It's amazing how much Kane's career mirrors the Undertaker's. Both debuted as unstoppable dark monster heels that were unusually quick and agile for big men. Both were managed by Paul Bearer during this time. Within the first year, both defeated the top face in the company to become WWF Champion, only to lose it back right away (Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan at the 1990 Survivor Series and lost at Tuesdays at Texas, Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at the 1998 King of the Ring and lost on Raw). From there, both went a criminally long time without holding any major world titles, and their title reigns were incredibly few and far between given their time with the WWE. Both went through two major radical repackagings without officially changing the gimmick (Undertaker became a demonic leader of the Ministry of Darkness before becoming a biker, Kane became unmasked before becoming a corporate stooge). Both fought a mysterious doppelganger (Underfaker at the 1994 SummerSlam, Imposter Kane at... I can't remember offhand). Both fought a McMahon at the 2003 Survivor Series (Undertaker fought Vince in a Buried Alive Match, Kane fought Shane in an Ambulance Match). Both went from using the Tombstone Piledriver, to a chokeslam, to a power bomb as their finisher. And finally, as we saw in this video, both had a terrible match against an immobile big man at WrestleMania (Undertaker vs Giant Gonzalez at WrestleMania 9, Kane vs Great Khali at WrestleMania 23). I know Kane's gimmick was tied to the Undertaker's, but wow, that's pretty impressive how much his entire history mirrors the Undertaker's.
1991 Survivor Series but I totally agree with you. All we needed was for Kane to have Brother Love as his first manager and it would be exactly the same!! Lol 😂
The only thing I remember about that Take/Gonzalez match were the two old men in the audience who got into a fight. Seriously, if you never noticed it, watch the hard cam shot of the ring and look in the background during the entirety of the match. Lol
Good call. WAY too long for what it needed to be. I can forgive a lot due to Bret's condition by that point, but they dragged it out and killed the fun.
Ehhh, I liked it for what is was. It probably went longer than it should have given Bret's condition and that Vince isn't a wrestler, but it was still enjoyable to see Bret beat on Vince with a chair and slap him in the sharpshooter.
I'm a huge Bret Hart mark. This would have been fine if it was Bret Hart hitting Vince with a chair a few times and putting him in the Sharpshooter. What we got was ludicrous.
I only know about that atrocity because of the attitude era podcast. I had stopped watching long before that. I cant believe they took up like 40 minutes for that match. what the f*ck were they thinking?
The thing about Bryan vs Sheamus is that they built it up very well. Daniel Bryan was one of the most hated heels on the roster at the time. Remember, this wasn't "Yes! Yes!" Bryan, this was the epic heel Bryan, who's memorable quotes were (literally): "I.... CAN'T... STOP... WINNING!" "I am a roll model! I am a vegan!" "Stop the slaughter of the cow, and the chicken." "When you eat meat you are poisoning your body." "Shut up AJ." "Let's hear it for AJ! And aw hell, let's hear it for meeeeeeeeeeee!" "Big Show, you are a freak and you don't belong in this business." "I am a GREAT..... CHAMPION! I am a roll model!" Meanwhile Sheamus was being booked as a wrecking machine. He won the Royal Rumble, and then repeatedly conquered every threat that came in his way. Aside from losing from cheese and cheating, Sheamus never lost clean, he practically had a winning streak. I feel like it wouldn't have been realistic to have Bryan last long against Sheamus. The build for Bryan made him look like the biggest coward ever, and Sheamus look like Goldberg. Besides, Bryan's downfall in 2012 ultimately became his rise to success later in the year when he and Kane had the anger management storyline which resulted in the formation of Team Hell No; which gave Bryan so much love from the fans that everyone wanted to see him fight John Cena for the title at Summerslam 2013. If it wasn't for his loss at Wrestlemania 28, Bryan's heel downfall wouldn't have been as severe, and he wouldn't have worked as a sympathetic character in the Anger Management storyline. In conclusion. I think that Bryan's match with Sheamus may seem like a mistake from a modern perspective: but it ultimately worked to his benefit, and at the time it really made a lot of sense.
