Time is running down to WrestleMania 27, and today we take a look at past Mania's, and today it's the 10 best WrestleMania main events in the 26 years of the springtime WWE event.

1. WrestleMania X-Seven: Steve Austin defeats The Rock in a No Disqualification match for the WWF Championship - The ending that many thought they would never see, Steve Austin and Vince McMahon shaking hands. The match between the biggest two stars of the new generation was a classic, as both were at the top of their game for this well put together match in front of a record crowd in Houston.

2. WrestleMania V: Hulk Hogan defeats Randy Savage for the WWF Championship - The "Mega Powers" explode in Atlantic City, and add in Miss Elizabeth to the fray, and you have an emotion filled match that lived up to the billing for a long feud between Hogan and Savage in which Hogan clearly won with some great matches along the way. This one was just the start to a classic spring/summer feud.

3. WrestleMania XIV: Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship - Having Mike Tyson at ringside just added to the intensity of this battle, as Michaels pushed himself to the limit in what would be his last match before leaving for five years. For Austin, it was the true start to the Austin 3:16 Era with a great win with Tyson counting the pin.

4. WrestleMania XIX: Brock Lesnar defeats Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship - A match wrestling fans waited a LONG time to see, Angle and Lesnar went back and forth in a classic match that had plenty of build. A botched ending by Lesnar almost saw him break his neck, but nevertheless the two waged a classic war that is always fun to go back and relive every now and then.

5. WrestleMania III: Hulk Hogan defeats Andre the Giant to retain the WWF Championship - Was there ever a bigger build for a match? Probably not, but it was worth every second of the 13 minute match between the Giant and Hogan. 93,173 watched as many felt Andre was simply unbeatable, but the image of Hogan slamming Andre is one that lives on forever, and it was a battle both wrestlers put at the top of their list for all-time favorite match.

6. WrestleMania XV: Steve Austin defeats The Rock for the WWF Championship - The first of three Mania battles between these two great Hall of Famers (at least Austin is with Rock to go in within the next few years), the two had another back and forth great battle that saw Mick Foley get a chance to count the pin and hand Austin the title. The Rock also started to get cheers during the match, a sign of things to come.

7. WrestleMania 23: John Cena defeats Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship - With Triple H on the shelf, these two faces had a solid near 30 minute match that saw a ton of near falls as Michaels had a final shot to win the strap. Cena again got his share of boos and cheers, but in the end like the year before in Chicago vs HHH, he got Michaels to tap out to the STFU in a great end to a great show.

8. WrestleMania XII: Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart in a 60 Minute Iron Man match for the WWF Championship - Not a huge fan of "Iron Man" matches, but these two mat legends pulled it off and kept the crowd into it without scoring a fall at any point and time. That is until the sudden death, where Michaels scored a pair of super kicks to win his first world title.

9. WrestleMania XXVI: The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - Billed as "The Career vs The Streak," these two future Hall of Fame mat warriors went at it for 23:59 as Michaels refused to go down easy for Taker, who left it all in the ring as well to move to 18-0. In the end, you knew that HBK was done, and it was a great ending that wrapped up with the two shaking hands.

1o. WrestleMania VI: The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan for the WWF and Intercontinental Championships - The first time two faces went at it in a Mania main event, it wasn't your classic mat wrestling clinic, but it kept the crowd on the edge of their feet and the shock of seeing Hogan miss the legdrop and get pinned was a sight that a lot of Hulk fans growing up never felt they would witness.

Labels: andre the giant, hulk hogan, steve austin, the rock, wrestlemania

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

Ultimate Warrior vs Andre the Giant at a Intercontinental Championchip Match.

Labels: andre the giant, ultimate warrior

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

On Wednesday the 14th The Biography Channel is re-airing the biographies of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, along with Mickey Rourke. The Hulk Hogan Biography airs at 9 p.m. and again on Thursday at 1 a.m. ET, followed By Andre the Giant. Rourke’s airs at 10 a.m., 4 p.m. and 4 a.m. Thursday.

