31 Manias in 31 Days: Rewriting Wrestlemania X

[LODemolition]

The latest installment of my "Rewriting WrestleMania" series takes us back to the 10th anniversary of the greatest event in pro wrestling. WWF revisited Madison Square Garden in 1994, the venue where it all started. It was also the start of a new generation in WWF history though, as it was the first WrestleMania without Hulk Hogan, who had left for WCW. Like the previous year at WM9, the roster was still weak and rebuilding, not to mention The Undertaker was injured which only made matters worse. For the first time at the Royal Rumble that preceded this event, there were co-winners in Bret Hart and Lex Luger. Instead of a triple threat, then champion Yokozuna would battle the loser of a coin toss (Luger) in an early bout. The winner would then take on Bret Hart, who would also pull double duty as he was involved in a great feud with his own flesh and blood, Owen Hart. Let's take a look at the results.

March 20, 1994
Madison Square Garden (New York City, NY)

Owen Hart def. Bret "Hit Man" Hart

Mixed Tag Match
Bam Bam Bigelow & Luna Vachon def. Doink & Dink

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Randy "Macho Man" Savage def. Crush w/ Mr. Fuji

Women's Championship
Alundra Blayze def. Leilani Kai to retain

WWE Championship
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette def. Lex Luger by DQ (Mr. Perfect was special guest referee)

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
Razor Ramon def. Shawn Michaels to retain

World Tag Team Championship
Men on a Mission w/ Oscar def. The Quebecers w/ Johnny Polo by count-out

Earthquake def. Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman

WWE Championship Main Event
Bret "Hit Man" Hart def. Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette (Roddy Piper was special guest referee)


*Rewriting WrestleMania X*


1. "The Rocket" Owen Hart def. Bret "Hitman" Hart

This is one of my favorite and feuds of all-time. An absolute classic where Owen pulled out the upset over his brother Bret. Also the best opening match in Mania history in my opinion. No question that this stays as is.

2. WWF Championship: Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette def. Lex Luger by DQ (Guest referee: Mr. Perfect)

I really wouldn't change anything here either except I'd move it up to 2nd on the card. Mr. Perfect was a great choice to play the role of a heel ref to screw things up for Lex.

3. Six-Man Tag: Men on a Mission w/ Oscar & Tatanka def. The Headshrinkers w/ Afa & Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon

I know the tag team division was in pretty bad shape at this point in time, but M.O.M. did not deserve a shot at the titles at Mania. I'd throw them a bone and put them in a 6-man tag here. Maybe even make it a 10-man if you feel sorry for guys like Earthquake, the Smoking Gunns, Doink, Adam Bomb, Marty Jannetty, etc., and want to consolidate them into 1 filler match.

4. WWF Tag Team Championship: The Quebecers (c) w/ Johnny Polo def. The Steiner Brothers

It's a pretty big head-scratcher that the Steiners weren't used at WMX. They had a program w/ The Quebecers and wrestled them at house shows ending in count-outs/DQ's left and right leading up to Mania. Give The Quebecers a strong win here over a legitimately great team like Rick and Scott before they would leave the company a few months later.

5. Diesel def. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

I always thought it was rather lazy booking to put Savage up against Crush. There weren't a TON of better options, but there were a few. I think an up and coming Diesel was a good way they could have gone. Diesel's only involvement in the event was being Shawn Michaels' bodyguard, and it didn't last long, as the ref sent him to the back in the IC Title match. 1994 was a huge year for Diesel, winning all 3 major titles, beginning with the IC Title just a couple weeks after WM10. A rub from Savage at Mania would've been a great way to get him over beforehand.

6. Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Razor Ramon (c) def. Shawn Michaels

Just like the Bret/Owen opener, this is a classic that shouldn't be touched. It was the very first ladder match in WWF ppv history, and at the time it was completely innovative and different. Razor climbed the ladder and retrieved both IC Title belts (the real one and the duplicate Shawn had made for himself), while Shawn was tied up in the ropes. The fans didn't know what to expect from a ladder match this night, and now it's become maybe the favorite gimmick match in WWF/E history.

