Brooklyn Brawlin' 3.26.09: Counting Down the Days to Wrestlemania With the Great Wrestlemania Countdown

Posted by Dan Torkel on 03.26.2009

Which Wrestlemania topped my list as Grandest Daddy in the Land... was it 3, with Hogan slamming Andre or X-7 with Rock and Austin in Texas, X where Shawn and Razor had "the" Ladder Match, or......

The biggest event in wrestling history started way back in March of 1985. Vince McMahon's gamble paid off I think. Since then spring has been the season for some of the sport's most electrifying, and memorable moments. It seems that everyone is counting down to April 5th and Wrestlemania XXV, and with that idea in mind this week's column will be counting down Wrestlemania events from the bottom of the barrel to the greatest of all time.

What makes for a great Wrestlemania? Well a big time main event usually helps. Technical classics, high flying spectacles, hardcore brawls, bloody feud enders, ladder matches, celebrities … you name it, and Wrestlemania usually has it.

Of the 24 previous events, we can name the best and worst, but the middle of the pack ones were the hardest to seed here. Let start from the bottom and work our way from the basement up to the greatest Wrestlemania of all time.

24. Wrestlemania IX – Universally recognized as an abomination among wrestling shows, WM 9 is just pure and simply awful. The card, held outdoors at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas, features some of the worst matches, and disgraceful booking the WWF/E has ever produced. We had double Doinks, DQ finishes in Title matches, and Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales, which is possibly the worst Mania match ever. After losing on a bid to become Tag Champions with Brutus Beefcake, Hulk Hogan forced his last hand in the company by immediately challenging the new WWF Champ Yokozuna (who defeated Bret Hart in the main event) to a match which Hogan won in under two minutes, making the show a laughing stock to all involved, as Hogan ruled and Hart and Yokozuna looked like idiots. So did the company.

23. Wrestlemania XI – As if answering the question, what if they held a Wrestlemania and nobody cared, we have Wrestlemania XI. 1995 was maybe the worst year in WWE history marked by Diesel's title reign, tanking ratings and a main event push for MABEL! This show was completely forgettable with the WWF Title match between Diesel and Shawn Michaels as an overrated standout match. Vince main evented his top show by having a retired football player cleanly pin a top level heel. This Mania also featured what Bret Hart considered his worst match in a boring I Quit match against Bob Backlund, and a horrid Taker vs. Bundy match.

22. Wrestlemania XV – You might as well call this Wrestlemania Russo. Crash TV hit an all time level for ridiculousness with what seemed like a can't-miss Wrestlemania XV. Rock and Austin had their inaugural match of their Wrestlemania trifecta; and while it's the best match of this show, it's the weakest of their series. Russo's booking killed the heat and credibility of 4 title matches as Billy Gunn's first singles push was to culminate with an IC Title win while Road Dogg feuded for the Hardcore Strap. Naturally their roles were reversed leading to clusterfuck matches for those titles. The Tag Title match was thrown together on Heat, and Shane McMahon won and retired the European Title from X-Pac. Another annoying Russo trait was rapid face/heel turns. Chyna, who had turned heel on Triple H and sided with Kane going into Mania, turned back mid match, and then ludicrously, both Triple H and Chyna turned heel just minutes later during the X-Pac vs. Shane match. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot Undertaker vs. Big Bossman in the worst ever Hell in the Cell.

21. Wrestlemania – Having recently rewatched this on 24/7, I can say it was a fun show and you must appreciate the history behind it, but it does not hold up particularly well, and it has no great and barely any good matches. The main event, albeit fun, was more an exhibit of stars than it was an actual match, with Muhammad Ali as the enforcer, and Billy Martin as bell ringer. Even Mr. T as Hogan's partner seemed like a publicity stunt. There weren't even big blowoff matches, for instance Greg Valentine defended the IC Title against JYD instead of heated rival Tito Santana, while Santana played curtain jerker with the masked Executioner.

20. Wrestlemania 2 – Whoever came up with the brilliant idea of having the biggest show of the year take place in THREE SEPARATE LOCATIONS, should have been fired on the spot. NY, Chicago and LA hosted Wrestlemania 2 with each spot holding several matches and a semi-main event attraction. LA got the big one in Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy in the cage, which was not good at all, NY got Piper vs. Mr. T in a boxing match, and Chicago got a football player/wrestler battle royal. The only things worth mentioning about this show is the inclusion of the first really good Mania match, the Tag Title match between The Dream Team and British Bulldogs, as well as a fun tag between the Funks and Santana and JYD.

