411’s Countdown to Wrestlemania 24: The Extreme Edges of Wrestlemania

Posted by Michael Bauer on 03.17.2008

The Countdown to Wrestlemania 24 continues as ECW reporter Michael Bauer takes a look at the "Extreme Edges" of WrestleMania!


Graphic by Meehan

Welcome to 411's Countdown to Wrestlemania 24: The Extreme Edges of Wrestlemania!! I am Michael Bauer, your host for this article, and as your ECW Recapper, who would be better than me to take a trip through the land of extreme when it comes to Wrestlemania. Every year, there seems to be at least one instance where something extreme happens, whether it be in a amazingly good way or in a way that just makes us cringe, or both. Originally, the idea was do a special look at 24 instances of Wrestlemania's extreme side, but outside of Wrestlemania III, the first ten years would have barely existed. So we will look back at all 23 Wrestlemania shows, each with one entry from the following categories…

Extreme Match – An Extreme Match is not always the bloodiest match on the card with tons of weapons. It could be the atmosphere of the event that leads to a match being extreme. It could be just how good the match is when looking back. In the end, it's one of those matches that define Wrestlemania.

Extreme Moment – Like an Extreme Match, the Extreme Moment is a moment that defines Wrestlemania, though sometimes it could just be that one moment in a match that blows your mind. In some cases, the Extreme Moment and Extreme Match will be one in the same.

Extreme Stupidity – As you could probably guess, entries into this category would be the worst decision of each year. As you will see, much of the Extreme Stupidity was caused by terrible match making, terrible ideas, or just plain terrible execution.

And after each match, moment, or stupidity, I will go briefly into why it was an Extreme Edge from that Wrestlemania.

To give an example, I will use last year's Survivor Series. The Extreme Match would have been Batista vs. The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. The Extreme Moment could be a number of things, but most likely either Jeff Hardy getting the final pin or Randy Orton pining Shawn Michaels. Extreme Stupidity… come on, it's Hornswaggle vs. the Great Khali.

Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let's get to the Extreme Edges of Wrestlemania.

WRESTLEMANIA I

EXTREME MATCH: The Iron Sheik and Nikoli Volkoff defeat the US Express for the WWF Tag Team Titles

What makes this so extreme was the energy surrounding the match, not necessarily the match itself. This was at the height of the Cold War and for a team consisting of a Russian supporter and an Iranian supporter to cheat to defeat the US Express for the Tag Team… it was almost unthinkable.

EXTREME MOMENT: King Kong Bundy defeats Special Delivery Jones in 9 seconds
Ok, so it was really 25 seconds, but who's counting? Anybody being beat that fast was not important to the WWE and King Kong Bundy was at the time. It was the fastest match in Pay Per View history and I doubt that it could ever really be broken in any event. Though Kevin Nash came close in the first event after Survivor Series…

EXTREME STUPIDITY: The Junkyard Dog defeats Intercontinental Champ Greg Valentine by Count Out
Yep, it was at the first WrestleMania that the first bullshit title defense was recorded. It was also a match restarted after Tito Santana came out and got the ref to notice feet on the ropes. It was ugly to say the least.


WRESTLEMANIA II

EXTREME MATCH: Hulk Hogan defeats King Kong Bundy inside a Steel Cage
Interesting fact: This has been the only Steel Cage match in the history of Wrestlemania. Through all the Undertaker gimmick matches, never has another of these occurred. Anyway, Hogan retained the WWF Heavyweight Title against the big Bundy in a match that was the typical big man vs. Hogan match. This match would also start a string of "extreme" for Hulk Hogan, as you shall soon see.

EXTREME MOMENT: Big John Stud is eliminated by William "Refrigerator" Perry
So it was the WWF and the NFL having a Battle Royal. Decent idea with all the big men in the NFL. So Perry gets eliminated 15th out of 20 by Stud and offers to shake his hand… just to pull the big man out! It opened the door for Andre to win, which come on, he should never lose.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Mr. T defeats Roddy Piper in a Boxing Match by DQ
If you are going to have a boxing match, then box. Don't have a match end via DQ by freaking body slamming a guy because you are getting pissed off. Yes, Rowdy Roddy Piper shows up more times than anyone for Extreme Stupidity and this is one of those reasons.


