Wrestlemania’s Must-See Matches – Part 2

We are back with another decade of must see matches, just a little later than we planned. The next decade probably won’t be out until after this year’s event, but what else do you have to do? Why not relive some of the best matches in Mania history? If you want to start at the beginning, you can check out our list from the first ten Manias in part 1.

XI – 1995

The 11th edition of Mania came in the middle of one of the leanest periods in company history, both financially and creatively. Diesel has been WWF Champion for about 4 months at this point and had a lackluster reign up to Mania and would lose all major heel challengers not long after this show. As an indication of where the company and the event were at in 1995, no Mania has drawn fewer fans since XI. This is also the year that Bam Bam Bigelow met Lawrence Taylor in the main event of Wrestlemania. Yeah, read that one over again, it still won’t make sense. To be fair to Taylor, he did do his due diligence and trained his ass off, but it took all of Bam Bam’s skill and experience to make that one a watchable match. Which is just about all it was. 

MUST-SEE MATCH:

1. Diesel (c) vs. Shawn Michaels – WWF Championship
   1. A classic big man v. little man match. Shawn bumped his ass off for Diesel, the champ was able to have a weakness exploited, show vulnerability and still came out looking strong. This one is proof that criticisms of Kevin Nash and his “Five Moves of Doom” just aren’t fair. Even the inclusion of bodyguard Sid was very well done without being overdone. A gem on an otherwise rough card, just ignore the inclusion of the useless Pam Anderson/Jenny McCarthy side angle. They were still shoehorning in celebrity appearances at Mania. I mean, at least none of them were competing…

XII – 1996

The 12th edition of Mania returned to the west coast, coming from Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. If you remember anything about the build up to this show, you remember this being a one-match card. Everything was pushed towards the main event and the undercard just came along for the ride. Not that the other 4.5 matches were bad, save the Warrior/HHH squash, just that they get overshadowed by Bret and Shawn. When I started this venture, I said I was highlighting matches that needed to be seen based on in-ring work and/or historical importance. Well, the main event ticks both of those boxes. 

MUST-SEE MATCH

1. Bret Hart (c) vs. Shawn Michaels – 60 Minute Iron Man Match for the WWF Championship
   1. This was really the first ME since Hulk and Andre that truly achieved that big fight feel. Everything was done right to truly highlight the talent of both men. The personal issues were just starting to bubble under the surface and this match was made to feel like the big deal it was meant to be. Then you get into the match proper and it is a wrestling clinic. Don’t be intimidated by the 70 or so minutes you’ll need to take it all in, it is more than worth your time to see the event that completed Shawn Michaels’ journey to the top of the wrestling world 

XIII – 1997

Mania 13 returned to Chicagoland for the first time in more than a decade for a card that happened as the company was finally starting its climb out of the dark period of the mid-90’s. It will be remembered as the night that The Undertaker finally started the title reign he deserved, although we’ll all agree to gloss over the bleah match against Sid where he captured the belt. There’s a reason that the finish and the post-match pose with the belt are the only bits of the match that makes the highlight videos for Taker’s WM streak. Unfortunately, it was another card that is defined by one match with a bunch of alright support behind it. The Chicago Street Fight was pretty good and a sign of the chaotic brawls to come as we got further into the Attitude Era. The tag title match wasn’t bad, but I’ll always stop and watch an Owen Hart match. The I-C title match was meh, the world title match was meh, but the gold sat firmly in the middle of the card with the submission match.

MUST-SEE MATCH:

1. Bret Hart v. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Submission Match with special referee Ken Shamrock
   1. A perfect brawl that did so many things in one match. First, watch the crowd when they brawl over the railing early in the match. Neither the fans nor security quite know how to handle it. Even special referee Ken Shamrock had to push his way through the masses. Also, the blood. There is a ton of it. The infamous shot of Austin screaming and bleeding comes from the end of this match. The color is something that was unique at the time because they were still basically under a blood ban. Vince even apologized a few times on commentary for showing you blood. From a story standpoint, the match is perfection and it accomplishes so much. First, Austin was solidified as the toughest SOB in wrestling and as a fan favorite. Hart’s heel turn was completed. This match had months of build and did not disappoint. You do have to feel bad for the Nation, LOD and Ahmed Johnson. They had to try to follow immediately after this one. 

