We all know the big moments in Wrestlemania history – “the boyhood dream has come true,” “the Austin era has begun,” “Rollins has pulled off the heist of the century,” etc.
Head Cheese
I don’t know how many times I have to say it – Wrestlemania 2000 was the absolute worst Wrestlemania of all time. There’s so many moments you can go with on the show, but this was one was so cringe-inducing, I couldn’t go without mentioning it.
So, the premise for this was Al Snow trying to be a good tag team partner to Steve Blackman, but also trying to make “The Lethal Weapon” exude a little more charisma. The “Head Cheese” moniker certainly won’t go down as one of the greatest tag team names in WWE history, but at least they tried.
Well, at Wrestlemania 2000, Snow introduced a little person in a cheese costume that, for some unknown reason, left Chester McCheeserton’s ass cheeks exposed. After the team lost, Blackman and Snow just beat the poor guy up in the middle of the ring. WTF? What did any of this do at all? When I say there were some parts of the Attitude Era that were terrible, this is a prime example.
Also of note, a backstage vignette was shown where Chester was taking a monstrous, smelly dump while Snow was standing outside the stall for some reason.
King Kong Bundy Splashes Little Beaver
Okay, so this took place back at Wrestlemania III, when most people still thought wrestling was real for the most part. The dastardly Bundy had a team of little people. Hillbilly Jim had a team of little people. Because, if any two superstars could assemble a team of little people, it’s King Kong Bundy and Hillbilly Jim.
But, wrestling fans stood aghast when Bundy delivered his signature big splash to Little Beaver. All the while, I’m left wondering, “wtf am I watching right now?”
Big Show’s Ass Hanging Out
Oh, man – 2005. Somehow, Big Show ended up in an actual sumo match against Akebono. But, it wasn’t just the match…okay, yeah, it was the entirety of this match that had us questioning our loyalty as wrestling fans.
Particularly, that Big Show donned the traditional sumo uniform, and let his big ass fly in the breeze.
The Gimmick Battle Royal
Wrestlemania X-Seven was one of the greatest shows of all time. Even the bad parts were good for something. That’s the gimmick battle royal, which was essentially a ring full of old men or wrestlers with unusual gimmicks.
Of course, the bigger the legend, the older the wrestler in this match. And, Iron Sheik won because he was literally in such bad shape that no one could throw him over the top rope. Classic.
Nothing Major – Just A Grown Man Hanged On Pay-Per-View
The Attitude Era went dark in a hurry. I mean, there’s a spell where the WWE kept trying to top that last extreme stunt. The problem is that you hit a ceiling – once you’re diving off the top of the Hell in a Cell, crucifying people on TV, and exposing bare boobs on cable, there’s not much further you can go.
So, what did WWE decide? Hey, guys – we could always hang the Big Bossman from the Hell in a Cell! Boom – approved. At the conclusion of the Bossman-Undertaker match from Wrestlemania XV, The Brood came in and helped the Satanic installment of Undertaker literally hang Bossman from the Cell.
The Double Doinks & The Fake Arm
As a child, I was terrified by this, if we’re being honest here. At Wrestlemania IX, Doink and Crush wrestled. I don’t even remember the match – I just remember the second Doink coming out and someone getting beat up with a prosthetic arm.
Keep in mind – I’m six years old. This is how I think the world works at the time. It was terrifying to think that evil clowns could just spawn like this.
Goldust In Lingerie
Not sure why the Hollywood Backlot Brawl took such an erotic turn, but it did. At first, it was just a blatant ripoff of the OJ Simpson highway chase. Next thing you know, Goldust has been stripped down to some skimpy lingerie, and Rowdy Roddy Piper is kissing him for some reason.
He would keep up the weird tradition with this gem at Wrestlemania XIV:
Bart Gunn Gets His Lights Knocked Out
When I hear ‘Wrestlemania’ and ‘WTF’ in the same sentence, this is where my mind defaults. I just want to know….who the hell thought that Bart Gunn would stand a chance against Butterbean!?!
Was that the point?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S652hvQaWfY]
There’s all sorts of rumors surrounding the Brawl for All if you look for them. The idea is that Vince McMahon wanted Dr. Death Steve Williams to win the tournament, and eventually ride that tough guy momentum to a program with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Sounds pretty badass if you ask me. The problem? They didn’t script the damn Brawl for All matches.
These were glorified bar fights. Literally – the rules made no sense. They kind of made them up as they went along, and Gunn somehow ended up winning the whole thing.
Here’s where the rumors get crazy – rumor has it that McMahon was so furious about this that he set Gunn up for failure, and booked Butterbean to embarrass him on pay-per-view. Whether that’s true or not, who knows?
Regardless – Wrestlemania is a show that has more than its fair share of head-scratching moments.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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