Worst/Least Deserving guy to headline a 'Mania

[IrishCanadian25]

this years manias main event was very overhyped. you have the boring one miz whos being jammed down our throats with his awful boring promos that sound the same week after week. vs derek jeter aks john cena. I think most people agree the real main event that night was HHH vs taker.

Miz is to boring for even john cena to mske it a good match. Now Rock vs Cena, thats a mania match.

So John Cena vs a guy who hasn't wrestled in nearly a decade is better than John Cena vs the man who, at the time, was the WWE Champion and had been for several months?

I fail to see how people see Mix as boring. Incidentally, The Rock was pretty repetitive back in his day, and yet you're calling Miz's promo's "the same week after week." He uses catch phrases, just like Rocky did.

Have you seen how Miz has put Alex Riley over as of late? History as a reality TV star aside, the guy has - and has had for sometime now - what it takes. The pre-match video of The Miz to Nas's "Hate Me Now" was masterful, and told a great story. He's the perfect heel for the PG-era we are in, and the venom you spew for him just shows me that he's doing his job on you.

 

[vampireblade]

Hulk Hogan at WM9, what the hell actually happened? He comes out, gets a match against Yokozuna and manages to get the win in 21 seconds! Not only did he contribute to one of the worst WM moments (my opinion) he also completely buried Yokozuna, a 21 second title match, ugh.

I could see something like this happening with Cena for a new generation so to speak after all he is a poor mans hogan

But I digress for me it also has to be LT in 1995 i was six years old this was the first mania i ever saw and i just remember asking my stepdad why was a football player wrestling when he had never wrestled a day in his life and how horrible he was gonna be i remember thinking bam bam was gonna crush him like a bug and be done with it even back then it pissed me off that bam bam lost i couldnt see how he got beat by a football player of course i was six wrestling was real when i was six

 

[punkrules]

i'll say it like this, the wwf/wwe title match should be the main event every year so i guess just bigelow and taylor but hogan didn't deserve the belt at wm9 and wm1 should've been piper as champ defending against hogan

 

[king4day]

Say all you want about Hulk Hogan but the first nine WrestleManias built around Hogan all had a pay off and the portrayer of the character did the business the way it was supposed to be done. No one on this board can convince me otherwise and I would love to hear any and all rebuttals on my pick with Brock Lesnar, but I do think the record shows how that was a folly of WWE.

As many have said. LT. He wasn't a wrestler. Doesn't matter if it was good for the business. The guy wasn't a wrestler. If you put a prime Bam Bam vs. LT against each other today, you'd see it on 'Superstars'. It's not worthy of any other show let alone the main event of a Wrestlemania.

It doesn't matter what Brock did a year later. He was a top Face and he & Angle put on a match that everyone wanted to see. I just don't see how you can put Brock over LT and Bam Bam.

 

[RD_21]

People who say Cena or Miz shouldn't even be allowed to post in those forums. I give you a pass if you say Miz only because people would have like Cena vs Rock more.

Look I can understand that come of you don't like Miz just like I don't like Cena and a lot of people do, but I am not an idiot either. It's not about politic or ass kissing it's about being a freaking work horse for your company. If you are McMhaon wouldn't you put the title on the guy who is doing 24234242342 appearances in the medias for you a year, wouldn't you want to build about a guy you can see is passionate? You too would build around Cena and not the Carlitos or Shelton Benjamins of this world.

Sure I think McMhaon could realise that Cena doesn't need to be that protected, predictable or unbeatable but you can't say Miz or Cena don't deserve to be there because they work there ass off to be there. It's as if the 2You can hate me now" promo for the Miz flew directly above your head, you didn't realise how hard he worked for this and how far he came from.

As most underserving I would agree with LT, Hogan at Mania 9 (for the same reason as I stated earlier sure he "deserved" it but not like that and not on that night) but also Bobby Lashley. Never like that guy and while he wasn't THE MAIN EVENT the whole Mania was mostly build around the Donald Trump vs McMhaon Hair vs Hair match.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Hulk Hogan at WM9, what the hell actually happened? He comes out, gets a match against Yokozuna and manages to get the win in 21 seconds! Not only did he contribute to one of the worst WM moments (my opinion) he also completely buried Yokozuna, a 21 second title match, ugh.

