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By: Joey Styles
3/21/2005 6:47:48 PM

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From Mark Foster
I could probably write 20 articles just on my favorite 'Mania moments.

The first time I realized the scope of WrestleMania had to be WrestleMania III. I remember hearing about the big matches of the previous two 'Manias, but I just thought of them as cards. The Hogan vs Andre match was just incredible... had been what the business was gearing to for a while. It was truly the two biggest names in the industry... and they made WrestleMania what it is today. Of course, while the main event was the culmination of storyline... the Steamboat/Savage match was the epitome of what a great match, a WrestleMania match, is all about.

Memorable matches are found throughout the years: The NFL/WWF battle royal at WrestleMania II; Hogan/Andre II at WrestleMania IV, British Bulldogs vs The Dream Team at WrestleMania III... all examples of big matches worth the year-long wait.

As WrestleMania entered its second decade, it put on one of the better cards 'Mania had seen to that point. Full of emotion, from Bret/Owen to open the card and Bret being hoisted on the shoulders of the locker room after winning the WWF championship. A match i truly enjoyed was Randy Savage vs Crush. This falls-count-anywhere match was what you expect in a classic Randy Savage feud... pure emotion. Savage had been a dear friend of Crush... until Crush turned his back on Savage... and Savage made you care. It's something you see in Savage's feuds. His feud with DDP, both the WWF and WCW feuds with Ric Flair, his WrestleMania matches with The Ultimate Warrior (stealing the show at WM VII) and Dusty Rhodes at WM VI. The Ric Flair/Savage match of Wrestlemania VIII could be remembered as one of the greatest WWF title matches at a WrestleMania. And it didn't end after the match. Watching Randy Savage, who's boot had fallen off in the match, hand Elizabeth the WWF title and tell her to go in the back... that he still had business to finish with Ric Flair... spine-tingling.

Wrestlemania XI, probably during the lowest part of a down time in business, was an incredible show. When Owen Hart introduced yokozuna as his tag partnet and defeated The Smoking Gunns for the tag straps, I was in awe. But nothing had me more in awe, and admiration, thatn Lawrence Taylor's performance against Bam Bam Bigelow. While Taylor was pretty blown up after the match, he put on a performance, along with the Bammer, that I couldn't forget. To this day, I still pop in my copy to watch just that match. The WWF title match, Diesel vs Shawn Michaels, delivered... and only primed you for a year later when Shawn would take the title in a 60+ minute Iron Man match with Bret Hart.

WrestleMania XII... where the Superstars became the true stars. This one of the first WrestleMania's to truly have a "main event caliber match ofr every match on the card" feel. Diesel vs Undertaker. the set-up this match received at the Royal Rumble was absolutely perfect. The hollywood Backlot Brawl was entertaining... if not bizarre. and of course, the aforementioned main event.

WrestleMania 13. I wasn't too thrilled with the card. It seemed to be a pretty low-key event. But watching it ow, with some friends... just incredible. the match that made Austin, Stone Cold vs Bret Hart submission match. Two future maineventer (one world champion, the other challenging every so often) in I-C champ Rocky Maivia against the Sultan (AKA Rikishi). And the Dead Man finally getting his due.

Next would be the WrestleMania I consider to be one of the best... the "X-Raided" WrestleMania XIV. From it's Alternative" version of America the Beautiful featuring the DX Band (okay... Rage Against the Machine) which got heavily booed, the opening of the FleetCenter in Boston was so solid. The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust and Luna Vachon teaming up against Marc Mero and Sable. The tag team Battle Royal featuring a returning LOD (even though it was the shortlived LOD 2000). The intense I-C match between Ken Shamrock and The Rock... seeing Shamrock actually win the belt but the decision being reversed after Shamrock exploded after the match on the Rock. Of course, there was also one of my favorite WWF title matches, seeing Stone Cold take the title off of Shawn Michaels. I absolutely hated Austin at the time and actually booed him when everyone else would cheer for him. Beeing a huge HBK fan, not liking Austin, I still just loved watching this match. Add in the special Enforcer, Iron Mike Tyson, and it was a magical event. Granted, my love for this may also stem from my attending the final RAW leading into WrestleMania XIV. Witnessing the "powers" of Kane, setting a stagehand on fire. The pagaentry of the Undertaker/Kane match was just another example of the majesty, spectacle and magic WrestleMania provides.

