Last Sunday WWE held their biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 27, in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. I had the good fortune of being there for my first WrestleMania event. I’ve now seen the show twice: live in the building and the PPV broadcast. I’m going to run through everything that happened, offer some perspective from being in the building and of course talk about the results of the matches. By the way, the “GEW” thing on the banner means Global Entertainment Writer. Don’t say wrestling! Shhhh!

WWE WrestleMania 27
Atlanta, Georgia in the Georgia Dome
April 3, 2011

Before the PPV started, we got a Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus US title match with other wrestlers surrounding the ring as lumberjacks. It disappointed me to see that as a pre-Mania match because I thought they deserved to be on the main card. They only worked about three minutes until everybody started brawling on the floor. Teddy Long came out to make it a battle royal. That went about 10 minutes with The Great Khali the winner. The last guy he eliminated was Sheamus. There was nothing special about it, but the crowd was so hot that we actually liked all of this.

Now it was time for WrestleMania. I didn’t take too many pics because I was sitting in section 222 and I didn’t bring an expensive camera. Here’s a pic of the stage from where I was. If you click on the image it will expand.

Keri Hilson sang “America The Beautiful” to start the show. She did very well.

I’m not sure if it was here or later, but at one point I literally jumped out of my seat due to one of the fireworks displays. Even when you know they are coming they can still shock you. My buddy crazy Dave is still laughing about it. No video of my near heart attack exists.

When the show started we were greeted by the The Rock. And we loved every second of this. The energy he brought to the building was great and it made for an enjoyable first 10 minutes. The part where he told us to say “Dabba” after he said “Yabba” was one of those “am I really doing this?” kind of moments in my life. I can’t believe I chanted “Dabba” with 70,000 people. Scratch that off the bucket list. Haha. His claim that this would be the best WrestleMania ever was a blatant lie, but we didn’t care. We were hot for all of this and it carried over on the PPV broadcast too.

World Title: Edge d. Alberto Del Rio (***1/4)
Christian was in Edge’s corner while Brodus Clay was in Del Rio’s corner. I immediately questioned the placement of this. Del Rio won the Rumble, he earned the right to “main event WrestleMania” and he ends up working the opener? I realize that there are two or three matches that we should consider the main event, which is fine, but shouldn’t this be later in the card? The work in the match was good with Del Rio working over the arm, but Edge got the win after about 12 minutes. This didn’t feel like a World Title match at WrestleMania. It felt like a TV match. My personal opinion (and I don’t know this as fact) was that Del Rio was supposed to win here, but Vince changed his mind over the weekend because everybody knew it was happening.

Post match, Edge and Christian destroyed Del Rio’s car. Then they apparently had it shipped to Charlotte for Smackdown. It’s like when Edge kidnapped Paul Bearer and brought him to about five different cities including transporting him to Europe. He’s a caring guy like that. Don’t ask me why Alberto would care about one car when he has a different one in every city. Logic need not apply. I assume Del Rio gets the belt at Extreme Rules with Christian “accidentally” costing Edge in the ladder match.

Michael Cole was yelling from the Cole Mine. On the broadcast it’s a typical rant. In the arena there’s no sound, so people just booed. I think more were booing because we couldn’t hear it.

Cody Rhodes d. Rey Mysterio (**3/4)
This was the first time I’ve been in a crowd during a Mysterio match when the crowd was pretty quiet. Say what you want about him (and I like Rey), but he always managed to get pops. It didn’t happen here. I guess it’s the right time for Sin Cara after all. I was disappointed that there was no video package here because a lot of fans don’t watch Smackdown. It was a good feud. Nobody in the crowd cared too much, though. Like the opener it got 12 minutes. At one point Rey took Cody’s mask and put it on, which generated a pop, but nothing huge. Cody ended up taking off Rey’s knee brace, which is what started this whole feud, and nailed him in the head with it to get the win. Good booking for the finish. I just don’t think people knew the story enough to care about it.

It was comedy segment time with Snoop Dogg & Teddy Long auditioning WWE talent to join Snoop on his tour. The Great Khali & Beth sang a song from Grease, which was funny. It was nice to hear Zack Ryder get a big pop. I think he’s somebody that can get over huge if the company believes in him. Piper nailing him with a coconut was cool. Masters did a titty dance while Yoshi Tatsu sang “We Will Rock You.” That reminded me of the Chinese restaurant in “A Christmas Story” singing “Deck the Halls.” It ended with Hornswoggle finally talking for the first time as he cut a rap. This was fun for a few laughs until the Hornswoggle part.

Big Show, Kane, Santino & Kofi Kingston d. The Corre (1/4*)
They didn’t even get two minutes. The entrances got more time. Why do you put over the veteran babyface team when they’re up against a group that holds the IC title and the tag titles? I don’t understand the logic here. They all hit their finishers and Show knocked out Slater to end it. What was the point?

Backstage, The Rock talked to Divas Champion Eve. She’s such a great champion that she doesn’t have the belt with her. At least we know it doesn’t matter. It mattered when Natalya held it. Why did they take it off of her and completely ignore true talents like her as well as Beth Phoenix? Use them! Rock said he’d have a moment with the next person that walked by. I immediately thought it was going to be Mae Young and I was right. She wanted some strudel. Rock said she wanted Moses’ strudel. Then he introduced her to Eve, who she may know from Adam and Eve. Old jokes. They were okay. Then Eve & Mae left as Steve Austin walked into the screen. Huge pop for that. They shook hands. That was a nice moment and an ode to history. We marked out for that. Of course.

Randy Orton d. CM Punk (***)
I expected this to be a better match. Time wise they got about 15 minutes, which I thought would be a sufficient amount of time to allow them to have a great match. It didn’t really happen. They worked a slow pace, which is Orton’s style, but when the match should have been kicked into a higher gear it never really happened. As a result it was a good match, but it never became great. Orton went for the punt, but he collapsed due to knee pain just like he did on Raw. Then Punk took advantage, went for the GTS, but Orton slithered out (got to use the viper reference) and got the win after an awesome RKO to counter Punk doing a springboard forearm. The finish was really well done. The match could have been better. I expected more from these two. I hope they have another PPV match at Extreme Rules to hopefully better this one.

There was a backstage segment with The Rock, Mean Gene Okerlund and Pee Wee Herman. Pee Wee was a huge John Cena fan, but by the end he was a Rock fan. This didn’t work very well. Pee Wee annoys the hell out of me. And the fact that he’s in his 60s makes it even creepier to me. Let’s move on.

They introduced the Hall of Fame class of 2011. I covered Saturday’s Hall of Fame ceremony in my Hall of Fame road diary on Sunday morning, which followed my first road diary on Saturday morning. Everybody got a nice ovation here with HBK getting that huge moment like he deserved. Then he apparently made his way up to the private box section above where I was sitting.

The announcers for the next match were Jim Ross and Booker T., who joined Josh Mathews.

Michael Cole d. Jerry Lawler (1/4*)
This wasn’t much of a match, obviously. Cole’s promo on the way to the ring was really good. The crowd hated him so much. They got a lot of time, which meant a lot of stalling from Cole. He hid in the Cole Mine, then Swagger attacked Lawler, Cole came out and was in control. Where the match failed was when Cole was given offense. Not only was it too unrealistic, but his offense was poor too. That’s not a surprise. I should also add that Michael Cole’s attire was not flattering in the least. He went to the University of Syracuse, so that’s why he was wearing orange. Eventually Lawler came back and Swagger threw in the towel, which meant that they wanted to end the match. Austin wasn’t having any of it. Swagger was pissed, so he went in the ring and we all knew what was next: Stunner. Big reaction for that. Lawler hit the fist drop and pulled Cole up at two. Then he put Cole in the ankle lock. Cole tapped right away, but Austin waited a bit before ringing the bell. That was great. We were cracking up. Beer bash time. I read later that Lawler didn’t drink alcohol, so he actually poured the beer out. What a waste. I was crying in section 222! Not really. Booker T. came in, did the Spinarooni, joined in on the beer bash and then Austin hit him with the Stunner too! Booker did a great job selling it too because he spit the beer out of his mouth as he was taking the move. We marked out for that! It ran a little long, I thought. In terms of time given it was the second longest segment of the show. I think the booking of it was off because Cole should never have been on offense, but the Austin stuff definitely helped.

At this point I left to get a drink because I thought it was the end of the segment. It wasn’t beer. Too expensive. I got a pop. The GM reversed the decision, saying Cole won the match due to Austin being a biased ref. Lawler was furious, so he threw Josh Mathews into the ring where Stone Cold gave him a Stunner too. This was done to get Ross & Lawler together at the announce table. That’s fine by me.

I need to pass along a live note here. I was sitting in the section above the hard camera in the second level. About five rows above me was the third level, which is the private box level. It was filled with WWE talent. Legends like Dibiase, Funk, Steamboat and other current wrestlers were sitting up there the whole night. People in our section were turning around to snap photos of them. Most of them didn’t even acknowledge us. By the time Triple H & Undertaker started we saw guys like Orton & Punk up there. I guess it’s a better view than looking at a backstage monitor. I found out later, on WWE.com, that Shawn Michaels was up there too. A lot of people expected him to run out at some point. That didn’t happen obviously.

The Undertaker d. Triple H in a No Holds Barred Match (****1/2)
Between the entrances, the match time (they got about 30 minutes) and post match they must have been out there for 45-50 minutes. We were hot for this entire thing including the entrances. I had learned about the Triple H entrance earlier because one of the guys holding the shields is an indy worker that I happen to know. I liked so many of the spots. They were very smart about them. Going through the Cole Mine was fun and then HHH taking that backdrop off the table was brutal. He grabbed his wrist immediately. You knew it was bothering him, but you also knew this guy wasn’t going to stop because of a wrist injury. Then Undertaker did his top rope plancha, which resulted in him landing on his head much like he did at WM25. In that instance, Sim Snuka (holding the camera) was supposed to catch him and missed. Hunter didn’t break his fall very well here. Still, it’s amazing that a 46 year old man like Undertaker can still do a spot like that considering all the injuries he’s had. The next spot was Triple H hitting the spinebuster off the steps and putting him through the Spanish announce table. I loved the sequence of moves that followed with each guy countering signature spots with Hunter avoiding the boot to the face with the spinebuster. The crowd was hot for all of it.