Um yeah, Yokozuna was so badly derailed and so awfully buried, that they further punished him by having a full fledged rematch with Hogan, and Yokozuna ended up taking the strap back and holding the title for like nine months, something a heel rarely gets to do, granted the first reign was a crappy one but I would say that it was redeemed with Yoko beating Hogan at King Of The Ring that year. Dumbfuck.

LT and Mr T are obvious. People seem to have forgotten the other disasters involving boxers, Butterbean vs Bart Gunn WM15 and Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Big Show WM24. There was also another 'classic' of Big Show vs Akibono in a Sumo at WM22. I think we can throw in The Billionaire Hair vs Millionaire Hair Match (Lashley vs Umaga) as well. I realise non of these, aside from the Mr T and LT matches were top of the bill, but the headliner is not necessarily the final match, but the one on which the PPV is sold - particularly in these cases to the mass media.

Money talks though, personally speaking, I LOATHE the involvement of celebrity figures in big time WM matches, that is just my opinion, however I am not going to trash the concept of it. It is what it is and WrestleMania started with having celebrity involvement and it will continue to be that way, but what's disappointing you troll is that you forgot to mention Snooki's pinfall over Michelle McCool in the second to last match of this year's event. Now when you consider that an already advertised US Title Match with Daniel Bryan and Sheamus was to occur but was instead relegated to a dark match then that would be a legitimate gripe to have. However to the best of my knowledge no celebrity involvement up to that point EVER resulted in marquee wrestlers being relegated to the dark match until now. But just the same despite my intense dislike of Snooki's involvement, WWE wants to make those PPV buys, although I thought The Rock was enough of a selling point, however just my opinion.

As for undeserving 'wrestlers', I mean 'Sports entertainers', then Top Five would be:

1. The Miz (Should NEVER be near the main event, and only has a career because of being a minor celebrity on a crap 'reality' TV show.)

He's not my definition of what a great heel would be, but boy you can't argue his rate of success in riling up a crowd, I've seen it, and I can tell that the guy has the tools necessary to continue playing a thorn in the collective side of all WWE superstars, even the other heels when it's necessary. Just because I don't like the guy does not mean I can't acknowledge his ability to be over, because he has it. Otherwise he would not be competing for the title this Monday night against Mysterio. I'd like to see you fucking try to get in the ring and do what any of these guys like Miz do. Considering how much of a critic you sound like, you'd probably fall flat on your face, fucking keyboard warrior.

2. Hulk Hogan (A company was built on him, but one of the most limited in ring competitors ever and only succeed due to politics.)

HA!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh this one is hilarious, yes I think there's a consensus that many of Hogan's matches are rather formulaic, they have their standard, big boot, legdrop, boodyslam, clothesline, atomic drop and so on. But just because Hogan didn't put on an array of wrestling moves, doesn't mean he couldn't. Watch matches like WrestleManias 5 and 18 to see why Hogan could put it together when he needed to, as well as his matches in Japan. Again, Hogan is a power based wrestler who eventually phased into a more showman based style. As far as politics go, hey Vince is the one that runs the company, if you think Hogan was a master politician in EVERY match making call, then you are not giving Vince any credit and by the very nature of that statement you are declaring the WWF/E to have been a place with no control.
You seriously are a stupid asshole, FYI.

