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| source// wwe.com |
Some of WrestleMania’s greatest bouts have also been some of WWE’s bloodiest encounters. There’s an art to the violence, with a new level of drama being uncovered when a wrestler is washed in the red stuff. Done appropriately, it works wonders in getting the intensity and meaning of a match over to the audience.
Of course, since WWE went PG in 2008, blood has been banned. There were multiple reasons, mainly Linda McMahon’s senate campaign and WWE’s bid to be family/advertiser friendly. There was also a big health factor to consider, because it isn’t exactly medically advisable to run a razor blade over the forehead.
Blood loss and risk of infection were always a real danger when it came to blading.
But despite the valid arguments against blood, would any of the following ‘Mania classics have really been the same without the presence of plasma? The level of drama that is added when one or more performers hits a gusher is undeniable.
Perhaps WWE are coming back around to that idea, too. In the build for WrestleMania 32, both Triple H and Roman Reigns have got colour. Was it hard way or was it a blood bag? Whatever it was, it was dramatic.
As the following WrestleMania matches proved, blood in WWE is one of the best storytelling devices (when done appropriately).
10. Hulk Hogan Vs. Sgt Slaughter – WrestleMania VII
With Sgt Slaughter’s WWF Title on the line, it was pretty obvious that challenger Hulk Hogan was going to come out of WrestleMania VII as champion. Add in the story of the babyface American hero against the heel traitor and Iraqi sympathiser, and it was all very, very predictable.
Which is where the blood comes in handy. By adding some colour to the match, Hogan made it way more interesting than it would have been without. Especially in cartoon era WWF, this bloody ‘Mania match was shocking for the young audience.
The blood spot came when Slaughter clocked The Hulkster with a steel chair. Moments later, Hogan’s face was a crimson mask. But of course he rallied and won the match with the big leg drop just after the twenty minute mark.
He was back as WWF Champion, and it made a great visual, him holding his prize with blood all over his face. Unfortunately, the event was a bit of a dud overall, and Hogan’s early nineties renaissance did nothing to restore previous boom period levels of success.
9. Ric Flair Vs. Macho Man Randy Savage – WrestleMania VIII
At WrestleMania VIII, Ric Flair defended his WWF Championship against Macho Man Randy Savage in what was a very good match indeed. Flair being Flair, and with it being a major stage, he just had to get blood. He’s always been one of the best bleeders in the biz, with the claret always making a distinct impression when washed into his bleach blonde hair.
‘Mania VIII was no different, and his bleeding really added to the drama.
The spot came when Savage jumped off the top rope and hit a double sledge on Flair at ringside. This sent the Nature Boy’s head smashing off the ringside guard rail. He emerged as a bloody mess, with the bleeding getting more intense as the action rolled on.
Savage eventually won with a roll up, ending what still stands as one of Mania’s most entertaining matches. Interestingly, Flair and Savage were fined after the bout, as they had betrayed company policy at the time. Hilariously, Bret Hart got away with the same thing earlier in the night, as he had convinced officials that his blood was accidental.
8. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania 13
Stone Cold Steve Austin versus Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 is the perfect example of why blood has a place in professional wrestling. The image of blood pouring down Austin’s face as he passed out in Hart’s sharpshooter is one of the most iconic visuals in wrestling history. It went a long way to making the man WWF’s hottest draw ever.
The blood came about when Austin cracked his head off the guard rail, causing him to bleed heavily. But it would be wrong to say the match was just about the juice job. It was excellent on several fronts, and every fan must watch it for the drama and intensity it produced.
It was storytelling and in-ring excellence combined, a masterpiece for the time, earning the coveted full five star rating in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. The Rock – WrestleMania X-Seven
Arguably the best WrestleMania main event of all-time, The Rock versus Stone Cold Steve Austin was the WWE at the absolute pinnacle of their powers. Quite possibly the two biggest stars in wrestling history, battling it out in nearly thirty minutes of thrilling action.
Both men bled, and even though this was the Attitude Era where blood was common, it still carried so much weight and added an extra edge to this match. Rock defending the championship against the force of Austin was totally captivating, and both bled heavily in heated exchanges.
The finish saw Austin joining forces with Mr. McMahon to beat down The Rock with a steel chair. It was meant to be a heel turn, but the Texas crowd cheered it. Many fans view this moment as the end of the Attitude Era, but take nothing away form the match, or the blood loss.
