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The 411 Wrestling Top 5 4.04.13: Week 214 – Top 5 Favorite Wrestlemania Matches

April 4, 2013 | Posted by Ken Hill

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling’s Top 5 List with your “Kennection to All Things Wrestling” Ken Hill! What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions.

So, on to this week’s topic…

THE TOP FIVE FAVORITE WRESTLEMANIA MATCHES!

Michael Weyer

5. Money in the Bank, Wrestlemania 21 We’ve become so used to the wild antics of MITB that it’s easy to forget how stunning the first time was. It looked just an excuse to get more guys on the card but instead turned into the best match of the show, a fantastic affair that rose ladder bouts to a new level. Shelton Benjamin was easily the star, the IC champ blowing away jaded fans with stuff like his run up a ladder ramp to nail Jericho and high-flying moves. From a brief Edge & Christian reunion to Benoit doing german suplexes on guys holding ladders, this wild battle made MITB a key part of every year and showed just how great a ladder can help guys out.

4. Hulk Hogan vs the Ultimate Warrior, Wrestlemania VI Pat Patterson deserves monster credit for being smart enough to know Hogan and Warrior needed a lot of prep work for this battle. It’s aided by their amazing charisma, Hogan still at the top of his game while Warrior hadn’t quite entered his utter batshit insanity period. The Toronto crowd was eating this up in droves, treating tests of strength and rest holds like high-impact moves as Hogan and Warrior had them in the palm of thier hands working it all. They even pulled off some nice moves like a Warrior suplex and working the bit of the ref knocked out and each getting a cover on the other with no pin. It all built to the fantastic ending as Hogan made his usual comeback only to miss the legdrop and allow Warrior to get a shocking pin to win the WWF title. The aftermath may have lingered on Hogan too long but still something to see Warrior with both titles in celebration in what remains one of the most memorable main events in Mania history.

3. Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels, Wrestlemania X To fans today used to the high energy of MITB or other bouts, this may seem a bit slow. But in 1994, you had never seen a ladder match on such a scale, not for WWF. After months of arguing over who was the “real” IC champ, Ramon and Michaels went at it and started a revolution for such battles. You had never seen this before, two guys taking seriously sick bumps, bouncing off ropes, dropping ten or fifteen feet down to the map and using the ladder itself to brutalize each other so the entire crowd was wincing in pain watching. Ramon doesn’t get enough credit for hanging in there and taking brutal shots while Shawn was elevated huge with his performance, proving more than just a pretty-boy heel. If any match shifted the way wrestling could be, this is it as it paved the way for every ladder match since and helped the influence of Michaels and Ramon as well as how much the IC belt once meant.

2. Bret Hart vs Steve Austin, Wrestlemania 13 I saw this in person which just added to the thrill of an already epic encounter. It’s amazing to watch this, the moment Austin was elevated to true super-stardom, taking brutal shots and dishing just as well and the crowd was loving it as he went along. Chicago has an affinity for tough guys and so we had to love Austin as he got bloody as hell but never giving up, even in the Sharpshooter. Bret won the match but Austin was the true victor as he was made for good and I’m still proud to have been there for the match that would help transform wrestling for so many years to come.

WWF WM – Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold by nicod33

1. Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat, Wrestlemania III Steamboat has openly stated that he and Savage decided beforehand they were going to go out and steal the show. They succeeded. In just fifteen minutes, they packed more action, drama and storytelling than most wrestling bouts today. Amazingly well done, brilliantly laid out and incredible seeing two men at the top of thier games doing battle, each taking hard shots and near falls that the fans ate up in droves. As a major Steamboat mark, I loved this, the high point of his WWF run and elevated Savage even more. Easily the best IC title bout in Mania history (if not of all time) with Steamboat getting the small package to win the belt but the fans were the true winners here in what remains a true classic that should be studied by any fan of the business.

Robert S. Leighty Jr

5. WrestleMania XXV: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker – This was a tough one as I was going back and forth between this and Flair/Savage, but since I was in the building for the match I will go with Shawn/Taker. This is greatest match I have ever seen in person and the reaction to what they were doing was something I will never forget. Just a fantastic and superb match with one of the greatest near falls you will ever see with Shawn kicking out of The Tombstone.

