Hogan vs. Warrior: Passing the Torch - Regardless of what happened after WrestleMania with Warrior's push and all, the fact was that this was the very essence of a "WrestleMania Feud." In the same vain as Hulk vs. Andre and Hulk vs. Savage, this had that "big match" feel to it, and it delivered. It was champion vs. champion, one match for it all. Would Hogan continue to dominate the WWF, or would a new champion emerge? This is possibly the one time, the one time where Hogan honestly gave up his position because he really thought he was leaving. The pre-match promos were CLASSIC Hogan and Warrior, comical to a point today but intense, fun and really selling the match. The match, which many fans today wouldn't expect much was a really good one, and probably about as perfect as you could hope from these guys. Incredible crowd heat, two giant men working hard and the final fall of the "hero" to the new one. It was a main event truly deserving of being held at WrestleMania, and one of the few good things from the whole event.
Tag Team Action and Andre gets what he deserves - Once again we have some good tag team action at WrestleMania. More than just a good match, these matches meant something. Demolition won their titles back from a seemingly undefeatable team. Haku worked his ass off, and in the end we had the great angle where after three-years Andre got to return to the side of good and receive the cheers that his lengthy career deserved.
The Hart Foundation vs. Bolsheviks match I actually can accept perfectly, as Monsoon and Heenan put over how huge the win was as they challenged the winners of the tag title match. They looked like they were totally ready to take the titles at anytime and that's good story telling.
Finally the Orient Express vs. Rockers match was one of only three really good matches on the show. While I didn't like the count out deal (see later) it served it purpose and added another year of good tag team action to WrestleMania's history.
Jake Roberts vs. The Million Dollar Man - Besides Hogan vs. Warrior, this was the best singles match on the card. If I recall, JD Dunn has said something to the effect of, "I like both men and this is a good match, but they weren't as good as when they were in Mid-South." That is paraphrased of course, because I didn't look up the quote but I agree with the sentiment. If this were a few years before and in Mid-South it would have been total bad ass. As it was it was a good match, one I enjoyed and it was a godsend on this shit-tacular card.
The wRong:
The First EIGHT matches SUCKED!!!!! (Well 7-of them) - Do not kid yourself, this is a HUGE wrong, a big enough wrong to give this event a THUMBS DOWN! I give the Hart Foundation match a bye, because it put them over as huge threats. The Demoliton match I can excuse because of the moment we got with Andre. You see, in my opinion the performers and matches they put on are what make a WrestleMania Ass, good, great or the best. We live vicariously through them, as they live childhood dreams and perform in front of millions via PPV. Whether it be for the World Title, for pride, 1 on 1, TLC or just delivering an emotional embrace in a true WrestleMania moment; this is what we wait for. It is the wrestling fan's World Series, Super Bowl, Daytona 500, Stanley Cup, Olympics, Masters and World Cup all rolled into one incredible night. It is the night where we sit back not to criticize and over analyze, but to be entertained and remember why we love this testosterone filled soap opera called professional wrestling. This is the showcase of the Immortals, the Grand Daddy of them all. The place where legends are born, dreams fulfilled, or crushed in a single evening. There is no mistaking that WrestleMania is one of a kind, and it should be. But this event for the most part (basically everything that wasn't Hogan vs. Warrior) was either "ok," boring or flat out ass. This is supposed to be the "biggest event in wrestling" and what we got was an edition of Saturday morning Superstars.
To me this was like selection the All Star team, making sure you have all of the best match ups and then throwing them away for mediocre to bad match ups. Sometimes there are shows that are "one match shows," but WrestleMania is not supposed to be one of those shows. It is supposed to be the best of the best; unfortunately we got the best of the rest.
Three "Count outs?" - This is another point that breaks off of the one I just discussed. WrestleMania is supposed to be where feuds escalate, where they peak and where they are traditionally ended. There are times where the feuds continue and that is all well and good, but having count outs at WrestleMania to me is like having a tie at the Super Bowl and playing again next month. Piper and Brown feuded up until WrestleMania and then we got a sloppy brawl with a count out ending. The Rocker and Orient Express put on one of the few good matches on the show and then, you guessed it we got a count out on this match, which left a bad taste for many. Then the very next match, Dibiase and Roberts put on another good match, one of the few and we get another count out! Three count outs on the biggest show of the year, to me is unacceptable and added to my displeasure with this event
The Ridiculous:
Too Damn Much - Once again a fatal flaw of many of the early WrestleMania's is that they put entirely too much on the cards. 14-matches makes for a long viewing session, and when so many matches are short and not good, that makes it worse. As I have said in some of the past 3R's of WrestleMania, this really can hurt the shows and makes them almost torture to watch again. Thank god for DVD's and skipping ahead when watching for fun.
