The History of WWE WrestleMania: XV

1999: Vince Russo leaves a turd in the WrestleMania punchbowl....

First Union Center - 3/28/99

'Mania 15 holds the distinction, at least according to me, of being the most disappointing WrestleMania in history.  Never before or since has the WWF/E possessed all the tools, talent, and momentum to put on an unforgettable PPV only to completely squander it in almost every possible way.

First the good (there isn't much): The main event of The Rock defending the WWF Title against Steve Austin is a fine match.  Full of crazy brawling and guest referee shenanigans, it captured perfectly the peak of the Vince Russo era, for better or worse.  Rock and Austin would be hard-pressed to have a bad match, so this was just fine (though they would go on to top this match on PPV not once, not twice, but thrice).  It felt more like a good RAW match but given how bad the rest of this PPV is, I'll take it.

This match is the only reason to watch 'Mania 15.

The only other decent matches on this show are Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac, which far exceeded my low expectations (though it really should've been Test in Shane's spot), the Owen/Jarrett vs. Test/D-Lo Tag Title match (which was good but way too short), and the 4-way I-C Title match of the Road Dogg vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust vs. Val Venis.  Now originally Billy Gunn was supposed to be the I-C Champion going in, and Road Dogg was the Hardcore Champ, but Vince Russo decided to swerve everyone and have them switch places, which made no sense and hurt the opening Hardcore Title match.

The other good thing to come out of this show was the Triple H/Chyna double heel turn angle.  During Hunter's match with Kane, heel Chyna turned on the Big Red Monster to reunite with Hunter.  Then during X-Pac's match, they both turned heel on Mr. Waltman, joining the Corporation.  It bordered on convoluted (as did pretty much every angle of the time), but it was a nice double-twist.
The rest of the show consisted of matches that were either too short (Mankind vs. Big Show), forgettable (Sable vs. Tori), or just boring (Undertaker vs. Big Bossman in the worst Hell in a Cell match of all time).

The History of WWE WrestleMania: XIV

WrestleMania raids my hometown to kick off the Austin Era....

Fleet Center - 3/29/98

It's fitting that 'Mania 14 took place on the anniversary of 'Mania 3.  The 14th edition was to the late 90s WWF as the 3rd was to the late 80s.  In both cases a major star (with serious back problems) seemingly nearing the end of his career passed the torch to the man of the hour, and a major boom period followed.

In the main event, Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title, which kicked off possibly the most successful financial run any single wrestler has ever enjoyed.  The match itself, while not a five-star classic, was a very strong main event, and Shawn's performance is nothing short of a miracle given how badly he was hurting at the time.  This would be his final match for over four years.  On the outside of the ring was celebrity guest Mike Tyson, whose presence sparked a media frenzy which garnered a ton of mainstream hype for the event.  This, my friends, is how you utilize a celebrity guest star in wrestling.

The semi-main event slot went to the Undertaker and his onscreen brother Kane.  The buildup for this match lasted about nine months, from the original announcement that Taker had a brother.  When Kane finally debuted, the company did an excellent job of establishing him as an unstoppable monster, and held off giving away too much physical interaction between him and Taker.  By the time this match finally took place it truly felt like Taker would be facing his ultimate adversary, and the match didn't disappoint. This was arguably Taker's best 'Mania match to date and was also a career-making match for Kane.

It's like King Kong vs. Godzilla!  OH MY GAHD!!!

The History of WWE WrestleMania: 13

A "lost smile" threw a wrench into the WWF's plans for WrestleMania 13, but they managed to make some lemonade.  Mixed metaphors.....


Rosemont Horizon - 3/23/97 

1997 was the WWF's ratings nadir during the Monday Night War with WCW.  They were right in the middle of an 82-week trouncing, and their PPV buyrates reflected that - 'Mania 13 did an abysmal .72 I believe.

But early '97 was also the very beginning of the Attitude era, before the WWF even fully acknowledged that the business was radically changing.  Snow-white babyface characters were no longer cool to cheer for; instead it was a foul-mouthed, beer-swilling, redneck bully named Steve Austin who captured the fans' imagination and became their hero.  The company was about to switch gears in a major way.

The WWF's original plan for WrestleMania 13's centerpiece was a rematch of Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels from the previous year.  Shawn apparently suffered a knee injury just 6 weeks before the big show (which may or may not have faked, to avoid doing the job for Bret) and announced that he'd be taking time off indefinitely, thus relinquishing the WWF Title.  This left the company scrambling for a new main event to build the show around. 

Sucky main event, but this was a nice moment

Two title changes later, and the belt was back around the waist of Sycho Sid, who it was announced would be defending against The Undertaker (marking the first time Taker would challenge for a championship at WrestleMania).  Seemingly Taker and Sid tried to emulate the Taker-Diesel match from 'Mania 12, but unfortunately it failed to live up to that match, and a subpar main event was the result.  This match went too long and, as was often the case, Sid looked lost for much of it.  Taker finally won the WWF Title however, giving the show a feel-good ending.

The other big matchup was the aforementioned Steve Austin vs. an angry, edgier Bret Hart in a no holds barred Submission match, with UFC import Ken Shamrock as the guest referee.  The ensuing battle was nothing short of legendary.  From an action standpoint there have certainly been better matches (including Bret-Austin 1 at Survivor Series '96, IMO), but I can't think of a better example of pure storytelling in a wrestling match (in WWE at least).  Bret went into this match the babyface and left a reviled, vicious heel.  Austin went into the match a nasty bully and emerged as a gallant, tough-as-nails anti-hero.  The visual of Austin being trapped in Bret's Sharpshooter as torrents of blood streamed down his face became one of pro wrestling's iconic images.  Masterful work by both guys.

