WWE: Wrestlemania's 27 Most Underrated Matches Ever (Part One)

Wrestlemania 28 is only a few weeks away and with a card stacked with several matches deemed main event-worthy, there is destined to be one or two matches that fly under the radar, that fans underrate. These matches are the cornerstone of what has made the annual event the spectacle it has become.

Beginning today, March 5, and continuing every Monday for the next four weeks, I will take a look at the most underrated match from each of the event's twenty-seven installments. These are the matches overshadowed by higher-profile matches or short-changed on their share of acclaim.

Each match will feature play-by-play, as well as my thoughts of the match.

Gracing these matches are the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart, Greg Valentine, the British Bulldogs, and Tito Santana. Some of the greatest wrestlers of all-time have had their lesser-known matches go unrecognized. That changes now.

Wrestlemania I: US Express vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff

Massive heat for Volkoff and Sheik, as you would expect. Manager “Classy” Freddie Blassie, even though a Hall of Fame inductee, is considerably underrated for how great a performer he was. There is a big pop for Mike Rotundo (or Rotunda, depending on how he was feeling that day) and Barry Windham. Considering the heat for the challengers, I have a feeling Russian Prime Minister Vitaly Vorotnikov could have came through the curtain to a sustained ovation.

Barry wasn’t quite the Barry Windham that many would consider one of the best workers in the business later in the decade but he was still an impressive athlete here. I always thought Rotunda was an underrated worker prior to his run as IRS in WWE. For whatever reason, he was stuck with some of the worst gimmicks in the business and, eventually, became unmotivated and complacent. Sheik and Volkoff are in great shape, but they would only be relevant for another year or two before falling down the card.

Solid tag-team wrestling to start by the champions and a heel miscommunication spot, courtesy of a dropkick from Sheik to Volkoff, gets a nice reaction. Yes, a dropkick from Sheik. It is very surprising to see the domination early in this match. Nikolai backs Rotunda against the ropes, delivers an elbow to the sternum, and sends him face-first into Iron Sheik’s curled-tip boot, giving the heels the clear advantage for the first time.

Rotunda gets a suplex on Sheik but is cut off from making a tag by Volkoff. Nice idea to add in multiple hope spots by the faces, only for the villains to take back control. Very simplistic offense by the challengers but simplistic isn’t always bad. Rotunda plays the face in peril while tensions begin to build between managers Blassie and Captain Lou Albano at ringside.

Hot tag to Windham and he explodes into the ring with a flurry of rights and lefts to the body and face of Volkoff as the crowd goes crazy. How Vince didn’t make him a huge star, maybe pair him with Hogan, I will never know. He had the look, the size, and the charisma. Running bulldog from the future Horseman but Iron Sheik breaks up the pin attempt. Mike Rotunda in and he dropkicks Sheik through the ropes and to the floor, momentarily distracting the referee. As the official attempts to get Rotunda out of the ring, Iron Sheik climbs on the apron and strikes Windham with a foreign object, allowing Nikolai to cover for the win and the tag team gold.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A solid tag team match that brought old school tag team wrestling to a show sold and based on a spectacle. Sheik and Volkoff were workers of a different generation while Windham and Rotunda were young and exciting. Their styles did not clash as much as one may have expected. The screwy finish did not hurt the match and, if anything, fit perfectly with Blassie and his charges heel personas.

Wrestlemania II: The British Bulldogs vs. Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake

The Bulldogs have Ozzy Osbourne in their corner, which is awesome. Considering the other questionable celebrities involved at Wrestlemania II, to have someone as cool as Ozzy is refreshing. The fact that he is paired with maybe the best tag-team in wrestling at this point is that much better.

Valentine was still motivated here and a motivated vet like “the Hammer” is always a good thing. Beefcake had not quite hit the stride he would in the late-80s/early-90s but he was certainly serviceable and capable of holding his own.

Really snug wrestling between Dynamite Kid and Greg Valentine, which is absolutely no surprise to those familiar with both performers’ work. This is also one of the last times Kid would be healthy during his run with the Federation. As a matter of fact, Dynamite would be injured in this match, leaving Davey Boy to wrestle the rest of the match for his team.

Watching Dynamite wrestle is like watching a mirror image of the man that idolized him, Chris Benoit. It is creepy. I have always considered Valentine to be one of the more underrated workers. He was a tough guy that LOOKED like a professional wrestler. When he was motivated, there were few better. When he hit someone, it looked real and it looked painful. He is often overlooked in favor of other performers of his time but Greg definitely deserves any accolades sent his way.

