The Lawrence Taylor Angle

[Killercam]

To those who don't remember, getting LT involved in WrestleMania was (in my opinion) one of Vinces better moves. You can question whether BamBam was a good opponent or not (probably not in my opinion) but WM 11 was going to be the weakest WM card of all-time and he found a way to get the WWF on SportsCenter for a month straight with the LT storyline. Even though this very unconventional match main-evented WM and isn't popular with traditional wrestling fans, it still showed that Vince is a great promoter and saved a show that really had no hope (and to this day WM11 has probably gotten more main stream media hype than any other WM since III). With all that being said, I believe this match (which was a dud) would have been WAY over had it taken place at MSG and at WM X instead of 11. Of course, Vince already had Bret-Yoko to sell WM X but if he would have used the LT storyline at WM X, it would have made more sense. For one, you have him competing in his hometown (playing career) and you could basically have made him play the role like Mr.T did at the first Mania and give the 10th Anniversary that celebrity, star/athlete feel of the show. Had this angle had occurred at WM X it probably wouldn't have closed the show , considering Bret was way more over in 94 than Diesel was in 95. I ramble and digress, but what say ye on this subject?

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think it was a great move as far as bringing some mainstream attention to pro wrestling. Football fans who might have never tuned in WWE did so just to see the spectacle. People who like things that are different did so, too. For myself, I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how they were going to handle the outcome; there were reasons to presume L.T. would come off as a conquering hero, simply because he was L.T. ...... but why in the world would WWE want to make it look as if a guy who never wrestled before could come in and beat a guy who did it for a living?

For those reasons, Bam Bam Bigelow was a great choice. That he was so grossly fat and wore an outfit that served to accent his misshapen physique showed us that while WWE would sacrifice one of their own to a football player, they wouldn't let it happen to a top star who "looked" more like the well-built modern wrestler.

Bam Bam was also a good choice because he had vast knowledge of how to work a match, and he led L.T. all the way, making the non-wrestler look good.....and I think L.T. did look good. Yes, it was never intended to be an exchange of classic wrestling moves, but Bam Bam sold L.T.'s clotheslines like the true pro he was, while coaxing a semblance of a match from him. L.T.'s facial expressions were far too exaggerated to look real (he seemed more constipated than in pain) but he followed Bam Bam's lead and gave the fans a show.

My only criticism of WWE using Bam Bam is that if mainstream folks were getting their first look at pro wrestling, was he really the guy they wanted to represent? I would have thought Vince McMahon would want to use one of the sleek, muscular performers of that day instead of a guy who looked like the fat old men who wrestled in the 1950's. Problem is, who of the modern wrestlers would want to sacrifice themselves in this manner? To that end, Bam Bam was the right choice.

As to L.T. winning the match, I can accept it because it was only Bam Bam Bigelow, a mid-carder at best. But I'll never forget Ted DiBiase yelling at Bam Bam as they walked up the aisle: "A football player!"

I thought the whole thing was terrific.

 

[The Brain]

To those who don't remember, getting LT involved in WrestleMania was (in my opinion) one of Vinces better moves. You can question whether BamBam was a good opponent or not (probably not in my opinion) but WM 11 was going to be the weakest WM card of all-time and he found a way to get the WWF on SportsCenter for a month straight with the LT storyline. Even though this very unconventional match main-evented WM and isn't popular with traditional wrestling fans, it still showed that Vince is a great promoter and saved a show that really had no hope (and to this day WM11 has probably gotten more main stream media hype than any other WM since III). With all that being said, I believe this match (which was a dud) would have been WAY over had it taken place at MSG and at WM X instead of 11. Of course, Vince already had Bret-Yoko to sell WM X but if he would have used the LT storyline at WM X, it would have made more sense. For one, you have him competing in his hometown (playing career) and you could basically have made him play the role like Mr.T did at the first Mania and give the 10th Anniversary that celebrity, star/athlete feel of the show. Had this angle had occurred at WM X it probably wouldn't have closed the show , considering Bret was way more over in 94 than Diesel was in 95. I ramble and digress, but what say ye on this subject?

It would have been nice to have LT perform in NYC but it wasn't necessary. You mentioned that WM11 was a weak card. On paper WM10 wasn't as strong as some of the Hogan manias but it was certainly passable for the time. Vince probably thought his roster was strong enough to sell the show. That was not the case in 1995. People were still getting used to Diesel as a face and a champion and Shawn Michaels hadn't quite been accepted as a main event challenger yet. That was not a blockbuster mania main event and Vince knew it. He needed something special and he needed some extra press. That's what LT delivered. The reason LT was not used at WM10 was simply because it didn't cross Vince's mind because he didn't think he needed LT. A year later Vince it was a different story. LT was used as a necessity, not an extra.

By the way, Bigelow, LT, and Vince did an excellent job starting that angle at the Royal Rumble. Everyone sold that incident beautifully, especially Vince. It felt real.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I think it was a great move as far as bringing some mainstream attention to pro wrestling. Football fans who might have never tuned in WWE did so just to see the spectacle. People who like things that are different did so, too. For myself, I couldn't even hazard a guess as to how they were going to handle the outcome; there were reasons to presume L.T. would come off as a conquering hero, simply because he was L.T. ...... but why in the world would WWE want to make it look as if a guy who never wrestled before could come in and beat a guy who did it for a living?

For those reasons, Bam Bam Bigelow was a great choice. That he was so grossly fat and wore an outfit that served to accent his misshapen physique showed us that while WWE would sacrifice one of their own to a football player, they wouldn't let it happen to a top star who "looked" more like the well-built modern wrestler.

