Best Wrestlemania Build Up Ever.

[Y-2-Jay]

What was your favourite road to Wrestlemania's in terms of overall build up for me it has to be Wrestlemania XX build up. It had the Goldberg vs Lesnar build up which was amazing. It was first hinted at the Royal Rumble when Lesnar came in and attacked Goldberg from then on we had brand invasions which was very cool then to add the hype and build up even more Stone Cold was added as the ref.

Then there was also The Rock and Sock Connection return which was also built up great as Randy Orton would make Foley look like a punk for months (Spitting in his face and kicking him down the stairs) The match had months and months of build with The rock Even returning for his (looks like) last match ever. The build up included a this is your life for Foley.

Undertaker vs Kane was built up ever since Survivor Series when Kane buried his brother alive. This was a way of killing the biker Taker to bring back the deadman. The first sign was at the Rumble when there was a countdown till Taker's return the build up for this was great.

The last match from this Wrestlemania that had good build was HBK vs HHH VS Beniot. You had Chris jumping from Smackdown to RAW to face HHH then out of nowhere HBK signs Beniot championship contract to stick himself in the match. There was many stories that came out from this like will Beniot the underdog reach his goal by becoming the champion in the WWE and also how will HBK and HHH act as at this time they were bitter rivals people would be questioning will they team up will they carry on there 2 year rivally. Loved this build up.

This rest of the card's build up was either meh, sucked or no build what so ever.

It was a shame that WMXX was a huge letdown.

So what is your favourite WM in terms of overall build up. (This means the overall card not just one match from a WM event.)

 

[leemurf]

for me it was wm25 hbk and the undertaker,
the good vs evil or heaven vs hell storyline was good because these 2 were the top wrestlers and shawn was a very religious man. It was a great start hbk vs undeafeted koslov then shawn going on 2 face the undertaker and hbk dominated undertaker in the build up and then the match was awesome

 

[Drunken Aviator]

for me it was wm25 hbk and the undertaker,
the good vs evil or heaven vs hell storyline was good because these 2 were the top wrestlers and shawn was a very religious man. It was a great start hbk vs undeafeted koslov then shawn going on 2 face the undertaker and hbk dominated undertaker in the build up and then the match was awesome

Agreed last year I was really looking forward to shawn vs taker this year it's just like meh so I choose shawn vs taker 1

 

[kenvin100]

Might not be the best ever but Orton/HHH buildup last year really brought back old memories to what storylines meant. It was gritty, and it was definitely personal. Orton was the new HHH heel..him kissing an unconscious Steph takes the cake no question.

I gotta say though, Rock/SCSA II was great overall. I still remember Limp Bizkit's "My way" playing while watching the promo video.

 

[Texas Rattlesnake]

definetly wrestlemania x-seven

the whole buildup to austin rock was amazing with debra and kurt angle putting the ankle lock on her then ausitn coming down an beating both angle an rocky up

the dressing room interview jr does with both men was awesome

taker vs hh had a good buildup with undertaker basically being the last man HHH had never beaten, and taker forcing regal to make the match

mcmahon vs mcmahon speaks for itself, with shane buying wcw as well just adding extra spice

tlc II needed no buildup seeing as we all knew the match would speak for itself

 

[Marko Markovic]

Wrestlemani x7 in overall build up.If you take all the others and just left Mcmahons build up it would still be awesome(Vince- "There is Jeff Jarett,he spells his name JJ,well tomorrow he would spell his name G-O-N-E, GONE)

My most awesome wrestlemania build up for the match(although some people would disagree) is wrestlemania 21s HHH-Batista.Final dissolution of Evolution who was to me the best team in WWE history(yes,HHH and Flair couple of months later breaked the team finaly but who cared) and epic storyline of the student(Batista) taking on his master(HHH) made this to me the best storyline in wrestlemania

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

There have been a lot of great build-ups for individual matches over the years. Mania 3 had Hogan and Andre. Mania 5 had Hogan and Savage. Mania 6 had Hogan and Warrior. Mania 7- Slaughter/Hogan. Mania 12-HBK/Bret hart. Mania 13-Bret Hart/Steve Austin. Mania 17-Austin/Rock. Mania 18-Hogan/Rock. Mania 20-Goldberg/Lesnar. But only a few of them have had great, all-around build going into Mania. I would have to say the best one is...

