Opinion
Top 5: Worst WrestleMania Moments
WrestleMania Moments seem like bigger goals for a WWE Superstar than championships. What was once a saying busted out one time by Jim Ross during Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock has become the backbone of WWE. WrestleMania has become the one show a year that everybody cares about, and every moment is apparently a WrestleMania Moment.
Thing is: not every WrestleMania Moment is great. Some of them are downright stinky. Some moments that are meant to be epic end up coming off as anything but. Some moments are so hideous that you wonder why they were even thought of. The week before WrestleMania seems like as good a time as any to remind everybody of this.
I left off pretty much anything to do with irrelevant celebrities because we all knew those moments were going to stink anyway. The Miller Lite Catfight Girls’ Pillow Fight was never going to take up space in the highlight reel. Snooki wasn’t going to have a five star match. Howard Finkel joining the Hair Club For Men wasn’t meant for anything more than a laugh.
These are the Top 5 Worst WrestleMania Moments.
5. Sting vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXXI)
I know I’m in a minority on this one. I remember watching this as it unfolded & also watching my Twitter feed explode with positivity & people marking out for all of the random appearances. Everybody from DX came out to help Triple H. Everybody from the NWO came out to help Sting. Eventually Triple H got the win & everybody ended up showing mutual respect.
I had so many problems with all of this. Sting losing his only WrestleMania match doesn’t even make my list, because the winner & loser here didn’t particularly matter. Here’s what I was confused by:
-Why was the NWO helping Sting? Sure, he joined the Wolfpac when they were feuding with NWO Hollywood, but that was because of his unending loyalty to Lex Luger. He never fully forgave Hogan or most of the other NWO guys.
-Why would Sting show Triple H respect after he was beaten by a sledgehammer shot? The whole reason Sting came to WWE to begin with was his disapproval of the Authority & their evil ways. Why would Triple H cheating to beat him magically change his mind on the matter?
-Was this match booked for any other reason than to prove that WWE > WCW? And why were they still obsessed with reiterating that point more than a decade later?
I know a lot of you probably liked it. To me, it was a gigantic waste of time. I can see these guys in their prime on WWE Network. I didn’t need to see them stumbling around here.
4. Bret Hart vs. Mr. McMahon (WrestleMania XXVI)
This is another one that will probably make people mad. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the fact that Bret finally came back to WWE & made amends with everybody involved with the Montreal Screwjob. It was time to let bygones be bygones & give Bret the historical spotlight that he deserves.
We could have skipped the on-screen feud with Mr. McMahon though. We also could have skipped the “match” at WrestleMania, which was as embarrassing to watch as I feared going in. Bret has obviously never been the same physically since his stroke, and Vince wasn’t exactly an athletic marvel whenever his prime would have been. Watching Vince get heat on Bret & the young Harts coming down to help was sad more than anything else. Harry, TJ & Nattie are all great in their own way, but this didn’t do them any favors.
Bret vs. Vince was very similar to the later Sting vs. HHH match. They both appealed to nostalgia in very flawed ways. Many didn’t care the presentation was flawed & were simply happy to see their old favorites. I would have rather remembered my old favorites the way they were. There’s probably more money to be made the former way, of course.
3. Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler (WrestleMania XXVII)
It was nice that The King finally got to have a match at WrestleMania. That is the only good thing that can be said about this atrocity. After we sat through months of Michael Cole crapping on everybody on the WWE roster & burying the product to the point of no return, Lawler was set to shut him up at WrestleMania. We got a couple of fun matches with Lawler vs. The Miz out of the buildup, so that was pretty cool. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the guest referee for some damn reason. I still can’t believe they wasted him on this.
After fourteen minutes of in-ring action that felt like forty due to Cole getting to do most of the offense, Lawler got the win by making Cole submit to an ankle lock. The Anonymous Raw General Manager then reversed the decision due to Austin’s biased officiating. But hey, Austin got to stun some announcers nobody cared about. Just a tremendous waste of time and the exact opposite of a WrestleMania Moment.
2. Hulk Hogan Wins the WWF Championship (WrestleMania IX)
Even as a kid this whole thing didn’t feel right. Bret Hart was about to defeat Yokozuna & retain the WWF Championship when Mr. Fuji threw salt in Bret’s eyes while he was applying the Sharpshooter. Yoko wound up getting the pin in less than legitimate fashion. Hulk Hogan came down due to his outrage, & Fuji issued an open challenge to Hogan right then & there. Bret seemingly approved, and Hulk ran in & beat Yoko in a minute.