XIV – 1998

The 14th edition came to us from Boston and is looked upon as an historic event, mostly because of the passing of the torch to Stone Cold Steve Austin. Some would point to this show as the full beginning of the Attitude Era. I’d argue that happened at Survivor Series ‘97 but that’s neither here nor there. This card is remembered as a classic, at least to fans of a certain age like me. However, upon further review, there’s a lot of this care that is good but not a ton that is great. As I often have to tell myself, this is a  list of must-see matches, the all-time greatest in the history of the event and just good isn’t enough. 

The undercard has a number of those types of matches. HHH v. Owen is a good match, but ruined in my opinion by the finish and the stipulation of having Chyna handcuffed to Commissioner Slaughter because, well, it didn’t work and was pointless to do. The mixed tag was far better than I would have expected and Mero and Goldust actually have some great chemistry in the ring. Luna worked her ass off to put Sable over here. The Rock and Shamrock, again, wasn’t a bad match by any means, but we got the continuation of a rivalry and not the blow off you’d expect at Mania. Thinking about it, I’m really not that upset about it in this situation because we got several more months and these two did more good things down the line. Taka and Aguila seems slow by today’s standards but it was still good. It could have used some more time though. It only got about five and a half minutes to get going. The storytelling leading up to Kane and Taker’s first encounter was better than the actual climax. I’d just go back and watch the hype video here. They’d have much better matches down the line.

MUST-SEE MATCHES:

1. Road Dogg and Bad Ass Billy Gunn (c) vs. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie – Dumpster Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships
   1. This is your car crash match for the evening and its a fun hardcore brawl. This is also Mick Foley’s best Mania match of his first run with the company. Sure, he main evented several months later but the less said about “A McMahon in Every Corner” the better. I forgot how many hellacious bumps there were in this match too. For example, Gunn powerbombs Terry Funk into the dumpster at ringside and after the end of the match you can see a huge bruise forming on Funk’s back. Also, and this is a very serious question: who for the love of God taught Terry Funk how to drive a forklift.  
2. Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – WWF Championship with special enforcer Mike Tyson
   1. Another solid match where both men got all of their heat and more. This always had the big fight feel that is essential for the main event of your biggest card of the year. Also, this was one time when getting a celebrity involved was a benefit with Tyson working an angle in the weeks leading up to the event. You can tell exactly where Shawn’s back is starting to get the better of him during this match, as he starts to walk awkwardly. As someone with lower back problems himself, I recognize that limp very well. The historical importance of this match is what puts it over the top and on my list. From here, the rocket is strapped to the company with Austin guiding it to heights not seen in years. 

XV – 1999

The fifteen iteration takes us to the City of Brotherly Love and the most Attitude Era Mania of them all. I think, for better or worse, this year’s Mania has gone down in history for two things. First, the opening chapter of the Austin/Rock Mania trilogy in the main event and we will get in depth there soon. Second, Butterbean sending Bart Gunn to the land of wind and ghosts in like  30 seconds and effectively killing the former tag champions career. No need to watch that match, here’s the goods.

Running through the rest of the card, the Hardcore triple threat opener was fun but a basic hardcore match. The tag team title match could have used some more time to develop as it really just felt like an add on with an overbooked finish. On the plus side, we only had to deal with 5 minutes or so of Jerry Lawler having an audio orgasm over Debra.

