31 Manias in 31 Days: Rewriting Wrestlemania XII

[LODemolition]

Today's installment in my "Rewriting WrestleMania" series takes us to the Arrowhead Pond in 1996 for WrestleMania 12. It was the first ever Iron Man match between Bret "Hitman" Hart and back-to-back Royal Rumble winners Shawn Michaels. It was also the return of Ultimate Warrior, who had last been seen on WWF television at SummerSlam '92. It would be Kevin Nash's last WrestleMania before jumping ship to WCW like so many others had, with the huge contracts that Ted Turner could offer. Unfortunately, Razor Ramon wouldn't even be able to compete on the card (if memory serves me correctly, it was a wellness policy issue). It was also the very first WrestleMania for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. I think it goes without saying that it was a rebound year for WrestleMania, as it was the strongest card they had produced since WM8, despite having the least amount of matches on the card in WM history; just 6. But it could have been much better than it was in my opinion, and I'll explain how. Let's see the results.


March 31, 1996
Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA)

Owen Hart, British Bulldog & Vader w/ Jim Cornette def. Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Roberts & Ahmed Johnson

Hollywood Backlot Brawl
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper def. Goldust w/ Marlena

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin w/ "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase def. Savio Vega

Ultimate Warrior def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Sable

Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Diesel

WWE Iron Man Match for WWE Championship
Shawn Michaels def. Bret "Hit Man" Hart in overtime


*Rewriting WrestleMania XII*


1. WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament Final: The Bodydonnas w/ Sunny def. The Godwinns w/ Hillbilly Jim

I had no problem with these being the final 2 teams in the tournament. The tag division was still extremely weak at this time. It was placed perfectly in the pre-show, and had an entertaining ending with Sunny distracting Phineas to help the Bodydonnas get the pin.

2. Vader w/ Jim Cornette def. Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji

I'd open the show with the battle of the bohemoths here 1-on-1 instead of putting them in a 6-man tag. The problem with that 60-plus minute Iron Man match is that it turned it almost into a 1-match show. What I've done with the main event opens some time up. Yokozuna's first match as a face ends in a loss.

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin w/ "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase def. Jake "The Snake" Roberts

I'd have Austin go over Jake here and someone we could take more seriously in June for the King of the Ring. Of course, Austin could still beat Jake in the semis so we still get the infamous "Austin 3:16" promo.

4. Ahmed Johnson & Savio Vega def. Owen Hart & British Bulldog w/ Jim Cornette

Ahmed and Davey Boy match up well physically, and so do Owen and Savio. This could make for an entertaining tag match up and Ahmed would get the pin to make him look strong on his way to becoming #1 contender for the IC Title.

5. Ultimate Warrior def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/ Sable

I think Warrior getting the squash match over Helmsley (who was in hot water for breaking kayfabe with "The Kliq at the infamous MSG house show) was the right call. Helmsley was low man on the totem pole, so he had to pay the price.

6. Hollywood Back Lot Brawl: "Rowdy Roddy Piper def. Goldust w/ Marlena

Even though I would've loved to see Razor Ramon take on Goldust because I really loved that feud, Razor had made his bed and had to lie in it. This is a rare time when I'm ok with them not putting the IC Title on the line at Mania. They made the very best of a tough situation. The Piper/Goldust feud was excellent and the back lot brawl exceeded my expectations. I wouldn't change any of this.

7. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Diesel

They booked Nash great before he parted for WCW. A great feud with Taker and then Shawn at the following In Your House. This was also a match I'd change nothing about. Taker and Diesel matched up great though anyone with internet access knew that Diesel had one foot out the door of WWF, they really made this work instead of just giving us a vibe that Diesel had zero chance.

8. WWF Championship Iron Man Match: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels w/ Jose Lothario def. Bret "Hitman" Hart (c), 2 falls to 1 in OT

For starters, I would have made this a 30-minute Iron Man match, not 60. Yes, it was amazing to see the endurance of both guys to go for that long in the ring, and still not have scored a fall on the other. But it also got a bit boring at times. 30 minutes would have been plenty of time, and I would have had them tied at 1 fall each when time expired. Then I would have probably had it go another 10 minutes before Shawn hit the Sweet Chin Music and became the champion. It seemed like as soon as that bell rang to kick off OT, Shawn hit the superkick and it was over. I thought that should have had more build. Other than that, it was one of the classics in WrestleMania main event history. I'm sure many will disagree with me about shortening it, but it allows for the rest of the card to develop a bit better.


