Paid Members garynysmon Posted April 4, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted April 4, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Warrior's return at WM8, having borrowed a video from someone at school Favourite WM is... 9. Watching live I just loved the pagentry and the outdoor setting while not giving a damn about the quality of matches, which is also why I never turned into a workrate perv. Least favourite WM is... 16. Not a single singles match? C'mon. The Attitude Era disappeared up its own arse that year. That said, I'd go back and watch that over any of the recent ones. Favourite Mania match is... Savage v Steamboat, Wrestlemania 3. Perfection. Worst Mania match is... Always hated the Quebecers v Men on a Mission from WM10. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Easy, Bret v Piper from WM8. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... The Ladder Match from WM 10. I was astounded that such matches were even possible and had never seen the Bret v Shawn one at the time. Most under-rated Mania match is... Bam Bam v LT at WM11. The fact they managed to pull that off with a non-wrestler (who was also completely knackered) is astonishing. Well done Bam Bam. If you could change one Mania match result... Mega Maniacs v Money Inc at WM9. Would have loved a run for Hogan and Beefcake with the tag titles, would have been perfect for the phase in Hogan's career. Favourite WM set/setup was... Tough one, Wrestlemania 9 was awesome just for the novelty of the outdoor setting. I remember WM19 being pretty special though, but a lot can be said for the 'X' entrance at 10 too. Favourite WM image is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grecian Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Mania 9 was the very first one I watched. My Grandad recorded it off Sky, and I watched that tape until it pretty much disintegrated. Stand-out memory - being convinced Tatanka was going to win the IC title, until Shawn got DQ'd on purpose. I've never forgiven him. Favourite WM is... I'm going for Mania 24. I had Sky at that point, watched it live, bought a new big TV for the privilege without telling my now-wife until she got home and saw it. Taker vs Edge was a stunning match, MITB was great with a shock winner, Flair's goodbye is perfect, just lovely stuff all the way through. Least favourite WM is... 27. The whole event exists to set up 28. I even disliked the Trips / Taker match that gets so much love. It's the only Mania I've only ever watched once. Favourite Mania match is... I'll go for the first Money In The Bank match. It was new, it was exciting, Shelton was incredible and with 6 guys in it, it wasn't the overblown mess it became within a couple of years. Worst Mania match is... Miz vs John Cena from 27. Cena was awful, Miz looked massively out of his depth, it only existed as a vehicle to get Rock vs Cena set up. If Punk stropped he didn't get a main event slot here, he should be bloody grateful for it, as far as I'm concerned. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon. For a kid raised on World of Sport, this was utterly astounding. It looks mild and tame now when you've seen Jeff Hardy kill himself going off ladders, but put into the context of the time and the rarity of gimmick matches, it was just mindblowing. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... see above. Most under-rated Mania match is... given his later efforts vs HBK, Triple H and Punk, I think Taker's match vs Edge at 24 doesn't get as much love as it should. If you could change one Mania match result... Bray Wyatt vs Cena at Mania 30. Bray should have gone over in that one, it seemed to start his cycle of big matches and always losing. Of course, Tatanka winning the IC title at 9 goes without saying. Favourite WM set/setup was... 29. I was thinking about not ordering it. Then Vince did the Youtube stage reveal, and that sold me completely. Favourite Image... Taker's face at 25 when Shawn kicks out of the Tombstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Dem Wanz Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Tricky this, as my access to wrestling was limited in my first viewings of it I don’t think I ever understood what ‘Mania really meant until I was a bit older and had internet access. Begging my mum to be allowed to order and stay up for WrestleMania 22 and loving it is probably the first to be honest! Favourite WM is... 30, it just has everything; a superb blend of nostalgia, the promotion of new (and the correct) stars and memorable matches and moments, including the biggest shocker we’ll ever see watching wrestling. Awesome entrances too, shout out the Mark Crozer Band and Rev Theory. About halfway through the show I decided I was 4 LIFE, so the show really cemented my fandom, great memories of watching a dodgy stream at 1am in my final year at uni. Least favourite WM is... I’ll confess to not watching all of them in full, but of those that I have – 32 was a real slog to get through at the time and I’ve not watched a thing from it since. Self-indulgence from the Attitude stars left a sour taste and the main event was a disaster (although not as much as last year’s!). The women’s match was the only decent thing there, and the set was nice too I suppose. Favourite Mania match is... It’s hard to pick just one, but I love re-watching Randy Savage vs Ultimate Warrior and Daniel Bryan v Randy Orton v Batista for the pure emotion involved, they each really show how wrestling can achieve some semblance of art. Worst Mania match is... For the sheer exhaustion and exasperation I felt, last year’s main event can get in the sea. Not exactly fond of the Sable v Tori shite or JBL v John Cena either. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Slightly cheating here, but as it was effectively was positioned as a midcard title in this show, I choose the Triple Threat World Heavyweight title match from WrestleMania 22. Was made up when Rey won and the action is outstanding, possibly my favourite sub-10 minute match ever, and seriously insulting that it got so little time. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... TLC 2 – because of reasons already discussed. Shout outs to the original ladder match too. Most under-rated Mania match is... Cena v Michaels from ‘Mania 23 never comes up in the great main events discussion, but it should – brilliant, gripping, edge of your seat contest. The right result too no matter how annoyed my mark-arse felt about it at the time. If you could change one Mania match result... At the time, Michaels should’ve won at ‘Mania 23, but in hindsight – Bray Wyatt should have beaten Cena at 30. Favourite WM set/setup was... I attended 33 in Orlando and avoided any spoilers until I got into the stadium, I was awestruck by the set – couldn’t stop taking pictures even when the wrestling was going on  Favourite WM image is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted April 4, 2019 Awards Moderator Share Posted April 4, 2019 I’d forgotten just how deflating last year’s main event was until I read @Otto Dem Wanz‘s post above. That might be the result I’d change. To go through all of that with Brock, squashing everybody, then put him against Roman, have him kick out of all the F5s... and still lose? Yeah, the crowd would have hated him if he had but it was just so pointless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Accident Prone Posted April 4, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted April 4, 2019 17 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said: I’d forgotten just how deflating last year’s main event was until I read @Otto Dem Wanz‘s post above. That might be the result I’d change. To go through all of that with Brock, squashing everybody, then put him against Roman, have him kick out of all the F5s... and still lose? Yeah, the crowd would have hated him if he had but it was just so pointless. That was certainly a live experience I won't forget. No one gave it a chance, and the chorus of boos and vocal apathy was palpable. I remember Reigns getting F5'ed through the announce table to no reaction whatsoever. A really intresting half an hour for all the wrong reasons. I've also never seen an audience that massive being so quiet afterwards; they were exhausted and frustrated as we all filed out of the building. No energy, no sense of wonder, no excited chatter. Just weird silence and people almost in a zombie-like state. Despite the reaction being bad, they could've avoided that exit with a title change, then at least that disaster of a match would've meant something.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WeeAl Posted April 4, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted April 4, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... It's a mixture of two and both are terrible. If I was able to master the timer recording on my VHS recorder at the time, then 13 would have been the first time I would have needed to pull a sickie from school for the purposes of watching wrestling. As it happens, that wouldn't take place until I had to go home sick the day after 'Mania 14. Due to my disappointment at not being able to get to see WrestleMania 13 at the time it happened, it was off to the library and cash converters that I went, to see what goodies they had. What I came away with was WrestleMania 1 and a copy of WrestleMania's Greatest Matches (1989) featuring the main event from 1985. The battle royal from Mania II. Bulldog's Vs The Hart's from Mania III and Beefcake Vs Honky from 'Mania 4. WrestleMania's Greatest Matches it fucking wasn't. Between this and the full WrestleMania show, It was a year before I would borrow, rent, record or buy another WrestleMania show. It was Summer slam, The Rumble and Survivor's for me after watching that carry on. Favourite WM is... Probably 24 or 14. By 14 I was in deep, they had me by the balls at that point and I was lapping it up. It was Wrestling, football and action films, and wrestling was the king of the trio. 24 though was like the end destination of being a Wrestling fan for me. I'd been watching from 1996, gotten my first job in 2006, and decided that I was going to save up everything I had to not just watch Mania on the TV but I wanted to be there. I couldn't do it in time for Detroit but I made it to 24, and my cousin's husband came with me, who was the guy who got me into it all to begin with. I was going to love 'Mania 24 no matter what, and it only added to it that it was a legitimately great show. Least favourite WM is... 32 or 27. 32 will get the nod for there being almost nothing about it worth going out of your way to see a second time. Favourite Mania match is... Taker Vs Michaels at 25. It knocked my socks off at the time. Worst Mania match is... Lawler Vs Cole or Bret Vs Vince. I'll say Lawler Vs Cole wins this one. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Shawn Vs Razor with the belt's above the ring. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... Shawn vs Razor Most under-rated Mania match is... There are tonnes, probably. Taker Vs Diesel gets forgotten about quote a bit. It's Taker's first actual good match at the big dance. If you could change one Mania match result... Roman Vs Lesnar at 31. At the time, it felt like the perfect swerve. With hindsight, they should have done what they had planned to do, fans be fucked. The Roman backlash that's been felt in the four years since probably wouldn't have been as bad if WWE had pulled the trigger when it made the most sense. Favourite WM set/setup was... 24 or 9. I'm a sucker for how an outdoor show looks, even if they tend to not have the best atmosphere when watching from home. Favourite WM image is...  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted April 4, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted April 4, 2019 I still can't get my head around the fact that there are posters on here whose earliest memories are post WM 20. For some reason I have it engrained in my very being that every wrestling fan in this country started watching in the late 80's/early 90's, and weirdly can't fathom there are fans who weren't actually born then. In the WWE I struggle to remember much anything after 2004 or so as it all tends to blend into one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam O'Rourke Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Stealing my brother's tape of WrestleMania 9 and watching the whole show and just being enamored with pro wrestling. Favourite WM is... It has to be 17. Such a strange and unique time in the business with WCW and ECW folding, Austin Vs. Rock, the magnitude, it was just amazing. Plus an awesome show. When I moved house last year, me and my fiancée had a simple TV set up for a week until the new furniture arrived, and I watched it all the way through. She filmed me watching it (unbeknownst to me) when the show opened, the starting sounds of Limp Bizkit with the "And noooooow"....and I'm grinning like a fucking idiot. Least favourite WM is... 11 is a ghastly time and not a fun watch. For the first two Manias you can see they hadn't mastered what Mania was, and nailed it with 3. From then on, they always made it look and feel special. Even with 9, there was a uniqueness that lets you overlook the shittier elements. But 11 feels like a pathetic attempt to be the WWF of old. With the celebs, shit roster, technical problems and empty red seats, it's a depressing throwback. Favourite Mania match is... Bret Vs. Austin from Mania 13. Start to finish, the commentary, the background, the production, the best piece of business they've ever done. Worst Mania match is... There's been a few. Taker Vs. Bundy from 11 was complete shit, Bundy was just terrible at that time, every time I watch it I am in awe of how awful his movement is, his crap his offense looks, and how he can barely take a bump. Stinks. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Shawn Vs. Razor at Mania 10. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... I guess the "Submission Match" already mentions tops the Ladder Match. Most under-rated Mania match is... For some reason the first that came to mind was Vince Vs. Shane, because it was a beautiful demonstration of a story-based match that gave everyone revenge, and brought the people up and down exactly as they wanted. But I think people do appreciate it for what it is. The Funks Vs. Tito/JYD at Mania 2 deserves a mention because Terry is outstanding in that match. If you could change one Mania match result... Bret beats Yoko. Austin beating Rock on his own is a close second. Favourite WM set/setup was... I have to go with the second Mania I went to in person, 33. That ramp was ENORMOUS....the ring on top, the rollercoaster and the Universal style globe with WrestleMania on it was breathtaking. Favourite WM image is... Austin, covered in blood, trying to push out of the Sharpshooter at 13. One of the most enduring images in wrestling history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted April 5, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 5, 2019 21 minutes ago, Liam O'Rourke said: Very first memory of WrestleMania... Stealing my brother's tape of WrestleMania 9 and watching the whole show and just being enamored with pro wrestling. And yet you slate it all the time. You fucking traitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam O'Rourke Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 49 minutes ago, tiger_rick said: And yet you slate it all the time. You fucking traitor. Imagine seeing that show and being intrigued. And then watching something that's good. That pretty much explains me getting into wrestling in a nutshell. Wrestling was just fun and cool, even if I thought it was totally bogus how Hogan ended up with Bret's belt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted April 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted April 5, 2019 I watched Wrestlemania IX recently, and honestly really enjoyed it. Obviously I'm doing that through knowingly nostalgia-tinted glasses, and knowing what to expect, but there was something about it that felt like a company proud of what they've achieved, but not yet at the point of Wrestlemania being a self-congratulatory pat on the back. The Ancient Rome gimmick gave it a sense of levity and fun that they seem afraid to embrace now, and it just felt a lot more vibrant and less self-conscious than modern WWE does. Even though it's a show full of non-finishes and a ludicrous amount of ref bumps, it's just sort of fun to watch now. Even the Undertaker/Gonzalez match is broadly kind of fine, not as awful as I was expecting, because it serves a purpose, as is unlike anything else on the card. I've definitely seen far worse, and would watch that again over any number of meaningless Dolph Ziggler matches. It's not