Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #26 - April 1990

#1 Randy Savage [--] (12-8-0) (WWF)

It was the Heavyweight Championship win heard around the world! The explosion of Mega Powers fades into the background as Ultimate Warrior embarks on a campaign to claim double gold! He put his Intercontinental Championship up against the WWF title of Royal Rumble winner Hulk Hogan! A main event that only Wrestlemania VI could possibly hold!

The Ultimate Warrior win elevates his star, but he still can't quite crack the Top 10 rankings. Hulk Hogan misses his opportunity - joining the winners list with long reigning #1 Randy Savage. The Macho King couldn't claim the mixed tag win against Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire, even with Queen Sensational Sherri on his side!

Tag team pursuits feature top to bottom on the swollen 14 match card! Demolition conclude their chase of tag team gold, cashing in against The Colossal Connection of a declining Andre the Giant & Haku. A win by Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart bumps The Hart Foundation up to #3 off the back of the (PPV) winless Bolsheviks. They're one step ahead of Rockers Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty, who went down to the PPV debuting Oriental Express.

A stacked, memorable Wrestlemania card offers a glimpse of things to come, but fails to move the needle in any startling way. With WWF quiet until the Summer, the NWA once again have clear rights to dominate the PPV rankings! Capital Combat is the name of their May stopgap PPV.

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Randy Savage (12-8-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Hulk Hogan (11-3-1) (WWF) [Royal Rumble 1990]
#3 [--] Road Warrior Hawk (10-3-0) (NWA)
#4 [--] Ric Flair (10-4-2) (NWA) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#5 [--] Road Warrior Animal (9-4-0) (NWA)
#6 [+1] Brutus Beefcake (8-2-3) (WWF)
#7 [+1] Smash (8-4-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#8 [-2] Sting (7-1-2) (NWA)
#9 [RE] Dusty Rhodes (7-4-0) (WWF)
#10 [-1] Ricky Steamboat (7-5-0) (NWA)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Road Warrior Hawk & Animal (9-3-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Ax & Smash (6-2-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#3 [+3] Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (5-3-0) (WWF)
#4 [-1] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (4-0-0) (NWA)
#5 [-1] Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (4-2-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] Rick & Scott Steiner (4-2-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champions]
#7 [--] Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (3-1-1) (WWF)
#8 [--] The Samoan Savage & Fatu (3-1-0) (NWA)
#9 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (3-2-1) (WWF)
#10 [--] Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (3-5-1) (WWF)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Rockin' Robin (2-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania VI (April 1, 1990)
- NWA WrestleWar 1990 (February 25, 1990)
- WWF Royal Rumble (January 21, 1990)
- WWF No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie (December 27, 1989)
- NWA Starrcade '89 (December 13, 1989)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 23, 1989)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #17 - April 1989

#1 Randy Savage [--] (11-4-0) (WWF)

With only 2 pay-per-view tag team matches to their record - The Mega Powers explode in the main event of Wrestlemania V! Having won the World Heavyweight Championship a year ago in the Wrestlemania IV tournament: Randy Savage is on the back foot against Wrestlemania's red & yellow icon: Hulk Hogan! Unbelievably, it's Hogan's first title win at the annual spectacle, having had several successful defences in the past!

The Mega Powers end their association still ranked #10 in the PPV tag team rankings. Newly minted at the top is The Hart Foundation's Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart! They dethrone the NWA's finest rivals of the Rock 'n' Roll and Midnight Expresses! The WWF Tag Team Champions also enjoyed success at Wrestlemania V; Demolition returning to the tag ranks with a solid win over The Powers of Pain The Warlord & The Barbarian in the mid-card!

The tag title defense restores Smash to the Top 10 individual ranks, helping to usher Dusty Rhodes out of the stack. Rick Rude is a new addition to the top ranks, buoyed by an Intercontinental Championship victory over The Ultimate Warrior!

