10 Defences Of Horrible Wrestling Moments

2. WrestleMania IX

The Devil AEW
WWE.com

WrestleMania IX was not a good pay-per-view - nor was it quite as atrocious as its horrific reputation.

Several matches earned it. That much is true. The Undertaker Vs. Giant Gonzalez was one of them, but at under eight minutes, viewed through the lens of either an undiscerning '90s kid or nostalgic adult, it was short enough to be a spectacle that wasn't not compelling. Razor Ramon Vs. Bob Backlund felt like a bizarre proto-GCW Spring Break match graphic even then, but it went four minutes.

The good action in contrast went too long on the undercard - Shawn Michaels Vs. Tatanka and the Steiners Vs. the Headshrinkers both sapped the crowd by the finish - but before the finish, the main event bordered on awesome. Against Yokozuna, Bret Hart entered a superb individual performance in which he created pinball movement and fused it with his wonderful ring IQ to craft an exciting, strategic take on the David Vs. Goliath template.

It was better relatively than WrestleManias II and IV, so it wasn't even the worst show of its kind, and in sprinkling some of the old WWF production magic over a car park - literally, that's where the show was held - Vince McMahon created a chintzy, daft, yet endearing spectacle when he was on the bones of his a*se.

WrestleMania IX: bad, so-bad-it's-good, a bit good, and silly fun all at the same time.

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!