Why WWE WrestleMania No Longer Has The Best Matches Of The Year

20. WrestleMania I To WrestleMania VI: The Most Important Match Of The Year (I)

What was WWF's Match of The Year in 1985, year of the first WrestleMania? According to PWI, it was the main event of the show, Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff. In itself, it's a bout that wasn't bad at all, and way more action-packed than any other on the card. Still a question arises: were there any alternatives?

Bare the glorious Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat exception at 'Mania III, WrestleMania was at the time, if not a one-man show, at least a one-match show. Each edition was basically a new installment in the Hulk Hogan Adventures franchise, and so the company used every creative tool to make his matches feel like the only ones really worth seeing. They were given more time and narrative significance than the rest, and as a result, they were in effect WWF's annual shot at MOTY praise. It was that or nothing.

Tellingly, in 1986 and 1989, when WrestleMania main events weren't granted the award from PWI, it was given to NWA matches. Then again, in 1988 it was somewhat inexplicably awarded to the weird Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant screwjob from Main Event. Y'know, the one with two Earl Hebners.