Brutus Beefcake in now for the champions. One of these things is not like the other…

The British Bulldogs were excellent for a few reasons, one of the main ones being the fact that their styles meshed so well. Davey brought the crowd-popping power moves while Dynamite brought the work rate. It shows in this match as they make quick, rapid tags in and out of the match and keep the champions off-guard.

Six minutes in and Valentine and Dynamite are unloading on one another with some ultra-stiff offense. When the action slows, Valentine bumps all over for his team as the Bulldogs put on a tag-team clinic. And no sooner do I type that, “the Hammer” turns the tide with a pile-driver. Dynamite plays face in peril for approximately a minute. Valentine climbs the ropes and is slammed off, triggering a melee in the squared circle before all four competitors.

Davey uses a running power-slam at 9:30 that keeps Valentine down for two. Hammer sends Smith into the shoulder-first into the steel post to regain the constantly-swaying momentum. Beefcake back in the ring for the first time in God knows how many minutes, coming off the top with a fist to Davey’s exposed and injured shoulder. Brutus applies a chicken wing, lifts Davey into the air, and sends him to the mat. The heel champions continue their work over Davey’s shoulder as the match has slowed down for the first time. Valentine with a shoulder breaker that keeps his opponent down for two. Dynamite climbs the ropes to encourage Davey but Smith pushes Valentine into him, knocking him to the ground. Davey covers the prone Valentine and picks up the win for the Bulldogs, as well as the World Wrestling Federation tag team championship

MY THOUGHTS: A fast-paced, high-impact tag match we are likely never to see the likes of again. The Bulldogs were hitting their stride in the US and Valentine was game. Beefcake didn’t do much, and was being coached by his partner throughout, but that had little impact on the quality of the contest. It was a really solid tag match and probably the best contest on the underwhelming Wrestlemania 2 event.

Wrestlemania III: The Bulldogs & Tito Santana vs. Hart Foundation & Danny Davis

With Andre the Giant versus Hulk Hogan at the top of the card, and Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage stealing the show with one of the greatest matches ever wrestled, it is not hard to forget the contribution of the Hart Foundation, Tito Santana, the British Bulldogs, and Danny Davis at Wrestlemania III. These six men were involved in what was, arguably, the third hottest program heading into the show and coming out of it, tag team wrestling hit an all-time high in North America with the inclusion of the Rougeau Brothers, Demolition, the Rockers, the Killer Bees, Strike Force, the Bolsheviks, and the Young Stallions.

Tito wastes no time, taking out Bret and Anvil pre-bell while the Bulldogs press slam Davis over the top rope and to the arena floor. Santana and Hart star as it is all-babyface early. Davey is in and Bret wastes no time in tagging out to Anvil. Now I am not one to accuse anyone of anything but the muscular size difference in Davey Boy Smith between Wrestlemania II and Wrestlemania III is alarming.

The early moments of the match play out exactly as you would expect it to. The Hart Foundation and former crooked referee Danny Davis had gotten over on the Bulldogs and Tito so often at this point that fans were anticipating the moment when the faces would get some revenge.

Dynamite Kid, by this point, was nowhere near the performer he had been and it shows. He’s slower, he’s hurt, and his offense does not have half of the snap to it that it had the year prior. He is in such pain that he struggles to make a cover. He plays face in peril, falling victim to the camel clutch as Tito and Davey get antsy on the apron. In comes Danny Davis for the biggest heat of the match thus far.

Anvil and Hitman continue their assault on the prone Dynamite. Davis is back in. Danny was a heat magnet. The fans hated the fact that this was a former referee who put on tights and thought he could be a wrestler. The arrogance and confidence of Danny’s character between the ropes didn’t hurt, either. The Hart Foundation slingshots Danny in but Dynamite gets the knees up and Davis crashes into them sternum-first. Big pop.

Hot tag to Tito Santana and he is on fire, back dropping Davis and sending Hart and Neidhart off the apron. Davey Boy tags in and continues the assault on the ex-referee. A jumping tombstone pile-driver by Davey flattens Davis. Cool. Smith executes a perfect running power-slam but Anvil breaks the count up with a boot to the head. Tito explodes into the ring with the flying forearm to Neidhart and the ring fills up with all six men. While the referee is distracted, Jimmy Hart tosses Davis his megaphone and he uses it on Davey, gets the pin, and picks up the win for his team.