Moving on came about WrestleMania XV. While having its forgettable moments, such as the Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Big Boss Man, it provided just as many exciting moments. I'll pop in this DVD just to watch the Brawl For All match between Bart Gunn and Butterbean. I can't even imagine how much scrambling went on backstage after the devastatingly quick knock-out! From the Big Show's first WrestleManiaq, chokeslamming Mr McMahon, Sable defending the womens title against Tori... this WrestleMania played host to nothing more important than a meeting the size of Andre/Hogan at WrestleMania III. the Rock and Steve Austin, arguably the 2 biggest draws in the company. A meeting that would headline WrestleMania a total of three times.

"A McMahon in Every corner" read the 2-full page ad that graced newspapers nationwide, including USA Today. For the first time, the WWF title would be contested at the 16th edition of wrestleMania in a "4 Corners" match. WrestleMania 2000 (as it was called, although in the book History of WrestleMania it is claimed that the title was changed to simply "WrestleMania" due to the influx of items with a "2000" in their title) was an amazing event that saw HHH and the Rock battle for the WWF title as the last two participants. Of course, TLC was coneptualized in the table match for the tag team titles at this event. While the TLC match wouldn't be titled such until Summerslam of the same year, this match was easily the precursor in execution.

Houston Astrodome. Rock/Austin II (at a WrestleMania). This year, Wrestlemania would be taken to 4 hours. WrestleMania X-7 brought a classic Undertaker/HHH bought that went into the crowd. Chris Jericho against William Regal. A vicious, incredible TLC II match. And the failed heel turn of Steve Austin, as the ppv ended with McMahon and Austin sharing a beer, shaking hands. All this was after Shane McMahon once again wowwed the crowd in an incredible match (probably my favorite match off the entire card) against his own father. He also inroduced "his" WCW contigent... who sat in a skybox the same week that the sale of WCW to WWE went through.

The Eighteenth edition, X-8, went to the site of the classic WrestleMania VI battle of Hogan/Warrior. Hogan made his WrestleMania return in a, pardon the pun, electrifying match with the Rock. X-8 also saw HHH win the unified WWF and World Heavyweight (WCW) titles from Chris Jericho.

Seattle hosted a spectacular event that saw Hogan face off against Mr McMahon, the final confrontation between Steve Austin (his last WWE match) and The Rock. from opening to close, there was excitement... an incredible match by Rey Mysterio against Matt hardy to the horrific shooting star press from Brock Lesnar.

finally... Wrestlemania XX. a 5 hour spectacle that, when watching live, flowed so incredibly, I thught maybe 2 hours had gone by. The return of the Dead Man. the absolutely incredible sight of Edie Guerrerro and Chris Benoit standing together as their brands' champion. there was my favorite match, simply for the surreal factor, of Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar. The crowd chanting "you sold out" and "hey hey hey, goodbye." It was almost like the Survivor Series 1997 when Jim ross had to acknowledge, on air, that Lesnar, much like Bret Hart, was rumored to be leaving the WWE and this would be his last match. The crowd reaction MADE that match.

I couldn't do a top 10 WrestleMania moments. I doubt I could do a top 100 list. Besides the matches, there's also the promos and extras that just occur during a WrestleMania. Mike tyson knocking out Shawn Michaels, Ray Combs degrading the Heenan Family until Repo Man chases him. Roddy Piper dousing Morton Downy Jr. with a fire extinguisher.

Those are all my WrestleMania memories. There's many more to come, I'm sure.

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