In the polar opposite of the previous entry, the reason for this show's inclusion on the list is obvious: it's quite possibly the single greatest pay-per-view show in wrestling history. When fans discuss the classics, Mania 17 and The 1989 Great American Bash are commonly tossed out as the cream of the crop and most anyone who has seen this show would agree. Headlined by the best of the series between Steve Austin and The Rock but climaxing with a puzzling and mishandled heel turn for Austin, Mania 17 was the unofficial end of The Attitude Era. The two megastars had an overabundance of chemistry together and it was practically impossible for them to have a bad segment, let alone match, and this one still holds up today. The undercard was filled with good-to-great clashes but the Tables, Ladders and Chairs carnage-fest between Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz (replacing the letter 's' with 'z' was sooo edgy) still stands as the spot-filled spectacle by which all others will be judged. The three teams had been in the midst of stealing show after show and the inaugural TLC bout made all six guys for life. Any self-respecting fan who hasn't seen this show needs to get on that asap, and judging by its popularity on the Network it seems they have been.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