Is there a more violently iconic image in the history of wrestling?

The History of WWE WrestleMania: XII

Shawn Michaels realizes his Boyhood Dream.....

Arrowhead Pond - 3/31/96

'Mania 12 was a quantum leap over its predecessor in terms of big-show presentation and wrestling quality.  The card featured only six matches (plus one on the pre-show), but the WWF showcased their talented if somewhat shrunken roster plus a few nostalgic stars, with no guest celebrities whatsoever, and the result was a very solid show with few bad spots.

The hot opener was a very strong six-man tag with Vader, Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith facing off with Yokozuna, Ahmed Johnson, and Jake Roberts. Yoko had just turned babyface after being scorned by manager Jim Cornette in favor of Vader.  Had Yoko's team won he'd have gotten Cornette in the ring for five minutes.  This star-studded match was fast-paced and helped build the Vader contingent as a dominant heel faction, after Vader took out Jake with a Vader Bomb.

Next up was the bizarre Backlot Brawl between Goldust and Roddy Piper - a very violent, stiff fight shot in the parking lot.  This portion of the "match" taken by itself was pretty solid and accomplished what it needed to.  Unfortunately it led to a lame recurring O.J. Simpson joke throughout the show and ended with Piper stripping Goldust down to his lingerie in the ring.  Not sure you could get away with an ending like this today.

STONE COLD!  STONE COLD!  ST-- Oh wait, that wasn't a thing yet?

In the third slot was the debut of a young lion named Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had a decent midcard bout with Savio Vega.  Nothing mindblowing, but not a bad 'Mania debut for the future Hall of Famer.  Austin won after hitting Savio with manager Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Belt and slapping on a very bad looking Million Dollar Dream sleeper hold.

The fourth match was the only real throwaway of the night, as rising star Hunter Hearst Helmsley was killed dead by the returning Ultimate Warrior (who would be gone from the company again four months later and did basically nothing to increase ratings).  A pointless 90-second squash on the biggest PPV of the year.  Warrior infamously informed Hunter backstage, "I'm beating you in 90 seconds."  Things would get worse for HHH over the next few months in the wake of his friends Hall & Nash leaving.

The History of WWE WrestleMania: XI

This here WrestleMania is what you might call "half-assed."

Hartford Civic Center - 4/2/95

Here's one of those WrestleMania shows that felt nothing like a supercard should.  The HCC was probably the worst venue ever chosen for 'Mania, and while there was nothing out-and-out offensive on the card, it also didn't seem special in any way.

The WWF tried to create a media blitz by featuring Bam Bam Bigelow against NY Giants superstar Lawrence Taylor, much like they featured Mr. T a decade earlier.  The only problem was #1 LT wasn't a household name like Mr. T, and Bam Bam was a midcard heel with little main event credibility.  The fact that this match went on last is astounding.  It was an ok bout, and LT did the best with what little wrestling acumen he possessed.  But this is a perfect example of why non-wrestling celebrities should not be given an in-ring role, especially if they're supposed to be the babyface.  It leads to a no-win situation, as the non-wrestler basically has to win the match to keep the audience happy, but it makes the actual wrestler look incredibly weak when he loses to an untrained guest star.  If anyone with even a modicum of athletic ability can train for a month and beat an established veteran wrestler, what's so difficult about being a trained veteran wrestler?

So.  You're goin' with that as the main event?  Alright then.

The real main event of the show was also the only real bright spot on the card, as former friends Diesel and Shawn Michaels battled for the WWF Title.  Diesel's sudden main event push was the WWF's attempt to recreate the success of Hulk Hogan.  Sadly Kevin Nash had nowhere near the overwhelming fan support Hogan did, and the Hartford crowd actually ended up cheering the breathtaking athletic abilities of Shawn Michaels.  Even in losing the match, Shawn positioned himself as the next main event babyface.

The History of WWE WrestleMania: X

Well this is more like it.  Moving into the era of The New WWF Generation.....

Madison Square Garden - 3/20/94

For the tenth edition of 'Mania, the WWF returned to the hallowed Madison Square Garden.  This installment featured not one, but two WWF Title matches, as co-Rumble winners Bret Hart and Lex Luger each got a crack at Yokozuna's championship.

However it was the opening bout and a match where Shawn Michaels danced with a ladder that stole the show.

Since Luger won the coin toss to face Yokozuna first (not sure why that's winning exactly, but ok), Bret had to wrestle a secondary match prior to getting his own title shot.  Luckily for everyone, he had just begun a feud with his brother Owen, and the Hart brothers tore the house down in the opening contest.  Famously the brothers had worked out an action-packed, high-flying match but Bret realized the night before the event that a bunch of aerial moves would get Owen cheered instead of booed.  So they scrapped everything and started over.  No complaints from me - this match was twenty minutes of some of the finest wrestling I've ever seen, capped off by a career-making win for Owen. 

Still one of the best matches of all time

One of the weirder matches I've witnessed took place third on the card, as Randy Savage fought Crush in a variation of a Falls Count Anywhere match.  Now I'm not sure if someone in charge was drunk when they came up with this, or if they were just confused by the FCA rules, but in this case the object was to pin your opponent outside the ring, roll back into the ring, and hope the opponent couldn't get back in within 60 seconds.  There were three falls in this match before Crush finally failed to get back within the time limit, which meant that in a 9-minute match, nearly 3 full minutes consisted of one of the wrestlers waiting inside the ring for the other to climb back in.  Did TNA come up with these rules?

