Wrestlemania Week

With Wrestlemania coming this weekend, I'll miss it in Houston...or should I say not watch it, not sure if there's anything to miss this year. So with that being said, I give you my Top 25 Wrestlemania matches of all time...my opinion mind you. The only official part of this list is that it is mind.

Wrestlemania Top 25 Matches

25. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie vs. New Age Outlaws-Mania 14 Dumpster Match for the Tag Titles. I realize this may be on the list simply because of my love for Cactus Jack, but I remember watching this match and enjoying it. Especially the true emotion you saw from Terry Funk after they won the titles.

24. Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon Mania 17 Street Fight. Father versus son, a family divided yadda yadda yadda. This saw the Van Terminator by Shane McMahon using a trash can, arguably the spot of the night.

23. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle Mania 20 WWE Title. I put this on here because it was a nice solid match between two masters, plus the finish of the match was the most inventive since another match further down the list, but that was at Mania 8.

22. Diesel vs. The Undertaker Mania 12. I don’t think this match gets enough credit for what it is, maybe the best match between near seven foot wrestlers we may have ever seen. This is back when Kevin Nash could still wrestle without hurting himself and basically was his send off from the big stage before moving to WCW. He’d have a great match against Shawn the next month, but this should be one of his career highlights.

21. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudley Boyz Mania 2000 Ladders and Tables match. Did I really put this all the way back here? Yes, I did. I’m not a spot fest kind of guy, I’d rather have a traditional match, but this did have some awesome spots and thus earns a spot on the top 25.

20. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels Mania 19. Easily the best match of the night in what most would consider a lack luster Mania. Sure, there are plenty of memorable things at that Mania, but in many ways those are not pleasurable memories. Jericho and HBK was a thing of beauty.

19. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels Mania 21. Once again Shawn Michaels and another of the top performers saves the show during another lack luster Mania. I think we all could watch an Angle HBK match every day and see something different. These are two men who bring their A game on the big stage.

18. Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kane, Christian and Shelton Benjamin Money in the Bank Mania 21, Now some of you may be wondering why I put this above Kurt and HBK from the same lack luster card, pure and simple look at that line up. The perfect line up for the first match of this kind…I guess. I mean it’s just a multiple person ladder match with special rewards, but we’ve never seen one on Mania. Shelton took the opportunity to do an amazing spot then followed it up with…a disappearing act.

17. Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage WWF Title Match Mania 8. This is one of the best lead ups to a Mania match, let alone a Mania Main Event. Savage had this before during Mania 5, and it always revolves around Elizabeth. Flair’s only Mania match (in his prime) was one to remember, with Savage looking downright insane at the end.

16. Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts Championship Tournament Mania 4. This match may surprise people by its place on the list, but I have always LOVED this match. These two men had such charisma and worked so well together it’s a shame they didn’t work more after this. To put it simply, I love watching this match and as such is here.

15.Undertaker vs. HHH Mania 17. As Dock would say, 17 was the best Wrestlemania ever. This match I think surprised a lot of people, I know it shocked me. I knew HHH could have a good match, and I knew Taker could on occasion, but never thought they’d be THIS good together.

14.The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan ICONS Match Mania 18. I’m not as big of a fan of this match as others; I will say it is the most shocking turn I’ve ever seen in a match. Sure Cena was booed and HHH was cheered, but this shit happened half way THROUGH the match. The fans flipped the roles during the match, just fuckin nuts.

13. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle Euro/IC Three Way Dance Mania 2000. You put these three men together in a match and you almost always have a match of the year candidate. It has often been said that this is the saving grace of Mania 2000, the only reason to really watch that show and I tend to agree more often then not. An interesting twist is having both titles on the line as well.

12. Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior Retirement Match Mania 7. This match is surprisingly good, especially when you consider how neurotic both men are. Warrior needs someone to hold his hand during a match and Savage is a perfectionist and wants to practice the match months in advance. In that thinking, these two were made for each other in this match.