Bam Bam was also a good choice because he had vast knowledge of how to work a match, and he led L.T. all the way, making the non-wrestler look good.....and I think L.T. did look good. Yes, it was never intended to be an exchange of classic wrestling moves, but Bam Bam sold L.T.'s clotheslines like the true pro he was, while coaxing a semblance of a match from him. L.T.'s facial expressions were far too exaggerated to look real (he seemed more constipated than in pain) but he followed Bam Bam's lead and gave the fans a show.

My only criticism of WWE using Bam Bam is that if mainstream folks were getting their first look at pro wrestling, was he really the guy they wanted to represent? I would have thought Vince McMahon would want to use one of the sleek, muscular performers of that day instead of a guy who looked like the fat old men who wrestled in the 1950's. Problem is, who of the modern wrestlers would want to sacrifice themselves in this manner? To that end, Bam Bam was the right choice.

As to L.T. winning the match, I can accept it because it was only Bam Bam Bigelow, a mid-carder at best. But I'll never forget Ted DiBiase yelling at Bam Bam as they walked up the aisle: "A football player!"

I thought the whole thing was terrific.

Bam Bam was not grossly fat, he was a big man for sure, but had agility far outside what you would expect for someone that size. ing Kong Bundy or Bastion Booger, they were grossly fat... Bam Bam was chosen as he had the package needed to get LT over in a short space of time - he had a backstory as a bounty hunter, a bad ass demeanor and since his debut had always been touted as the "next big thing". He also had a ring style and body that that would mesh well with a rookie like LT during the match, Bam Bam could lead him through the match, take the bulk of the offense and at the end take a loss and it not diminish him in the way it would have done a Diesel or Shawn Michaels.

NFL players were not new in the WWF, just months earlier Walter Payton had been involved with Razor Ramon and Wrestlemania 2 had featured several players including the Fridge but this was the first one on one, main event match involving one - so a "safe" pair of hands was needed most of all and Bam Bam had a reputation as one of the safest and most reliable hands in the business.

The feud itself was handled well, but there was a danger that LT could be the heel and "invading" WWE's turf. So having DiBiase in Bigelow's corner countered that and made sure that couldn't happen.

You mention about why would Vince not pick a bodybuilder type wrestler? Firstly, a bodybuilder type, while having physical strength wouldn't provide a real "threat" to LT. Football players, particularly those with reps for hard hitting styles like LT would snap a Lex Luger type in half and not provide a believable threat to him. Secondly, Vince had been burned in the past with inter-sport matches, particularly when he put on Inoki/Ali and it turned into an hour of Inoki on his back kicking. Bam Bam was LT's wrestling equivalent in size, ability and ruthlessness and someone who could give the appearance that if it went wrong for LT, he could be seriously hurt while delivering a quality match.

Bigelow stated the reason he got out of WWE was his choice, he didn't want the Kliq to start messing with him as he would have probably hurt them and been blackballed but that he was able to make LT's win at Mania one of the most memorable moments is to his eternal credit.

 

[EastCoastFan]

I know a lot of people have screamed "FOUL!" that this was the match that closed WM 11, but it wasn't originally intended to be. This was just supposed to be a "wrestler vs. celebrity" match (Vince LOVES cross-promotion, which is why they regularly had celebrities at the first 10 WrestleManias), but it got so much mainstream press coverage they almost had to put it on last.

Also keep in mind that Vince was doing everything he could to get Diesel over as the new face of the company in 1995, but he just didn't click with fans.

 

[HBsam31]

Like The Brain said, it would have been cool in NYC but not necessary. It was a great idea using LT to get all that mainsteam attention dure to the card not being so great. Diesel again, was not all the way over as a face champion and HBK was just starting to get accostomed to the main event scene. I did not like LT Bam Bam as the main event, but I can see why they did it. I didn't mind Bam Bam losing either because he never quite made it as a top star. All in all it showed Vince as a smart promoter because he took a weak Mania and got it tons of mainstream attention due to the addition of LT.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

The LT angle worked out great. It brought the WWF a lot of mainstream publicity. Bam Bam worked a helluva match. Carrying a football player through the main event of WM is no small feat.

Football players, particularly those with reps for hard hitting styles like LT would snap a Lex Luger type in half and not provide a believable threat to him.

Luger played football in college, the Canadian Football League and the USFL.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The LT angle worked out great. It brought the WWF a lot of mainstream publicity. Bam Bam worked a helluva match. Carrying a football player through the main event of WM is no small feat.

Luger played football in college, the Canadian Football League and the USFL.

And would have been snapped in half by a player like LT had he ever opposed him. There was a reason Luger never made the NFL and only really was an injury sub. Remember this is the guy who took out Thiessman, if you're going to have him face a wrestler it can't be the traditional, musclebound look as they don't have the "impact" style or sturdiness that would threaten LT as it's based on their look. There was never any danger of LT snapping Bam Bam's bones.

 

[Yosihait]

It was an OK match with a great build up... Just not for the main event, especially not for main eventing the worst Wrestlemania ever.

Besides, since when you're ending Wrestlemania with an interview?

 

[spaldoni]

Looking back I wonder if teaming LT with Diesel verses Bam Bam and Bundy would of been a way to go. Set it up just like Mania 1 with the world champ teaming with a celebrity/Athlete. This might have helped put Diesel over. I still believe the talent was there and this could of been a great card if they switched things around.