The Biggest Spectacle Ever

[klunderbunker]

Wrestlemania 3 is EASILY the biggest spectacle ever in mainstream wrestling. 93,000 people in one place to see one match. That's just freaking ridiculous. That show was just epic to look at and it felt awesome. It felt like a huge show and it acted like one. The wrestling wasn't great but the atmosphere carried it to being a great show.

That being said, I want to know what you think is the biggest spectacle of all time. What one event can you just look at on the surface and say holy shit this is amazing. I don't mean the in ring work or the stories or anything like that. I mean what event sounds amazing based on the way the arena/stadium looked and the card on paper? What event made you be impressed by it being put together?

Note: other than Mania 3 as that's just not going to be topped.

 

[Supernova]

I'll admit I'm not much of an old school guy, but for me two matches really capture that "epic" feel. One if The Rock v Stone Cold from X-7 - this is like Hogan vs Hogan, it was that big. Two of the best EVER in their (almost) primes, at the height of their popularity. Likewise, Hogan vs Sting from Starrcade 97 was amazing - not the match as such (but that's not what the thread is about) but the entrances/stare down etc. Definition of a spectacle. That speech and epic, solemn entrance by Sting right after Hogan's typical cocky, sleazy one really captured the feel of Sting trying to save the company from the nWo. Awesome.

 

[Leeds Guy]

Wrestlemania X-8 - The Rock vs Hogan - I remember having the holy shit i cant believe this is happening thought in my head. When they stood face to face and stared each other down, it was fantastic. They killed it when they re-did it at no way out but thats neither here nor there. The fans had to make a choice who to cheer for and cheered everymove that was made, I marked for The Rock. That one amazing moment is deffo the biggest spectacle ever in my opinion.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I'll go with Summerslam 92 in Wembley Stadium. The place was electric and the venue was unique during that time. It also showed the WWE that they could draw on a worldwide scale and could put on a helluva show. The Bulldog/Hart match is considered one of the better matches in WWE history and it drew huge in England. I know for a fact that Wrestlemania 3 is a huge spectacle, but in the grand scheme of things, I could put Summerslam 92 near that level. over 80,000 people's nothing to sneeze at.

 

[gd]

These have to big the biggest spectacles ever. Just look at the size of those things. It's amazing.

Wait, it's biggest spectacle? As in wrestling? Have to go with Rock/Hogan here. The atmosphere for that match was ridiculous. You're on the biggest stage in wrestling with the big name who's past his prime and the new guy that's filling in his shoes, so to speak. Everyone had an opinion on the match, and even if the in ring action may not have been the best ever, you can't deny the epicness of the match as a whole. It was just a huge event.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Lariat, you are a fucker.

It has been rumoured for years that SummerSlam 92 actually had a bigger crowd than WM 3. I don't know if i belive that, but man alive, that place is just a fuckign SEA of people. That stadium looked absolutely fucking incredible, especially after the lights went down, and the stadium just seemed to stretch forever into the darkness.

Ill go with a sleeper pick as well, WM 24. I fucking defy anyone to show me a show with better production values, set, and just overall atmosphere. The crowds was THE biggest, but it was still massive. Awesome, awesome outdoor spectacle.

 

[SavageTaker]

I definitely agree with everyone that has said WM3, SS ‘92, WM18, e.t.c. But I also agree with NorCal on WM24.

I was there live and it was just amazing being there. The show felt epic with all of the fireworks and lights. Anywhere you looked you never saw an empty spot (unless the person left to get or do something). The Citrus Bowl was just filled up to capacity. WM24 really did feel like a huge spectacle and I really did feel like I was at the biggest show of the year. You honestly had to be there to really appreciate everything they did.

I may be a little bias, or a lot, because I was there, but WM24 is definitely up there as one of the best spectacles in wrestling.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Absolutely, I feel the need to expand upon it. Does everyone remeber the fucking huge fireworks in the night sky for Ric Flair? The Firworks that went all the way around the stadium for HBK, Trips, and Floyd Mayweather? The fucking apratment building sized set? PEOPLE GETTING SET ON FIRE after UT won the title? The fucking show is entirely in its own league when it comes to production values. Not even close.

