After 25 years, the event we all know as Wrestlemania has arguably become the most prestigious event in the world of wrestling. Over the years, the event has produced some of the most memorable moments and matches in the history of professional wrestling, but why is Wrestlemania particularly special?
First and foremost, the matches at Wrestlemania are always of a much higher caliber compared to other PPV’s throughout the year and in hindsight, the matches themselves are often easily remembered by fans. In the world of WWE, nothing comes close to matching the standard set by Wrestlemania. Summerslam could be a close contender with the Bret Hart matches of 91 and 92, the first official TLC and more recently, Punk and Hardy in their TLC match. All of which are of Wrestlemania caliber but in terms of moments that have defined careers, the Grandest Stage heavily outweighs the competition.
When discussing Wrestlemania, some stars shine above the rest – arguably, the brightest star in the Wrestlemania sky belongs to The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. HBK is a wonderful competitor and he is capable of shining on any stage. However, the biggest moments in his career have always tended to happen at The Grandaddy. When Shawn’s career is eventually over, many will look back on it and ponder over some of his greatest matches – The Iron Man Match with Bret Hart, The Ladder Match with Razor Ramon, his wonderful encounter Angle, the triple threat with Benoit and Triple H and of course the highly emotional bout with Flair two years ago. Add to that the match at last year’s event with Taker and a rematch this year which is destined to be another great encounter. All of which happened at Mania. I understand HBK has had some fantastic matches at other events, but these moments were the ones that have come to define his career and just how good he is.
I mentioned Kurt Angle in that list of stars. He is yet another star who has shined at the event. When we look upon his WWE career and the matches that stood out, we think about Angle/HBK, Angle/Benoit and Angle/Eddie. Of course an honourable mention should also be made to his triple threat matches with ‘Y2J and Benoit’ and ‘Randy and Rey’. Angle, like HBK did have many memorable moments in the WWE but his Mania moments, especially the HBK and Benoit matches particularly stand out.
Wrestlemania is also known for the ‘moment’. The moment that Hulk slammed Andre, the moment that HBK finally won the WWE Title and fell to his knees in tears, the moment Eddie untied his shoe and won the championship in a way that only Guerrero could and of course, the moment that Rey overcame the odds to become the champion.
Another element that makes Mania so special is the crowd. The following comment may be an assumption and I could be completely off key in saying it, but in comparison to Raw crowds who may be full with kids or short term viewers, Mania seems to bring out the true wrestling fans. It could be due to the consistency of the event and higher ticket prices that parents are unwilling to pay but regardless, the Mania Crowd is hot. Look no further then the WM13 crowd, who decided to cheer for Austin rather then Bret or the great match between Rock and Hogan.
As you all know, there is so much that makes the event special but it’s the stars that particularly connect with the event and give it their all, such as Steamboat and Savage at WM3 or Hart and Piper at WM8. The stars always give it their all at Wrestlemania and the result is often a match that is highly considered a pivotal moment in their careers.
Before I get off, I’ll quickly discuss The Undertaker and The Streak…
Undertaker is a rare star, in that he possesses enough power to compete with Khali and Gonzales, enough agility to hang with Hardy, HBK and Rey and enough technical ability to compete with an Angle or Hart to the highest of standards. No other star in WWE history and possibly wrestling history in general has had all of these traits and reached the heights of the Taker – that is what makes him unique.
Whilst most of Taker’s ‘moments’ (excluded the HBK match) have taken place outside of Wrestlemania, the emphasis and importance placed into Mania from other stars has made the event as prestigious as it is and that is what makes the streak unique in itself. The high standard makes the event particularly special and that alone is the reason why the undefeated streak is highly regarded as remarkable because whilst some wrestlers are able to put on the best performances of their career, they are still unable to match the quality of Taker on such a stage, a quality that as previously highlighted is a class above the rest.
Until NXT time…
