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The Magnificent 7 7.16.13: Best Forgotten WrestleMania Matches

July 16, 2013 | Posted by Jonas Wakefield

Welcome to this week’s edition ofThe Magnificent Seven. We are taking a look at some of the most enjoyable Wrestlemania matches you may not remember. While I do value these matches, I wouldn’t say they are the most underrated. Although when matches are viewed as underrated by a vast majority, it typically is no longer underrated so maybe these are the real underrated gems. Whether getting lost in the shuffle of a stacked show, being viewed as too silly to garner appreciation or just for whatever reason, remaining under the radar, these are the most fun forgotten Wrestlemania matches of all time.


7. World’s Greatest Tag Team vs. Los Guerreros vs. Chris Benoit and Rhino WM 19
Wrestlemania 19 is regarded as one of the best Wrestlemania shows and likely the second most loved Wrestlemania of my generation (90s-current time) to Wrestlemania 17 due to a bevy of great matches. Led by Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle, The Rock vs. Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels, WM 19 had a heavy upper-card with very different types of matches and personalities carrying the show. I’ve always viewed two things on this show stopping it from nearing X7 as the best. Triple H vs. Booker T was way too long and felt even longer and the match listed here for the tag titles was way too short. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit being great workers, Chavo Guerrero and Rhino being good workers and a young, motivated team of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas should have been much more memorable but sadly didn’t reach the expectations. The match was very fun and started to pick up towards the middle but ended abruptly blocking it from reaching its potential. A funny note ten years later is that Chavo Guerrero and World’s Greatest Tag Team are quite disliked by the online fan base these days given some of their more recent moments.

6. Hardcore Battle Royal WM 16
This was a mess. And I loved it. There are so many fun little facets to this match. From the Mean Street Posse fighting Kai En Tai and Viscera to the Headbangers fighting the Holly cousins, the matchups in this match were very unique. Tazz debuted at the Royal Rumble just two months prior to defeat the undefeated Kurt Angle and somehow fell to this in such a quick time period. The finish to this match came from good ol’ JR’s candy dish being used as a weapon but my favorite spot was Joey Abs repeatedly hitting Tazz with a cookie sheet until Tazz falls over. Absolutely hilarious. That’s the main value in this match. Obviously the idea was outside of the box and a bit convoluted but viewing it in the right light, it sums up a lot of what was fun or unique about wrestling in the 2000 time frame. It’s clearly not a technical wrestling masterpiece but it provides ton of fun (no relation to Giant Bernard Albert Tensai and Brodus Clay) and comedic value.


5. DDP vs. Christian WM 18
I view Christian as the most underused WWE wrestler of all time. I view Diamond Dallas Page as the most misused WWE talent of all time. Big time star in WCW, DDP moved to WWF after the WCW was bought out and casted to stalk Undertaker’s wife. Shockingly, it did not work and Page was an afterthought a few months later. At the same time, Christian turned on Edge splitting up arguably the best tag team of the era and started a heel solo run. Aside from some mid-card title runs, nothing noteworthy came of it. The two got stuck together in a miniscule storyline where Page was using his motivational skills, which as we see today was used in a more productive way relevant to the wrestling world, was “coaching” Christian. Having temper tantrums after each loss or leading to a loss, he was seeking help in controlling his anger; Christian and DDP were together for a short time before the eventual split leading to this match. This was for the European title and was a very short one but it went very well while it lasted. DDP won after hitting the Diamond Cutter and it turned out to be a very cool moment. A show that was not very stacked, I’d say this was the second or third most enjoyable Wrestlemania 18 match. The crowd was red hot, possibly more hot than it was for the Triple H vs. Chris Jericho main event. Granted that had more to do with following Hogan vs. Rock than anything but still! DDP often refers to this match as a proud moment due to the way the crowd reacted to a throwaway match his sole Wrestlemania match was and I agree fully.


4. Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio WM 27
This match was the definition of putting someone over. Going into this feud, I thought Cody Rhodes was a mediocre talent at best. Then this match happened and I realized just how good he was. Rey requested a WM storyline with Cody while Cody was working his niche mid-card ceiling gimmick of “Dashing” and the story was Rey broke Cody’s nose so Cody wanted to take Rey’s mask. Added a serious dimension to Rhodes and the match was wonderful and Cody actually got the win. While it isn’t in his classics vs. Eddie Guerrero or Chris Jericho or Edge, I usually view this among the top matches of why I consider Rey Rey a legend and a treasure in the wrestling world that’s unfortunately on his last legs. No pun intended. One of the last times you got to see what Rey Mysterio offers plus Cody’s shine rising for one of the first times made for a great dynamic in the back and forth of this match before Cody Rhodes ended up pulling out the victory. They also had an awesome rematch on the Extreme Rules pay per view a month after. Sadly since then, Rey has been on the shelf more than in the ring and Cody has not done much other than a few small programs in the mid-card scene. As of the day this is being posted, Cody had a great showing at Money In The Bank 2013 so hopefully gets a bit further in the WWE but I’ll always view this match as the first steps.


3. Christian vs. Chris Jericho WM 20
Two of the greatest in ring performers WWE has ever had. Chris Jericho and Christian were a tag team for a while and ended up splitting with Jericho falling in love with Trish Stratus. This match was the culmination of the split and they had a fantastic match. This match is my second favorite Chris Jericho Wrestlemania match after his WM 19 classic vs. Shawn Michaels. Being second to Shawn Michaels and his Wrestlemania greatness is never a bad thing. It was probably around the high point of Christian’s heel run where he aligned with Tomko, soon after and Trish on this night. I have a memory of being stunned Christian got the win and that Trish turned on Jericho to help him. While that was also well done, I’ll always remember it for the wonderful in ring work done by both. Obviously on a smaller level, Jericho and Christian helped the mid-card to fill out the card that was carried by the great Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels and Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle title matches. These two are the standard for the great in ring work I see being ushered into WWE current day so it’s a great throw back and it is still cool seeing both still perform at a high level almost ten years later.


2. Kane vs. Raven vs. Big Show WM 17
Probably the most overlooked of all these matches. Kane vs. Big Show…………. vs. Raven. With weapons. And insanity. Most people remember it as hardcore filler on a classic show that already had many hardcore style matches with superior talent of ultimate stature. I’ve watched that PPV at least twenty times in my lifetime and it’s the only match I never skip. Maybe it helps that it’s forgotten and the others you remember clearer but it’s so fun re-watching today. There was no big storyline other than the hardcore title going back and forth. The two giants who still have a big role in WWE 12 years later and Raven, who I believe was let go less than 12 months later. In basically a pointless match, guys are going through glass windows and Kane does a leg drop off the stage! Think about that. A match no one remembers with Kane jumping off a stage in the second or third match of a show exists. Hardcore, wacky is always appreciated here but my only wish was that Raven would have won the match. That would make this even more fun but either way, I highly recommend watching this if you haven’t seen it in quite some time or are looking for a smile.


1. Randy Savage vs. Crush WM 10
One of my wrestling favorite memories. I attended the closed circuit showing of Wrestlemania X across the street from Madison Square Garden. As a 5 year old, I remembered this much more than anything else on the show. Even more than the classic ladder match or Bret winning the WWF title. On a side note, I hated Bret as a kid so Owen winning was also a great memory. Anyways, Randy Savage was probably my first favorite as I remember having his shirt first among my many childhood wrestling merchandise. Everyone loved Macho Man. But weirder, I enjoyed Crush. I always have. From the early 90s blonde haired Crush to the NOD Crush to his NWO B list debut in WCW to Kronik so this added to it. At the time, of course, hardcore stipulations were very rare and so this was one. The gimmick was where you’d have to get up in a ten count and as a kid, you’re always wanting your favorite wrestler to not only impress you athletically or with his charisma but you root for him to do something ridiculous yet intelligent like the finish to this match. If you don’t recall, Savage tied up Crush so he couldn’t stand by the ten count. It was so cool and still is. Another personal memory was Savage coming over to the closed circuit showing right after the match and me losing my mind. If my memory serves correctly, this was his last WWF program before jumping ship to WCW so it’s the final lasting memory of Macho Man Randy Savage in WWF adding to the sentimental side.

Thanks for reading this week’s edition of The Magnificent Seven. There have been some really cool email suggestions for the future lists and I will be trying some of them out in the near future. You can send suggestions or feedback to my email: [email protected]
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Jonas Wakefield

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