WrestleMania Time Machine: WrestleMania 12

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In the months leading up to WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, we'll be taking a look back at the best and worst of WrestleMania's past.

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w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle

Date: March 31, 1996

Venue: Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA)

Attendance: 18,853

On Commentary: Jerry "The King" Lawler & Vince McMahon 

Main Event: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart in a 60 Minute Iron Man Match

Alex's Opinion

Best: Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart had the best match of this WrestleMania, hands down.  There wasn't even a close second.  The pace they kept was insane, and they nailed everything.  It's one of the best matches ever.

Worst: The Ultimate Warrior was completely gassed just from his entrance.  The only caveat in this match is that we get a glimpse of Triple H before he blew up.  Who would've thought he'd be the future king of wrestling?

Violet's Opinion

Best:  The Ultimate Warrior returned after a several year absence to squash the up and coming Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Generally speaking, I hate squash matches. But, what I hate even more than a regular squash match is one that takes place on PPV. And, I especially hate matches that put veterans over promising new stars. So, there was very little for me to like about this segment.

Worst:  The Iron Man match between Shawn Michael and Bret Hart stands out as the best segment of WrestleMania 12. The fluidity and pacing of the match was perfect. It didn't feel like there were any slow or rests points in the action, which is truly impressive for a match that was over an hour in length. I liked that the match had to go into overrun as it was a pleasure to watch Michaels and Hart do what they do best: put on an entertaining and athletic wrestling match. The fact that there was only one fall over the course of match made Hart look strong in defeat.

Full Results

Vader, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog defeated Yokozuna, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Ahmed Johnson in a 6-Man Tag Match (12:51)

Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega (10:00)

The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (1:40)

The Undertaker defeated Diesel (16:46)

Rowdy Roddy Piper defeated Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl (12:15)

Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart for the WWF Championship in Overtime of a 60 Minute Iron Man Match (1:01:52)

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@TheAlexArcher | @VioletButtle |  @FTLOW_official

Remembering Paul Bearer

by Alex Archer

There isn't much to say about Paul Bearer's career that hasn't already been said on every wrestling news site and blog on the internet, so I'm not even going to try.  These are some of my favorite memories of Paul Bearer.

Paul Bearer makes his debut on "The Brother Love Show"

Paul Bearer attempts to regain control of his Undertaker

Paul Bearer tells the story of Kane

Funeral Parlor segment featuring Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Paul Bearer, The Undertaker, The Ultimate Warrior, and a Casket

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@TheAlexArcher | @FTLOW_Official

Versus: Who Was the Better Partner for Kofi Kingston?

by Violet Buttle

Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth

 

Evan Bourne: Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne won the WWE Tag Team Championship on August 22, 2011, just seven days after teaming up. Soon after, the team began going by the name Air Boom. Air Boom was a well-received tag team and much of that has to do with how well-matched Kingston and Bourne were. Their high flying, energetic in-ring styles complimented each other well, and their jovial, upbeat personalities made them appear as believable friends. Air Boom dropped the titles on January 15, 2011 following Bourne’s second suspension for a violation of WWE’s Wellness Policy.

R-Truth: On April 30, 2012, Kofi and Kingston and R-Truth won the WWE Tag Team Championship, becoming the first black wrestlers to win the titles as a team. The team didn’t seem very cohesive, as Truth and Kingston had very different in-ring styles and gimmicks. For instance, every time the team entered the ring, Kingston would try to hurry Truth through his Little Jimmy antics, even though the Little Jimmy routine was an important of Truth’s character at the time. Kingston and Truth dropped the titles at the Night of Champions Pay-Per-View on September 16, 2012 to the up-and-coming Team Hell No. The team mutually parted ways on October 8th, but they have occasionally tagged together since.

The Better Partner for Kofi Kingston: Evan Bourne

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@VioletButtle