The History of WWE WrestleMania: IX

A unique presentation couldn't save this show from its abysmal ending....

Caesar's Palace - 4/4/93

What an odd little piece of wrestling lore this event was.  From the Roman-themed venue/set design to the size mismatch of the main event, this installment was nothing if not unique.  It was the first outdoor WrestleMania and the first without both Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura on commentary - Jim Ross made his WWF debut instead (helluva way to start a new job!).  It also featured a much younger overall roster than previous shows, as quite a few stars made their 'Mania debuts here.

'Mania 9 is considered by many to be the worst of the bunch.  I don't agree with that statement, but it's certainly something of a mess.  The show started out well enough, with a strong I-C match between Shawn Michaels and Tatanka that actually got more time than any other match and featured the added intrigue of Shawn's ex-manager Sherri Martel facing off with Luna Vachon.  Things continued from there with a very good Steiners-Headshrinkers tag match that included one of the crazier spots I'd ever seen - Rick Steiner countering a Doomsday Device by catching Samu midair and nailing a belly-to-belly suplex.  Even Crush vs. Doink was passable in slot three - a goofy but sort of enjoyable brawl showcasing Doink's diabolical heel antics.

The show took a downturn with the bewilderingly short Bob Backlund vs. Razor Ramon, and then became a total clusterfuck as Money Inc. took on the returning Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake for the Tag belts.  The match dragged on for 18 minutes and was painful to watch, and ended with a DQ win for Money Inc.  Sadly this would not be the last we saw of Hogan that night.

Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect looked spectacular on paper but failed to crack 2-star territory, and the Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales flat-out stunk up the place.

One of the most disappointing matches ever

Which brings us to the WWF title match.  What a bizarre main event - an established smaller workhorse against a totally unproven 500-pounder.  Bret Hart managed to get a quite entertaining little match out of Yokozuna, and then everything went to hell.

The History of WWE WrestleMania: VIII

WrestleMania returns to a stadium for a show that was half-great....

HoosierDome - 4/5/92

'Mania returned to a more fitting venue in 1992, as the WWF took over the HoosierDome in Indianapolis.  This stadium actually resembles a smaller Silverdome, so it made 'Mania 8 feel like a big deal.  The influx of new headliners, fresh matchups, and the double main event certainly didn't hurt either.

Seemingly the obvious main event for the 8th edition was Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title.  It was the biggest dream match in the business, and throughout the 80s fans speculated on who was the bigger star.  Unfortunately the WWF somehow blew the whole thing by presenting this gigantic matchup with little fanfare, on a series of 1991 house shows.  And the match evidently didn't blow anyone's skirt up.  Couple that with Hogan deciding to take some time off in 1992, and the big dream match was off for WrestleMania.

Instead Flair defended the Title against a much more skilled opponent in Randy Savage, and Hogan once again tried to duplicate the Hogan-Andre dynamic by wrestling Sid Justice.

The WWF Title match was excellent and became the strongest WWF Title match in WrestleMania history at that time.  Flair and Savage put on a classic seesaw match that would launch the Macho Man back to the top of the roster.  Bafflingly, this match was not put in the main event slot, which sort of robbed Savage of his glorious WrestleMania moment.  Flair-Savage was fifth on the card of nine matches, and unfortunately everything that followed it was mediocre or worse.

Great shot.  Great match too.

The History of WWE WrestleMania: VII

It's a Star-Spangled WrestleMania.....in a tiny venue....

L.A. Sports Arena - 3/24/91

The seventh installment ended up being one of the most forgettable.  What was intended to be a record-smashing supershow in front of 100,000 fans at the L.A. Coliseum was relegated to the 15,000-seat Sports Arena when ticket sales fell horribly short of expectations.  That will happen though when your main event is little more than the exploitation of a minor real-life skirmish in the Middle East.  Why the WWF thought the US vs. Iraq angle would draw big business I'm not sure, especially since the real conflict ended over a month before WrestleMania.

Sgt. Slaughter was inexplicably brought in as a turncoat and almost immediately handed the WWF Title at the Royal Rumble, all so he could face the American Hero Hulk Hogan.  Surely a Hogan vs. Warrior rematch would've drawn the numbers they wanted, so I'm still unclear why they didn't go that route.

The match was what it was.  It certainly could've been worse, but it definitely wasn't good.  It's widely considered one of, if not THE worst all-time WrestleMania main event.  Slaughter was about as unworthy a WWF Champion as there's ever been and it was a sad day indeed when Hulk Hogan is by far the better worker in a given match.  This meandering brawl lasted over 21 minutes before Hogan mercifully put an end to the proceeding with the ol' big boot-legdrop combo.  Sadly this didn't even end the feud, as it stretched on and off until SummerSlam.  Christ almighty.....

Yep.  Can't imagine why this didn't sell 100,000 tickets.

'Mania 7 was saved however by the semi-main event of Randy Savage vs. The Ultimate Warrior, with the stipulation that the loser would have to retire.  This feud had been brewing for several months while Warrior was WWF Champion, but Savage was battling nagging injuries and was thus unable to compete for a while.  Though I don't consider this match nearly as great as most do, it was easily one of the WWF's best of 1991.  This match paved the way for the overuse of finishers in big matchups (see Austin vs. Rock).  Savage hit five flying elbow smashes in a row and failed to get the pin, and the Warrior finally won after three flying tackles.  Post-match Savage's manager Sherri Martel attacked him, having lost her meal ticket due to the retirement stip.  Who should come to Savage's rescue but Miss Elizabeth, much to the delight and tears of the crowd.  Savage would spend the next several months as a commentator before returning to action that November.