The second part of the match occurred when Hunter brought the chair into the match. He came back from the chair to the back to hit the Pedigree for a nearfall. We didn’t think that was it, but it’s not like many people kick out of that move. Then you had Undertaker do his Last Ride powerbomb out of the corner spot. When Undertaker hit the Tombstone we thought that was it, but I also realized there were more big moves they were going to kick out of. The next big spot? Another Triple H Pedigree that Undertaker kicked out of. Watching it on replay shows that Undertaker didn’t take that very well. He was grabbing his neck and trying to get feeling in his fingers. Then Triple H hit his third Pedigree, which Undertaker kicked out of. This one looked like it was more protected. A lot of people thought that was it even though we all knew Undertaker was winning. Hunter used the chair next, which included several shots to the back and also a chairshot to the head. Apparently they got fined for that since chairshots are banned in WWE now, which is a good thing. How much did they get fined? Nobody really knows. “Stay down,” Triple H told Undertaker. “Stay down! What’s wrong with you?” That added to the drama. Then Hunter hit the Tombstone. Look at how everybody stood up. That was the biggest reaction of the night. It was like: “Oh no you didn’t!” Oh yes he did. Then he folded the arms, covered him and Undertaker kicked out. Then THAT became the biggest reaction of the night. That was a legit markout moment. Great spot. And Hunter, to his credit, sold it perfectly. Hunter got the sledgehammer. Undertaker grabbed him before he could attack, putting him in the Hell’s Gate submission hold. Hunter dropped the hammer, then he tried to grab it and couldn’t. Then he tried to power out. He couldn’t. Then when he finally got the hammer he was too weak. He tapped out. I loved it as a finish. Perfect way to end it because if Undertaker beat him with a power move it would have diminished what Hunter did to him physically. Taker had trouble getting back to his feet, so instead he won with a finishing move on his back. It makes sense.

What can you say? Wow. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Triple H and Undertaker. They worked their asses off to put on a great match here. The spots were timed well, they were done in the perfect sequence and the chemistry they had was really good considering they haven’t worked a singles match together in a few years. I think Taker/Michaels at WM25 is a five star match while Taker/Michaels at WM26 is ****3/4 and this is just barely below that. My reasoning is that this was more of a brawl with well placed spots while the other two were more like traditional wrestling matches. I don’t want to nitpick. It’s a personal preference thing. Ultimately, though, we’re talking about three amazing matches. Rank them how you want. You won’t get too much of an argument from me. I’m glad Jim Ross was able to call this match too. It was better for having him there. Nobody can touch him in terms of calling the big matches.

I’ll say this about Undertaker too. He sold that beating really well. A lot of us thought he was legitimately hurt. Did it happen when he crashed headfirst on the floor or maybe when he took the Tombstone from Triple H? We had no idea. How many times have you seen him get taken out by a stretcher before? I guess that’s the WWE way of saying he has a level of vulnerability now. If I’m booking WWE I’d book Undertaker vs. Triple H at Summerslam, have Hunter win that and then do Hunter vs. Taker at WrestleMania 28 in Miami since the other best option for Undertaker (John Cena) is already booked for that. I’d like to personally give a standing ovation for Undertaker, Triple H and ref Scott Armstrong (who did his job by checking on them when needed & getting out of the way) for putting on an unforgettable performance. This was the highlight of WrestleMania 27. No question about that.

After the match, we all let out a breath because they took us on this emotional journey and they told the story so well. It was the best match I’d ever seen live in 25+ WWE shows. I’m glad I was able to be there for it. They deserved the standing ovation they got. It wasn’t just the fans that were giving them the ovation. The WWE people sitting 20 feet away from me were giving them that ovation too.

If that match ended the show it would have been fine. However, The Rock was the biggest draw on the show. He should have gone on last. I’m not going to question the decision.

They announced WrestleMania 28 would be in Miami on April 1, 2012. I’m definitely saving my money beforehand to fly in for that one.

John Morrison, Snooki & Trish Stratus d. Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool & Layla (1/2*)
They had some decent spots with McCool and Trish, who was making her WrestleMania return after five years without a lot of attention being given to it. Then Morrison took out Ziggler with a Starship Pain on the floor (awesome looking spot) and the Snooki Monster got the hot tag. She did her cartwheel into the butt splash onto McCool in the corner because I guess she’s got a gymnastics background. Then she pinned McCool in a match that didn’t even get four minutes. The news coming out of this was that John Morrison wanted his girlfriend Melina in the match, not Trish. That doesn’t make sense since Melina is a heel. After the match Trish went to hug him and he snubbed her. Then Trish spoke about it in a radio show later in the week saying that she didn’t understand why he was like that. I don’t think management is going to like it too much, which is a shame because Morrison deserves a push. I also think Melina might be on the chopping block when it comes to WWE’s next round of firings following the European tour this month. That’s just a hunch on my part.

That video package featuring The Miz’ growth as a TV performer from the Real World to WWE Champion was terrific. When “Miz girl” was shown she got a huge pop too. It’s a shame that the masked Calgary Kid did not make an appearance, though. Then Miz came out through some ballooned letters of the word “Awesome.” I guess they cut back on production costs, huh? Also, why does Alex Riley come out in his wrestling gear if he’s not in the match? And why the briefcase? Those are rhetorical questions.

The Cena entrance wasn’t as good as The Miz’ video. They sang “your time is up, my time is now” and we booed them for it. They did a good job. It’s the association with Cena that got booed, though. I feel bad for booing a church choir. I recognized the words of the poem from a DMX CD over a decade ago.

WWE Title: The Miz d. John Cena (*1/2)
They worked hard for the 15 minutes they were given. The match didn’t have much of a flow to it, though. I’m not sure if that’s their fault or we were still coming down from the Undertaker-Triple H match. I wasn’t a fan of the ref bump, but I understand why it was done because they had to have a way for The Rock to come out there. I thought Cena was going to win the belt after he hit the Attitude Adjustment. Miz kicked out of it, which was a shock to a lot of people. Then they did the spot on the floor where Cena clotheslined him. Then Cena tackled him on the floor, which led to Miz smacking his head on the cement. That led The Miz suffering a legit concussion. We did not like the ruling of a draw. Live in the arena we could see a camera guy running up the ramp. We all knew that meant The Rock was coming out. Rock restarted it saying no DQ, no countout. They went back in the ring, Rock got in the ring, hit the Rock Bottom on Cena and Miz covered for the win.

Post match, we wanted more from Rock and he delivered by going after The Miz with all of his signature spots. It was a long night, but we popped huge for the People’s Elbow just as I remember doing at many shows over a decade ago. The show finished just a few minutes before 11pmET, so in terms of timing they did a good job. It was weird because the first three or four matches felt rushed. The second half was loaded with that Triple H-Undertaker match as well as a lot of video packages.

I think the better thing to do was have Rock be the guest ref. I know they already had Stone Cold as guest ref, but at least if you do that you can book the match in a better way than what we got.

Final Thoughts
I think being in the building makes me want to give the show a 7 out of 10. I liked it. The matches were well done for the most part and the atmosphere in the building helped out some of the slow spots. We had the one match of the year contending match in Undertaker-HHH and then a bunch of matches in the three star range. That means they’re solid although they’re not attention getting either. After watching the broadcast it would be more like a 6 out of 10. So let’s go in the middle for my final score: 6.5 out of 10.

Now for some stars of the night. Let’s go with five because it’s WrestleMania: 1) Triple H – He was phenomenal. He did a great job of being the aggressor in the match, of selling how tough it was to put Undertaker away and telling the story with his face as much as he did with his body. 2) Undertaker – I think his injuries have definitely slowed him down, but he showed up big again. The last five WrestleManias have all seen Undertaker have matches that were four stars or better. All of them while he’s been in his 40s too. He’s an amazing talent. 3) The Rock – His energy helped the show. I enjoyed the introductory promo as a great way to get the crowd into the action right away. That staredown with Austin was awesome. 4) Steve Austin – I mark out for the Stunners. I don’t know who else to put here. 5) Edge – Had his working boots on. He looked healthy, which was great to see. Last thing. A big shoutout to my buddy Justin W. (follow him on Twitter @jdweisner) for The John Report sign he had at ringside. Here are a few pics with the sign featured. I met Justin on Saturday at Axxess. He’s a great guy that has served two tours of duty in Iraq and treated himself to an awesome WrestleMania weekend. Congrats buddy. You deserve it. And thank you for the sign. Once again if you click on the images they will expand. I could have posted more, but three are enough. I’m sure some will call me an egomaniac for promoting that. That’s fine. Just remember I’m an egomaniac with a sign. Here’s a link to other TJR related signs at wrestling shows in the last year. Thanks again Justin. I hope you enjoyed this recap of WrestleMania 27. I want to reiterate once again that the live WrestleMania experience was the most fun I’ve ever had at a wrestling show. I’ve been to over 25 WWE events in my 25+ years as a fan and this was well worth it. Thanks to all who helped get me there, to all those that made it a memorable weekend (you know who you are) and thanks a lot for reading. How about a poll to bring it home?

 

I’ll be back on Tuesday with the Raw Deal.

John Canton – john@thejohnreport.net
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Ok boys and girls, the wait is over. I am here to reveal to you the Top 25 of my WrestleMania countdown. If you missed Part One you can check it out here. So which match holds the distinction of the Greatest Match in WrestleMania History? Keep reading to find out.

25. CM Punk defeats Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, John Morrison, Carlito, MVP and Mr. Kennedy to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania XXIV, 13:55, ***3/4

I loved some of the spots in this match. Morrison hit a moonsault off the top rope to the outside while holding a ladder. Then there was the spot when Carlito and Kennedy tipped over a ladder that Benjamin was on causing Benjamin to go crashing through a ladder that was set up on the outside resting on the apron and the security wall. There were supposed to be eight men in this match but a few weeks before WrestleMania, Jeff Hardy failed a Wellness Test and got suspended. Matt Hardy made his return after being out for five months with an injury. He ran in to hit MVP with a Twist of Fate from the top of the ladder.

24. The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania VI, 24:19, ***3/4

This was a Title vs. Title match, in which the Warrior’s Intercontinental Championship was also on the line. This wasn’t a technical masterpiece but it was a great showdown between the two most popular stars in the WWF at the time. Hulk carried Warrior throughout this match. Yes you read that right; Hulk Hogan carried someone during a match. That’s how bad Warrior was in the ring. If they booked Warrior vs. a raccoon, the raccoon would be the better wrestler. In my opinion, Warrior was one of the, if not the most over rated wrestlers ever. He makes John Cena look like Bret Hart. The only thing that kept it from hitting the **** level was all the rest holds but it was still very good. The ending was very shocking because it came at a time when Hogan never lost clean and he did in this match.