Wrestlemania 8: I loved the build-up to this event. The Undertaker and Jake Roberts had a great build, with Roberts really showing his demented side. This also helped the Undertaker get over big time as a face. Roberts trapping Takers hand in the casket, and DDT'ing Paul Bearers big ass was amazing.

Bret Hart and Roddy Piper wasn't really a long feud, but they were friends. You could feel that this was going to be a classic, with Piper being the older-brother type to Bret, and Bret just wanting to win.

Randy Savage and Ric Flair had the biggest build up of them all, IMO. Flair and Perfect made Savage go nuts. They were threatening to show his wife's naked body to the entire arena. Flair had claimed to have slept with Elizabeth as well. Flair made Savage's life a living hell leading up to Mania. This was really well done.

Hogan and Sid Justice was also pretty well done. Sid came in as a face. Sid was the guy that was the special ref for Hogan/Warrior vs. Slaughter and company at Summerslam 91. It looked as though Sid and Hogan could be allies...that didn't happen. Sid eliminated Hogan at the Rumble in 92, and then Hogan helped Flair elimate Sid. This was just another monster for Hogan to slay, and it was especially important, basically knowing this was going to be Hogan's "last match."

I have a few honorable mentions. Mania X7 had a great build, especially with Rock/Austin. It was the biggest main event since Hogan and Warrior. Mania 24 ran some great stories with Flair/HBK, Taker/Edge, and even Mayweather/Big Show.

Mania 25 was also great, second to Mania 8 in my mind. And most of that credit went to HHH/Orton, who had the most personal feud for the title since Savage/Flair at Mania 8. These two guys HATED each other. Some of you might argue that Austin/Rock at 17 was bigger, and it was. But it was NOT more personal. This was a great angle, and I loved every second of it. Great match at 25 between HHH/Orton, despite what all of you haters say.

 

[Davi323]

Wrestlemania III. The buildup for Hogan/Andre and the Savage/Steamboat matches wasn't in terms of weeks or a few months, as it is now, but they began sowing the seeds a year previously. The WWF was incredibly patient with both storylines, and by the time Wrestlemania happened, They were ready to burst, and the entire world knew about it. You simply can't build up a PPV better than the WWF did in 1986-87.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Solid thread here. nickb03 once again makes me like him, as he put into tremendous words why my fave WM of all time, Wrestlemania 8, has to be in the discussion. So since I have some time right now, I want to look at a few of my faves in terms of the pre-event build-up.

Wrestlemania 3

So Hogan and Andre were friends and both legends. Andre had seldom lost to anyne, anywhere, and WWF promoted him as "undefeated in ____ years." Since the lack of internet / widespread knowledge / records of these matches prohibited people from disproving that fact. So, it was generally accepted.

I think this represented the first ever TRUE Wrestlemania Main Event. The main event for WM1 featured a non-wrestler and was more in place for the spectacle and star-power. WM2 was unique because of closed circut TV and the fact that it occured in 3 different venues. At Wrestlemania 3, it WAS Hogan/ Andre.

Also, the press conference where Andre arrived with Heenan as his new manager was brilliant. Heenan was like "insta-heel." I especially loved when Okerlund stated "Hulk Hogan looks up to this man!" and Heenan matter-of-factly replies "that's because he's 7-foot-4."

Savage / Steamboat was well developed because of Savages' ring-bell attack that "crushed the larynx" of Steamboat. Through all the questions of whether Steamboat would ever wrestle again came one of the first true fantastic IC Title Matches, and it really set the pace for years to come.

Wrestlemania 5

Let's not sell short "The Mega-Powers Explode." Hogan and Savage were the top two faces in the WWF for a while at this point, and Savage's fall-from-grace was Michael Corleone-esque. He had it all, and slowly descended into a controlled madness. The Hogan / Elizabeth storyline was executed perfectly, culminating in Savage's mid-reign heel turn and attack on Hogan. Never again has a mid-title-run turn been done to this level, and it set up a war between the two men. This was the biggest Main Event outside of Hogan / Andre, but the undercard was forgettable in the build-up, whereas WM3 had Savage / Steamboat.