11.The Rock vs. Steve Austin WWF Title Mania 17. Yes, I’m afraid to say that this match did not make my top ten folks. I know, shocking, but I think the finish of Austin siding with McMahon almost takes away. I think it was at Backlash the next month where they had a great match that I liked better, or it could have been the 15 one.

10. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart Mania 10. Maybe the best match Owen Hart has ever wrestled in the WWF, though the Steel Cage match at SummerSlam that year is also up there. This shocked everyone at MSG and people took Owen seriously after that match, and it was done to perfection. A great pinning combination to beat his brother, no cheating, he gets a legit win, puts him over, just brilliant.

9. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boys vs. The Dudley Boyz TLC Mania 17. The better of the two TLC matches between these teams, at least in my opinion. The spot of the spear off the top of the ladder onto the Hardy was one of the biggest spots of all time, course not shocking since that was done by a man who went head first into a table full of fire.

8. Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart IC Title Mania 8. Remember earlier when I mentioned the best pinning predicament in Mania history that would be this match when Bret used the turnbuckle to topple over Piper who had him in a sleeper hold and pinned his shoulders to the mat…something that had never been done to Piper up to that point. Just such a great match that I think sold the powers that be that Bret could be a Main Event star.

7.Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior WWF Title Mania 6. Perhaps Hogan’s greatest accomplishment is being able to carry Warrior into one of the best matches in Mania history. It was the first time we really saw a good guy vs. good guy at Mania, and they did a great job of not having the fans split to one side. A great booking for the finish, clean, both finishers hit, both men kept their momentum.

6.The Rock vs. Steve Austin WWF Title Mania 15. The first of the three matches between arguably the two biggest stars that pro wrestling has ever seen. Yes, I did not stutter. They brought in more money during their run then anyone else, made better movies, and just as many people know who they are compared to Hulk Hogan. The difference between the three of them is that these two men could put on great matches any night of the week.

5.Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Iron Man Match WWF Title Mania 12. Now, I have some issues with this match (which I went off on during this last Saturday’s show but I digress) with the ending. If you’re going to continue the match for five more minutes, why is Shawn Michaels NOT put back into the Sharpshooter? I thought it then, I think it now.

4.Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon Ladder Match IC Title Mania 10. Some consider this the best match of all time; I say it’s the best gimmick match of all time at a Wrestlemania. Well, a gimmick match using a specific object like a ladder, strap, etc. Razor may have never been better then during this time and HBK introduced the world to why he is the man you want on a Mania card.

3.Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat IC Title Mania 3. Before the ladder match above, many considered this the greatest match of all time, period. We’re not just talking Wrestlemania; we’re talking in the world. Now I won’t go that far, but my god is this a great match. What I would have paid to see a Steamboat, Savage and Flair three way dance during the mid-80s.

2.Shawn Michaels vs. HHH vs. Chris Benoit Triple Threat Match World Title Mania 20. Perhaps I’m biased, maybe it’s the Horseman in me, or the fact that Benoit is that good, but my god, this had me on my feet almost the entire match. Such a good match, one that would take the world to beat it, and luckily one has. The best is seeing HHH tap out and Benoit FINALLY getting recognition, if only for a while.

1.Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart Submission Match Mania 13. Is this the match between the glory years and the new attitude era, perhaps. Bret in a way bridges the Attitude era and the old days but my god, I could watch this match once a day and never be bored. Perhaps it’s the booking of the match that makes it so good with Austin just passing out instead of giving up and building a character that would become the biggest maybe of all time. You had something for everyone, hardcore, technical, and brawling, I don’t know what else you needed in this match. The image of Austin screaming with blood coming down his face is one many wrestling fan can imagine with no problem what so ever.

Wrestling and Roids

Apparently the world of professional wrestling is back under the interrogation spotlight due to this latest steroid ring. SI is reporting that many wrestlers used this service, and as many as eleven "big name" wrestlers have been named. Initially Kurt Angle was the only name released but I feel that had more to do with him being an Olympic Gold Medalist then a pro wrestler. This isn't the first time there has been a steroid scandal in wrestling.

