Posted in: The Classroom The Classroom - History Of: WrestleMania Part 12
By Sean Taylor
Feb 19, 2009 - 3:57:23 AM
"The school pets, Mr. and Mrs. Gerbil, have passed away due to natural causes. In unrelated news, today’s cafeteria special is meat loaf."
Welcome back to The Classroom. My apologies for the delay between columns. I’ve been working with LOP Forums columnists Ry_P and Skaos on our combined entry into the CSI tournament (hint hint). The column is current posted in the Columns forum (hint hint) and maybe if you have time, you can check it out and leave some feedback (hint hint). Maybe if you think it’s worth it, you can vote for our column when the voting opens (HINT HINT). All joking aside, we worked really hard on it and we would certainly appreciate some feedback. It’s called Backlash: Respect. Honor. Finality and it is a fantasy booking of a WWE/ROH crossover pay-per-view.
Speaking of feedback, I recently received an email with the following critique:
“You bitch you don't like Rey because he has a life, and as a mater of fact he has more money then you will ever have mother fucker,don't hate on any body that has a life better then your's, now go cry to your mommy,your mom is a lesbian,and you live with your mommy. X(X(X(X(X(X(X(X(X(X( suck it bitch DX!!!!!!!!!!!! X(X(X(X(X(X(X(X(”
I’ve always said that I welcome feedback both positive and negative (and I have received plenty of both) but this sticks out above the rest. Talk about not doing your research. I mean I don’t think DreaGirl here knows me at all. I do not live with my mommy nor is she a lesbian. But I have to say, I was impressed that he got Degeneration X’s stamp of approval for this opinion. Seriously, they don’t go around putting their names on just anything.
Ok ok, enough shameless plugs and pointless humour. This time around we’re going to be looking at WrestleMania XII. This was a good pay-per-view offering made even better seeing as how it’s sandwiched between two not-so-great Manias. Oops, before I get to ranting, let’s begin our lesson.
WrestleMania XII
Date: March 31, 1996
Venue: Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, California)
Commentators: Vince McMahon & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Attendance: 18,853
1995 was a rough year for the WWE. The bright colours and over-the-top gimmicks of the New Generation were growing old fast. Raw’s ratings and pay-per-view buys were dropping. Times were changing and the WWE wasn’t changing with it. With a few notable exceptions like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, and The Undertaker, the WWE’s talent roster did little to excite fans.
Another major concern was the advent of WCW Monday Night Nitro on September 4, 1995. During the early stages of Turner’s TBS Superstation, McMahon’s WWE programming was one of their big ratings draws. After Turner unsuccessfully attempted to buy the WWE from McMahon, their business relationship dissolved. Turner then bought Jim Crockett Promotions and started WCW. In 1995, WCW Executive Producer Eric Bischoff had been told by Ted Turner that WCW needed to compete with WWE. The only way to do that was go head-to-head on Monday nights.
Bischoff knew that he couldn’t take McMahon head on. He had to be smart about it. Nitro debuted on a night when Raw was pre-empted by the U.S. Open tennis tournament. This gave wrestling fans, who were conditioned to watch wrestling on Monday nights, had no reason not to at least check it out. Nitro also went two hours whereas Raw was only one. Nitro started an hour before Raw did which allowed them to hype a match for the main event that could possibly make Raw fans stay tuned into Nitro. By 1996, Nitro still hadn’t caught up with Raw in the ratings, but their presence was known and it was soon to be difficult to ignore.
But there was one avenue that WCW couldn’t touch WWE on. Pay-per-view. Despite their lowering buy rates, the WWE was still miles ahead of WCW when it came to pay-per-view events. While WCW had the names of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Ric Flair, the WCW higher ups just didn’t have the experience that the WWE had. The WWE had also begun to add to their pay-per-views with the Free For All. The Free For All was a half-hour show airing free for everyone as a last minute attempt to bump buy rates. The show consisted of feud recaps and often, a featured match. For example, WrestleMania XII’s Free For All featured The Body Donnas (Skip/Zip) with their manager Sunny defeating The Godwinns (Henry O./Phinneas I.) with their manager Hillbilly Jim. Because of their victory, The Body Donnas became the WWE Tag Team Champions after the belts had been vacated when Billy Gunn (of the then champion Smoking Gunns) suffered an injury.
Please! Just Give Me Five Minutes
Yokozuna had had a successful run at the top of the WWE as a heel. But since dropping out of the title picture, the WWE had to find him new storylines that didn’t involve the championship. In early 1996, Yokozuna turned on his manger James E. Cornette and challenged his stable, Camp Cornette, to a six-man tag match at WrestleMania XII. Yokozuna put in a stipulation that if his team won, he would get five minutes in the ring alone with Cornette immediately following the match.
Camp Cornette consisted of Owen Hart, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, and Vader. Yokozuna recruited newcomer powerhouse Ahmed Johnson and the returning Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Roberts’ addiction to alcohol and drugs out of the ring was well documented. But Roberts had recently entered into treatment programs and was turning his life around. As many recovering addicts do, Roberts found religion and incorporated it into a new wrestling gimmick. Instead of talking about the safety of the darkness, he was preaching the forgiveness of God. He even brought a large, yellow python named Revelations. But his faith couldn’t help him at WrestleMania as he was pinned by Vader.
Golden Alley Fight Part 1
After the Royal Rumble, Vader felt that he had been screwed out of a title shot and confronted WWE President Gorilla Monsoon. Vader attacked Monsoon and then dropped two Vader Bombs on him. With Monsoon injured, the WWE announced “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as the new President. Piper’s authoritative ways caught the roving eye of the bizarre Goldust. Goldust was played by Dustin Runnels, son of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Goldust began his career quoting famous lines from feature films, speaking in a soft, sensual voice, and inhaling deeply before saying his own name. His physical appearance was even more distracting. He wore a full gold jumpsuit, gold gloves, a golden sequin robe, and a long blond wig. His face was painted gold with black lipstick and eyeliner. His entrance was as extravagant as he was. The screen would go into half-time slow motion while gold circular pieces of reflective paper fell from the ceiling.
The character itself was even more uniquely bizarre. Goldust played himself off as a homosexual. Wrestlers such as “Adorable” Adrian Adonis and “Gorgeous” George had played effeminate personas before but Goldust took it to a whole new level. His promos would have verbal cues of affection towards an opponent. During his matches, he would situate himself behind his opponent and rub his hands up and down the opponent’s chest as if he was groping his foe. But soon, more confusion hit when Goldust started coming to the ring with his cigar-smoking director Marlena (played by Dustin’s real life wife, Terri). Was Goldust gay? Was he straight and playing mind games? No one really knew for sure.
After turning his affection towards Razor Ramon for most of 1995, Goldust started going after Piper. Piper booked himself into a Hollywood Backlot Brawl at WrestleMania XII against Goldust and promised to make a man out of Goldust. When match time came, cameras found Piper waiting in an alley outside the arena holding a baseball bat. Suddenly, screeching tires were heard and a gold Cadillac stopped at the end of the alleyway. The car sped up towards Piper but Piper moved out of the way. Goldust exited the car and the two started brawling using anything they could get their hands on to beat each other with. Goldust got back into his car and drove off. Piper jumped into a white Ford Bronco and took off after Goldust.
Commentators and fans assumed the match was over but throughout the next three matches, Vince was given updates on the pursuit. Piper called from his cell phone twice and said that he “came for a fight” and would chase Goldust to Mexico to get it. The announcers said they had footage of the chase, but when it played it was obviously stock footage of the famous O.J. slow speed highway chase from 1994. Simpson’s murder trial was international news at this time so this was a way for the WWE to be topical.
Stunning To Stone Cold
By WrestleMania XII, Ted DiBiase had disbanded his Million Dollar Corporation and had focused primarily on a recent WCW reject, Steve Austin. Austin debuted in the WWE as The Ringmaster – DiBiase’s protégé and personal choice to be the new Million Dollar Champion. Due to Austin’s no-nonsense approach to his matches and his seemingly emotionless demeanor, his name was changed from The Ringmaster to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Austin later admitted that his wife at the time gave him the idea for the name after accosting him to drink his tea.
When the Smoking Gunns had to relinquish the WWE Tag Team Championships due to Billy Gunn’s injury, a tournament was announced to crown new champions. Steve Austin was randomly drawn as Vega’s replacement partner (Razor Ramon had left for WCW) for the tournament. During their match against The Body Donnas, Austin refused to tag Vega and then attacked him. Austin left Vega to be defeated on his own.
Soon after, a match between Austin and Vega was signed for WrestleMania XII. After using the Million Dollar Belt to knock out Vega, Austin applied the Million Dollar Dream submission hold and the ref called for the bell. Austin refused to break the hold until several referees and WWE officials stormed the ring. Austin and Vega would continue to feud into the summer of 1996 until King of the Ring where Austin would become bigger than anyone, including himself, would have ever guessed.
