The supposed “Granddaddy of ’em All,” WrestleMania, is right around the corner. And the unfortunate trend of WWE booking matches that nobody cares about is continuing, as evidenced by Big Show being included in the World Heavyweight Championship Match. Come on, who really cares about that blob?
In celebration of what will assuredly be a horrible World Heavyweight Championship Match, we have compiled the 10 worst matches in WrestleMania history. No, the Playboy Evening Gown Match will not be on the list. Instead, we’re talking about matches that WWE actually intended on being good. Let’s face it, everybody knew the Evening Gown Match was gonna be a stinker.
10. Triple H vs. Chris Jericho, WrestleMania X8
You’ll be hard pressed to find bigger Jericho fans than us. But we even understand his limitations. There should never be a scenario where Y2J is the final match on a WrestleMania card. That type of privilege should be reserved for the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy Savage or even John Cena. Not Chris Jericho. To make matters worse, WWE removed any heat Jericho may have had by having him drop to title to Triple H. Not a good idea. Hunter is on his way to becoming a 67-time World Champion; did he really need to ruin Jericho’s career by winning at WrestleMania? Watch
9. Triple H vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton, WrestleMania XXIV
What ever happened to actually building up to a WrestleMania main event? Not only was the promotion for this match extremely lackluster, but so was the match itself, lowlighted by the out-of-nowhere win by Randy Orton.
8. Alundra Blayze vs. Leilani Kai, WrestleMania X
We understand that Leilani Kai was a part of the first-ever WrestleMania Women’s Championship Match, and that on the 10th anniversary of the event they were feeling a little nostalgic. But there is no reason to roll out an out-of-shape, elderly woman and try to pass her off as a legitimate threat to Alundra Blayze’s Women’s Championship. We would’ve been better off watching grass grow. Watch
7. Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Vicious / Justice, WrestleMania VIII
This main event was the biggest ball-drop in WWE history. After nearly a decade of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan claiming dominance in separate promotions, the stars were finally aligned for the two Superstars to square off on the grandest stage of them all. Undoubtedly, this would’ve been the biggest match in wrestling history. But instead, WWE chose to close the show with an exhibition between Hogan and Sid. Unfortunately for wrestling fans, the match was equally hideous. Not only was the finish screwed up, due to poor timing on Papa Shango’s part, but it ended in a lousy DQ. On top of all that, there are rumors that Sid went No. 2 in his tights during the match. For real. Watch
6. Tito Santana vs. The Executioner, WrestleMania I
What a way to kick off the biggest event in wrestling history – some masked jobber vs. Tito Santana. The truth is, the masked jobber was actually “Playboy” Buddy Rose, who was somewhat popular at the time. WWE would’ve been better off letting him compete as himself. But apparently, WWE didn’t want the loss on Rose’s record, so they put a mask over his head and sent him out there.
5. Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show
This boxer vs. wrestler match didn’t quite have the cache of Muhammad Ali vs. Gorilla Monsoon. Watch
4. The Great Khali vs. Kane
It’s truly unbelievable that these guys are former World Champions. We could see Kane, maybe. But Khali? Seriously, when was the last time these guys actually performed a wrestling move other than a kick or punch? We guess WWE was just giving all its fans a chance to get some popcorn or use the head. This one was pure garbage. Punch, kick, punch, chop, kick, punch.
3. Test & Albert vs. Steve Blackman & Al Snow, WrestleMania 2000
These four guys are so bad that they really shouldn’t even be on the list. They probably fall under the aforementioned Playboy Evening Gown Match Rule. But this is just one of many examples of how poorly WrestleMania has been booked at times. None of these guys really deserved a WrestleMania match, let alone a match that included all four of them at once. Negative 5 stars.
2. Akebono vs. Big Show
Nothing worse than watching Big Show in a diaper. Who thought this was a good idea? Watch
1. John Cena vs. JBL, WrestleMania 21
Over the course of WrestleMania history, there have been many classic WWE Championship Matches … Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Then there’s John Cena vs. JBL. This match looked more like it deserved to be on Velocity late some Saturday night. After 10 minutes of boredom, the Dr. of Thuganomics hit his lame finisher and the Cena era officially began … unfortunately. Watch
The Max 