23. Edge defeats Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match. WrestleMania 22, 14:35, ***3/4

You want to talk about a violent match; these two beat the holy hell out of each other. This was brutality at its best. I’m surprised Foley is still able to walk let alone still have matches after the abuse he put his body through during his career. Edge proved that he can wrestle any style. He could do the high risk ladder match, the technical classic or as seen here a hardcore brawl. That’s why he’s one of the best in WWE today. The Spear through the ropes through the flaming table is one of the sickest spots I have ever seen.

22. The Ultimate Warrior defeats Randy Savage in a Career Ending Match. WrestleMania VII, 20:47, ***3/4

This match is mostly remembered for the moment afterwards when Savage and Miss Elizabeth reunited after a two year separation. The career ending stipulation was the selling point of the match and it gave the match a special feel. The intensity and tension were off the chart for this one. I loved that Savage went for five elbow drops because he was so intent on putting the Warrior away. I didn’t like it that the Warrior kicked out of five elbow drops because a guy hitting his finisher five times should be enough to finish him. Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon were the announce team for this match and they did a great job of selling the importance of the match.

21. Ricky Steamboat defeats Randy Savage to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. WrestleMania III, 14:17, ****

This is a match that often gets overshadowed by what happened in the main event with “The Body Slam Heard Round the World”. This was a very good encounter between probably the two best technical wrestlers in the WWF at the time. I especially loved the sequence when Steamboat rolled up Savage something like eight times in a row only to come up short every time. I would have liked the ending a lot better had Steamboat won the match cleanly and not with the aid of George “The Animal” Steele. I know a lot of people are going to have this match rated a lot higher than I do, but to me another five minutes would have put this match into that next level. **** for a 14 minute match is pretty damn good.

20. John Cena defeats Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania 23, 27:47, ****

John Cena and Shawn Michaels were the reigning World Tag Team Champions coming into this match. For whatever reason WWE felt putting the belts on them heading into this match was a good idea. I’ve often called this the most unspectacular **** match I’ve ever seen. The reason I say that is because they got nearly 28 minutes and they seemed to grind through it. This match reminded me of a pitcher who comes to the mound and doesn’t have his best stuff but still finds away to deliver a winning ball game. I’m not saying that Cena or Michaels didn’t give 100% during the match because I believe they did. It’s more the style and type of match they worked that makes me say that. I ordered WrestleMania 23 on PPV but my PPV connection blacked out from right after the MITB match to about halfway through this. I remember marking out for this match like I hadn’t done in about 10 years. I wanted HBK to win so badly. The man had a one month title reign since his return and I wanted to see my old favorite back on top but sadly it was not to be. Rumor has it that Triple H and Cena were supposed to the main event for the second year in a row but after HHH tore his second quad muscle they went with Shawn as plan B. I’m glad they did because no man deserves the WrestleMania main event more than Shawn Michaels.

19. The Undertaker defeats Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XXIV, 23:48, ****

It was about the 13 minute mark that this turned the corner from being ok to boarder line great. I may have rated the match even higher if it wasn’t for the ref bump and the unnecessary run in of the Edge Heads. Even though Edge didn’t win this match this was his first WrestleMania main event and he proved he belonged in that spot. Edge showed you that the main event was his home and the Undertaker kept The Streak alive at 16-0 en route to winning the World Heavyweight Championship for the second year in a row at WrestleMania.

18. Randy Savage defeats Ric Flair to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania VIII, 18:05, ****

Ric Flair had spread rumors leading up to this match that he and Elizabeth used to be an item. This infuriated Savage to no end as he and Elizabeth had gotten back together and even got married at the 1991Summer Slam. This match had such great intensity and you could feel the hatred Savage had for Flair. This should have been the main event over that dud between Hulk Hogan and Sid.

17. Shawn Michaels defeats Ric Flair in a Career Threatening Match. WrestleMania XXIV, 20:25, ****

The meaning and emotion of this match, for me at least, has been ruined by Flair showing up in and wrestling in TNA. This was the culmination of a storyline that went on about four months where Vince McMahon told Flair that his career would end next time he lost. I have no idea how HBK finished the match after crashing through the announce table after the springboard moonsault. HBK ending it with “I’m sorry, I love you” before hitting Sweet Chin Music was an all-time moment but again it has lost a bit of its meaning. There would be more to say about this match had Flair stayed retired and this was our last image of him in the ring but for the people there that night they will never forget the raw emotion in the stadium.

16. Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart in an Iron Man Match to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XII, 61:56, ****

This was a 60 Minute Iron Man Match that finished at 0-0. President Gorilla Monsoon ordered a sudden death overtime period where Shawn scored the decisive pinfall. I’m going to be the bad guy here and state what I think many people may think but are afraid to say. This is the most overrated match in the company’s history. We had about 15 minutes in this match where they actually pushed the pace. The rest of the time was spent in submissions in order to kill time. Imagine if these guys had a straight up one on one match, it would have been the all time great we think this is. I just think neither man knew how to fill the 60 minutes because it was never done before. The running clock hurt this match because they had to find a way to get to 60 minutes. I think if they just had a one fall match that happened to go 60 minutes it would have been better than this. I also never liked the overtime. To me it really took away from Shawn’s moment. Everyone knew he was going to win at that point because if Bret was to remain champion they would have called the match a draw after the 60 minutes. I don’t want to bash a match I’m putting on this list, I’ve seen this match more than I’ve seen any other match but I feel the truth needed to be spoken about this match.

15. Edge and Christian defeat The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz in a Triangle Ladder Match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. WrestleMania 2000 22:30, ****

The Dudley’s came into this match as champions but they didn’t leave that way. The success of this match spawned the two TLC Matches that these three teams had that were amazingly better than this match. This was probably the first time the world realized that Jeff Hardy was nuts when he climbed to the top of the big ladder that was set up in the aisle and Swanton Bombed Bubba Ray through a table. This one often gets overshadowed because the TLC Matches were better but what a spectacle this was.

14. The Rock defeats Steve Austin. WrestleMania XIX, 17:54, ****

This was the final match of the Austin/Rock WrestleMania Trilogy and this is the one where The Rock finally got over the hump and beat Austin at WrestleMania. This match is historic for the fact that it was Steve Austin’s last match and The Rock’s last singles match at WrestleMania. We would come to find that Austin was a physical mess coming into the match and he wasn’t even sure if he could wrestle. You could see the legitimate pain in Austin’s face after the second and third Rock Bottoms he got. Even though I was/am a bigger Austin fan than a Rock fan, this was a great way for the man to end his in ring career. He had the perfect opponent and had a great match. There will never be another Stone Cold Steve Austin and I just wish we would’ve known this was going to be his last match so he could’ve gotten the proper send off he deserved.

13. Shawn Michaels defeats Chris Jericho. WrestleMania XIX, 22:30, ****1/4

This was Shawn Michaels first WrestleMania since WrestleMania XIV and it looked like he had never been away. Since then Shawn hasn’t missed a WrestleMania or been disappointing at one. It’s going to suck not seeing him perform this year. These two are always gold in the ring together. Just look at this match and then their great 2008 feud. The match really became something special at the 11 minute mark. Chris Jericho was the perfect opponent for Shawn on this night.

12. Eddie Guerrero defeats Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania XX, 21:33, ****1/4

There weren’t many guys that could keep up with the pace Eddie set in the ring, but Kurt did a great job keeping up with Eddie here. Eddie’s counters to the Ankle Lock and Angle Slam were great. I especially loved the ending when Eddie untied his boot to escape the Ankle Lock leading a surprised Angle to get small packaged. I’m glad Eddie got this moment because just 19 months later Eddie would no longer be with us.

11. Edge defeats Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian, Shelton Benjamin and Kane to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 21, 16:15, ****1/4

This was the first Money in the Bank and it still stands up as the best one. Storyline wise this match was Chris Jericho’s idea. This is also the only single brand Money in the Bank featuring only RAW wrestlers. All the others featured the other brands. Shelton Benjamin’s walk up the ladder was amazing. Edge winning here was the beginning of his ascent to the main event level performer he is today. It’s a shame the match is in doubt for this year’s show as it is really one of the highlights of the show.

10. Brock Lesnar defeats Kurt Angle to win the WWE Championship. WrestleMania XIX, 21:08, ****1/2

You have got to love a young Michael Cole. This was the first WrestleMania after WWE split into two brands and it was Michael Cole’s first WrestleMania as a play-by-play announcer covering the main event. He voice was shot during this match. He may have lost it as early as the Tag Team Championship Match but it was definitely gone during the Hogan/McMahon Street Fight and he fought through it to call this match to the best of his abilities. Now people would do cartwheels if Cole lost his voice. Just like Austin/Rock match earlier in the night this was a match that was in doubt due to the health of one of its participants. Angle’s neck was in terrible shape. It was so bad he considered dropping the title on SmackDown a few weeks before WrestleMania but he fought through it to make it to this match. This was a great wrestling match between two great amateur wrestlers. They mixed the amateur and pro style very well. May I add that Lesnar is a nut. There was no reason to attempt a Shooting Star Press but he did and almost killed himself in the process. He used to hit the move all the time in developmental but he should have noticed that Angle was too far away. The match was supposed to end with Lesnar hitting the Shooting Star and pinning Angle but he missed and give credit to both guys for going to an improved finish that came off as believable. Especially since Lesnar has said he doesn’t remember anything after hitting his head from the missed Shooting Star.

9. Owen Hart defeats Bret Hart. WrestleMania X, 20:20, ****1/2

This was probably the biggest upset in WrestleMania history. The two brothers finally met and they did not disappoint. Who would have thought that little brother Owen had what it took to beat big brother Bret? This was just a great wrestling match, no ref bumps, no outside interference, no weapons, just wrestling. This loss did little to deter Bret as he would become WWF Champion later in the night.

8. Edge and Christian defeat The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. WrestleMania X-Seven, 15:41, ****1/2

This was a match that you didn’t want to end but you were glad it was over because you didn’t want to see these men kill themselves. Just like the year previous the Dudleys came in as champions but wouldn’t leave that way. This was the third match of its type in a year for these three teams so to change things up a little each team had someone interfere on their behalf. Lita interfered for The Hardys, Spike Dudley for the Dudleys and Rhyno for Edge and Christian. This match featured the ultimate “Holy Shit” moment when Jeff Hardy was hanging from the ring above the ring that held the title belts and Edge jumped off the top of the big ladder and speared Jeff all the way down to the mat. Many fans had to pick their jaws up off the floor after this match was over.

