WRESTLEMANIA X-7 vs. WRESTLEMANIA X-8?

[Guest SlowChemical6]

X was better than X-7, two ***** on a single show

 

I guess that depends on how you rate matches. I consider both TLC II and Rock/Austin to be *****. And I think that HHH/Taker is way, way underrated. I consider that match to be in the ****+ range.

 

Therefore, for me:

 

Austin/Rock - *****

TLC II - *****

HHH/Undertaker - **** 1/4-**** 1/2

Benoit/Angle - ****-**** 1/4

[Guest Shaved Bear]

and since i was at X, i guess im more partial

[Guest bob_barron]

I love Wrestlemania X- its an MSG show!

 

But X-7 just blew me away.

[Guest SlowChemical6]

X was phenomenal for a 1994 show. I mean, it had THE ladder match and it had Bret vs. Owen. Both ***** classics. The main event wasn't that great, but I thought that it was booked very well. The finish was very dramatic. And the post-match celebration was a nice touch. The rest of the card, however, pretty much blew. Doink and Dink vs. Bam Bam and Luna? Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb? Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna? Ugh.

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

Well if you're comparing shows, I'd say that X and X7 is the far more equal comparison, though X lacks a LOT in the Main Event, despite the great Owen/Bret and Shawn/Razor matches.

 

I mean Bigelow/Luna vs. Doink/Dink in a mixed tag match? Cona Crush vs. Randy Savage in a 60 seconds to get back to the ring match (could that match have BEEN any slower?)

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

Will give slowchemical another cool point, X *WAS* damn good for something in '94. Then again we all pretty much know that Bret/Owen/Shawn were the three reasons to watch for that period. Not a shock they were in the two finest matches of the PPV.

[Guest bob_barron]

I enjoyed Crush v. Savage- Savage bumped like a motherfucker and I think it influenced some of the later matches.

 

Very good point slowchemical btw

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Remind me why Taker/Flair is a dream match? Because both guys are well past the point where they should be wrestling? Because Taker beating a senor citizen gave him the rub he needed? Because Flair just hasn't jobbed to enough worthless slugs to call it a career already?

 

I would have market out more for AA running in if Taker hadn't destroyed them both and won the match anyway. Just a hunch.

[Guest bob_barron]

Remind me why Taker/Flair is a dream match? Because both guys are well past the point where they should be wrestling? Because Taker beating a senor citizen gave him the rub he needed? Because Flair just hasn't jobbed to enough worthless slugs to call it a career already?

 

I would have market out more for AA running in if Taker hadn't destroyed them both and won the match anyway. Just a hunch.

Ricky-

 

Taker beating Flair does nothing.

 

But Taker absolutely dismantled him, his son and Double A. The match was tremendous and I got emotionally into it- I was screaming for Flair to win and hated Taker with a passion- I mean what a sick fuck.

 

I think the match got Taker way-over and made Flair mpore over as the sympathetic babyface. It made me see Taker in a whole new light and because of that match I'm starting to get into him.

[Guest EI Cubano]

36,780 votes for WMX-7

2 votes for WM-8

[Guest bob_barron]

Jay-

The real question is

 

What does Mike Sanders think? :-)

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Flair/Taker are not 'talked about' in the same way 'other' wm matches are talked about. It was only exceptional because it exceeded expectations, but by no means was it equal to austin/hart, hart/hart et al.

 

I remember before the match started, I said to my friend 'wouldn't it be cool if Arn ran in'? I jumped to my feet, started 'slashing' my throat, and flashed the 4 till me hands hurt. It was a high spot, but not the defining moment of the show...that was hogan/rock.

[Guest bob_barron]

Flair/Taker are not 'talked about' in the same way 'other' wm matches are talked about. It was only exceptional because it exceeded expectations, but by no means was it equal to austin/hart, hart/hart et al.

 

I remember before the match started, I said to my friend 'wouldn't it be cool if Arn ran in'? I jumped to my feet, started 'slashing' my throat, and flashed the 4 till me hands hurt. It was a high spot, but not the defining moment of the show...that was hogan/rock.

Rudo- I totally did the same thing.

 

My friends are all watching the match, we're all pulling hardcore for Flair and then AA-

 

Me: 4 HORSEMEN OMG AA 4 HORSEMEN TULLYT BENOIT WOOO PILLMAN HORSEMEN YEAAAAA ENFORCER WOOOOOO FLAIR NATURE BOY AHHHHH WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

I flashed the four fingers and went crazy and then I look up and go:

 

What happened to AA?? And why is Flair about to lose?