AEW Revolution 2025 Review: All Kinds of Awesome

Welp, AEW Revolution once again set an extremely high bar for every other wrestling PPV to try and clear.  Jesus, this was a helluva show.  One of the best cage matches of all time, one of the best women's matches of all time, a host of other great bouts, significant story progression, a clear direction for next month's main event, and a mostly very hot crowd.  I'd have maybe changed up the match order for reasons I'll get to, but overall this was yet another stellar show from a company that's been building great momentum over the last couple months.

The opener, surprisingly, was MJF vs. Hangman Page.  They had an excellent wrestling match where MJF worked Page's arm in between moments of trying to avoid him.  Max hit Page with a front pelvis attack, which pissed Page off.  Page kept trying to set up the Buckshot Lariat but Max kept rolling out of the way.  Page finally hit one but Max was too close to the ropes.  They fought outside and Page went for a Tombstone piledriver but his arm gave out.  Instead he moonsaulted into position but Max reversed and hit a Tombstone on an open folding chair, which looked brutal.  Page barely made it back into the ring in time.  Page hit a sick-looking Angel's Wings, in tribute to Christopher Daniels, that planted Max right on his face (I hope he's alright) and then hit another Buckshot for the win.  Great opener that left room for a rematch.  ****1/2

Oscar Film Journal: The Hollywood Revue (1929)

Still chipping away at some old Academy Award nominees and bangin' out some Oscar Film Journal entries here at Enuffa.com!

Therefore let's talk about another nominee from the 1920s, The Hollywood Revue, essentially a stage bound song and dance show captured on film at a time when audiences marveled at the fact that movies now had sound.  To capitalize on this still-novel technological innovation, MGM put all their contracted stars in one extravaganza, complete with three segments shot in two-strip Technicolor.  There's no narrative or drama here, just some songs (including "Singin' in the Rain"), a lot of dancing and a bit of light comedy.  The show is MCed by Jack Benny and features appearances from Laurel and Hardy, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, Charles King, Bessie Love, Anita Page (the three stars from the studio's Oscar-winning The Broadway Melody), Buster Keaton, Lionel Barrymore, and so on.  

The History of WWE WrestleMania: VI

In my opinion the worst WrestleMania of all time.  Fight me.....

The Skydome - 4/1/90

'Mania returned to a stadium setting in 1990, with a gigantic face vs. face main event for both of the singles championships.  Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior was arguably an even bigger match than Hogan vs. Savage, in that it had never happened before and featured the company's top two babyfaces head to head.

The match itself was similar in style to the Hogan-Savage match from a year earlier, except it lacked a great wrestler to carry the workload.  Hogan and Warrior did what they could, but two mediocre wrestlers squaring off for 20+ minutes can only do so much.  While the aura surrounding the match was pretty epic, the match itself always left me rather bored, and I consider it one of the more overrated matches in WWF/E history.  It was notable however for being one of the few times Hulk Hogan ever jobbed cleanly.  This was a true passing of the torch (which unfortunately didn't really stick, but that's beside the point); a rare example of Hogan acting unselfishly and putting his stamp of approval on a would-be successor.

A titanic battle.....between two mediocre workers.

AEW Revolution 2025 Preview & Predictions

Ho-lee shit, look at the lineup for this Sunday's AEW Revolution PPV.  In terms of match quality this might be the most on-paper stacked show this company has ever put together.  Look past the main event which is, granted, not the most exciting thing story-wise but should still deliver big in-ring, and there's a murderer's row of ****+ matchups.  AEW is definitely trying to keep the Revolution streak alive.  The build for this entire show has been excellent and AEW has had more momentum over the last couple months than they've had in a long time.

I'm just gonna get right into it....

Zero Hour: Big Boom AJ/Orange Cassidy/Mark Briscoe vs. Johnny TV/MxM

Yeah they're still capitalizing on Big Boom and his YouTube followers, but whatever, it's on the pre-show and doesn't matter.  If it entices some extra PPV buys, cool.  The babyfaces obviously win.

Pick: Big Orange Briscoe

AEW Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate vs. The Outrunners

Alright, down to business.  The Outrunners are finally getting a real tag title shot, and while they sorta banana-peeled into it, the crowd should be pretty hot for this.  Magnum and Turbo are super popular and Lashley and Benjamin are over like crazy.  I predict a lot of dueling chants.  There's no way THS is losing the belts already but hopefully The Outrunners will look good in a loss the same way Harley Cameron just did.

Pick: Hurt Syndicate retains

The History of WWE WrestleMania: V

The first WrestleMania I was able to watch live as it happened, via closed-circuit television....

Trump Plaza - 4/2/89

Oh we're still in this weird convention center, are we?  The fifth installment marked the first and only time the supercard was held in the same arena two years in a row.  'Mania 5 was also a 4-hour card and featured 14 matches.  This show succeeded where IV failed however in showcasing a mammoth featured bout, as former allies Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage collided for the WWF Title.

Hogan-Savage was the first WrestleMania main event that was actually a strong wrestling match, and also the first to exceed the fifteen minute mark.  If Savage-Steamboat was the prototypical WWF workrate clinic, Hogan-Savage was the model for how to do an epic WWF main event match.  It was full of action, reversals, drama and intrique, and until the inevitably stupid "hulk-up" comeback/no-sell in the final minute, it was one of the best matches of 1989.  It was also the 18-month culmination of one of the best story arcs in wrestling history: the formation, ascension, and eventual implosion of the MegaPowers.  This was a brilliantly executed angle from start to finish.  Unfortunately Savage's stock was pretty damaged by this feud and he spent the next couple years as just another guy.