19. Wrestlemania IV – Another event I just finished watching thanks to WWE 24/7, the oft referred to Wrestlemania "Bore", is just way too long at over 4 hours. The main draw was the 14 man WWF Title Tournament to crown the undisputed Champion after the Hogan/Andre/Dibiase debacle. The problem, as with most King of the Ring tournaments, was that the matches were sped up and rushed and most of them had piss poor endings (Bam Bam losing via count-out to One Man Gang, Jake the Snake and Rick Rude ending in a draw, Don Muraco beating Dino Bravo by DQ to name a few). The crowd eagerly anticipated second round matches like Hogan vs. Andre and Macho Man vs. Steamboat, but Hogan and Andre was a disaster, Andre nearly being immobile, and Steamboat was eliminated early and shockingly by Greg Valentine. The non-tournament matches were also not given due time and as a result were rushed. The highlight of watching Savage finally win the Title was thrilling, but the time it took to get there was long and terribly dull.

18. Wrestlemania 13 – The absolute definition of a one match show, Wrestlemania 13 is a fascinating show, when you consider the events leading up to it, and what might have been. In the two years between November 1994 and 1996, there had been only 3 WWF Champions (Diesel, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels). Stability in the World Title scene was the norm. Between Survivor Series 1996, and Wrestlemania 13 (4 months), there were 5 title changes. The champ at the end of this was Sycho Sid who lost the title to Undertaker at Mania in a dreadfully boring main event. Shawn Michaels had "lost his smile" and wasn't even on the card. The undercard was chock full of bad boring matches including Rocky vs. Sultan, Triple H vs. Goldust, Owen/Davey Boy vs. Mankind/Vader. The exception, and oh what an exception it was, was the "I Quit" match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin, which is recognized not only as one of the greatest matches of all time, but as possibly the most historically relevant match in the WWF/E's history. Austin, left bloody and battered, refused to quit; opting to pass out, and would go on to become the biggest star in wrestling since Hulk Hogan, bringing the WWE back into contention with WCW and eventually superseding them. But, for Wrestlemania 13, one amazing match does not a good show make.

17. Wrestlemania X-8 – When Wrestlemania matches are made last second, and treated at the show like Heat level main events, the show turns out a lot like Wrestlemania X-8. DDP vs. Christian, RVD vs. Regal, the Hardcore Title joke, a crappy four team Tag Title match: all a part of this show, all only between 5-8 minutes. Let us not forget the thrilling Edge vs. Booker T battle over shampoo, or the Kane vs. Kurt Angle match that failed to exceed their Smackdown match from months earlier. Undertaker completely destroys the legendary Ric Flair as an afterthought, and Scott Hall stumbled through his match with Stone Cold. Rock vs. Hogan is a fan favorite, but is remembered more for the heat it generated, than for the actual wrestling. The steam from that match left the crowd sitting on their hands during the main event WWE Title match, as they barely reacted when Triple H pinned Chris Jericho to win the title.

16. Wrestlemania VI – Another one match show, Wrestlemania VI, featured the biggest match since Hogan/Andre, "The Ultimate Challenge" between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and IC Champion Ultimate Warrior. That match was unparalleled heat wise as the two biggest faces in the company went one on one with the crowd a literal 50/50 split. Warrior wound up victorious and Hogan passed the torch. The rest of the card was a lot of so-so wrestling, with a few good moments. Demolition regained the Tag Titles, and Andre the Giant in his final Mania match, turned face and left to a parade of cheers. Brutus Beefcake ended the perfection by pinning Mr. Perfect, and Jake Roberts and Ted Dibiase had a decent match for the Million Dollar Belt. The problem with this Mania, as it was with many of the early Wrestlemanias, was that tried to shove everyone in the company onto one show and booked too many matches involving low card talent, such as Koko B. Ware and Tito Santana.