It was supposed to pop the crowd, which it did, but it felt a bit off & didn’t show anybody in a positive light. Hogan beat a 500 pound man who had just been through a grueling match & was worn out. Yoko needed Fuji to beat Bret, & couldn’t beat Hulk. Fuji looked like an idiot for issuing a challenge to Hulk Hogan while his champion was sucking so much wind that the first three rows passed out from oxygen deprivation. Bret looked like a gullible fool that was fine with the Hulkster stealing his thunder & spot on top of the mountain.
This could have made sense if it was leading to a full-time Hulk comeback, or even a part-time one. Instead it led to Hogan dropping the title at King of the Ring back to Yokozuna while Bret Hart twiddled his thumbs & waited for his big match with the Hulkster. I think he got one in WCW, but I’m not 100% sure. They gave stuff like that away on Nitro all the time.
Honorable Mention: Big Show vs. Akebono (WrestleMania 21)
Five words: Big Show in a diaper.
Honorable Mention: Sheamus Beats Daniel Bryan In 18 Seconds (WrestleMania XXVIII)
This would be an easy top 5 pick if it didn’t build up a tremendous amount of goodwill for Bryan. I’ve grown to appreciate it for that alone. The only problem is that the guy it was actually supposed to get over, Sheamus, got less than nothing out of it. The assertion that the outcome was WWE’s goal all along doesn’t pass the laugh test.
1. “Santina Marella” Wins Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal (WrestleMania XXV)
This train wreck had a couple of parts. First, we were treated to the musical stylings of future WWE Hall of Famer Kid Rock.
We all have our opinions when it comes to music & politics. I won’t subject you to mine here, other than to say that I am no fan of what Kid Rock brings to the table. The various Divas entered in the battle royal got to walk out during Rock’s final song & if you could identify most of them you’re a better man than I. Let’s run down the list:
Alicia Fox
Beth Phoenix
Brie Bella
Eve Torres
Gail Kim
Jackie Gayda
Jillian Hall
Joy Giovanni
Katie Lea Burchill
Layla
Maria
Maryse
Melina
Michelle McCool
Mickie James
Molly Holly
Natalya
Nikki Bella
Rosa Mendes
Sunny
Tiffany
Torrie Wilson
Victoria
Some of these folks hadn’t been seen in years. Sunny? Joy? Molly Holly dressed in her original Holly cousin persona? They all came back here with little notice from anybody because it was a battle royal with way too many people in it that went 7:25, and nobody got entrances because Kid Rock had to sing. Most of these women would have been a viable winner because it’s a battle royal & who really cares, right?
They managed to choose the worst possible option.
“Santina Marella”. The alleged twin sister of Santino Marella, who emerged during the build-up to this match because…hell, I don’t know why. Somebody was really high that day I guess. Santino’s humor was popular with fans at the time & this gave him something to do. It was simply really stupid at the time. Hindsight makes it look really really stupid.
The tone of women’s wrestling in WWE has flipped 180 degrees in the nine years since somebody thought this was a good idea. Thank God. I guess the real question is if naming the Women’s WrestleMania Battle Royal after Santina Marella would have gone over better than the attempt at naming it after Fabulous Moolah.
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS: WWE Bash In Berlin Immediate Reactions
Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM
Join DJ and Tunney for their immediate reactions to WWE Bash in Berlin. For the latest, greatest and up to datest, ALWAYS #UseYourHead and visit THECHAIRSHOT.COM
Powered by RedCircle
@TheMindlessPod @PCTunney @ChairshotMedia
prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – TONS of Great designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY – Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY – Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY – The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY – DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY – The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY – The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network
Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts… Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Listen on your favorite platform!
iTunes | iHeart Radio | Google Play | Spotify
Listen, like, subscribe, and share!
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
Opinion
AJ’s Top 3 Favorite SummerSlams
AJ is back with his annual opinion article, and this time the SummerSlam buzz got him wondering about his personal Top 3.
It’s been a while since I have done any form of writing and SummerSlam is this Saturday. Of all the SummerSlams I’ve seen over the years; which ones are my favorites? While it’s not a revolutionary idea, I figured everyone loves to debate favorites of well, anything. Don’t worry though because this isn’t just going to be pure recency bias. I’ve watched the majority of them so with the ones I put on the list, it hit me more in some way shape or form whether it was story, a really good match or it just felt like a solid event.
