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| source// wwe.com |
So much importance is placed on the main event of WrestleMania and it’s true that, yes, the so-called main event (or main events) are what a great deal of people are watching the event for. Such importance is placed on the show-closer and other blockbuster matches in the buildup to the event and, traditionally, they are given the most time and all the bells and whistles they need to match expectations.
Nobody is doubting the importance of what is, in theory, the biggest match or matches of the year. Everyone recognises what is riding on them. However, fewer people seem to realise just how crucial the first match of the night is. If the main event is seen as the most important match of the show, then the opener can justifiably be called the second most important.
It is the opener’s job to get the crowd ready for the rest of the show and, ideally, the curtain-raiser will be a well-received and exciting affair that gets the crowd off their feet and excited for whatever is to come after it. WrestleMania has played host to many a rousing opener throughout the years, matches that have got the Showcase of the Immortals off on the right foot.
Saying that, WrestleMania has also presented some truly dire opening matches in its 31-year history, contests that don’t belong anywhere near pay-per-view, let alone the biggest show of the year. Whether it was down to the wrestlers in the match, time constraints or truly baffling booking decisions, these matches started the show on a truly sour note.
With that in mind (and with WrestleMania 32 mere days away) let’s take a look at five WrestleMania opening matches that ruled and their much suckier counterparts.
5 That Ruled…
5. The Rockers Vs. Barbarian & Haku – WrestleMania VII
Leave it to those bundles of endless energy, Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels, to kick off WrestleMania in style! The Rockers had hit something of a glass ceiling at this point (being held in place by the mega-popular Road Warriors), but they could still be counted on to deliver one hell of a match, even if their upward momentum was limited.
Their opponents here, Haku and Barbarian (wearing some very silly ring gear indeed) were not exactly known for contesting barnstorming classics or anything, but they certainly pulled their not inconsiderable weight here.
This was a typical speed versus power match, with The Rockers trying all their flips and tricks, only to constantly be cut down by the brute force of their larger opponents.
Eventually, Marty got the hot tag to Shawn and it was house-cleaning time. After a very good finishing sequence full of sunset flips and dropkicks and all that fiery babyface good stuff, Michaels got the surprise pin on Haku with a crossbody off the top, much to the delight of the frenzied crowd.
Nothing world-changing or anything like that, but a solid and very fun ten minutes with a popular result. Just what you want in an opener, really.
4. Money In The Bank Ladder Match – WrestleMania 23
The third Money in the Bank ladder match in WWE history kicked off WrestleMania 23 in 2007. The concept had been used in the second match of the preceding two WrestleManias, but it was the perfect choice for an opening match. This MITB match also had, arguably, the most star power out of the lot.
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Edge, Randy Orton, King Booker, Finlay, Ken Kennedy and a young upstart named CM Punk did battle for the heralded briefcase, which would guarantee a World title shot within the space of one year to the victor. The action was fast and furious from the get-go, with all manner of brutal bumps and inventive spots occurring at a breakneck pace.
Things really picked up a notch with Jeff Hardy’s suicidal leg drop from the top of a ladder, through Edge and through another ladder, outside the ring. The breathtaking stunt took both men out of the match and then, one by one the rest of the combatants fell by the wayside, allowing the promising Kennedy to unhook the briefcase and secure himself a WWE title shot*.
This one was almost 25 minutes of non-stop action which had the 80,000 plus in Ford Field on the edge of their seats for the duration. A hell of a way to kick off a PPV, this, and one of the best of the WrestleMania Money in the Bank ladder matches.
*Kennedy didn’t end up receiving his shot after all: Edge beat him for it in an impromptu match on the May 7th 2007 edition of Raw after Kennedy suffered an injury which was thought to be more serious than it actually was.
3. Eddie Guerrero Vs. Rey Mysterio – WrestleMania 21
You can’t put Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio in the same ring and get a bad match. It’s just a physical impossibility, such was the chemistry between these legendary luchadores. The two men had battled in rings in Mexico and WCW, but had never had the chance to have a major one-on-one singles match on a big stage in WWE.
WrestleMania 21 was their chance.
Eddie had been telling everyone in the weeks leading up to the event that he and Rey would steal the show and while the pair didn’t come close to matching the superlative showdown between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels, they still assembled a damn fine opener, one of the best in WrestleMania history.
Not even Rey’s ill-fitting mask (the chin strap of which broke off within the first exchanges) could hamper this one, as Rey and Eddie put on a clinic full of smooth exchanges and state-of-the-art wrestling. Face versus face matches are hard to pull off, but Latino Heat and Mr. 619 managed to get the balance just right. The crowd were invested, too, popping huge for Rey’s fluke roll-up win.
Eddie was supposedly disappointed after the match, feeling that he and Rey had let themselves down by not matching the quality of their Halloween Havoc 1997 classic. He needn’t have been since, while not an all-time great or anything, he and Rey had managed to put on a supposedly ‘bad’ match that was so much better than the ‘good’ matches you’d expect to see from a great many performer.
2. Daniel Bryan Vs. Triple H – WrestleMania XXX
Ladies and gentlemen, bow down to the…bow down to THE KING. Triple H once again proved that he really is that damn good in the opener of WrestleMania XXX, going toe-to-toe with one of the best in the world for 26 nerve-shredding minutes.
Given Triple H and The Authority’s treatment of Bryan in the weeks and months leading up to the show, many wondered whether Bryan could actually topple The Game on the night, with some fearing that Trips may have used his backstage stroke to get the main event changed to an all-Evolution affair.
This is something that the match played up beautifully, with Bryan narrowly avoiding defeat courtesy of a rarely-seen Tiger Suplex, a crossface submission hold, a Pedigree and some Stephanie McMahon ringside shenanigans. Bryan gave as good as he got, mind, delivering a jumping tornado DDT from the apron to the floor, a huge summersault plancha and the usually dependable Yes Lock.
The bearded wonder and Vince’s son-in-law had the New Orleans fans hooked and biting on every false finish until Bryan finally rallied and hit his running knee strike to secure a very popular briefly. Most remember WrestleMania XXX as either the night the Streak ended or for Bryan’s WWE Title-winning performance in the main event, but this wonderful opener must not be overlooked, either.
1. Bret Hart Vs. Owen Hart – WrestleMania X
The best opener in WrestleMania, and possibly wrestling, history. Bret Hart versus Owen Hart was a masterclass, two guys as close as can be going out there and producing a near-perfect match for twenty wonderful minutes.
It was as good as you can get, and would be considered the standout match of the show, if not for the first ever televised WWE ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon that went on after them. Going into their match, the two brothers got together and started mapping out what they were going to do, including all their high spots and plenty of Owen’s high-flying.
Realising that, if they were going to do the match they were planning on doing, Owen would no doubt get cheered, Bret decided to flip it and had Owen nix all of his showing-off. Instead, Owen did every dastardly heel trick and took every shortcut in the book, en route to a surprising victory over his older sibling.
The exchanges between these two were as smooth as silk and the match just built and built, with the MSG crowd getting more and more into at on every nearfall. The result also casted doubt over Bret’s WWE Title match later in the night and also meant that Owen would be one of the first in line when Bret did capture the gold.
If you haven’t watched this match, do so now.
And 5 That Sucked…
5. Big Show & Kane Vs. Chris Masters & Carlito – WrestleMania 22
There’s nothing terribly wrong with this one or anything. No, there were no major botches and there were at least two worse matches on the card (Boogeyman versus Booker T & Sharmell and Candice Michelle versus Torrie Wilson). But, as an opener for the biggest show of the year it was so very underwhelming and there were plenty of more suitable candidates.
Such as, JBL versus Chris Benoit for the US Title or the second ever Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Those were both great choices for an opener, and the MITB match in particular was exciting and would have gotten the crowd going. This average, sub-six-minute World Tag Team Title match did not.
Kane and Big Show got the win by pinning Carlito after a double chokeslam, putting an end to this glorified Raw match. For what it’s worth, the crowd were pretty into Carlito here and didn’t really seem to care for the lumbering Kane and Show.
