The Mid Card Mania Moments

[The Brain]

When we think about WrestleMania moments a variety of things come to mind. Hogan slamming Andre, Warrior pinning Hogan, HBK’s boyhood dream coming true, Austin passing out in a pool of his own blood, The Rock/Hogan staredown, and Taker’s streak are all the most talked about. It’s natural to remember the big name guys and the main event moments, but what about the mid card guys? What are some of your favorite mid card WrestleMania moments? I’m not necessarily looking for a moment that had a long lasting impact on the business as a whole. I’m talking about a moment that played a role in a storyline for the mid card that isn’t thought about when thinking of that particular mania.

My example is from WrestleMania V. As a kid Strike Force was my favorite tag team. Shortly after WrestleMania IV Rick Martel suffered an injury and was forced out of action for several months. In the meantime Tito Santana continued his career as a singles wrestler. Martel returned in early 1989 and at WrestleMania V Strike Force was going to team up for the first time in nearly a year. Leading up to the event Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan speculated that Strike Force hadn’t teamed in too long and would not be on the same page. Had I been a little older I would have put more stock in their comments, but as a little kid I didn’t take what the heel commentators had to say seriously. The match came and Strike Force looked like they hadn’t missed a beat. They were having a great match against the Brain Busters when Santana accidentally hit Martel with his flying forearm. After several minutes of selling the move on the apron Martel jumped to the floor and walked out on his partner as he was going for the tag much to the displeasure of the crowd. In an interview immediately after the match Martel officially turned heel and would become the Model only a week or two later. His rivalry with Santana would continue throughout the rest of their time in WWF together.

That’s the kind of moment I’m looking for. Nothing huge but something out of the ordinary. Let’s hear them.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

all the big moments tht u mentioned are sum awesome moments in mania history but my favorite mid card moment in mania history has to be from 1 of my favorite if not my favorite match ever and that would be the very first ever triangle ladder match! edge and christian win the tag titles for the first time ever and it lead to the best tag team fued ever in wrestling with E&C vs The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz and they had TLC 1 and TLC 2 which are 2 of my favorite matches of all-time!

 

[Rowdy Robby Piper]

I don't know if you would classify this as a mid-card match as the IC Title held more prestige back then, but I would have to say Steamboat/Savage from WM3. Those two put on an exhibition of technical wrestling that is still talked about to this day in terms of workrate and style of match.

 

[svsuperfly]

I'm not speaking on the technical side but the over all nostalgia and moment was Roddy Pipper vs Adrian Adonis where Brutus Beefcake came out and cut Adonis's hair after the match, turning face and turning into the Barber.

The build up was great for this match too. The battle of the Talk shows. The Flower Shop vs Pipers Pit. Cowboy Bob "Ace" Orton was now with Adonis and this was Pipper's first big face run in the WWE.

It was good stuff as a kid.

 

[Foshinzo]

Though neither were midcard talent, considering that both were living legends, I'd say my favorite midcard match would have to be Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 21. It was just such a solid match and Shawn Michaels could play the underdog better than anyone, even though he was Shawn friggin' Michaels. I loved the finish, too. I maintain that Kurt Angle was the best/most entertaining wrestler I've ever seen and I've watched wrestling since I was five and my Dad would turn on the best of Georgia Championship Wrestling on Sundays. I maintain that the best matches rarely ever need the belt, so this is one of my best matches of all time.

 

[Dr.Shades]

I would have to say as a huge ECW fan, ECW originals versus the new breed. It was an actual case of older guys putting over the younger talent... by winning then losing in an extreme rules match the next ECW broadcast.

 

[Da Truth]

There are so many great WM mid card moment, for me because of the quality of the match. First thing comes to mind is the wrestling clinic that was put on by Savage and Steamboat. This was really the first great technical match of WM. Then there's Jericho-Michaels and Angle-Michael which continued the tradition. The two awe inspiring matches was the TLC tag team match and the first money in the bank. The two matches were classics for people who like watching hardcor trainwrecks.

 

[bluejt16]

When i saw the title of this thread only one match came to mind and that was Angle vs Michaels. That match quite literally had it all, but then as i thought about it a little more, WM21 had another midcard match that quite literally changed the face of the WWE. That of course was the Money in the Bank ladder match.
6 of the finest mid carders battling it out for a brief case containing a title match. Edge won that match and though nobody knew it at the time, that match made one of the best main event superstars of the past decade.