4. WrestleMania 21: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle – Yes, Shawn shows up on my list again and this time with Kurt Angle. These two had to live up to massive expectations and general consensus was they would give a good to very good match, but nobody was expecing the ***** classic they gave us. The small little nuances and story telling in this match is what makes it one of my favorites. Shawn knew he was in their with a wrestling machine and when Shawn knows he has to turn things up then watch out.

3. WrestleMania VII: Retirement Match: Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior – The match itself is the greatest in the career of the Warrior and one of greatest for Savage. The crowd was as hot as any you will ever see, and the added stipualtion seemed like a massive deal at the time. This match also had some small details that only added to the match: Warrior walking to the ring, Savage trying to irritate the Warrior into making mistakes, and Warrior doing all he could to avoid losing control. The 5 elbows were just insane at the time and then you toss in the post match stuff with Liz and easy to see why this is one of my favorite matches of all time even outside WrestleMania.

2. WrestleMania X-8: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – People will hate on this match as from a work rate stand it is the worst of my list, but no match was more fun for me to watch as a fan. The Toronto crowd was the story of the match as they were 1000% percent behind Hogan and their reaction to Hogan baffled Lawler and JR on commentary. One of the greatest mark out moments ever starts with Hogan kicking out of The Rock Bottom and Hulking Up and then ending right before The Rock kicks out of the leg drop. This match definitely holds up in my eyes and still gets the adrenaline going each and every time.

1. WrestleMania III: IC Title: Randy Savage (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat – As most of my friend know, this is the match I consider the greatest of all time and it is also my favorite match of all time. I actually watched this match again a few nights ago and it still captivates me to this day. I know the cool thing now is to hate people who consider this a classic match, but I just can’t get past what these two men accomplished as they stole the show from the biggest match in history at the biggest show in history.

Nolan Woodford

Honorable Mention: WrestleMania X8: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock – I’ve been fortunate enough to attend three WrestleManias, this being the first (along with 23 and XXVIII), and eleven years later I could still not properly put into words what the atmosphere in SkyDome was like on this night. While the match itself is nothing special from a technical standpoint, the sustained reaction for Hulk Hogan from the Toronto crowd was something magical that will never be duplicated. Jim Ross, as he’s prone to do, summed it up perfectly before the match as both men stared across the ring at one another: “This is a WrestleMania moment!”

5. WrestleMania X: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Owen Hart – This match just gets better every time I watch it. Amazingly, I was 8 years old getting ready to watch this show at home with my older brother when the PPV cut out during Little Richard’s performance of America The Beautiful, not coming back until the middle of the mixed tag team match that followed. Without the Internet to check anything on, I didn’t really believe it when I thought I’d heard Vince McMahon or Jerry Lawler reference Owen – my favorite wrestler at the time, along with Shawn Michaels – having beaten his brother. It seemed like a forgone conclusion, at least to me, that Bret would win en route to his title match. But Owen did what he had spent months telling everyone he would do, stepping out of the shadow of brother Bret and, in the process, winning one of those rare matches you could probably watch a dozen times in a row and not be bored of it.

4. WrestleMania X-Seven: WWF Championship – The Rock (c) vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – The main event of the consensus best WrestleMania ever between two of the biggest names in history at the very top of their game. While it sped up the road to an early retirement, the matches that Austin had in 2001 were a blast to watch and The Rock was game before leaving to launch his insanely successful movie career. I love the story of Austin being so willing to do anything to get back to the top of the mountain after spending a year on the shelf that he’s willing to turn his back on his home state and side with his mortal enemy. Somehow that resulted in him becoming HHH’s lackey, but let’s ignore that and focus on the image of “Stone Cold” doing what he swore he never would because the WWF Championship was just that damn important to him. If John Cena were to resort to similar measures to finally beat The Rock (perhaps with the Shield playing the role of Mr. McMahon), I would be ecstatic.

