The history of WrestleMania is littered with hidden gems. For every Rock-Austin or Michaels-Undertaker, there’s a fun little contest hidden somewhere on the card. Every year, I scroll through the archives and put together a playlist of some of my favorite/memorable forgotten treasures. For last year’s list, click here. LFG.
WrestleMania’s Hidden Gems, Volume 2
Butch Reed vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania IV) – Butch Reed is one of the more underrated guys of the 1980s. He doesn’t immediately come to mind when you think of stars of the era, but he had a couple of good showings at WrestleMania. This was one of the first round matches of the one-night, winner-take-all, WWF Championship Tournament.
The Brainbusters vs. Strike Force (WrestleMania V) – Anything Brainbusters is gold in my book.
WWF Tag Team Championship Dumpster Match: Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie vs. The New Age Outlaws (WrestleMania XIV) – WrestleMania XIV is largely underrated in my book. A quality main event. Good mid-card, big fight feel, and the right amount of gimmicky bullshit. Take this Dumpster Match as an example. It may have felt like a mess, but it was peak Attitude Era.
The Hardcore Battle Royal (WrestleMania 2000) – It’s like roadkill – you just can’t look away. It was a total clusterfuck, but I watched this one recently, and definitely got the “so bad it’s good” vibe.
Intercontinental Championship: Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal (WrestleMania X-8) – Regal had the honor of opening WrestleMania two years in a row in 2001 and 2002. Both were Intercontinental Championship matches, and both were good. People remember the 2001 storyline with Chris Jericho peeing in Regal’s tea, but this match with RVD is often overlooked.
United States Championship: Chris Benoit vs. MVP (WrestleMania 23) – WrestleMania 23 was a weird WrestleMania. Plenty of great matches, but oddly put together. Maybe this one’s been stricken from the collective memory of wrestling fans because of Benoit, but it was a classic mid-card title bout.
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka (WrestleMania XXV) – A lot of shenanigans involved in this angle, but how about the feel-good moment of Steamboat getting the “you still got it” chants?
Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio (WrestleMania XXVII) – Atlanta didn’t get a very good ‘Mania main event, but they had a fun undercard. That includes this fun little bout between Mysterio and a “Dashing” Cody Rhodes who had lost his smile. This was when Rhodes was wearing the clear plastic mask and selling how ugly he was.
WWE Tag Team Championship: The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The Real Americans vs. RybAxel (WrestleMania XXX) – WrestleMania XXX is one of my favorite ‘Manias of all time. Didn’t feel like there was much of a mid-card, but this fun little tag bout can be found hidden on the pre-show.
Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander vs. Mustafa Ali (WrestleMania 34) – Gotta go with the show stealers from last year. This was an excellent showcase of just what the 205 Live crew can do.
MORE WRESTLEMANIA COVERAGE
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If The First Wrestlemania Happened In 2019…
I’m All For A Big Batista Match At WrestleMania 35
Is WrestleMania’s ‘Big Five’ Concept Officially Dead?
Matches I Do and Don’t Want to See at WrestleMania 35
People Were Mad About Charlotte Being Added to ‘Mania Main Event
Podcast: The Greatest WrestleMania Main Event Of All Time
Re-grading WrestleMania 21
The SoBros Fantasy Wrestlemania Challenge Is BACK For 2019!
The Top 35 WrestleMania Matches In History
Who Should Get The NXT Call-Ups After Wrestlemania 35?
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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