10. Yestlemania
This was a moment years in the making, in my opinion all of this started when he was beaten by Sheamus in 45 Seconds. The night after everyone was behind Bryan- and it went from there. This wasn't just a win for Daniel Bryan, this was a win for the fans- I don't care what anyone says Bryan was not supposed to be in that Main Event, so for him to go through Triple H- and then go on to make Batista tap out in the middle of the ring was a perfect moment for us as fans; what followed doesn't matter- because we'll always have the moment when the fans won.
9. Brock's Failed Shooting Star Press
Brock is a freak athlete, I don't think anyone disputes that- and this moment was intended to be the showing of freak athleticism with Brock doing a move usually executed by a guy half his size. Instead he botched the move, and it turned into one of the best Mania Moments ever in my opinion- because not only did Brock nearly kill himself when he botched the move, but he ended up kicking out, and going on to deliver an F5 to end the match.
8. Hogan Bodyslams Andre
A list for iconic Mania moments wouldn't be complete without the most important bodyslam in history. It wasn't the first time Andre had been bodyslammed like WWE tried to claim- but at the time it was believed; and it built wrestling- it was the building block for everything that followed in Pro Wrestling/Sports Entertainment.
7. Michaels Slaps Undertaker- Wrestlemania 26
One last act of defiance, and it was such a striking moment it deserved a place on the list. It was quite similar to a moment that'll come up later on in the list- where it was the perfect way for them to lose going out on their back, and it gave us one last moment from the Heartbreak Kid. The two matches between Taker & Michaels were as close to perfection as I've ever seen, and this was the perfect way to end the two matches with Michaels' retirement coming as a consequence.
6. Austin Passes Out Bleeding
This was one of the moments that made Austin- and it was a great double-turn for both Bret & Austin. The image of Austin blinded by his own blood scrambling around for the ropes before eventually passing out was one of the first moments that made Steve Austin what he was in this business. This moment will always be iconic- and one of my favourite moments because of the sheer brutality of it.
5. 20ft Spear
This is one of those moments that is in every TLC montage, and in the majority of moments for iconic Mania Moments. It was the high-spot to end all high-spots and was one of the moments that meant this match stole the show. Every single time I see this I get goosebumps- it was such a great spot- and its something that will most likely never be replicated- ever
4. Foley goes through a Flaming Table
Two Edge spears in a row, I've ranked this one higher because Foley finally got his Mania moment. It was something years in the making- and this is once again such an iconic moment in both guys careers. As with some of the other moments in the list, it was a moment of such brutality you can't help but wince when the impact with the table is made- and the fact Foley even did this cements his place as one of the craziest guys in Pro Wrestling.
3. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan Hulks Up- Wrestlemania 18
If you muted the crowd on this match it was awful, turn the crowd up to full volume it becomes an instant classic. The crowd were behind Hogan throughout the match, but when they exploded when Hogan started to "Hulk Up" against The Rock is a proper goosebumps moment, and makes it one of the best Mania moments in history in my opinion.
2. Benoit & Guerrero Celebrate
This is so high because of the emotion of it all, no matter what happened with regard to Benoit- from an in-ring perspective he was one of the best ever, as was Guerrero- so the two celebrating in the middle of the ring after Benoit won the title was the perfect moment, and for it to happen at the 20th Anniversary of Mania made the moment even more perfect.
1. "I'm Sorry, I Love You"
You know what I said about emotion? This was the perfect end to the match- I almost didn't have it at number one because it wasn't actually the end of Flair's career, which annoys me to no end. But I simply can't ignore the moment- it was the perfect story leading into the match, and those 5 words will always be synonymous with Flair, Michaels and Mania.
Thanks for reading as always, We're into the second day of Mania Week- So I hope you'll go and look back at my blogs from yesterday and stay tuned for all of the blogs still to come this Mania week. I'm not expecting all of you to read every single blog; but I hope a couple takes your fancy and you like them. So anyway stay tuned for that- and thanks again for reading.
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