At least this proves WWE is trending in a good direction for me, when it gets the ol’ brain juices flowing just because a show is around the corner!
#3: 2022 (Ol’ Brock Lesnar Has A Farm)
Starting off the show, we get Bianca looking for a rematch against Becky from last years SummerSlam and it was better than the 21 second affair that everyone claims was a squash. This time Bianca holds her own and beats the Man in a fairly decent match, good way to get the event started. Next up is the heat seeking missile, Logan Paul against the former heat seeking missile because, well he wasn’t cut out for it and wasn’t a guy in everyone’s eyes, The Miz. After they had their blow off at Mania with Logan coming out on top which… isn’t awful, I just don’t like Logan Paul because he has that dude bro aura and swagger to make him more hateable than any other person on the card. Which I suppose is his gimmick…so…kudos?
First Championship match is for the US Championship and it’s as expected that in Theory, he should never beat someone to the caliber of Bobby Lashley which is no surprise. Dominik and Rey still back when Dom wanted the good fight against the Judgement Day before joining them later. The former Colts players, which they hammered it dahn in this match up showed that the canal swimming, trash talkin’, podcastin’, current RAW Color Commentatin’ goofball we all love, Pat McAfee came out on top again Bum Ass Corbin.
Usos putting the Street Profits on lockdown in the penitentiary since I believe this was peak Bloodline with the belt collecting and running all of WWE. Liv beat Ronda Rousey which isn’t astonishing but it’s not something people had on their bingo cards for anything with WWE so it was a nice little shock factor. The most memorable part of the night is obviously the Main Event, Lesnar brings the tractor, Roman catching the Microphone and Brock stands on top of the vehicle. Damn good match that showed off what they do in the ring since Roman caught his stride as the main bad guy and Brock… liked people after all of this? That is still a weird statement in my head. Brock being a good guy people person. If Liv wasn’t on bingo cards for wrestling, that is not on bingo cards in any aspect of life really.
That is more of the event that had solid matches and story going for it. No weird double count out, multiple people involved, 5 tag matches on the card. Things made sense and weren’t convoluted, had shocking moments that were great to see like Liv actually getting a title defense and there were the results we all expected at the time like Theory losing in 4 minutes to Bobby Lashley.
#2: 2009 (Are You Ready for The Return?)
This event wasn’t that strong. It was strong with the star power involved in 2009 with guys like Rey Mysterio as Intercontinental Champion, Orton and Cena for the WWE Championship as it was becoming as stale as month old chips and CM Punk was facing Jeff Hardy before he ultimately returned to TNA at the beginning of 2010 after this PPV. For me, it’s not so much of the show itself, it was more of the memories because the Balai as our friends Chris Platt and Rey Cash like to call my brother and I, we were just coming back into wrestling and we were TNA Fans. We didn’t watch WWE that much really, it was just what came on after another channel had old ROH shows before they moved to three hours and swallowed the 8pm Eastern Slot. No, the reason why this has so many memories for me is three main reasons. First, Orton and Cena. They have had their rivalry since the beginning it seems, being each others foils like Hogan and Piper before them and there had to be a stipulation where if Randy was Counted Out or DQ’d, he’d lose the championship regardless. This was prime Viper Randy and the obvious joke we had of Super Cena where he very rarely lost, unless it was SummerSlam surprisingly enough.
Number two reason was CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Hardys known for the Ladder and TLC matches in the past and this being the penultimate match for this feud and it was a banger of a match. If you didn’t know Punk before, it was a great introduction to his wrestling. I used to like Punk a lot because of this match because he could talk, wrestle… and not insanely personal with things in wrestling. In all seriousness, this was a great match. Ultimate risks, high reward for Punk grabbing the World Heavyweight Championship and he was given his next feud because of the final boss of SmackDown at that time. Thanks, Teddy Long.
The main and final reason though why this match gave me the memories flowing back is more of the fact that one of my closest and longest termed friends of 23 years, also loves wrestling. Back when we were younger, he’d do MoCap videos on YouTube with his figures. We’d have friends come over for parties at his house and we’d do the one thing WWE always told us not to do and that was try it at home. He was always stronger than me, I was always more charismatic. He had the power aspect and did things with brute force, I could talk my way out of trouble with parents if we did something wrong. There was always one thing that our respective mother’s always called us though… it’s on the tip of my tongue… oh right, ‘Degenerates’.
