TMC
05-24-2004, 02:30 AM
I started to think about this after I bought the three disc DVD set for Wrestlemania XX. I don't necessarily want to review every single Wrestlemania from up & down the cards. I want to focus more on the climax and the main events.
Wrestlemania is regarded as professional wrestling's equivalent to the Super Bowl. As far as I can recall, Wrestlemania as generally set out to let the fans "go home happy." So we in return get the carefully planned emotional finish like. For instance, there's Shawn Michaels' win over Bret Hart in the "Iron Man Match" in Wrestlemania XII, Bret Hart getting congratulated by the WWE locker room after his World Title over Yokozuna (the same man who along w/ Mr. Fuji and to a lesser extent, Hulk Hogan, screwed him out of the title a year earlier) at WM X, Hulk Hogan "passing the torch" to the Ultimate Warrior at WM VI, and more recently, Chris Benoit's victory at WM XX.
I guess the few times that you can argue that WM ended w/ a very bad taste in the mouth were:
-WM XVI (2000): The main event w/ Triple H, Rock, Mick Foley, and Big Show ends w/ a screw-job (Vince McMahon turned on Rock) as Triple H retains his title. This was probably the first time, that the wrestler going in as the heel (that being Triple H as opposed to Rock & underdog Mick Foley) got over in the main event.
-WM XVII (2001): The Rock jobs to Steve Austin in the main event again (just like two years before) in another screw-job involving Vince McMahon. Austin in return, turns heel and shakes hands w/ the very same man whom he had been feuding w/ for over the past two years.
-WM IX (1993): Bret Hart gets screwed out of the title against Yokozuna (a trend which would unfortunately follow Bret in the years to come) when Mr. Fuji throws salt in his eyes. Then, Hulk Hogan shows up and beats Yoko in under a minute to become the new champion. I guess it was negative because, Bret had worked so hard to earn the title shot only to have Hogan (who would ultimately leave the company in a few months anyway) to steal Bret's heat (just like he did from the Macho Man at Wrestlemania IV).
-Wrestlemania VIII (1992): Sid Vicious & Hulk Hogan were in the last match on the card (about two spots ahead of the Ric Flair/Randy Savage World Title match) even though both would were going to leave the company afterr that particular night. The end result was the Ultimate Warrior's return after about an eight month break only to set up a horrible feud w/ Papa Shango.
Wrestlemania is regarded as professional wrestling's equivalent to the Super Bowl. As far as I can recall, Wrestlemania as generally set out to let the fans "go home happy." So we in return get the carefully planned emotional finish like. For instance, there's Shawn Michaels' win over Bret Hart in the "Iron Man Match" in Wrestlemania XII, Bret Hart getting congratulated by the WWE locker room after his World Title over Yokozuna (the same man who along w/ Mr. Fuji and to a lesser extent, Hulk Hogan, screwed him out of the title a year earlier) at WM X, Hulk Hogan "passing the torch" to the Ultimate Warrior at WM VI, and more recently, Chris Benoit's victory at WM XX.
I guess the few times that you can argue that WM ended w/ a very bad taste in the mouth were:
-WM XVI (2000): The main event w/ Triple H, Rock, Mick Foley, and Big Show ends w/ a screw-job (Vince McMahon turned on Rock) as Triple H retains his title. This was probably the first time, that the wrestler going in as the heel (that being Triple H as opposed to Rock & underdog Mick Foley) got over in the main event.
-WM XVII (2001): The Rock jobs to Steve Austin in the main event again (just like two years before) in another screw-job involving Vince McMahon. Austin in return, turns heel and shakes hands w/ the very same man whom he had been feuding w/ for over the past two years.
-WM IX (1993): Bret Hart gets screwed out of the title against Yokozuna (a trend which would unfortunately follow Bret in the years to come) when Mr. Fuji throws salt in his eyes. Then, Hulk Hogan shows up and beats Yoko in under a minute to become the new champion. I guess it was negative because, Bret had worked so hard to earn the title shot only to have Hogan (who would ultimately leave the company in a few months anyway) to steal Bret's heat (just like he did from the Macho Man at Wrestlemania IV).
-Wrestlemania VIII (1992): Sid Vicious & Hulk Hogan were in the last match on the card (about two spots ahead of the Ric Flair/Randy Savage World Title match) even though both would were going to leave the company afterr that particular night. The end result was the Ultimate Warrior's return after about an eight month break only to set up a horrible feud w/ Papa Shango.