Wrestlemania 6

Again, the main event took center stage with Hogan / Warrior, Champion vs Champion, from the Toronto SkyDome. This was the first main event that was not predicated on themes such as revenge or hatred, but rather on mutual respect and competition. The build to that main event was more than significant.

Outside of the main event, the "war" between Savage and Dusty Rhodes was set to come to a head, though in the form of a mixed tag match involving Sherri and Sapphire. Ted DiBiase vs Jake Roberts was the only match that went over 10 minutes other than Warrior / Hogan, so once again, it's Main Event or bust here.

Wrestlemania 7

The build-up to Hogan / Slaugter and Warrior / Savage were of equal brilliance. It had been a long time since the patriotism of Americans stood at a fever pitch, but with Desert Storm in full effect, the idea that patriot and GI Joe regular Sgt. Slaughter was now a turncoat and an Iraqi Sympathizer was played to it's full potential. Whether true or not, the rumors that the WWF moved venues to avoid death threads issued to Slaughter only added to the mystique and intensity of the event. The entire theme was Red, White, and Blue. Sure, we all knew who was winning the match, but the important thing was to SEE it.

Savage / Warrior in career vs career was awesome. After Savage helped Slaughter win the WWF Title from Warrior, the two had been on a 3-month collission course. The fact that there was a career vs career match between Hulk Hogans two prior Wrestlemania opponents cannot be discounted in terms of the importance to the build.

Finally, DiBiase vs Virgil had been more than a year in the making, and though the match did not end the feud, it was present in the build.

Wrestlemania 8

It's been mentioned already. Savage / Flair for the WWF Title could not have been more perfect. Savage had been reinstated to get revenge on Jake Roberts, and somehow through the aftermath of the Hogan / Justice falling out, he ended up with a title match against "The Dirtiest Player in the Game" and his entourage of Perfect and Heenan.

The rumors of Hogan's match being a "farewell" was only sort of true - it was his last match in the WWF for a little while, until his short return to WM9. But the Hogan / Justice feud (though the match finish was executed poorly) was well done. Justice spent weeks on WWF programming dominating talent, dressing them up like Hogan, and brutally attacking them.

Piper / Hart was built up well, similar to Hogan / Warrior on a smaller scale, because you have two babyface former friends facing off for a title. Undertaker / Roberts was great, because WWF was able to seemlessly blow off the Roberts / Savage feud and launch the Taker / Roberts feud, letting 'Taker go face. Roberts being on the Funeral Parlor and DDT'ing Bearer, followed by Roberts trapping 'Taker's hand in a coffin and taking a steel chair to him added to the build. There were so many great things about this PPV, and the build puts it on-par with WM3 and WM7.

So thus far I have to say that of the first 8 Wrestlemanias, the best build up was featured in WM3, WM7, and WM8. Later on I will post on 9-16 and 17-26.

 

[ice82683]

hogan vs andre imo had the best build. The irresistible force met the immovable object. The mammoth, the giant, the undefeated monster facing the hulkster. This IS what wrestlemania is all about.

 

[The Brain]

This is a great topic. What makes it such a great topic is there are solid arguments for several different answers. I might even change my mind before I finish typing my response. For now I’ll have to say WrestleMania III. I think Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant is the biggest main event in mania history. Everybody was talking about that match and people couldn’t wait to see it. It’s a good thing we didn’t have the internet back then to spoil the outcome for us. Surely someone would have reported Andre’s injuries making the result obvious. The rest of the card was built up really well too. Roddy Piper’s retirement match and the IC title match both had long strong builds. The six man tag had a great story too with everyone wanting to see Danny Davis get what he had coming to him. WM 3 truly was a special card and set the standard for what WrestleMania should be.

I’m a little surprised nobody mentioned WrestleMania XIV. There was quite a buzz going around the WWF around this time and you could just feel they were about to break out and overtake WCW again. It all started with WM14. Steve Austin was the hottest thing going and was in his first WM main event trying to win his first world title. His opponent was arguably the best big match performer in WWF history who recently founded a groundbreaking new faction in DX. Throw Mike Tyson into the mix and you’ve got mania magic. It’s just too bad HBK was hurt at the time. He gave us a good match anyway, but had he been healthy it could have been great. Also WM14 was the first match between Undertaker and Kane. The seeds for this match had been planted back in June. Long builds were common during the early mania years, but were rare for this timeframe. WWF did a great job building this match for nine months to get us all excited for the mania showdown. The Tag, IC, and European title matches all had solid storylines too. This show was a turning point in WWF history as after this they would reach unprecedented heights in popularity.