3. John Cena (A Hogan cloan, with limited ring ability and a success only due to politics.)

HA! Yeah right, John Cena again this is coming from someone who really does not like the John Cena character at ALL. I have to be honest, the Cena character at least as we know him now has become a bland and uninspiring individual in the way of his demeanor on the mic. However, that guy can go in the ring, I take it you were probably asleep when WrestleMania 23 was happening, that match with Shawn Michaels was epic and it's easily one of the best WrestleMania main events ever, period. Their non-title rematch on a Monday Night RAW a couple weeks later was also well put together. And don't give me this bullshit excuse that Michaels was carrying Cena both times, because it's like this, if that bullshit rationale of "Shawn Michaels being able to carry anyone and anything to a good match, even a broom stick" really applied. That would mean that you and I could get our lazy asses up off the chair and away from the keyboard and we could go and have a five star match with Shawn Michaels RIGHT NOW. But guess what there smarkass motherfucker, it don't work like that. Guys like Hogan and Cena still have to know what they are doing in that ring, yes there are varying levels of style and skill, that much I can concur with, but these "limited" folks you speak of, still have to know what the fuck they are doing. Dumbass.

4.Ultimate Warrior (One of the most dangerous, not just unskilled guys ever inside the ring.)

Again, another guy who was not my favorite, but he was over and he could get in there and work the crowd, yes his skills were limited, but he had a pretty damn good match with Hulk Hogan, the only problem is that like Brock Lesnar they invested so much in this guy and he ends up leaving a year and some change later. It's criteria like that that should make a stronger case for least deserving Mania headliner, when you don't carry the momentum of a big win like that and rise to the level that many fans and the company itself are obviously expecting you to. Say what you want about the celebrities and despite my own dislike of their involvement, I at least know they are just a gimmick and selling point for the event and they are not being relied on as LONG TERM FIXTURES in the company like Lesnar and Warrior were!

Tie.5 Big Boss Man (WM15) (Stiff, awkward worker, but a good heal, but should never have been given such a caliber match)

Stupid fuck, Boss Man had a high profile match at WM 15 with Taker but it was not a main event match, what the fuck are you talking about. Get the fuck out of here. Stupid ass smark.

Tie.5 King Kong Bundy (In hindsight stiff and awkward, but at the time, another good heel)

Doesn't matter about the hindsight, he sold the show and obviously WrestleMania 2 was a success because they had a WrestleMania III right afterwards starring once again the "limited" Hulk Hogan as the main event player against his former best bud Andre The Giant. And if I remember right the next half decade or more they called on Hogan to keep doing the same thing, y'know being a focal point of WrestleMania. Funny how Hulk Hogan was SOOOOOO UNDESERVING that they kept putting him in as the centerpiece of the event anyway...right? You really do sound like a dumb fucking idiot...

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

As many have said. LT. He wasn't a wrestler. Doesn't matter if it was good for the business. The guy wasn't a wrestler. If you put a prime Bam Bam vs. LT against each other today, you'd see it on 'Superstars'. It's not worthy of any other show let alone the main event of a Wrestlemania.

It doesn't matter what Brock did a year later. He was a top Face and he & Angle put on a match that everyone wanted to see. I just don't see how you can put Brock over LT and Bam Bam.

Again, it's like this dude, we KNEW that LT and Bam Bam Bigelow were going to have only ONE Match this was not built up for the long term, WrestleMania set a precedent for celebrity involvement right from the very beginning by having Mr. T tag team with Hulk Hogan. Therefore, despite my personal dislike over the idea of matches like that, the fact is that is what WrestleMania was built on.

And let's be honest here, Angle vs Lesnar as great as it was still highlighted a guy that was not built for the long term in this business. And let's be honest here we know that these guys are built up for the long term. When the company decided to make this the final match of WrestleMania it was in the back of their minds that they were looking at Brock Lesnar as someone who would CONTINUE to main event WrestleMania after WrestleMania. Obviously that never happened and that's why I have stated my case on Lesnar's main event role at WM, when you consider that this guy was not in it for the long term. Again at least with the celebrities you know it's just a ploy to get more people to watch, so as much as I don't like the idea of it since I'm a fan of the wrestlers more than anything else, I can see and begrudgingly understand why they use celebs in WM matches.

