10 Times WWE Got The WrestleMania Main Event Wrong

4. WrestleMania XI: Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Lawrence Taylor

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What The Main Event Should Have Been: Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels

“We should have gone on last,” complained Kevin Nash when quizzed about the main event of one of the most underwhelming WrestleMania shows of all time. And indeed the WWE Championship contest pitting Nash’s Diesel against the increasingly-popular heel Shawn Michaels certainly should have. And while we are at it, the result should have been different too. Diesel was failing as WWF Champion and struggling to draw houses, leading to veteran agent Gerry Brisco openly joking about how much longer the WWF would be running on Diesel power. Fans were clamouring for a Shawn Michaels title win. They had watched him steal the show for years and despite his heel status they were now firmly invested in him as their number one guy, even if Vince McMahon couldn't see it.

McMahon just couldn't get over the fact that Michaels wasn't a seven-foot giant, and Nash, well, was! He had no faith in the two Kliq best buds to pull a respectable buyrate on their own, because he struggled to comprehend how anyone could take Michaels seriously as a threat to Diesel due to the size difference. With a shallow roster and an unwillingness to go back to the well with the likes of languishing talents Bret Hart, Owen Hart, or The Undertaker, McMahon decided to step outside the box in searching for his answer. He found it in the form of NFL legend Lawrence Taylor, whom he was thrilled to learn was willing to work a match on the biggest show of the year.

McMahon believed Taylor’s involvement would serve as a fine way to bolster PR as the WWF attempted to rebuild their image following a shocking few years of being dragged through the mire with legal wrangles relating to sexual abuse of minors, steroid pushing, and other costly lawsuits. Taylor was mainstream, and McMahon theorised that having him onside meant having the press onside. It didn't work out that way. Taylor’s appearance was criticised by most serious sports papers, with many questioning what he must have been thinking cheapening his status by stepping into the “phony” world of pro wrestling. McMahon might have been sated by the buyrate, which he was convinced would blow other WrestleMania shows out of the water due to the presence of Taylor. Not so. The card flopped spectacularly, despite Taylor’s match with midcarder Bam Bam Bigelow coming off far better than anyone expected, the experience charring McMahon’s fingers so badly that he refused to endorse a single celebrity tie-in at the following year’s extravaganza.

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Contributor

The author of the highly acclaimed 'Titan' book series, James Dixon has been involved in the wrestling business for 25 years as a fan, wrestler, promoter, agent, and writer. James spent several years wrestling on the British independent circuit, but now prefers to write about the bumps and bruises rather than take any of them. His past in-ring experience does however give a uniquely more "insider" perspective on things, though he readily admits to still being a "mark" at heart. James is the Chief Editor and writer at historyofwrestling.co.uk and is responsible for the best-selling titles Titan Sinking, Titan Shattered, and Titan Screwed, as well as the Complete WWF Video Guide series, and the Raw Files series.