Labels: andre the giant, hulk hogan

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

Amazon.com has released the description and cover art of the upcoming paperback book on Andre the Giant, Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life. Here is the description: “Andre the Giant is known to millions beyond the boundaries of the wrestling ring. From his sheer size of 7′ 4″ and 500 pounds to his memorable acting role in The Princess Bride, the circumstances of his life and career ensured him recognition wherever he went. Born Andre Rousimmof in a small village in France in 1946 (to parents of average height, as were his four siblings) he suffered from acromegaly, or giantism, which results in an overabundance of growth hormones. By the age of seventeen Andre was 6 ‘ 7″, and continued to grow throughout his life.

At the time there was no treatment and life expectancy for this rare condition was forty-five. Determined to make the most of his life, Andre looked for a profession where he could put his size to good use and enjoy each day as if it were his last. As a wrestler he travelled to Canada and then to the USA where, under the aegis of Vince McMahon Sr, he quickly became a superstar, performing to crowds of up to 90,000. Chronicling his life and his phenomenal rise to stardom and featuring input from many who knew and worked with him, this book gives readers a unique insight into the man known and loved across the world as the gentle giant.”

Labels: andre the giant

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments

From: WrestleScoop.com

Earlier this week, WWE released new information for a new video game that's in development, WWE's Legends of WrestleMania. Although only 3 out of the 40+ characters confirmed for the game have been announced so far (Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan), reader Trent Prue did some investigating and has uncovered evidence of other roster members. Trent writes, "I was scanning through the new screenshots they have up on IGN.com and the fans in the audience are wearing alot of old school wrestling shirts I spotted a Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Undertaker and Legion Of Doom shirts this is a good indication they will be in the game."

Speaking of the 'Legends' game, LegendsofWrestleMania.com is now online. WWE announced the launch of the site in a press release issued on Tuesday, but the site was not accessable until yesterday. The site includes a video trailer, high-resolution screenshots and a list of game features.

Labels: andre the giant, bobby heenan, hulk hogan

Posted by Matt Loede at 8:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

We continue with our stroll down memory lane today of WrestleMania, as today we will take a look at what I feel is going to be a fun topic - the best and worst ideas of WrestleMania history. Trust me, there has been some very good ideas in the history of this great event, and on the flip side - some really bad ones. Here they are as we keep rolling towards Mania 24.

5 Best WrestleMania Ideas:

1. Hogan vs Andre - No better way to get over 93,000 in an super sized dome but to put two of the biggest stars in the history of a company in a match. Possibly the best part of the whole Andre-Hogan feud was the fact that they really did an excellent job of keeping these two away from each other until this match, with the only real physical contact being at a Saturday Night's Main Event when Andre threw Hulk out of a battle royale.

2. Allowing John Cena to Beat Triple H in Mania 22 - Yes, I realize that this is not a popular choice, but you have to admit, it either made you mad as you know what, or made you happy as ever to see Cena get over clean on HHH with a submission in a main event of Mania 22. We'll see what happens this year as it appears that from all indications, HHH will get his revenge winning the belt back.

3. Mr T. - The mohawked former bouncer was the biggest and best of the celebs in any of the WrestleMania's, and his involvement in the first two teaming with Hulk vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff in Mania one, and then boxing Piper in Maina two were a lot of fun. T really got the company in the mainstream those first two years to get the event over.

4. NOT Giving Lex Luger the WWF Title at WM 10 - Kind of a weird one, but the company was very much in the corner and on the verge of allowing Lex to win the WWF strap around the summer of 1993, and then it was thought he would win the belt at Mania in 1994. Instead, they put together a situation where Lex would have to beat Yokozuna first to win the belt, then beat Bret Hart later, but instead, they basically went over Luger's head to allow Yoko to beat him via DQ, and then later on Bret Hart won the title. Great decision in the long-run.

5. Money in the Bank - It's become one of the best matches on Mania over the past three years, and this year it likely will be again. It's also a very cool stipulation that the winner gets a title shot somewhere down the road. Not like they are going to anytime soon, but here is a vote they keep MITB up for years to come.