 

[JJYanks121]

I'm not sure if anything I could sell would top some of the things mentioned already, but I'm going to go with something that I remember fondly. In terms of being a kid and the awe of professional wrestling, the match and the spectacle that stands out is Wrestlemania 6. Maybe because I was young, but the clash of the biggest of all time against the most popular at the time was going to be epic in my mind. Being 7 years old, it was such a treat to see it as it was the first Wrestlemania I saw on pay per view. Watching the Ultimate Warrior win just blew me away (I was 6, I've smartened up since then!) and I do think from a specactle perspective, that is one of the bigger main events. I can't sell it moreso than most of the others, but for me personally, I remember it fondly as a huge spectacle.

 

[Decarow]

Personally, I like WM21. It was the hollywood feel. Big Show in a sumo match. First MITB. Cena winning his first world title. Batista beating his mentor Triple H, the first of their classic feud of 2005. Hogan getting inducted in the HOF (it was big at the time). And Piper too.

Steve Austin in the Piper's Pit with Carlito interrupting. Piper attacking Carlito and having a beer with Austin only to get bit by the rattlesnake.

HBK VS ANGLE. Perhaps one of the best WM matches.

Taker vs Orton, setting up their year-long feud.

And my favorite part of the card, Mysterio vs Guerrero. My favorite feud of all-time, and this match was when they were "friends".

 

[Mitch Henessey]

First I'll go with Wrestlemania 17. The pop that Linda got when she stood up out of the wheelchair, and kicked Vince in the grapefruits was insane. Plus, the crowd was going nuts during the Austin/Rock match the entire time.

Secondly, and I'm just picking this one because I was there, Wrestlemania 24 was an awesome spectacle. During the Ric Flair/Shawn Michaels match, the atmosphere was sooooo electric it was unbelievable. Being there while Flair got that standing ovation at the end of the match was just a surreal moment. Plus, I was sitting near the entrance ramp, and watching The Undertaker walk down the aisle at the main event of Wrestlemania was really cool.

 

[XgringolocoX]

WM 9. Vegas. Everyone was wearing togas, there were camels and all sorts of shit. It was outside which is a rarity in of itself too. I don't remember the card being the greatest but I can't remember a Wrestlemania where the whole crew was dressed up and there being animals n stuff. Loved it when I watched it live all those years ago.

 

[darkserenade]

For me it was WrestleMania VI in Toronto (67,678 people), I was there live and to see all those people in one place was stunning. Sure WM 3 had lots but i wasn't there.. so something i will remember forever was WrestleMania VI.

The matches were not all that great but to hear the fans going nuts in that place was something unreal.

 

[SickJames]

WrestleMania X7
I mean damn, it had the best Main Event in the history of Mania, so good they had to do it thrice. WM 15,17,19

And that match alone stole the show for me, was so well hyped, had the best video package I've ever seen for a match. The Rock and Stone Cold were just magic together in the ring

not to mention the several other matches that were just absolutely spectacular

•I.C. Title match: William Regal vs. Chris Jericho
•Euro Title match: Test vs. Eddie Guerrero
•Hardcore Title match: Big Show vs. Kane vs. Raven
•Women's Title match: Ivory vs. Chyna
•APA & Tazz vs. Right To Censor
•Gimmick Battle Royal
•Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
•TLC 2 Match: Hardyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian
•Undertaker vs. HHH
•Street fight: Shane O'Mac vs. Vince McMahon (Special Guest Ref Mick Foley)

I mean come on, look at that list of matches!

then top it off with The Rock vs Stone Cold!!

you've got legends in the gimmick battle royal, excellent show of mat wrestling with Benoit/Angle, Vince/Shane & Taker/HHH were very good bouts that tore down the house!

TLC put an exclamation point on it with all the extreme & high flying spots and I loved the triple threat match

and Chyna vs Ivory was fun to watch too

 

[Lancer]

Personally, for me, it was Wrestlemania X-8. During this time, I had fallen out of interest in wrestling since WCW started going south, with Russo and David Arquette and all that. Several months later, I heard that WCW and ECW had been bought by the WWF and I was immediately hooked all over again.