MY THOUGHTS: A perfect piece of sports-entertainment. The storyline had been built in such a way that Danny Davis cost Tito Santana the Intercontinental Championship and the British Bulldogs the tag titles. This was to be their chance at revenge. They bumped Davis around the ring and the crowd loved it. But just when you thought the heroes would get their revenge and the villains would get what was coming to them, the always-reliable Jimmy Hart stuck his nose in the match and helped his team to victory, Davis-a crumbled and beaten mess-picking up the win. It was a perfectly booked match, even if the wrestling was not what one would expect from five of the six men involved.

Wrestlemania IV: Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat vs. Greg Valentine

Ricky comes to the ring with his son, current FCW developmental signee Richie, in what would be one of his final appearances with Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. Most fans eagerly anticipated a Steamboat-Savage rematch, which would occur with a Steamboat victory.

The ingredients are there for a really good, solid match. Steamboat and Valentine were two of the best workers from their generation, more so in Steamboat’s case but Valentine was always underrated. Fast-paced opening exchange, with Steamboat leap-frogging Valentine, sliding between his legs, and delivering a series of hip-tosses and arm drags before slowing the pace with an arm bar.

Valentine dumps Ricky over the top but “the Dragon” skins the cat, years before Shawn Michaels made it cool. Greg takes the upper hand with a series of hard elbows to the head, knocking Steamboat off his feet and to one knee. Hammer tries for a side suplex but Steamboat ducks out behind and sends Valentine face-first into the top turnbuckle. Ricky drops a knee to the face of his opponent, then targets the left arm that he has softened up throughout the match.

Valentine is back on the attack, delivering an atomic drop and a stiff clothesline. Hammer returns to the elbow strikes to the face that worked earlier in the match, using his power to weaken the smaller Dragon. Interesting dynamic here as Valentine does not use numerous power maneuvers to weaken Steamboat choosing, rather, to use powerful strikes on the former Intercontinental Champion.

Hammer delivers a stiff forearm but Steamboat answers with a flurry of chops that floors his opponent. Steamboat with a body slam attempt but Valentine shifts his weight and ends up on top for a quick two count. A gut buster and headbutt to the stomach follow as Valentine now focuses on Ricky’s midsection. Hammer tries for a figure four but Steamboat boots him into the corner. Hard rights and chops are exchanged. BIG chop from Steamboat and Hammer pulls a Ric Flair, flopping face-first into the mat. Shoulder breaker by Valentine is somewhat out of context as he has done nothing to target that part of Steamboat’s body. He climbs the top rope and comes off with an open-hand chop to the top of Dragon’s head.

Hammer tries for the figure four again but Ricky catches him with a hard right hand and Valentine’s Flair Flops again. Steamboat ruthlessly slams his opponent’s head into the mat as these two have kept the intensity alive for the entirety of the match thus far. Flying back elbow by Steamboat as Hammer is just bumping all over place to make Ricky look good. Top rope chop by Ricky and Hammer falls like a freshly-cut redwood in California. Steamboat climbs the ropes and comes off with a high cross body block but Valentine rolls through, hooks the leg, and picks up the surprising win.

MY THOUGHTS: Ricky Steamboat and Greg Valentine beat the ungodly hell out of each other here. They kept up with one another, strike-for-strike, and it resulted in one of the more physical matches during that time period of the World Wrestling Federation. This was a match featuring two PROFESSIONAL WRESTLERS plying their craft, beating the crap out of one another for their art. Valentine made every chop, every punch Steamboat executed look as strong as possible. Hammer kept up with the always-fit Steamboat and it made for, maybe, the best match on the show…and that includes the Savage-DiBiase overbooked mess in the main event.

Wrestlemania V: The Blue Blazer vs. Mr. Perfect

This is a short one. Perfect backs the Blazer (Owen Hart, for those of you unaware) into the ropes, delivers a chop, and sends him into the ropes. Blazer counters a hip-toss attempt, lands on his feet, and delivers a body slam. He follows up with a second slam and a dropkick that sends Perfect over the ropes, selling the shot as only he (and Dolph Ziggler) can.

Blazer with a baseball slide, and Perfect is stunned early on. Two hard uppercuts follow and the Blazer rolls Perfect back into the squared circle. The Blazer applies an arm bar as they attempt to slow the pace following that lightning fast opening segment. Perfect breaks the hold and backs his opponent into the corner, delivering a hard chop.

