Forgotten Wrestlemania Classics

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

When we talk about WrestleMania, and the greatest matches in WrestleMania history, you more or less always get the same answers. Savage/Steamboat, the Ladder Match at 10, the Iron Man Match at 12, Austin/Bret, Taker/HBK, etc. But there have been a lot of great matches at WrestleMania over the years and I think it's fair to say that some of them have been largely overlooked by the WWE or by fans in general. SO that being said, I wanted to start this thread and ask you about some of your favorite matches in WrestleMania history that you feel aren't often recognized as classics.

The first one I'm going to throw out there is Undertaker vs. Randy Orton from WrestleMania 21. I loved this match when I first saw it, and I recently went back to watch it again. The crowd is hot the entire time, there are some great reversals and near falls, and in my opinion it holds up even against the other classic match from that night, HBK vs. Kurt Angle. Randy Orton as the Legend Killer was the perfect opponent for the Undertaker and I think this match gets overlooked in comparison to other matches in the Undertaker's Streak. Because of that Legend Killer gimmick, fans believed it was really possible for Orton to be the guy to end the Streak (crazy because this was basically a DECADE before the Streak would actually end). So yeah, Undertaker vs. Orton, go back and check it out. Forgotten classic.

 

[The Warlord]

Michaels vs Tatanka, while not really a classic...could have been even better than it was if there was a clean finish, or at least a pinfall or submission. I loved the story between these two...Michaels as the IC champ constantly finding ways to hold onto the title. Tatanka, the undefeated new star who kept getting the best of HBK in tag and non-title matches.

I think a clean finish by either one would have really kicked off that Mania with a bang, after having that great psychological match. The two seemed to have good chemistry

 

[WhiplashUnited]

WrestleMania X8 - William Regal (C) v RVD Intercontinental Title match
Strong match that opened that year's WM - strong showing by Regal with some spots including a full Nelson in to a German Suplex that looked brutal and is my favourite spot of the match. Quality IC title match. Should have led to a good feud but instead RVD went on to feud with Eddie Guerrero.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Wrestlemania VIII, Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis: the double main event understandably get remembered, but a match rarely spoken about, but one of the best WWE matches up until that point, was the Intercontinental Titlr classic between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bret 'Hitman' Hart.

 

[Mac]

Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit at WM 2000 great match that seems to not get the credit or praise it deserves.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Although it IS regarded as a really good match, the Triple H v Undertaker match from WM X7 isn't brought up as often as it should be when people are talking about great WrestleMania matches. I loved it! Because 'Taker was in his "American Bad Ass" phase at that time, it's kind of ignored by WWE these days and it when Triple H and 'Taker had their 2 matches at the recent WrestleMania's, I don't believe it was mentioned at all that the 2 of them had faced off on a 'Mania card a decade or so earlier.

It's a shame really, it's a really good brawl.

 

[HurriKane]

Chris Jericho Vs Christian at Wrestlemania 20. The best singles match on the show, Christian getting the win, and it was just a real gem, everything in the match flowed, I even enjoyed the shock ending with Trish turning on Jericho. Great match, and really added to what was one of my favorite WMs.

Other honorable mentions include Vince McMahon Vs Shane McMahon WM X-7, Angle Vs Benoit WM X-7, and Orton VS Punk WM 25.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I don't know if you'd call it a classic, but a very underrated match in my opinion - indeed, the best on the card behind 'Taker-HHH - was Cody Rhodes v Rey Mysterio from Wrestlemania 27. Widely regarded as being the weakest WM of the last decade means that matches like this gem are overlooked.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

Some good ones have already been mentioned, here is what I would add to the list.

WrestleMania XII: Diesel vs Undertaker
Before we get to the match, this had a great build to it. Each man was chasing the title in the months prior and got screwed by the other. Diesel turned heel leading up to this match and was probably the first guy who truly had some attitude and edge pre attitude era. While not a technical masterpiece, the match itself was a great big man match which saw these guys trade power moves for power moves and did not have any long periods of break in the action.

WrestleMania XXVII: Triple H vs Undertaker

Ask most to rank the trilogy between Trips and Taker in Mania and this match would probably come in third. I would contest that this was there best match. This was different then any other Taker match at Mania in that Trips controlled the majority of the match and at least for me I remember thinking that he was going to get the win. The ending was also brilliant with Taker catching Trips in Hells Gate as a last ditch effort and Trips trying to grab the hammer before he has to tap.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Bret vs. Owen Hart at WrestleMania X. Overlooked because of a cool little gimmick bout later in the card that is held up to be something greater than it was because it was falsely claimed to be a first-ever, and because the great Shawn Michaels was involved. Chris Jericho has gone on record saying that Bret/Owen was the better match of the two, and I know I agree with him.