Feel free to comment and/or post your WrestleMania XII changes.

 

[TheICChampion]

Um, hate to be "that guy" but The Curtain Call didn't happen until a month or so after WrestleMania. Other than that, I enjoy your card.

 

[HBKperfect23]

BodyDonnas vs Owen and Bulldog for the tag titles.

1-2-3 Kid vs Hakushi. Two talented wrestlers who could have put on a good match.

Goldust vs Roddy

Austin vs Savio

Warrior vs H Let H get some offense in and not just get shit on

Yokozuna vs Vader. I feel like this match will be on most cards

Taker vs Nash. Booked perfect

HBK vs Bret. Don't touch it. Ive considered 30 mins or just let the Match run 60mins or have two falls before OT but this was a classic. Let it be.

 

[MMK]

For starters, seeing as how Shawn and Bret wrestled for over 60 minutes, I think this should have been the year where Shawn entered the Rumble at #1 and lasted over 60 minutes to go on to Mania. Save the 95 story and finish (one foot) for the 96 Rumble.

WRESTLEMANIA 12
PRE SHOW BATTLE ROYAL
Savio Vega, Godwinns, Bodydonnas, Smoking Gunns, Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Ahmed Johnson
(Ahmed Johnson gets the win. Eliminates Yoko for the win)

WWF Tag Team Championship
1.Owen Hart & The Bulldog vs Diesel and Razor Ramon
(I would have paired up real life best friends Hall and Nash seeing as how both were now out of the title picture. That way, even if they still bolted for WCW, it would look like just another idea WCW stole from WWF. Plus this match ties in nicely to the main event as it features Bret's guys vs Shawns guys. Could even have the Hart family reunion early to go up against Shawn's kliq.)

2. Wildman Marc Mero def Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/Sable
(Mero arrived at WM12, but why not have him show up a few weeks earlier to hype this match for the ppv rather than feed Helmsley to the Warrior. Sable slaps HHH during the match, allowing Mero to win the match and a new valet.)

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
(Didn't care for Goldust flirting with Piper and Piper acting all homophobic. Cheap stuff. And it was recycled from Pipers feud with Adrian Adonis at WM3.
Meanwhile Austin deserved a better class opponent than Savio Vega.
Austin/Piper could have been one epic promo after another that ultimately leads to a great brawl at Mania. A real passing of the torch from one badass to the next.)

4.Ultimate Warrior def. Goldust w.Marlena
(This match took place a month later, I would have had it here instead. But unlike the match with HHH that did happen at Mania 12, this is not a squash match.)

5.Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Vader
(Vader was misused from the second he got to WWE. He can lose this match by DQ and still look strong. I would have preferred to see Diesel vs Taker at WMX 2 years earlier.

WWF Championship
6. Shawn Michaels def. Bret "Hit Man" Hart
(NO IRON MAN. Let them wrestle 60 minutes, but it didnt need the gimmick. It took away the excitement of any potential near fall or near submission. Seeing as how neither man got a fall in the 60 mins allotted my change wouldn't affect the match in anyway. Same finish. Just lose the gimmick)

 

[Really?]

For starters, seeing as how Shawn and Bret wrestled for over 60 minutes, I think this should have been the year where Shawn entered the Rumble at #1 and lasted over 60 minutes to go on to Mania. Save the 95 story and finish (one foot) for the 96 Rumble.

WRESTLEMANIA 12
PRE SHOW BATTLE ROYAL
Savio Vega, Godwinns, Bodydonnas, Smoking Gunns, Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Ahmed Johnson
(Ahmed Johnson gets the win. Eliminates Yoko for the win)

WWF Tag Team Championship
1.Owen Hart & The Bulldog vs Diesel and Razor Ramon
(I would have paired up real life best friends Hall and Nash seeing as how both were now out of the title picture. That way, even if they still bolted for WCW, it would look like just another idea WCW stole from WWF. Plus this match ties in nicely to the main event as it features Bret's guys vs Shawns guys. Could even have the Hart family reunion early to go up against Shawn's kliq.)

2. Wildman Marc Mero def Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/Sable
(Mero arrived at WM12, but why not have him show up a few weeks earlier to hype this match for the ppv rather than feed Helmsley to the Warrior. Sable slaps HHH during the match, allowing Mero to win the match and a new valet.)

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
(Didn't care for Goldust flirting with Piper and Piper acting all homophobic. Cheap stuff. And it was recycled from Pipers feud with Adrian Adonis at WM3.
Meanwhile Austin deserved a better class opponent than Savio Vega.
Austin/Piper could have been one epic promo after another that ultimately leads to a great brawl at Mania. A real passing of the torch from one badass to the next.)

4.Ultimate Warrior def. Goldust w.Marlena
(This match took place a month later, I would have had it here instead. But unlike the match with HHH that did happen at Mania 12, this is not a squash match.)

5.Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer def. Vader
(Vader was misused from the second he got to WWE. He can lose this match by DQ and still look strong. I would have preferred to see Diesel vs Taker at WMX 2 years earlier.

WWF Championship
6. Shawn Michaels def. Bret "Hit Man" Hart
(NO IRON MAN. Let them wrestle 60 minutes, but it didnt need the gimmick. It took away the excitement of any potential near fall or near submission. Seeing as how neither man got a fall in the 60 mins allotted my change wouldn't affect the match in anyway. Same finish. Just lose the gimmick)

The problem you run into by allowing 60 mins but not having the Iron man stip is that people will know and it'd be forced. By having a major undercard match go 45-60 is a nice surprise since there is more to come. With the main, you know that will be it.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
(Didn't care for Goldust flirting with Piper and Piper acting all homophobic. Cheap stuff. And it was recycled from Pipers feud with Adrian Adonis at WM3.
Meanwhile Austin deserved a better class opponent than Savio Vega.
Austin/Piper could have been one epic promo after another that ultimately leads to a great brawl at Mania. A real passing of the torch from one badass to the next.)

I am sure many here would have wanted Austin to keep his WM match or give him a more prominent role such as Austin vs. Piper. But i think all of that is hindsight, I mean Austin was a relative newcomer just a few months removed from having The Ringmaster gimmick. I think if we were looking at things objectively Austin wouldn't even have a spot at WM 12 because of his mid card status.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I don't think I would change a thing about this card. I start by keeping the Iron Man Match as it was so that limits the remainder of my card. Taker and Sid was a real good match that had a great build so I wouldn't touch that either. Piper was a last minute sub for Razor and that was an interesting match/concept so I wouldn't touch that either. With time constraints, I would keep the 6 man as it was and Austin was not ready for anything bigger than Savio at that moment.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

The only changes I would have made is to have had Bret V Shawn have more falls. I would have also liked HHH to have had more of a match with Warrior - it was a waste of time.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

The only changes I would have made is to have had Bret V Shawn have more falls.

I was thinking that too but then looking at it. If HBK get's the first fall it makes Shawn Michaels better than Bret Hart in the whole match so watching pointless. On the other hand if Bret Hart gets the first fall even if HBK wins there will always be an asterix saying if this was a regular match Bret Hart would still be Champion.

It was a no-win situation if there was a multi-fall match.

The better option though would have been not to have an Iron Man match but have a regular match with a 1 hour time limit (I believe at the time Howard Finkel would announce time limits before each match).

Have the match end at a time limit draw then have sudden death.

 

[MMK]

The problem you run into by allowing 60 mins but not having the Iron man stip is that people will know and it'd be forced. By having a major undercard match go 45-60 is a nice surprise since there is more to come. With the main, you know that will be it.

How would people know? Just have a standard match between them that happens to go over 60 minutes. That way ppl would be on edge with every near fall. Then finally after 65 minutes Shawn gets a 3 count.

 

[willross]

This guy changed the Iron Man Match.......are you serious!?!?!?!

Do not touch perfection. It was the most perfect match WM had seen up to that point. 60 minutes was no where near overkill, it never felt like 60 cause Bret and Shawn are the best ever and paced it to perfection.

I tried to allow this rewriting thing to go without being angry at pure stupidity....BUT JESUS CHRIST!!! Why not just go back to WM3 and change Andre vs Hogan......or WM1 and change the Main Event....wait you did that....damn son