7. WWF Women's Championship: Alundra Blayze (c) def. Leilani Kai

I'd leave this as is, just to showcase the 1 female talent they had at the time. Obviously this is lined up behind the IC Title and main event to give the fans a breather.

8. WWF Championship: Bret "Hitman" Hart def. Yokozuna (c) w/ Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette (Guest referee: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper)

There's no reason to change the ending to WMX either. The way I rewrote WMIX, Bret retained over Yokozuna, but then lost a rematch to him either at KOTR or SummerSlam. This would have given Yokozuna 7-9 months on top. Following this Mania, I'd have given Bret a full year as champion, going into WM11 still wearing the strap. I thought the loss to Backlund was ridiculous and it was too soon to give Diesel the title in November. But we'll cover WM11 (possibly the worst Mania of all-time) tomorrow.

Feel free to comment and/or post your rewritten WrestleMania X.

 

[roipdh123]

Wrestle Mania X:

1.Singles Match
Owen Hart def. Bret Hart

2.Tag Team Match
Earthquake and Tatanka def. Bam Bam Bigelow and Jeff Jarrett.

3.WWF Championship Match with Mr. Perfect as the Special Guest Referee
Lex Luger def. Yokozuna {C} via a Disqualification after Mr. Perfect hit Luger with a chair shot a minute after the match began. After that in the middle of the night it was announced that Luger will also be a part of the main event match as his title shot was unfairly taken away from him.

4. WWF Women's Championship match
Alundra Blayze {C} def. Leilani Kai

5.Falls Count Anywhere Match
Randy Savage def. Rick Martel

6.Four Corners Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship match.
Men On A Mission def. The Quebecers {C} & The Smoking Gunns & The Headshrinkers.

7.Ladder Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon {C} def. Shawn Michaels

8.Three Way Match for the WWF Championship match
Bret Hart def. Yokozuna {C} and Lex Luger.
Same ending for the show with the roster coming out and Owen looking on Bret.

 

[HBKperfect23]

With Taker hurt the roster was pretty weak at the time. The only realistic change I'd make would be the Steiners vs Quebecers for the tag titles. MOM always annoyed me. Quebecers were pretty good and could have had a pretty good match with the Steiners.

Even tho the low-mid/under cards lacked, the main event/upper mid card players really really stepped up for WMX. Shawn/Razor, Bret/Owen were perfect. Both title matches were good, especially the closer, and Savage/Crush was decent. I really enjoyed WMX and feel they pretty much got the best card out there that night.

 

[The Brain]

I always thought it was rather lazy booking to put Savage up against Crush.

Why did you think Savage vs. Crush was lazy booking? They had a great storyline that started in October of 1993 and was one of the hottest feuds throughout the winter. They were even planting the seeds of falls count anywhere as early as Survivor Series and Royal Rumble. This match was several months in the making. I'll say the match itself unfortunately did not deliver but the build was very well done.

 

[gmanversion1]

Personally I have felt for years that they booked this wrong. I thought that Lex should have beaten Yoko for the belt, but Bret would have then beat Lex in the main event. Lex would have then started a slow heel turn, fed up with having one of the shortest WWF World Title reigns.

Maybe Bret and Lex have a rematch at KOTR with Bret winning again, and Lex then attack Bret after the match, fully turning heel.

On a subsequent Raw, Lex and and Yoko have a #1 contenders match, with Lex attacking Yoko befit the bell, nailing him with the steel forearm, demanding the ref count, giving him a title match at Summerslam, where he would beat Bret for the belt

 

[No Count Pup]

This is a tough one because WrestleMania 10 is one of my favorite shows ever. But I was always bothered by the whole WWF Championship angle. I would have made it Lex Luger's night. He would have closed the show and celebrated with the title.