The Bryan/Sheamus match made perfect sense in the context of the ongoing story. He won the title via a MitB cash-in, which marked his heel turn, especailly as Bryan had cut promos saying he was saving the cash-in for WM. Cashing it in and beating Big Show in less than a minute made him look like a hypocrite. Furthermore, as AlwaysLookCool said, Bryan was a dick about winning the title, and every fluke defense made him more and more dickish. Losing the title in 18 seconds was a perfect comeuppance. However, several key points pretty much undermined the story and fueled the backlash. 1. Bryan was particularly loved by the Internet smarks, who showed up in abundance, especially on the following Raw. The backlash should not have been a surprise, especially as fans wanted to see the quality match they knew Sheamus and Bryan could do--which the would get in the next month. This was also the second year in a row that Bryan and Sheamus were dicked over, as their US title match the previous WM got moved to the pre-show, and then changed into a battle royal when others kept getting involved. 2. A story like that is acceptable for a secondary title. The WWF did something similar for the end of HonkyTonk Man's IC title run in 1988 when he lost the belt to the Ultimate Warrior in under 90 seconds (with Warrior being a mystery opponent due to Brutus Beefcake being taken out of the match after an attack by Ronn Bass). However, for the World Heavyweight title, this seemed just plain wrong, and only further cheapened the belt, which had lost some credibility. 3. This was the opening match on the card, which mean that fans who had not yet made it to the stadium would miss out on this all-important title match. Everything worked out well for Bryan, as he wound up being in main-event matches and angles for the rest of his WWE career, including a classic WWF title match with CM Punk (which still had to take a backseat to Cena/Laurinitis), the "Anger Management" bits with Kane, and Bryan v. the Authority, which ended in one of the best feel=-good endings to WM in recent memory. Whom you should feel sorry for is Sheamus, whose run as the babyface champ of the SD brand (sort of) was pretty much dead in the water. It didn't help that his next major opponent was the increasingly heatless Alberto Del Rio.
I dont know why everyone hates that match so much I loved it. it was so entertaining watching those two meat heads standing there doing nothing and pissing off the crowd. and when they did do stuff it was huge big impact moves. ends with Austin stunners. I dont hate that match.
brendan909 hulk improved greatly in back to back wrestlemania double main events from 8 to 9. WM 8 hulk was in the 2nd main event. But at wm 9 hulk was in BOTH matches in the double main event. That be like hulk losing to champion ric flair via dq at wm 8 then later pinning sid. So, did wm 9 technically have a triple main event like wm 2???
I think Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon deserves an honourable mention at least as well. It was a sad and pathetic final note to cap off Bret's legacy. Everybody was afraid to touch him because he's so fragile, so it was just 11 painful minutes of Bret slowly walking around the ring and delivering some of the tamest stomps I've ever seen.
Dud, what the fuck?! What about Hart vs. McMahon, Wrestlemania 26? I expected it to be an easy #2! How the hell did that not even so much as make honorable mention?!
Except that he didn't. It was 10 solid minutes of the Hart Family beating up Vince while Bret just sat in the ring and watched the carnage, because Bret couldn't wrestle because of Goldberg's botched superkick. It was basically the "Boogeyman-Booker T" problem, cranked up to 11.
Well, it wasn't that great, unless you wanted to see Vince get what he had coming by Bret. Honestly, Bret's match at Wrestllemania 11 was the worst he was involved in.
I'm not talking about Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna I'm talking about Hulk Hogan politicking his way into a non-sanctioned match and crushing Yokozuna in 20 seconds to win the WWF Championship.
this was my nomination as well. The others had some entertainment factor, but this one gets worse and worse each time you watch it. Hogan was a total douche for this finish. Didn't`t sell at all for one of the biggest legends in the business, demanded the title, then left later that year.
More dishonorable mentions: - Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon, WrestleMania 26 - The Rock vs. Erick Rowan, WrestleMania 32 - Roddy Piper vs. Goldust, WrestleMania 12 - Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel, WrestleMania 7 - Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon vs. Doink the Clown and Dink, WrestleMania 10 - Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle, WrestleMania 22 - Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man, WrestleMania 15 - Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T, WrestleMania 2 - Melina vs. Ashley Massaro, WrestleMania 23 - Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao Vs. Demolition, WrestleMania 7 - Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund, WrestleMania 9 - The Bushwhackers Vs. The Fabulous Rougeaus, WrestleMania 5
AceTrainerJack Aw shit I really like that Martel vs Roberts match. Lol the only great blindfold match. And that goldust vs piper match. Lol that was awesome
AceTrainerJack Taker should have faced Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XV not in Hell in a Cell but a street fight. Just have Taker beat up Vince for ten minutes with Vince trying to run away.
AceTrainerJack I happened to like Candice vs Torrie remember this is the same night Mickie did her famous V lick against Trish. the pillow fight match was meant to be silly sexy time but that was a good five minutes 😆.
I'd add the impromptu match between Hogan and Yoko at WM IX and Big Bossman being hanged from the ceiling in WM 15 (granted, it's more about what happened afterwards than the match itself).
