The No Mas Top 23 Wrestlemania Moments

The Granddaddy of 'em all is this Sunday, Wrestlemania 23. I know this because the first thing Franchise did when he got into the office this morning was put me in a sleeper hold and scream "WRESTLEMANIA" in my ear about thirty times (which mercifully I could not hear, because I had already fallen asleep - kid's got a hell of a sleeper hold I must say). So without further ado, here is the top five of the Chise's epic Top 23 Wrestlemania Moments. If you want to backtrack for the full list before you get into the top five, you can click here for moments 9-6, here for 13-10, here for 18-14, and here for 23-19. All right 'Chise, the envelopes please...

#5: Year of the Dragon
Wrestlemania III – Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, MI
March 29, 1987

The Match: Intercontinental Championship: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage (c)

The Moment:
Forget Wrestlemania, many wrestling fans consider this I-C title match to be one of the greatest matches ever. While I will forever love this contest I don’t hold it in that high regard. The best parts, hands-down, were the near-falls. Back-and-forth they went and in the end, Steamboat, with the incomparable George “The Animal” Steele in his corner, would add another title to his impressive career resume.

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#4: Icon vs. Icon
Wrestlemania X8 – Skydome, Toronto, ON
March 17, 2002

The Match: “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock

The Moment:
This match, and WM X8 for that matter, have a place near-and-dear to my heart because it was the only Wrestlemania I have ever attended. I have been to the World Cup of Hockey and Soccer, the Stanley Cup Finals, the NBA Finals and the NCAA Tournament and I have never heard a crowd as loud as when the Hulkster and the Brahma Bull stepped into the squared circle to face off for the first time ever.



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#3: The Heartbreak Kid meets Kid Dynamite
Wrestlemania XIV – FleetCenter, Boston, MA
March 29, 1998

The Match: WWF Championship: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels (c)

The Moment:
Remember when Mike Tyson first appeared on WWE Raw in January 1998 in the midst of the whole Stone Cold vs. Mr. McMahon saga. How amazing was that? The baddest man on the planet going up against the toughest S.O.B in the WWF. Predictably, Kid Dynamite joined forces with Austin’s opponent at WM XIV, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, only to turn on “his friend” on the grandest stage of ‘em all. Gotta love Jim Ross’ call at the end of this one – somewhere Howard Cosell must have been smiling.



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#2: Genesis
Wrestlemania – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
March 31, 1985

The Match: “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper w/ Cowboy Bob Orton vs. Hulk Hogan & Mr. T w/ “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka

The Moment:
The match that started it all. Not only was this the inaugural Wrestlemania Main Event featuring the likes of Hogan, Piper, Snuka and Mr. T but check out this impressive list of celebrity representatives at ringside:
Guest Ring Announcer: Billy Martin
Guest Time Keeper: Liberace
Guest Official: Muhammad Ali
Add the Rockettes and Cyndi Lauper (who appeared earlier in the night) and there will never, ever, be another Wrestlemania I.



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#1: The Irresistible Force meets The Immovable Object
Wrestlemania III – Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, MI
March 29, 1987

The Match: WWF Championship: Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan (c)

The Moment:
How can I not give this match top billing on the twentieth anniversary of WM III? A battle which featured two of the biggest legends ever in front of, at the time, the largest audience in North American wrestling history. WWE is back in Detroit this year at the new-and-improved version of the Silverdome, Ford Field, and they can only dream of having a moment equal when Hulk finally slammed Andre.