To go a little more obscure, I enjoyed Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit at 17.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz in a Triangle Ladder Match - Wrestlemania 2000

Gets overshadowed by the TLC matches that followed, but people remember TLC II more than the other two.

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal for the IC Title - Wrestlemania X7

Great opening match that was fast paced, hard hitting, and told a good story. Not really forgotten, WM X7 is regarded as the greatest WM of all time but people bring up Austin vs. Rock or TLC II more than the other matches on the card when talking about it.

Ahmed Johnson & The Legion Of Doom vs. The Nation Of Domination in a Chicago Street Fight - Wrestlemania 13

People call Wrestlemania 13 a terrible Wrestlemania and only ever talk about Austin vs. Bret, but they forget about this gem right here. It was a fun brawl/street fight and wasn't meant to be anything but that.

 

[S'All Goodman]

Hurrikane has already gave Wrestlemania XX a shout out and mentioned Christian vs Chris Jericho.

I think another underrated match on that card was Guerrero vs Angle.

I think this match is underrated because the card was stacked and the talking points are Cena's first title win, the return of The Undertaker and of course the main event, Benoit claiming the WHC in one of the greatest matches of all time.

Guerrero had won the title the month prior at No Way Out, and i think a bigger moment for him would have been to win it from Angle at 'Mania after Angle beat Lesnar at No Way Out and have Eddie and Chris win the top two titles in the same night. It didn't take away from the moment to close out 'Mania though.

Also, Eddie and Angle had another epic match at Summerslam later that year which could have possible topped their 'Mania match.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Hurrikane has already gave Wrestlemania XX a shout out and mentioned Christian vs Chris Jericho.

I think another underrated match on that card was Guerrero vs Angle.

I think this match is underrated because the card was stacked and the talking points are Cena's first title win, the return of The Undertaker and of course the main event, Benoit claiming the WHC in one of the greatest matches of all time.

Guerrero had won the title the month prior at No Way Out, and i think a bigger moment for him would have been to win it from Angle at 'Mania after Angle beat Lesnar at No Way Out and have Eddie and Chris win the top two titles in the same night. It didn't take away from the moment to close out 'Mania though.

Also, Eddie and Angle had another epic match at Summerslam later that year which could have possible topped their 'Mania match.

I agree - there are a lot of great and underrated WM matches from this time period involving the Radicalz and Kurt Angle:

Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit - WM2000
Chris Jericho vs William Regal - WMX7
Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit - WMX7
Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero - WMXX

Most of them have already been mentioned earlier in this thread. But it goes to show how much the match quality of the attitude era midcard increased once these guys showed up.

 

[The Brain]

I wouldn't label it a classic but one good match that never gets talked about is Owen Hart vs. Triple H from WM14. I thought these two matched up really well and seemed like natural rivals. Certainly not a five star match but a very good one that is largely forgotten.

Another is Vince vs. Shane from WM17. I was against this match when it was announced as I thought these two non wrestlers would stink up the joint at mania. Boy did they prove me wrong. I loved this match. The over the top drama is what makes wrestling so much fun. Vince, Shane, Stephanie, Linda, Trish, and Foley all had a role to play and they all played it to perfection. I was in the Astrodome for this and the crowd ate it up. Brilliant.

Another one that was more of a gimmick attraction was Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show. This was such a unique match and they did as good a job as possible with it. The celebrity got the win while still being humbled a bit and making the wrestler look good. Part of me really wanted to see Big Show get the win, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. This was booked perfectly for the situation.

 

[The Warlord]

Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit at WM 2000 great match that seems to not get the credit or praise it deserves.

It was good, and well booked...but if there was ever a match to completely steal a show and make the people give 2 fucks what came next, it was the triangle ladder match. They didnt just steal the show...it was highway robbery. Whoever was booked after this match, which the Euro-IC match was, was doomed to fail.

I was in attendance that night and will never forget it

 

[mont3818]

Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel @WM11 was a great forgotten match. So was Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage @WMVII, as Warrior surprised and the Savage/Elizabeth angle was executed perfectly, better than any angle ever! This one may be in my top 3 best Mania matches of all time. The retirement stipulation made it special too. I think this one gets overlooked because of Savage vs. Steamboat and the fact that Warrior is generally laughed at. The whole Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair program was great too. Go back and watch it; from the storyline leading in to the backstage interview to the match to the post-match happenings in the ring to the post-match interview in the back.... Grade A storytelling all executed perfectly. Seems rather forgotten today.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A few more:

WrestleMania XVI: Triple H vs Rock vs Mankind vs Big Show
A lot of people get hung up on the 4 way aspect of the match. But in reality Show was eliminated within the first 5 minutes and Mankind 10 minutes after that. What we got was nearly a half hour of Rock v Trips which like everything else they did in 2000 was awesome. And Trips delivers a piledriver on the steps to Rock which is always awesome.