7. Razor Ramon defeats Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match to become the Undisputed WWF Intercontinental Champion. WrestleMania X, 19:10, ****1/2

The story here was that Shawn Michaels was the Intercontinental Champion and then he got suspended. Razor Ramon then won the vacated title. When Shawn came back, he came back with the title belt still claiming he was champion. Both title belts were hung above the ring in this match. While this was not the first Ladder Match (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels had one in 1992) this was the standard bearer for all other ladder matches to be compared to and 16 years later it is still one of the best ladder matches ever, if not the best. This was really ground breaking stuff in 1994. If you want a new match concept to get over, you put Shawn Michaels in the first one. Hell in a Cell, Ladder Match and the Elimination Chamber, all staples in the WWE now and Shawn was in the first match of each one of them.

6. Bret Hart defeats Steve Austin in a Submission Match. WrestleMania 13, 22:07, ****3/4

Many people say this match is the most important match in the company’s history and it’s hard to argue that point. This match was Steve Austin’s coming out party. After this night neither his career nor the company would ever be the same again. WrestleMania 13 made Steve Austin a superstar. This was also the first match in which Bret whipped out the awesome ring post Figure Four. Ken Shamrock was the guest referee for this match in which the only way to win was to make your opponent give up, although Austin never gave up. This match created one of the most iconic images in the history of wrestling with Austin in the Sharpshooter and blood streaming down his agony ridden face trying desperately to escape. Bret was declared the winner after Austin passed out from the pain because he refused to give up and that was the moment that Austin’s career sky rocketed to the next level.

5. The Undertaker pins Shawn Michaels in a Streak vs. Career Match. WrestleMania XXVI, 24:00,*****

The expectations surrounding this match were almost impossible to match. Sequels always have a tough time living up to the original. Would this be The Godfather Part II? A match that would surpass what was a classic original. Or would this Rocky II? A match that didn’t live up to the first but still a worthy sequel. What this match turned out to be was yet another absolute classic from these two legends. I’ve always maintained that this wasn’t a ***** match because it wasn’t as good as the first but I’ve come to realize that is such a disservice to this match. What more could these two have done? The answer is nothing. The ending was simply excellent. After HBK kicked out of a Tombstone, The Undertaker showed a slight bit of compassion and told Shawn to stay down but HBK used what little energy he had left to crawl up and slap Undertaker right in the face. It was a last act of defiance in a brilliant career. There couldn’t have been a better opponent for Shawn to go out against.

4. Chris Benoit defeats Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XX, 24:27, *****

Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble and with his title shot he chose to face the World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H at WrestleMania. There was also an ongoing feud between Michaels and Triple H. HBK felt that there was some unfinished business between him and HHH. During Benoit’s contract signing, Michaels knocked out Benoit with Sweet Chin Music and signed his name to the contract. Ultimately, a triple threat match was made. I was never sure on the reason why Michaels was added to this match. Maybe they felt Benoit vs. HHH wasn’t big enough on its own. Given the same time could Benoit and HHH reach the ever elusive ***** rating? Maybe, their best one on one match came in at ****1/4 at No Mercy in 2000. I would probably have expected the same thing here. A ****1/4 match is nothing to sneeze at but it’s rare to get a ***** match. Who would’ve ever thought HBK would get booed at Madison Square Garden? He did in this match because the crowd so desperately wanted Benoit to finally win the big one. As great as this match is, it’s one you’ll never hear anyone in WWE talk about. It’s the proverbial “lost classic” due to what happened in the summer of 2007.

3. Kurt Angle defeats Shawn Michaels. WrestleMania 21, 27:25, *****

The only word that comes to mind after watching this match was “Wow”. If you want to show a person what keeps us hooked as wrestling fans this is the match you show them. This was just fantastic. The ending was simply awesome. HBK was in the Ankle Lock for about two minutes and he did whatever he could to escape the hold. He held on as long as he possibly could. His hand came so close to tapping so many times building even more suspense to the ending. Jim Ross did an excellent job of putting over how Michaels didn’t want to tap out at WrestleMania, even further building the suspense to the viewers at home.

2. Steve Austin defeats The Rock in a No Disqualification Match to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania X-Seven, 28:09, *****

No two men in the WWE today could match the magic and intensity these two had in the ring. What a phenomenal match this was, just pure action bell to bell. Austin and The Rock came in as the two most popular men in the WWF but you couldn’t tell it with the Pro-Austin crowd in his home state of Texas.. Austin had returned from a year long absence due to neck surgery the previous November and he wanted more than anything to be champion again even if that meant selling his soul to Vince McMahon to make sure that happened. Enough good things can’t be said about this match. This is what a WrestleMania main event should be. This was the best WrestleMania main event ever at the best WrestleMania ever.

1. The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels. WrestleMania 25, 30:44, *****

One of my best friends in the world attended WrestleMania 25. I secretly hate her guts for being there live to witness this. After the match was over I texted her and said “This is why we love wrestling”. I may have only said that two or three other times in my life. This match was phenomenal. There really aren’t enough adjectives in the English language to describe how great this was. Two men, whose combined age is 90, went out there on the Grandest Stage of Them All and they outshined everyone. I knew Undertaker was winning this match but yet during the match when HBK would get those near falls after hitting Sweet Chin Music I was thinking that maybe they would put HBK over. In a match where the outcome was very much certain they did an excellent job of making you believe that maybe it wasn’t. They went 30+ minutes and left it all out there. I loved how they showed the exhaustion each man had going through such a grueling match. Tombstones, Last Rides, Chokeslams all hit by the Undertaker and all kicked out of by Michaels. The Undertaker kicked out of two Sweet Chin Musics to further the drama. The Undertaker’s chest was as red as the stripes on the United States flag from all the chops he took. How did he not break his neck after coming up short on the Flying Deadman? The only thing left to do after watching this match is stand up, clap and say “Thank you”. This is the greatest match in the history of WrestleMania.

Post Countdown Notes

WrestleMania with the most matches on the countdown- It is a tie between WrestleManias X-Seven, XIX, 21, 22 and XXIV. They all had four matches.

WrestleManias that didn’t make the countdown- The first, IV and IX

Wrestler with the most matches on the countdown- Shawn Michaels had 11 matches on this countdown and participated in four of the only five **** star matches I had and was in nine of the top twenty matches. Honestly, are you really surprised at these stats? They called the man Mr. WrestleMania for a reason.

Wrestler I’m most surprised to see on the countdown- The Ultimate Warrior. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that the man just wasn’t very good in the ring but when you work with top guys you’ll see a carry job by an elite worker such as Randy Savage and get a great match out of a slug like Warrior.

That’s going to wrap it up from me. This was the most extensive writing project I’ve ever done and that includes college papers I’ve had to write. I want to personally thank each and every one of you that took the time to read this and leave me feedback. I truly do appreciate your support. The only thing I ask is if you disagree with a ranking of a particular match, please comment in a respectful manner and remember that this is my countdown and this is how I see things. I’d also like to thank Andrew Johnson for hooking me up with that cool banner and John Canton for giving me the opportunity to present this countdown to all of you. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope that you had a good time reading my countdown. I hope this helped get you into the WrestleMania season.

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WrestleMania is like Christmas day for us wrestling fans so I’ve decided to honor it by counting down the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History. I will be breaking the countdown into two parts. Today you will be reading Matches 50-26. Then next Monday I will be posting Matches 25-1.

In boldface you will see the number the match came in at followed by the result of the match. Then you will see what WrestleMania it occurred at, the time of the match and my star rating for the match. Then there will be a brief discussion about the match. It’s not the same for all the matches. Sometimes it will be about the in-ring work of the match, the back story of the match or the historical significance of the match.

If you’re wondering how I handled the whole WWF/WWE thing, I called the championship by whatever it was known by at the time, so from WrestleMania 1 to WrestleMania X-8 it was the WWF and from WrestleMania XIX on it is WWE.  The lowest rated match on the countdown is ***1/4, while the highest is *****. Obviously some matches are going to have the same rating. I broke ties by thinking about the following factors: If it was a title match, if a title changed hands in the match and how historically significant the match was, but the biggest factor in breaking ties was how much I liked the match.

I think that about covers everything, so without any further ado; here is Part One of the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History.

50. Triple H defeats Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XIX, 18:47, ***1/4

When Michael Cole says Booker T main evented WrestleMania and you sit there scratching you’re head saying “when?” This is when. It’s hard to remember when it was only fourth on the card in terms of importance and buried in the middle of the show. It ended up being a quality wrestling match although it played out more like a TV match than a World Title Match at WrestleMania.

49. Matt Hardy defeats Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match. WrestleMania 25, 13:15, ***1/4

I had really high hopes for this one. I thought we were going to have a classic on our hands, but what we got was a good hardcore match. The brothers came to blows due to Matt’s jealousy after Jeff won the WWE Championship at Armageddon in December of 2008. Matt would cost his brother the title at the 2009 Royal Rumble. Then Matt would stake claim to running Jeff’s car off the road, causing him to get burned by pyrotechnics and burning down his house (which actually did happen, and no Matt did not really do it). I was very surprised that Matt won considering that Jeff had already been given the championship. I am even more surprised looking back on it considering Matt never got any big push out of it and Jeff spent most of the summer as the World Heavyweight Champion. The Twist of Fate with Jeff’s neck stuck in the open chair to end the match was sick.

48. Mr. Kennedy defeats Jeff Hardy, King Booker, Finlay, CM Punk, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton and Edge to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 23, 19:10, ***1/4

Mr. Kennedy has the distinction of being the only MITB winner to not cash in his briefcase.  This match just about summed up Mr. Kennedy’s WWE career. Every time he was due a big push, he did something to mess it up. Remember, he was supposed to be revealed as Mr. McMahon’s bastard son, but then he was a part of that online steroids scandal and he got suspended and Hornswoggle became the bastard son. Kennedy didn’t even make it two months after this match before getting injured. They had to get the briefcase off him and Edge won it and cashed it in. This was the first MITB to feature eight wrestlers and it didn’t really need to. Orton and Edge were already above this match at this point and could’ve easily wrestled each other at WrestleMania 23 since their partnership had just fallen apart. It was very slow moving for a MITB. The moment of this match was when Edge was laying on a ladder that was setup up on the ring apron and the barrier and Jeff Hardy came off the ladder from inside the ring with a leg drop onto Edge that broke the ladder he was laying on.

