Why WWE WrestleMania No Longer Has The Best Matches Of The Year

WrestleMania VII, like the previous three editions, hosted 14 televised matches, no more than five minutes long on average. WrestleMania 13 had seven.

In the meanwhile, WWF understood that even though people remember the dessert best, it doesn't mean you can neglect the rest of the meal. That meant fewer matches, but each longer and more significant. Although it was WrestleMania VIII that first used its double main event as a selling-point, it was WrestleMania VII that kickstarted WWE's less-is-more era.

For the first time, two matches on the show, Hulk Hogan vs Sgt. Slaughter and Randy Savage vs The Ultimate Warrior, were given 20 minutes plus. The latter was arguably the first true midcard "main event" in WrestleMania's history, and most importantly, it was way better than the actual main event. Next year, history would repeat itself as Randy Savage and Ric Flair, squaring off for the WWF Championship in the midcard, also put together a strong match of the year candidate, and certainly a better one than Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice's overbooked fiasco.