Well shit. Welcome to 1995. What a dismal year for wrestling this was. Awful creative, outdated gimmicks, terrible wrestlers, abysmal matches, dreary PPVs. This must have really felt like the darkest timeline for the WWF. How much of that was preventable? I think some of it. Wrestlemania XI is one of the worst shows of the New Generation era, a weak show with 1 good match and a footballer in the main event. Here’s the card:
Allied Powers vs Blu Brothers
Jeff Jarrett (c) vs Razor Ramon, IC Championship
Undertaker vs King Kong Bundy
Smoking Gunns (c) vs Owen Hart & Yokozuna
Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund, I Quit match
Diesel (c) vs Shawn Michaels, WWF Championship
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor
Credit is due for Taylor, as a non-wrestler he performed rather well but it was still pretty disappointing for a Wrestlemania main event. HBK vs Diesel was good but not their best together. The IC title match was fine, everything else sucked. Bret calls his match with Backlund the worst of his entire career. Why the fuck is King Kong Bundy here? Who knows. WWE, this is how it’s done…
The Undercard
Wrestlemania XI begins with a tag title match. I booked Randy Savage and the 1-2-3 Kid to win the tag titles at Wrestlemania X. The following PPV, King of the Ring, I’d have the Dudes with Attitude (HBK & Diesel) defeat them to win the titles. They hold the titles all the way until Royal Rumble and drop them to Razor Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid. Ramon was already in a feud with Jeff Jarrett with the Kid and the Roadie helping their respective allies. Ramon & Kid put their titles on the line against the country singing duo. A solid 10 minute match with Jarrett forcing the Kid to submit to the figure four leglock.
Following that is the Undertaker vs Lex Luger. I know, not exactly a dream opponent but leave me alone! The WWF roster is atrocious! Now, in real life, at the King of the Ring in 1995, Mabel legit broke Undertaker’s orbital bone and Taker had to take time off. He returned at the Survivor Series donning a phantom of the opera style mask and the injury became an angle. So I’m going to steal that, but since my universe will never have Mabel in the King of the Ring tournament, the real life injury is prevented.
At the Rumble in ’95, Undertaker eliminates Luger who throws a strop and attacks Taker. He uses his metal plated forearm and just bashes Taker over the head again and again and again…and again. Taker is taken away, he returns a month later with the mask as a protective piece and promises vengeance. At Wrestlemania XI, Taker gets his revenge over Luger in a match that will be about as good as Luger can be arsed for. Hopefully he can be. Taker wins and goes 4-0 at Wrestlemania XI.
Women’s Championship
After that we get a women’s title match, a rematch from last year. Bull Nakano defends her women’s title against Alundra Blayze. If you remember, I had Nakano win the title at Mania X. I would let her hold that title for the full calendar year, defending it wherever she went across Japan. Blayze chases but always fails, but she manages to get one final opportunity here. Blayze finally conquers Nakano and wins her second women’s title. She can hold it throughout the year until she appears on WCW Nitro and puts it in the bin because that was really cool.
Intercontinental Championship
Diesel defends against his former ally, Shawn Michaels. I mentioned earlier than the Dudes with Attitudes win tag gold at King of the Ring. At Summerslam ’94, Diesel defeats Razor Ramon to win the IC championship and is a double champion. Seeds of dissension are sown as people tell Diesel that HBK is jealous and will try to screw him out of the IC title. Michaels promises that he is loyal. At Survivor Series, HBK accidentally hits Diesel with the Sweet Chin Music and he is eliminated. This causes issues and they struggle to remain on the same page. At the Rumble, after losing the tag titles to Ramon and the Kid, Diesel turns on Shawn. He powerbombs Michaels at least 4 times.
Diesel remains heel but Michaels gains sympathy. Diesel says HBK latched on to him, he is the only reason Michaels meant shit. HBK returns after a month or so as a face and attacks Diesel, setting up a match. They had a very good match in real life, I would keep that and still have Diesel win but reverse the heel/face roles. I think Diesel’s biggest issue as a top guy was that he was a forced face that none of the fans cared for. The fans connect to Michaels so much more. Diesel was a far more compelling bad guy, his heel turn makes sense and it gives him something actually interesting about his character. Diesel walks out of Wrestlemania XI as IC champion.