Once, Twice, Three Times A Warrior
In early 1996, the WWE announced that the Ultimate Warrior would be returning at WrestleMania XII. His selected opponent was Hunter Hearst Helmsley (now known as Triple H). Helmsley debuted in mid-1995 as a blueblood aristocrat that was similar to the gimmick he portrayed in WCW as a part of The Bluebloods tag team with William Regal. Vince McMahon created this gimmick liked this gimmick because it mocked his real life neighbours in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. McMahon, being a self-professed redneck from South Carolina, took exception to the negative reaction his neighbours gave him when he, a wrestling promoter, moved into “their” area. The Helmsley gimmick was a snub to them from McMahon – yes, sometimes the wrestling business is petty like that.
At WrestleMania XII, Helmsley walked to the ring with a new valet as he did with every match. Lawler joked on the commentary that his sources reported that the Warrior weighed four hundred pounds and was bald as a cue ball. Of course, this wasn’t the case. The Warrior came running out under a fireworks-laden Warrior symbol and he quickly defeated Helmsley in less two minutes.
The Warrior returned primarily to co-promote his Warrior comic book and Warrior University. Warrior’s promos were never works of literary art, but this third stint in the WWE saw some of the most long-winded Warrior tirades filled with verbose language that went right over most of the fans’ heads. In the summer of 1996, Warrior started no-showing live events leading to his eventual release from the company.
Born To Be Wild
Backstage, Todd Pettengill introduced a debuting wrestler, “Wild Man” Marc Mero. Mero was another former WCW star who had been known as Johnny B. Badd. Badd was an effeminate character who dressed and spoke like singer/WrestleMania alumni Little Richard. Mero began his introductory promo but was quickly interrupted by Helmsley berating his valet for costing him his match. Mero stood up for the young lady and started a brawl with Helmsley. Mero would later bring the valet to the ring as his manager thus creating the character Sable.
Battle of the Behemoths
After defeating Kama in a Casket Match at SummerSlam 1995 and regaining possession of the urn, the Undertaker was being beaten down while Yokozuna and the 1995 King of the Ring King Mabel took turns dropping leg drops on Undertaker’s face. The Undertaker suffered an orbital bone injury around his eye and took time off for the required corrective surgery. When he returned at Survivor Series, he wore a protective gray mask that was similar in style to the Phantom of the Opera’s mask. During a WWE Championship match against Bret Hart at the 1996 Royal Rumble but was cost the match by “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel.
Diesel’s reign as WWE Champion ended at the 1995 Survivor Series when he was defeated by Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Diesel set out to get his title back and after being the last man eliminated from the Royal Rumble, he attacked The Undertaker during his title match that night. Undertaker returned the favour at the February In Your House pay-per-view. During the cage match between Hart and Diesel, the Undertaker came up through the ring and pulled Diesel down allowing Hart to escape the cage and retain the title. A match between Diesel and the Undertaker was quickly signed for WrestleMania XII.
The Undertaker played mind games with Diesel. Undertaker sent a casket to the ring as a present for Diesel and when Diesel opened the casket, he found a visage of himself lying motionless inside. At WrestleMania XII, the two men engaged in a classic big man versus big man match. Both men were in their prime and beginning to peak in their careers. Diesel had the upper hand throughout most of the match and delivered two Jackknife powerbombs to the Undertaker. But the Undertaker sat up and recovered enough to drop Diesel with his patented Tombstone Piledriver to win the match.
Golden Alley Fight Part 1
Back from their highway chase, Goldust and Piper arrived at the arena and headed for the ring. Goldust grabbed Marlena on his way, trying to outrun Piper. But Piper eventually caught up with Goldust in the ring and attacked with vicious fury. After grabbing a hold of Goldust’s nether region, Piper stripped the gold suit off to reveal women’s underwear. Marlena ran into the ring and threw herself on top of Goldust to protect him, which was apparently how to win the match because Piper’s music played and Piper was announced as the victor.
Two Men. Sixty Minutes. One Title.
When “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels (as a babyface) won the 1996 Royal Rumble, he earned the right to face the WWE Champion at WrestleMania XII. That champion happened to be Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Michaels and Hart were not strangers to each other. They had crossed paths during their early WWE careers as a part of The Rockers and Hart Foundation tag teams. They had done battle over the Intercontinental Title in the WWE’s first ladder match. And now, thanks to a decree by WWE President Roddy Piper, they would face each other once again for the biggest prize in the industry in a sixty minute Iron Man Match. This was the first face versus face main event since WrestleMania VI’s Hogan versus Warrior match. But unlike Hogan and Warrior, Shawn and Bret hated each other.
