Eyes On Wrestlemania: Classic Moments At Wrestlemania Part 1

By @Phranchize19

Wrestlemania has more often than not been good to us (for the most part, maybe...). We are always blessed with moments that will forever be etched in the history of pro wrestling. Let’s take a look at the bigger and best Mania moments in history. These are moments 10-5, I'll be back with the final four in another article.

10. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania 20

-Eddie Guerrero had his pseudo Wrestlemania moment prior to Mania by defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. He would be tasked with defending that title against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania. Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble and jumped to Raw, and he then ended up in a title match with Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Both Eddie and Benoit would win their respective matches and after traveling the world over together in Japan, Mexico, and WCW, they both FINALLY achieved the pinnacle of WWE on the biggest stage wrestling had to offer. It was a moment that was a heart wrencher and will be etched in our minds forever.

9. Macho Man and Elizabeth Reunite At Wrestlemania 7

-Macho and Elizabeth had a tumultuous relationship to say the least. At Wrestlemania 5, we saw them finally go their separate ways. Macho would get with Sensational Sherri while Elizabeth sort of played the background. Elizabeth would then be ringside for Macho Man’s retirement match against Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 7. Ultimately, Macho would lose the match and then be attacked by Sensational Sherri. Elizabeth would then get involved and stop the assault. Macho, not realizing what had happened, finally caught wind of what had just transpired. He would eventually fall into the open arms of Elizabeth and they would embrace. Macho would lift Elizabeth on his shoulders while the crowd shed tears of joy. In true Elizabeth fashion, she would open the ropes for her man to go through and in a surprise turn of events, Macho would make her get up then lift the ropes for her. A true moment that tugs on the heart strings of everyone.

 

8. Shawn Michaels Finally Wins The Big One at Wrestlemania 12

-Shawn Michaels had achieved a victory at the Royal Rumble, which guaranteed him a shot at the title in the main event of Wrestlemania. His opponent? Arguably the greatest wrestler ever in Bret Hart. The stipulations would change as these men would now be required to engage in an iron man match. The two men would go back and forth for over an hour in a classic. The match would end with neither man scoring points and since we needed a winner, the match went to sudden death. Shawn Michaels would kick down the door of opportunity (pun intended) and hit Bret with Sweet Chin Music to win his first WWE championship. The words uttered by Vince as an emotional Shawn Michaels celebrated will never be forgotten. “The boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels” is still an epic Wrestlemania quote.

7. The Rock, Stone Cold, and Hulk Hogan All Share The Ring at Wrestlemania 30

-A moment born not out of a match, but just the power of sheer icons. One of the greatest moments ever opened this show. Hogan was hosting Wrestlemania 30 and he would come down and infamously call the Superdome the wrong name (he called it the Silverdome, making a great save by saying he was thinking of the Wrestlemania 3 match he had) and then was interrupted by Stone Cold. Stone Cold would talk about what Hogan did for wrestling until a returning Rock entered the ring and gave props to both men. It all ended with all 3 men sharing beers in a moment that I myself (being there live) will never forget.

6. Shawn Michaels Career Is Laid To Rest At Wrestlemania 26

-At Wrestlemania 25, the greatest wrestling match of all time took place between the two most known Wrestlemania figures. Undertaker and Shawn would wage battle with the Undertaker coming out victorious. Shawn Michaels would hold onto the anguish of him losing to Undertaker for over a year. Shawn would challenge Taker time and time again with Taker declining. Shawn would cost the Undertaker the World Title and challenge Taker once more and Taker would accept only this time if Shawn’s career would be on the line. Shawn would oblige and they met in the main event. After waging war, Shawn would again lose. Shawn would be brought to his feet and he and Undertaker would embrace. Undertaker would then give Shawn the ring and Shawn would take in all the adoration from the fans in the arena and those watching. Shawn would make his famed exit and as he walked up the ramp we all knew Shawn Michaels had left the building.

5. End of An Era at Wrestlemania 28

-Triple H and Undertaker had the match of the night at Wrestlemania 28. Out to not only avenge the honor of his fallen friend Shawn Michaels, but to make history, Triple H had nearly destroyed Undertaker at Wrestlemania 27, and even though Taker emerged victorious, he would be carted out. Much like Shawn Michaels the year prior, Undertaker would hold onto this for a year and Triple H would refuse until he had enough and accepted the challenge. Shawn Michaels would be named as the referee and many assumed Triple H was assured the win. Taker would emerge victorious, but he helped a fallen Triple H to his feet. As the three men walked out, they turned around and embraced while the crowd cheered on the three legends riding into the sunset.

-Phranchize

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Eyes on the Ring 12:19 AM  No comment

Eyes On WWE: The 7 Greatest WWE T-Shirts

By @TrueGodImmortal

When fans enter the WWE events, one thing that can almost always be seen is the merchandise. Whether wrist bands, hats, bandanas, or the standard go to, T-Shirts, fans flock to support their favorites and there is no better way to do that than shirts. With that being said, over the years in WWE, we've seen some of the most iconic shirts that made an impact just like the wrestler it was made for. Today, I wanted to rank the 7 greatest WWE shirts. Which shirts make the list? Read on to find out.

7. Macho Man's Purple Classic

-There aren't many shirts during the era that I remember, but during the 80s and beyond, I can vividly remember seeing this shirt on the old Coliseum Videos, but since the untimely death of Randy Savage, this shirt has taken on a life of its own. You can still see fans wearing this for nostalgic purposes, which proved the staying power of this iconic piece of merchandise.

6. The Rock's Just Bring It 

-My favorite thing about the Rock and his merchandise is that it was simple. A majority of his shirts kept it simple, going for a simple design on a black shirt and for me, this is the most iconic shirt from one of the greatest. Rock would wear this shirt a lot during 2000 and 2001, but he would have different editions of Just Bring It style shirts through his other runs, including his most recent in WWE, but the original is easily one of the most popular and important WWE shirts. It is the essential Rock shirt for WWE.

5. Rowdy Roddy Piper's Hot Rod Shirt 

-This shirt is essentially resurrected due to the new acquisition of Ronda Rousey and her Piper inspired merchandise, but back in the day, this shirt was iconic and it remains that. Piper was a legendary heel, and every heel needs a signature shirt. This was his signature shirt. One of the most important shirts ever in WWE history still lives on today and brings nostalgic feelings every time you see it.

4. CM Punk's Best In The World

-I remember when I got this shirt. I was excited. Beyond belief. This shirt sums up an era honestly. CM Punk was the MAN in 2011-2012 and this shirt was flying off of the shelves as soon as he walked out with it on at Money In The Bank 2011. His merchandise was so popular and he became the new merchandise king through 2011-2013, but there is no shirt more important than this one in his career. With an edgy design that catches the eye, the white shirt became an iconic piece of merchandise and anytime you think of CM Punk in WWE, this shirt comes to mind instantly.

3. The Original D-Generation X Shirt 

-While the DX merchandise has always been lucrative, it was the most simple of their merchandise to be the biggest earner. With the DX logo on the front and the silver font of "Two Words, Suck It" on the back, the shirt would fly off the shelves at WWF events and this is the second most iconic shirt of the Attitude Era. There are more DX shirts that were popular, but this one takes the cake and is a top 5 shirt of all time in wrestling and easily top 3 in WWE history.

2. Hulkamania 

-The biggest shirt of the 80s and one of the greatest in wrestling. Whether it was the red shirt with the yellow lettering or the yellow shirt with the red lettering, this shirt was the symbol for Hulk Hogan and it was the craze for most fans. The crowds would be full of yellow and red for Hogan during his prime and there is no way that this shirt can go below the top 2. In some cases, it might actually be no. 1, but Austin 3:16 was such a bigger moment that I think Hulkamania is comfortably in the top 2 of WWE shirts and top 5 of wrestling shirts all time (probably no. 3).