[Guest RickyChosyu]

It exceded expectations because the feud was booked very well, and there was legitimate interest in seeing Flair get revenge. Flair's selling can only go so far, and Taker's offense isn't exactly the ideal outlet for getting over a huge beating. Basically, they had the right idea, but the execution was exactly what you expect from two guys WELL past their best years (or whenever that was supposed to be for Taker). Better than expected doesn't always mean good.

[Guest ISportsFan]

Five word reply since it's late: X-7 is better by FAR.

 

Jason

[Guest candie45]

I'd only say X8 was better because I was there with very good seats.

 

But on a video basis, X7 killed X8. I loved Rock/Austin even though they had horrendous blade job camera shots. HHH/UT IMO is overrated, not underrated. I mean, it looked like they playing on a trampoline with that cushion. The ref was knocked out for 10+ minutes from an elbow drop. Just a real insulting of intelligence. TLC 2 was okay... they've had much better. The ending was stupid. I prefer the triangle ladder match or TLC 1. Eddie/Test was good for some great laughs.

 

Basically, I do a lot less fast forwarding on the X7 tape. (Except for the fact that I look for myself on camera for X8)

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

I sat ringside for both, and I can tell you that X-7 was considerably better. First off, the Astrodome is a much cooler venue than the SkyDome.

 

The sunlight seeping through the Astrodome's translucent panels for the first few matches and the colored spotlights that were shone onto the interior of the dome created a really, really awesome visual. The set for X8 was a lot more elaborate, but X-7 had a pretty damn sweet set itself. SkyDome, with the roof closed, is gloomy...even with all of those yellow and purple lights.

Bleh. The sunlight at first in the Astrodome was kind of neat, although the venue itself is a piece o' crap that's hardly used anymore (although if Houston gets the 2010 Olympic bid, it will finally be renovated.)

 

SkyDome is also a piece of crap that could stand renovation, but will likely never get one (I know a Toronto-ianite who's response was always "SkyDome? Renovate? HAH!")

 

The set and the crowd and stuff for X-7 felt too much like an Old-School WrestleMania. The titantron covered in lightbulbs, the industrial feel of the joint felt too much like the old "What the World Is Watching" days of WM 3 or 8. Also, I imagine the spotlights would make it hard to see in certain seats (although I know X8 had them too)

 

I'm also curious how you manage to afford and schedule your time to see so much live wrestling. Please, share your secret.

 

For my money, X7 had the better undercard, but X8 has the better stuff on top. Angle/Benoit, Gimmick Battle Royal, etc are all good. But Rocky/Hogan is way more exciting than Rock/Austin, if only because the latter was done several times already in 99. Also, the 20 chairshots required to make Rocky lie down was a little over-the-top.

[Guest bob_barron]

The 20 chairshots was perfect-

It showed Austin's mega sadistic side and got Rock more over as a face.

 

X-8 had was a quadruple main event-

HHH v. Y2J while very good IMO had no heat

Rock v. Hogan- classic

Hall v. Austin- See Austin dog it. Dog it Austin.

Flair v. Taker- Personal favourite

 

X-7-

Austin v. Rock- **** classic

HHH v. Taker- A very fun match that had me on the edge of my seat

Vince v. Shane- 14 minutes of entertainment

TLC2- Oh. my. God

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

The 20 chairshots was perfect-

It showed Austin's mega sadistic side and got Rock more over as a face.

Except that no guy except maybe Mick Foley has ever needed that many chairshots to go down. It makes Rock look like Superman (there's a reason why I liked the guy in 99 but call him "The Showboat" nowadays) and it makes no sense since Austin beat Rock cleanly TWICE IN A ROW at WM 15 and the Backlash that followed (which was when Rock was expelled from the Corporation.)

 

I guess I shouldn't mention that Debra was an overbooked torpedo that was forgotten about by the time the match came around.

[Guest bob_barron]

Except that no guy except maybe Mick Foley has ever needed that many chairshots to go down. It makes Rock look like Superman (there's a reason why I liked the guy in 99 but call him "The Showboat" nowadays) and it makes no sense since Austin beat Rock cleanly TWICE IN A ROW at WM 15 and the Backlash that followed (which was when Rock was expelled from the Corporation.)

