Why WWE WrestleMania No Longer Has The Best Matches Of The Year
19. WrestleMania I To WrestleMania VI: The Most Important Match Of The Year (II)
The blood pressure of purists may dangerously rise should they read this, but Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania II was, again, WWF's MOTY. Was it as technically astute as the WWF Tag Team Championship match on the same card? No, but it had blood, a steel cage, question marks over Hogan's ability to compete after Bundy had broken his ribs one month earlier, an awesome visual of Hogan scoop-slaming a 450 lbs giant and a superhero-overcomes-the-odds narrative. Other bouts just couldn't compete.
The same logic is at work with Randy Savage vs Ted DiBiase (IV), Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage (V) and Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior (VI). If it wasn't for Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage crafting the Granddaddy of All Show-Stealers, Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant, despite its slow pace and low amount of actual wrestling moves, would have taken the MOTY prize home without a doubt.
Had The Blue Blazer and Mr. Perfect been given 20 minutes at WrestleMania V, they may have wrestled a beauty. But WWF wouldn't realize that quality trumps quantity until the start of the 1990s...