WrestleMania XIX: Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar
Up until the shooting star press this was a perfect match. Yes the move was botched but I can live with that because Brock still had enough faculties left to deliver another F5 for the win. These guys put on a clinic and Kurt did it with pretty much a broken neck.

WrestleMania XXIII: John Cena vs Shawn Michaels
This was probably the last great main event attitude era/ruthless aggression era match we got. These guys went hard for damn near 40 minutes and gave us everything that made those matches so fun to watch. Again we get a piledriver on the steps with Shawn hitting it on Cena which along with a figure four on the ring post is the most sure fire way to get me into a match.

 

[SuperSteve16]

Cody Rhodes vs Rey Mysterio Wrestlemania 27 - This match is hardly remembered and it was only four years ago! An absolute classic, the feud was great and really put Rhodes on the map and made people think he could a future star in the company. Wrestlemania 27 gets a lot of hate and the only match people seem to remember is Taker vs Triple H, but Mysterio vs Rhodes stole the show.

Edge vs The Undertaker Wrestlemania 24- This match is often forgotten because The Undertaker would go on to have great matches with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and CM Punk in the next five years but in my opinion, this is one of the best matches in the streak. A great Wrestlemania main event, and I actually felt that the streak could end because Edge was delivering the best work of his career. It was also Edges only Wrestlemania main event, and he helped make a classic

 

[MrTDG]

WrestleMania V- Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude. No one did more in my opinion to make the Warrior look like a super human monster than Ravishing Rick Rude. Great match that showcased the Warrior's wild man style of wrestling, the cunning of Rude, and the surprise ending where the Ravishing one got the win and captured the IC title in the process. Great way to make your monster baby face look good in a loss and have the heel gain more heat from their win. Both men came out better as a result of the match.

WrestleMania V- Strike Force vs. The Brain Busters- This match, if it were in JCP two years prior, would've been given 20 minutes and we would've really seen what these guys could do. Nevertheless it was a well paced, good wrestling match that served as the launching of Rick Martel's solo run as a heel.

WrestleMania IV- 20 Man Battle Royal. I think battle royals are just about always throw away matches, but used correctly, they can start or continue a story. This is about as good as it gets in my opinion as far as battle royals go. From George Steele remaining on the outside and pulling out the Anvil by his beard, to the commentary by Bob Uecker, Jesse Ventura, and Gorilla Monsoon, to the finish with Bad News Brown turning on Bret Hart, starting the face turn for the Hitman, this was about as much as you could hope for when t comes to this type of match.

Wrestle Mania XIV- Undertaker vs. Kane- The Undertaker had many matches that were physically taxing to him, but the Undertaker was never was vulnerable before in his career as he was in his first encounter with Kane. I loved how Kane seemed to be the more dominant and aggressive wrestler, whereas the Undertaker wrestled a completely different style that showcased more of his wrestling ability, finesse, and more high flying moves (it was the second time I saw UT do a plancha). The match had a great build and told a great story in the ring as it took all that Taker had to finally overcome his brother. Even though Kane lost, he looked like an even bigger monster afterwards in my book considering how physically spent the Undertaker look and how he walked out as if he could go another 20 minutes. It was a very good, but different big man match than we were used to seeing the WWF put out at the time.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Wrestlemania VIII, Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis: the double main event understandably get remembered, but a match rarely spoken about, but one of the best WWE matches up until that point, was the Intercontinental Titlr classic between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bret 'Hitman' Hart.

I always thought this match got overlooked....Flair-Savage was brilliant, great feud, great promos, and great match, one of the few times WWE delivered everything in one World Title Match as this became one maybe the greatest feud of the 1990s, or at least one of the top 2 or 3, Hogan-Sid wasn't very good but it was billed as Hogan's "retirement match" so it got plenty of attention, plus the accusations of the ending being screwed up have gotten it more attention through the years (did Papa Shango miss his cue and come to the ring late, did Sid kick out on purpose because he didn't want to be pinned ....)....However....

Hart & Piper was a classic....great storyline, Piper's "only" WWE Title....was Hart a "one hit wonder" or a legit main event caliber star....BOTH men working as fan faves with villainous pasts and BOTH teasing heel turns leading into the match....next to Flair/Savage this was probably the best build and storyline of any match on the card. The bout itself more than lived up to the hype, a good mix of brawling and mat based technical wrestling, near falls, and a few well placed "teased heel turns" that didn't happen with the older Piper (who already had his "Retirement" at WM III and was on his way out thanks to the Steroid Investigation) giving a clean win to Hart, a HUGE boost in his career and for his character going forward.

Most of this card was forgettable and Hogan-Sid may have been Hogan's worst WM match but this match alone nearly makes the event and along with The World Title Match is pretty much what makes WM VIII worth revisiting.