I would not have changed anything about Bret vs. Owen. The Owen victory was a bold move and WWF deserves credit for giving the Rocket such a high profile win. After feuding with Owen for the rest of 1994, Bret would have won the 1995 Royal Rumble and defeated Lex Luger for the title at WrestleMania XI.

I don't care how this would have affected Diesel's title run. He could have defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1995 and dropped it at the Royal Rumble in time for the Bret/Shawn Iron Man Match.

Anyway, I think WWF needed Luger to have the title and the WrestleMania moment. Instead they went with Bret. While I commend WWF for rewarding Bret's hard work, I think it was misguided. Luger was the man built for that WrestleMania 10 title victory.

 

[HBKperfect23]

Lex Lugers time was summerslam 93. We didn't get the payoff and nobody cared about Luger after that. WMX was Brets night. He, far and away, Received the bigger reaction at the rumble. I would have been ok with Luger over Yoko then Bret over Luger but Bret needed to walk away with the belt that night.

 

[No Count Pup]

Lex Lugers time was summerslam 93. We didn't get the payoff and nobody cared about Luger after that. WMX was Brets night. He, far and away, Received the bigger reaction at the rumble. I would have been ok with Luger over Yoko then Bret over Luger but Bret needed to walk away with the belt that night.

Nobody cared about Luger after SummerSlam 1993? What is the basis for that argument? If Luger was so irrelevant he would not have won in the main event of Survivor Series, ended up the co-winner of the Royal Rumble, and fought in a WWF Title match at WrestleMania. The fans wanted Luger to win the title, but WWE had other plans.

 

[HBKperfect23]

Listen to his reaction when they play his music after royal rumble 1994. He got booed out of the building. Not saying it was entirely his fault but he cooled off big time after summerslam 93. After the tremendous build he needed to win the title at that event. He did not. Would I have liked to see him get the title at Wrestlemania 10? Maybe. Bret vs Luger could have enjoyable but Bret was the one that needed to leave as champion. It was his time, he's who the fans wanted. I should re-word my sentence to no one cared about Luger becoming champion anymore

 

[No Count Pup]

Listen to his reaction when they play his music after royal rumble 1994. He got booed out of the building. Not saying it was entirely his fault but he cooled off big time after summerslam 93. After the tremendous build he needed to win the title at that event. He did not. Would I have liked to see him get the title at Wrestlemania 10? Maybe. Bret vs Luger could have enjoyable but Bret was the one that needed to leave as champion. It was his time, he's who the fans wanted. I should re-word my sentence to no one cared about Luger becoming champion anymore

I think what is difficult about WrestleMania 10 is figuring out who should have main evented the show. Fans are always trying to mix and match a way to include Bret Hart, Lex Luger, and Yokozuna. But I've reached a new conclusion: Yokozuna should not have entered WrestleMania as champion. I believe Lex Luger could have won the title at Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble and had a match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania.

WrestleMania 10 bothers me in the same sense WrestleMania 4 and WrestleMania 30 bothered me: we did not know the main event heading into the show. I have the philosophy that WWE should pick a main event and market it like crazy. Luger vs. Hart screamed WrestleMania main event.

What does that mean for Bret vs. Owen? That's a tough call, a really tough call. An all-time great WrestleMania match, it was every bit the technical marvel Savage vs. Steamboat was. But I would have been wiling to never have that match in exchange for the classic Luger vs. Hart could have been. It's a case of Door #1 or Door #2.

One more important note: Yokozuna's career was on the decline after WrestleMania 10. If his de-push was geared into overdrive WWE could have used Yokozuna to put over a rising star. Tatanka would have been a good choice. Or maybe the hot NYC crowd would have enjoyed one of several wily veterans like Hot Rod, Macho Man, or Mr. Perfect giving Yokozuna a run for his money.