The semi-main event is NFL legend Lawrence Taylor vs Bigelow match. It was fine, it shouldn’t be the main event but the match brought in a lot of hype and sales, a lot more than the show had without it. It should stay and Taylor should still get his big win.
Brotherly Hate
Bret vs Owen. Over a years worth of storytelling and escalation leading to a final chapter in the Hart Family feud. So, following Wrestlemania X Bret is the world champion but Owen beat him at Wrestlemania in the opener. Like in real life, Owen wins the King of the Ring tournament and goes on to face Bret at Summerslam in a steel cage. However, Owen wins that match. Bret is about to escape, when Jim Neidhart makes his WWF return and slams the cage door into his head. Owen is able to climb out of the cage to win his first WWF championship. Then, British Bulldog (who is in the front row) hops over the barricade and brawls with Neidhart before checking on a bloody Bret.
This sets up a big family match at Survivor Series. Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart call themselves the best Hart Foundation and they get brother Keith Hart on their side. Bret and Bulldog don’t want to tear the family apart more but they have a score to settle, other brother Bruce Hart supports Bret. At Survivor series; Owen, Jim & Keith vs Bret, Bulldog & Bruce. Not elimination. Team Bret get the win, Bulldog pins the champion Owen. Owen and Bulldog have a match at the Rumble for the WWF title on the line which Owen wins clean. Bret wins the Rumble match for the second year in a row, the second person to do so and sets up one more encounter with his brother.
Owen says Bret cannot beat him. Bret doesn’t want any excuses and suggests a match that gives each other plenty of time to prove they are the best. The first ever Iron Man match. 60 minutes of Bret vs Owen? Get in my VEINS.
The Main Event
We get a 15 minute match before Owen gets a flash pinfall over Bret. He works over the leg like last year, looking to reinjure him. 15 minutes go by, Owen wins as Bret taps to the Sharpshooter. Commentary tell the tale that Bret had to quit or risk being unable to continue. Halfway, 2-0 to Owen. Owen get’s cocky, allowing Bret to steal a quick pinfall to pull one back. Owen is irate, he gets a chair and attacks the injured leg. He gets disqualified, levelling the score but then he makes Bret tap out again to the Sharpshooter, 3-2 to Owen.
Bret now can barely walk on his foot, Owen keeps kicking him down. He refuses to back down now. Bret starts digging into the arsenal of past legends he has overcome. Savage’s diving elbow drop, Roddy Piper’s rear naked choke, the Ricky Steamboat crossbody and finally Mr Perfect’s perfect plex which he uses to score a pinfall. 3-3 with 10 minutes remaining. Keith Hart (Neidhart was fired from WWF again) tries to lend Owen a hand, Stu Hart is in the front row and beckons his son over. He gives Keith a slap! He tells him to stop embarrassing the family and let these two wrestle.
British Bulldog takes Keith to the back. The minor disruption allows Bret to expose a turnbuckle, he trips Owen into it and pins him to go 4-3 up. The time ticks down and Owen is trying any way to win. With 2 minutes remaining, Owen locks Bret in the Sharpshooter. Bret is in agony, but he braces the pain and the time expires. He wins the match 4-3 and his third world championship. Bret Hart celebrates with most of the Hart Family and other good guys to close out Wrestlemania XI.
The Final Wrestlemania XI Card
The card is much shorter, only 6 matches but 1 of them will be over an hour long including entrances and such. Plus, the roster is slim pickings. I actually think this is a great card.
Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid (c) vs Jeff Jarrett & The Roadie, Tag Championships
The Undertaker vs Lex Luger
Bull Nakano (c) vs Alundra Blayze, Women’s Championship
Diesel (c) vs Shawn Michaels, IC Championship
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor
Owen Hart (c) vs Bret Hart, Iron Man match for WWF Championship
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