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WrestleMania is the biggest WWE event of the year. Every wrestler desires to be on the show’s card; it is a privilege for superstars to walk to the squared circle with the world watching. However, only some of these talented men and women have been fortunate enough to have their own amazing moments of glory at WrestleMania.
We all remember Hulk Hogan’s body-slam to Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3, or Shawn Michaels ‘Boyhood Dream’ coming true at the 12th installment of the show. We remember them because these moments immortalized the superstars and made them bigger stars than what they already were.
However, not all amazing moments lead to big things. Though these are surreal Mania moments, there’s a strong chance of them fading from the memory of wrestling fans. Here, we present 3 such amazing WrestleMania moments that should’ve led to big things for the superstar.
#3 WOO! WOO! WOO!
Zack Ryder has had a really strange WWE career. He has been with the company for more than a decade, and has often been one of the most popular superstars on the roster. Yet he hadn’t fought a match on RAW in 2018 until he tweeted about the same, and WWE had him in a battle royal on the last 2018 episode of the weekly show. He couldn’t even find a place in the Royal Rumble match in 2019.
Ryder has seen his ups. He has won championships and seen immense popularity for a long time. Yet, everything seems to have faded now. Ryder had his moments, one an amazing WrestleMania moment that could’ve changed everything.
It was the moment when Ryder had climbed the ladder in a seven-man ladder match to win the Intercontinental Championship. When the Long Island Iced Z had climbed the ladder to unhook the Intercontinental Campionship, he received a reaction from the 100,000 fans that very few wrestlers could even dream of. The entire stadium cheering and later chanting with the 'WOO' Man gave everyone watching goosebumps.
However, Ryder’s title reign was a short one as The Miz defeated him the next night on RAW to win the championship. WWE hasn’t ever invested their trust in Ryder, and that’s a shame as Ryder has deserved much more. We wish WWE had let him have a long reign, and Zack Ryder would still be wooing crowds rather than sit on the bench.
#2 The ‘Stunt-Double’ stuns the A-Lister
It’s amazing how some ‘chosen-ones’ can't get over in spite of WWE's insistence on getting them over, yet others who get the weirdest characters, essentially to just provide comic relief, reach the heights of popularity.
Damien Sandow, aka, Mizdow, was one such superstar who debuted in the WWE as an intellectual savior, and took the world by storm. Then, things started going downhill, and he awkwardly found himself in a role of The Miz’s ‘stunt-double.’
However, with some crazy antics, brainless falling, expressions to die for, and perfect comic timing mixed with exceptional dedication to living his dream, Mizdow turned mediocrity to excellence, becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE at the time. He was so over that people would chant his name endlessly on wrestling shows. People even began to wish for him to turn ‘face’ and be one of the top faces in the roster.
The desired moment came with Mizdow eliminating his mentor, The Miz, from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. The place went berserk. The pop for Miz's 'stunt-double' was crazy. It was a sight to see. It was a moment that one thought will find itself as one of the most celebrated in Mania history.
Yet, it will be probably forgotten in time, mainly because it led to nothing as WWE released him the next year. It was one of the more absurd and shocking releases in the company’s history. The move shocked all the wrestling fans, as the wrestler received reactions that few wrestlers dream of getting.
In brief, Mizdow’s glorious moment should have been his ultimate breakthrough moment. It was unfortunate that it didn’t catapult him to the top. Since then, he has visibly moved on from wrestling, acting now for a living.
#1 The Swiss Superman does a Hogan
WWE had chosen ‘The Immortal’ Hulk Hogan for hosting WrestleMania 30, who announced that Mania would host its first ever 30-men battle royal in the memory of Andre the Giant. While the battle royal now has lost much of its relevance, its first installment had a lot of hype surrounding it. People believed that it could have been a launching pad for younger stars.
While the battle royal itself had turned out like most battle royals - chaotic and meaningless - its final moments were epic. In a surreal moment, Cesaro lifted Big Show and body-slammed him onto the floor. The superman’s power dazzled everyone. It was a genuine thing of beauty. The shocked crowd applauded.
Yet, that WrestleMania moment, and Cesaro’s show stealing performances against much of the WWE roster have failed to win him a World Championship. His matches against John Cena especially have been something to watch over and over again.
He has been a part of two amazing teams, winning multiple WWE Tag-Team Championships, but many would agree that Cesaro should have been in the main-event scene fighting for World Championships over the years. It’s a shame, since there’s anyone in pro-wrestling who could fight and beat Brock Lesnar, it’s the Swiss Superman, Cesaro.
However, unlike the previous two superstars in the list, he will go on to win the top prize someday. What do you say, members of the Cesaro Section?