5 Worst WrestleMania Ideas:

1. The Hulk Hogan-Sgt.Slaughter Angle - The WWF at the time totally rushed this angle to take advanage of the Gulf War, which was as cheap as a way to try and get heat back in 1992 as you could get. The angle was that Slaughter was turning his back on America, and was now for Iraq. He then won the WWF Title from the Ultimate Warrior at the Royal Rumble, and the match with Hogan was on. Slaughter was a bump machine, and was well past his prime. The timing and the carry out of this feud was done in very poor taste.

2. The 3 Different Venues Idea for Mania 2 - The pull off of WrestleMania 1 was so successful, but then they rocked the apple cart by trying to do events in three different cities on the same night for Mania 2. You had four matches in each city, some of which were downright painful to watch, and the venues seemed a little not with it, as clearly there were seats available for each site. The announcing crews also were off, as you had Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon, and Jesse Ventura as lead announcers, working with very "B" groups. It's an idea they should never do again.

3. WrestleMania IV's Title Tourney - This was just painful to watch. With the title vacant, the company decided to use their showcase event to do a 14-man tournament to decide the new champ. The only matches that anyone remembers is the Hogan-Andre battle in round two, and the finale between Ted Dibiase and Randy Savage. Everything else was like going to the dentist.

4. The Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels "Ironman" Match at WM 12 - I plan on getting heat for this one, and my only response to you is - bring it! This match went 1:01:52, and with no pinfalls till after the 60-minutes expired, I felt this was boring. Sorry mark for "pure techinical wrestling." This to me was one of the weaker main events, and it's becasue they simply had an hour to fill. Give me Hart and Michaels for 25-30 minutes, and it's a masterpiece.

5. The overuse of Celebrities over the years - There have been some pretty awful celebs at Maina, some of which include - Willie Nelson (his singing was pretty bad), Run DMC (the WrestleMania rap in Mania 5 was as bad as it gets), The "Where's the Beef" lady, Morton Downey Jr., and Vana White also deserve a spot on this list.

Labels: andre the giant, bret hart, hulk hogan, lex lugar, money in the bank, shawn michaels

Posted by Matt Loede at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

The other day we took you through the 10 worst Mania matches of all-time, and keeping with our theme, today I want to run though my opinion of the ten Best Mania's overall of all-time. I think that some of the results may actually surprise you when it comes to what cards were overall the best. And these are in the order of number one being the best of all-time and so on and so on...

1. WrestleMania III - March 29th 1987, Detroit MI: Sorry, I can't help but still get chills when I think about this event, possibly still to me the biggest and best event in all of wrestling history. 93,173 was the announced attendence, which to this day is an indoor attendence record. There was so much about this show to love - Savage vs Steamboat, Piper vs Adonis, and of course - Hogan vs Andre. This event truly put wrestling and WrestleMania on the map as the premiere event in wrestling history.

2. WrestleMania X-Seven - April 1st 2001, Houston TX: 67,925 and a great atmosphere in Texas made this a special event, to me the 2nd best Mania of all-time. The Rock vs Steve Austin main event was awesome, and that was just the end of a great night with a solid group of matches - Chris Jericho vs William Regal, Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit, Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon in a street fight, and of course the memorable TLC match in which Edge and Christian won. A great night only second to Mania III.

3. WrestleMania XIV - March 29th 1998, Boston MA: A speical night in which the company used Mike Tyson to push the attitude era over the top. The main was Austin winning his first WWE title vs Shawn Michaels in a classic 20-minute match. You also had Taker vs Kane for the first time, The Rock vs Ken Shamrock, and Triple H vs the late Owen Hart for the European title. A very solid card that came at a time when the company was really gaining momentum.

4. WrestleMania VIII - April 5th 1992, Indianapolis IN: A very good card with a double main event showcasing Ric Flair vs Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice. The Hoosier Dome also had some solid undercard matches, the best of which was Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart for the IC belt. An early heel Shawn Michaels vs Tito Santana, and Undertaker vs Jake Roberts also were the best on the card. The Flair vs Savage match was very well done, and the title change was a bit of a surprise, while the Hogan vs Justice match which ended with the return of the Ultimate Warrior was a pretty fun match as well.

