10 Absolute Worst Matches In The History Of WrestleMania

5. Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao Vs. Demolition - WrestleMania VII

Melina Ashley Massaro
WWE.com

Genichiro Tenryu was an incredible performer; his series opposite Jumbo Tsuruta in All Japan Pro Wrestling just two years prior to WrestleMania VII was seminal, but the WWF didn't give two sh*ts about that. Their hilarious inability to speak English was just funnier.

At that event, they faced the retooled Demolition tag team. Ax was medically unable to compete, having suffered an allergic reaction to shellfish. The infamously inept Crush was drafted in as his replacement, and never has a physically imposing wrestler undermined his aura between the ropes as much as he did. His most notable contribution to the match saw him leap from the top rope and lightly graze Kitao with a double ax handle smash. The smash was nominal; perhaps he was fearful of Kitao's legendarily ornery reputation.

The quality of the action intensified exponentially when Tenryu entered the fray. It was as if the preceding minutes were wrestled in slow motion. He performed the match-winning move - a powerbomb on Smash - but it was a faint and careful approximation of his All Japan work.

Crush moved with the pace of a glacier. It's ironic - that was one of the few gimmicks he wouldn't go on to occupy in a massively schizophrenic 1990s career.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!