Written by Stuart Cooper
Well the time is upon us. It's Wrestlemania Season! The Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber have now passed and it looks like Wrestlemania 29 will be John Cena vs. The Rock (Champion) for the WWE Title. I'm not exactly thrilled about that, but that's not what this post is about. I wanted to compile what I consider the Top 10 Wrestlemania matches of all-time. I judged these based on Wrestlemania moments, match quality, and crowd reaction. I'm probably biased towards certain matches, so if you have a favorite match that you don't see on the list, feel free to comment with your thoughts. It's very tough to narrow 29 years of wrestling into 10 matches, but I will give it my best shot. I'll be doing 1 match a day, for the next 10 days. The road to Wrestlemania has begun!
10. Hulk Hogan defends the WWF Title against Andre The Giant
Wrestlemania 3 (1987)
Pontiac Silverdome
93,173 in attendance(disputed)
Thoughts:The months leading up to Wrestlemania III were nothing short of pure gold. This would become one of the most historical periods in wrestling history. Hulk Hogan had been the WWF champion for 3 years and was absolutely on fire. He had become a household name. Throughout his title run he had never faced an adversary as large and menacing as Andre the Giant. The feud began when Andre aligned himself with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and turned on Hogan. Andre had grown tired of Hogan's disrespect and popularity. This lead to the a challenge being made.
One on One for the WWF Title Hulk Hogan defeated Andre The Giant. The "bodyslam heard round the world" took place on that night. Hulk Hogan lifted up Andre (briefly) and bodyslammed him. Hogan is known for exaggerating this moment repeatedly in interviews! The match itself was not good by any means. Andre had already begun feeling ill and his back was really bothering him, so he was not able to move around very well in the ring. There was some classic moments that made this match memorable, and that is why it comes in at number 10. The crowd was absolutely mad for this match and considering it's 93,000 people, it's hard not to feel excitement when watching. The characters involved and the atmosphere is really what make this a true wrestlemania classic. The imagery involved in the match is also very memorable. I always think of the moment when Heenan and Andre are on the mini-ring going back down the entrance way after losing and Heenan looks absolutely blown away by what's happened. There would be a few rematches that followed but nothing memorable. If you want a good match-up between Hogan/Andre it won't be hard to find. They wrestled many times in Japan and other regional promotions prior to WWF! Needless to say, it was the clash of two huge wrestling personalities, and it's still talked about 25 years later.
Get Used to this guy because he will be back in the countdown soon...
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