There were former WCW/ECW stars at Wrestlemania! RVD, Booker T, DDP, and the nWo! That was epic for me. Seeing all of those guys make their entrances had a surreal feel to it, to say the very least. They had spent all those years fighting for the competition and now were duking it out with the WWF's best.

And of course: Rock vs Hogan. Yeah, the in-ring stuff wasn't for the purists...but the match had a huge feel thanks to its buildup, and thanks to Hogan being a mega-star, back home in the WWF. And they let the nWo come out to their original theme music! Now, you watch a DVD of this and it's the bland WWE-raped version. But, yeah that's my pick.

 

[ashe draven]

Theres beem tons of GREAT ppvs w/ great cards. but adhering to the "spectacle" topic 3 come to mind other than WM 3:
1-Summerslam 92- 80,000 at wembely was remarkable to behold. something you dont forget. throw in the best i.c. title match in the main event to boot.
2-WM12- anaheim. the ironman match. who forgets the pop shawn got ziplining down to the ring from the rafters?
3-One night stand 2- the crowd was nuts all night. Rvd/cena put it over the top.

 

[X]

Wrestlemania 3 is EASILY the biggest spectacle ever in mainstream wrestling. 93,000 people in one place to see one match. That's just freaking ridiculous. That show was just epic to look at and it felt awesome. It felt like a huge show and it acted like one. The wrestling wasn't great but the atmosphere carried it to being a great show.

That being said, I want to know what you think is the biggest spectacle of all time. What one event can you just look at on the surface and say holy shit this is amazing. I don't mean the in ring work or the stories or anything like that. I mean what event sounds amazing based on the way the arena/stadium looked and the card on paper? What event made you be impressed by it being put together?

Note: other than Mania 3 as that's just not going to be topped.

Okay, first of all...no, Wrestlemania 3 was not the biggest spectacle in wrestling history KB, not in terms of attendance. First off, the 90,000 attendance number for WM 3 is bullshit, the actual number was around 78,000. Secondly, the World Peace Festival in North Korea in April of 1995 FAR surprasses WM 3, on April 28th 1995 the WWF drew 160,000 people, and the next day on April 29th they drew 190,000 people. That's over a 100,000 more people than WM 3.

But, it wasn't in the US so most people probably have never heard of it. Still holds records for the largest attedances for any wrestling event ever on the planet.


But if we're going with a "second place" behind WM 3 in terms of sheer scope, I'm going with Summerslam 1992 at Wembley stadium. 80,000+ crowded in one of the most famous arenas on the planet to cheer on their countrymen Davey Boy Smith to an IC title win and without a doubt the single biggest pop in wrestling history.

 

[Mr. TM]

EAsy choices have been said, with my favourite being Summerslam 1992. The crowd feeling moved the Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith match into history as one of the greatest ever atmospheres. I love bringing up Wrestlemania 24 when discussing fireworks displays with people. Wrestlemania III will always be the biggest event ever. But as the resident Canadian nationalist, I want to bring up the biggest Canadian Spectacle, In Your House 16. Nothing much on the card, except for a big pop for Canadian fans getting to see the Hart Foundation all together in a match, and having the Canadian crowd go wild.

 

[MasterShakeIz4Real]

Now I agree with everythign thats been said here. WM3, WM17, WM X-8, WM21, SS92, WM24; but MY favorite has gotta be ECW One Night Stand 06. Ignore the fact that Taz choked Lawler out in seconds. Ignore the fact you knew Angle was gonna bust Randy ass. First, you have the Edge Mick Foley VS Tommy Dreamer Terry Funk match. Very awesome to me, The HEart & Soul of ECW and the Grandfather of ECW defending its honor? Nice. Then why don't we just skip to the Main Event. RVD VS Cena... we all know how it went. People ripped Cena apart in that. I've never heard such hatred for one person (from a crowd). The feel was so grungy and electric. I loved every second of it. Especially when the guy threw Cena's shirt back, and flipped him off... that finally made Cena stop. LMAO im gonna watch that ppv now. kick ass thread here btw