Blazer leaps over a charge by Perfect in the corner and delivers a hip-toss, followed by a body slam. Backbreaker by the Blazer and Perfect escapes at one. This match is all Blazer, which is surprising considering the fact that Perfect was the guy the company was attempting to get over. Then again, it was not uncommon for Curt Hennig to make everyone he wrestled look better by bumping all over the ring.

Another body slam, number four I think, and Blazer climbs to the top rope. Top rope splash fails and the Blue Blazer crashes into the raised knees of Mr. Perfect. Somehow, Blazer beats Perfect to his feet and delivers a headbutt and scores a crucifix roll-up for two. Blazer seems disappointed with the count and voices his opinion to the referee. When he turns around, he eats a stiff clothesline from Perfect. The Perfect-plex finishes the Blazer and gives Perfect the biggest win of his young World Wrestling Federation career.

MY THOUGHTS: Yes it’s short. No, it may not be THAT underrated. But it is Owen Hart vs. Mr. Perfect. What more could you possibly ask for. Plus, it was the match that announced Perfect’s arrival as one of the top stars in the McMahon-owned company.

Wrestlemania VI: NONE

MY THOUGHTS: Wrestlemania VI is one of the worst shows the company has ever produced. Had it not been for Hogan-Warrior at the top of the card, it would live in infamy as one of the most horrid wrestling cards in the history of the sport. There is not one underrated match on the card. Moving on…

Wrestlemania VII: The Rockers vs. Haku & the Barbarian

By this point, it was becoming more and more clear that Shawn Michaels was destined to break away from Marty Jannetty. The Rockers have been with the company for three years at this point and have not been given a legitimate run with the tag titles despite being the most popular (maybe second most-popular) team on the roster. Barbarian and Haku were solid workers who were part of the foundation of WWF’s mid-card at this point. They were proven heels that could be counted on to deliver in an opening match situation with the likes of Shawn and Marty.

Early power moves by Haku but Shawn’s speed and ability helps give the Rockers the early advantage. A very cool spot sees the Rockers land a double hip-toss, elbow drop, and kip up before charging right into a stiff double clothesline by Barbarian. A pair of double sidekicks sends the heels out of the ring and to the arena floor, Shawn and Marty having the clear upper hand as Bobby Heanen gathers his boys together and goes over a strategy.

The energetic babyfaces continue to frustrate their opponents, this time with Marty out-wrestling Barbarian. A tag to Haku, followed by a double headbutt, leads to Marty being grounded and the heels taking over control of the contest. Shawn tries to get involved, temporarily distracting the referee and allowing Haku and Barbarian to drop Marty across the top rope, knocking the wind out of him. Marty is the face in peril and the Los Angeles crowd is decidedly hot for this opener, as they would be for most of Wrestlemania VII. Haku and Jannetty both go for a high cross-body block with Marty gaining the upper hand for a two count. Haku follows up immediately, not allowing his opponent to tag in the fresher Shawn Michaels.

Barbarian slows things down, applying a bear hug and it appears as though Marty may be done. Jannetty catches Barbarian charging into the corner, climbs the ropes, but is caught coming off with a powerslam. Barbarian on the ropes now. He comes off with a diving headbutt but Marty rolls out of the way. Marty makes the hot tag to Shawn and the crowd goes crazy. He hammers away at Haku and catches him with a jumping back elbow. Haku is in the corner when Shawn mounts the ropes and pounds away, then springs off and onto Barbarian, sharing a few rights with his head.

Haku lowers his head and eats a swinging neck-breaker by Shawn for two. Good stuff here. All four men in and Barbarian is sent through the ropes following a double dropkick. Finish sees Marty climb the ropes, deliver a missile dropkick to Haku, followed by a high cross body block from Shawn for three.

MY THOUGHTS: A really hot opening contest and one that set the stage for what would be, in my opinion, one of the more underrated Wrestlemania events. As good as the Rockers still were, however, it was clear that Shawn Michaels was on a different level than Marty Jannetty. He was ready to break off on his own, even if it would not happen until later in the year. Big props to Barbarian and Haku, who were always pro’s pros, two tough guys who were so legitimately tough that they never balked at the notion of putting other guys over. A really good, forgotten tag match.

Coming Up...

In the upcoming parts of the "27 Most Underrated Matches in Wrestlemania History," we will see no less than FOUR world title matches, six WWE Hall of Fame inductees, the most decorated woman in the history of sports-entertainment, and a streak that has not been broken yet.

Join me next Monday, March 12, as I continue this stroll through Wrestlemania history and pay homage to its most under-appreciated matches.