10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 9 Facts
1. More Than One-Third Of The In-Ring Performers Were Gone By Year's End
The year 1992 saw a mass departure of many top stars, including Hogan, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, The Legion of Doom, The Ultimate Warrior, Davey Boy Smith, Sid Justice, among many others. In 1993, it was more of the same. Ric Flair, Big Bossman, and a handful of others were out the door before 'Mania, and the WrestleMania card itself saw its share of end-of-the-liners.
Counting the dark match, eight out of the 22 wrestlers (36 percent of the performers) were gone before the end of 1993. Hogan and Beefcake both departed after a tour of Europe that summer. Tito Santana left in August, as did Papa Shango.
Ted Dibiase finished up at SummerSlam before concluding his career in All Japan. Matt Borne was replaced in the Doink gimmick around the start of autumn, the same time that Giant Gonzalez left the company. Mr. Perfect took a sabbatical beginning at the end of October, and wouldn't wrestle for the company again until 2002.
Times were changing in WWE, and certainly not for the better.