Things get quiet for WWF until the summer at this point. NWA/WCW have another new pay-per-view to respond with, however! WrestleWar will bridge the gap and give the stars of the NWA another chance to claim dominance over the Top 10 PPV ranks!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Randy Savage (11-4-0) (WWF)
#2 [+1] Hulk Hogan (7-2-1) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#3 [-1] Ricky Steamboat (7-3-0) (NWA) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#4 [--] Ric Flair (5-3-1) (NWA)
#5 [--] Dynamite Kid (5-3-1) (WWF)
#6 [RE] Smash (5-3-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#7 [new] Rick Rude (4-1-1) (WWF) [Intercontinental Champion]
#8 [-1] Brutus Beefcake (4-2-2) (WWF)
#9 [-3] Davey Boy Smith (4-2-1) (WWF)
#10 [-2] Road Warrior Hawk (4-2-0) (NWA)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [+3] Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (4-2-0) (WWF)
#2 [-1] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (3-0-0) (NWA)
#3 [-1] Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (3-0-0) (NWA)
#4 [-1] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (3-2-1) (WWF)
#5 [RE] Ax & Smash (3-2-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#6 [-1] Road Warrior Hawk & Animal (3-2-0) (NWA)
#7 [-1] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (2-0-0) (WWF)
#8 [--] Paul Roma & Jim Powers (2-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [--] Andre the Giant & Rick Rude (2-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [--] Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage (2-0-0) (WWF)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Rockin' Robin (2-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania V (April 2, 1989)
- NWA Chi-Town Rumble (February 20, 1989)
- WWF Royal Rumble (January 15, 1989)
- NWA Starrcade '88 (December 26, 1988)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 24, 1988)
- WWF Summerslam (August 29, 1988)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #10 - March 1988

#1 Randy Savage [+1] (9-2-0) (WWF)
(World Heavyweight Champion)

"The Macho Man" Randy Savage officially arrives in the most spectacular fashion imaginable! With the WWF World Heavyweight Championship vacant -- Wrestlemania IV plays host to a 14-man elimination tournament! Savage was runner-up in the Wrestling Classic a couple of years ago - but this time the bracket delivers him to the WWF title and an insurmountable pay-per-view win/loss lead of 9-2!

Further down the bracket; a double bye defaults a marquee Wrestelmania 3 rematch as Hulk Hogan & Andre the Giant wrestle to a stunning Round 2 double disqualification! The result keeps The Hulkster strong at #3, while Andre the Giant manages to lumber up to #9 even with the neutral result!

Brutus Beefcake is the other long mover -- leaping into the Top 10 after a DQ win over The Honky Tonk Man in an unsuccessful Intercontinental Championship challenge. More successful is the monosyllabic combo of Demolition's Ax & Smash -- new WWF Tag Team Champions with a win over Strike Force in only their second PPV match! The British Bulldogs weren't so lucky in their 6-man encounter with The Islanders -- but I'm already anticipating Davey Boy Smith's future a decade from now.

No ladies on this card, but WWF stay strong with a decisive focus on top stars and a packed tournament card. NWA will be back in the Summer with another PPV debut to fire back, but WWF will be right behind them with their own slam of the Summer. The competition is heating up!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [+1] Randy Savage (9-2-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#2 [-1] Ricky Steamboat (6-3-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Hulk Hogan (4-1-1) (WWF)
#4 [--] Dynamite Kid (4-3-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Junkyard Dog (4-3-0) (WWF)
#6 [--] Ricky Morton (3-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [--] Robert Gibson (3-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [+1] Andre the Giant (3-1-1) (WWF)
#9 [new] Brutus Beefcake (3-1-1) (WWF)
#10 [-2] Jimmy Valiant (3-1-0) (NWA)
 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (3-0-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (2-0-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (2-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#5 [--] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [--] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [--] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#9 [--] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [--] Jimmy Valiant & Ron Garvin (1-0-0) (NWA)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (2-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Rockin' Robin (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Itsuki Yamazaki (1-0-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Noriyo Tateno (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania IV (March 27, 1988)
- NWA Bunkhouse Stampede (January24, 1988)
- WWF Survivor Series (November 26, 1987)
- NWA Starrcade '87 (November 26, 1987)
- WWF Wrestlemania III (March 29, 1987)
- NWA Starrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers (November 27, 1986)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intend to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers. Pre-show matches will not be included.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #7 - March 1987

#1 Ricky Steamboat [+2] (5-2-0) (WWF)
(Intercontinental Champion)

It's fitting that Ricky Steamboat rises to become the hottest Pay-Per-View Player off the back of one of the most talked about matches on any card - let alone a Wrestlemania! Steamboat became Intercontinental Champion when he defeated Randy Savage in a match that has come to define the tradition of the secondary quality Wrestlemania match! An instant classic!

Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan runs wild with the bodyslam heard around the world -- another Wrestlemania 3 classic! Hogan's domination of Andre the Giant exemplifies the other side of the annual event - the larger than life spectacle of Wrestlemania. This successful WWF Heavyweight Championship defense propels Hogan one step short of the best perfect PPV record.

Women disappear from Wrestlemania in 1987, but the tag team of Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff deliver the second duo to go 2-0. Do they have what it takes to challenge the tag team strength of The Rock 'n' Roll Express? It's there for the taking for any team willing and able!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [+2] Ricky Steamboat (5-2-0) (WWF) [Intercontinental Champion]
#2 [+2] Hulk Hogan (4-0-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#3 [-1] Randy Savage (4-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [-3] Junkyard Dog (4-2-0) (WWF)
#5 [--] Jimmy Valiant (3-1-0) (NWA)
#6 [--] The Dynamite Kid (3-2-0) (WWF)
#7 [--] Krusher Khruschev (2-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] Ricky Morton (2-0-0) (NWA)
#9 [--] Robert Gibson (2-0-0) (NWA)
#10 [--] The Assassin (2-0-0) (NWA)

 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (2-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champion]
#2 [+1] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (2-0-0) (WWF)
#3 [-1] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#4 [+1] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#5 [+1] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [+1] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [+1] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [+1] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [+1] Jimmy Valiant & Ron Garvin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#10 [new] Terry Funk & Hoss Funk (1-0-0) (WWF)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (1-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Leilani Kai (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Velvet McIntyre (0-1-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania III (March 29, 1987)
- NWA Starrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers (November 27, 1986)
- WWF Wrestlemania 2 (April 7, 1986)
- NWA Starrcade '85: The Gathering (November 28, 1985)
- WWF The Wrestling Classic (November 7, 1985)
- WWF Wrestlemania (March 31, 1985)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intends to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #3 - March 1985

#1 Ric Flair [--] (2-0-0) (NWA)
(World Heavyweight Champion)

The World Wrestling Federation has officially entered the pay-per-view game. In 2013, Wrestlemania has the benefit of writing the history as its ultimate winner. After the first 'Mania, Ric Flair remains secure as the top PPV Player -- a two-time Starrcade main eventer. We shall see just how potent Wrestlemania proves as WWF encroaches further on the pay-per-view landscape. What is unmistakable is that Hulk Hogan has registered his first of many wins. He may be behind the chase and outside the Top 10 by default, but we know that will change in time. Not a matter of if -- but when!

The headache of trying to reflect the promotional rift in wrestling can officially begin here. Ricky Steamboat crosses lines to return to the Top 10 as a WWF star. He defeated the late Matt Borne in the third match on the card -- a modest method to become the highest ranked WWF talent after their first entry. "Cowboy" Bob Orton spent his March 31st interfering in the melee of Wrestlemania's famous first main event: a tag team bout officially between Hulk Hogan & Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper & "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. If that makes him a Pay-Per-View Player of headlining value, he'll have to settle for riding his Starrcade '83 win to #8. I'm sure we'll see the Hulkster at the top of the Tag ranks in no time, legendary team player that he is.

In the interest of proportions, a women's division can be added to the rankings list. I don't know how often we'll see the likes of Wendi Richter. The ebb and flow of womens wrestling on the main stage may prove to be one of the more interesting elements. We've a long way to go before the heights of Sable, Trish Stratus and other women as draws.

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Ric Flair (2-0-0) (NWA) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#2 [--] The Assassin (2-0-0) (NWA)
#3 [RE] Ricky Steamboat (2-1-0) (WWF)
#4 [-1] Denny Brown (1-0-0) (NWA) [World Junior Heavyweight Champion]
#5 [-1] Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [new] Nikolai Volkoff (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#7 [new] The Iron Sheik (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#8 [-2] Bob Orton Jr (1-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [-2] Abdullah the Butcher (1-0-0) (NWA)
#10 [-2] Kevin Sullivan (1-0-0) (NWA)

 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#2 [new] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#3 [-1] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#4 [-1] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#5 [-1] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [-1] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [new] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [-2] Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco (0-1-0) (NWA)
#10 [-2] Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel (0-1-0) (NWA)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF) [Womens Champion]
#2 [--] Leilani Kai (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania (March 31, 1985)
- NWA Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge (November 22, 1984)
- NWA Starrcade '83: A Flair for the Gold (November 24, 1983)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intends to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 04/07

#1 Sheamus [--] (20-6-1)
I had Sheamus, Randy Orton & Big Show finally ending the three-man reign of terror that is The Shield. Shows what I know! The Wrestlemania opener kicked things off in ways that can only deliver down the road. Everybody's talking heel turn for Randy Orton, so you've got to think that's on the table. With Jack Swagger on the out (after a drug charge), it's no surprise Alberto Del Rio is making motions toward the top of the Countdown again. I'm not sure I ever expected Swagger to be the man to take the World Heavyweight Championship -- certainly not at Wrestlemania -- but it's his future that's really in doubt now.

#2 [+1] Alberto Del Rio (19-2-1) [World Champion]
#3 [-1] Randy Orton (19-8-1)
#4 [--] Bryan Danielson (15-9-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#5 [--] Kane (15-9-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [--] Ryback (14-5-0)
#7 [--] Jack Swagger (13-1-1)
#8 [--] Mark Henry (13-2-0)
#9 [--] Big Show (12-10-1)
#10 [--] The Miz (11-6-1) [Intercontinental Champion]

#1 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (10-3-0) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Sheamus & Randy Orton (7-1-0)
#3 [+1] Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (4-0-0)
#4 [+1] Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (4-0-0)
#5 [+1] Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (4-0-0)
#6 [-3] Brodus Clay & Tensai (4-1-1)
#7 [+2] Sheamus & Big Show (3-1-0)
#8 [+2] Randy Orton & Big Show (3-1-0)
#9 [-2] Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (3-2-0)
#10 [-2] Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow (3-5-1)

Superstar Spotlight:
Wrestlemania XXIX
Another year, another dubious Wrestlemania.
It had to be one of the all-time worst builds to the biggest show of the year, with many matches only coming together at the last moment. I find it galling that the event was dominated by first timers, let alone wrestlers who were making their in-ring debut!

Fandango and Big E Langston made their competitive debuts in matches that felt like a last minute waste of talent. I wasn't down on Fandango/Jericho entirely, not as a mid-card bout, but I can't help but acknowledge the potential for so much better for Chris Jericho. Likewise, the tag team situation stumbles its way through all kinds of clumsy missteps. Langston had absolutely no business debuting at Wrestlemania, let alone at the expense of various tag teams that have been putting in the hard yards. Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow -- absent from the card -- stand out immediately as a duo who should've not only been there, but arguably picking up the straps. Kane & Bryan Danielson would've been far better off following through on those January teases for a singles mid-card match with some story behind it. A more disappointing story than the bumped 8-Person tag, which, truth be told, was probably a better decision for the shape of the entire card.

Despite complaints and a flimsy build, the event still carried a certain atmosphere. It is Wrestlemania and with a set that inspired delusions of grand, King Kong-style city brawls, it was hard not to be in awe of the spectacle, if not the wrestling. Brock Lesnar/Triple H was the no brainer for match of the night, in my eyes. The pair put on a brutal battle that lived up to expectations. Undertaker's defense of the streak was solid, but lacked the technical excellence of the past four years, and the spectacle the storyline deserved. With all the back and forth over urns and ill speeches toward the dead, I really wanted to see CM Punk carted out in a druid-manned casket. It's tough to penalize them for something they didn't do, but that felt like a real hole in the finish.

The main event capped off a Wrestlemania with few surprises, but I maintain that there's no shame in that. I think back to the last Wrestlemania's that really blew me away, like Wrestlemania XX, where Chris Benoit's World Championship victory was widely seen as a foregone conclusion. There comes a time when sometimes you just need to deliver the good result. John Cena is far from my favourite wrestler, but it made sense to finish the Three Act story. He's the WWE Champion and now the only question is -- what comes next? With Ryback suffering a shock loss to Mark Henry, expectations in that area have at least been subverted for the following Monday. It might be a nail too many for Ryback, whose time in the spotlight came far too soon, but I'm more than happy to take Mark Henry for the contender he deserves to be.

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records. Tallied results only include matches broadcast during WWE 2013 programming. At present, this includes RAW (Mondays), Main Event (Wednesdays), Smackdown (Friday), and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 04/03

#1 Edge [--] (17-1-1) (WWE)
[World Heavyweight Champion]
Another Wrestlemania, another disappointment...

On paper, this had the potential to be a card that bucked against the trend of underwhelming shows, but alas, the opportunity was squandered. The tone was set with the pre-show announcement that Bryan Danielson (#19) and Sheamus (#31) would be relegated to dark match status in their US Championship match, later to be wrapped up in annual battle royal shenanigans. Edge and Alberto Del Rio were relegated to the opening match -- not necessarily a negative placement for this type of exciting encounter -- but an insult to the tradition of the Royal Rumble winner as a main event contender. Their bout was given little time and little inspiration, but probably sits in the positive half of the show review, never the less. Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes (#41) did good business with a fun Captain America nod from Rey, Jerry Lawler (#55) and Michael Cole (#84) overstayed their welcome with a result that made it all seem for moot. Finally The Rock came back to Wrestlemania, and finally The Rock came back to do a move, but in the end, it was a convoluted finish with a rusted silver lining -- John Cena (#47) loses, but The Miz (#15) wins. Bittersweet. Ultimately, for any positive, it was another Undertaker [see spotlight] year, with his match against Triple H easily the only reason to really buy -- something I did not do, and something I won't do (on DVD).

Meanwhile, observant readers must note the (somewhat expected) departure of TNA's representation in the joint statistical top ten. There will be time for this to be reversed if TNA latch on to a prominent posterboy in the next few months, but without that, it's a last hurrah from Robert Roode as his Beer Money partner, James Storm (#11), slips just outside the stack. With that companys problems I'm not sure I would expect anything else, but... it's an instinctive alarm bell for a fan of their potential.

#2 [--] Rey Mysterio (10-5-0) (WWE)
#3 [+1] Randy Orton (10-5-0) (WWE)
#4 [-1] Alberto Del Rio (9-7-2) (WWE) [Royal Rumble]
#5 [new] Santino Marella (9-8-0) (WWE)
#6 [-1] Eve Torres (8-4-0) (WWE) [Divas Champion]
#7 [-1] Chris Masters (8-4-0) (WWE)
#8 [-1] Justin Gabriel (8-6-0) (WWE) [Tag Team Champion]
#9 [-1] Layla (8-6-0) (WWE)
#10 [-1] Robert Roode (7-0-0) (TNA) [Tag Team Champion]

#1 [--] Robert Roode & James Storm (7-0-0) (TNA) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater (6-4-0) (WWE) [Tag Team Champions]
#3 [--] Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (6-6-0) (WWE)
#4 [--] Layla & Michelle McCool (5-2-0) (WWE)
#5 [new] Big Show & Kane (3-0-0) (WWE)
#6 [-1] Sarita & Rosita (3-1-0) (TNA) [Knockouts Tag Team Champions]
#7 [-1] Angelina Love & Winter (3-2-0) (TNA)
#8 [-1] Edge & Randy Orton (2-0-0) (WWE)
#9 [-1] John Morrison & R-Truth (2-0-0) (WWE)
#10 [-1] Rey Mysterio & R-Truth (2-0-0) (WWE)

Superstar Spotlight:
#85 Undertaker (1-0-0) (WWE)
Heading into this match, there was a lot of speculation about whether or not Undertaker was even physically capable of pulling it off. Deciding who would contend the covetted "streak" spot came late, the build only a month long. If you were watching during the month, you were hopefully convinced a little bit more each week, until expectations made this one of the biggest matches on the card -- and if you watched Wrestlemania XVII -- I hope you were able to enjoy it to that fullest extent.

Undertaker and Triple H (#122) went on to have what I believe was the only really significant match on the card. Some critics may subscribe to the idea that it walked ground already bravely pioneered by Shawn Michaels, but I think the tone was inevitably different with Triple H. This was less a wrestling match and more a violent epic between two mythological creatures. Finishing moves were less constructs of a conceptually rule driven performance-sport, and more akin to claps of thunder as two titans collided. Arsenals were obliterated -- as was furniture -- as the pair blitzed WWE's soft PG policy and wrapped a chair around with violent intent. The match didn't really veer into the nineties garbage style hardcore showcase that both have touched upon in the past, and I consider that a compliment.

On a Wrestlemania card that gambled away its wrestling credentials for questionable non-wrestlers, I appreciated a tense finish that dovetailed back to the wrestling arena, seeing two spent men locked together in a final test of wills. Undertaker's gogoplata "Hells Gate" submission was the perfect, fluid transition to an end, which saw Triple H desperately, blindly reaching for a sledge hammer that failed to finish a job that not even multiple pedigrees or a tombstone piledriver could. The Game was finished. Undertaker won.

It seems this was the first Wrestlemania in a long time that finished with no titles changing hands. As nostalgia for the micro-era where Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar competed in the main event in a wrestler's wrestling match grips me, I wish that fact meant more. If nothing else, at least Undertaker and Triple H made it count.

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records, based on televised matches from WWE and TNA 2010 broadcasts. At present, they includes TNA: Impact!, WWE: RAW, WWE: Superstars, WWE: Smackdown, and monthly Pay-Per-View events. Blogger errors delayed the publication of this post until April 10. 

American History K: Wrestlemania VII

He is one of the most feared entities in professional wrestling, whose impact included winning the WWF Heavyweight Championship away from Hulk Hogan just one year after his debut, during the height of Hulkamania in 1991. Since, The Undertaker has forged a legacy of two decades of destruction, winning various major championships, and setting record firsts as a character unmatch in theatricality and spectacle. His history in Casket matches, Hell in a Cell cages, Inferno matches, and the Buried Alive stipulation that recently ended his current tenure as a World title contender, is legendary, but no accolade is greater than the unprecedented success he has enjoyed once every year.

The Undertaker debuted at Wrestlemania in the year of his first championship, facing "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in the mid-card of May's Wrestlemania VII. Victory was assured for the gloomy heel, who dispatched the Superfly in under five minutes. It was a significant victory even for it's time, but nobody could've imagined that it would be but the first in a sequence of a staggering eighteen unanswered victories at Wrestlemania!

What if things hadn't been so easy for the Deadman, though? What if events unfolded in a very different way, and The Undertaker's incredible pageantry was rivalled by a force so awesome, no destiny could steer him towards victory?...

In 1991, he was twenty-two, and in five years he would be writing his own name in the history books by winning an Olympic Gold Medal for America in grecco-roman wrestling. He is Kurt Angle, one of the most decorated superstars in the history of professional wrestling, whose accomplishments came faster and thicker than anything The Undertaker could handle.

At Wrestlemania VII, The Undertaker certainly would've cut an imposing figure opposite the relatively diminutive grecco-roman grappler, but with youth in his corner and an intensity that cannot be matched, Kurt Angle's American History K would have changed the expectations of wrestling overnight. I mean, The Undertaker was already a hundred freaking years old in 1991, any way, wearing that stupid hat. He won matches because he avoided taking moves. If Vince McMahon told Koko B Ware he could act like nothing could hurt him, then he would've been undefeated at Wrestlemania too. But he didn't. He told him he was an idiot with a bird.

Sure, Undertaker had size and power on his size, and maybe even the support of the crowd. In 1991 things were simpler. It's true, it's true. But once the audience witnessed a seven foot man being overhead german suplexed with a release, then the tide would've turned. The stupor of a man as excellent in the field of catch as catch can delivering a perfect moonsault would've been broken as the crowd listened to a grown man's cries be silence by the snapping of an ankle.

WCW, in it's infancy after beginning in 1988, would've collapsed instantly. Kurt Angle would've been elevated to unquestioned main event status, facing Hulk Hogan as a babyface against the heel faker. Kurt Angle would have arisen to the absolute heights of professional wrestling glory in 1991, yet still competed for and won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996. It is only during this period that the WWF recovers, having collapsed under the weight of a lack of competition for Kurt Angle's phenomenal style of wrestling. This is American History K, and you thank me for this education experience.

Epilogue: Crippled and embarassed beyond repair, The Undertaker was forced into an early retirement by this version of Wrestlemania history. Summoning the dark arts, he travelled backward through time, preventing Kurt Angle's premature rise through the ranks of the World Wrestling Federation by occult means. Undeterred, Kurt Angle went on to become the NCAA Division I competition runner-up, after interference from Paul Bearer prevented him claiming ultimate victory. With Angle out of the picture, Undertaker went on to win the hardcore championship as a cyclist, and punched Scotty 2 Hotty at the Royal Rumble.