Jump to content

The Best and Worst WrestleMania Build-Ups


Liam O'Rourke

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members
20 minutes ago, WeeAl said:

it allowed the belt to feel important and it allowed all of the top guys to not have to exist in a bubble with their current program. It may have been accidental at times along the way, but it kind of didn't feel that way in the end up.

One show that had a moment that I absolutely loved during the “all over the place” booking was the episode of Raw where Vader beats Bret after interference from Austin then later on Bret and Shawn have a worked shoot face to face. Sid marches out and mentions people are out there talking about HIS title and tells them “I have played the game with you, and I have played the game with you, and you’ve both lost. What I want is some REAL competition!” .... GONG.

Superb, that bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since I've been watching, the worst build has to be Wrestlemania 31. A show that exceeded expectations merely because everyone thought it was going to horrible going into it.

You've got...

Brock vs Roman - Roman wins the Rumble in the biggest "ROMAN WINS HAHA" moment of all time, complete with the hilarious moment of The Rock trying to figure out why he's getting booed after helping him win. They spend the first month after his win ensuring Roman gets booed at Wrestlemania by having him cleanly beat Daniel Bryan, who is still beloved by fans everywhere, and the month leading into Wrestlemania is carried solely by Paul Heyman, with Lesnar only showing up twice and Reigns being made to stutter his way through corny promos which did nothing to engage fans. The build for this should've been so simple! It was the two biggest, baddest and toughest men squaring off at Wrestlemania! But they stuttered through the entire thing, hammering the final nail in the coffin by having their very last interaction before Wrestlemania be these two grown men play a game of tug o' war whilst making their best snarling faces. Thankfully, the match was great.

Sting vs HHH - Another build which should've been simple! Sting makes his debut as a huge babyface, helps get rid of the Authority, great! Then it becomes clear Sting/HHH is the direction for Wrestlemania, which isn't Undertaker but still, sure thing, go for it. We get months of cryptic promos, Heath Slater dressing up in a sting mask, countless references to WCW because Vince cannot let that aspect slide including HHH mentioning he was going to kill WCW, which is funny considering they'd have been closed for almost 15 years by this point. They didn't understand any aspect of what made Sting so cool, or so popular in WCW, and had to try and add their own gloss and production onto his character, which was never going to work. It was a really horrible build, for a match nobody really wanted to see anyway. 

Cena vs Rusev - Fucking hellfire, this was awful. First of all, it was based upon and centred solely around the tired trope of USA vs *insert country here* with the added bonus of "hot new heel jobs to Cena" that was so prevalent through his run on top. They had Rusev beat Cena at Fast Lane through interference, which is fine I suppose, because it sets up the obvious rematch at Wrestlemania where Cena comes out on top. But again, things couldn't just be this simple. First, Cena decides to obtain his rematch via the means of borderline torture, choking Rusev unconscious, reviving him with water and then choking him out again, this time in front of his hysterical girlfriend in order for her to give him another match. This is fine though, naturally, because Rusev is from Russia. Then they bring in that fucking horrendous actor as a lawyer to attempt and argue the legalities of Cena obtaining a match in this manner, which went down like a dumpster fire. They made it clear throughout the entire thing Rusev had no chance of winning, and then backed this up further by having Cena beat him in three successive PPV's.

Wyatt vs Undertaker - A stone cold build where Undertaker didn't show up once. This was the match that completely killed Bray off for me. He wasn't even deemed enough of a threat to have Undertaker bother showing up, for crying out loud! This was just 6 weeks of Bray cutting rambling promos with no reply or consequence. The last time we'd seen Undertaker, he was walking out of New Orleans looking every bit 50 years old, so there was no mystery or suspense towards his return. He wasn't the special attraction he'd been beforehand, and didn't even have the draw of the streak to help him out at this point. Bray came out in a coffin, moaned for a few weeks, we saw some shoddy looking lightning, and that was it. All Wyatt did was lose, so there was absolutely no reason to take him seriously, and by carrying the feud by himself, hampered any tension or anticipation people may have had toward this.

IC Ladder Match - This was just an excuse to get as many people Wrestlemania paydays, allow Ambrose to take a sick bump, and to give Bryan a feelgood moment. There were just no ideas to make this exciting other than "here's 8 lads flying around for 15 minutes". The height of WWE creative reared its ugly head in the build for this, as they, for unknown reasons ended Smackdown with Ziggler and Ambrose both calling Bryan a turd before walking away. People were getting added every week for no good reason, and there was only going to be one winner.

