WrestleMania Countdown: WrestleMania IX

With WrestleMania 29 coming to East Rutherford, N.J. on April 7, WrestleNewz will be counting down and ranking all the WrestleManias of yore. Remember when Mr. T had a boxing match with Rowdy Roddy Piper? Remember when Hulk Hogan took on Randy “Macho Man” Savage while Elizabeth looked on? We do. So it’s time for a stroll down memory lane.  Event: WrestleMania IX Location: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada Date: April 4, 1993 Attendance: 16,891 Summary: WrestleMania IX was supposed to be the first Hulk Hogan-less WrestleMania ever. Unfortunately for fans, on April 4, 1993, the WWF held one of the most disappointing events in their history with the Huk as their headliner. After attempting to move on from their marquee star through much of 1992 and 1993, Hulk Hogan made an unexpected return to WrestleMania. His feud was rushed and boring, and WrestleMania itself was a disaster. The event was marred by poor matches, low buy-rates, and unorganized matchmaking. Highlights: The best bout of the night was the Intercontinental title match between Shawn Michaels and Tatanka. While the finish was poor, the two put on an entertaining bout to open the night. But again, this points to just how poor the event was overall. Why is the best match of the night the first match? Curt Henning took on Lex Luger as well, which was entertaining. But there was no gravitas to these two matches yet they were the highlights of the night. Lowlights: Usually, the Steiner brothers were reliable for fun, entertaining, tag-team matches. Not on this night. Their bout with the Headshrinkers was absolutely dull.  Matchmaking throughout the event was terrible. Bob Backlund vs. Razor Ramon was pointless. And of course, there was the infamous Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales match. This match had an incredibly boring ending as Harvey Wippleman threw Gonzales a chloroform soaked rag. He used it to knock Undertaker unconscious and take the “victory.” Also, the commentators wore togas during the event. Yikes. Greatest Moment: Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels went shirtless and chased around Lex Luger after their bout. The short feud between the three superstars was fun and added levity to an otherwise terrible event. What Was Accomplished: Nothing. The buy-rate was bad, the ratings were bad, and it continued a downward spiral for the WWF at the time. They turned back to Hogan after poorly developing him over the course of the year. It was the first WrestleMania held outdoors, which was notable. Ranking: 28th. This is the worst. There are no memories from the bout, the main event was terrible, and the buy-rate was terrible. It was an utterly forgettable card.   Do you remember WrestleMania IX? What did you think of it?