6. The Undertaker Vs. Ric Flair – WrestleMania X8
Ric Flair was at it again at WrestleMania X8, this time bleeding heavily for The Undertaker in an entertaining No Disqualification brawl. ‘Taker also bled after suffering cuts to both his cheek and forehead.
But it was Flair’s blood loss that really stood out. Big Evil had bust him open with punches, and within minutes the red stuff was everywhere. It was a classic Naitch big game performance, with his face a crimson mask and his bleach blonde hair turning pink with blood and sweat.
By the end, ‘Taker was also bleeding from his forehead gash. Still, the result was never in any real doubt, with the Deadman winning courtesy of a thunderous Tombstone Piledriver. It was a very good match, one of Flair’s best WWE efforts, and the blood certainly helped add to it.
5. Mr McMahon Vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania XIX
Amazingly, Mr McMahon versus Hulk Hogan has to rank as one of the WWE’s best ever street fights.
Despite the age of both men, it was a violent masterpiece, with both of them shedding pools of blood. You had McMahon dropping a leg drop off a ladder through the announce table, and Hogan winding the clock back to give one of his most active performances in years. They went an astonishing, blood-soaked twenty minutes, believe it or not.
The blood really added to the match. In one sensational shot, McMahon’s bloody face was captured rising from the ringside apron, with his psychotic look being one of the best facial sells in company history.
Hogan also bled heavily, making him look badass when he finally made his Hulkamania comeback towards the end.
4. Triple H Vs. Chris Benoit Vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania XX
This was one of the best matches of all-time with three of the best pro wrestlers ever going all-out on the big stage.
Both Trips and Michaels did heavy juice jobs, with HBK hitting the ring post and quickly showing up absolutely covered in a load of the red stuff. Triple H’s bloodiness wasn’t far behind, also coming from a blow to the ring post. In one shot, he sold it excellently, with the blood just flowing from the wound as he gasped desperately in a broken heap in the ring.
Combined with the simply superb in-ring action, it all added up to one of the most emotionally dramatic finishes in WrestleMania history. Seeing Triple H tap out to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface felt like a watershed moment in the business, but the way history has gone, it is hard to remember the match with the same meaning it once had.
3. Triple H Vs Batista – WrestleMania 21
Triple H versus Batista had one of the best WrestleMania narratives of all-time, one that started out of a natural uprising from the crowd. Fans just couldn’t wait to see Triple H’s apprentice turn on him and win the World Championship.
But there was one problem; Batista really wasn’t that good of a worker at that point in time. He was still relatively new to the business and didn’t really know how to work a proper match. He was only ever meant to be the muscle in Evolution, with the spot he moved into earmarked for Randy Orton.
In getting around the shortcomings, Hunter turned to blood. He took a shot into the ring post and got the desired colour. It is a tried and tested gimmick for adding drama to a match. The visual of blood pouring from Hunter’s head helped to get over the ferocity of Batista, the vicious Animal.
A Batista Bomb on the twenty two minute mark secured the title, as Triple H lay crumpled on the mat, covered in his own blood.
2. Edge Vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22
At WrestleMania 22, Mick Foley came back for a hardcore match against Edge. Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of blood.
Both men got colour, with the first instance of red being from Edge’s arm after Foley attacked it with barbed wire. The razors came into play again later in the match, with Edge using a barbed wire baseball bat on Foley’s forehead. The favour was then returned, with Foley using the barbed wire bat on Edge’s head.
Both men ended up bleeding heavily. Edge even took a bump on thumbtacks, opening up several fresh wounds on his back.
Then came the biggest spot of the match, Edge spearing Foley off the apron and through a flaming table at ringside. It doesn’t get much more visually impressive than blood and fire in a match, and this bout absolutely ranks as one of WWE’s best hardcore brawls.
1. Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 31
Despite blood being banned in WWE, Brock Lesnar got some colour in his WrestleMania 31 match with Roman Reigns. It came via the hard way, when Lesnar cracked his head off the ring post. The blood started flowing, and there was no denying that it added something to the match, especially after blood hadn’t really been seen for so long.
WWE were later forced to deny rumours that Lesnar had bladed, but it certainly looked like he’d deliberately done the hard way. As for the cameras, while they would usually pull away from blood, they in fact focused in on Lesnar. Intentional or unintentional, it made the main event so much more memorable than it otherwise would have been.
Seth Rollins’ Money In The Bank cash-in meant that Brock lost his title, but in part thanks to the blood, he was so much more over as a monster after WrestleMania 31.
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