10 Times WWE Blew Their One Big Shot
8. WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania IX was such an aesthetic triumph that it almost obscured just how wrong Vince McMahon got his card in 1993. Enough rewatches and reviews of the roster have done away with such nostalgia though, in spite of how good that dolled up Nevada car park looked.
Hulk Hogan was the problem.
The only man McMahon was prepared to rely on despite the fact that he couldn't just one year earlier, Hogan's post-Royal Rumble return felt tidy enough due to his midcard placement alongside Brutus Beefcake in a Tag Team Title match. Champion Bret Hart had no cause to worry about his intentions before it was too late, with neither 'The Hitman' nor challenger Yokozuna leaving Las Vegas with the company's top prize.
Ultimate Warrior had left before the prior year's Survivor Series. Ric Flair went after the Royal Rumble. Even Marty Jannetty had been fired before the company could book the big Rockers rematch on their grandest stage. Randy Savage was on commentary thanks to the Chairman's obsession with his age. The sh*t hot Steiner Brothers had a match rather than an angle. Giant Gonzalez was one contest into a series that would make him an Undertaker punchline for the rest of his life and beyond. 'The Show Of Shows' was anything but.
The biggest event of the year saw an opportunity to genuinely make either Hart or Yoko go up in smoke and mirrors as 'The Hulkster'. McMahon couldn't afford to make that mistake again...