1. The Austin 3:16 Shirt 

-The greatest of them all. There is no shirt in WWF history that feels as important as this one and there is no shirt that has sold more units than this one during the Attitude Era. Released in 1996/1997, this shirt has seen many different styles and has always been a top seller. Austin would make the Austin 3:16 catchphrase a huge deal and every week, the WWF crowd would flock to buy this shirt and the arena would be filled with Austin 3:16. Aside from the NWO shirt, there is no shirt in wrestling history on the same level of Austin 3:16, not even Hulkamania or DX. Austin was the biggest star of the era and his merchandise moved record numbers then, making the Austin 3:16 shirt the GOAT without a doubt.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 11:59 PM  No comment

CJ's Top Five: Macho Man Wrestlemania Matches

The time has finally come. After years of speculation, rumors, and questioning why, "Macho Man" Randy Savage is finally taking his rightful place amongst the immortals in the WWE Hall of Fame. In honor of the induction, here are my top 5 Randy Savage matches.

5.  Vs. Ted DiBiase, Wrestlemania 4

This was the final match of the event-long tournament to determine a new WWF Champion. This was an excellent brawl between "The Macho Man" and "The Million Dollar Man." Savage attempted a flying elbow, but missed. DiBiase countered with the million dollar dream, but while the ref was distracted with Andre the Giant at ringside, Hulk Hogan hit DiBiase with a chair. This allowed savage to attempt and connect with a second flying elbow for the victory, and was crowned WWF Champion.

4. Vs. Ric Flair, Wrestlemania 8

This feud was due to Ric Flair showcasing fake pictures of an alleged affair he had with Miss Elizabeth. This tension led to them having a WWF title match at Wrestlemania 8 in my hometown of Indianapolis. This is a solid match all around, featuring two of the greatest storytellers in wrestling history. Savage had Flair seemed to gel together extremely well, and it made for a powerful, emotional feud.

3. Vs. Ultimate Warrior, Wrestlemania 7

The feud between Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior had gotten to a fever pitch, and the only way to settle this was a retirement match at Wrestlemania 7. Although Warrior wasn't exactly known for 5-star performances in the ring, Savage was able to help him put on one hell of a match. A physical contest between these two, that culminated in defeat for "The Macho Man." This defeat caused his then-manager, Sensational Sherri, to attack him after the match. Out of the crowd rushes Miss Elizabeth, who fights off Sherri. In a moment that will live in memories forever, Savage and Elizabeth embrace after a lengthy time apart, and "Macho Man" was finally reunited with his love.

2. Vs. Hulk Hogan, Wrestlemania 5

In 1988, Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan formed a powerful tag-team known as The Mega Powers. As time passed, Savage became more and more suspicious that Hogan was trying to take Miss Elizabeth away from him. This led to The Mega Powers exploding in a tense battle at Wrestlemania 5. After a very physical brawl, The match ended when Hogan no-sold the savage elbow drop, and proceeded to Hulk up and hit his 3 moves of doom for the victory. Although it was a defeat for Macho, it was a great example of telling a great story to pay off a feud, which I believe is a lost art in wrestling today.

1. Vs. Ricky Steamboat, Wrestlemania 3

This match will forever be in the top 5 matches that have ever taken place. It's kind of crazy that a match thus excellent was not for the WWF Championship, but rather the Intercontinental Championship. This is the most emotional and intense 15 minutes you'll ever see in a wrestling ring. From the opening bell, these two went at each other full-speed, and the pace never slowed. So much so that, when the match was over, even the referee was completely gassed. At the end of the match, Savage attempted a scoop slam, which Steamboat reversed into a schoolboy roll-up for the pinfall victory. It showed that a match didn't have to go on last in order to steal the show, especially when it was on the same card as Hogan vs. Andre.

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Eyes on the Ring 7:07 PM  No comment