great by any means, or even necessarily any good at all, but it's just enough to be a shop window for the WWF and this mad cast of characters, which as Liam says, would intrigue someone enough to check out more content and get even more hooked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members tiger_rick Posted April 5, 2019 Author Paid Members Share Posted April 5, 2019 It is great. It's wrestling in a nutshell. It's colourful, it's a bit mental, it's over the top, it makes no sense and the end result is fucking frustrating. I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTH17 Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Watching a DVD of Wrestlemania 2000 in my Nan and Grandad's caravan up in North Wales because it was pissing it down so we couldn't go to the beach. Favourite WM is... Can't choose anything other than Wrestlemania 30. The most invested I've ever been watching WWE, with one of the best storylines they've done in the last decade culminating brilliantly. The whole show is a rollercoaster of emotion and satisfaction throughout. Cesaro looking like he's going to break out, Bryan giving HHH his best singles match in years, Undertaker losing his streak. It's got near enough everything, and contains great memories for me. Least favourite WM is... It's got to be 27, hasn't it? From the world championship curtain jerking, Cole vs Lawler, Snooki getting onto the show in favour of Bryan/Sheamus, and the worst aspect of all, having the main event of Wrestlemania be nothing more than a hype piece for a different match. Favourite Mania match is... Bret vs Austin from Wrestlemania 13. The best double turn they've ever managed to pull off, with two of the most convincing workers of all time creating an outstanding match. Everything looked and felt legit, and it propelled Austin into the stratosphere. Worst Mania match is... I'll say Lawler/Cole. Despite the fact it never belonged anywhere near a Wrestlemania card in the first place, or even existed for that matter, they at least had the opportunity to redeem themselves somewhat by booking Cole to get his comeuppance after about 30 seconds and to get on with the rest of the show. Instead, we got 10 minutes of a one-sided beatdown, killing the crowd completely before Cole ended up winning anyway. Utterly horrific from both a performance and creative standpoint. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Bret vs Piper from Wrestlemania 8 for the Intercontinental Championship. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... It's Bret vs Austin, but just to stop myself from repeating answers, and to try and provide something different to the majority, I'll plump for the first ever Money in the Bank match, simply because it provided such a memorable concept and resulting moment with Edge cashing in, that again, they haven't been able to replicate since. Most under-rated Mania match is... The Cruiserweight Open from Wrestlemania 20 is such a fun little spotfest that fulfils its job perfectly, so I'll say that. If you could change one Mania match result... Michaels beats Cena at Wrestlemania 23. Favourite WM set/setup was... Wrestlemania 33 might have sucked, but the set was glorious. Favourite WM image is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... Hogan Vs. Warrior from Wrestlemania VI. Favourite WM is... Wrestlemania VIII. Least favourite WM is... Wrestlemania IX. Favourite Mania match is... Randy Savage Vs. Ric Flair from Wrestlemania VIII. Worst Mania match is... Undertaker Vs. Giant Gonzalez from Wrestlemania IX. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... Bret Hart Vs. Roddy Piper for the IC Title at Wrestlemania VIII. Favourite Mania gimmick match is... Bret Hart Vs. Steve Austin submission match from Wrestlemania XIII. Most under-rated Mania match is... Undertaker Vs. Diesel from Wrestlemania XII. If you could change one Mania match result... The Rock should have won the championship at Wrestlemania 16/2000. Favourite WM set/setup was... Can't think of any. Favourite WM image is... Steve Austin's bloody face in the sharpshooter at Wrestlemania XIII. Can't be arsed to dig up an image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitseleh Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 Very first memory of WrestleMania... My first memory of WrestleMania has to be the first one I saw, which was 17. Favourite WM is... 17. It's an obvious answer, but it's lives up to the hype and it's the greatest pro wrestling event of all time. Least favourite WM is... 11. I actually enjoy 1995 WWF to a certain degree, but there's no defending this. Favourite Mania match is... Bret vs Austin, 13. The match that made Austin. Worst Mania match is... Lawler vs Cole, 27. It's a disgrace that this is Lawler's only WrestleMania match. This had zero business going as long as it did. Favourite Mania match for a midcard title (if not mentioned above) is... It's got to be Steamboat vs Savage, hasn't it? Favourite Mania gimmick match is... TLC II, 17. It's absolute carnage and I don't this will ever be topped. Most under-rated Mania match is... The Terry Funk mark in me has to vouch for Funks vs Tito/JYD at 2. I'd even say it's better than the Bulldogs Tag Title match from the same show. If you could change one Mania match result... Booker T losing to Trips at 19. Favourite WM set/setup was... 9. The look made the show feel different, even if the event itself is the drizzling shits. Favourite WM image is... Hogan slamming Andre. It's pro wrestling in a nutshell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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