The History Of WWE's New Generation Era In 10 Matches

5. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Lawrence Taylor (WrestleMania XI)

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Long fascinated with the idea of using celebrity to enhance his WWF events, McMahon elected to plump for a one-off Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow match to close out WrestleMania XI. Seeds had been sown for this at the Royal Rumble, but it was a brave move - even with Taylor's celebrity status - to have him main event the biggest show of the year.

Parts of the match itself were basic, but everything was laid out in such a fashion that all the NFL star had to do was follow Bam Bam's lead. In many respects, 'Mania XI was Bigelow's greatest performance, because he did everything in his power to ensure that McMahon's vision went off without a hitch.

It's somewhat ironic that in amongst all that talk of a 'New Generation' and doing things differently, the celebrity association with WrestleMania remained the same. A full decade earlier (smack bang in the middle of Hulk Hogan's dominance), it had been Mr. T in the main event role on the inaugural show.

Incredibly, Taylor came out on top. Meanwhile, Diesel and Shawn Michaels had to be content going on second from last.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.