15. Wrestlemania 2000 (16) – This show a major misfire for the WWE as they were on a major hot streak, wrestling and buyrate wise going into this show. There are a lot of useless jobber matches i.e. T&A vs. Head Cheese, Bossman/Bull vs. D-lo & Godfather and Kat vs. Terri. There are 2 great matches featuring the Wrestlemania debuts of Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho in a two fall classic for Angle's European and IC Titles. Before TLC, there was the first 3 team ladder match for the Tag Titles with the Dudleys, Hardys, and Edge and Christian. That match set all the standards for TLC and at the time was considered an unmatched spotfest. But this show dies with its main event which was totally overshadowed by the McMahon-factor as each of the 4 family members followed a wrestler in the Fatal Fourway. In the end, Vince turned heel again and Triple H retained the title, being the first heel to do that and it was not a well conceived plan. Rock vs. Triple H, one month later from Backlash showed what the real Main Event should have been here.

14. Wrestlemania XII – One word, one match: Ironman! When a show only has six matches, the big match MUST deliver. For over 60 minutes, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels threw everything and the kitchen sink at each other in an attempt to walk out the World champion. In overtime, a second Sweet Chin Music finally put the Hitman down giving Shawn his first WWF Title reign. It was to that point the greatest main event in Wrestlemania history. The undercard featured a long awaited showdown between Diesel and Undertaker, and shockingly enough, the two put on a good power match, giving Taker his best Wrestlemania match to date. The rest of the undercard was unspectacular although notable for the Wrestlemania debuts of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, and Sable.

13. Wrestlemania XXII – This is a fairly modern Mania that was very up and down. Edge and Mick Foley had one of the sickest and best brawls in Mania history ending with a true Mania moment (Spear through a flaming table). Cena and Triple H had a very heated main event with a fairly shocking ending, and RVD won an entertaining MITB. But the rest was either totally forgettable or god awful. Need we discuss the Boogeyman? The opener was a snoozer tag title match with Big Show and Kane against Carlito and Chris Masters, and the WWE wasted Rey Mysterio's Title win in a 9 minute joke title match. And while some enjoyed it, I was bored to tears by Shawn Michaels beating up Vince McMahon for 18 minutes.

12. Wrestlemania XXIV – Our most recent Wrestlemania received very mixed reviews from the IWC, but I was on the more positive side. Whatever you star rating system, Flair's farewell match with Shawn provided great Mania moments, "I'm sorry, I love you." Edge and Undertaker had a MOTYC in the main event, and even Floyd Mayweather helped raise the fun quotient. But the rest of this show was just kind of there. A mild brawl in the opener, a plain bad match with Umaga/Batista, and an underwhelming triple threat between arguably the 3 biggest stars in the industry filled out the rest of the show. Plus MITB seems to have become a new "battle royal" style way of getting everyone on the card. Fun match, but overcrowded.

11. Wrestlemania XIV – The ultimate pinnacle of the Attitude Era, as the WWF allows Stone Cold to officially reach the top of the world as he beats Shawn Michaels for the title in a very good main event, especially considering the injuries both men had. Kane vs. Undertaker have a huge blowoff before it was stale and terrible, Rock in all his cowardly heel glory, and a really good Owen Hart vs. Triple H match highlight this show. For those seeking bumps, there was the dumpster match featuring the Outlaws vs. Mick Foley and Terry Funk, and the celebrity factor was there with Mike Tyson counting the pin and celebrating with Austin at the end. Oh yeah, and there's the first appearance of WWE Hall of Famer Pete Rose!

TOP TEN WRESTLEMANIAS OF ALL TIME!

10. Wrestlemania V – The one problem here; too many matches. 14 of them to be exact, and that doesn't include a Piper's Pit segment. The main event is a classic contest featuring the final explosion of the Mega Powers as Macho Man defended the WWF Title against Hulk Hogan with Hogan winning it back. Of the 13 remaining matches, there is a lot of glitz amongst the filler. Ravishing Rick Rude handed Ultimate Warrior his first defeat and shockingly won the IC Title. Mr. Perfect and Owen Hart (Blue Blazer) had a short yet sweet match; the Brainbusters and Strike Force had a good match complete with Martel heel turn and a certain Mr. Wrestlemania debuted here as the Rockers lost to the Twin Towers.

