100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
91. The Gimmick Battle Royal (WrestleMania X-Seven)
Who knew a match that's technically one of the worst wrestling bouts to ever grace the 'Grandaddy Of Them All' would be remembered as one of the most fun? If anything, "grandaddy" is appropriate language here - WrestleMania X-Seven's 'Gimmick Battle Royal' was full of aching hip joints, bad knees and some ex-workers who were more likely to fetch the pipe and slippers than slap on a headlock. Even so, it was a tremendous laugh.
Check this out for a list of weary warriors: The Bushwhackers, Duke Droese, Doink The Clown, Nikolai Volkoff, Tugboat, The Goon, Earthquake, Gobbledy Gooker, Brother Love, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, Kamala, Kim Chee, Jim Cornette, Repo Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Hillbilly Jim and The Iron Sheik. That's a who's who of WWF tradition from the 1980s and early-90s, especially on the midcard front.
Perhaps the best thing about this Battle Royal is that it bridged the gap between a thumping TLC II encounter full of huge bumps and another main match like The Undertaker vs. Triple H. Fans enjoyed their trip down memory lane, and there was even a nifty bonus behind the commentary desk (more on that to come). Everyone was treated with total respect whilst poking fun at themselves. It was awesome.
Almost hilariously, Sheik only won because he was physically incapable of taking a bump over the ropes to the floor. What a worker. He might be the only legend to score a victory due to a doctor's decision. Hopefully, Sheik brought a note to 'Mania with him as well. 'Yeah, I need to win because my doc said so...'.