The only match with a good build was Rollins vs Orton, and even that still ran the risk of going sideways.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members
35 minutes ago, air_raid said:

One show that had a moment that I absolutely loved during the “all over the place” booking was the episode of Raw where Vader beats Bret after interference from Austin then later on Bret and Shawn have a worked shoot face to face. Sid marches out and mentions people are out there talking about HIS title and tells them “I have played the game with you, and I have played the game with you, and you’ve both lost. What I want is some REAL competition!” .... GONG.

Superb, that bit.

Absolutely beautiful stuff, big Sid puts them both in their box and then 'Undi turns up causing Sid's delayed reaction pant shitting at the big dance. 

On 10/28/2018 at 4:38 PM, WeeAl said:

Raw, the night after Royal Rumble 1997. It really was a fantastic episode. It really had that 'anything can happen' vibe to it, with the pace of the show never slowing down from show open to show close. Austin hits a home run on several promos, there's a hot crowd, and the main eventers are everywhere. Brilliant stuff. This is why we all loved 1997.

I knew I had mentioned this one as well somewhere in the "I've just watched thread". The WWF capitalised wonderfully on the controversy of the night before at the Rumble when they followed up with this episode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WM 3 had a tremendous build with Hogan and Andre on pipers pit. Jesse played his role well

Pipers “retirement match” was also great build with pipers pit and the flower shop antics, piper on crutches. Ace and Muroco were also involved.

The Savage Steamboat build with the dragon coming back from a crushed throat was greatly booked.

SNME had done decent builds with JYD and Race. 

Infact nearly all the matches had slight builds to them. Best WM for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

I love 1997 and I adore that pre-Mania period for all its faults but it's hard to justify it as great build because everything they're actually building falls apart. The plan changes every five minutes due to injuries, dummy spitting or their own panicky indecision.

Yet somehow Bret and Austin becomes utterly compelling and, similar to D-Bry at Mania 30, you can then do an incredible retrospective to link it all back to before Survivor Series as if it was somehow a plan all along.

Even then, the build for everything else is irrelevant apart from the moment the Bret/Austin and Taker/Sid feuds cross over in that amazing cage match for the title. Still one of the best angles they've ever done.

Great post in its defence but I'm not having it. It was a fluke.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Max Power said:

Wrestlemania 15 was shit too.

As a whole.

But Austin's path back to the title from the moment Vince steals it at Breakdown ("YOU DON'T HAVE IT ANYMORE! IT'S MINE!") right through to getting fired, Bang 3:16, qualifying for the Rumble, "and the second man is Vince McMahon", the actual Rumble match, putting the shot on the line to do Vince Vs. Austin in a cage a month before the big show, right up to the match itself... it's legitimately, objective in the top five builds of anything ever, in my book.

I don't think anything overshadowed it at the time. To be honest I think whilst we were all crying about the quality of the undercard in 1999, the ludicrous amount of outsiders that era got on board in all likelihood got their PPV bang for buck with that ending. It's all that mattered. 

Edited by Gay as FOOK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said:

As a whole.

But Austin's path back to the title from the moment Vince steals it at Breakdown ("YOU DON'T HAVE IT ANYMORE! IT'S MINE!") right through to getting fired, Bang 3:16, qualifying for the Rumble, "and the second man is Vince McMahon", the actual Rumble match, putting the shot on the line to do Vince Vs. Austin in a cage a month before the big show, right up to the match itself... it's legitimately, objective in the top five builds of anything ever, in my book.

I don't think anything overshadowed it at the time. To be honest I think whilst we were all crying about the quality of the undercard in 1999, the ludicrous amount of outsiders that era got on board in all likelihood got their PPV bang for buck with that ending. It's all that mattered. 

It is a brilliant build up, until right after the February PPV. Then the focus isn't on the title match as much, it's on Vince and Undertaker fighting over a flaming teddy bear. All the while remembering that Vince is a he'll opposite Austin, but is positioned as a babyface against Taker.

Whenever Rock and Austin are opposite each other then it's dynamite - but even two of the top five of all time have to play second fiddle to McMahonomania.