47. Jack Swagger defeats Kofi Kingston, MVP, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kane and Christian to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania XXVI, 12:24, ***1/4

This may not been the most spectacular Money in the Bank Ladder Match but there were some really nasty bumps that made this one quite enjoyable. I felt that ten men would be too many and it played out that way as some of these guys barely got anytime to shine. We didn’t even get our customary crazy Shelton bump. In the end Swagger won and would win the World Heavyweight Championship on the following Friday’s SmackDown.

46. Chris Benoit wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship and Chris Jericho wins the WWF European Championship in a 2 Falls Match which also featured Kurt Angle. WrestleMania 2000, 13:48, ***1/4

Kurt Angle came into the match with two championships and left with none. Angle griped after the match was over that he didn’t get pinned to lose either belt. The first fall was for the Intercontinental Championship and Benoit won pinning Jericho. The second fall was for the European Championship and Jericho won pinning Benoit. There was good work by all three guys here but it was too short for a two falls match. Had this match hit the 20 minute mark we would’ve probably had something special on our hands.

45. The Undertaker defeats Randy Orton. WrestleMania 21, 14:14, ***1/4

This match cost itself a ¼* by two very noticeable botches. The first was when Undertaker was to hit a clothesline and Orton went for one as well. The second was when Undertaker was supposed to hit the Last Ride right before Bob Orton came out and I don’t know what the hell happened but both men just fell down and played it like the Last Ride was hit. Aside from that this was pretty good. This was Randy’s first big singles match at WrestleMania and he came through it showing the abilities that led him to the top of WWE today. This night, however was about the Streak reaching 13-0.

44. The British Bulldogs defeat Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. WrestleMania 2, 12:02, ***1/4

When I watch this match I think to myself that Vince McMahon booked this match. Now he could give a damn about tag team wrestling. It’s such a shame. The abrupt ending hurt this match where Davey threw Valentine into the corner and Valentine bumped heads with the Dynamite Kid. A better go-home sequence could have really made this special. Good work by both teams with plenty of tags and strong wrestling. If we still got tag team matches like this today, I’d be a happy camper.

43. Randy Orton defeats Triple H and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania XXIV, 14:10, ***1/4

Usually there’s a down period in triple threat matches, but they worked a good pace to keep it entertaining. This was a big win for Orton as it really cemented him as a top guy in the company. WWE ran a text poll before the match on who the fans thought would win and only 8% voted for Orton. It just goes to show you how Orton was looked at compared to Cena and HHH back then. Orton has come a long way in three years and is now one of the WWE’s top superstars.

42. Diesel defeats Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XI, 20:32, ***1/4

Diesel may have been the champion, but Shawn was the star of this match. I think it’s pretty safe to say he earned this rating on his own. The match was good but it suffered because Diesel couldn’t keep up with Shawn. It would be another year before Michaels would win the championship but on this night he proved he belonged in the main event.

41. Hulk Hogan defeats Randy Savage to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania V, 17:32, ***1/4

The Macho Man made sure The Hulkster had his working boots on in this match. Savage pushed Hogan to his limits here and got a good match out of him. This was one of the best built main events in WrestleMania history. The seeds were planted for this feud a year earlier when Hogan helped Savage win the Championship at WrestleMania IV. The love triangle between the Mega-Powers and Elizabeth made this ultra personal. She really didn’t play too big a role in the match and was ejected by the referee before the go-home sequence. There have been better Hogan matches and there have been better Savage matches but they worked hard and put on an entertaining main event. You really can’t ask for more than that.

40. Rey Mysterio defeats Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania 22, 9:18, ***1/4

The story here was Kurt Angle was the reigning champion. Mysterio had won the 2006 Royal Rumble but lost his title opportunity to Orton in a match but then General Manager Theodore Long made this a Triple Threat. Mysterio was given the big push after the death of his close friend Eddie Guerrero. I wonder how Chavo Guerrero felt considering he was actually related to Eddie. There was a lot of action packed into the nine minutes they got, and there lies the problem. The World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania got nine minutes. How can you leave that match anything short of 15 minutes? That was just poor booking on WWE’s part, especially considering all the time the Playboy Pillow Fight took up.

39. Steve Austin defeats The Rock in a No Disqualification Match to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XV, 16:55, ***1/4

This first match of the great Austin/Rock WrestleMania Trilogy was an overbooked mess. It’s a testament to these two that it came out as well as it did. The first half of the match was spent brawling on the outside. Then once they made it back in the ring three, yes, three referees were knocked out until the original special referee Mankind came down to take out Vince McMahon, who was there interfering on The Rock’s behalf. Thankfully their next two matches would blow this one away.

38. Christian defeats Chris Jericho. WrestleMania XX, 14:43, ***1/2

This match centered on Trish Stratus. Christian and Jericho had a bet that Christian could land Lita faster than Jericho could land Trish. Just like the movie they got the idea from, Jericho falls in love with Trish but Trish finds out about the bet. Christian turned on his friend and even assaulted Trish in the buildup turning Jericho face. The match ended when Trish came down and elbowed Jericho accidently to allow Christian to roll him up for the win. The elbow didn’t seem like such an accident afterward as Trish and Christian kissed. I can see it now: Christian vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XVIII. I can dream, can’t I?

37. Rob Van Dam defeats Ric Flair, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Bobby Lashley to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 22, 12:15, ***1/2

When I saw this match live I only gave it ***, but watching it for this column it definitely deserves the extra ½*. They squeezed a lot of high spots in the 12 minutes they got. Flair was nuts to take as many big bumps as he did at his age, including the superplex off the ladder. Shelton’s ladder springboard into a somersault to the floor was amazing. RVD won here and used his contract to win the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand in front of one of the most rabid crowds ever.

36. Rey Mysterio defeats Eddie Guerrero. WrestleMania 21, 12:22, ***1/2

These two were the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions. This wasn’t the first time and I doubt it’ll be the last time WWE books tag team championship partners against each other at a major PPV. If you listed all the combinations of guys that have faced each other 20+ times that you’d never get tired of seeing, these two would be at the top of the list. This was the start of their spring/summer long feud that produced many good-great matches but ended up getting weird with the revelation that Rey’s son was really Eddie’s. Anyway, I would’ve like to see them get 20+ minutes on the grand stage to hit the **** level or above but it was great for the opening match at WrestleMania and a lot of fun while it lasted.

35. Triple H defeats The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley in a No Disqualification Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match to retain the WWF Championship. WrestleMania 2000, 26:25, ***1/2

The special attraction in this match is that there was a McMahon in every corner. Vince was with The Rock, Stephanie was with HHH, Shane was with Big Show and Linda was with Mick Foley. The original plan for the main event was supposed to be Rock vs. HHH, with the Rock winning the Royal Rumble that year. They should have just left it like that. Big Show was in the match for all of four minutes and Foley, who “retired” after this match spent nine. My problem with this match is it was centered too much around the McMahons and not enough around the championship. Vince ultimately turns against Rock to cost him the match. Even if this was the same match, just minus the McMahon stuff it would’ve been a lot better.

34. The Undertaker defeats Triple H. WrestleMania X-Seven, 18:57, ***1/2

Remember this match? If you don’t I can’t blame you considering the participants act like it never happened. This was a straight up brawl. I have two problems with this match. The first being the literally 14 minute long ref bump and  second what caused that ref bump, The Undertaker elbow dropping the referee with no consequence. This was a good match that could’ve been great with better booking. I’m excited to see what these two have in store for us this year.

33. The Undertaker defeats Batista to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania 23, 15:48, ***1/2

This could have been real special had it been given another 5-10 minutes. It’s a little short at just under 16 minutes for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania but much better than the mere nine minutes the World Heavyweight Championship match was given the previous year. I’m guessing the shorter match is the reason why these two worked a quicker pace than is the norm from them. The running powerslam from the RAW announce table through the ECW announce table was awesome. From there on out, it was big move after big move until the Undertaker hit the Tombstone to make it 15-0 and become the new champion.

32. Bret Hart defeats Roddy Piper to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. WrestleMania VIII, 13:50, ***1/2

The thing I loved about this match is even though each man was a babyface and they were portrayed as friends they still pulled out all the stops to win. Whether it was Hart faking a shoulder injury to catch Piper in a small package or it was Piper making Bret think his shoe was untied to enable him to punch Bret in the face. The lasting memory I have from this match is Piper contemplating whether or not he should use the ring bell to hit Bret with. In the end he chose not to. This was the first time to my knowledge we ever saw anyone reverse the sleeper like Bret did by pushing off the ropes. That was a great counter. This is a match needed another five minutes to expand on what was a great story being told.

31. John Cena defeats Triple H to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania 22, 22:01, ***1/2

The crowd was the star of this match. Cena was the babyface and HHH was the heel but don’t tell that to the Chicago audience. They HATED John Cena. The DVD doesn’t do the crowd justice as WWE had to muffle them on a few occasions for their “F*ck you, Cena” chants. If you can watch a recording from the original broadcast, please do so. I don’t know if we’ll ever see another crowd like this. When I originally reviewed this match, I only gave it ***1/4, because I felt it was too slow at times. I bumped it up a ¼* because it seemed like they were working that slower pace to allow the crowd to react to every move, which I really liked. A couple of notes from this match; First, did anyone else notice how HHH’s picture was right next to Stephanie’s up in the rafters? This was the first time I noticed that. Second, did you all catch CM Punk as one of the “gangsters” during Cena’s entrance?

30. Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XIV, 20:01, ***1/2

This match was historic for two reasons. First, it was the night the torch was passed to Steve Austin and second it would be Shawn Michaels last match for nearly 4 ½ years. Shawn was in desperate need of back surgery that almost cost him his career. The man could barely walk coming into the match and he still delivered a quality match. I would have loved to see what Shawn could’ve done with Austin had he been healthy. It could have been epic. Mike Tyson was the special enforcer for this match and he made the decisive three count. That is my only gripe in this match. It kind of took away from Austin’s moment of finally winning a World Title with Tyson in the ring counting, which he did way to fast. Shawn and Steve, what could have been? Sadly, we will never know.