That year's WrestleMania would have been better off having The Rock and Stone Cold as the finale or Triple H vs Booker T, if you went with the former it wouldn't have been for a title, but boo hoo, The Rock and Austin were the biggest guys of their era and the finale to their rivalry would have been a fitting end to the Showcase Of The Immortals that year. Therefore I remain staunch in my stance about Brock Lesnar, again nothing against him, phenomenal athlete and amazing presence in the ring, but obviously there were plans for him and he did not stick around to be that long term fixture. Therefore with a guy who was built up like that to see him only main event this one WrestleMania and disappear from the scene over a year later, well then I do indeed think you have a strong case for someone who might not be the most deserving Mania headliner. Period.

 

[Kanenite]

Miz is one of the best heels in the company right now, but there's no way that a Cena/Miz match would stand up to Rock/Cena as a Mania main event. Especially next year in Rock's hometown, the crowd atmosphere will be electric, Cena will be booed out of the building again, and you will see why this year's Mania main event was largely a bust.

Miz is fine, but we all knew that Rock was going to come out and get involved in that match. And that anticipation was more important than the actual match outcome between Cena/Miz. We weren't waiting to see who would win, we were waiting to see what Rock was going to do to John Cena.


As for the people who brought up Sid, I think that is a good point. How the heck did this guy get to main event two Mania's? Is he the least deserving of all the guys that have main evented multiple Mania's? Probably.

And I do have a ton of respect for Bigelow and think he was a really talented guy who should have been pushed harder. But I think he still had very little business being in a Mania main event.

Slaughter was also an odd choice for a main event spot. His best days were in the first half of the 80's, right? Would anybody have guessed as the decade changed that Slaughter would be headlining a Mania in 1991? That would have probably sounded crazy.

Are we counting managers at all in this question? If so, I think Alex Riley also needs a mention.

Oh whoops, next year's Mania is outdoors, right? So I guess Cena can't be booed out of the building.

 

[ralphie9181]

I think we could just go really broad here and say that WM 9 was absolutely awful and anyone on the card that night didn't deserve to be there, either because they didn't deserve the humiliation of being associated with that event or because they just didn't deserve to be in a ring wrestling. If there was a ever a booking meeting I could have been at, it's the one before this event.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I think we could just go really broad here and say that WM 9 was absolutely awful and anyone on the card that night didn't deserve to be there, either because they didn't deserve the humiliation of being associated with that event or because they just didn't deserve to be in a ring wrestling. If there was a ever a booking meeting I could have been at, it's the one before this event.

Was the existence of WrestleMania 2000 (16) somehow erased from your mind? Other than the Hardys vs Dudleys Vs E&C Ladder Match, the rest of that event was shit. The McMahons were the focal point of the main event (for stupid reasons) and on top of it, it was a shitty fatal four way, I'm sorry but Foley getting beaten by Triple H THREE consecutive PPVs was outright boring and I know it was done to death already in years prior, but a Rock vs Triple H main event would have been the best.

I will say that if triple threat matches were your thing that the Benoit-Angle-Jericho IC/Euro title match was entertaining, but still not the most enthralling match I ever saw either.

Also no Undertaker or Stone Cold (for obvious and understandable injury related reasons but just the same) and you have probably one of the most unappealing Manias to have ever occurred. Yes, WM IX had its faults to be sure, but WM 2000 in one of the strongest years of the Attitude Era was not a show fit to be called a WrestleMania. Considering the Rock's popularity and superstar power at the time, and no offense to Foley or Big Show but the main event should not have been shared with those two.

Again, I stand by what I said, Rock vs Triple H all the way. We had seen this feud play out for years prior, but a WrestleMania main event in a one on one meeting could have very likely helped redeemed this steaming pile of horseshit that we call WrestleMania 2000. Also, they had to go with the stupid marketing of calling it WrestleMania 2000 like everyone else was doing....again just an aesthetic thing, but so tacky and gimmicky. Don't get me wrong the whole toga party that WrestleMania IX was definitely had its gimmicky slant to it but hey at this point, the WWF was in a sort of depression like state, whatever they could do during that time couldn't be any worse than what the next couple years were going to be like until the Attitude Era arrived.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Miz is one of the best heels in the company right now, but there's no way that a Cena/Miz match would stand up to Rock/Cena as a Mania main event. Especially next year in Rock's hometown, the crowd atmosphere will be electric, Cena will be booed out of the building again, and you will see why this year's Mania main event was largely a bust. Miz is fine, but we all knew that Rock was going to come out and get involved in that match. And that anticipation was more important than the actual match outcome between Cena/Miz. We weren't waiting to see who would win, we were waiting to see what Rock was going to do to John Cena.