Savage looks less than thrilled about being tossed out of the main event picture.

The WrestleMania Intercontinental Title match somewhat returned to form as the Ultimate Warrior faced Rick Rude in a near show-stealer.  Their Summerslam rematch five months later would overshadow the initial clash, but this is still a fine undercard match with a great cheap ending - Warrior went to suplex Rude from the apron into the ring when Bobby Heenan tripped Warrior and held his leg down, allowing Rude to fall on top of him for the pin.

WrestleMania V was another show that simply had too much going on (a pattern that would continue for a couple more years), and a few trims to the lineup could've made this a much stronger overall card (Did we really need Heenan vs. Red Rooster, Dino Bravo vs. Ronnie Garvin, or Jim Duggan vs. Bad News Brown?).  Still there were a lot of fun little matches.  The opener, Hercules vs. King Haku was better than it had any right to be, Mr. Perfect vs. Blue Blazer was a solid showcase of unorthodox offense, the Hart Foundation vs. Honky Tonk & Valentine was a nice tag match, and the Rockers' 'Mania debut against the Twin Towers ended up as a very enjoyable size mismatch and one of the best bouts of the night.

Shawn's first WrestleMania

The History of WWE WrestleMania: IV

Continuing with Enuffa.com's History of WrestleMania, today I'll be covering the one edition that featured a championship tournament.  And it ended up kind of a bloated mess....

Trump Plaza - 3/27/88

'Mania IV was assembled with the intent of giving us the biggest edition to date, with the centerpiece being the first-ever WWF World Title tournament, the result of a controversial Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant match on NBC that saw Hogan screwed out of the Championship only for Andre to turn around and sell the belt to Ted Dibiase.  WrestleMania IV featured a huge roster and was expanded to three-and-a-half hours to accommodate the sprawling 16-match card.

Unfortunately this show suffered from simply having too much going on, not to mention some absolutely terrible booking.  The tournament involved 14 men and all by itself necessitated 11 matches.  As a result almost none of the tourney matches, including the final, were given enough time to be very memorable.  The venue is also a far cry from the Silverdome, Trump Plaza being a rather cavernous arena where the crowd consisted largely of Donald Trump's business associates who showed almost no enthusiasm for the four-hour wrestling bonanza.

This was goofy fun

The undercard featured a battle royal (which was fun but of little importance except as a way to turn Bret Hart babyface after he was doublecrossed by Bad News Brown), Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules in a clash of powerhouses (which was so short as to barely warrant a mention), a British Bulldogs/Koko vs. Islanders/Bobby Heenan six-man tag, nowhere near as good as the previous year's Bulldogs-Harts match, which ended in similar fashion with the non-wrestler pinning one of the Bulldogs.  Those poor Bulldogs....

There were also two title matches - I-C Champion The Honky Tonk Man faced the wildly popular Brutus Beefcake in a brief and forgettable DQ loss, while Strike Force and Demolition was one of the few strong matches on the card, ending with Ax murdering Rick Martel with Mr. Fuji's cane in a finish very similar to the WrestleMania I Tag Title match.  Thus began Demolition's record-breaking title run.

The WWF Title tournament itself was fine in theory but very poor in execution.  Only four of the 14 participants really had a chance of leaving 'Mania as the Champion, and two of them were eliminated in their first match.  The Hogan vs. Andre quarterfinal bout marked the first time a WrestleMania featured a rematch from the previous year.  Sadly where their 1987 encounter was extremely memorable and has achieved legendary status, its 1988 threequel was little more than a throwaway designed to get both men out of the tournament (via a clumsy-as-shit double disqualification after Hogan hit Andre with a chair, then Andre hit Hogan with the same chair).  Really the only standout match in this entire tourney was the first-round match between Ricky Steamboat and Greg Valentine.  Everything else was either too short (Bam Bam Bigelow vs. One Man Gang for example, which ended when OMG refused to let Bam Bam back into the ring and the referee inexplicably counted Bigelow out), inoffensive but instantly forgettable (Dibiase vs. Don Muraco), or yawn-inducing (Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude, which took place after their feud-inciting angle involving Jake's wife was taped, but before it aired).

The History of WWE WrestleMania: III

The one edition that's totally critic-proof....

Pontiac Silverdome - 3/29/87

Now we're talkin'.  WrestleMania III was, and possibly still is, the biggest wrestling supercard of all time.  Arguably no single wrestling match has carried the sheer magnitude or mainstream appeal of Hogan vs. Andre.  There's a consensus among wrestling fans who grew up with this show: When it comes to WrestleMania III, star ratings need not apply.

Let's be honest, Hogan vs. Andre is a terrible, terrible match from an in-ring standpoint.  Had that been Dan Spivey vs. Big John Studd performing the exact same match, it would've been booed like X-Pac and ranked high on the all-time DUD list.  But somehow the mediocre Hogan and the damn near immobile Andre captured the imagination of everyone on that night, and delivered the best and most memorable awful match in history which climaxed with The Bodyslam Heard 'Round the World.

On the other end of the workrate spectrum lay the #2 draw of the night, Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat.  What can I say that hasn't been said already?  It's an all-time classic; a near-perfect match that has stood the test of time and then some. 'Mania 3 is remembered just as much for this match as for Hogan-Andre, and it became the prototype for the WWF-style five-star match.  Sadly Steamboat's planned long-term Intercontinental Title run was derailed when he asked for a reduced schedule to focus on his newborn son, and this would be his last great WWF match.

