WWE WrestleMania VII (1991)

When various P.P.V events were issued on video back in the 1990s, most of the releases were heavily edited versions with footage removed from different matches. "Wrestlemania 7" is no exception to the rule but if you can find the unedited version on DVD, then this particular event is so much the better. Hulk Hogan's story angle with the champion Sgt. Slaughter had been accumulating a lot of heat for the past several weeks and promised to make for a highly charged and entertaining main event. The fact that the war in Iraq was raging at the time only added to the tension between the two wrestlers as Slaughter was portrayed as an Iraqi sympathizer. The match is the longest on the card but the time rushes by. Hogan - as the "squeaky clean" character - represents the United States as he carries the American flag to ringside. It is a bloody but exciting match and one of the best in either man's career. Originally, this Wrestlemania was supposed to have been held at a different stadium in Los Angeles. Potentially, about 100,000 people could have been accommodated but due to security concerns and poor ticket sales, this had to be cancelled. The resulting arena is on a much smaller scale. Mr. Perfect was the reigning IC champion for a second time when he was challenged by the Big Boss Man. The former corrections officer was involved in a story angle against the entire Heenan family during late 1990 to early 1991. Here we have a mixture of styles in the ring and the results are good. Curt Hennig (Mr. Perfect) was always great at selling the moves of his opponent and he does that just as well in this encounter. Tag team champions The Hart Foundation make their last appearance on P.P.V as a team in a tough title defence against a relatively new team, The Nasty Boys. In all honesty, I was initially stunned by the outcome but in the long term it made sense. The Nasty Boys would employ similar tactics against Legion of Doom - producing a somewhat different outcome. The match that some fans seem to remember the most, is the career ending match between The Ultimate Warrior and Macho King Randy Savage. A lot was on the line in this one and both wrestlers give 100%! It isn't the kind of match that can be summed up in just a few minutes and I'm glad it went on for longer. The remaining matches are mid card affairs and they range from being great to being average. The tag team of Demolition - once the most dominant team in the WWE - had been reduced to mid card status. Their match against a Japanese team is rather mundane and disappointing. The British Bulldog was at the beginning of a highly successful singles career and he takes on the monstrous Warlord. This is about power vs. power but Davey Boy Smith could add considerable speed and finesse to his ability. The Undertaker hadn't long taken on Paul Bearer as his manager when he fought "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka in a fairly good match. It doesn't last long but it is great to see the Grim Reaper in his first Wrestlemania. The Legion of Doom were rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with since joining the company in July 1990. At Wrestlemania 7, they engaged in a squash match against Power and Glory. Hawk and Animal simply do what they do best and to perfection. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine engaged in a match against Earthquake and the result is predictable. The opening match between The Rockers and Haku and The Barbarian is a terrific one. There are a few twists and turns which lead to a great climax. The match between Virgil and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase is a big disappointment in my opinion. From a story angle perspective, I understood why this all came about after what occurred between the two at the Royal Rumble that same year. However, the choreography could have been much better and the match on for longer. The rather stupid ending hardly helps. Rowdy Roddy Piper makes a welcome appearance as he comes to ringside in Virgil's corner. Kerry Von Erich against Dino Bravo is OK but nothing special. Both wrestlers were confirmed mid carders. The Mountie made an early appearance in his career at the WWE and quickly establishes himself as a considerable heel. His match against Tito Santana is very poor. Jake Roberts was in the middle of a feud against The Model Rick Martel when they had this blind fold match. It doesn't really work as the choreography is disrupted all the time. The result makes it worthwhile though. Overall, I would rate this Wrestlemania on the top 10 of the greatest of all time.

More than any other period to this point in Wrestlemania history, it seems as if the entire WWF roster changed from VI to VII. Yet, it is pretty much a change for the better, as older, less relevant wrestlers take a back seat to a whole new generation.The highlights of this event for me include:-The British Bulldog (always a fan-favorite) in a singles match with The Warlord. -The Hart Foundation (now solidly in the babyface camp) taking on the new Nasty Boys tag team. -The first WM appearance for The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer, of course!) -The epic "retirement match" between "Macho King" Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. Probably the best overall match of the entire event in terms of both execution and excitement. -Mr. Perfect, one of the greatest technical wrestlers the WWF had ever seen, against the Big Boss Man, who could execute moves very well for a big guy and had a great persona to boot. -Even the Virgil/DiBiase feud was kind of fun.Ironically enough, however, the reason I can't give Wrestlemania VII the full five stars is because the final Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter match just isn't very good at all. The buildup is incredible and it may have been one of the most publicized matches of all-time playing on the tensions surrounding the Gulf War at the time, but the match just doesn't live up to the hype. Nowhere near the Hulk/Warrior clash of a year earlier.There is also a shakeup in the broadcast booth for this event, with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan replacing Jesse "The Body" Ventura beside Gorilla Monsoon. I have always thought that "The Body" was one of the best color commentators the WWF ever had, and while "The Brain" is okay, that great Monsoon/Ventura chemistry is no longer apparent.Overall, though, this is a solid Wrestlemania. What it lacks in a "grand finale" it more than makes up for with an infusion of new, fresh talent into the business.

*SPOILERS* This WrestleMania had some good matches, and unlike most others, no bad ones. And lots of careers took drastic turns after this.The opening match between the Rockers and Barbarian & Haku was what we'd expect more from a TV taping than a PPV. It was fast and fun, without too much drama or storyline. The Rockers won only their second PPV match here, and it was right after their first at the Royal Rumble. This occurred right before the Rockers' lengthy split-up angle.The Nasty Boys' win over the Harts was a blessing in disguise; it was now time for Bret Hart to blossom as a singles wrestler after years of being in the best WWF tag team ever and yet knowing he could do so much more. This was the best match.The Warrior-Savage match could have gone the other way and things afterward would have been the same. Savage just took a break from active competition, while the Warrior became more or less non-existent in a non-televised feud with the Undertaker. Not to mention two of the most ridiculous vignets ever, as he got locked into a coffin and later bitten by a snake. These days, Savage would win.This was not the way to see Demolition go. Jobbing to a team that was just making a guest appearance? Tenryu and Kitao could have fought Barbarian and Haku in the opening match, with the Rockers and Demolition settling their non-televised feud here.The Legion of Doom were very fun to watch when they squashed another team, like the Orient Express. I didn't expect them to get by Power and Glory so easily, but it was a nice set-up feud to get them over in time for title contention.This was the Big Bossman's last great win in the WWF. After this was a go-nowhere feud with the Mountie, then an embarrassing feud he lost to IRS.Tito Santana and the Mountie could have had a great match, but it ended too soon. This was Tito's last match before his transformation, which somehow made him win more while making his matches less fun to watch. Remember his feud with Mr. Perfect? They put on some shows!

The Rockers defeated the Barbarian & Haku via pinfall Texas Tornado defeated Dino Bravo via pinfall The British Bulldog defeated the Warlord via pinfall The Nasty Boys defeated The Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Championship Jake Roberts defeated The Model in a Blindfold Match Undertaker defeated Jimmy Snuka via pinfall Ultimate Warrior defeated Randy Savage in a Retirement Match Genichiro & Koji Kiao defeated Demolition via pinfall Big Boss Man beat Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect via DQ Earthquake defeated Greg Valentine via pinfall Legion of Doom defeated Power & Glory via pinfall Virgil defeated Ted DiBiase via countout The Mountie defeated Tito Santana via pinfall Hulk Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter to capture the World Wrestling ChampionshipOverall Mark: B-