9. Wrestlemania VII – Remembered more for the politically charged angle that enraged fans featuring the "Muhammad Hassan of 1991" in American Hero Sgt. Slaughter turning Iraqi sympathizer in the heat of Desert Storm, Wrestlemania VII features a good main event, a classic match and one of the best feel good moments in wrestling history. Hulk Hogan regained the title by defeating the evil Slaughter, and Ultimate Warrior got revenge on Randy Savage for costing him the title by beating him in a classic career match. Afterwards however, the big angle took place when the late Miss Elizabeth returned to her man sending away Sensational Sherri in the process. That still lives as a top 5 Mania moment. The Rockers opened the show with a great match against Haku and Barbarian, and other notable matches included Virgil and Ted Dibiase's blowoff match, and the Nasty Boys winning the Tag titles from the Harts.

8. Wrestlemania XIX – When this show ended, fans were left with two very ugly images. Triple H pinning Booker T despite an angle built on racial undertones. Who can forget Triple H's infamous Raw line, "People like you don't win World Titles." The other was Brock Lesnar nearly killing himself by mistiming his jump on a Shooting Star Press attempt landing on his head instead of a fallen Kurt Angle. But looking a bit deeper will help you see a very good overall Wrestlemania. Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan showed the world that two senior citizens could have a fun "sports entertainment" match, and Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels had a 4-star classic. Rock proved he could defeat Stone Cold at Mania in his 3rd try and won a very good match. Angle vs. Brock was a superb main event with Angle (on the verge of neck surgery) throwing everything out there like it was his last match, before the blown spot at the end. Triple H's win is a black eye on the event but not enough to denounce an otherwise very good effort.

7. Wrestlemania XXIII – Great Khali's Wrestlemania debut is what's to see hear! Ok, that may be the low point but this turned out to be an excellent Mania. MITB opened the show with Edge taking a sick bump and Mr. Kennedy winning the case. Lest we not forget Vince's epic feud with Donald Trump getting a proper blowoff with Stone Cold there and Vince ending up bald. Oh yeah, there were those two 4 star World Title matches with Batista/Taker and Cena/Michaels rocking the house. With the two title matches and MITB, that made 3 four-star matches out of 7, making this a near guaranteed top 10 Mania.

6. Wrestlemania VIII – What every Wrestlemania needs is that great middle of the show match and something mind blowing to send the crowd home. Wrestlemania VIII had all that and more. Opening with the debut of solo wrestler, and cocky heel Shawn Michaels, the show reached a fever pitch when Roddy Piper took on Bret Hart for the IC Title. The match was great as the two fan favorites went back and forth. When Piper looked like he was about to go back to his cheating ways, the crowd went nuts, so he went for the clean victory only to get countered by Hart for the win in a great moment. Ric Flair and Macho Man had their first great match (there would several more in WCW) and Macho escaped tons of tricks from the Dirtiest Player in the Game to become champion for the second time. The main event had Hulk Hogan battling Sid Justice in a boring and typical Hogan-fest, but when Papa Shango ran out to cause a DQ win for Hogan and teamed with Sid in a beat down, who would come out to help Hogan but his old rival, the Ultimate Warrior, nearly blowing the roof off the building in the process. It was a truly memorable moment that ended a truly memorable Wrestlemania.


The Top 5

5. Wrestlemania XXI –
The 2005 spectacle was built steadily throughout including some awesome matches along the way. The opener was a good Rey/Eddie match, and was followed by Edge, Christian, Kane, Benoit, Shelton and Jericho competing in a sick 6-man ladder match with tons of new and inventive spots. The real show stealer was the Match of the Year between Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels as they went at it for nearly 30 minutes in one of the greatest pure wrestling matches I have ever seen. Undertaker defeated Randy Orton in a decent middle match setting up for the double main event. In a disappointing match with an equally satisfying ending, the reign of terror that was JBL's WWE Title reign came to an end at the hands of John Cena while Triple H and Batista had a really good match to end the show with Batista coming out the dominant new champion. Two new stars were created, 2 great matches… awesome Wrestlemania.

4. Wrestlemania III – The end all be all of wrestling spectaculars, Wrestlemania III was the highlight of the Golden Age of wrestling in the 1980's. The Pontiac Silver Dome in Detroit housed the largest indoor crowd in history (over 90,000 people) all waiting to see the biggest main event match to ever take place as Hulk Hogan took on the previously undefeated Andre the Giant. Before the mega moment could take place the crowd was first treated to a good undercard including a hot tag team opener, a great 6-man tag featuring The Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs, and of course, the 5 star classic IC Title match between Macho Man and Ricky Steamboat that capped off over a year of feuding. Then the drama hit its highest level as the two biggest stars wrestling has ever produced, Hulk and Andre clashed. In a moment frozen in time Hulk slammed the 500 lbs Giant and dropped the big legdrop to seal the victory sending 90,000 plus people into pandemonium. It was a spectacle of the ages that gets better with age. It was Wrestlemania III.

