10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 9 Facts

8. Shawn Michaels Opened WrestleMania For The Third Year In A Row

Before he was self-anointed as "The Headliner", Michaels was still seen as a highly-gifted athlete that could kick off an important show with a quality performance. As the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Michaels ended his brief feud with Tatanka in the opener of WrestleMania 9 by taking a countout loss. It was also the last time Michaels would ever lead off a WrestleMania.

Two years earlier, Michaels and Marty Jannetty went over on Haku and The Barbarian in one of the most underrated WrestleMania matches ever. A year later, a freshly-heel Michaels was given a building-block win over trusted veteran performer Tito Santana.

Both matches opened their respective WrestleManias, and are a window into how much faith WWE held in young Michaels to get an important event off on the right foot.