4. Tag Team Battle Royal – WrestleMania XIV
Don’t you just love those battle royals full of way too many guys you don’t even care about? The WrestleMania XIV opener was a fifteen-team affair full of no-hopers like the New Midnight Express, the Headbangers, Too Much, The Rock and Roll Express, Steve Blackman and Flash Funk, the DOA and oh God there were so many crappy teams in this match.
It also featured the return of the ultra-over Road Warriors as LOD 2000, complete with new craptastic entrance gear (which took them about five whole minutes to take off) and Sunny as a manager. Supposedly, Sunny was lumped with them as a way to get her on the show so that her backstage rival, Sable, wouldn’t be the only one with a ‘Mania appearance.
The ‘action’ consisted mainly of kicking, punching, throwing over the top rope, punching, stalling, choking, punching and kicking and throwing and lying around. It was, shall we say, less than inspired. The inevitable LOD win was about as obvious as Tammy Sytch getting a DUI, too. Seriously, no other team could have possibly won the thing.
The whole thing lasted nearly ten full minutes. Triple H versus Owen Hart or Aguila versus TAKA Michinoku, which took place later on the card, would have been so much better in the opening slot.
3. Paul Orndorff Vs. Magnificent Muraco – WrestleMania 2
This must have been some comedown for Mr. Wonderful. One year after headlining with Roddy Piper against Hulk Hogan and, erm, Mr. T, he was jerking the curtain against a past-it Don Muraco. Even with only four minutes to play with, these two still managed to produce something that was so boring it felt like at least twelve.
The majority of the match was Muraco trying to get out of an armbar. Seriously. The bulk of the ‘action’ is one freakin’ hold. I mean, if you wanna work a submission hold for an extended period of time during a longer match, that’s fine. But in a four minute long opener? Come on, guys. This isn’t a house show – it’s WrestleMania.
Eventually, Muraco lands a Samoan drop and they begin brawling. Then they go outside. And then both men are counted out. Oh yeah, and Orndoff at one point makes a very racist gesture towards Mr. Fuji, because wrestling in the 1980s was just horrible.
So, not only was the action barely there, but the finish was inconclusive and insulting, tooand there was some unnecessary racism. Just horrible all-round and a poor way to start what was a poor show overall.
2. Big Boss Man & Bull Buchanan Vs. The Godfather & D-Lo Brown – WrestleMania 2000
The Godfather is a perfect guy to use in the opening match, because he was over like Rover and, despite not being the greatest worker in the world, could work a basic match just fine (after going through his pre-match schtick, of course). D-Lo Brown was, at one point, a hell of a worker. Big Boss Man was a sure and steady veteran, and Bull Buchanan was a damn impressive big man with huge upside (as Jim Ross would call it).
On paper, this one works. In practice, it didn’t really. Sure, it had one or too good moments (Buchanan had a hella fine Axe Kick), but it was pretty damn clunky and way too long at almost ten minutes. When only one guy in the match is really over, you shouldn’t be going that long.
Things got off to an annoying start, with Ice T coming out with Godfather and Brown to sing the conductor of the Ho Train’s new, crappy theme music. No grown man should be saying ‘pimpin’ ain’t easy’ that much. Oddly, the heels went over here, deflating the hot crowd early.
WrestleMania 2000 is generally considered a huge disappointment and it certainly got off to the most disappointing of starts. Well, not the most disappointing…
1. Daniel Bryan Vs. Sheamus – WrestleMania XXVIII
What more really needs to be said? Yes, this had the unintended effect of propelling Daniel Bryan to superstardom to the point where he would actually main event the show two years later, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this was an insult to two very talented performers, not to mention millions of fans who actually wanted to see the match.
Following a kiss from AJ Lee, Sheamus hit a single Brogue Kick and pinned the World Heavyweight Champion in eighteen seconds. EIGHTEEN SECONDS. This, one year after their United States title match was bumped from the main card to the pre-show in order to make way for The Rock’s thirty-minute opening monologue.
There’s no doubt that goat-face and the Celtic Warrior deserve far, far better here. They proved in subsequent weeks and months that they could have some damn fine matches together, if given the time. To deny them the chance to do so on the grandest stage, just to provide a little bit of shock value, was a big mistake and made for a seriously disappointing opener.
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