 

I guess I shouldn't mention that Debra was an overbooked torpedo that was forgotten about by the time the match came around.

I think the point was to make Rock look like Superman so when he came back he was more over then ever.

 

Austin did beat him cleanly but Rock the character had matured over those two years and had become a much wrestler skill wise (ie- he won more)

 

Rock fired Debra sometime in the buildup- I think it was supposed to be a wink wink to Wrestlemania V but never took off

[Guest RickyChosyu]

I really don't get where the notion came that Rock/Austin has been done "several times" in '99. They had the WM 15 match, a re-match at Backlash, and that was it. Nothing more. The feud through 2001 not only gained massive heat, but was taken from a different direction, so it was hardly a played feud. The "Respect" nature made it feel like the biggest match ever, as opposed to "Austin's revenge over the Corperate World" like WM 15 was. Looking at the matches, 80 chair shots couldn't have made Rock/Austin seem more unrealistic than Rock/Hogan, which was as cartoonish as wrestling gets. I hate to re-hash the arguements of others, but minus the crowd, and it's a pile of shit hiding under the false pretence of being a match. Novelty does NOT equal quality.

 

Austin winning could simply be justified because Austin was getting bigger cheers than Rock going into the match. Fans sides against Rock. Now, that seems to go against what they did by turning Austin heel, but looking at that match alone, and disregarding what happened to business afterwards, the parodox of Austin using every heel trick he could while still getting ridiculous babyface heat from the crowd was what trully made the match interesting. Like you said, we had seen Rock/Austin before, with Rock as heel. This time, it was Austin playing rule-breaker, and doing an even better job with it than Rock had back in '99. That's what makes it timeless, and a worthy addition to the history of the two.

 

Besides, Rock got his win back at Survivor Series that year; it wasn't completely clean, but neither were any of Austin's wins over Rock.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Even if it had happened before...

 

the other 2 ppvs they main evented combined weren't as good as the Mania 17 match.

 

Not even close.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Haven't seen Backlash '99 since I saw it on Pay Per View three years ago, but I recently re-watched WM 15 and it's not nearly what I remember it being. X7 was much better. Then again, Keith claims Backlash '99 was better than WM 15, so it might be worth re-watching to make sure. It might be easier if I could find that Pay Per View anywhere.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Well...I too thought that the Backlash match was better (at least when I saw it...3 years ago)

 

But it too was no where near the Mania 17 match.

 

That match (not Rock/Hogan) had the feel of being the "biggest match ever"

 

Mania 18 from top to bottom...was a joke.

 

MAnia 17...had a great main event, a great Angle/Benoit match and everyone's favorite spotfest in the TLC match.

 

Throw in the soap operaness of the McMahon vs. McMahon match...

 

and that ppv had everything that embodies the WWF and it had it in spades.

 

Meanwhile...18 was a ripoff.

[Guest Brian]

I wish they would have blown off Rock/Austin at Summerslam 2001 or WrestleMania X-8 like originally planned.

[Guest RickyChosyu]

Definitely some unexplored potential left in Rock/Austin. They could have easilly done that match and drawn a big gate. Then again, that might have jeopordized my chances of seeing that show live.

 

Seriously, Rock/Austin, as a feud, deserved a way better ending than what it was given.

[Guest Brian]

It deserved Rock going over.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I was against it being the main event of MAnia X8 for 2 reasons:

 

1. I don't think they could top the last years match...which IS the best Rock match ever (don't even try to give me that stuipid Iron MAn match with HHH...11 falls...they didn't even lock up until 10 minutes in..,poop on it)

 

2. Rock winning.

 

Sure he should get that singles win over Austin...BUT he left for a few months right after...so it would have done no one any good.

 

Rock is past the point of getting the torch...because he leaves too often to carry it.

 

And when he comes back to beat people...then leave...it doesn't help the product while he's gone.

 

That's a problem for WWE right now...

 

Rock has the torch...but he's not around all the time...

 

HHH thinks he has the torch...and anyone who disagrees will be buried.

 

Taker punks out all new people...making it impossible for them to get to the point where they can carry the ball...

 

and Angle should have the torch...and no one can tell me why he doesn't.

[Guest Brian]

Because he doesn't have great, flowing blond hair and friends who taught him how to play the game.

[Guest alfdogg]

lol