3. WrestleMania XX: World Heavyweight Championship – Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit – Speaking of trying to ignore the fallout of a match… Hindsight makes the conclusion of WrestleMania XX quite tragic, obviously, but frozen in time the moment of Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero standing on top of the wrestling world after so many years of being told it would never happen is an unforgettable one. Before this show, I would have told you it’s not possible to have the perfect Triple Threat Match, but these three were able to do it. Every little nuance of the match perfectly falls into place, my favorite being a blood-soaked Shawn Michaels willing to work with Triple H to take Benoit out with a double suplex through the announce table, just so he could have his arch nemesis all to himself. In the end, the underdog puts an end to Triple H’s reign of terror (for six months, anyway) in the best way possible and gets his moment in the sun alongside his best friend, nearly two decades after entering the Dungeon.

2. WrestleMania XXVI: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – Actually, the previous year’s match between these two icons is technically a slightly better match. But WrestleMania is every bit as much about the pageantry and spectacle as it is the in-ring product, and the story here was second to none. It’s really not even arguable that Shawn Michaels is worthy of being called “Mr. WrestleMania” and he was willing to put it all on the line to do the one thing that had eluded him and everyone else who had stepped in the ring with the Undertaker at the “Showcase of the Immortals”. In the end, the Showstopper was proven to be a mere mortal by the Deadman, closing the show and one of the greatest careers of all time by riding off into the sunset of the Arizona desert.

1. WrestleMania 13: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – Arguably the worst WrestleMania presents the best match in the history of the show and – for my money – the most important match in the history of wrestling. It established the changing of the guard from the hero to the anti-hero and, even in defeat, let you know that Steve Austin really was the toughest S.O.B. in the World Wrestling Federation. The image of Austin screaming in pain with blood running down his face is one of the most iconic in WrestleMania history. The Montreal Screwjob may be what shot the Attitude Era into orbit, but this match is what set the wheels in motion.

Ken Hill
5. CM Punk (c) vs. Chris Jericho, WWE Championship (XXVIII) – One that’s close to my heart; I had written a couple creative papers on building up a storyline between these two verbosely iconic and talented wrestlers, and I nearly saw it come to life last year with their professional and personal animosity towards one another sparking a feud towards the “Grandest Stage of Them All.” Jericho-Punk can be considered a dream match for many a member of the IWC, and it certainly didn’t disappoint in my eyes with the two self-proclaimed “Best in the World” doing what they do best: Wrestle.

4. John Cena (c) vs. Shawn Michaels, WWE Championship (XXIII) – As much as I dislike Cena’s character, I can’t take into question his athleticism and unadulterated talent. Anyone who says he has to be carried to a ****+ match needs to watch his series with Shawn Michaels, starting here. Shawn certainly is “Mr. WrestleMania”, but Cena’s no slouch himself, and certainly not here.

3. Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels, World Heavyweight Championship (XX) – I’ve said it before, but this is one of the greatest WrestleMania main events I have watched in my 12 years as a wrestling fan. To this day, seeing Chris Benoit take on two of the very best and overcome the odds just like he did at the Royal Rumble, not to mention celebrating with his closest friend and WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero makes for a (tragically) historic closing scene.

2. The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin, WWE Championship (XVII) – I’d be remissed to fail to mention the first Mania main event I ever saw, and it was nothing short of a doozy. “Stone Cold”, the ultimate antihero of the WWE and arch-rival of Vince McMahon, aligning himself with McMahon just so he could claim the championship he coveted so much. The notion that Austin would do the unthinkable, in terms of what his character stood for, hooked me 12 years ago to the day.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michales (XXI) – Many fans will pick matches from Mania that define an era, kick off the Attitude Era, or define a wrestler themselves. For my money, this match defines WrestleMania itself. It was pure spectacle, the best facing the best in HBK and Angle just for the hell of it, no titles, no ridiculously overarching storyline or buildup, just two pure atheltes going at one another to prove who’s truly the best wrestler of their generation on the biggest stage possible.

You had HBK out-wrestling Angle, Kurt taking high-flying risks, catch-as-can vs. an expertly amateur background, and enough ring psychology to fill out a textbook. While cliche, if there’s any one match I could watch for the rest of my life, it would be this one.