WRESTLEMANIA III

EXTREME MATCH: Ricky Steamboat defeats Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title
Easily a classic and the best match of the 1980s, Steamboat and Savage brought their feud to the big stage. Savage had injured Steamboat previously and the best way to take it out on Savage was to beat him to end a yearlong title reign. This match was the standard bearer for years to come and was everything a WrestleMania match should be.

EXTREME MOMENT: Hulk Hogan slams Andre the Giant
I don't think I need to set up the story for you, because right now, it is probably THE Wrestlemania Moment. Largest crowd ever, Hogan defending the strap, and the slam heard round the world. Credit has to be given to Andre though, as the look on his face as he rolled on the mat sold it even more.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: King Kong Bundy squashes a midget
So the premise here is that it's Bundy and two midgets vs. gold old Hillbilly Jim and two midgets. Somewhere in this match, Bundy gets really pissed off and then flatlines a midget then splashes him. Jim then carries him like a baby to the back. Yeah, that was as bad as it sounded.


WRESTLEMANIA IV

EXTREME MATCH AND EXTREME MOMENT: Randy Savage wins his first WWF Heavyweight Title
Randy Savage was the only person to have to fight four times during the night and it ended in triumph after Hogan stopped Andre from helping Ted DiBiase cheat his way to another victory during the night. It was the biggest win for the career of Savage as there is no way he would have escaped the mid card otherwise. But it also led to the build of next year's Extreme Match.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: The Whole Heavyweight Title Tournament
Here are the facts: Two matches ended with nobody advancing, three others in a DQ or count out win, and four people were given byes for a round (Hogan/Andre in round 1, One Man Gang in Round 2, Ted DiBiase in Round 3). I was originally just going to say Hogan and Andre was wrong having a Double DQ because of how it happened, but looking back, the tournament ended up looking really sloppy with the sheer number of non finishes and byes handed out.


WRESTLEMANIA V

EXTREME MATCH: Hulk Hogan defeats Randy Savage for the WWF Heavyweight Title
After Hogan helped Savage win the year before, tempers would flare due to Miss Elizabeth and the Mega Powers would collide. Hogan would win after Hulking up and kicking out of the huge elbow after a two count. This was a great match for Hogan and would be the start of the Hogan WrestleMania Main Event domination that lasted for five years.

EXTREME MOMENT: Rick Rude defeats Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental Title
For Rick Rude, it was the absolute highlight of his career, for he did what we thought to be impossible. Warrior had been dominating everyone and nobody gave Rude half a chance here. With just slight help from an ankle grab by Bobby Hennan, Rick Rude became the first man to pin the Ultimate Warrior in possibly the most extreme shocker in WrestleMania history.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: The Red Rooster defeats Bobby "The Brain" Hennan
Yeah, so about ten minutes after Warrior kicks Hennan's ass for Rude pinning him, Bobby Hennan had to face Terry Taylor dressed as a chicken. Yeah… and we all think today's gimmicks are stupid. It lasted thirty-two seconds and I don't think it even deserved that much time.


WRESTLEMANIA VI

EXTREME MATCH AND EXTREME MOMENT: Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Title
Hogan and Warrior, the two icons of the WWF. Sounds kinda crazy now huh? But in 1990, Hogan was Heavyweight Champ and the Warrior was Intercontinental Champ. They would square off as both men defended their titles against one another. It was arguably the Warrior's best match ever and quite possibly Hogan's as well. After an ending that saw both men kick out or avoid the other's finishers, Hogan lost cleanly, which was unheard of at the time. Hogan then handed the title to the Warrior as they and the crowd celebrated. This was a match that lived up to the hype, something very few main events have the ability to do nowadays.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Rowdy Roddy Piper paints himself half black
To some extent, I respect what Piper did here, as he made a statement about continuing racism in America. That's where it ends also. Saying it and fighting for your word being true is great, but painting yourself half black to make that statement is a little far fetched. I understand what Piper wanted to show, but he seriously came out looking half an Oreo. The match itself ended in a double count out, making it really shitty even if Piper wasn't insane.