Pretty much, WrestleMania 27 was built around the Rock's guest hosting, just look at the marketing for it, his appearance takes up more room than anyone else on the poster. Plain and simple.

As for the people who brought up Sid, I think that is a good point. How the heck did this guy get to main event two Mania's? Is he the least deserving of all the guys that have main evented multiple Mania's? Probably.

The first time out, it was against Hogan, Hogan sold that main event period. Hogan still had that allure to him and that's why you had him and Sid in the mainer, at least in my view. The second time around, well business wasn't the best in the WWF, if rumor is true, HBK did not want to have a rematch with Bret Hart from last year's WM. Supposedly, HBK did not feel it was within his best interests to lose the strap back to Bret again this is all conjecture and it's from Bret's own account. Other than that there's no real proof that this was ever the case, but if it was it could be a possible reason as to why we had Sid and Undertaker at WM 13 for the World Title. Whether Sid really deserved to be there or not, well I was a Taker fan anyway, so as long as Taker had a WM match, I did not care, period.

And I do have a ton of respect for Bigelow and think he was a really talented guy who should have been pushed harder. But I think he still had very little business being in a Mania main event.

WWF brass obviously wanted Bigelow there for one reason or another, Nash and HBK were busy having their World Title match and at the time, there were no other real solid heels to put in to that dynamic. Again, the WWF was still adjusting to a promotion that was without signature stars like Hulk Hogan and Macho Man. Also remember that Ted DiBiase had retired years earlier. And the other main event talent of the promotion were already booked into other angles. When it came down to it, Bigelow was Vince's only choice. And again, whether I cared for the angle or not, with LT and Bam Bam, the bottom line is Vince has always stressed WrestleMania as a celebrity oriented event, and for one reason or another, it was decided that LT and Bigelow would be a main event match, and the FINAL match of the night. I'd have rather seen HBK and Nash but Vince and the brass obviously thought otherwise.

Slaughter was also an odd choice for a main event spot. His best days were in the first half of the 80's, right? Would anybody have guessed as the decade changed that Slaughter would be headlining a Mania in 1991? That would have probably sounded crazy.

Slaughter got instant heat (albeit if it was cheap) by being a turncoat who sided with the Iraqis. Somewhere along the lines, Vince was not happy with Warrior's reign as World Champion and people were still flocking to pledge their allegiance to Hogan. With that said, instead of a Hogan-Warrior rematch (which I would have preferred) we got the Sarge and Hogan, and to be fair for its time it was entertaining and to be honest, I still think it holds up today to people that were alive to see it happen the first time around. Nationalistic/Ethnocentric storylines always played superbly in that era of the business. Too bad political correctness is so much more prevalent (see the fiasco that was the dismissal of Muhammad Hassan) because angles like this I don't know, they were entertaining to say the least. But again, a lot of Sarge's being there like anyone else at that time, was the presence of Hogan. But at the same time, Sarge played the heel card beautifully if you want my opinion and I don't think that hurt, not to take anything away from Hogan's still strong star power. But you'd have to be someone my age or older to really understand why this was a main event at WrestleMania.

Are we counting managers at all in this question? If so, I think Alex Riley also needs a mention.

No, managers I don't think need apply in this discussion. If that was the case, I'd nominate Stephanie, Shane, Linda and Vince for their involvement in WM 2000. What a train wreck that was.