Up next:

Next, we determine the referee for the main event, kinda, as Mankind meets “The Big Show” Paul Wight. I don’t remember Show throwing too many side Russian leg sweeps, but we see it here. As a match, it was there. Mankind took the sick ride off Show’s back, getting sandwiched between the mat and the giant. The finish pretty much killed it for me. Show gets DQ’d for chokeslamming Mankind through 2 chairs in the ring, but blasting Foley with a chair twice on the outside right in front of Earl Hebner did not warrant a ruling. Ah, Attitude Era logic.
Nothing special in the I-C title four-way. Kane and Triple H would have better matches. This one and the European title match are here to facilitate the weird double turn for Triple H and Chyna. Not much needs to be said about the Hell in the Cell match, we all know how much of a stinker that one was. Random note: don’t skip the open featuring Boyz II Men singing America the Beautiful. Just a great rendition. 

MUST SEE MATCH

1. The Rock (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – No disqualification for the WWF Championship
   1. A right proper brawl that features the McMahon/Austin feud at its peak. I think this is the weakest of their three Mania matches, but the best in terms of storytelling. Where other matches that included this many moving parts, this one feels like the chaos was perfectly controlled for the story being told. 

XVI – 2000

Mania 16 heads back to the west coast for the 2nd of two Manias at the then Arrowhead Pond (now Honda Center). If you need any indication as to how hot things were running at the turn of the century, just watch the opening match between The Godfather and D’Lo Brown and Bull Buchanan and the Boss Man. Godfather is stupid over and the crowd stays hot pretty much the entire night. They would be witness to a history making match in the triangle tag team ladder match, the Mania debut of the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla, and a main event whose positives outweigh its negatives upon further review. Also, in light of recent events, all of the XFL references by JR and The King are just funny here. 

MUST SEE MATCHES

1. 15-Minute Hardcore Battle Royal for the WWF Hardcore Championship
   1. Sloppy, chaotic fun that epitomizes the hardcore era. Yes, the finish was a huge botch. Everything else still works here. 
2. The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian – Triple Threat Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships
   1. The very definition of a car crash match in the best ways possible. These three teams put out everything they had to produce this spectacle. They managed to take everything they did here, amp it up, and put together an 5-star classic just one year later. 
3. Kurt Angle (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho – Triple Threat match for the WWF Intercontinental and European Championships
   1. The rare scheduled two-fall match where the first fall was for the I-C title and the second for the European strap. All three men were making their Mania debuts and seemed intent on stealing the show. Action-packed and full of technical mastery, this match started in top gear and never slowed down. Great stories told all the way through. My only complaint is that it deserved to get more time. But if these guys got 5 more minutes, there wouldn’t have been time for Pete Rose to get chokeslammed and stink faced. 

XVII – 2001

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Wrestlemania of all time. Many would say this is the best Wrestlemania of all time. It could also be said that the Attitude Era died on this night, but more on that later. This was actually one of the last major events held at the Astrodome so this is quite the send off for the If you never had the pleasure, watch the whole thing. If you haven’t seen it in a while, here’s what to focus on. Also, I kinda want to add the gimmick battle royal as a must see but it is a horrible match, even for a battle royal. I will say that if you want a huge dose of nostalgia, take that one in. By the time you find it in the menu on the Network, the Iron Sheik will be halfway to the ring.