WRESTLEMANIA VII

EXTREME MATCH: Hulk Hogan defeats Sgt. Slaughter for the WWF Heavyweight Title
Like in the Cold War, Vince McMahon had the grapefruits to put the WWF Title on an Iraqi supporter in Sgt. Slaughter during the quick one-month war in Iraq. So while the war was over, the idea was still in people's heads that this match was all about the beating of a supporter against America. That's all you need to get Hogan involved. It wasn't the greatest main event ever, but it certainly wasn't the worst either, thanks to the energy in the crowd.

EXTREME MOMENT: Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth reunite
It was right after Warrior vs. the Macho King, where Warrior won to end the career of Randy Savage in a tremendous match. Afterwards, Sherri went in and kicked savage while he was down. Liz was watching and went into the ring to confront Sherri. Once Savage realized what happened, they embraced to perhaps the most emotional moment in WrestleMania history. After all the years of the Macho King, the real Randy Savage was still there and came right out in the ring.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Jake "the Snake" Roberts defeats Rick Martel in a Blindfold Match
Ok, so the build for this match was nothing short of great, as Martel blinded Roberts with his perfume. The Snake would wear shades for a few weeks and eventually they had this match. If I remember right, the only move in the match was Jake finding Martel and hitting a DDT for the win. That just about sums it up.


WRESTLEMANIA VIII

EXTREME MATCH: Randy Savage defeats Ric Flair for the WWF Heavyweight Title
So after an interesting storyline of Flair being with Liz first, Savage went into the mid card to go after Flair and the title. Amazingly though, Flair lost through his own means, as his cockiness led to a roll up and Savage grabbing the tights. Clearly though, Hogan had to have himself in the main event and this match on fifth out of nine matches.

EXTREME MOMENT: Ultimate Warrior makes his return
So it's the very end of WrestleMania and Papa Shango had just interfered to allow Hogan to win by DQ. The beat down ensues and out of nowhere… it's the Ultimate Warrior! The guy had disappeared and The Warrior showing up was an absolute shock. The crowd was electric for it and they needed reason to celebrate. See below.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Papa Shango's Late Interference in the Main Event
And right before that shocker, you had this crap. Yeah, it was Hogan's "last match" against Psycho Sid that saw enough shenanigans with timing to make my head spin. Well, because he showed up late, Sid was forced to kick out of Hogan's leg drop and make Hogan look weak. Very smart.


WRESTLEMANIA IX

EXTREME MATCH: Yokozuna – Shortest Title Reign ever
And they say Kane was a dumb champion for giving Stone Cold a rematch a day after First Blood. How about letting Hogan challenge you right after you win the title, having the salt to the eyes backfire, and getting pinned in two minutes to the leg drop of doom? The crowd loved it at least, I guess.

EXTREME MOMENT: Bobby Hennan rides a camel
It's one of those moments that just made you stop and laugh. Bobby "The Brain" Hennan rode into Wrestlemania like everyone else did. But for as smart as Bobby is, the man rode into the big show backwards on a camel. It was extremely funny and maybe the only high point of the entire show.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Three matches end in Non Finishes
Tatanka vs. Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Title. Money Inc. vs. The Mega Maniacs for the Tag Team Titles. The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales. What do they have in common? They all ended in countout or DQ at WrestleMania IX. Is this worst WrestleMania ever? Perhaps and this is the main reason why. While Michaels vs. Tatanka made sense with Tatanka's undefeated streak, the others were jokes, including Hogan not wanting to lose to The Million Dollar Man.


WRESTLEMANIA X

EXTREME MATCH: Owen Hart defeats Bret Hart
In many people's eyes, this match is the best ever at Wrestlemania. In mine, I give it the best match for the first 11 such events and probably #3 overall. In the first match of the night, Owen had a chance to face Bret before Bret would get his shot at the champ. While everyone expected Bret to win in a good match, I think everyone was shocked by the outcome. Nobody expected this match to be a masterpiece and nobody gave Owen a chance of winning. This truly was Owen's shining moment in the WWF and I still wish they would have given him the push he deserved after this.