I actually thought Number 1 would be Cole vs Lawler. But I guess Lesnar vs Goldberg made sense since the crowd did not care at all for the match and hijacked it.
Why Vince didn't search for a group of wrestlers that support him and make a 6 man tag team match against the Hart Dynasty (Natalya, Tyson and DH Smith)
I paid $20 to watch Wrestlemania 2 on closed-circut. I can tell you that just about any of the undercard matches at Wrestlemania 2 could have been included. Elmer-Adonis was bad, but Jake Roberts vs. George Welles was about as bad. None of that mattered to me because I paid money to see the British Bulldogs win the tag team belts and I was not disappointed.
Eh it was bad, but it wasn't *that* bad. I'd say it deserves a honorable mention at least. Maybe in a list of the worst wrestlemania main events? Because even Undertaker vs Shane (that was kind of underwhelming) deserved to go last more than trips vs reigns did.
As a match, it wasn't terrible enough to be included on this list. Sure, we all knew what the ending was going to be, and sure, it was pretty boring...but to say that it belongs on a list of "worst WrestleMania matches" alongside Taker vs. Giant Gonzales is a stretch.
As someone who had to sit through Bret vs McMahon live....it is the worst match I've ever seen! Most train wrecks like that are at least short....but MAN that dragged on forever!!!!! And nothing really happened to make anyone care.
the miz cena one has a special place in my worst, simply because it's the main event and it doesn't feel like one. Also miz got injured in that assmatch? geez.
In my personal opinion taker vs gonzalez is the absolute worst. It was incredibly boring, had a shitty finish and is the ultimate stain on the legacy of my all time favourite wrestler. Also I am suprised that Bret Hart vs Vince Mcmahon from WM 26 was not on here
4:07 Kind of ironic if you think about it. If I remember correctly, the build-up to this match involved Booker T faking a knee injury to get out of his match at either the Royal Rumble of the Feb. PPV (can't remember which one). So a storyline involving a fake injury culminates with a real one.
I'm sorry but #6 is the worst for me and here's why. Sure other matches on the list were technically worse but #6 had such worse implications. Goldberg vs Lesnar was boring but it didn't mean anything long term. Both guys left. The match was meaningless. What #6 said was women are a joke. Your entire existence is a joke. You are only suited to take off clothing and look good. I cannot put any worse implications for a match worse than that so it's my #1
What a coincidence that this pops up as a recommended watch again just after Goldberg wins the Universal Championship to set up another Wrestlemania match we don't want to see.
is there a full version of the theme song? I've been a fan of this channel for a while since discovering it last year, and it's occurring to me how much I dig that opening theme song. It's an awesome riff.
Boogeyman has a legends contract because he is a good person to have at autograph signings, kids love him. Have also heard he is a delightful person so he is a good representation for the company
Sooooo.... the first miss wrestlemania was won by a dude and the first women's money in the bank match was....won by a dude...i'm noticing a theme here...also i'm extra glad jim cornette slapped the shit out of santino now
ColeVecsion It wasn’t Santino’s idea (of course, he could’ve said no, but even one of the most comedic wrestlers couldn’t say no and not backlash). Besides the Battle Royal itself was a clusterfuck anyway. Thank your lucky stars that 9 years after the fact, the women’s Battle Royal was redone in better fashion. Also Jim Cornette isn’t exactly as innocent as you’d like to believe, he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way over the years, as I’ve heard. Also, you don’t slap someone because they missed their cue to get out of a debuting monster’s way. Santina was an abomination gimmick that did nothing but make the women’s division look like a joke, but it’s not as if Anthony Carelli was the key figurehead of booking it.
Hey Brian! Nice video as usual, as I was watching this I was wondering if a multi-venue WM could ever work? To me they would have a healthy enough roster in a year or so (providing no career ending injuries to guys like Ambrose etc.) to give each venue a handful of upper mid card smark friendly bouts and then at least one main event worthy match. But then again like you said it would be a logistical nightmare
Brock Lesnar VS Dean Ambrose (the most boring match in Wrestlemania history thanks to Lesnar seeming to only want to suplex Ambrose over and over). Brock Lesnar VS The Undertaker (more like Brock Lesnar beats the crap out of an old man cosplaying as The Undertaker, I love Taker but he looked bad in this match). Lawrence Taylor VS Bam Bam Bigelow (a wrestler jobbing to a footballer). Fatal Four Way Pillow Fight/Playboy Evening Gown Match/Playboy Pillow Fight/Playboy BunnyMania/The "Snookie" Match/The Maria Menounos Match (any "match" that was more about the horny teenage boys in the audience than actual wrestling belongs on this list). Floyd Mayweather VS Big Show (more for Mayweather's annoying manager yelling "You 'aight!" every 5 seconds than anything else, although the match itself wasn't exactly great). The Miz VS John Cena (how Miz made it to the main event is beyond me). Team Johnny VS Team Teddy.