29. The Rock defeats Hulk Hogan. WrestleMania X-8, 16:23, ***1/2

The Rock was the babyface and Hogan was the heel, but you’d never know it. The Toronto crowd made it clear that they were still Hulkamaniacs at heart. This was one of those dream matches that only Vince McMahon could bring you. WrestleMania was made for matches like this. This was one of those examples of how a crowd makes a match. They made a good match seem great with how they reacted to every move. This match had a very surreal atmosphere.

28. Kurt Angle defeats Chris Benoit. WrestleMania X-Seven, 14:02, ***3/4

I loved how this match started going with the amateur style and then Kurt got so frustrated he punches Benoit. This was just a good solid wrestling match with all the holds and counter holds. This was a lot of fun. In typical Kurt fashion he held the tights to win. This match was just a taste of how good these two could be in the ring together. If you want to watch a “wrestling clinic” check out their match from the 2003 Royal Rumble.

27. CM Punk defeats Mark Henry, MVP, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Christian and Kane to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 25, 14:24, ***3/4

I don’t remember this match being this good while watching it live. This was a very good ladder match. I think I may have given it **** if Benjamin and MVP didn’t botch the sunset flip powerbomb. Speaking of Benjamin, what the hell goes through his mind in these matches? His somersault dive off the big ladder onto the group of wrestlers on the floor was insane. This wasn’t filled with too many high spots but it did have plenty of innovative uses of the ladder and non-stop action. I really liked the way they rigged the three ladders with one on the outside leading to one resting on the ropes and the rungs of a standing ladder that Shelton ran up. Kofi Kingston was awesome in the few spots he was given in the match. I really wanted Christian to win and really thought he was going to but Punk took it for the second straight year.

26. Chris Jericho defeats Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XXVI, 15:48, ***3/4

The seeds were planted for this match back in the summer of 2009 when Edge injured his Achilles while he was partners with Chris Jericho. Jericho would consistently take shots at Edge for being injury prone. Edge returned to win the 2010 Royal Rumble and would challenge Jericho after Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber. You could tell that the injury took its toll on Edge as he was moving around at a slower pace than we were used to seeing from him. They did a nice job of picking it up towards the end. Jericho won with an assist from the title belt. I’m surprised they saved the big spot for after the match when Edge ran across both announce tables and Speared Jericho through the barricade.

I have watched and reviewed over 80 matches for this countdown and it’s taken me a year to fully compile this list. I’ve seen each WrestleMania enough times to know what matches would be eligible for a countdown such as this. This is the most extensive writing project I’ve ever done so I appreciate any and all feedback on it. Please remember however, that this is a countdown of what I see as the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History so please be respectful of that when commenting.

I hope you have enjoyed the first part of the countdown. Please be sure to join me next week for the conclusion and the revealing of the Greatest Match in WrestleMania History.

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Thank you for reading. My office is now closed.

1) Hart vs. Austin @ WM13 (60%) d. 1) Angle vs. Michaels @ WM21 (40%)
1) Undertaker vs. Michaels @ WM25 (63%) d. 1) Austin vs. Rock @ WM17 (37%)

So it’s Hart/Austin vs. Undertaker/Michaels. Surprising? No. Deserving? I think so. They are arguably the four biggest stars in WWE in the last two decades although I’d throw The Rock in that discussion. So, what do you like better?

THE GREATEST WRESTLEMANIA MATCH FINALS

BERZERKER BRACKET #1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin @ WM13

VERSUS

#1) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM25

Here’s the final poll that will be open for 48 hours:

This should be close. I don’t know who will win, so it should be interesting to see how it turns out.

Thanks for participating in the tourney. It was the first time I tried something like this. Not sure if I’ll do it again.

Have fun voting and discussing this matchup.

Berzerker Bracket: 1) Hart vs. Austin @ WM13 (70%) d. 3) Michaels vs. Hart @ WM12 (30%)
Al Wilson Bracket: 1) Angle vs. Michaels @ WM21 (58%) d. 3) TLC @ WM17 (42%)
Mideon Bracket: 1) Austin vs. Rock @ WM17 (83%) d. 6) Rock vs. Hogan @ WM18 (17%)
Kamala Bracket: 1) Undertaker vs. Michaels @ WM25 (78%) d. 2) Benoit vs. HHH vs. HBK @ WM20 (22%)

Now we run both polls. They will be open for 48 hours and the finals will start up on WrestleMania Sunday.

FINAL FOUR MATCHUP #1

BERZERKER BRACKET #1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin @ WM13
From my column about this match: I will never be tired of seeing this match nor will I ever be tired of talking about it. I will never forget Bret using the figure four around the ring post. I will never forget when Austin cracked Bret in the back with a chair. I will never forget the sight of Austin’s blood dripping into his mouth. I will never forget the pop Shamrock got for pulling Bret off Austin. I will never forget the standing ovation Austin received after delivering the performance of a lifetime. Everybody involved in the match deserves a standing ovation because what they gave us on March 23, 1997 was a terrific match that I will never forget.

This match had everything that is good about the wrestling business. Two great competitors, a terrific storyline, an extremely high workrate, plenty of crowd heat, one of the greatest blade jobs ever and the greatest double turn in the history of the business.

VERSUS

AL WILSON BRACKET #1) Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM21
From my WM21 recap: This was amazing. This did live up to the hype. This did meet all expectations. This did deliver the goods the way we all hoped it would. My God. The amount of counter holds seen in this match was unreal. It was wrestling at its absolute best. Amazing stuff here. I can’t say it enough. You didn’t know when it was going to end. There was incredible spot after incredible spot here. Finishers kicked out of, drama at the end, and everything you want in a match. The match time was great, the pacing was really good because it built up to the end and the last ten minutes were as good a finish to a match that you can have. This was a dream match for me. My two favorite wrestlers at the time – along with Benoit – working in singles for the first time ever. And they delivered. It’s interesting to note that Angle’s health was a huge question at this point as well. He managed to make it through the match and they had other matches that were very good as well. This was their best, though. I’ll never get tired of watching it.

Here’s the poll…

FINAL FOUR MATCHUP #2

The winner of that matchup moves onto the finals to face the winner of this one…

NAKED MIDEON BRACKET #1) Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the WWF Title @ WM 17
The main event for the WWF Title for the PPV that many (including myself) feel is the best PPV in WWF history. The end result sees Austin capture the WWF Title after turning heel in a grueling, fast paced match that is the culmination of the very successful Attitude era.

VERSUS

#1) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM25
The 2009 match of the year pretty much all over the place saw the two longest tenured performers in WWE face off at the 25th Mania. The result was a show stealing match thanks to some of the best nearfall sequences ever and that one awesome facial expression from the Undertaker where he was like, “WHAT THE FUCK?” A classic in every sense of the word. Couldn’t find the whole match, so we’ll go with the awesome video package about it.

Here’s the poll…

That’s it. The finals are up to you now. I think it’s very difficult with these four matches, so the voting should be interesting.

I was going to post the bracket, but the site where I got them from seems to be down at the moment. I’ll try tonight.

Thanks for reading, watching and voting!

1. Undertaker vs. Michaels @ WM25 (84%) d. 4. Angle vs. Benoit @ WM17 (16%)
2. Benoit vs. HHH vs. Michaels @ WM20 (72%) d. 3. Warrior vs. Savage @ WM7 (28%)

The two matches feature Shawn Michaels. What one is better?

THE KAMALA BRACKET – ROUND 3

#1) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM25
The 2009 match of the year pretty much all over the place saw the two longest tenured performers in WWE face off at the 25th Mania. The result was a show stealing match thanks to some of the best nearfall sequences ever and that one awesome facial expression from the Undertaker where he was like, “WHAT THE FUCK?” A classic in every sense of the word. Couldn’t find the whole match, so we’ll go with the awesome video package about it.

VERSUS

#2) Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Title @ WM20
The best triple threat match ever? A lot of people would say yes. This was Benoit’s best shot at winning the World Title and he’d have to do against two main event regulars. It was the coming out party for the Rabid Wolverine with a hot New York crowd behind him every step of the way.

Here’s the poll…

Tomorrow we start the final four. Two one seeds are facing off as it will be Hart/Austin vs. Angle/Michaels in the first semifinal.

1. Steve Austin vs. The Rock @ WM17 (54%) d. 4. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho @ WM19 (46%)
6. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan @ WM18 (51%) d. 2. Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage @ WM3 (49%) – This match won by a total of 11 votes in a tight race.

The Rock has two matches in the elite eight going to head to head. Which Rock match do you like better?

THE NAKED MIDEON BRACKET – ROUND THREE

#1) Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the WWF Title @ WM 17
The main event for the WWF Title for the PPV that many (including myself) feel is the best PPV in WWF history. The end result sees Austin capture the WWF Title after turning heel in a grueling, fast paced match that is the culmination of the very successful Attitude era.

VERSUS

#6) The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan @ WM18
This was a dream matchup too. Two icons, one from the past in Hogan and one from the present in Rock, going face to face in Toronto on the biggest stage of them all. It was one of the most electric atmospheres for any match in WM history.

Here’s the poll awaiting your vote:

Back tomorrow with the final matchup in the Elite 8 round.

Thanks for voting!

1) Angle vs. Michaels @ WM21 (75%) d. 5) Edge vs. Foley @ WM22 (25%)
3) TLC @ WM17 (62%) d. 2) Hart vs. Hart @ WM10 (38%)

One straight up match beat a brawl while a match filled with weapons beat a technical classic. Now we’ll vote to see who makes it to the final four.

THE AL WILSON BRACKET – ROUND THREE

#1) Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM21
From my WM21 recap: This was amazing. This did live up to the hype. This did meet all expectations. This did deliver the goods the way we all hoped it would. My God. The amount of counter holds seen in this match was unreal. It was wrestling at its absolute best. Amazing stuff here. I can’t say it enough. You didn’t know when it was going to end. There was incredible spot after incredible spot here. Finishers kicked out of, drama at the end, and everything you want in a match. The match time was great, the pacing was really good because it built up to the end and the last ten minutes were as good a finish to a match that you can have. This was a dream match for me. My two favorite wrestlers at the time – along with Benoit – working in singles for the first time ever. And they delivered. It’s interesting to note that Angle’s health was a huge question at this point as well. He managed to make it through the match and they had other matches that were very good as well. This was their best, though. I’ll never get tired of watching it.

