WWE
Classic Graded: WrestleMania VII Final Results and Grades
WrestleMania VII: What happens in the wake of the Gulf War and America needs a hero?
History Lesson:
WrestleMania VII was originally scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The WWF decided to move the event to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The reason for the venue change is that WWF had security concerns in the wake of Sgt. Slaughter’s portrayal of an Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War.
This show also sees the WrestleMania debut of The Undertaker and his legendary win-loss streak. There is also the iconic retirement match pitting The Ultimate Warrior against “Mach Man” Randy Savage.
How well does the second ‘Mania of the 90’s compare to the one that came previous? Let’s take a look at the grades.
The Rockers def. The Barbarian and Haku
Final Grade: B
Fast pace offense from The Rockers from the opening bell to the final bell. The Barbarian and Haku bring the hard hitting side of the match, but they eventually fall to the Rockers.
“The Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich def. Dino Bravo
Final Grade: C-
Quick and easy, nothing too extreme goes down. Von Erich picks up the quick and easy win.
The British Bulldog def. The Warlord
Final Grade: C+
Battle of strength and brawn sees the Powerslam vs the Full Nelson. Bulldog uses his agility advantage to take the hurt to Warlord. In the end, the Powerslam names Bulldog the winner of the contest.
WWF Tag Team Championships: The Nasty Boys def. The Hart Foundation to win the titles
Final Grade: B-
A surprising victory in my opinion. The Nasty Boys beating Bret and Jim comes out of nowhere and definitely serves as an upset win.
Blindfold Match: Jake “The Snake” Roberts def. Rick “The Model” Martel
Final Grade: B-
Roughly ten minutes of pure suspense of whether or not they will be able to find each other while unable to see. Jake gets his revenge for Martel blinding him a few months prior with a DDT in the middle of the ring.
The Undertaker def. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Final Grade: C+
1-0
The first match in the legendary Undefeated Streak of The Undertaker. Snuka gives off the last bit of rub her can to the younger wrestler and falls victim to the first of many Undertaker WrestleMania opponents.
Retirement Match: The Ultimate Warrior def. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Final Grade: A
Moment of the Night: Savage and Miss Elizabeth reunite in the ring
Emotional storytelling 101. Warrior wants to defeat Savage, but Macho Man isn’t ready to give up his career just yet.
Warrior kicks out of seven elbow drops. Macho Man kicks out after several power moves, but he ultimately takes the pin in the end.
Macho and Miss Elizabeth reunite to really drive home how emotional Savage’s retirement is.
Why wasn’t this the main event? It should’ve been, but oh well.
Genichiro Tenryu & Koji Kitao def. Demolition
Final Grade: C
Yeah, this match’s build up is definitely outdated. The “remarks” from the commentators and interviewers makes this watch a little uncomfortable, but the match itself is alright.
Tenryu and Kitao pick up a big win here against the former tag champs.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Big Boss Man def. Mr. Perfect via disqualification; Mr. Perfect retains
Final Grade: C+
I’m not sure if Curt Hennig can get a good match out of everyone or Ray Traylor really is that good for a big man.
Disappointed this has to end in a dq, but seeing Andre march down to the ring to assist Boss Man when Perfect decides to cheat bumps this grade up a few points.
Earthquake def. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
Final Grade: D
Nothing to write home about. Earthquake beats Valentine pretty quickly.
The Legion of Doom def. Power and Glory
Final Grade: F
The match lasted hardly ten seconds.
Virgil def. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase via countout
Final Grade: C+
Good match all around. I feel a little let down that this was more focused on Dibiase vs Piper than Virgil, but Roddy’s involvement makes sense in the story.
The Mountie def. Tito Santana
Final Grade: D
Really wanted to see Santana get the win here, but The Mountie takes the “W”.
WWF World Heavyweight Championship: Hulk Hogan def. Sgt. Slaughter
Match of the Night Winner
Final Grade: A-
Feel good moment for America during the Gulf War. Hogan defeats the Iraqi sympathizer in Sgt. Slaughter and wins the WWF Championship in the process.
Slaughter looks like he may have the match won at some points, but Hogan Hulks up and decides the match in his favor.
Overall WrestleMania VII Final Grade: C+
The Hogan Era is almost over, but the Hulkster gets another big win here. WWF in the early 90’s looks a little shaky, but we’ll see how the progress moving forward.
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