https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr4eah5nY3c At four hours long and with 14 matches on the card, WrestleMania V was a long show. The fact that there was not a single great match on the entire undercard only highlighted that fact as the fans in Trump Plaza were noticeably unresponsive to many of the matches. What was the best way to cure the problem and get the Atlantic City crowd back into the show? Run DMC and the WrestleMania Rap, of course. There is nothing wrong with Run DMC appearing at WrestleMania. In fact, the entire show was based on the fusion of professional wrestling and mainstream celebrity and at the time, Run DMC was one of the biggest musical acts in the world. But adding a non-wrestling segment to a wrestling show that wrestling fans are having a difficult time investing themselves in is akin to elongating a root canal. The crowd sat on its hands as the popular rap group, usually great, delivered an awful WrestleMania rap that only added to the misery. Unlike the WrestleMania 2 mess, WWE would not learn its lesson when it came to inserting musical acts into its biggest event. Sometimes it works (Saliva's energy-filled "Superstar" to kickoff WrestleMania X8, live performances of entrance themes) and other times, it fails miserably (the Kid Rock concert from WrestleMania XXV). There is a time and a place for musical acts in the sport but as a break in the action is not it.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.