VERSUS

#3) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz in a TLC Match for the WWF Tag Titles @ WM17
From my Top 50 PPV matches from 2000-2004 column: The addition of Rhyno, Spike and Lita added something good to the match that wasn’t there before. The spots in this match were once again awesome as all six guys, plus their three friends, busted their asses to put on a great show. As usual, Jeff Hardy took the most insane bumps with the Swanton onto two people as well as the biggest bump of the night which was the spear he took from Edge while hanging onto the belts. It was one of the sickest bumps I have ever seen and quite frankly I’m surprised he could walk after that one. Then of course there was the bump by Matt Hardy & Bubba Ray Dudley off the giant ladder through the stacked tables on the floor. That was just sick.

The other thing that sticks out is the chemistry these teams had by the time of this match. They had everything planned out so meticulously and perfectly. It worked in every way possible. I liked the ending of this one better than the other two, which makes it the best of the three. I liked it because it was heels acting like heels, cheating to win a match on the biggest stage of them all. I like that a lot. Also of note is the time of the match. Sixteen minutes is the right amount of time. I like that because it’s unrealistic to expect guys to kill themselves like this for over twenty minutes.

Here’s the poll.

Back tomorrow with the next matchup in the Elite 8 round. Thanks for voting.

JC

1) Austin/Hart @ WM13 (84%) d. 4) Money in the Bank @ WM21 (16%) – A thrashing.
3) Michaels/Hart @ WM12 (56%) d. 2) Ramon/Michaels @ WM10 (44%) – Very close win by the Ironman match over the ladder match.

Now to see who moves onto the final four…

1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin @ WM13
From my column about this match: I will never be tired of seeing this match nor will I ever be tired of talking about it. I will never forget Bret using the figure four around the ring post. I will never forget when Austin cracked Bret in the back with a chair. I will never forget the sight of Austin’s blood dripping into his mouth. I will never forget the pop Shamrock got for pulling Bret off Austin. I will never forget the standing ovation Austin received after delivering the performance of a lifetime. Everybody involved in the match deserves a standing ovation because what they gave us on March 23, 1997 was a terrific match that I will never forget.

This match had everything that is good about the wrestling business. Two great competitors, a terrific storyline, an extremely high workrate, plenty of crowd heat, one of the greatest blade jobs ever and the greatest double turn in the history of the business.

VERSUS

3. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart @ WM12
From my Top 20 HBK matches column written in 1999: The first thirty minutes is kind of slow until Shawn goes for the superkick, Bret slides away so Shawn leaps over the top onto Bret outside the ring in a wonderful spot. After some near pinfalls Shawn takes an insane backdrop over the top rope that could easily blow a knee out but this is Shawn Michaels so somehow he escapes unscathed. The next few minutes see Bret working over the back while solidifying his heel role by going after Jose Lothario, Shawn’s mentor, a bit. The final ten minutes of this match are awesome as Michaels begins to mount the offense because we are supposed to believe that a draw would allow Bret to retain the world title. In the span of about two minutes Shawn unleashes a flurry of offense that includes a dropkick, a double axehandle, a top rope elbow and a moonsault among other things. Just as Shawn is set to come down on Bret again the Hitman puts him into the Sharpshooter as time expires which leads us to believe that the match is a draw. President Gorilla Monsoon comes down, orders the match to continue to the dismay of Bret and Shawn quickly hits the Sweet Chin Music but is too banged up from the Sharpshooter to make a cover. Great selling by Michaels there. Shawn gets up again, Bret hobbles to his feet and Shawn drills him with the superkick again as the ref counts the three for Shawn’s first world title. Bret left for 7 months while Shawn went on to have a fabulous year, at least in terms of quality matches (not so much as a draw), as the world champion. As I said earlier, I fully understand why people love this match because I am one of those people. It’s the one you may remember more than any other one, but it is not the best of either man’s career.

Here’s the poll for voting…

Thanks for reading, watching and voting. Back tomorrow with the next matchup in round three.

JC

The results from the first round went as follows:
1. Undertaker/Michaels @ WM25 (93%) d. 8. Undertaker/HHH @ WM17 (7%)
4. Angle/Benoit @ WM17 (75%) d. 5. Cena/Michaels @ WM23 (25%) – I thought this would be a lot closer.
3. Warrior/Savage @ WM7 (57%) d. 6. MITB @ WM23 (43%)
2. Benoit/HHH/HBK @ WM20 (54%) d. Rock/Austin @ WM19 (46%)

All the favorites won. Time for round two. Here’s how it looks…

THE KAMALA BRACKET – ROUND TWO

#1) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM25
The 2009 match of the year pretty much all over the place saw the two longest tenured performers in WWE face off at the 25th Mania. The result was a show stealing match thanks to some of the best nearfall sequences ever and that one awesome facial expression from the Undertaker where he was like, “WHAT THE FUCK?” A classic in every sense of the word. Couldn’t find the whole match, so we’ll go with the awesome video package about it.

VERSUS

#4) Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit @ WM17
At one point on commentary in this matchup, announcer Paul Heyman talks about how great the technical wrestling is during the match. And he’s right. There are holds, counter holds and a finish that took a lot of people by surprise. One of the best matches ever on what is arguably the best PPV ever.

Here’s the poll:

The winner of that matchup will face the winner of this one:

#2) Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Title @ WM20
The best triple threat match ever? A lot of people would say yes. This was Benoit’s best shot at winning the World Title and he’d have to do against two main event regulars. It was the coming out party for the Rabid Wolverine with a hot New York crowd behind him every step of the way.

VERSUS

#3) Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage in a Retirement Match @ WM7
Savage walked in as one of the top heels of the company for a few years and he walked out as arguably the biggest babyface on the roster. Plus, he carried a blown up Warrior to one hell of a good match. When you can scan a crowd of wrestling fans to show people crying at how touching a moment you have all you can really do is say job well done. If you want to know why Savage was one of the best ever, watch this match.

Macho King Randy Savage v. Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII

Here’s the poll:

Tomorrow we move onto round three, which means two matches left in each bracket. We will be down to the final eight. Get your votes in!

Thanks for reading, watching and voting.

John

The results from the first round went as follows:
1. Austin/Rock @ WM17 (93%) d. 8. Evolution/RockNSock @ WM20 (7%)
4. Michaels/Jericho @ WM19 (81%) d. Undertaker/Edge @ WM24 (19%)
6. Rock/Hogan @ WM18 (51%) d. Lesnar/Angle @ WM19 (49%) – won by 8 total votes.
2. Steamboat/Savage @ WM3 (73%) d. Hart/Piper @ WM8 (27%)

The Rock/Hogan match is the highest (or lowest depending on your point of view) seed remaining in the competition. Can it top Steamboat vs. Savage? It’s up to you! At the bottom of this post is a picture of the brackets showcasing what matches have moved on.

THE NAKED MIDEON BRACKET

#1) Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the WWF Title @ WM 17
The main event for the WWF Title for the PPV that many (including myself) feel is the best PPV in WWF history. The end result sees Austin capture the WWF Title after turning heel in a grueling, fast paced match that is the culmination of the very successful Attitude era.

VERSUS

#4) Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho @ WM19
After a four year absence from WrestleMania, HBK comes back to answer the challenge of the younger Jericho, who grew up idolizing Michaels. It was a great example of a pure wrestling match that ended on a counter hold rather than the finisher we all thought was coming.

Here’s the poll awaiting your vote:

The winner of that matchup faces the winner of this one…

#2) Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage for the IC Title @ WM3
One of the most technically sound matches in the history of WrestleMania and the oldest match that made this top 32 tournament. It’s a match that featured a lot of counter holds, plenty of drama and an explosive finish that is memorable due to the performance of two of the 1980s best performers.

VERSUS

#6) The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan @ WM18
This was a dream matchup too. Two icons, one from the past in Hogan and one from the present in Rock, going face to face in Toronto on the biggest stage of them all. It was one of the most electric atmospheres for any match in WM history.

Here’s the poll awaiting your vote:

Here’s a look at the bracket to show what matches have moved on. If you click on the image it’ll expand for you.

I probably could have put the results in where it says game details, but I feel like I’d be repeating myself. Back tomorrow with the second round of the Kamala bracket.

Thanks for reading, watching and voting.

There was one upset as the 5 beat the 4 rather handily although it’s not a major upset. Now let’s move on to the next round.

THE AL WILSON BRACKET – ROUND TWO

#1) Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM21
From my WM21 recap: This was amazing. This did live up to the hype. This did meet all expectations. This did deliver the goods the way we all hoped it would. My God. The amount of counter holds seen in this match was unreal. It was wrestling at its absolute best. Amazing stuff here. I can’t say it enough. You didn’t know when it was going to end. There was incredible spot after incredible spot here. Finishers kicked out of, drama at the end, and everything you want in a match. The match time was great, the pacing was really good because it built up to the end and the last ten minutes were as good a finish to a match that you can have. This was a dream match for me. My two favorite wrestlers at the time – along with Benoit – working in singles for the first time ever. And they delivered. It’s interesting to note that Angle’s health was a huge question at this point as well. He managed to make it through the match and they had other matches that were very good as well. This was their best, though. I’ll never get tired of watching it.

VERSUS

#5) Edge vs. Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match @ WM22
From my WM22 review: I loved it. Great action in this match. The risks they took were amazing with both guys doing unbelievable bumps. It was similar to Orton/Foley from 2004 although I liked that match just a bit more. This was still pretty damn great though. The use of the tacks worked, Lita did an excellent job as the heel manager and I loved the spot early in the match when Edge’s spear on Foley was countered by barbed wire being wrapped around Mick’s body. The finish with Edge giving Foley a spear through the ropes into a flaming table was one of the most memorable match finishes in WrestleMania history.

Here’s the poll:

The winner of that matchup faces the winner of this one:

#2) Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart @ WM10
Love the story going in about how Bret doesn’t really want to fight him, but has to if he wants his title match later in the night. I don’t know if many people thought Owen was going to win. I sure didn’t as a 13 year old that was rooting for the heel because just like him I was a younger brother that fought with my older brother once in a while. When he pulled it off I cheered even though he was a heel. It was such perfect booking. Bret could afford the loss because he was winning the belt later and now they had their feud to carry them through the summer. This was as good a technical wrestling match as there’s ever been at a WrestleMania and it still holds up 16 years later. I’ll never get tired of this one, nor will I stop celebrating when I see Owen celebrate what was a huge upset.