Goddamn this match is 17 kinds of awesome.

Oscar Film Journal: Nickel Boys (2024)

The 97th Oscars may be over (Congratulations to Anora for scoring the big statuette, well-deserved!), but the Enuffa.com quest to see all 610 Best Picture nominees keeps rollin' along (I'm currently at 328).....

Another nominee at the 97th ceremony was RaMell Moss's powerful narrative feature film debut Nickel Boys, based on the novel by Colson Whitehead (itself inspired by an appalling true story of racism, abuse and murder at a Florida reform school).  Set mostly in 1960s Jim Crow-era Florida, the story follows a young black man named Elwood Curtis, raised by his grandmother, who shows interest and aptitude in both school and in the Civil Rights movement.  Elwood is accepted into a free college program but makes the mistake of hitchhiking to the college, his driver stopped by the police for operating a stolen car.  Elwood is sent to the segregated Nickel Academy and subjected to harsh, racist conditions.  He meets another student named Turner and the boys form a strong bond together.  Turner is cynical about ever experiencing a better life, while Elwood is ever-optimistic and envisions justice and equality for himself and his fellow African-American students.  

The History of WWE WrestleMania: 2

For the first and only time, WrestleMania emanates from multiple venues....

Nassau Coliseum/Rosemont Horizon/L.A. Sports Arena - 4/7/86

'Mania 2 was possibly the strangest of them all.  It took place from three different locations on a Monday(!) night.  The multi-venue format was clearly in response to Jim Crockett's Starrcade '85 being broadcast from two venues a few months earlier.  Three is bigger than two I guess, so Vince opted for a live one-hour card from three different time zones.  Unfortunately this made for a rather uneven show, and worse, the commentary suffered as the A-crew was split up and paired with B-level commentators and/or celebrities who knew nothing about the product.

Each hour of the show featured a main event match, preceded by three undercard matches (some of which were oddly truncated to the point that their inclusion at all is rather baffling).

The Nassau portion of the show was easily the weakest, headlined by a worked boxing match between Piper and Mr. T.  There is little in the sports-entertainment business that is less exciting to me than pretend boxing.  It simply doesn't work, especially when neither participant is particularly good at it.  Neither of them looked like legitimate fighters and the match was little more than a barrage of pulled punches.  An actual wrestling match could have been much more entertaining.

Wow, this stunk...

The first third of the show was notable for the WrestleMania debuts of Randy Savage and Jake Roberts, neither of whom really got to show what they were capable of.  The opening match on this show was probably the most disappointing, as on paper Don Muraco vs. Paul Orndorff looks pretty good.  Sadly they were only given about 4 minutes and they went to a rushed double countout.  Savage's match was by default the best of the Nassau portion, but it was little more than a comedic spectacle as his opponent George "The Animal" Steele was so uncontrollable.

The History of WWE WrestleMania: I

Hello and welcome to this special Enuffa.com blog, The History of WrestleMania!  This series will discuss and dissect all 36 previous installments of the annual supercard and determine what I feel were the highlights and lowlights each year.

WrestleMania season is usually one of my favorite times of the year, and I always find myself reflecting back on the storied history of this great spectacle.  I think about some of my favorite 'Mania matches, what makes a great 'Mania card, and why some shows were so successful while others really don't deserve to fall under the WrestleMania banner.  For the record, I'm writing this piece completely from memory, which should give you some idea of how sad and twisted I am.

So without further prattling on, let's get to it.

Madison Square Garden - 3/31/85

This of course was the show that started it all.  The great McMahon gamble that paid off not in spades, but truckloads of money.  This was one of the first truly mainstream wrestling events on a national scale, and the hype allowed the WWF to break into the pop culture vernacular.

Surprisingly though, the inaugural 'Mania card more resembled a house show than a true supercard.  For one thing, having a tag team match as the main event rather than a WWF Title match seems like such an odd choice.  Hulk Hogan's ongoing feud with Roddy Piper was such a draw it seems like a singles match for the belt would be the natural main event.  However the WWF put that match on MTV that February as a way to hype 'Mania.  Clearly it worked, but it made for kind of a watered-down main event for the supercard.  Hogan/Mr. T vs. Piper/Orndorff was fine for what it was, but I hardly consider it a classic.

I always dug this poster for some reason.
These two guys together would beat Rocky Balboa's ass!

This match also began the trend of celebrities getting involved in big money matches as actual competitors.  It occurs to me that the match would've been greatly improved by swapping T out for Jimmy Snuka.  But I suppose seeing T wrestle was part of the draw.  Mr. T certainly looked like he could hang in the ring with the actual wrestlers but I've always felt that having celebs wrestle damages the business somewhat.  More on that later....

The show was also not very stacked for such a marquee event.  To be fair, the WWF's roster would expand considerably after this show (Savage and Jake would arrive, the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs would form).  Elsewhere on the card we had Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd in a bodyslam challenge (again, this felt watered-down since it wasn't a traditional wrestling match but ended when one man bodyslammed the other) which aside from the spectacle was just two nearly immobile guys plodding through a short match.

The first 'Mania also inexplicably featured several glorified squashes.  Tito Santana vs. The Executioner opened the show and was roughly the kind of match you'd see on Wrestling Challenge.  King Kong Bundy vs. S.D. Jones and Ricky Steamboat vs. Matt Borne also fell into that category.  Hardly worthy of the biggest show of all-time (at that point anyway).