EXTREME MOMENT: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title
The art of the Ladder Match was born here. Both Michaels and Ramon laid claim to the title and this was the one solution. Ramon would win the match, but Michaels would start being Mr. WrestleMania at this event with a simple, yet effective splash off the top of the ladder onto Razor Ramon. It doesn't seem like a big deal by comparison today, but in the first Ladder Match, it was legendary.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Mr. Perfect screws Lex Luger
So Lex got the first crack at Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X and the referee was Mr. Perfect. In what would prove to be the last chance for Lex to reclaim the title, he pretty much brushed Mr. Perfect ever so gracefully and got disqualified for it in the biggest bullshit DQ ever. Lex Luger was never the same after this.


WRESTLEMANIA XI

EXTREME MATCH AND EXTREME MOMENT: Lawrence Taylor defeats Bam Bam Bigelow
The big spectacle started at the Royal Rumble, when Bigelow shoved LT after an embarrassing loss, who was a spectator. This led to the two meeting in the main event of WrestleMania, with Bigelow flanked by Money Inc. and LT flanked by a bunch of his football buddies. The amazing part was that LT looked like he belonged in the ring, including hitting a huge shoulder tackle to put the big man down for the three count. The celebration afterwards rivals some of the biggest in wrestling history.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: The Playboy Escort Switch
So Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble, the right to challenge Diesel for the title, and to have Pam Anderson escort him to the ring. Well, nobody could find her, so Jenny McCarthy took her place. Anderson would be found as she escorted Diesel to the ring. And this was needed why?


WRESTLEMANIA XII

EXTREME MATCH AND EXTREME MOMENT: Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart in an Iron Match 1-0 for the WWF Heavyweight Title
The Iron Match at Wrestlemania was everything a match should be. It had the perfect build with both men training at home for weeks. It had the story of Shawn Michaels and his boyhood dream. And it had arguably the two best superstars ever in wrestling going at it for over an hour in what is my #1 Wrestlemania match of all time. It starts with Shawn Michaels taking a zip line into the ringside area, which was cool by itself. It ended with a second sweet chin music and one fall after more than an hour and one of the most emotional moments ever with Shawn Michaels grasping the WWF Heavyweight Title. From top to bottom, it was the most complete match ever with the visuals that live forever.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Roddy Piper and Goldust brawl
So the idea was to have a Hollywood Backlot Brawl, which was fine. But the match pretty much lasted all night until right before the main event and had a disturbing ending. Yes, Goldust ended up in women's underwear and Piper won. I still have shudders.


WRESTLEMANIA 13

EXTREME MATCH AND EXTREME MOMENT: Bret Hart defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin in a Submission Match
Times were changing and this match symbolized it. In a bloody and brutal brawl, Bret Hart would win a Submission Match with a Sharpshooter. But the really story was how he win. Stone Cold, screaming in pain, wearing the crimson mask, refusing to quit for minutes upon minutes to the point where he passed out from the pain… it became the symbol of the Attitude Age on the WWE, with Stone Cold leading the charge.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Rocky Maivia defeats The Sultan to retain the Intercontinental Title
What? The man who would go on to be The Rock hits Extreme Stupidity. Well, his first Wrestlemania was his worst as a still green Rocky Maivia faced The Sultan. What transpired was nothing less than horrible. But it was here that Rocky would lose the fans, which would lead to the voice of the Attitude era.


WRESTLEMANIA 14

EXTREME MATCH: Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie defeat The New Age Outlaws in a Dumpster Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles
Talk about weird. It was Mick Foley as Cactus Jack and Terry Funk as Chainsaw Charlie taking on the New Age Outlaws in a match where the losers would be the team thrown inside a dumpster. Well, the match was crazy as all hell and the crazy hardcore duo won backstage in an illegal dumpster. Shitty ending, but whatever, it was fun.