 

[HBKperfect23]

I kind of liked the 3-man tournament and not knowing who would close. I wouldn't trade Bret/Owen for Luger going into mania as champion to face Bret. Especially since you could have both matches. Luger would have had so much more momentum if he went over at summerslam then got screwed shortly after. Then a Bret/Luger finish at WMX could have been huge.

 

[MMK]

I hated Luger/Bret co-winning the Royal Rumble. It was WWE's way of using the Royal Rumble crowd as a focus group to determine who should be their #1 face going forward. I don't mind them both going over the top at the same time. That was an original spot. But let them go back in the ring and decide an official winner with Lex getting the victory.

The next night on RAW, Luger, after seeing the determination Bret showed in fighting twice in one night and on one leg no less, and knowing that Bret was screwed by Yokozuna at Mania last year just as he was at Summerslam, says that Bret deserves the shot just as much as he does. And offers to make it a triple threat if Yokozuna has the guts to accept.
A match is set up where if Bret wins he will join the main event.
Bret faces Mr.Fuji's other client Crush and gets the win to advance to Mania. Afterwards, Owen attacks Bret while Yoko and Crush double team Luger only for Macho Man to run in and make the save.

WRESTLEMANIA X
1. Owen Hart def. Bret "Hit Man" Hart

World Tag Team Championship
2. Steiner Brothers def. The Quebecers
(Steiners were still a part of WWF at WMX but weren't being used much and were on there way out. I would have had them at least get one more Mania match challenging the Quebecers for the title.)

3. Doink (still a heel) vs Rowdy Roddy Piper (making his return)
(Piper returned to the ring at KOTR, but made his wwf return at this event. Why not have him compete at MSG? If Doink had still been heel I'd have him come out and taunt the crowd and challenge any guy in the back. Out comes Hot Rod to answer the call. Evil Doink was underrated and a feud with Piper would have been terrific)

Women's Championship
4. Alundra Blayze def. Bull Nakano w.Luna Vachon
(Amazing match at summerslam. Bring Bull in earlier for Mania)

5. Lex Luger & Randy Savage def Yokozuna & Crush
(This way Bret, Lex, and Yoko all still wrestle twice but both bret and luger get to main event. We'd already seen one on one matches between Bret/Yoko and Luger/Yoko but we'd never seen a triple threat. In fact we'd never seen a triple threat in wwf title history at this point. Plus the Macho/Crush feud gets incorporated into the Luger/Yoko feud which makes sense as both Yoko and Crush were managed by Fuji.)

6. 18 man BATTLE ROYAL (won by Mr.Perfect)
Earthquake, Adam Bomb, Martel, Jarrett, IRS, Samu, Fatu, Billy, Bart, Tatanka, Holly, Jannetty, Bam Bam, Mabel, Mo, Kwang, Booger ???
(Perfect makes his return in style as amystery entrant in the battle royal and wins it all. There was no time for the 10 man tag, and the Quake/Bomb match was a wasted squash, but if you combine them all together I think there would have been time)

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
7. Razor Ramon def. Shawn Michaels

8. Diesel vs Undertaker
(Undertaker wasn't at this wrestlemania due to injury, but if he had been Diesel would have been the perfect opponent. The new big bad monster on the block at this point was Diesel, who didnt have an opponent at Mania nor was he allowed at ringside for Shawns match. Two major names who were left off this card. To set up the storyline, have Diesel be the one leading hte gang of villians who attacked Taker at the Rumble before locking him in the casket. Taker is back and vows to go through each of his attackers one by one starting with Diesel)

WWF CHAMPIONSHIP: TRIPLE THREAT
9. Bret Hart def Lex Luger and Yokozuna

 

[willross]

For the guy who put a Three Way, those didn't exist yet lol, atleast not in North America. WWF's first Three Way was in 1997.

Lugar was so lukewarm at best by WM10 because the people wanted Bret, so Lugar being anywhere except where he was wouldn't make sense.