With 2010 coming up, I’ve decided to start counting down the the decade in some of my favorite fields and activities. This week: it’s Wrestlemania.

The Super Bowl of this “pseudo-sport”, and personally, one thing that is a major tradition to me. Every March/April, the showcase of the immortals falls on a Sunday night, and for 4 hours, everything else in the world is not of importance.

OK…obsession mode off.. Time to count down all 10 of the Wrestlemanias from this decade, in order of preference.

10. Wrestlemania 16 (AKA Wrestlemania 2000)

This Mania is viewed as weak-sauce in most eyes, and I can’t blame them for thinking that. Look at the card. A Cat-Fight, 2 tag team matches featuring perpetual jobbers (T&A vs. Al Snow/Steve Blackman & Bossman/Bull Buchanan vs. D’Lo/The Godfather), another throwaway tag match, and a [Charlie Foxtrot] Hardcore title match with 13 men all fighting at once….

Now, while those matches sound like garbage, there were some bright spots. A triangle ladder match between Edge and Christian, Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz that was an insane spot-fest, a triple threat match between Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, and of course, the 4-way elimination WWF title main event between Big Show, Mick Foley, HHH (the champ) and The Rock. The match was noticeable for being Mick Foley’s last match for 4 years (billed as his retirement match) and also being the first ever Wrestlemania main event where a bad guy walked out of Wrestlemania as champ (the record of bad guys winning the belt at the main event before was 0-14!)

9. Wrestlemania X8

The first Wrestlemania I ever saw..and while I could have been sentimental and placed it on the top…I can’t. Because the PPV is barely decent. Sure, we had some match-ups that were huge (Rock/Hogan, Flair/Taker), a lot of them were underwhelming. And don’t get me started on the HHH winning the belt thing.

Hulk Hogan manages to somehow become a face and turn the Toronto crowd against The Rock in an epic battle to determine who is the absolute best-ever. Historically, this was a huge match for WWF fans, as it showed that the audience can pretty much make and break characters at their whim. Of course, it kinda sucks that this match was originally planned to be Austin vs. Hogan….

8. Wrestlemania 22

A WrestleMania that in all honesty, barely did it for me. Less crap than X8, but then again, there were a few stand-out moments that really made the PPV worth watching. Edge and Mick Foley put on the best hardcore match I have ever seen, bringing out everything and anything. Thumbtacks, barbed wire, chairs, tables, and oh yes….FIRE!! Don't forget Joey Styles on Play-by-play for this match too!

Also, the return of Money In The Bank where Shelton Benjamin once again puts on the show of a lifetime, yet doesn’t win (RVD gets the W in this match.)

7. Wrestlemania 23

This event has all the excitement, but there was one problem…the card was horrifically imbalanced. Money In The Bank 3 is great as an opener, but when Kane/Khail follows it, it kills momentum. Same with Taker/Batista being followed by ECW Originals vs. the New Breed (BTW…the rematch held on ECW 2 days after should’ve been the match they did at Wrestlemania in my opinion.)

Gripes aside, this show was great. The main-event was the exact antonym to Wrestlemania 22’s main event, not slow and plodding, but awesome and thrilling. A fun show.

6. Wrestlemania 20

I love this event…but in retrospect, this was a 4 match show. Goldberg/Lesnar was a failure on all counts, the US title match was meh, the tag team title matches were not much to speak about, and the two women’s matches were filler. but GOOD GAWD, this show’s final half kicked a$$.

First we have Kurt Angle taking on Eddie Guerrero (RIP) for the WWE title in a classic technical showcase, that ended with a great and original ending. Then Kane vs. Undertaker and the rebirth of the Deadman gimmick. And finally, the Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight title.

Triple H and Shawn Michaels are going into this match with a reignited feud that led to 2 indecisive finishes between them. We’d all expect that we would see a 3rd match-up but WWE had different plans. Enter Chris Benoit, the winner of the 2004 Royal Rumble, who came in at #1 and outlasted 28 other men to win the match and the right to compete in the main event of Wrestlemania. Benoit stuns everyone and decides to challenge Triple H, much to HBK’s chagrin. A few weeks later, the landmark decision to make a triple threat match for the belt came around.

The match was epic. Absolutely epic. Blood, bruises, counters, near-finishes and of course, the huge ending. Benoit finally,finally wins the big one.

And then Eddie Guerrero came down to the ring. To say that moment was tear-jerking is an understatement. Say what you want about this business being fake, but when you can have a moment that makes grown men openly tear up (not ashamed to say I did that), it’s pretty real.

Sadly, in light of past events, this moment has had it’s luster dented, and it did damage how I placed it in this list.

5. Wrestlemania 25

2009’s Wrestlemania had a lot of things going for it. Sadly, not all delivered. The main event was a joke…a massive “F--- You” to WWE fans. The divas and Kid Rock flopped miserably. The IC title was again, used as a squash match prize.

But…but…there’s a ton of highlights to this show. First off…Money in the Bank. A match than made Kofi Kingston a legit player in WWE in terms of ability, led to the awesome “Summer of Punk” and proved that Shelton Benjamin is a crazy crazy mofo.

Then we have the Hardy Boyz Implosion. Matt vs. Jeff in an Extreme Rules Match. A fun and awesome match, that tried to tell a story, but became a massive spotfest. Still a great match-up.