Here's an example: on the Raw before the go home show, Austin faces Mankind. If Mankind wins he gets to referee the main event of Wrestlemania. Firstly, ignoring the fact that the top two faces are fighting each other, the crowd has no idea how to react. Do they cheer Austin on, because he's the biggest star on the planet and they want him to win everything? Do they cheer Foley, because if he wins then he referees the main event and thus increases Austin's chance of winning the title? The result? Nobody knows who to cheer for (default mode is cheering for Austin). Then to make matters worse, the Corporation run in at the end and Vince calls off a beatdown of Stone Cold by Rock and Big Show. Why would he do this? Surely he wants Steve out of action.

And don't get me started on the undercard.

Edit: I agree the end result was what everyone wanted and the numbers don't like. Crowd reactions and dollar signs suggested the crowd didn't give a fuck whether or not the booking was all over the place.

Edited by Max Power
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Max Power said:

It is a brilliant build up, until right after the February PPV. Then the focus isn't on the title match as much, it's on Vince and Undertaker fighting over a flaming teddy bear. All the while remembering that Vince is a he'll opposite Austin, but is positioned as a babyface against Taker.

Whenever Rock and Austin are opposite each other then it's dynamite - but even two of the top five of all time have to play second fiddle to McMahonomania.

Here's an example: on the Raw before the go home show, Austin faces Mankind. If Mankind wins he gets to referee the main event of Wrestlemania. Firstly, ignoring the fact that the top two faces are fighting each other, the crowd has no idea how to react. Do they cheer Austin on, because he's the biggest star on the planet and they want him to win everything? Do they cheer Foley, because if he wins then he referees the main event and thus increases Austin's chance of winning the title? The result? Nobody knows who to cheer for (default mode is cheering for Austin). Then to make matters worse, the Corporation run in at the end and Vince calls off a beatdown of Stone Cold by Rock and Big Show. Why would he do this? Surely he wants Steve out of action.

And don't get me started on the undercard.

Edit: I agree the end result was what everyone wanted and the numbers don't like. Crowd reactions and dollar signs suggested the crowd didn't give a fuck whether or not the booking was all over the place.

Russo's shades of grey booking gets trashed a lot, but to be honest I really don't think it mattered, here. Foley wanted his in, 'Taker wanted control, Vince still hated Austin, Austin was still top boy. It's probably one of the few big examples where it's perfectly fine. Just personal preference, of course. As a kid I honestly thought it was pretty cool that even in the middle of their bitter rivalry, Vince nodded a thanks to his arch nemesis for saving his daughter. 

Arguably, as you allude to, Austin/McMahon peaked at St. Valentine's Day Massacre anyway. WrestleMania was really just the start of the Austin Vs. Rock dialogue both in and out of the ring for the next few years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Its hard to pinpoint an exact year but I think that something was lost when Wrestlemania became just so much bigger than all the other shows. That's not to say that WM hasn't always been the biggest event of the year, but it seems to tower over every other event taking place over the following 11 months.

During the golden era of the late 80's, due to the scarcity of PPV's they all felt special in their own way. But even when they turned into a monthly model by the mid 90's, Wrestlemania didn't feel head and shoulders above everything else to the degree it does now. 

Possibly it was the introduction of annual stadium shows that turned the tide. But I sincerely feel that the whole year building up to Wrestlemania, thus making other events feel like a bit of a waste of time in comparison, has been to the detriment of the overall product.

There's also a good point raised on the Wrestle Me podcast that something changed when WWE wrestlers started popping up, having grown up watching Wrestlemania, leading to this obsession over 'Wrestlemania moments'.

Edited by garynysmon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, garynysmon said:

Its hard to pinpoint an exact year but I think that something was lost when Wrestlemania became just so much bigger than all the other shows. That's not to say that WM hasn't always been the biggest event of the year, but it seems to tower over every other event taking place over the following 11 months.

During the golden era of the late 80's, due to the scarcity of PPV's they all felt special in their own way. But even when they turned into a monthly model by the mid 90's, Wrestlemania didn't feel head and shoulders above everything else to the degree it does now. 

Possibly it was the introduction of annual stadium shows that turned the tide. But I sincerely feel that the whole year building up to Wrestlemania, thus making other events feel like a bit of a waste of time in comparison, has been to the detriment of the overall product.