First match in WrestleMania history

WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 Review: John Cena Is a Heel

WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 is in the history books, and overall it was a very good, historic show that served as a good setup for WrestleMania 41.  You had two strong Chamber matches, a show-stealing fight, a filler tag match, and a big angle to close the PPV.  I have some gripes about a few things, but this was one of WWE's better offerings in recent years.

The show opened with what I thought was the superior of the two Chamber bouts, the women's match.  Liv Morgan in particular shined in this match as one of the first two participants and the last one to be eliminated.  By the end she had welts all over her from various bumps.  Liv and Naomi were the first two combatants, the bell rang and suddenly Jade Cargill came out and was able to get into the Chamber because the door was still open.  So wait, you mean to tell me the officiating is so sloppy they couldn't get the cage door shut in the time it took for the bell to ring and for Jade to make her slow entrance in a stadium??  That's some bad storytelling.  Anyway, Jade made it look like she was going to attack Liv (who sold it like she was terrified), but instead went after Naomi, beating the crap out of her.  Naomi was ruled unable to continue, which is pretty fuckin' thin considering basically all the women in the match took more punishment than she did; why couldn't Liv have just pinned her right away?  Liv gloated as the officials took Naomi away and then Belair was the next entrant.  Liv got the advantage early as Belair was preoccupied with her injured friend.  Roxanne Perez was next and ran wild for a little while, before Bayley entered.  Alexa Bliss was the final entrant.  They all exchanged some good, crisp action before Liv took Bayley out with Oblivion. Alexa pinned Roxanne after Twisted Bliss.  Alexa hit Bianca with Sister Abigail but got rolled up by Liv for the pin.  The match really got good when it was down to just Bianca and Liv.  Morgan repeatedly whipped Bianca into the cage with her braid, but Bianca came back and swung Morgan repeatedly into one of the pods.  At one point while they were fighting on top of the pod, Bianca whipped Liv with her braid, which made a loud cracking sound and left a sick-looking welt.  They settled back in the ring and tried to finish each other off but Bianca countered Oblivion and hit the KOD for the win.  Very good Chamber that built to a strong peak.  ****1/4

Oscar Film Journal: The Broadway Melody (1929)

Welcome to another edition of the Oscar Film Journal, here at Enuffa.com!

Set your Wayback Machine for almost a century ago to 1929, when the Hollywood musical was born, more or less.  Sound films were all the latest rage, particularly sound films that featured singing and dancing.  One of the most significant films of this type was entitled The Broadway Melody, which went on to be the first sound film (and only the second film overall) to win Best Picture.  

Directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Anita Page, Bessie Love and Charles King, The Broadway Melody is a showbiz melodrama about two sisters, the man who loves them both, and the love quadrangle that ensues when a rich playboy tries to seduce one of the sisters.  Harriet "Hank" and Queenie Mahoney are aspiring song and dance girls hoping to make it on the Great White Way, where their childhood friend Eddie Kearns works as a songwriter.  Eddie and Hank have been engaged to be married for some time, but upon seeing Queenie for the first time as an adult he immediately begins to fall for her.  Wealthy womanizer Jacques Warriner has his eye on Queenie as well, and what follows is a series of shouting matches between Queenie and Hank and Queenie and Eddie, both trying to talk her out of getting involved with Jacques, who has promised her a lush Manhattan lifestyle.  Eddie also professes his love for Queenie, who somehow never reveals this to her sister; Hank figures it out on her own.

97th Academy Awards Preview & Predictions

It's Oscar time once again, folks!  And that means that for the TENTH time(!) my colleague Mike Drinan and I will regale you with our predictions for who wins what awards!

Best Picture

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune Part Two

Emilia Pérez

I'm Still Here

Nickel Boys

The Substance

Wicked

Justin: It's a solid field this year based on the seven films I've seen (you can click on my individual reviews above).  I'm hoping to cram the last three nominees in over the next five days.  I loved Anora, A Complete Unknown, Dune and The Substance (only the fourth horror film to garner a Best Picture nod), enjoyed Conclave, and had mixed feelings about Wicked and Emilia Pérez.  For months it felt like The Brutalist was primed to take this award, but then Anora seemingly came out of nowhere and snagged the PGA award.  Oddsmakers are also not sleeping on Conclave, which could pull off an upset.  But I'll go with the modern-day Cinderella story to take home the gold.

Pick: Anora

Mike: I’ve only seen A Complete Unknown out of the bunch this year but I’ve wanted to see the majority of these nominees, except for Wicked. When I saw trailers for The Brutalist I was certain it was going to be the Best Picture. It just checked all the boxes for your typical Oscar winner, but then Anora kept popping up in coversations with Conclave and now it seems as if The Brutalist has fallen out of favor. Can’t sleep on Conclave though since voters love a good Catholic church drama. Like you, I’m going with Anora. There’s too much consistency in the response.

Pick: Anora

WWE Elimination Chamber 2025 Preview & Predictions

It's February, er, March and that means it's time once again for WWE Elimination Chamber, the annual event where the world championship NOT being defended against the Royal Rumble winner gets a top contender for WrestleMania.  

Like Hell in a Cell, the Chamber was once one of WWE's most brutal gimmick matches, and like the Cell it was rather defanged during the PG era.  It almost seems redundant to have this match on the same PPV calendar as WarGames given how influenced by the latter was its inception, but whatever.  There have been some great Chamber matches over the years and some not-so-great ones (2002 I'm looking in your general direction), but it's usually a moderately enjoyable 35 minutes.  Having two on one show is taxing though, just like WarGames and the Rumble.