And then….then we have the 2009 Match of the Year and possibly Match of the Decade….Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. This match had everything….high-flying action, technical action, false finishes, story-telling in the ring, counters and the crowd being live as humanly possible. You must see it!

And of course, RICKY F’N STEAMBOAT back in the ring as a wrestler! Who said old guys with bad backs can’t return?

4. Wrestlemania 21

WWE comes back to Cali, this time, LA, the City of Angels. A great show that tried a new booking idea of less is more. 3 title matches in all, which is startling but refreshing. The debut of the Money In the Bank match, with 6 men fighting for the right to a title shot for the next 365 days. And a duo of technical showcases. Oh, did I forget to mention the official start of WWE’s Next Generation?

For 3 different people, this show was huge. It made Randy Orton, John Cena and Batista the new leaders of WWE into the second half of the decade.

For a collective of veterans (HBK, Kurt Angle, Undertaker, HHH, JBL, Eddie Guerrero), this was a chance to show that despite their long time in the ring, they could still put on excellent matches and get the young guys over. Also for at least 1 of them, it was the one chance to finally break into the main event of Wrestlemania.

 

3. Wrestlemania 24

Live from the sunshine state (or as Joey Styles would call it, “Deep in enemy territory”), Wrestlemania 24 sees the company making a bit of a transition. Seemingly weathering their way through the Benoit hurricane, WWE gives a show that on most parts delivers. Floyd Mayweather Jr takes on the returning Big Show, Money in the Bank returns once again with sick spots galore, and we get a decent hardcore match from Finlay and JBL.

Of course, the main events also come through. Shocking outcomes? Check. Two guys in the final match of the card who haven’t been in the main event of a Wrestlemania? Check. An amazing farewell for one of the greatest personalities in wrestling and sports-entertainment? Check check check.

Ric Flair, 30 year veteran goes against Mr.. Wrestlemania, Shawn Michaels in a match that tore the Citrus Bowl down. Not fast paced or technical, it tells a story in the ring, and draws the audience into it, to the point where at it’s conclusion, audience members are visibly in tears. In TEARS! That’s 54.95 well spent.

2. Wrestlemania 19

Seattle plays host to Wrestlemania 19, in 2003. A really fun show, with a great crowd, some great match-ups and the end of the line for two of the industry’s biggest stars.

HBK returns to Wrestlemania after 4 years away to take on Chris Jericho. End result: technical classic and match of the show…at that moment.

Hogan vs. McMahon was violent fun. Piper’s surprising return to WWE was the icing on a bloody, 20 year old cake that somehow, still tasted good.

And then there was the main event. Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. ‘96 gold medalist vs. 2000 NCAA Wrestling Champ. A dream match. Boy did it deliver. For Angle to go through with this match with a broken neck is a huge sign of Angle’s character and toughness. Of course, Lesnar had his share of issues too.

A shooting star press gone wrong, and ending with Lesnar hitting his head on the mat…with a THUD! As Tazz would say in the commentary….”He landed right on his head! Oh my God, how is Lesnar not dead right now?!”

When two men nearly die trying to win the belt, you can’t tell me that is an awesome way to end a great PPV. Of course….there is #1’s ending….

 

1. Wrestlemania X7

Was there any doubt? The final chapter of the Attitude Era takes us to 2001, where ECW and WCW have been run out of business. The WWF won the war, and with the talent influx of ECW and WCW stars, it was a magical time to be a wrestling fan. This show was like a “thank-you” to WWF fans who voted with their dollars over the past 7-8 years.

Technical wrestling? We got it. Spot fests? Gotcha covered. Brawls? Yes sir! Great crowd? Oh hell yeah. Surprise twists? You betcha!

Stone Cold and the Rock, the WWF’s 2 biggest stars, headline another Wrestlemania, and as Paul Heyman would memorably put it “A match both men need to win, yet neither man can afford to lose.” Stone Cold makes his comeback to the grand stage after a year off due to neck problems, and finds that The Rock is the new top dog.

Austin and Rock brought out everything in that match, and the crowd was hot for the entire ride, even the swerve ending that would’ve caused riots in other states had it gone down outside of the Astrodome.

That’s the end of my list….but before I leave, I’ll throw in a bonus Honorable Mention section for the other Pay Per View Events that I loved from this decade.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Royal Rumble 2000
• Backlash 2000
• Armageddon 2000
• Summerslam 2000
• No Way Out 2001
• King of the Ring 2001
• Summerslam 2001
• SummerSlam 2002
• No Mercy 2002
• Survivor Series 2002
• Royal Rumble 2003
• Survivor Series 2003
• Royal Rumble 2004
• No Way Out 2004
• Judgment Day 2004
• Judgment Day 2005
• ECW One Night Stand 2005
• Vengeance 2005
• Summerslam 2005
• Royal Rumble 2006
• No Way Out 2006
• ECW One Night Stand 2006
• Unforgiven 2006
• Armageddon 2006
• Royal Rumble 2007
• Backlash 2007
• No Way Out 2008
• One Night Stand 2008
• Summerslam 2008
• No Mercy 2008
• No Way Out 2009
• Backlash 2009
• Bragging Rights 2009

-Fin-