As soon as we were called that, we kind of parodied the DX line. I was limber enough to do the HBK pose and do a Superkick before it became the new DDT and he would just Spinebuster people and knew how to do the water spit. So what do you think was the main reason we even ordered this PPV for his 13th Birthday? I think the two guys we were pretending to be were set to return on a tank and toss out some glow sticks. The return of DX, Shawn Michaels coming back after Mania with Triple H to deal with the Legacy problem was an amazing return for them and made everything so much fun.
So we have the solid card and this one has a personal story… what’s my number one SummerSlam? Is it personal? Well yes but not going into that. Is it a good card? To me, it was a phenomenal card! Is it memorable? Seeing how wrestling fans still mention at least three matches to this day.
#1: 2005 (Octopus in the Washer, Lover’s Quarrel and Where the F%#$ is Vickie?)
Quite possibly some of the best matches I’ve seen and one that was just the most hilarious moments of overselling in wrestling history, I know why I love this SummerSlam but it’s also a really good card at the same time. Redacted beats Orlando Jordan in 25 seconds for the US Title and they made jokes about it like, he can make a coffee faster than he beat Orlando and stuff like that, it’s pretty funny. Angle getting sick of Eugene’s antics for his Gold Medal was also a great bit they had play up, the Year long feud of Randy Orton and Undertaker was still going on where Orton comes out on top this time around to get the win back from Mania, Jericho returning for the match with Cena in a whole promotional thing for each other’s groups, Fozzy for Jericho and the Chain Gang doing Bad, Bad Man for Cena leading up to a match for the WWE Championship. JBL won a 20 man battle royal on SmackDown to win the Championship…… Opportunity to face the newest member of SmackDown, Batista but the three main matches that a lot of people talk about to this day; Edge vs Matt Hardy, Rey vs Eddie for Dominik and Hogan vs HBK in the Main Event.
I have reasons to enjoy the Hardy/Edge match but it looked like a real fight, it really made us believe that Matt Hardy was going to kill Edge because real names were dropped during this tirade from Hardy. It wasn’t Edge and Lita, it was Adam and Amy. Matt was so dead set on beating the hell out of Edge that they made a situation into gold and it was a great moment for this match to happen, I believe it was also an Unsanctioned Match too which added the intensity until matt got concussed and knocked senseless that it looked like he couldn’t fight for anything but the build up was what made it seem like a marque match. It made it feel real, it made it feel awesome and it made it feel personal.
Eddie kept tormenting Rey Mysterio about Dominik not being Rey’s but Eddie’s for the summer. That’s all you heard from Eddie being the weasel he was is hanging out with Dominik, making the world believe it’s his son and what not (Let’s not do a fast forward to today where he has the mullet, mustache and everything like Eddie) but they settle this in a Ladder Match where the top of it is a document for the custody of Dominik and my god, this match is better than it should have been. I expect nothing else from Eddie because the man hated having a bad match, Dom got involved and stopped Eddie, Vickie was late and stopped Eddie. The whole match was good it was just very weird with the premise but was a great match. I wonder if Rey regrets his decision to win the match now…
Octopus in a Washing Machine… those five words have resonated with Shawn Michaels’ performance in this match, forever. It was supposed to be an amazing match up between Hogan and Michaels, Icon vs Icon it said and suddenly Hogan’s back gives out, can’t do a trilogy of matches so we can only do the one and then pull out of everything after. This match was set up to be a classic and instead turned into the most unbelievable sell fest ever. A Hogan big boot caused Shawn to tumble 3 or 4 times, getting crotched on the ropes had HBK bouncing higher than he should have, being tossed out of the ring made it look like Shawn never broke his back in 1998 from how much he flopped and flipped around like crazy. It’s bad… or maybe even good that a lot of current wrestlers watched this match that went, “I can sell like that, I want to be a wrestler” and did. So good or bad, I don’t know but for some reason this PPV has always had a place in my heart for how memorable it was.
Those are my top three SummerSlams so far but who knows, 2024 has potential to maybe bump something or at least get me to consider a shift. Should be fun to see how the show plays out! What are some of your favorite SummerSlams?
About Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)
TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends
Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5
Classic POD is WAR
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!