There's also a good point raised on the Wrestle Me podcast that something changed when WWE wrestlers started popping up, having grown up watching Wrestlemania, leading to this obsession over 'Wrestlemania moments'.

Aye. III and X-Seven were huge, sure, but I think the lower buyrate for XIX and subsequent millions they spent promoting and pushing XX changed it slowly into what it is now. From the Trump and Mayweather ones on, really, it's just become an international travel event that some people go to no matter what. Ever since those years it has been a gradual mutation into an overlong brand wankfest that does seem to consolidate all their efforts for the year and make the calendar feel weirdly uneven. 

Wrestle Me also raised the point that even with most of the good ones years ago, it was a very internal affair. Only wrestling fans really gave a shit about it. I know a certain cynicism dictates that's still the case, but loads of people know when it is WrestleMania weekend, now. The articles are out there and it's all over social media. Obviously that's sort of a great thing, and we're getting into that smug "nyah it's our culture" thing that metalheads do so well, but it certainly has given them a very overbearing self awareness about the whole thing. But that's the 'E to a T nowadays, isn't it. Overbearing self awareness. If companies has disorders, they'd have extreme narcissistic personality issues. 

WWE production and commentary are more guilty than the wrestlers for pushing the moments, though. I think it was 2010 where even the video open was explicitly along the lines of "tonight all these men will be looking for their WrestleMania moment". 

Edited by Gay as FOOK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

No-one ever really mentions it but I've always thought Wrestlemania 20 had a cracking set of builds. They seemed to be firing on all cylinders around that time and you really sense that someone had sat down in mid to late 2003 and mapped everything out meticulously.

Goldberg vs. Brock, for as shit as the match might have been, had a brilliant storyline leading into it. From the initial tease when they first bumped into each other at Survivor Series, to the increased physicality when they saw each other again at Royal Rumble, leading to the brilliant interactions at No Way Out. From Stone Cold giving Goldberg a front row ticket, to the first the angle where Goldberg jumped the rail and got arrested, then later on when he cost Brock the Title. It was perfect.

Similarly, Kane vs. Taker might have been a bit shit on the night, but they did a fantastic job hyping up the return of the Deadman. Kane burying Taker at Survivor Series, the gong going off during the Royal Rumble match, all the special effects as we got closer to the show. I was so excited for The old Undertaker to return. Nothing beats that moment when Paul Bearer's voice plays over the speakers.

Combine these with the fantastic Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley storyline, which is arguably the last truly great thing Mick ever did, the great Trish/Jericho/Christian love triangle, Eddie and Benoit's elevation to main event status, even Cena vs Big Show had a sense of excitement as Cena began clicking as a genuine star. Great stuff all around. Early 2004 is easily one of my favourite time periods in WWE.

Also:

 

Edited by Supremo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

SCG Radio returns this week as we discuss the Best and Worst WrestleMania Builds Ever! Taking your nominations and feedback, we discuss the standout hype jobs on either end of the spectrum, from the dizzying highs of WrestleMania 14, 5 and 3, to the horrifying lows of 9, 11, 31 and 18, and even the creamy middles that stood out to you such as 20, 21, 17 and 8, we look at all the hot angles and promos going in, break down the make up of what makes a great build that stands the test of time, and look at the issues WWE was dealing with in each instance. A really fun show and a great way to celebrate Mania week - check it out!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/download/zjhwrf/SCG_Radio_149_-_The_Best_and_Worst_WrestleMania_Builds_Ever.mp3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Liam O'Rourke said:

SCG Radio returns this week as we discuss the Best and Worst WrestleMania Builds Ever! Taking your nominations and feedback, we discuss the standout hype jobs on either end of the spectrum, from the dizzying highs of WrestleMania 14, 5 and 3, to the horrifying lows of 9, 11, 31 and 18, and even the creamy middles that stood out to you such as 20, 21, 17 and 8, we look at all the hot angles and promos going in, break down the make up of what makes a great build that stands the test of time, and look at the issues WWE was dealing with in each instance. A really fun show and a great way to celebrate Mania week - check it out!

https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/download/zjhwrf/SCG_Radio_149_-_The_Best_and_Worst_WrestleMania_Builds_Ever.mp3

Walk home from work sorted, thanks Liam and co!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...