VERSUS

#3) Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz in a TLC Match for the WWF Tag Titles @ WM17
From my Top 50 PPV matches from 2000-2004 column: The addition of Rhyno, Spike and Lita added something good to the match that wasn’t there before. The spots in this match were once again awesome as all six guys, plus their three friends, busted their asses to put on a great show. As usual, Jeff Hardy took the most insane bumps with the Swanton onto two people as well as the biggest bump of the night which was the spear he took from Edge while hanging onto the belts. It was one of the sickest bumps I have ever seen and quite frankly I’m surprised he could walk after that one. Then of course there was the bump by Matt Hardy & Bubba Ray Dudley off the giant ladder through the stacked tables on the floor. That was just sick.

The other thing that sticks out is the chemistry these teams had by the time of this match. They had everything planned out so meticulously and perfectly. It worked in every way possible. I liked the ending of this one better than the other two, which makes it the best of the three. I liked it because it was heels acting like heels, cheating to win a match on the biggest stage of them all. I like that a lot. Also of note is the time of the match. Sixteen minutes is the right amount of time. I like that because it’s unrealistic to expect guys to kill themselves like this for over twenty minutes.

Here are the polls:

We’ll post the Naked Mideon’s bracket second round pairings on Friday.

Thanks for reading, watching and voting.

JC

1. Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin @ WM13
From my column about this match: I will never be tired of seeing this match nor will I ever be tired of talking about it. I will never forget Bret using the figure four around the ring post. I will never forget when Austin cracked Bret in the back with a chair. I will never forget the sight of Austin’s blood dripping into his mouth. I will never forget the pop Shamrock got for pulling Bret off Austin. I will never forget the standing ovation Austin received after delivering the performance of a lifetime. Everybody involved in the match deserves a standing ovation because what they gave us on March 23, 1997 was a terrific match that I will never forget.

This match had everything that is good about the wrestling business. Two great competitors, a terrific storyline, an extremely high workrate, plenty of crowd heat, one of the greatest blade jobs ever and the greatest double turn in the history of the business.

VERSUS

4. Money in the Bank @ WM21
From my WM21 recap: Wow. This was awesome. They had the crowd in the palms of their hands from the moment the match started right until the end. The bumps were sick. The spots, especially Benjamin’s, were innovative. Benoit’s selling was awesome throughout the match. This was outstanding. Simply fantastic. Props to all men involved and the booking was perfect. Edge won, but it came off as cheap, so it works.

This was the first MITB match and to me it’s still the best. It helps that they had the four Canadians in there to carry it, not to mention Shelton Benjamin’s ridiculous ladder spots and Kane to do the power moves.

Wrestlemania 21 Money in the Bank 2005

Here’s the poll.

The winner of that matchup faces the winner of this one:

2. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM10
From my Top 20 HBK matches column written in 1999: (This is mostly play by play.) They grapple in the ring to start for a few minutes until Ramon is thrown outside where Diesel, Shawn’s bodyguard at the time, clotheslines Razor on the mat. He is then told to go to the back by referee Earl Hebner to the delight of the crowd. Razor whips Shawn into the corner, Shawn does the usual cross corner flop and gets clotheslined outside the ring. Razor exposes some concrete but it does not come into play until Shawn throws him back inside. He reverses a Razor’s Edge into a back shoulder toss that sends Razor to the floor onto the exposed concrete where he lands on his left knee and arm in a sweet bump. Shawn goes to get the ladder before Razor stops him. Razor goes to set up the ladder until Shawn hits a baseball slide dropkick that sees the ladder nail Razor squarely in the ribs. Man, that’s such a sweet move. The next few moments are filled with ladder shots on Razor’s stomach and back as that is the body part of choice for Shawn to work on. As Razor is down, Shawn climbs up, Razor reaches up and exposes his bare ass to the delight of women everywhere and probably Pat Patterson too. Shawn kicks him off and drops an elbow off of the ladder in another cool spot. Razor takes advantage using the ladder as a weapon leading to a wonderful spot that sees him slingshot Shawn into the ladder that was positioned outside the ring. After throwing the ladder onto Ramon repeatedly, Shawn delivered the superkick and a piledriver that kept Ramon down for a while. He carried the ladder over to the turnbuckle on the left side where he mounted the eight-foot ladder and came off of it for a huge splash. He climbed up again and used his own body to squash Ramon in the ribs with the help of the ladder. Shawn set up the ladder again. As he started to climb, Ramon got to his feet, came off the ropes and hit the ladder hard causing Shawn to get his leg caught in between the ropes. With Shawn incapacitated for the time being Ramon climbed up, grabbed both titles and got the victory after nearly 20 minutes of heart stopping action.

Shawn did not win the match, but when all was said and done he proved to the entire wrestling world that he did have what it takes to be the best in the business. Just a kickass match that deserves all the praise it has ever received.

Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, WM10, Part 1.

VERSUS

3. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart @ WM12
From my Top 20 HBK matches column written in 1999: The first thirty minutes is kind of slow until Shawn goes for the superkick, Bret slides away so Shawn leaps over the top onto Bret outside the ring in a wonderful spot. After some near pinfalls Shawn takes an insane backdrop over the top rope that could easily blow a knee out but this is Shawn Michaels so somehow he escapes unscathed. The next few minutes see Bret working over the back while solidifying his heel role by going after Jose Lothario, Shawn’s mentor, a bit. The final ten minutes of this match are awesome as Michaels begins to mount the offense because we are supposed to believe that a draw would allow Bret to retain the world title. In the span of about two minutes Shawn unleashes a flurry of offense that includes a dropkick, a double axehandle, a top rope elbow and a moonsault among other things. Just as Shawn is set to come down on Bret again the Hitman puts him into the Sharpshooter as time expires which leads us to believe that the match is a draw. President Gorilla Monsoon comes down, orders the match to continue to the dismay of Bret and Shawn quickly hits the Sweet Chin Music but is too banged up from the Sharpshooter to make a cover. Great selling by Michaels there. Shawn gets up again, Bret hobbles to his feet and Shawn drills him with the superkick again as the ref counts the three for Shawn’s first world title. Bret left for 7 months while Shawn went on to have a fabulous year, at least in terms of quality matches (not so much as a draw), as the world champion. As I said earlier, I fully understand why people love this match because I am one of those people. It’s the one you may remember more than any other one, but it is not the best of either man’s career.

Here’s the poll for voting.

The next second round grouping will be posted tomorrow.

We’ve got four head to head matchups. Vote how you want by picking the match that you feel is better. It’s your choice. Each poll will be open for 48 hours. Please add comments in the section provided below. Here’s the link to the graphic in case you want to see what’s coming up: http://www.thejohnreport.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/greatestmatchfinal.png

Now let’s get on with this bracket. I’ll post the matchups, the videos (thanks to my buddy Edswoggle for helping with some of these) and of course the polls. The rest is up to you.

THE KAMALA BRACKET

#1) The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels @ WM25
The 2009 match of the year pretty much all over the place saw the two longest tenured performers in WWE face off at the 25th Mania. The result was a show stealing match thanks to some of the best nearfall sequences ever and that one awesome facial expression from the Undertaker where he was like, “WHAT THE FUCK?” A classic in every sense of the word. Couldn’t find the whole match, so we’ll go with the awesome video package about it.

VERSUS

#8) The Undertaker vs. Triple H @ WM17
A straight up wrestling match between two of the all-time greats at a time when HHH didn’t have any torn quads to deal with. The match is evenly booked from start to finish until the Deadman manages to end things in dominating fashion. My one gripe here was the really long ref bump that led to the brawl into the crowd, but otherwise it’s a solid match.

The winner of that matchup faces the winner of this one:

#4) Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit @ WM17
At one point on commentary in this matchup, announcer Paul Heyman talks about how great the technical wrestling is during the match. And he’s right. There are holds, counter holds and a finish that took a lot of people by surprise. One of the best matches ever on what is arguably the best PPV ever.

#5) John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Title @ WM23
For the second year in a row, John Cena went into WrestleMania as the WWE Champion and for the second year in a row he was facing off against one of DX’s founding members. It was supposed to be HHH (said by HHH in a HBK DVD), but he was hurt, so Michaels filled the void and as expected did an admirable job.

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#3) Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage in a Retirement Match @ WM7
Savage walked in as one of the top heels of the company for a few years and he walked out as arguably the biggest babyface on the roster. Plus, he carried a blown up Warrior to one hell of a good match. When you can scan a crowd of wrestling fans to show people crying at how touching a moment you have all you can really do is say job well done. If you want to know why Savage was one of the best ever, watch this match.

Macho King Randy Savage v. Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII

VERSUS

#6) Money in the Bank Match (won by Ken Kennedy) @ WM23
The third Money in the Bank match was won by a rising star in Mr. Kennedy. There were plenty of great spots in the match including the ridiculous splash through the ladder performed by Jeff Hardy on Edge. A sickening bump that probably shortened the careers of both men. It’s a beauty of a match, an almost forgotten one.

Money in the Bank from Wrestlemania 23

The winner of that matchup faces the winner of this one:

#2) Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Title @ WM20
The best triple threat match ever? A lot of people would say yes. This was Benoit’s best shot at winning the World Title and he’d have to do against two main event regulars. It was the coming out party for the Rabid Wolverine with a hot New York crowd behind him every step of the way.

VERSUS

#7) The Rock vs. Steve Austin @ WM19
This was the third WM match between these two legends with Austin winning the first two. We knew at the time that Rock was sticking around a bit longer while Austin was likely taking time off. What we didn’t know (at least the majority of us) was that this was the last match in Austin’s glorious career. And he went out with a bang.

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This is the end of round one. Tomorrow we go onto round two of The Berzerker bracket.

Thanks for reading, watching and voting!

1. Hart vs. Austin @ WM13 def. 8. Diesel vs. Michaels @ WM11 – 96% to 4%. Not much of a surprise.
4. Money in the Bank @ WM21 def. 5. Guerrero vs. Angle @ WM20 – 65% to 35%. Crazy bumps defeats technical wrestling.
3. Michaels vs. Hart @ WM12 def. 6. E&C vs. Dudleys vs. Hardys @ WM16 – 51% to 49%. It won by 11 total votes and was close the entire way.
2. Ramon vs. Michaels @ WM10 def. 7. Undertaker vs. Batista @ WM23 – 84% to 16%. The ladder match has a lot of support obviously.

Round two matchups will be Hart/Austin vs. Money in the Bank and Michaels/Hart vs. Ramon/Michaels.

The last first round matchups are going up Tuesday in the morning. Keep on voting in the Wilson and Mideon brackets via the links below.