WWE WrestleMania 2015: Worst Event Cards in PPV's History
Just because it's the biggest show of the year doesn't always mean that WrestleMania is the resounding success it so often has been.
With last year's WrestleMania XXX fresh in the memory as having a card that generally delivered, it seems an appropriate time to delve into the archives and examine the cards that didn't.
Whether it's due to a huge amount of poor talent or rivalries that weren't built like they should have been, some WrestleMania cards have flopped spectacularly.
It's all a matter of opinion, of course, but here are the five WrestleMania cards from the previous 30 that stand out as being the worst in history.
WrestleMania XV
1 of 5
Matches Included: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WWF Championship), Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn, The Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man
In fairness, the last WrestleMania of the 1990s (XV) and the first one of the 2000s (XVI) were almost as dismal as each other.
Austin's absolute blockbuster classic with The Rock at XV is a real example of what WrestleMania is supposed to be about, in fairness. It was two juggernauts of the industry clashing together in a match that fans were desperate to see and which truly delivered.
However, one good match does not a good WrestleMania make. Aside from that classic main event at 1999's WrestleMania, there is literally nothing else to write home about.
The Undertaker's clash with Big Boss Man is proof that not every Hell in a Cell match is good. It was a disaster from start to finish, with a bogus conclusion in which Boss Man was hung live on TV by The Brood.
There were botches and errors throughout, but we can at least be thankful that WWE gave Undertaker another chance inside HIAC at WrestleMania against Triple H later in his career.
WrestleMania XI
2 of 5
Matches Included: Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, The Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy, Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund
Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel should really have been the main event here, but that isn't the sole reason why WrestleMania XI had one of the poorest cards of all time.
To his credit, Lawrence Taylor gave a better account of himself than perhaps any other celebrity wrestler had done before, and his match with Bam Bam Bigelow was a lot better than it really should have been.
But Taylor, especially to whose who aren't massively familiar with the NFL (like this humble writer), seemed to have no real business fighting in the main event of WrestleMania. After all, it's the main event of WrestleMania!
Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett was a real dud of a match, and Undertaker's bout with King Kong Bundy was also weak.
It was a WrestleMania that lacked sheer strike power and felt very similar to any other house show the WWE held around that time.
WrestleMania II
3 of 5
Matches Included: Jake Roberts vs. George Wells, Corporal Kirchner vs. Nikolai Volkoff, Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy (WWF Championship)
In fairness to the early years of WrestleMania, it was hardly the household brand and mega-show it is in the modern age. It was almost like every other house show at the time, with some decent midcard matches and an exciting main event.
So in an attempt to distinguish WrestleMania as the biggest event of the year, the WWE went big and tried to host the show in three different locations.
That meant that you had a fair few filler matches hurled onto the huge card—and a WrestleMania that lacked as much punch as perhaps plenty of others since.
The New York leg of the show was particularly poor. Three matches combined filled just over 12 minutes, with a ludicrously poor double count-out between Paul Orndorff and The Magnificent Muraco the standout low point.
Throw in a one-minute match for the Women's Championship and a gimmick Battle Royal with NFL stars, and you can see why WWE hasn't done this bold multi-venue experiment since.
WrestleMania IX
4 of 5
Matches Included: Doink The Clown vs. Crush, The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez, Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka (Intercontinental Championship)
Around the time of WrestleMania IX, WWE was going through a heavy period of transition.
The stars of the 1980s were fading away, and the onus was on the company to invest in new and exciting talent. Guys like Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had emerged but just weren't household names at that time (at least, they weren't as big as they are now).
The fact the best match of the entire night included Tatanka (against Michaels) tells you how poor in quality WrestleMania IX was.
The one guy on the card with real star power that night was Hulk Hogan, but for some reason he was thrown into a tag match before his 22-second victory against Yokozuna to close the show.
Throw in a lackluster Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales match and a contest between Doink The Clown and Crush, and you have a WrestleMania card that just didn't really produce.
WrestleMania XXVII
5 of 5
Matches Included: Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler, John Cena vs. The Miz (WWE Championship), Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella and Kofi Kingston vs. The Corre
Today's WWE is all about giving a nod to tomorrow, with the company constantly nurturing prospects in order to secure the future.
Looking back from here, 2011 seems like decades ago when it comes to talent development, a feeling which is proven by the card for WrestleMania XVII.
The Miz had made a decent fist of getting into the main event for WrestleMania, but with The Rock's presence at the show after years away from the spotlight, he felt like an afterthought. In hindsight, it really wasn't that great a main event.
People will say that Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole's rivalry was decent, but it was the kind of feud that had no place on a WrestleMania card.
Triple H was perhaps the star of the show due to his performance against The Undertaker here, but overall, this really was a weak, tepid card.
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