WrestleMania in photographs: 11-20

Taker seemed unfazed by King Kong Bundy’s offense

Nostalgia has a special place in the hearts of professional wrestling fans the world over. As promised in our first edition ‘WrestleMania in Photographs: 1-10’, here we are with the second edition of our WrestleMania Rewind.

Whether we’re on The Road to WrestleMania or in the post-Mania ‘Payback’ season, sipping on a drink whilst reminiscing about past ‘Manias is our favourite pass-time. 

While the first ten WrestleManias were dominated by Hulk Hogan, with a few editions ruled by ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage with Miss Elizabeth and some others by The Ultimate Warrior, the undercards featured names such as The Undertaker and ‘The Heart Break Kid’ Shawn Michaels.

‘Taker and HBK would go on to be an important part of several ‘Manias, right from Michaels’ WM 11 match against Diesel to the Deadman’s upcoming WM 33 matchup against Roman Reigns.

WrestleMania 11-20 include several important editions of The Show of Shows, including ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin’s WWF Championship winning performance at Wrestlemania 14 which many opine, marked the beginning of the ‘Attitude Era’- a Rated-R, no-holds-barred, wild time in the world of professional wrestling.

The latter half namely ‘Mania 19 and 20, saw the rise of young prospects such as Brock Lesnar and John Cena, who’d go on to reach the pinnacle of the sport in the years that followed.

Nevertheless, the second decade of ‘Manias saw Superstars such as HBK, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H and several others take World Wrestling Federation to new heights. Female Superstars such as Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria, Sable and others changed the way pro-wrestling is perceived forever, with their wild and unpredictable characters, roller-coaster storylines and edgy matches. 

WM 11-20 was ruled by HBK, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Mankind featuring the Taker-Kane revelations and so much more. Buckle up folks, you’re in for a wild ride! 

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WrestleMania 11:

 

Bret Hart was at the peak of his popularity after Hulk Hogan’s departure from the WWF.

WWF. Date: April 2, 1995.

Attendance: 16,305.

Venue: Hartford Civic Center. Hartford, Connecticut.

WrestleMania 11 was a bit of an anomaly, so to speak, in the sense that the headlining match featured NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor against Bam Bam Bigelow- a match that received mixed reviews from the pro-wrestling community.

Nevertheless, the WWF World Heavyweight Championship match featured a highly publicised collision between Shawn Michaels and ‘Diesel’ aka Kevin Nash, with Pamela Anderson and Jenna McCarthy acting as valets to Diesel and Michaels respectively.

Razor Ramon beat Jeff Jarrett by disqualification but the WWF Intercontinental title remained with Jarrett, owing to the fight ending via DQ. The Undertaker beat King Kong Bundy, whereas Bret Hart defeated Bob Backlund, both in singles matches respectively.

The main event featuring Bigelow and Taylor was ho-hum, however, the HBK-Diesel match attracted a lot of eyeballs owing to Anderson and McCarthy acting as eye-candy for the WWF Heavyweight Championship bout.

The Undertaker with Paul Bearer makes his way to the ring at Wrestlemania 11.

Taker seemed unfazed by King Kong Bundy’s offense.

 

Taker is often touted as the best pure striker in professional wrestling.

The Deadman claimed yet another scalp at Wrestlemania 11.

Bob Backlund tried his best to outwrestle ‘The Hitman’.

Bret Hart made Bob Backlund quit at Wrestlemania 11.

Jenna McCarthy accompanies HBK to the ring at Wrestlemania 11.

Diesel aka Kevin Nash is walked to the ring by Pamela Anderson.

HBK puts up a fight but Diesel is too much for the smaller Michaels.

Lady Luck saw Diesel win the WWF Championship matchup.

Diesel celebrates his Wrestlemania 11 victory with the ladies- the real main event of the night!

NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor took on Bam Bam Bigelow in a forgettable affair- snoozer of a main event.