5 matches from the 90s that could have been the main event WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a global entertainment phenomenon, produced by WWE and enjoyed by millions every year. It is now a week-long event that raises hundreds of millions of dollars for host economies and is attended by fans from every US state and many countries around the globe.
In the 1990s it was also a pop culture extravaganza, though perhaps with less international appeal. That said, WrestleManias 6 to 16 delivered some fantastic entertainment, and matches that will live long in the fans' memories.
With so many cards packed with great quality, it is only natural that the show-closing efforts sometimes paled in comparison to some of what came before them on those same events.
Here, we outline 5 1990s 'Mania bouts that could have main-evented the industry's biggest show, but didn't. Admittedly, some matches were placed earlier cards out of necessity (much like our first offering) but nonetheless, here are bouts I consider good enough to have been a main event.
#5 Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
As I've mentioned, some matches were not the main event out of necessity. As it is, Bret's march towards the WWE Championship in 1994 meant that his meeting with Owen at Madison Square Garden couldn't have closed the show - but it was good enough to have been in the top slot if the storyline would have allowed for it. Bret and his co-Royal Rumble winner Lex Luger each had a shot at WWE Champion Yokozuna, but to make it fair, all three men would potentially have to wrestle 2 matches.
Bret had to wrestle Owen before getting his shot at the title. Yokozuna and Luger wrestled for the title later on in the show, and the winner of that match (Yokozuna) had to wrestle Bret in what would be both of their second matches of the night.
In what is one of my favourite WWE matches of all time, brother met brother in New York and put on a fantastic show. Trading hold for hold, the youngest Hart brother caused a major upset by pinning Bret's shoulders to the mat in the night's opening bout, but not before a spate of hair pulling here, and stiff slapping there.
So good was their chemistry and storytelling, this was a match that was 'Mania main event-worthy on merit.