You think many in the industry would learn from Superstar Billy Graham, but through the years apparently we never learn from our mistakes. I could go on how this is not just limited to pro wrestling, especially when looking at Nam errrr I mean Iraq. Some of the names listed in this scandal are Edge, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and sadly Shane Helms.

Now some are no real surprises, everyone knew Eddie was on the juice and people pretty much assumed Rey Mysterio was too after his body transformation. Randy Orton has had drug problems in the past, and Edge needed to do something to get to that next level. In the same sense I get why Shane Helms did it (if it's true), you can only be considered a gimmick so long until you want to move on...unless you're Doink. Am I disappointed if it's true about Shane Helms, very much so, this is a man who wrote back to me when I was younger about what it takes to get into wrestling. I have met the man, he's a great person and I thought a great role model for kids. I don't want to pass judgement on the man, but at the same time I am not surprised that he did this if he did it.

I'm not naive to think that even in the EWA that we don't have someone in the locker room who is on the juice. Hell, I'm 90% certain we do have someone in the locker room who juices. I also understand the desire by pro wrestlers and other athletes to juice. In the world today with so much parity one must go the extra mile to get ahead and not everyone has the natural god given ability athletically. If you want even a sniff of the WWE you need to resemble a greek god, be some kind of physical freak (see Viscera/Great Khali), or just be so on top of your game that they call you. Even then they may just bury you against others who shouldn't even sniff your jock strap (see CM Punk).

I don't condone what they do, I can understand the desire to follow your passion, to reach for that paycheck, to be bigger then you are now. Some folks no matter how hard they work out will not get bigger then a certain level, it's simple genetics. I won't lie, I've even thought about going on the juice just so I could follow my dream. I think any person who is dying to do something has thought about it. I am just thankful my father was such a good parent, as I would never do more then think about it.

The saddest thing in all of this is that it will not deter the next person to try it. You could have all the tools to get to that next level, you're just missing power. You know why you juice, because if you don't the guy behind you or beside you will and take your spot. Until we can completely eliminate the possibility of passing a drug test, specially with HGH, this will continue. Sadly it's a HUGE industry and the advances in passing test happen faster then making tests that can determine if you're on it or not. We also need to be MUCH stricter against taking it. I would be completely for a lifetime ban from your sport if you're caught, if betting on games gets you a life time game, why not steroids and HGH?

Now the WWE has made progress in this area, they have a Talent Wellness Program. They were quick to point out that the drugs bought by these wrestlers happened before the program was implemented. They also rule out online doctors as a valid medical source which tells me they found out about this scandal before reporters. As bad as the WWE has been in the most recent years, this may be the best move they've ever made, specially with all the deaths we've seen in the last month.

The Problems in the Wrestling World

I know many wrestling fans out there have been bitching and moaning for some time with the direction the wrestling world has taken since Vince McMahon bought WCW and ECW all those years ago. Sure, some of it has to do with no competition. Hell, when he was competing with the NWA and making his company the first world wide company in the 80s it was hot. Then NWA began to fall, Turner bought it, and then the WWF went into a rut. When Eric Bischoff took over, the nWo came about, and WCW took over ratings Vince had to claw his way back to the top.

For the last few years Vince has been the only big dog in the yard and when that happens, the big dog tends to get lazy. Sure there is TNA, and even if they have Christian, Joe and Angle right now, they're no real threat at this point. Vince has gone back to pushing the muscle bound oafs who CAN'T entertain for the life of them. Sure they have the look, but they have no charisma. It is very sad when John Cena has the most charisma right now of their champions. Course, look at two of them what are they? Nothing but big muscle bound guys with a great personal story, but ZERO charisma. Diesel was a big man, but he has charisma coming out the ass. Warrior, huge muscle bound oaf, but no matter what his psychotic issues are, he had charisma. What I am trying to get at it there is a lack of entertainment in the WWE.