EXTREME MOMENT: Mike Tyson knocks out Shawn Michaels
Little did I know that night, but that one punch would signify what we all thought was the end of Shawn Michaels. After losing the WWF Title to Stone Cold, Mike Tyson shut Shawn Michaels up with one punch after the former champ ran his mouth just a little too much. I look back and think of that punch as the true end of the transition period with the changing of the guard, starting at Wrestlemania 13 with Stone Cold's bloody face.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Pete Rose – Part 1 of 3
Starting with Wrestlemania 14, Pete Rose would be the victim of an attack by a WWE superstar. In each occurrence, the WWE Hall of Famer would be tombstoned by Kane in the middle of the ring after doing something stupid. The first one wasn't the dumbest of the three; in fact it was the best one from a booking standpoint. But XV and 2000 had even dumber stuff than this and it needs to be mentioned at least once.


WRESTLEMANIA XV

EXTREME MATCH: Mankind defeats Paul Wight by DQ in order to referee the Main Event
You know, for Paul Wight's first WWE match, it wasn't as bad as we all made it seem. Paul Wight got himself DQed and how he did made it extreme. A very nice placed sets of chairs and a chokeslam later, you had a classic Foley bump. This would also lead to Big Show going nits on McMahon, always a plus, and built towards the main event, which worked out nicely.

EXTREME MOMENT: Chyna and HHH pull the greatest swerve in Wrestling History
When everyone saw Chyna turn on Kane, you had to know that despite Degeneration X being fully united, something else was going to go down. It was X-Pac vs. Shane McMahon for the European Title when Chyna and Triple H came back out, leading to HHH hitting pedigree on X-Pac and joining the Corporation. It was one of those moments that stunned everyone, considering HHH had been battling with McMahon for months. I still consider this a better swerve than Hogan joining the NWO, because it took two swerves in one night for it to work.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Butterbean kills Bart Gunn in the Brawl for All
And when I say killed, I mean killed. Bart Gunn won a boxing style tourney between professional wrestlers, so why not try his luck against Butterbean who is a professional in this style of fighting. Bart Gunn didn't even last all of a minute in the ring.


WRESTLEMANIA 2000

EXTREME MATCH: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boys vs. Edge and Christian in a Ladder Match for the WWE Tag Team Titles
This match was what eventually become TLC, but since it never existed, it was a Ladder Match. This contest helped solidify the rise in tag team wrestling and was the first real "Holy Shit!" match in the WWE. Especially when you had the first twenty-foot Swanton Bomb by Jeff onto Bubba Ray through a table. Matt also took some crazy bumps through tables and in the end, Edge and Christian proved they were the ladder leaders.

EXTREME MOMENT: Vince McMahon ends the war with Stephanie
Forget the look on my face, how about the look on Stephanie's face when Vince nailed The Rock with a chair to let HHH retain the WWF Title. What made it crazier was that HHH was not the man people wanted to win and for the first time ever, that ended a Wrestlemania. Shocking ending to end a match that was not as bad as people think.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Hardcore Battle Royal
The concept was okay as Crash Holly wanted a break from his self imposed 24/7 rule. So this was set with Crash and 12 challengers. The object was to pin whoever was the current champion. Whoever got the last pinfall after a set time limit would be champion. What happened was truly a clusterfuck, especially the ending. Hardcore Holly pinned his cousin with two seconds left. The problem, it wasn't supposed to happen. Either Crash was to kick out or the clock was to expire, but neither happened, so they just went with it.


WRESTLEMANIA X-SEVEN

EXTREME MATCH: Shane McMahon defeats Vince McMahon in a Street Fight
Forget the family bullshit and any shenanigans… this was a freaking brawl and a great one at that. Father and son, sharing a beating by each other's hands, and yes… Vince did get his grapefruits kicked in by his wife. But hell, how could you not love the ending? Shane leaping across the ring off the turnbuckle and kicking a trash can into his father's face. I know most of us only dream about that.

