WrestleMania History
By JOHN POWELL -- SLAM! Wrestling
WrestleMania. It is the most distinguished event in pro wrestling. Simply
put, it is the show of shows. The brainchild of Vince McMahon Jr., the first
WrestleMania, broadcast in 1985, expanded the pay-per-view market (along with closed circuit TV) and added a
whole new dimension to the industry as a whole. So influential was
McMahon's venture that the business of pro-wrestling now is almost entirely
built around pay-per-view broadcasts.
If you're like us at SLAM! Wrestling, every year you like to refresh your
memory and once again experience those WrestleMania moments that are an
essential part of why you remain a devout wrestling fan. You dust off those
tapes, DVDs or that Best Of WrestleMania tape you dubbed on your own and
distributed to the other members of the office staff, slam them into the
player and transport yourself back in time. To help guide you along your
journey and celebrate the history of WrestleMania, SLAM! Wrestling will be
publishing a WrestleMania review each and every day (Monday to Friday) leading up to the big
show. We invite you to come along for the ride and share in your favourite
moments too. The events are rated as Poor, Average, Good and Excellent.
No worse WrestleMania than 11
History Of WrestleMania
Date: April 2, 1995.
Place: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford Connecticut.
Long before this WrestleMania I stopped watching the WWF. Nothing they were
doing with the talent engaged me in the slightest. The gimmicks were
childish and the storylines were insulting to my intelligence. I devoted
myself fully to taking in World Championship Wrestling and didn't switch
the WWF back on until about two years later when all of the plumber,
garbage men, race car driver, clown and aerobics instructor wrestlers had
finally been sent packing. Only when the WWF stopped catering to the
youngsters did their product arouse my interest once again. So, it wasn't
until many years later that I checked out what I had missed. Evidently, it
wasn't much at all.
In a devastating slump and desperate to generate any kind of media
attention for their event, the WWF courted former NFL football player
Lawrence Taylor to headline WrestleMania with a real wrestler in Bam Bam
Bigelow. Big-o mistake-o. Taylor looked foolish stepping into the squared
circle and Bigelow even more so for participating in the sham of a match.
Tragically, it took many years and the efforts of Paul Heyman and ECW for
the talented Bigelow to be taken seriously once again by the fans.
What was painfully obvious at WrestleMania XI is that nobody in the WWF was
emerging as the flagship performer for the company except for maybe Bret
Hart and Shawn Michaels. Diesel was a washout as champion and the WWF's
most prestigious event of the year was too. It's best to forget that
WrestleMania 11 ever took place.
Favourite Moments: None at all.
Least Favourite Moments: WrestleMania 11.
Rating: Poor.
WrestleMania 11 Results
Match | Winner(s) |
| 1. Lex Luger
/ The British Bulldog vs Eli and Jacob Blue |
Lex Luger / The
British Bulldog. |
| 2. The Undertaker vs King Kong
Bundy |
The Undertaker. |
| 3. Razor Ramon vs Jeff
Jarrett (Intercontinental Title) |
Razor Ramon (Jarrett DQ'd.). |
| 4. Owen Hart / Yokozuna vs The
Smoking Gunns (Tag Team Title.) |
Owen Hart / Yokozuna. |
| 5. Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Bob
Backlund (I Quit Match) |
Bret "Hitman" Hart. |
| 6. Diesel vs Shawn
Michaels (World Title) |
Diesel. |
| 7. Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam
Bigelow |
Lawrence
Taylor. |
Toronto Sun WrestleMania 11 Stories