At least in TNA they have entertainment; Alex Shelley, Austin Starr, Christian Cage, LAX, these men have something that the WWE doesn't have. Do I want to see Edge and Orton beat up another person with a chair for the tenth week in a row? Do I want to continue to see the pointless battle of the Hardys and MNM, well yes because they actually give good matches for the most part, but do you see my point? All I see on the WWE is the same recycled crap week in, week out. Instead of pushing people WITH charisma (Monty Brown, CM Punk, and Kennedy who I admit has got a tiny one) they continue to put on TV the likes of...Chris Masters. I yearn for wrestling that we had what seemed like only yesterday; a mere ten years ago wrestling was a beautiful landscape and may have never been bigger.

With that in mind, with the future kickball season approaching, I was inspired today by one of the greatest moments of that time and one that I shall share with you right now. The date was August 9, 1999. It is Monday Night Raw, they had climbed their way back to the top and were once again number one. Up until this point though, they hadn't really stolen any of the WCW talent, until now. I introduce to you what to expect this coming season of kickball....the ayatollah of rock'n'rolla...the paragon of virtue for the entire free world...and what the wrestling world needs right now almost more then an Austin vs. Hogan Wrestlemania...

I like to think of myself as one of the happy generations.

Last night I was watching ECW and WSX respectively and I began wondering how far the wrestling world has fallen since 1998.

96-98 would likely be seen as the high point of the wrestling industry. Nitro and Raw were in a heated war for cable supremacy, one on the stars on yesteryear, the ones we grew up knowing, and the other was building what I assume they thought would be the stars of tomorrow. You had the nWo, DX, Stone Cold, The Rock, Goldberg and ECW. It was at an all time high, everyone I knew in high school (male wise) was watching professional wrestling. Then it all came crashing down like a Russian Space Station, the final nail being when Vinnie Mac bought WCW and ECW.

In the years that have passed we saw the future stars move on, Rock with movies, Austin with his own demons and injuries, and the booking became...well atrocious. I don't think the booking in the WWE has been right since 2000. I could book a better then those hacks if I were illiterate. The issue, maybe hiring Hollywood writers, other then that I'm not quite sure. This isn't what I was actually going to write about here today.

ECW, I wonder if Vince is really just trying to piss on legacies he didn't create now. He had no need to piss on WCW, they did that enough before their implosion. ECW never had that problem, their only issue was having someone doing finances that had no business doing that. Now we have this new ECW which some now call ECWWE, and it almost makes me sick sometimes. It has two wrestlers that I absolutely enjoy watching perform in CM Punk and Monty Brown.

Well, Monty is now called Marquis Cor Von and I'm pretty sure whoever came up with his music and video never saw him or new what he was about but it appears to be for some French Quarter pimp and NOT The Alpha Male. CM Punk came in like a wildfire and then soon after Survivor Series, when he received bigger pops then HBK and HHH no surprise they were in Philly, his push became a tug backwards. First you have him lose to Hardcore Holly, I can almost buy that. This week however they had Matt Striker pin him by holding the ropes. Now I enjoy Matt Striker more then most people, but when are they going to get over not knowing what to do with CM Punk? Put him in a program with lashley and go with it, end of story. He's the best wrestler you have on that brand, learn how to use him.

Wrestling Society X, MTV's latest creation, was interesting to watch last night. Now I am biased, I want to watch this show because it has one of our wrestlers, Ruckus, and another performer I've talked to, The Human Tornado. These two cats are the real deal and are over everywhere they go and I have no doubt that they will be over in WSX as well. I had two problems though with WSX this week. One, your announcers are fucking douche bags and couldn't commentate a wrestling match if there was a gun pointed to their heads. Zach Wylde of Black Label Society was doing a better job then those assclowns. Second, if you continue to cut to the crowd and back and forth so quickly you're going to give me and everyone else who watches your show seizures. Please, focus on the wrestling we don't car about the unwashed masses that came to those tapings.

In the end watching wrestling last night made me very sad for the sport that I and many others love with a passion. I am merely thankful that I have my own refuge of the EWA to go to and commentate for.