3. Wrestlemania XX – History has tainted this one a whole lot. But taking things with a grain of salt I am trying to be fair. Something about Madison Square Garden makes Wrestlemania a special thing. It was again the sight of the event in 2004 when Wrestlemania featured some of the most unbelievable matches and surreal happenings. After John Cena opened the show by winning the US Title from the Big Show, the crowd was already hot. When Rock-N-Sock reunited and faced Evolution, the crowd went even more nuts. Then came the surreal. In a match the WWE was banking on as a draw for months, Brock Lesnar was to face Goldberg. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Garden. Goldberg was not going to resign a contract and this match at MSG was to be his last in the company. Then, the shocker: Brock Lesnar was leaving the WWE to try out for the NFL!!! This was a new generation of fans, internet reading, and gossip chewing smart marks who knew everything that was going on. When the wrestlers hit the ring they were both serenaded to a chorus of jeers, "You Sold Out," "You Suck," you name it. The crowd ripped them apart and the announcers and special ref Stone Cold could do nothing. Goldberg won but it didn't matter because those 14 minutes in the ring was some of the strangest to behold. A more pleasant exercise in fan interaction was seen during the two World Title matches. First Kurt Angle challenged Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Title in an absolute classic in which the cleverness of Eddie paid off over the over aggressiveness of the challenger Angle. Then in the World Title match, Triple H took on Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit in a triple threat match. Benoit was the Royal Rumble winner from #1, but the real issue was between HBK and Triple H who had been feuding for months. The crowd voiced its opinion early on, cheering steadily for Benoit and booing not only the heel champion, but the face HBK. The fans gasped at nearfalls, counted the 2 counts and were on their feet for every one of the 24 minutes in the match. In a sight the wrestling world had grown to think it would never see, Chris Benoit countered the Pedigree to the Crippler Crossface forcing Triple H to tap out and making Chris Benoit the World Heavyweight Champion. In a moment that now just seems eerie, a tear soaked World Champion, Benoit embraced long time friend WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero in the mass of balloons and confetti. Scary to think it was only 5 years ago. Despite what history has had to say, this was an incredible show.

2. Wrestlemania X-7 – He said he would do anything to be champion again. He said he needed the title and would do whatever he had to do. He warned us but no one listened. "He" is Stone Cold Steve Austin and his heel turn and siding with hated rival Vince McMahon capped off what is the usually considered the greatest Wrestlemania of the all, Wrestlemania X-7. The Houston Astrodome hosted the event that was headlined by the most anticipated face vs. face main event since Hogan/Warrior. The Rock was the WWE Champion, but Austin had a decisive home field advantage. Before the main event arrived, X-7 contained one of the best undercards ever put together. Chris Jericho opened the show by retaining the IC Title against William Regal. Kane, Big Show and Raven had a vicious 3-way brawl for the Hardcore Title, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit put a wrestling exhibition for nearly 20 minutes, and the sports entertainment quota was filled by an uber-fun father/son battle between Vince and Shane McMahon, including Shane nailing a Van Terminator for the win. Edge and Christian, the Dudleys, and the Hardys raised the bar for all spotfest with TLC II, a match which contained some of the greatest spots ever, including my personal favorite, Edge spearing Jeff Hardy 20 feet above the ring. The Undertaker and Triple H had a big power match that ended with Undertaker's Mania record remaining perfect. Then the show was handed to the two biggest stars in the WWE. Rock and Austin proceeded to go out and beat the holy hell of each other, trading finishers, and nearfalls for over a half hour. It was an instant classic. Then, when it seemed Austin had thrown everything out there, Vince McMahon walks out. Vince, who had feuded with the rebellious rattlesnake since 1997, suddenly and seemingly without reason helped him win the WWE Title. Stone Cold had turned heel. He and Vince toasted and left Rock bloody and beaten. It was as shocking a turn as Hogan's N.W.O. turn in '96, and it was the moment of moments at the perhaps the greatest ppv of all time.