5. WrestleMania XV - March 28th 1999, Philadelphia PA: The first Rock vs Austin match for a main which again, was great. You really could never get a bad Rock vs Austin match in my opinion, so this was very, very good. Plus add in Mick Foley making the three-count, and it was pretty memorable. The rest of the card was okay, Foley beating Big Show by DQ, in a match that was supposed to be to see who would be the ref for the main event, Kane vs Triple H, Sable vs Tori, a heel Shane McMahon vs X-Pac, and a rather bad Taker vs Bossman in a Hell in a Cell which was overlooked. Good card that was clearly defined by the main event.

6. WrestleMania XIX - March 30th 2003, Seattle WA: The first real joint-promotion Mania with RAW and SmackDown, as they did the SmackDown side as the main event for the first and only time, with Brock Lesner and Kurt Angle having a very good 21-minute match that had a scary shooting star press that Lesner missed and almost knocked himself out. The final ever Rock vs Austin match, where Rock won was very good, and the Hogan vs McMahon match was well done, with Roddy Piper being a surprise along with Shane McMahon involved after the match. Jericho vs Shawn Michaels was also very good, going 22:33. Interesting enough the match that no one remembers is Triple H as the World Heavyweight Champion beating Booker T. to retain the title. It's the last time HHH won at Mania.


7. WrestleMania 22 - April 2nd 2006, Rosemont, IL: For an arena with only 17,159, which at the time was a rather small crowd for a Mania, this was one of the hottest crowds I can remember at an event, and their reaction for the main event between John Cena vs Triple H was awesome. It was the first time that a crowd really gave heat to Cena, which now is the "in" thing to do. The Money in the Bank match was very good, Edge vs Mick Foley in a street fight was well done, and about the most confusing part of the night was why the three-way for the World Heavyweight Title between Kurt Angle, Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio was only 9:18, while the Mark Henry vs Undertaker casket match was 9:26. Of course this also leads us to wonder why Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon got over 18 minutes. Nevertheless, a good card and good crowd.

8. WrestleMania VI - April 1st 1990, Toronto, CA: The night was built around the Ultimate Challenge, with two faces going at it with Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior. While the crowd seemed split on the match, the Warrior was supposed to be the next big thing, only to eventually be derailed since he couldn't handle having the belt and Hogan wanting it back. The 22:51 match was pretty good, with a lot of great back and forth, and a memorable ending. The rest of the card was not all that memorable, but the main was so pushed, it didn't matter. Demolition getting the tag belts back and Andre the Giant going face was part of the show, the Roddy Piper-Bad News Brown match was awful, and the mixed tag with Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire vs Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri was okay, but again - it was a mixed tag. Only on the list due to the main event.

9. WrestleMania X8 - March 17th 2002, Toronto, CA: The earliest a Mania was ever held, and it was misbooked in that the Hogan vs Rock match was truly the main event, while by the time we got around to Triple H vs Chris Jericho for the undisputed title it was a letdown. There were some other good matches on the card, but Hogan vs Rock really is what drew the card to be one of the better Manias. Rob Van Dam beat William Regal, Taker beat Ric Flair in a no-DQ match, and a medicore match with Steve Austin vs Scott Hall made up the best of the undercard.

10. WrestleMania 23 - April 1st 2007, Detroit, MI: Over 80,000 at Ford Field, which was a very cool thing to see, and a card that was very well put together with Batista vs Taker being better than we all throught, and Shawn Michaels vs John Cena was a solid 28 minute match. Then you had the build up with Bobby Lashley vs Umaga, which really was a hair vs hair between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon. Good match with a lot of celeb in it from the word go. Money in a Bank was a sick bump show, which gave the crowd a lot to cheer about from the start, but overall, just 8 matches made you wonder if they booked this show enough.

Labels: andre the giant, hulk hogan, randy savage, undertaker, wrestlemania, wrestlemania 3

Posted by Matt Loede at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments