to a terrific moment.

#5. Ricky Steamboat Pins Randy Savage at WrestleMania 3

While Randy Savage would emerge as a hero at WrestleMania 4, and would go on to become the WWF’s biggest villain by WrestleMania 5, he laid the foundation for his bigger accomplishments at WrestleMania 3, in a match many would argue was the best ‘Mania match in the event’s first decade, if not ever. In that match, Savage squared off with Ricky Steamboat.

Though Savage’s manic energy would become a major contributing factor to his legendary status, it’s interesting to note that Steamboat was the one who sold unrivaled intensity for this match as he thirsted for revenge after The Macho Man had crushed his throat with a ring bell. What followed could have been a heated brawl, but instead this pair of in ring virtuosos put on an all time classic that combined brawling with technical expertise, tremendous athleticism for its time, and fine storytelling with Miss Elizabeth and George the Animal Steele becoming factors at ringside.

In the end, Steamboat would pick up the pin as he and Savage stole the show, topping a terrific in ring product with the joy of the ultimate white meat babyface getting his revenge and winning what would turn out to be his only championship in the WWF.

#4. The Ultimate Warrior Pins Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6

The WWF broke its own mold for WrestleMania 6, eschewing a tradition of avoiding face vs. face matches that muddied the waters about who fans should cheer for, in favor of a bit of a preview of more contemporary WWE matchups, with two top stars clashing in a drem match, and the company letting the chips fall where they may in terms of crowd response.

There were better matches at the first ten WrestleManias than this one (though, with Pat Patterson’s layout, it was far better than there was any reason to expect Hogan-Warrior to be). Warrior pinning Hogan gets the nod for the number four spot on account of what it seemed to represent at the time. In Hogan, the WWF had built a megastar to carry the company. In Warrior beating him, fans seemed to witness a passing of the torch as the next top star took up the mantle.

Through a combination of his own limitations and Hogan not really stepping aside, the moment lost some of its historical impact. Just the same, it felt special and historic within its context for Warrior’s coronation, a dream match that lived up to the hype, and one of the best matches of either man’s career.

#3. Shawn Michaels Gets Trapped in the Ropes at WrestleMania 10

Prior to WrestleMania 10, WWE had never televised a ladder match. The closest thing was a Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels ladder match recorded for home video, but only fans who went out and bought or rented that specialty tape saw it, and was largely lost in terms of the WWE canon.

At WrestleMania 10, however, Michaels and Razor Ramon duked it out for the Intercontinental Championship, with each of their copies of the belt suspended above the ring. The reason for the match—Michaels having been stripped of his title, and Ramon wining the vacant strap, only for them each somewhat legitimately lay claim to being the real champ—was a sound set up, and the match to follow was groundbreaking.

Now, to be fair, I don’t think this ladder match holds up that well in 2018. Don’t get me wrong—Michaels and Ramon were both great workers, close to their primes in 1994 and the match was sound, but the bar was a lot lower for ladder spots that could pop the crowd at this time, and to compare this match to some of the great modern day ladder matches is a little like comparing a 1950s headlock-fest to Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. The former may have worked in its time and context, but arguably comes across as a bit boring by contemporary standards.

Despite its limitations from today’s perspective, Michaels vs. Ramon was hugely influential in paving the way for more ladder matches, TLC, and Money in the Bank. To narrow the spectacle of the first ladder match with that high of a profile to a single moment, I’d have to go with the finish—Michael getting pushed off the ladder into a position so that he landed crotch-first on the ropes, got tangled, and couldn’t do anything to stop Ramon from getting the belt. It was a finish that required skill and precision to execute successfully, told a great story for Michaels being unable to stop his opponent, and successfully created drama to cap a great match. I’d go so far as to say that the only thing to diminish this finish was that Bret Hart reportedly came up with it (or at least brought it over from Canada) and specifically asked Michaels not to use it, only for Michaels to take it for his own iconic moment anyway.

#2. Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth Reunite at WrestleMania 7

I was seven years old when The Ultimate Warrior defeated Randy Savage in a match that kayfabe retired The Macho Man. Despite my youth, I can still remember thinking it was the great match I had ever experienced for the drama of these two icons going at it, the false finish of Savages’ five consecutive elbow drops not keeping Warrior down, and then, most of all, the post-match theatrics.

After the match, Savage’s manager, Queen Sherri, physically attacked him. Miss Elizabeth hit the ring for the save.

Again, I was only seven when this match happened, but had been a wrestling fan for all of my few years on this planet, and remember, even then, a sense of my loyalty as a fan being rewarded as years of Savage and Elizabeth storylines came together and paid off in a big way. Perhaps above all else, this was a rare tearjerker of a moment for WWE, and particularly so in that era.

I mentioned in the intro that I’d ranked my very own favorite WrestleMania moment in a spot lower than number one, even for this decade. This is that favorite moment that I look back at as a defining one for my fanhood, even though I feel there is at least one moment that would have to rate higher in terms of its sheer iconic nature.

#1. Hulk Hogan Slams Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3

In the pantheon of historic moments in WWE, and more particularly WrestleMania, a handful stand out as truly iconic—memorable for not just hardcore fans, but casual ones, too; the kinds of moments that hardcore fans can pinpoint to a specific event immediately.

So we arrive at Hulk Hogan as the most over wrestler in pro wrestling history, picking up 500 pound Andre the Giant, and body slamming in front of a crowd of 93,137 fans at WrestleMania 3.

No, Hogan vs. Andre was not a good match from a work rate perspective. In fact, it’s perplexing how plodding and uninspired the bout is. Just the same, it was fitting for a time when WWE main events were judged less by work rate than by the spectacle they offered. This match, perhaps more than any other in wrestling history, captured the imagination of an enormous audience.

Andre the Giant had, contrary to what the announce team would have you believe, been body slammed before, by multiple parties, including Hogan himself. Hogan slamming the giant in this context, however, proved just how effective the WWF machine was at that point in time at manufacturing history, particularly for a wrestling world that they had only recently been consolidated and taken national. WrestleMania 3 was the peak of the WWF’s efforts at the time, Hogan vs. Andre was the main event, and that slam was the perfect capper to a historic show.

Which moments you add to the list? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Read more from Mike Chin at his website and follow him on Twitter @miketchin.