MUST-SEE MATCHES

1.  Raven (c) vs. Kane vs. Big Show – Triple Threat Match for the WWF Hardcore Championship
   1. Is this a technical masterpiece? Not at all. But it might be the best Hardcore title match in the run of the belt. Perhaps only challenged by Al Snow and Hardcore Holly back in February 1999 in Memphis. Good sloppy fun only enhanced by the stories that have surrounded it. Like the fact that Raven almost killed the power to the show and cut the PPV feed by nearly crashing a golf cart into the main power line…
2. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
   1. A beautifully built match over submission holds, we start with several minutes of intense catch-as-catch-can exchanges where both men are trying to force their own submission hold. Then Angle decks Benoit and it kicks up another gear. An action packed encounter that tells a great story. Sidebar: can we talk about how good Angle’s punches were?
3. The Dudleys (c) vs. The Hardys vs. Edge and Christian – TLC 2 Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship
   1. One year later, these three teams topped the triple threat ladder match from Mania 16. There are so many spots that have been shown in perpetuity in highlight reels and “holy shi*!” compilations, like Edge spearing Jeff as he’s hanging from the belts. This was the pinnacle of the three-way feud for these three and probably is the epitome of the last great era of tag teams in the Fed (no offense at all to The New Day).
4. Triple H vs. The Undertaker
   1. The first in a series of Mania meetings for these two, both guys are at the peak version of the Attitude Era selves. Triple H was the full blown Game and Taker was finishing his evolution into the American Bad Ass. This one is really a tale of two matches. The first part is an intense back and forth with both guys working their ass off. Then they kill the referee (almost literally, ref Mike Chioda sold being bumped for nearly ten minutes) and fight off into the crowd and into the tech area and it only gets more physical when they finally get back to the ring. Their no holds barred match at 27 is probably the best of the trilogy, but the start was pretty damn good as well.
5. The Rock (c) vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – No DQ Match for the WWF Championship
   1. For the second time in three years, these two faced off in the main event of the biggest show of the year and once again, they did not disappoint. Well, until the end. The match itself is the best of their three Mania matchup IMO and even more physical than their brawl in Philly. While being great, this match is even more remembered for the extracurricular activities when (spoiler alert) Austin shook hands with Vince McMahon. I tend to agree with those that say that the act of turning Austin heel and aligning him with the biggest heel of all time brought the Attitude Era to a close. And after thinking about it, it was the most appropriate way to transition to the next era for the company. Austin and The Rock were by no means done after this, but the product wouldn’t feel the same. It was a hell of a way to go out. 

XVIII – 2002

The Showcase of the Immortals returns to the Skydome (I don’t think it was the Rogers Centre just yet) for the second Mania north of the border. In my memory, this year’s Mania comes down to one match: Hogan vs. The Rock. However, about half the card is also making their Mania debut. We get a solid opener for the I-C title in William Regal vs. Rob Van Dam. I’ll make that an honorable mention for this card, especially since I always pop when Regal comes out wearing the I-C strap upside down. This was also the last time the Hardcore and European Championships would be defended at a Wrestlemania as both were retired later the in the year. I think the main event also falls into the honorable mention area. It was the culmination of a rare Triple H face run. He and Jericho put together a solid match around Triple H’s surgically repaired leg. I can’t make it a must see in my book though because of Stephanie’s over-involvement and an extremely predictable finish.

MUST SEE MATCHES:

1. Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
   1. I haven’t had to make the historical justification for a match in a while, but here we are. Plus, it’s a pretty good match overall. Icon vs. icon. Is there really much more that needs to be said? Just listen to the Toronto crowd. 

XIX – 2003

Mania 19 set another attendance record with more than 54,000 packing the former SafeCo Field in Seattle. It is safe to call this year’s event the first fully in the Ruthless Aggression era, for better or worse. This show is a series of ups and downs on the undercard, then the last hour is full of classics. We get another match that’s really not mentioned when we think about the Undertaker’s Streak. Honorable mentions to the Cruiserweight title opener, which could have gotten a few more minutes to grow but definitely reminded me of the string of WCW PPV openers that were hot cruiserweight matches. Also the Smackdown tag title match, featuring most of the Smackdown Six. Great action in a triple threat tag match, which can easily become overwhelming. And the World Heavyweight Title match. Triple H and Booker T told a great story in the match. In the match. Not in the build up. Let’s all agree to forget the build up. The finish also knocked things down a bit for me. I mean, Booker was dead for nearly 30 seconds after a Pedigree before Triple H finally covered him. And we all thought the RKO was the most protected finisher in the company’s history. Dishonorable mentions for the pillow fight with the Miller Lite catfight girls which bumped an actual tag title match to the preshow, starting a trend that would only get more egregious in the ensuing years. 