 

[coolant]

Sorry, I haven't been able to read all the posts yet. But has anyone mentioned the first that comes to my mind (even before the obligatory Bam Bam/Lawrence Taylor Match) Sid Justice headlining with Hogan at WM 8? Does Papa Shango count as headlining? To me those were the 2 that least deserved it.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Sorry, I haven't been able to read all the posts yet. But has anyone mentioned the first that comes to my mind (even before the obligatory Bam Bam/Lawrence Taylor Match) Sid Justice headlining with Hogan at WM 8? Does Papa Shango count as headlining? To me those were the 2 that least deserved it.

yes WM 8 and 11 have been mentioned ad nauseum, however you raised a good point there with Papa Shango, I don't think people count him as a headliner, since he was not advertised to actually wrestle in that match.

 

[Pedigree1]

i gotta go with SM vs BH at WM12 WTF have these two ever accomplished? HAHAHAHA had to get attention somewhere on here!! Seriously the Taylor vs Bigelow match was the absoulte worse main event match of all times!!! Neither of them deserved that spot at all!! It was and is a complete shame that ever happened!!!

 

[MMK]

LT is by far the worst man to ever headline a Wrestlemania. Without a doubt.

Hogan's involvement in the WM9 main event is an example of terrible booking, not to mention Hogan's ego, but there's no doubt that Hogan is a credible Mania headliner. There'd be no Mania without him.

So aside from LT, for my second place finish I'll stick with Wrestlemania 11 and take Diesel. No one, I repeat NO ONE, was ever more rushed to main event status than Diesel. This guy went from a mute bodyguard of HBK to WWF champion in a matter of days. Not to mention the fact that he won the title in a matter of seconds. I like Diesel as a character, don't get me wrong, but it's clear that he was rushed to the top to compensate for the derailed Lex Express that never really took off the way they had hoped. Diesel had no business headlining a Wrestlemania in only his second year with the WWF. Especially when you consider that another big man on the roster had been there for 5 years and had yet to have a chance to headline a mania, despite his being more over with the crowd than anyone else, that man being the Undertaker. I mentioned this on a post of my own recently, that if you look at the Wrestlemania 11 poster, the colors on the poster are purple and black; the colors of the Undertaker. Me thinks Taker was the victim of the Kliq's backstage political power. Micheals vs Diesel would have been fine as an Intercontinental Title match in the middle of the card ala Rick Rude vs Warrior at WM5, but as a headliner it was weak. And that's probably why the WWF Title match played second fiddle to an NFL star making a one off appearance. The only other time a WWF title match was not in the main event at a Wrestlemania was at WM8 which was thought to be Hogan's last Mania (lol at that silly thought years later) and so the Flair/Savage title match was moved to the middle of the show.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Hogan's involvement in the WM9 main event is an example of terrible booking, not to mention Hogan's ego, but there's no doubt that Hogan is a credible Mania headliner. There'd be no Mania without him.

So Hogan's ego was so great that it told Vince McMahon what to do? I'm not sure if you were alive back in 1993 or if you were old enough to remember Hogan's profile in the company even at that time. Despite being gone for a period of months, he was easily still the guy that the WWF was identified with. While I won't dispute your argument that the booking was questionable, I will question how much influence Hogan really had on the end result of Mania, in a kayfabe sense he totally did. But behind the scenes we don't really have a damned clue what was going on, after all it's Vince's call at the end of the day and since Hogan's contract was coming to an end anyway, I would doubt he was in much of a position to bargain. Vince at the end of the day is the guy that makes the call. It would be remiss of anyone being a fan of wrestling during that time and being there to witness it as it was happening to think otherwise. But yes we do at least agree that Hogan as a credible Mania headliner.

If you really want to point a finger at WM 9's infamous happenings, I would start first with the guy at the very top of the company's ladder and that would be Vince McMahon. And I maintain that same stance on the subject of WrestleManias 8 and 11 as well. Period.

 

[Wonder]

It's been mentioned here managers as choice. Again, i was not counting managers, but only wrestlers, so that's why i didn't mentioned LT in the first place.

KKB was my choice, but there others to me, Show at 2000, Slaughter at VII and how the FUCK could i forgot about Sid? Main eventing two crappy wrestlemania main events, that's got to be the best choice right there...

And what about wrestlers who lessed deserved a WWE/WHC Title match at Mania?