I’m not that surprised that no one mentioned WrestleMania XII, but I enjoyed the road to that one. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels are my two favorite wrestlers to watch. Here we had the two greatest in ring performers in their primes wrestling for sixty minutes for the world title in the main event at WrestleMania. What more could you ask for? Diesel vs. Undertaker had a great build too as the two made great mania opponents for each other. We also had the return of the Ultimate Warrior and the arrival of Vader. I’ve always been a Vader mark so to see him open WrestleMania was cool with me.

I’m not saying WM12 is third on my list. I just wanted to mention something different. WM17 is high on the list, but has already been discussed. I love anything between WM5-WM8. WM20 was great too. And I think WM18 deserves mention for Hogan vs. Rock alone. WM19 is the best mania in my opinion and the hype was great for that one too. I’ve also enjoyed the build for mania this year. I think WM26 has had the best build since WM20. For the most part I enjoy the build to mania every year. There are some exceptions where things didn’t fall into place, but the road to WrestleMania is usually a fun time.

 

[Joehaha]

'austin rock 2'...limp bizkit my way promo - epic. also loved 'austin rock 3' the limp bizkit promo was quality with that too. austin and rock was always gold

 

[Hulkamaniac]

For me, from a Main Event perspective, it has to be Wrestlemania 5. The Megapowers Explode! storyline was intensely personal, even moreso then Hogan-Andre. It was so well done, and it was a very rare mid-reign turn by Savage. When Hogan's music hit for his entrance, the pop was borderline ridiculous, and Hogan's celebration afterwards (reaching for the title, hanging on the ropes, begging for the belt as if he can't wait to have it in his hands) is something I will always remember. The tension between Hogan and Savage was palpable leading up to the event, it was obvious how much Macho Man wanted to kill Hogan, and how semi-reluctant to beat on his former friend, hoping he can find redemption....just so well done.

 

[The Idiot]

I think people really overlook that Austin/Michaels build up. Not the very best, but it's still up there and one of the most anticipated.

The Mega powers explode was the perfect theme for WM5 and had an excellent build.

The problem with these two is that the outcome was very predictable. A great build up is one where people really don't know who's going to win. With that said...my vote goes to

Warrior/Hogan Wrestlemania VI

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Definatley Wrestlemania XIV never have I seen a PPV where most of the matches were built months in advance. Even in today's Wrestlemania we hardly get to see that anymore. Let's look at the card.

Austin/HBK - Classic Royal Rumble winner challenging the champion at Wrestlemania but the inclusion of Tyson and all the media hype plus everyone in the world knew that Austin was destined to be World Champion. It was perfect and also began the development of the Austin/McMahon storyline.

The Rock/Ken Shamrock - Great build up here. Started At Survivor Series when Shamrock made Rocky tap out. 2 months later Rock was the IC Champion and defended it againts Shamrock at Royal Rumble and culminated at a match at Wrestlemania. There was so much heat here not just between Rock/Shamrock but the disintegration of NOD which played perfectly around their scheduled WM bout. Sure it was a squash but overall it was a well booked Squash.

Undertaker/Kane - Taking into consideration of the storyline this match was built up since right after WM13 where Paul Bearer blackmailed Undertaker eventually revealing his brother Kane. This was perfect for months Bearer hinted that Kane is alive and debuting in Badd Blood, then for 5 months(!!!) Undertaker wouldn't face Kane, so Kane reigns destruction between October to March. This is build up extremely well, imagine for 4 months Undertaker would not lay a hand on Kane, then at WMXIV Taker punches Kane and the crowd pops.

Owen Hart/HHH - A fallout from the Montreal Screw Job and a pretty good build with Owen Hart going against DX especially HHH.

Outlaws/Funk and Foley - Another great build especially the debut of Funk's alter ego, Chainsaw Charlie, on RAW chasing around the Outlaws. This was actually before The Royal Rumble, then after that PPV we had the dumpster incident, the culimated at WM in a dumpster match for the tag titles.

I guess in a nutshell, the build for WM14 was really good. Months and months invested into the big event heck I just mentioned half the card already!!!