10 Gems That Saved Rotten Wrestling PPVs

There may never be another WrestleMania card headlined by a non-wrestling celebrity again, but that's exactly what happened in 1995. In fairness, Lawrence Taylor was a superb athlete, but it was nonetheless a brave decision by Vince McMahon to have his match with Bam Bam Bigelow headline the WWF's biggest show of the year.

Something didn't feel right with WrestleMania XI, everything felt muted compared to the pomp and circumstance of the previous year inside Madison Square Garden. The Hartford Civic Center lacked atmosphere, the event felt less like WrestleMania and more like just another pay-per-view.

That fact wasn't aided by lackluster matches like The Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy or The Allied Powers vs. The Blu Brothers. After Bret Hart and Bob Backlund had also disappointed, it was up to Diesel and Shawn Michaels to rescue the entire show.

Knowing Taylor vs. Bigelow wouldn't be an in-ring classic, the WWF Title participants had quite the bout themselves. There was likely a chip on each man's shoulder, ousted from the headline slot by a celebrity, but they went about their business professionally and put together an under-rated cracker.