 

[Trill Co$by]

1. The Miz (Should NEVER be near the main event, and only has a career because of being a minor celebrity on a crap 'reality' TV show.)

Yeah because the fact that he's been all over the WWE since his time in ECW, and the fact that he's one of the few people to come in and actually mold his craft instead of staying bland TOTALLY has to be overshadowed by him being a reality TV star. I mean the fact that he was seconds from getting fired before he went to ECW means nothing, does it? Or the fact that he was an indy wrestler BEFORE he went to Real World means nothing... right? Yeah, get out of your mother's basement and get over it. The Miz worked for and earned his spot at Mania. Possibly the most deserving in recent years.

As for who I think least deserved it, I would have to say that John Cena & Triple H at Mania 22. Now before people go on their little "Oh my god those were the two biggest names going head to head" hold your diapers and let me explain. That year, Rey Mysterio was walking into Mania with the storyline of him fighting for the honor of his friend Eddie Guerrero. He had the ultimate underdog storyline that was putting Smackdown Ratings through the roof. Mix that in with the fact that Randy Orton was fresh off of defeating the Undertaker in a Hell In a Cell at the conclusion of the year before and growing more and more popular while Kurt Angle came from Raw and back to Smackdown with Divari as his manager... That match had EVERYTHING they needed to build a perfect main event, but they overshadow it with John Cena vs. Triple H.

 

[Kanenite]

I understand that Sarge had massive heat at the time due to the war. I just think that if you ranked all of the Wrestlemania main eventers from most deserving to least deserving, he's probably closer to the less deserving side than the more deserving side. I do think he's much more deserving than Sid at Mania8 or Mania13. Like you said Hogan was the main draw for WM8. I think Sid could have pretty much been replaced by any large menacing looking kind of guy that can't do much in the ring. But Sarge was probably the only one that could have filled that heel spot in WM7 considering how strong his pro-America gimmick was for his entire career. I mean, is there any way another guy like Hacksaw could have turned on USA and taken that spot as effectively? I'm not sure how good of a heel Hacksaw could have played. Sarge played a very convincing turncoat.

So I think the obvious choices have been covered already. How about discussing some other WM main eventers that might be on the less deserving side of things. What about Jericho at WM18? I love Jericho and am glad that he got to headline one of these, but considering how the Hogan/Rock match turned out, Jericho's main event match is easy to dismiss as one of the Mania main events that should not have been the main event. And Jericho lost the match, which puts a bitter taste in my mouth on this one since I am not a big HHH fan and think he was booked to go over way too many times. And I don't believe that Jericho ever got another shot at the main event. Did he and HHH deserve that spot, or was it obvious going into the show that Hogan/Rock was the true main event? If I remember correctly, the Jericho/HHH feud going into 'Mania was largely ruined by Stephanie McMahon and dog crap while the Rock/Hogan feud seemed like an obviously more interesting and epic encounter.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Yeah because the fact that he's been all over the WWE since his time in ECW, and the fact that he's one of the few people to come in and actually mold his craft instead of staying bland TOTALLY has to be overshadowed by him being a reality TV star. I mean the fact that he was seconds from getting fired before he went to ECW means nothing, does it? Or the fact that he was an indy wrestler BEFORE he went to Real World means nothing... right? Yeah, get out of your mother's basement and get over it. The Miz worked for and earned his spot at Mania. Possibly the most deserving in recent years.

Well put, people can say what they want about The Miz, I am not the president of his fan club by any means, but the guy has earned his spot, I am not going to dispute that at all. Malenko316 is just a cunt douchebag troll anyway man, you'd be better off not listening to his bullshit.

As for who I think least deserved it, I would have to say that John Cena & Triple H at Mania 22. Now before people go on their little "Oh my god those were the two biggest names going head to head" hold your diapers and let me explain. That year, Rey Mysterio was walking into Mania with the storyline of him fighting for the honor of his friend Eddie Guerrero. He had the ultimate underdog storyline that was putting Smackdown Ratings through the roof. Mix that in with the fact that Randy Orton was fresh off of defeating the Undertaker in a Hell In a Cell at the conclusion of the year before and growing more and more popular while Kurt Angle came from Raw and back to Smackdown with Divari as his manager... That match had EVERYTHING they needed to build a perfect main event, but they overshadow it with John Cena vs. Triple H.

You have brought up one of the best points on this forum in regards to an answer, I don't know if I am as quick to agree with that considering the magnitude of John Cena who was into his second WWE title reign at that time, however you have a great case in stating that considering how Rey had a GREAT storyline built into his Road To WrestleMania. However, I have to point out that The Undertaker beat Orton at that Hell In A Cell match, however Orton held his own in that feud with his victories at SummerSlam and No Mercy (albeit in a handicap effort with his father Bob as his partner) but still he was playing the great heel. And to boot you had Kurt Angle as the World Champion going into it. Personally, I hate triple threats but again with those three you had talent in the ring that could sell it. It was a shame to not see Rey close out the event, despite my dislike for the character. I still think it would have been a classic way to end WrestleMania 22.

 

[DethMetal]

For me, I have to say the Miz. I see a lot of people utterly blow him over the internet, but that match was terrible. It was all about Cena and Rock. Miz was just there to wrestle. He was just another victim of Dwayne(even though I find Miz average at best).

Also, for future references, I say Dwayne. I feel that him being in the main event next year is kinda sad. The same person that main event Wrestlemania ten years ago is doing the same. Besides, he just doesn't deserve it. People say "Your wrong. He draws!!" Bullshit. Everyone knows that he draws, and I'm one of the biggest Rock marks you'll ever see, but if he's just going to comeback three weeks before Mania(I don't see him staying long after Survivor Series, IF he shows), gets beaten by Cena, and leaves, why the hell should he main event the show? Because he's the Rock? That is completely irreverent against the entire locker room.

 

[H33LTurn]

The Miz...

I'm a fan and everything but he just wasnt ready for it. You almost knew that if Miz walked out of Mania with the title it was going to be due to an interference and thats just what happened. WWE has a habit of having these guys who could actually pose a threat and billing them as the cowardly champion. Thats what killed Sheamus when he was WWE champion and thats what killed Miz's match with Cena at WM 27.

 

[The Perfect Max]

People have said LT vs Bam Bam Bigelow. I agree. People have mentionaed JBL. I agree. People have said The Miz. Why?

Anyway. Do you know who didn't deserve a WrestleMania "Main Event Match?" Michael Cole. For those who have been living under a rock since January, I'll say it again. Michael Cole. What the actual fuck? How in the holy hell can Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole be on the same card as Edge vs ADR or HHH vs Undertaker?

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

People have said LT vs Bam Bam Bigelow. I agree. People have mentionaed JBL. I agree. People have said The Miz. Why?

Anyway. Do you know who didn't deserve a WrestleMania "Main Event Match?" Michael Cole. For those who have been living under a rock since January, I'll say it again. Michael Cole. What the actual fuck? How in the holy hell can Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole be on the same card as Edge vs ADR or HHH vs Undertaker?

He's got a good point, Cole vs Lawler might not have been the FINAL match of the evening, but it was a HUGELY hyped one that was advertised as a staple of the event while Edge vs ADR was relegated to an opening contest. Pathetic.

Honestly Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole, you can't consider that being any better than LT vs Bam Bam...seriously.

 

[The Perfect Max]

So Hogan's ego was so great that it told Vince McMahon what to do? I'm not sure if you were alive back in 1993 or if you were old enough to remember Hogan's profile in the company even at that time.

I agree that the main man should be in the main event(s). I get your point there. At the time Hulk Hogan was the biggest thing around. It's just that why is it that Hulk Hogan back then always showed up when he shouldn't have?

Mania IV, Hogan shouldn't have shown up in the WWF Championship Match. Mania in Indiana, why did Sid vs Hogan finish the damn night. Savage vs Flair should've. Mania IX, Hogan shouldn't have come out and expect a match. Bret Hart didn't deserve that rub in the face.