No one but Bret and Shawn themselves really knows why, but it was easy to understand even on a superficial level. Bret was born in 1957 and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada into a family with twelve children. Shawn was born eight years later in the deserts of San Antonio, Texas into a much smaller family. Bret was trained as a calculating, technically sound submission wrestler. Michaels was an intense, high-flying wrestler who gained attention with flashy clothing and high-risk maneuvers. Bret stood for the time-honoured traditions of the wrestling business. Shawn is about changing the business into even more of an entertainment-focused industry. But most glaring of all, there could only be one WWE Champion and they both wanted to be that man.
In preparation for the Iron Man Match, Hart and Michaels were shown in vignettes training in their own unique ways. Michaels went back to his original trainer, Jose Lothario, and went back to San Antonio to train for the endurance of an hour-long match. He was shown performing great athletic feats like upside down chin ups, running the ropes, and precision striking. Michaels was preparing his move set that would help him achieve his “boyhood” dream. Hart also went back home to his original trainer, his father Stu Hart. He was shown jogging through heavy snow drifts, swimming large numbers of laps, and strenuously surviving submission holds put on by his shooter father. Bret focused on training his body for the physical endurance of a sixty-minute match.
Aside from being in peak physical condition, the two men couldn’t have been more different. Shawn Michaels entered the ring after riding a zip line from the highest point in the building. Bret confidently walked to the ring like a warrior charging into battle. Even their ring gear that night showed they were opposites – Bret wore mainly black while Michaels wore mainly white. The referee and new WWE President Gorilla Monsoon stood in between the competitors before the match as the referee went over the rules of the match. The winner would be the man who acquired the most decisions within the sixty-minute time limit. A decision could be gain via pinfall, submission, disqualification, or count out. The winner would be declared the WWE Champion. He asks if they understood and if there were any questions. Satisfied, the referee raised the belt above his head to the crowd and then called for the opening bell.
What followed the opening bell was a match that both wrestlers and fans have voted to be the greatest match in WrestleMania history. Ring psychology and technical skill took center stage. No move was ever done without a reason for it. Every move had a purpose and every step meant something. For fifty-five minutes, both Michaels and Hart used every maneuver in their respective repertoires to either gain a winning opportunity or save themselves from a losing one. Neither man dominated the match and the fans’ excitement grew and grew with every passing second. With about a minute left in the match, neither man had scored a decision. Shawn leapt off the top rope attempting a dropkick but Hart grabbed his legs and hooked Michaels into his patented Sharpshooter. Michaels refused to submit as the time limit expired. Bret grabbed his successfully defended title and started for the back. But Monsoon ordered the match to continue under Sudden Death rules. Hart came back to the ring and immediately went on the attack. Bret whipped Michaels into the corner, leapt over the charging Hart, and hit him with his Superkick. Both men struggled to their feet and Shawn hit a second Superkick and covered for the three count.
Shawn Michaels had achieved his “boyhood dream” of becoming the WWE Champion. But Bret Hart was soured on the event. His real life dislike of Michaels was clear on his face as he walked to the back disgusted. Bret later claimed that he felt the match was designed to showcase Michaels as the greatest thing since sliced bread while he was portrayed as an over-the-hill wrestler who couldn’t go anymore. Despite that almost everyone but Bret believes that, Bret immediately left the WWE and wouldn’t return until Survivor Series.
With Michaels now on top of the WWE, nothing but bright days could be seen. But the WWE was seeing illusions of grandeur. Over the horizon awaiting WCW and their secret trump card . . .
. . . The n.W.o.
Whew! Well that took a lot out of me. Ok not really but I’m quite happy to be finished. Why? So I can immediately start on Part 13. We’re half way through folks and dragging just a little bit behind schedule. So don’t be surprised to see 13 and 14 come out very soon. In the meantime, send me some of that sweet, delicious feedback here.
Pop Quiz
Congratulations to Mark McIntyre, Anthony, and Matt from Buffalo for answering the last Pop Quiz questions correctly. They knew that Jonathan Tyler Thomas beat Bob Backlund at a game of chess and the two previous winners of “I Quit” matches were Magnum T.A. and Ric Flair. If you figured out that Terry Funk had also won an “I Quit” match in ECW in 1993, I gave you special points as well. This time around we’re focusing on the main event of WrestleMania XII. Test your knowledge. 1) Who was the first to test the zip line Shawn Michaels used for his entrance?
2) Whose idea was it to put Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels into an Iron Man Match?