MUST SEE MATCHES:

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho
   1. This is one of the best matches in the history of the event and it gets overlooked by a lot of retrospectives. The buildup was great, Jericho is at peak heel here which Michaels made his first Mania appearance since 1998. They crafted an amazing match, telling the story of Jericho trying to upstage an idol on the biggest stage of them all. 
2. Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon – Street Fight
   1. The build to this one was perfect, if not a little corny at times. This was meant to settle the age-old question: who really made Wrestlemania? It’s a fun, sloppy brawl with two senior citizens really laying into each other and giving a fair amount of high spots. Also, this amazingly disturbing, yet memeable picture.
      

1. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
   1. The third and final chapter in their Mania trilogy and what would end up as the final match in Austin’s career. The story here is the best across the matches, made only more intense in hindsight. It’s only gotten more emotional over time as Austin’s retirement has been one of the few in wrestling history that has actually stuck. 
2. Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Championship
   1. This match is so much more than the infamous botch at the end. The two most decorated athletes in the history of the company start out with some smooth and quick chain wrestling, then kick it into another gear. The story of this match revolves around Lesnar’s injured ribs and Angle gets some great body submissions in. And then everything goes wrong in the last minute.

XX – 2004

The 20th Mania returned to where it all began again, again to the only venue to host three Wrestlemanias: Madison Square by God Garden. For history’s sake, I would love to see them return to the Garden in a few years for 40, but the days of Mania in a standard arena are gone. Just like the Final Four, the event really needs a stadium now. Before we get to the good, because there’s some great here, let’s roll through the bad. Two tag team title fatal four-ways and they were formulaic and way too similar. The Cruiserweight Open was an interesting concept that could have used a few more minutes to evolve. That way the finish may not have been so blatantly obvious. Taker and Kane also felt pretty formulaic and not great. Then there was Goldberg v. Lesnar, widely regarded as one of the worst matches in Mania history. Thankfully, they got a do over years later. Jericho and Christan had a good, overlooked match that also lead to a Trish Stratus heel turn. The Rock ‘n Sock Connection v. Evolution match was great nostalgia, but probably would have done just as well being 5-7 minutes shorter. 

MUST SEE MATCHES:

1. Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Kurt Angle – WWE Championship
   1. How masterful a finish did these two weave? We got there with a physical, hard hitting yet clean match. They left the mayhem for the main event and just made with the wrestling. Angle put on a suplex clinic, focusing on the champion’s ribs. This is the purist’s match of the night. 
2. Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels – triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship
   1. This is one of the best triple threat matches of all time. To me, its this match and the Sabu v. Terry Funk v. Shane Douglas hour-long draw in February of 1994. The timing of all three men was perfect on this night, the action was perfectly balanced between them, and then came the mayhem. Announce tables were not safe, Shawn Michaels bled buckets, cameramen ate it, actually Triple H bled buckets as well, it was controlled mayhem. This was also probably the bloodiest main event in Mania history.

To reset the menu, grab your remote and get ready to bounce around another decade:

• 11: Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels
• 12: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
• 13: Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 14: Road Dogg/Billy Gunn vs. Chainsaw Charlie/Cactus Jack
• 14: Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 15: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 16: 15-Minute Hardcore Battle Royal
• 16: Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian
• 16: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho
• 17: Raven vs. Kane vs. The Big Show
• 17: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
• 17: Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian
• 17: Triple H vs. The Undertaker
• 17: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 18: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan
• 19: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
• 19: Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon
• 19: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
• 19: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar
• 20: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle
• 20: Triple H vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels

We have sixteen years to go and we’re getting to the point where I gave up on wrestling for a while so I’ll be watching a number of Manias for the first time. Which also means part 3 won’t be out until after this year’s Mania, but seriously, what else you got going on right now?