As we get set for WrestleMania 36 on April 4 and 5, we asked some wrestling fans at Sportsnet to give us their favourite WrestleMania matches of all-time.
Here are their answers.
Sid Seixeiro – Tim and Sid
WrestleMania 18
Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock
I grew up watching Hulk Hogan. A lot of people did. Was he the best wrestler? No. But he represented a large part of my youth. To watch him return to the WrestleMania stage at SkyDome (Rogers Centre) in 2002 is something I will never forget. No one knew what the reception would be. Not even him. But early on in his match with The Rock, it was clear: more than half of the crowd that night was firmly in his corner. The first two minutes of that match was the most electric thing I’ve ever witnessed in pro wrestling: basically nothing happened and the building popped. Once it was over, Hogan went backstage and cried. He wasn’t expecting it. None of us did. It stole the show.
Jeff Marek – Hockey Central
WrestleMania 3
Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
My inclination is to go with Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin from ‘Mania 13. The visual of Austin passing out in the sharpshooter, blood on his face, refusing to submit and passing out from the pain is a huge part of one of the greatest legacies in wrestling – The Stone Cold era. Of course, this match featured the rare ‘double turn’ and cemented Austin as top dog in the industry.
But, I recently went back and watched the awesome Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat match and that one gets my nod. In an era, and during an event (‘Mania 3), that featured large men moving deliberately and slowly this match stood out as packed with energy featuring two athletes who were among the top workers at the time. It was a mat classic from the opening bell. Steamboat I had been a huge fan of going back to when I first saw him in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Savage busted on to the WWF scene with equal parts charisma and athletic talent.
Hogan and Andre may have been the match that drew the money but for me the real main event was Savage/Steamboat. And it still stands up. Go back and watch it.
[relatedlinks]
Ken Reid – Sportsnet Central
WrestleMania 3
Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
No doubt about it for me, WrestleMania 3, Hogan vs. Andre the Giant. I was 12, my brother was nine and we were full blown Hulkamaniacs. The build-up to the match week after week on TV was beyond intense. The countdown to the big tilt at the Pontiac Silverdome lasted forever. But the wait was all worth it when the Hulkster slammed Andre and got the three count.
Just this week in fact, I asked my seven-year-old if he wanted to see the greatest wrestling match of all time. He said yes, so we watched Hogan vs. Andre.
James Cybulski – Sportsnet 650 Vancouver
WrestleMania 3
Ricky The Dragon Steamboat vs. Randy Macho Man Savage
The top-three for me would be…
1) Ricky The Dragon Steamboat vs. Randy Macho Man Savage (WrestleMania 3)
2) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret The Hitman Hart (WrestleMania 13)
3) Rowdy Roddy Piper vs. Bret The Hitman Hart (WrestleMania 8)
Savage and Steamboat had so much at stake for me at that time in 1987. The long build for months after Savage had nearly crushed The Dragon’s windpipe to set up the feud created such anticipation. I was a Steamboat fan. There was a personal issue, so the build-up was there, in addition to a title up for grabs and two of the greatest ever put on a classic that in my personal opinion still holds up beautifully.
What sucked was that after all that build-up, The Honky Tonk Man quickly beat Steamboat for the Intercontinental title two months later. That was as big a kick in the junk as a fan as anything I have ever seen as a wrestling fan.
Richard Deitsch – Sportsnet 590 The Fan
WrestleMania 8
Bret Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper
The card included two main events — and this was not one of them. At WrestleMania VIII at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Ric Flair-Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan-Sid Justice topped the bill on the double main event. But there was an undercard match that night in April 1992 that remains probably my favourite of all the WrestleMania bouts.
I have long been a Roddy Piper mark and I think he’s the most brilliant heel in the history of sports entertainment. Piper certainly had more famous WrestleMania matches than the one at the Hoosier Dome – Vince McMahon owes Piper and Hogan a huge debt for making WrestleMania I a success — but Piper’s match against Bret Hart in Indianapolis for the WWF Intercontinental Championship is for me Piper’s best in-ring performance ever at a big event. Hart, at 35, was at the peak of his athletic powers. Piper, three years older, was also in tremendous shape. They battled for 13:51, a storyline that included Hart bleeding midway through and brilliant parrying on the mic between Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.
After a ton of false finishes and Piper threatening to hit Hart with the ring bell, the match finally ends with Hart pinning Piper — and Piper raising Hart’s hand in victory. Piper dropped the Intercontinental Championship that night, the only WWF title of his career, but he did so as a total pro. It’s a match I can watch time and time again.
Caroline Szwed – AfterMath & Plays/Misplays of the Month
WrestleMania 34
Ronda Rousey & Kurt Angle vs. Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
My favourite Wrestlemania moment came from WM34 in New Orleans when Ronda Rousey (my absolute favourite) made her WrestleMania debut. It was nothing short of epic for me. She was facing a lot of critics and doubters prior to the big show but she proved them all wrong with an incredible performance inside of the ring. This match especially stood out to me because I was fortunate enough to be working WM34 with SN and got the opportunity to watch ringside. Being able to see an elite athlete like Ronda Rousey dominate and LIFT someone like Triple H right in front of my eyes was absolutely mind-blowing. It’s a moment I will never forget. Not only was Rousey entertaining as she brought everyone to their feet, she also proved her value in this industry and just how good she is at wrestling. I hope to see her back in WWE soon!
Ron MacLean – Hockey Night in Canada
Our last guest provides us with as an honourary story, as it isn’t a WrestleMania memory, but instead a general wrestling memory. Ron MacLean grew up in Western Canada watching Stampede Wrestling with the famous Hart family, and shares a great story that relates to 2020 WWE Hall of Famer Davey Boy Smith.
I grew up in Red Deer Alberta. I loved the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and CBC’s Curling Classic, but my favourite show was Stampede Wrestling hosted by Ed Whalen. In the early 1970s, when I was 10 to 13, my heroes were Archie “The Stomper” Gouldie and Geoff Portz. Stampede Wrestling used to come to Red Deer and stage cards featuring those men. On one visit I went to the matches armed with my autograph book. It contained the signatures of NHLers Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau and Pat Stapleton. I went down to ringside to where The Stomper would be entering the ring. I was 11 or 12. Sure enough, Archie came out of the dressing room, headed straight toward me. I handed him my book. He tore it to pieces. My Dad was outraged, but I loved it. What would one expect of The Stomper!
Meanwhile my other hero was more the Good Guy, Geoff Portz, a British wrestler who had technical skill, a cool helicopter-like body slam, and gave great interviews with that intriguing accent. The Hart family saw his value. Bruce Hart went to England to have a look around. He saw two young 140-pound wrestlers, and even in those days anything shy of 220 was considered a no-go. Bruce begged his dad, Stu Hart, to go for these energetic, athletic types. They already had enough older potbellied villains. And so the British invasion began. The first to follow in Geoff Portz’s footsteps was The Dynamite Kid. And right behind was this year’s Hall of Famer Davey Boy Smith. I may not have any autographs thanks to The Stomper, but at least I got to see a signature performer who is poised to enter the Hall, because of my other favourite, the trail blazer Geoff Portz.
