7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE WrestleMania X
Ten Years In The Making. One Year Without Hulk.
WrestleMania X's conclusion is rightfully what defines it - it's the first 'Show Of Shows' without Hulk Hogan, but subsequently - and pointedly - the first to make a concerted effort to push somebody new in his place.
Bret Hart is a smaller man in terms of charisma and biceps alike - but Vince McMahon's attempting to right the wrong from the prior year has an undercurrent of atonement for other aspects of his industry too. Four months on from this event, he stood to lose his freedom in the trial of his life - the jury of his peers in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden would at least celebrate rather than condemn his work here.
It's a WrestleMania that holds up today more than several others, because honest-to-god work always does. The "Bret and Shawn Show" undermines the efforts of their opponents and others on the card, but the two men in particular that couldn't ever move the needle were at least reframing the narrative.
(Want more WrestleMania Ups & Downs? We got 'em: I, 2, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX)