For anyone watching the WWF in 1995, let's be honest. It was a mediocre period for the company in terms of the product they were putting out. In 1995, there were a slew of ridiculous gimmicks, a lack of good story lines, and competition was starting to step up to the plate for fans attention in WCW and ECW. WWF's long-standing status as top dog in wrestling/sports entertainment was in peril, especially with WCW grabbing WWF's top stars. With that backdrop, the company trucked along, and as such, they put on their annual spectacle of Wrestlemania.
The 1995 edition of Wrestlemania comes to us from the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Wrestlemania XI, much like X the year before, trotted out a slew of B list celebrities. This year's batch included Nicholas Turturo from NYPD Blue, Jenny McCarthy who at the time was on MTV's Singled Out, Jonathan Taylor Thomas from the sitcom Home Improvement, the female rap trio Salt-n-Peppa, and the headline star was Pamela Anderson. Oh, let's not forget the former NFL players too, including Lawrence Taylor, who would be competing in the ring.
The show starts with a Special Olympian performing "America the Beautiful". A solid rendition, and well done.
British Bulldog and Lex Luger vs. The Blu Brothers w/ Uncle Zebekiah
Wow, did Luger fall down the rungs of the WWF ladder. From being in the title scene the year before to the curtain jerker in a tag match. Another story for another day. Luger and Bulldog were call the Allied Powers, and they took on the mountain boys/hillbillies of the Blu Brothers. Luger and Bulldog perform a couple of nice double team moves to start the match. Otherwise, the match plays out like a regular tag match (faces get upper hand, heels do a sneaky move to regain momentum, and faces get it back). Bulldog wins the match for his team with a sunset flip off the top rope for the pin. A watchable match, but nothing remarkable. **
Nick Turturro is in a back room with Jenny McCarthy and the heels. There are audio issues (can't hear Nick, tech glitches would be part of this show). They return to the next match.
Intercontinental Title Match: Razor Ramon w/ 1-2-3 Kid vs Jeff Jarrett (champion) w/ The Roadie
The WWF was struggling with having multiple feuds that fans could like and get behind the competitors. The feud between Razor and Jarrett was one of them. This match is a rematch from their Royal Rumble match a few months earlier when Jarrett won the title under less than honorable circumstances. The match was interesting in the fact that the result could have gone either way, and both competitors played it up as such. However, Razor wins the match by DQ. As such, Jarrett retains the title. **3/4
Another attempt at the backstage segment with Nick, McCarthy, and heels. Psycho Sid screams incomprehensible nonsense into the microphone.
The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. King Kong Bundy w/ Ted DiBiase
McMahon mentions that Undertaker has yet to lose at Wrestlemania. Of course, at this point, he was only 3-0 going into it, but perhaps Vince had the foresight to know that in 2012, Undertaker would be 20-0! Blah match. DiBiase calls out at one point during the match Kama Mustafa, who steals 'taker's urn. This match is slow, prodding, and boring. 'Taker wins with a bodyslam. *
Nick runs into the NFL stars. Each one calls out a member of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. These ex-players are NOT good, or convincing actors! Nick also meanders into a room where Jonathan Taylor Thomas was playing chess against Bob Backlund in a lame segment where Backlund claims the youth of the day acted like they knew everything.
Tag Team Title Match: The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) vs. Owen Hart and Mystery Partner
Owen comes down to the ring to announce who his mystery partner is. It is none other than Yokuzuna! We get the best match of the card up to this point, if not the whole evening here. Owen looked great in this match, and the Gunns were performing efficiently. They performed with fluidity and looked like champs. Unfortunately for them though, Yokuzuna was too much. Yoko wins the match for his team with a Banzai Drop on Billy. Solid match. ***1/4
Todd Pettingill, rocking a mullet interviews Bam Bam Bigelow, who says that Taylor can't defeat him in the ring.
I Quit Match: Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund
Roddy Piper is introduced as guest referee. Backlund at this point is playing the role of crazy old man. However, he was a strong mat wrestler, such as Bret. One would think on paper this would be a solid match. Sadly, it wasn't. I believe this match pays homage to the controversial match in 1983 (I think), when Backlund lost the WWF Title when Arnold Skaaland tossed in a towel, allowing Iron Sheik to win the match.
History lesson aside, this match was mostly both men locking in submissions and Piper stuffing a microphone in their faces asking if they give up. Bret wins by locking in Backlund's finishing move the Crossface Chickenwing on him. Could've been better than what it was. *1/2
WWF Title Match: Diesel (champion) vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Jenny McCarthy and Psycho Sid
Michaels comes down to the ring first, being escorted by McCarthy. He was supposed to be escorted by Anderson... When Diesel is announced he walks down the walkway, turns around, and gets escorted by Pam Anderson.
Very solid match, and perhaps the best one of Diesel's stint in the WWF. This match ran for close to twenty minutes, and over the course of the match, played out in the usual big vs. small man. Michaels does his usual great selling, getting high up in the air after a back body drop for example. They cut the camera to Anderson and McCarthy a couple times during the match, both of whom look disinterested. At one point the commentators say Anderson looks concerned, camera cuts to her and she's waving at fans.
Anyhow, there wasn't any doubt that Diesel was going to retain the title, and he did with a Jackknife Powerbomb to Michaels for the win. While Michaels would have better Wrestlemania matches, the fact that he got such a match as he did out of Diesel is a testament. ***
All the build up has led to the final match of the night...
Lawrence Taylor w/ NFL All-Stars vs. Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Million Dollar Corporation
It is hard for a wrestling fan NOT to cringe seeing an ex-pro football player in the main event at Wrestlemania going against a mid-carder such as Bigelow. However, WWE needed to do something to generate fan interest in Wrestlemania, and we get a surprisingly good match. This will never be considered an all-time great event, but it was much better than what was expected. Taylor, surprisingly, or perhaps not depending on where you stand, wins the match. **1/4
My personal opinion of Wrestlemania XI is that it is mediocre to average. It had some good moments, but there wasn't any standout match, or happening at this event that makes it memorable. However, taken in the context of the landscape of the WWF circa 1995 and their competitors, they did a decent job.The reality is though, WM XI probably won't be one you're going to grab from your collection for multiple viewing. View this at your own risk. **
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