This year's lineup is only four bouts and on paper it's a decent enough slate.  Let's take a look.

Tiffany Stratton & Trish Stratus vs. Nia Jax & Candice LaRae

Okay I'm not sure why this is on here as it smacks of "free TV match," but here we are.  I'll keep saying it every time she's featured on a PPV, but if Triple H's decisions around who gets included on PPVs is all about talent regardless of ethnicity, then what in the blue fuck is Nia Jax doing on this show?  She stinks, period.  I don't imagine they brought Trish back to team with Tiffany just for them to lose, so they're my pick.

Pick: Trishany Strattonus

Oscar Film Journal: The English Patient (1996)

Welcome to another edition of the Oscar Film Journal, here at Enuffa.com!  Still plugging away at some older films I missed when they were new...

Today's subject is The English Patient, an epic romantic war drama that pulled in a staggering twelve Oscar nominations and walked away with nine awards, including Best Picture.  This was a film I resented at the time due to the fact that it beat out Fargo (a film I still consider basically perfect), but you can't form an intelligent opinion of a movie without seeing it, now can you?

The English Patient was written and directed by Anthony Minghella (based on the 1992 novel), and stars Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, and Willem Dafoe.  The story concerns both the lead-up to and aftermath of a plane crash, more precisely a biplane shot down by the Germans during World War II.  Of the plane's two passengers only one (Fiennes) survives, with severe burns all over his body.  He is taken to an Italian monastery and cared for by a French-Canadian nurse, who coaxes out of him some details of who he is and why he was in that plane.  Over the course of the film's 160-plus minutes we learn that although he speaks with an English accent, he is actually a Hungarian map-maker named Lazslo Almasy, stationed in North Africa in the late 1930s.  Almasy fell in love with another man's wife and the two had an affair, which the husband eventually discovered.  As this backstory is being recounted a wounded Canadian intelligence agent named Caravaggio arrives on the scene, showing great interest in Almasy and suspecting him of being the reason for Caravaggio's capture and torture at the hands of the Germans.  Meanwhile the nurse begins to fall in love with a Sikh bomb squad engineer stationed in the area.

Oscar Film Journal: Libeled Lady (1936)

Welcome back to the Oscar Film Journal here at Enuffa.com, where I'm slowly chipping away at the 280-something Best Picture nominees I haven't seen....

We're back in the 1930s with a romantic comedy called Libeled Lady, starring a pair of actors who were considered America's sweethearts back in the day, William Powell and Myrna Loy, plus Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow.  Powell and Loy starred in 13 films together, two of them in the year 1936, both nominated for Best Picture.  This particular film is about wealthy heiress Connie Allenbury (Loy), falsely accused by a newspaper of breaking up a marriage.  In retaliation she sues the paper, whose workaholic managing editor Warren Haggerty (Tracy) concocts a plan to stage an actual scandal in which to catch her, thus rendering the lawsuit easily dismissed.  Haggerty enlists his friend, former reporter Bill Chandler, to get married on paper to his own fiancée Gladys (Harlow) and then seduce Connie so Gladys can publicly discover the "affair."  But things don't go as planned, first because Connie initially doesn't show much interest in Bill, and later because the two of them actually start to fall in love.

Oscar Film Journal: Anora (2024)

Welcome to another entry in the Oscar Film Journal, here at Enuffa.com!  Time for another 2024 nominee (only three more to go)!

Over the weekend I caught the unusual new comedy-drama Anora, written and directed by Sean Baker, about a high-priced stripper/escort who falls in love and elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch, only for things to go awry when the boy's domineering parents find out about the marriage.  That's about all the plot summary I can divulge without spoiling anything.

Mikey Madison gives a tour de force as the title character (who prefers to be called Ani), a stalwart, streetwise Russian-American living in Brooklyn.  Her work routine consists of flirting with her club's clientele and soliciting expensive private dances, occasionally offering more intimate services if the price is right.  Ani is presented not as a shame-filled woman desperate to improve her station, but as a confident sex worker fully in control of her craft, as it were.  She clearly enjoys what she does and mostly has loving relationships with her coworkers (one catty rival excepted).  But when she meets Ivan, a gentle and impressionable 21-year-old with seemingly unlimited cash, she jumps at the chance to make some serious bank while letting the kid fall for her, ultimately falling for him too.  The film initially feels like a modern Cinderella story of sorts, which is what I expected going into it.  But after the first act it takes a very (pleasantly) surprising turn.

Oscar Film Journal: Call Me By Your Name (2017)

Welcome back to the Oscar Film Journal, here at Enuffa.com!  We're back in the 20-teens for this one...

Today it's the 2017 romantic drama Call Me By Your Name, starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer, directed by Luca Guadagnino, and written by James Ivory (who directed A Room With a View), from the novel by André Aciman.  CMBYN is the story of two young men who meet in 1980s Italy and reluctantly fall in love over the span of a summer.  Chalamet plays Elio, a precocious 17-year-old living with his parents.  His father invites one of his grad students, the 24-year-old Oliver (Hammer) to stay with them for the season.  Elio and Oliver initially don't seem to get along well but slowly they develop an almost brotherly bond, which gives way to an unspoken attraction.  Elio is the first to broach the subject but Oliver is reluctant to pursue anything, fearing the social implications.  Eventually the two give in to their feelings and share a very intense but sad romance in the short time remaining before Oliver has to return to the US.