The coverage of the grandest stage continues, as PWP’s Eron Ramadanov reviews the good and bad from WrestleMania 13.
Everyone here at Pro Wrestling Powerhouse have different ways of doing reviews for pay-per-views. Some highlight key matches and segments, and others go through every single match and detail. This review will be a little different, as we’re going to do a good and bad list.
Before we do that, let’s get into some background for the event. Heading into WrestleMania 13, the main event was billed early as Sycho Sid was to defend his WWE Championship against The Undertaker. But even though Sid vs. Taker was the last match, it was definitely not the “main event”. We also received a classic between Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin in a submission match, with Ken Shamrock as the special guest referee, where I believe Austin cemented his legacy as a legitimate superstar.
So let’s get into it:
Bad #1 – The Chicago Street Fight
The first bad of this show was the absolutely awful street fight between The Nation of Domination going up against the Legion of Doom and Ahmed Johnson. This match started off with just a mess. I understand that street fights aren’t suppose to be great looking, but c’mon… This was just terrible. I did enjoy Ahmed Johnson coming out in LOD gear, and enjoyed his involvement with the group during that time period.
Good #1 – Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) vs. Goldust (w/Marlena)
Oddly enough, I actually enjoyed this match. I really enjoyed the storyline between the two sides and I loved the involvement from Chyna at the end, with the death grip bear hug on Marlena, which distracted Goldust long enough for Triple H to turn him around, deliver a pedigree and pick up the victory.
This match went about 15 minutes, but felt like it was 25 minutes, which isn’t a bad thing. They told a good story and a solid match. Also, the acting from Goldust at the end was incredible, as the lasting image from this segment is Goldust carrying Marlena to the back with tears in his eyes.
Bad #2 – Rocky Maivia vs. The Sultan (w/The Iron Shiek & Bob Backlund)
Wow… just wow. I almost have no words. Maybe two of the worst gimmicks in WWE history that were actually taken seriously, as both men struggled to really commit. I didn’t really mind The Sultan, who’s now known as Rikishi, tried to make this gimmick work.
In 1997, the Rocky Maivia character wasn’t too bad… maybe, but in 2015, after seeing what that character turns into was just hard to watch. It was so forced and you can hear the fans in attendance chanting, “Rocky Sucks”. The 1997 WWE product was in the middle of a big change, which is why that gimmick wasn’t getting over at ALL.
The match itself wasn’t terrible, but the thing that turned me off to this entire segment of the show is when Rocky Johnson came to the rescue. It was clearly a desperation move to try and get Maivia over, which made it even worse.
Good #2 – Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Probably the only match from this card that most fans still remember to this day. An absolute classic.
This feud was like something that fans of this era had never seen before, as their once hero, Bret Hart was moaning about not being in the main event, but on the other side, you had Stone Cold Steve Austin who was getting cheered, when he was clearly a “heel”. Not only did Hart and Austin put together a great match, but Ken Shamrock added a little extra something that was heavily needed.
Overall, this is probably one of the best matches in WrestleMania history and most importantly, this was the match that gave Stone Cold Steve Austin the official stamp of approval from the fans and cemented himself as the next MEGA-star for WWE.
Bad #3 – Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid
So in 1997, WWE decided on Sid vs Taker for the main event of the show… really? The match itself just wasn’t good. It was slow and boring. The match never got going and had a tough time getting the fans to really care. The only good thing about this match was that Shawn Michaels was on commentary — which got me thinking that maybe he could do some in the future. You never know!
But seriously… this match wasn’t good.
Good #3 – Undertaker winning his the WWE Championship
Even though the match itself wasn’t great, I was happy to see the Undertaker get his first real WrestleMania moment, closing the show as the WWE Champion. Or maybe I was happier that Sid lost… either way, Taker grabs my last good of this article.
Overall, this show wasn’t great. It had one great match, and about two-three good ones. It’s not a WrestleMania to go out of your way to watch… still a little upset that I got stuck with it (kidding, but not really).
Thanks for reading everyone! Continue to follow Pro Wrestling Powerhouse as the Complete Series of the Grandest Stage continues.
I was at this Mania – ringside – and I say to this day – I started the Rocky Sucks chant.
No joke.
It was quiet and I just started yelling ROCKY SUCKS! ROCKY SUCKS!
And everyone followed suit.