EXTREME MOMENT: Stone Cold sells his soul to become WWE Champion
What would Stone Cold do to become WWE Champion? In 2001, he aligned himself with Vince McMahon in order to defeat The Rock for the title. My jaw was on the floor after Vince handed Austin a chair, because you would never have expected to see those two work together for any reason. But Austin did what he had to do get and keep the title under after the Invasion angle.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Gimmick Battle Royal
It's the year 2001 and this is who was in it, you do the math: The Iron Sheik, Brother Love, Bushwhackers, Jim Cornette, Doink, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese, Earthquake, Gobbledy Gooker, Goon, Michael Hayes, Hillbilly Jim, Kamala, Kim Chee, One Man Gang, Repo Man, Sergeant Slaughter, Tugboat and Nikolai Volkoff

WRESTLEMANIA X8

EXTREME MATCH: Triple H defeats Chris Jericho to become the Undisputed WWE Champion
Wow, is this match completely overlooked by the masses because of Rock and Hogan. Triple H had just come back from a quad tear, won the Royal Rumble, and challenged Jericho. Jericho was also being aided by HHH's wife Stephanie, so he had the major advantage. But like Triple H always seems to do, he defied the odds and walked away as champion.

EXTREME MOMENT: Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
Sure, we saw these two in the same ring a month earlier and they had the reaction we all expected. But at Wrestlemania, it just seemed to be 100 times more electric. Hulk Hogan was set to face The Rock and they came face to face in the middle of the ring, looking to both sides, soaking up the reaction, as it was THE epic battle of Wrestling history. And with all due respect to Stone Cold, this was the right decision by the WWE, as years later I still get goosebumps seeing it.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: The Hardcore Title changes hands all night long
This is the official listing from wwe.com: Spike Dudley, Hurricane, Mighty Molly, Maven, and lastly Christian (even though Maven apparently left the building as champion if you look at the title history) all scored pinfalls to become Hardcore Champion during the night. Pretty much the champ would be found backstage, pinned, and the next person ran for cover. Yeah, it was annoying after a while.


WRESTLEMANIA XIX

EXTREME MATCH: Hulk Hogan defeats Vince McMahon in a Street Fight
You know, a part of me was really dreading this match, but it ending up just being a better brawl then expected. Plenty of plunder, plenty of blood, and Hogan defeating his maker in a match that thankfully was not the main event. The best was after Vince lost and Hogan was walking off, he gave Hogan a bloody middle finger with the devilish grin on his face… just priceless,

EXTREME MOMENT: Brock Lesnar nearly breaks his neck
Brock Lesnar was fighting to reclaim what was taken from him by his former manager Paul Heyman and his newest client, Kurt Angle. Towards the end of the match Brock went up top and attempted a shooting star press. Now, Kurt was pretty far away and Brock ended up most missing, including crashing face first into the mat. It still is a great spectacle, but one that nearly cost him his career.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Stacy, Torrie, and the Miller Light Cat Fight Girls
It wasn't an official match, but it was a catfight between the Stacy, Torrie, and the Miller Light Girls. This built off the commercials from the WWE Video Game. And it should have stayed there.


WRESTLEMANIA XX

EXTREME MATCH(ES): AND EXTREME MOMENT: Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero are Champions
From top to bottom, WrestleMania XX will perhaps be the last great WrestleMania and the double main event is a great reason why. Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle put on a wrestling clinic for nearly a half hour, which ended with Eddie being Eddie to outsmart Kurt, and then came the Triple Threat Main Event. In what is my second favorite WrestleMania match of all time, Chris Benoit made Triple H tap out to one of the loudest pops ever! And then came the tearjerker… Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero standing side by side with their titles raised high over their heads. Because of what happened last year, the moment now lives in infamy, but it still is one of the greatest moments in the history of the biggest show ever.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar and the aftermath
In one respect, I felt bad for these three (Austin included), because the fans were shitting on this match from the start. Lesnar announced he was leaving the WWE to pursue football of all things and the fans let them all have it. Goldberg won a match that was terrible for these two as neither man cared. Austin gave Lesnar his stunner on the way out, as he should have. Austin also did the same to Goldberg, because it to was his final match. So Austin I felt bad for, not the others, when it all ended.


WRESTLEMANIA 21

EXTREME MATCH: Kurt Angle defeats Shawn Michaels
It was one of the last "dream matches" as Kurt and Shawn never had a match before this night and what transpired was an absolute classic between two of the best ever. The ending saw Kurt makes Shawn tap out to the ankle lock after a grueling thirty-minute contest in my fourth favorite WrestleMania match. This match was pretty much perfect and ended up overshadowing the title matches to come that night.

EXTREME MOMENT: The First Money in the Bank Match
I could pick any number of moments turning this match between Edge, Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Christian and Kane. But I'll go with Shelton Benjamin clotheslining Jericho off the top of a ladder. I mean, the guy ran up a ladder positioned at an angle against the ladder Jericho was on and clotheslined him out of midair. It was classic Shelton and I hope he can pull more of the same this year.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Akebono defeats The Big Show in a Sumo Challenge
So yeah, the concept of The Big Show making a fool of himself against non-wrestlers dates back to three years ago when he challenged Akebono to a Sumo Match. Does it need any more explanation?


WRESTLEMANIA 22

EXTREME MATCH: Edge defeats Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match
For Mick Foley, this was all about getting his Wrestlemania moment. For Edge, it was about Mick costing him the WWE Title. What transpired was amazing for any fan of the hardcore environment as both men brought out all the stops. Through the barbed wire, thumbtacks, Mick wrapping himself in Razor Wire, and even barbed wire Socko to Edge and Lita, nobody could have imagined the ending. It was Foley standing on the apron and Edge spearing him through a flaming table, going face first himself. After the match, Edge looked on the wreckage, lucky to survive, selling the most brutal match of his career. Edge got his revenge and Mick got his moment. The fans got nothing less than a treat.

EXTREME MOMENT: Mickie James defeats Trish Stratus for the WWE Women's Title
Ok, I admit, the fact that Mickie won the title in the middle of an outstanding storyline is not what made it an extreme moment. It took just ten seconds, two fingers, and one hell of a sell job by both ladies. Trish Stratus was setting up for the Stratusfaction when Mickie grabbed Trish's sweet spot with her two fingers and then proceeded to lick in between the fingers like she enjoyed the taste of Trish. I still remember my eyes bugging out when she did that, because I did not believe what I saw. This ended up being one of the best women's matches, if not the best, I've ever seen and that just added to it.

EXTREME STUPIDITY: Torrie defeats Candice in a Playboy Pillow Fight
What made this so extremely stupid was not the concept, but the execution. If this had been done early on in the event, then it would have been fine as I honestly had no problem with a pillow fight between two Playboy cover girls. But instead, this "match" went on in between Rey Mysterio winning the World Title and John Cena retaining the WWE Title. That's right, this shit went on in between what should have been the double main event. The crowd nearly died thanks to this, but thankfully Cena and HHH put on a great match to wake them up.


WRESTLEMANIA 23

EXTREME MATCH: The Third Money in the Bank Match
Like the first one, I could pick any number of moments as the third MITB featured King Booker, Edge, Kennedy, Finlay, both Hardys, Randy Orton and CM Punk. But if anything, you have to put Jeff Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb off a twenty-foot ladder through Edge and smashing the ladder Edge was on in half above all else. After that, there was a Finlay hitting Matt with a Celtic Cross onto a ladder and Kennedy with his Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle. Overall, it was insane and amazingly done.

EXTREME MOMENT: The ECW Originals have arrived at Wrestlemania!
Okay, with everything else there was to choose from, how does this qualify as an extreme moment? Remember, not everything needs to be a ladder leaping moment. When Rob Van Damn, Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman walked through the crowd into Wrestlemania, it was just one of those surreal moments that make the big event so special. Yes, RVD had been there before. But for Sabu, Dreamer, and Sandman, it was their moment, their pinnacle in the business, and their dream come true. Better yet, they defeated The New Breed as members of the ECW, original and new concept.

EXTREME STUPIDITY Melina defeats Ashley for the WWE Women's Title
In the continuing saga of the WWE and Playboy, Ashley was the newest diva to grace the cover and Melina thought it was degrading. No, what was really degrading was Ashley attempting to fight Melina, not the build up to it. This ranked up there with Trish vs. Christy Hemme bad, especially when we wasted the other divas as being Lumber-Jills.