Ah, yes – Wrestlemania week. It’s a veritable holiday for wrestling fans – the pinnacle of the WWE calendar. Theoretically, it’s supposed to present the biggest moments and matches of the year. So, you know what – your boy thought, “you know what the Internet needs? Another Top 10 list – WhatCulture just doesn’t do enough.” Why waste any more time? Let’s jump into the top moments from Wrestlemania I-X.
10. Hulk Hogan defeats Yokozuna in 22 seconds (Wrestlemania IX) – Mixed feelings about this one, for sure. On one hand, Wrestlemania IX will go down as one of the worst Wrestlemanias of all time. This bit sure seemed like a jumbled mess and didn’t make much sense at all.
Yokozuna just won the main event of the biggest show of the year. His night is over! You take your championship and go tear up the town! But, no – not Yokozuna, and not that damn Mr. Fuji, who grabbed the microphone and challenged Hulk Hogan to a match.
Was it ‘so bad it’s good?’ No – hell no. It wasn’t good at all – but it was certainly memorable. To this day, this is one of the most talked-about main events in Wrestlemania history, for better or for worse. Of course, there’s always the rumor that Hogan refused to put over Bret Hart, too. Regardless of where you stand, this was a controversial moment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIsW_yxJvP0]
9. She was mine before she was yours (Wrestlemania VIII) – Wrestlemania VII, as a whole, wasn’t that great. If you’ve been listening to The Colossal Tussle Podcast’s ‘Best Wrestlemania Ever‘ project, you know we’ve all said it was a show carried by Flair-Savage and Hart-Piper. But, Flair-Savage was deeply personal, making the payoff for Savage’s win a much more special moment.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSb1Ed9Jwug]
8. Randy Savage’s first WWE Championship (Wrestlemania IV) – If anyone came close to Hulk Hogan in terms of popularity and longevity, it was the Macho Man. Just one year after stealing the show opposite Ricky Steamboat, Savage survived the tournament for the vacant WWE Championship, belt in tow.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUsMv0xmgA]
7. Owen beats Bret (Wrestlemania X) – This program was a master class in building an effective Wrestlemania program. Though Bret would go on to win the WWE Championship later in the night, his opening bout opposite brother Owen was an all-time classic.
Dating back to the prior Survivor Series, Owen continually exhibited resentment of his brother, and in general, the idea that he was much better than Owen. For months, the tension arose. Finally, Bret refused to face his brother. It took a vicious beat down to get Bret to agree to the match.
When everyone counted Owen out, he walked out with the win. It was a win that propelled Owen to become one of the WWE’s greatest workers.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqbQOJ4S4Qw]
6. The Ultimate Warrior’s return (Wrestlemania VIII) – Well, there’s certainly nothing special about the Hogan-Sid Justice main event of Wrestlemania VIII. They actually pretty well stunk up the joint. Then, the dastardly Papa Shango ran out to ruin, maim, and kill Hulkamania (except he was late getting to the ring, looked gassed when he finally got there, and screwed up the finish).
That part wasn’t great, but when The Ultimate Warrior returned from absence, the roof damn near blew off.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQLxbdTERjI]
5. The first main event (Wrestlemania I) – I don’t think there’s too much I can add to this, so I’ll spare you the effort of reading lazy writing. Can’t make this list without mentioning the first Wrestlemania – the gamble, the uncertainty that it was.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0Hv3GUURn0]
4. Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon steal the show (Wrestlemania X) – When Bret and Owen Hart kicked off Wrestlemania X, it appeared as though the bar was set too high to top. These two took a relatively foreign concept to the WWE at the time and produced an iconic match.
3. Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth reunite (Wrestlemania VII) – Come on, now. I dare anyone to watch this without tearing up…
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu5Zi2HuBww]
2. The Ultimate Challenge (Wrestlemania VI) – Intercontinental Champion vs. WWE Champion – title for title, The Ultimate Challenge is easily my personal favorite match from the first ten Wrestlemanias. They don’t come as big as this match anymore. The meteoric rise of The Ultimate Warrior leading to a clash with peak Hulkamania. It doesn’t get any bigger than that!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfqV3xI8l_s]
1. Hulk Hogan bodyslams Andre The Giant (Wrestlemania III) – This is the quintessential Wrestlemania moment? I mean, is there really anything else to add to that? When people think Wrestlemania, they think Hogan slamming Andre.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwbaywz8QO0]
Top 10 Moments from Wrestlemania XI-XX
Top 10 Moments from Wrestlemania 21-32
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
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