I would put the modern and classic line around the early-mid 2000s, when the Rock and Stone Cold took their respective bags home, and around the time John Cena came into the title picture, as well as Shawn Michaels best years with wwe, and a whole bunch of other things. So yeah, 2003, 2004.
The thing about the Ultimate Warrior vs Triple H was like this. Apparently his burial was a combination of Warrior wanting to come in strong again and more punishment for the Curtain Call to Triple H. If I'm not mistaken anyway.
#8 - That was needed so Daniel Bryan could turn face. Daniel Bryan as a heel was NOT a good thing! So this match was not as bad as you thought. #7 - WrestleMania 2 was forgettable all together... #6 - WHOA!!!!!... That's actually my #1 in this category... #5 - King Booker was a bad gimmick, but Sharmell did good in the match in terms of performance. #4 - The Kane/Great Khali match was supposed to be the dud match of WrestleMania 23 to begin with. The Giant Gonzales match with The Undertaker is basically mute thanks to Brock Lesnar. #3 - That match should not exist. I understand giving Michael Cole a WrestleMania moment, but not like that. It's one of the reasons I've always felt bad for him throughout his WWE career. #2 - The Bart Gunn/Butterbean match I get because boxing & pro-wrestling are nothing alike, but the Big Show/Akebono sumo-match was actually entertaining. It does feature a form of wrestling, albeit sumo wrestling, that was pretty interesting, minus the 2 minutes of putting salt on your hands... Also, it was Akebono who challenged The Big Show to a Sumo match through Funaki. Your Honorable Mentions: 1. What wrong with Triple H being buried. It's not like he's done it or anything... multiple times... 2. Not the worst womens singles match of all time (Terri Runnels Vs. The Kat anyone)... 1 - ... I bet you said that just because of this years Wrestlemania, didn't you? ;)
Nice list Brian, agree with most of it, especially #1. One problem, though: Booker wasn't the King of the Ring by Wrestlemania 22 yet. He was still Booker T.
Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon??? Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon??? Triple H vs Roman Reigns, the outcome we saw coming since before Wrestlemania 31 was over???
These are what I think are the worst WrestleMania matches of all time: 1. Baron Corbin vs Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35 2. Bray Wyatt (c) vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33 3. Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee at WrestleMania XX 4. Kane vs Chavo Guerrero (c) for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIV 5. Torrie Wilson vs Candice Michelle in a Playboy Pillow Fight at WrestleMania 22 6. Michael Cole (with Jack Swagger) vs Jerry “The King” Lawler with Stone Cold Steve Austin as special guest referee at WrestleMania XXVII 7. Hulk Hogan vs André the Giant at WrestleMania IV 8. Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal with Mae Young as special guest timekeeper at The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania 9. Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres in a tag team match at WrestleMania XXVIII 10. Ultimate Warrior vs Triple H at WrestleMania XII 11. Nia Jax vs Alexa Bliss (c) for the Raw Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 34 12. Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon with Bruce Hart as special guest referee in a no holds barred lumberjack match at WrestleMania XXVI 13. Kane vs Great Khali at WrestleMania 23 14. Akebono vs Big Show in a sumo wrestling match at WrestleMania 21 15. Big Boss Man vs Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania XV 16. Rowan vs The Rock at WrestleMania 32 17. Giant Gonzalez vs Undertaker at WrestleMania IX 18. Melina (c) vs Ashley in a lumber-jill match for the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 23 19. Adam Bomb vs Earthquake at WrestleMania X 20. The Miz (c) vs John Cena for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXVII 21. Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Biglow at WrestleMania XI 22. Sheamus vs Daniel Bryan (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII 23. Roman Reigns vs Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon) (c) for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 32 24. Owen Hart vs Skinner at WrestleMania VIII 25. Boogeyman vs Booker T and Sharmel in a handicap match at WrestleMania 22 26. Hulk Hogan vs Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX 27. Hulk Hogan vs Sergeant Slaughter at WrestleMania VII 28. Butterbean vs Bart Gunn in a Brawl for All at WrestleMania XV 29. Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, and Rob Van Dam vs Matt Striker, Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn, and Elijah Burke in an eight man tag team match at WrestleMania 23 30. Mr. T vs “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in a boxing match at WrestleMania II 31. Scott Hall vs Bob Backlund at WrestleMania IX 32. Naomi vs Alexa Bliss (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Carmella vs Mickie James vs Natalya in a six pack challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 33 33. Baron Corbin vs Jon Moxley (c) for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 33 (Yes, a match that took place during freaking pregame festivities!) 34. Kalisto (c) vs Ryback for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 32 (Another pregame festivities match) 35. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley in a tag team match at WrestleMania 32 36. Alicia Fox, Brie Bella, Eva Marie, Natalya, and Paige vs Emma, Lana, Summer Rae, and Tamina in a ten woman tag team match at WrestleMania 32 37. Randy Orton (c) vs Robert Roode vs Rusev vs Jinder Mahal in a fatal four way match for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 34 38. WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 35 39. Rey Mysterio vs Samoa Joe (c) for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 35 40. Big Show vs Santino Marella at WrestleMania XXVII 41. John Morrison, Snooki, and Trish Stratus vs Dolph Ziggler, Layla, and Michelle McCool in a six person mixed tag team match at WrestleMania XXVII 42. Alicia Fox, Layla, Maryse, Michelle McCool, and Vickie Guerrero vs Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Mickie James, and Kelly Kelly in a ten woman tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI 43. Undertaker vs A-Train and Big Show in a two on one handicap match at WrestleMania XIX 44. Terri Runnels vs Stacy Carter in a catfight with Val Venis as special guest referee at WrestleMania 2000 45. Triple H (c) vs The Rock vs Big Show vs Mick Foley in a fatal four way elimination match for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 2000 46. Sable (c) vs Tori for the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania XV 47. Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice at WrestleMania VIII 48. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs Bad News Brown at WrestleMania VI (even the fact that it ended in a DOUBLE COUNT OUT) 49. John Cena vs JBL (c) for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21
tbf, in 2020, Santino Morella winning is fine, if he identifies as a woman he is a woman. Doesnt AEW have a man who identifies as a woman wrestling in the womens division?
i'm sick and tired of people talking about how sheamus vs dbry "ruined" bryan or "deligitimized" him... look you idiots and yes that includes zayne because he apparently forgot to look at all the details too bryan's entire story at this point was of a midcarder who's ego outmatched his skill. he won the title through a fluke and he retained through luck and weazling his way out of things. he was never a legitimate threat and the entire story was a lesson in humility. it made all the sense in the world for him to lose in the fashion he did. up until recently the brouge kick was arguably one of the strongest finishers in wwe and brayn lost due to a distraction he wasn't ruined and it didn't deligitimize his run because it was never legit to begin with! the story did everything it was supposed to do. bryan got arrogant due to some success he didn't earn he got brass and arrogant that arrogance was his downfall he then uses this lesson to improve.
KINGD353 what you are saying may be true....but it doesn't mean at wrestle freaking mania a world title match with the royal rumble winner inside should ever be less then a damn minute!
ShaunLovesAnimating eh in the end who gives a Shit? it's just dumb how wwe makes world titles and wrestlemania seem like a big deal despite them doing shit like 18 seconds that provide evidence to the contrary.also stupid of them to shit talk WCW when they are doing some of the same dumb stuff they were doing before their death.
I gave you my like but now I shall take it back. Because the no. 1 entry in this list doesn't even pretend to be objectively justifiable in any capacity. Surely there are worse matches to take the no. 1 spot...
Velvet Mcintyre was actually not supposed to lose like that. There was a wardrobe malfunction partway through the match and an audible was called by the ref to have Moolah pin her to end the match. Notice the foot on the ropes? She was hosed by the broken strap on her uniform.
Nice list Brian, agree with most of it, especially #1. One problem, though: Booker wasn't the King of the Ring by Wrestlemania 22 yet. He was still Booker T.
Brian: "It was only natural for the reasonable well-balanced fans in New York City to give these two grapplers the proper respectful send-off." Fans : "You sold out! You sold out! You sold out!"
i havent heard the expression "shit the bed" in a good long while, so 👍🏼 for that. Its a great expression, especially for any sporting (or sports entertainment...) event and its never used anymore!
Good list. I don't even remember the choice from Mania 2. Its possible it was edited out of the video release of the show I've got? Wise move if so! Spot-on about the Bryan-Sheamus farce actually working for Bryan in the long term. Though that came about by accident not by design as some WWE marks would have you believe.