AND # 1… Wrestlemania X – In literature, a perfect novel has a great beginning that grabs your attention and doesn't let go. Then it reaches a climax before finally coming to a resolution that leaves the reader completely satisfied. This is Wrestlemania X. When a show has one perfect match, it's considered a must see. When it has two perfect matches it is Wrestlemania X. Back home in Madison Square Garden, the 10th anniversary of Wrestlemania started with a bang, and one of the best matches and biggest upsets ever. With Bret Hart and Lex Luger both winning the 1994 Royal Rumble, both men would receive title shots at Mania. Lex got the first shot against champ Yokozuna, and Bret would wrestle his brother Owen in the opening match. Bret would then face the title match winner later in the evening. With Bret a lock for the main event, few thought Owen stood a chance in the opener. The brothers Hart would proceed to put on a near 20 minute wrestling exhibition trading moves and counters until Bret tried a victory roll and Owen blocked it, keeping Bret down for the pin. After Owen's fanatic victory speech, other undercard matches would stand out, including a vicious brawl between Macho Man and Crush. Lex Luger failed in his attempt to become champion, losing to Yokozuna by DQ. Now the crowd knew the main event, but there was still the question of who the "real" IC Champion was. When IC Champ Shawn Michaels "quit" the company the WWF held a tournament to crown a new champ. Razor Ramon won and when HBK returned the feud was on. It would escalate to the first ever Wrestlemania ladder match where in one of the most innovative and dangerous matches in Mania history, Razor climbed the ladder to become the official champ. Two 5 star matches down, we need a happy ending! So came Bret Hart who finally avenged his loss at the previous Wrestlemania and defeated Yokozuna for the WWF Title as the locker room poured out and embraced him. Everyone that is, except for Owen standing in the aisle, glaring at his older brother who again stole the spotlight. In one night, Vince had created a new star face in a redeemed Bret Hart, created a new ultimate villain in the scorned Owen, and blazed the fire of the future in stars like Shawn and Razor while moving away from the age of the Hogan. In the narrow contest between this and Wrestlemania X-7, this wins for me because of the happy ending. Wrestlemania should have a send-em-home-happy ending, and Bret celebrating is better than Vince sharing beer with Austin.

There's my list of Wrestlemania from Worst to Best. I'm sure there will be disagreements amongst the readers but hey, that's life. As a fun little addendum, after just sitting through the min-numbingly long Wrestlemania IV on WWE 24/7, here's how I would've spruced up the card to shorten the event without tainting the history of it.

First, instead of a 14-man tournament, it's an 8-man tourney. That reduces the total number of matches need to 7 (if no Byes). We dump some of the dead weight from the tourney into the Battle Royal and remove some of the dead weight from the Battle Royal into the… well off the card (I'm looking at you Sam Houston, and Danny Davis).

The Tournament brackets are: Round 1: Dibiase vs. Duggan, Hogan vs. Andre, Macho vs. Reed and Steamboat vs. Valentine. With fewer tournament matches, we can add some other matches to the card. We remove two tag teams from the Battle Royal and add an extra tag match (staples at early Wrestlemanias). So here is the revised Wrestlemania IV card:

- Match 1 – Battle Royal – Bad News Brown, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Junkyard Dog, Don Muraco, Dino Bravo, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, Ravishing Rick Rude, Harley Race, Sika, the Rouggeau Brothers, One Man Gang, Bam Bam Bigelow, the Killer Bees, Ken Patera, Hillbilly Jim, Ron Bass, George "the Animal" Steele
- Match 2 – Round 1: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs. Greg "the Hammer" Valentine
- Match 3 – Round 1: Macho Man Randy Savage vs. "The Natural" Butch Reed
- Match 4 – Round 1: Ted Dibiase vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
- Match 5 – Round 1: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (DDQ sends Dibiase to the Finals on a bye)
- Match 6 – Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules
- Match 7 – Young Stallions vs. The Bolsheviks
- Match 8 – Round 2 – Macho Man vs. Greg Valentine
- Match 9 – 6-man Tag – British Bulldogs & Koko vs. Islanders & Heenan
- Match 10 – IC Title – © Honky Tonk Man vs. Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake
- Match 11 – World Tag Titles – © Strike Force vs. Demolition
- Match 12 – Tournament Finals – WWF Title – Macho Man vs. Ted Dibiase

This makes for a more condensed better card with more time being allotted for each match, allowing to build without needed to resort to shorter timed cheap finishes. Hope you enjoyed the countdown this week, and have fun storming the castle.