http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9_atFUuozY One of the best storylines entering WrestleMania VII was the very personal feud between Jake "the Snake" Roberts and "The Model" Rick Martel. It started when Martel sprayed Roberts in the eyes with his "Arrogance" perfume, blinding the Snake. Roberts played up the injury brilliantly, even going as far as to wear a white contact to sell the blindness. Martel mocked his rival, getting great heat from the audience in the process. By the time Roberts hit the ring for the Royal Rumble in January and set his sights (so to speak) on Martel, the fans were ready to see the Model get what was coming to him. Anticipation was at a fever pitch as their WrestleMania VII bout, announced as a blindfold match, approached. Martel had blinded Roberts so instead of having an unfair advantage, Martel would have his sight taken from him to even things up. The stipulation made perfect sense...except for the fact that Roberts had regained his vision heading into the match. With that being the case, why bother with the gimmick match? Why not allow two exceptional in-ring workers have what would likely be a very good match? The Blindfold match, despite being one of the hottest on the WrestleMania VII, was terribly executed. Roberts and Martel spent the majority of the match stumbling around the ring, pointing at one another and allowing the audience to try to direct them. Eventually, Roberts got his hands on Martel, dropped him with the DDT and picked up the win in one of the least eventful matches in WrestleMania history. A very poor conclusion to what was a very entertaining midcard program.
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.