It’s that time of the year for my inner nerd to come out and talk about my dorkiest of passions, professional wrestling. I am going to have probably the next 4-5 posts centred around that, so I’d like to apologize in advance if you’re not one of my three friends/readers who actually get anything of of this.
Today’s post will be be my ultimate Wrestlemania Dream card. After reading about this on one of my favourite websites, 411 mania.com, I decided to do it myself.
The rules of this seem really simple, but make it actually quite difficult, they are:
Rule Numero Uno: Each person shall create a Wrestlemania Card of exactly ten matches.
Rule Numero Dos: No wrestler may be used twice, even under a different gimmick. However, a wrestler may interfere in one match and still be used in another one (such as Vince McMahon interfering in Austin vs. Rock II).
Rule Numero Tres: No more than one match from any given Wrestlemania may be used.
Rule Numero Quatro: Each card MUST have the following wrestlers: Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and The Rock.
Rule Numero Cinco: Each card MUST have two “World Title” Matches: either the WWF Championship, the WWE Championship, or the World Heavyweight Championship.
Rule Numero The Next One: No title may be used more than once, including appearances by a champion in a non-title match (such as Shelton Benjamin in the first Money in the Bank; he was the Intercontinental Champion, and so no other Intercontinental Champion should be on the show). The one exception is that the WWF and WWE Champions are considered separate titles, due to the limited number of matches for the WHC and generation gap.
Rule Numero The Last: The opening match MUST be a legitimate opener from one of the Wrestlemanias.
So that leaves my ultimate dream card to be as follows…
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
Wrestlemania X
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
As I said around a year ago, this is beyond question the best opening match in the 25 year history of this event. These two brothers went out and delivered an absolute five-star classic. These two went out and delivered counters-upon-counters. I remember watching this match as a die hard 11 year old fan, rooting for the Hitman and being in absolute shock when Owen had one shocking counter and pinned his brother, clean as a whistle. Of course, it all meant nothing when Bret celebrated at the end of the show, giving us one of the most iconic moments in the event. All of that being said, I did deliberate about choosing this match, because it now means that I can no longer take the HBK-Ramon Ladder Match or the Bret-Austin match, which is my favourite of all time. Still a worthwhile edition to the card.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match:
Mr. Kennedy vs. CM Punk vs. King Booker vs. Edge vs.
Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay
Wrestlemania 23
Ford Field
Detroit, MI
I know that this match was also on the openers list, but it doesn’t say that I can’t take two opening matches. Ever since Wrestlemania 21 a high-spot ladder match has become a staple of the card, and this is among the best matches that they have done. It has the biggest names in the history of the match, and is the only version of the match to use either secondary champion, giving me more options than some of it’s other types. That being said though, it did removed the Edge-Foley match from consideration, which is a shame because it was one of my personal favourites.
Chris Jericho vs. Christian
Wrestlemania XX
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Had this match been on almost any other card it would have been a damn near classic. However, it was on the card that had Rock and Sock vs. Evolution, Angle vs. Eddie, and Triple H vs. HBK vs. Benoit, three of the best matches you could ever ask to see. As such this match, and it’s memorable turn at the end were berried near the beginning of the event. Still it remains a bit of a forgotten favourite of mine, and I felt that two of my favourite wrestlers belonged on this dream card.
Intercontinental Title Match
Randy Savage (c) vs. Ricky Steamboat
Wrestlemania III
Pontiac Silver Dome
Detroit, MI
As I said last year, this was quite possibly the best intercontinental tile match that has ever happened, and among the best matches that the WWF/E has ever put on. This was remarkably revolutionary of its time, as both men delivered a match unlike any other that the company was putting out at the time. This paved the way for an entire generation of wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, and Eddie Guerrero. They delivered a classic, that every wrestling fan should watch, and it belongs on any dream card.
The Dream Team (c) vs. The British Bulldogs
Wrestlemania 2
Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, IL
This to me is the best tag team match at the event to not feature ladders, more than that, it is the first truly classic match in the history of the event. To make it even more surprising, it features Brutus Beefcake. Really, who would have thought that? However, it has one of the greatest tag teams ever doing their thing. Dynamite Kid belongs in the same breath as the other all-time greats and this is a great example as to why.
Street Fight
Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon
Wrestlemania XIX
Safeco Field
Seattle, WA
One of the most fun matches ever. These two senior citizens went out and pulled out all of the stops includes ladders, led pipes, ref bumps, and one of the greatest run-ins ever from Roddy Piper. It fills the Hogan-quota with one of his most entertaining matches, which was far better than it had any right to be.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor
Wrestlemania XI
Hartford Civic Center
Hartford, CT
I don’t feel like any Wrestlemania is complete without some sort of celebrity involvement and this is no doubt the Savage-Steamboat of Celebrity matches. Bam Bam worked his boots off in this match, and LT brought his share of awesome as well.
WWE Title Match
John Cena vs. Triple H
Wrestlemania 22
All State Arena
Chicago, IL
This feels like a bit of an odd choice to fill in for one of the required titles matches. But truth be told there weren’t too many left for me to choose from the brand-split era, given how many of the other events at the events I ticked off. Still though, these two delivered a classic from both a technical standpoint, and the crowd more than delivered a great side show that is second only to the Rock-Hogan bizzaro crowd. Also, I think that this match deserves a lot of credit for making Cena into the big star that he is today. I mean, making Triple H tap out…at Wrestlemania? INSANE! It’s a fitting “other title match” for this card.
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
Wrestlemania XXV
Astrodome
Houston, TX
The most recent, and among the best additions to this card. These two went out and showed that they can still perform at a very high level, at a very high age. They showed why they have been the corner stones of the company for the past fifteen years. I am worried that they won’t be able to top it in a few days, but damn if I’m not excited to see if they can try!
No-Disqualification Match for the WWF Title
The Rock (c) vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Wrestlemania X-Seven
Astrodome
Houston, TX
This may not be the biggest match, that belongs to Hogan-Andre, and it may not be the best match, that belongs to Hart-Austin. But this is most certainly the best, big match. The two wrestlers that defined an era went out and showed why they belong on the marquee. This is the perfect summary for the Attitude Era that began four years before with Austin’s bloody face, and ended with him shaking Vince’s hand. This match tells a story like none other, and is a perfect ending to both the greatest event ever, and my own dream card.
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And that just about does it, tune back tomorrow for my Nightmare Card.
Until next time,
G
Tags: CM Punk
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