 

[akrassikauda]

My favorite mid-card mania moment has to Wrestlemania 7 Jake Roberts vs Rick Martel Blindfold match. The match had build up to it with Martel spraying "arrogance" in Roberts face. Roberts stayed home and out of the spotlight unless it was a Superstars appearance when he showed his non-pigment right eye (for us kids later it would be known he had a contact on) and Martel would antagonize him making Roberts swing at air because he couldn't see. The match in itself was slow pace but expected to be because it was a Blindfold Match. It felt like everyone was on edge for the DDT then BAM! that arena erupted because Martel had so much heat on him since as The Brain pointed out Strike Force disbanded.

We don't see angles done that way anymore.

 

[Captain Morgan Freeman]

For me its wrestlemania 21 and The Undertaker vs Randy Orton. A lot of people think Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels was the best match that night but for me a huge Undertaker mark this was the match i remember most on the card.
It was the first wrestlemania for the Undertaker where "The Streak" was a large part of the rivalry. This was also the match that cemented Orton as main event material. Undertaker was still in good wrestling shape at this stage and Orton was on top form, athletically and technically he never missed a beat. It also had a great interference from Cowboy bob Orton who was inducted into the hall of fame that night.
I swear when Orton counterd the chokeslam into an RKO i tought the streak was over i had never seen anything as cool before. Then when Taker kicked out and Orton signalled for the tombstone piledriver i feared the worst. Im not ashamed to say i marked the fuck out when Taker counterd the tombstone and pinned Orton for the win.

This match would lead to a year long rivaly between the two as Orton was traded to smackdown in the draft that year. I have fond memories of all their matches except for their casket match at summerslam. Not just because Orton won also because my older brother read the spoiler for the match(without me knowing) and bet me a tenner that Orton would win knowing that as a young Taker mark i would always agree to the bet. The cunt........

 

[Pedigree1]

For me it was the TLC match at WM17.. Holy cow what a match that had it all!! The buildup the high spots that were delivered during the match.. Those three teams truly i believed stole the show that night!! Who can forgot the spear off the ladder or the swanton bomb on to i believe was Buh Buh Ray Dudley!!! Sorry when you get old its hard to remember some things But thats what i think

 

[crossface for ever]

Has to be TLC 1 & 2 these matches really established all men involved in the world of wrestling. There was so many "holy shit" moments involved in these matches they really stole the shows. I still go back occasionally and will rewatch them and never do they seize to amaze me.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Oddly enough, Booker T vs. Edge. I've never been the biggest fan of either of them, but I remember leading up to my first WrestleMania. I was pretty excited for most of the matches. The one match that sticks out in my mind is this one though, and that's because it has such a weird build to it. Rather than being over a championship or a personal feud, the pair was going against one-another over a shampoo commercial. It seems odd and a bit stupid, but I enjoyed it, and, for me anyway, it was a memorable build which led to a pretty solid match.

 

[legendkiller1979]

For me it was Demolition vs The Powers of Pain and wrestlemania V. I have always been a huge fan of tag team wrestling. These two teams and such a great look and were so dominant that it's a match people wanted to see. Putting Mr Fuji in the match was just a stupid idea but I still thoroughly enjoyed the match. Was it the greatest match? Of course not. But it was very entertaining. This was back at a time where a wrestler didn't need a whole lot of in ring ablility if they had a good character. Demolition and POP definitely had great characters.

 

[wrestling89]

I've said it on this board before, but the WM III match with King Kong Bundy, Little Tokyo, and Lord Littlebrook vs Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, and The Haiti Kid was my all time favorite mid-card moment.

The whole match had Bob Ueker making midgit jokes with Jess. Gorilla just laughing away. And then Bundy drops the bomb on Beaver. All of Bundy's team turns on him. HILARIOUS!

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Chris Jericho vs. Christian at WrestleMania 20.

To anybody who has not seen the match, it is underrated like nothing else before it. From start to finish they put on a clinic, the crowd is hot from the minute the bell rings from the beginning to the second it rings for the win and beyond. The storyline involving Jericho and Trish leading into it was great, you had Christian lock Trish into the Walls of Jericho and then the week before Mania Jericho went bat-shit and tried to beat the shit out of Christian.

It's more known for the great turn, Trish aligning with Christian after causing Jericho the match. It's one of my personal favorites and its the match which really got me into Christian not only from a personality but then a wrestling standpoint. Great match, reccommend it to all.