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Read on to uncover some of the worst Mania matches of all time
Nicknamed “The Immortals’ Showcase” and “Their Biggest Stage,” WrestleMania is WWE’s biggest show of the year. Here feuds are paid off, dream games take place and legends are born. Or at least, that’s the idea. In fact, for every major match or moment at WrestleMania, there is something that goes wrong. Occasionally, some outright disasters occur.
The following list of WrestleMania matches failed to live up to even the lowest expectations. Some are boring, some are weird, but all of them will go on to be infamous as some of the worst games of all time.
Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin
10. Baron Corbin vs. Kurt Angle – Wrestlemania 35
From an in-ring standpoint, this fight wasn’t as bad as the others on this list. Kurt Angle is well past his prime here, but he and Corbyn are passable, if not exciting. Likewise, it makes sense on paper for a young Baron Corbyn to overtake a veteran.
The problem here is that this is Angle’s last game. After a phenomenal career, it was like a slap in the face for him and for the fans to see him go unremarkable against players from China.
Behind the scenes, Angle wanted to take on John Cena in the final fight. Not only is Cena’s name much bigger than Corbin’s, but Cena’s debut was also against Ingres. So this makes sense on many levels. Unfortunately, neither the fans nor the wrestlers get what they want in the world of professional wrestling.
Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
9. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton – Wrestlemania 33
Bray Wyatt’s game seems to go one of two ways. They’re either wildly creative spectacle, or downright ridiculous. Unfortunately, both of his bouts with Randy Orton at WrestleMania fell to the latter.
Their WrestleMania 37 match was arguably weaker from an in-ring standpoint, but this one felt worse because the expectations were higher. Not only is the WWE Championship at stake, but the storyline is certainly engaging, albeit a bit silly at times.
Randy Orton walked into the ring with a snake that, in his words, looked “like a giant sperm” and it wasn’t a good start. Wyatt’s use of “magic” to project images of maggots into the ring was silly at best, and ruined any chance of the match.
Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg
8. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar – WrestleMania 20
On paper, this game should be a fire. In fact, when the two met again more than a decade later at WrestleMania, it was a brief but brutal clash of titans. But this game was disappointing on every level.
The problem is, both were on their way out of the company at the time, mentally outdated. To make matters worse, the Madison Square Garden crowd knew they were leaving, too, booing, jeering, and chanting chants like “Get out of here” throughout.
After a lackluster performance, Goldberg won the race with a jackhammer. Austin followed up with a stunning strike against both, much to the delight of the fans. But even that doesn’t prevent it from becoming trash.
Undertaker vs Giant Gonzalez
7. Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez – WrestleMania 9
Standing 7’7″ (but advertised as 8′), Gonzalez the Giant was a massive man. Seeing someone take over The Undertaker will forever be etched in the minds of many wrestling fans.
Unfortunately, those fans will also remember how bad Gonzalez was at wrestling. Despite his size, he lacks the flexibility or athleticism to do anything. His weird airbrush full body suit makes him look naked and certainly doesn’t do him any favors.
As if to ensure the bout would be a bad one, it also featured a bizarre ending in which Gonzalez was disqualified after using chloroform. It was the only match in The Undertaker’s fabled WrestleMania sequence to end in a DQ.
Undertaker vs Big Boss Man
6. The Undertaker vs. The Big Boss – WrestleMania 15
It feels like a shame to include The Undertaker on this list twice. After all, this man once played some of the greatest Mania matches of all time. He also competed in some of the best Hell in a Cell matches. But he had his worst match against The Big Boss Man.
Boss Man has been the right hand man of WWE and WCW at various times over the years. But at this point in his career, he’s barely eligible to face a star of The Undertaker’s in a feature match in Mania. Instead, it felt like the game was just about giving The Undertaker something to do on the cards while the other big stars were busy.
The two fought their way, and in the end the Undertaker won. “The Lair” then arrives and hangs the big boss with a noose, making for a scene that’s uncomfortable rather than spectacular.
Akatsuki vs Dae Soo
5. Dawn vs. Big Show – WrestleMania 21
At WrestleMania, The Big Show took on boxer Floyd Mayweather in what could very well be the biggest WrestleMania match of his career. While many thought it made The Big Show look bad, losing the bout despite his massive size advantage, it continued the long tradition of wrestlers facing off against the biggest names in sports at the Mania.
Perhaps eager to win another gold medal, or simply to further embarrass Oshu, Oshu faced Japanese sumo superstar Akebono in a legitimate sumo match the following year. The results are ridiculous in every sense of the word.
First, Dawn is not a household name among American audiences like Mayweather is. This game has zero builds or buzz. Plus, The Mawash Show is something no one needs to see.
The only thing worth saying here is that the bout ended less than a minute after veteran sumo wrestler Akebono threw Ohide from the ring.
Jack Roberts vs Rick Martel
4. Jack Roberts vs. Rick Martel – WrestleMania 7
Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel could be a classic. Or, at least, provide a respectable end to a long-running feud. But any chances were dashed when the pair were set to engage in a “blindfolded match”.
Both wore black sacks for the match, but it was clear they both had good eyesight. They still had to pretend they couldn’t, and the result was a flat, ridiculous, gimmicky ending that capped off an entertaining feud.
Kane vs. Cali the Great
3. Kane vs. Cali the Great – WrestleMania 23
If there’s one thing we can learn from this list of bad matches, it’s that size doesn’t necessarily translate to success in professional wrestling.
Like the giant Gonzalez, the great Cali was undoubtedly a giant. However, despite reaching greater heights in his career than Gonzalez, even winning the World Heavyweight Championship, he encountered many of the same problems when working between the ropes.
Kane has to be applauded here for trying to do something in this game while making Cali look like a star. But Cali’s lone singles match in Mania proved to be a flop, not even comparable to Gonzalez’s match against Kane’s Kefabe brother The Undertaker a decade ago.
Miss Wrestling Royal Rumble Winner
2. Miss WrestleMania Royal Rumble – WrestleMania 25
If you want to understand how far women’s wrestling has come, you need look no further than the “Miss Wrestling” Royal Rumble train wreck. What was supposed to be a celebration of women’s wrestling was instead used to showcase the Kid Rock show and featured one of the lame jokes in WWE history.
That punchline? The contest to determine the greatest female wrestler in history was won by a man in drag, with comedian Santino Marella in a pink dress as the victor.
Aside from the closing joke, there’s not much to say about this game, except that it was a missed opportunity and a disaster.
Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole
1. Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole – WrestleMania 27
Jerry Lawler was a Memphis legend in his prime. But it wasn’t until he was in his sixties that WWE gave the then-caster of color his first WrestleMania match. And what about his opponent? Announcer Michael Cole.
Cole has no right to go anywhere near the wrestling ring. But for months, the two were locked in a long, drawn-out feud, with Kerr playing an unsavory role. If Cole gets his comeuppance soon, this game might be better remembered by fans. but it is not the truth.
Instead, the pair engaged in an intricate fourteen-minute doze that featured multiple turnovers. Ultimately, Cole announced his disqualification via email from his laptop. true.
© 2023 Mike Grindel
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