WrestleMania X was a 1994 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 10th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 20, 1994, from Madison Square Garden (MSG) in the New York City borough of Manhattan, New York. It was the second WrestleMania at MSG, after the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985.
The central focus of the pay-per-view was the WWF Championship, which was defended in two matches. Due to Lex Luger and Bret Hart being named the co-winners of the 1994 Royal Rumble match, both challenged champion Yokozuna. Luger was first but was disqualified for pushing the referee. Hart faced Yokozuna later in the evening and won the championship. This led to a lengthy worked feud between Bret and his brother Owen, who had defeated Bret in the opening match of the pay-per-view.
Several other major feuds were also highlighted. Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels in a Ladder match to resolve an angle in which the two had argued over the rightful holder of the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Bam Bam Bigelow gained revenge against Doink the Clown, with whom he had been feuding, by teaming with Luna Vachon to defeat Doink and his partner Dink. Randy Savage settled his feud with Crush by defeating him in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
The event received generally positive reviews, with much acclaim directed towards the Ladder Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, along with the opening match between Owen and Bret Hart. WrestleMania X was the first edition of the event not to include Hulk Hogan, who had been seen as the public face of the WWF. The card also marked Randy Savage's last televised match for the company.
Production Background
WrestleMania is considered the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) flagship professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, having first been held in 1985. It is held annually between mid-March to mid-April. It was the first of the WWF's original four pay-per-views, which includes Royal Rumble, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four",Ian Hamilton. Wrestling's Sinking Ship: What Happens to an Industry Without Competition (p. 160) and one of the "Big Five", along with King of the Ring that was established in 1993. WrestleMania X was scheduled to be held on March 20, 1994, from Madison Square Garden in the New York City borough of Manhattan, New York, the same venue as the first WrestleMania in 1985.
Storylines The storyline surrounding the WWF Championship began at the 1994 Royal Rumble when the final two wrestlers, Lex Luger and Bret Hart, simultaneously eliminated each other. After a disagreement between two referees, Jack Tunney, the WWF President, declared Luger and Hart co-winners. Tunney announced that both wrestlers would get a WWF Championship match at WrestleMania, the prize given to the winner of the Royal Rumble match, and both wrestlers would have to wrestle two matches for the pay-per-view.
Tunney announced that a coin toss would be used to decide who faced Yokozuna for the belt first. If Luger won, he would face Yokozuna first. Hart would then wrestle his brother Owen Hart before facing the winner of the Luger-Yokozuna match. If Hart won the coin toss, he would get the first title shot, and Luger would wrestle Crush earlier on the card. On the January 31, 1994 episode of Monday Night Raw, Luger won the coin toss and the right to face Yokozuna first.
Bret Hart was booked to face his brother Owen, with whom he was in the middle of a feud. The storyline between the Hart brothers began at Survivor Series 1993, where they were competing on the same side of an elimination match. As Owen was fighting in the ring, Bret, who had sustained a kayfabe injury, was staggering along the ring apron. Owen ran into Bret, causing Owen to lose his focus and get eliminated from the match. After the match, Owen returned to the ring and had a confrontation with Bret. In the following weeks, Owen demanded a match with Bret, but Bret refused to accept the challenge. Eventually, the storyline had the brothers reunite to face The Quebecers at Royal Rumble 1994. During the match, Bret sustained another kayfabe injury, causing the referee to end the match. In a planned turn, Owen got upset by the loss and attacked Bret to restart the feud.
Luger's feud with Yokozuna began on July 4, 1993, at the Yokozuna Bodyslam Challenge. In June, Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna's manager, challenged all American athletes to attempt to bodyslam Yokozuna on the deck of the . After several athletes failed, the storyline saw Luger arrive by helicopter and successfully bodyslam Yokozuna. This began a strong push for Luger, who was then scheduled to challenge Yokozuna for the WWF Championship at SummerSlam 1993. Luger won the match by countout but did not win the title. The WWF claimed that the match stipulations did not allow Luger a rematch. The storyline saw Luger campaigning for entry into the 1994 Royal Rumble, as he wanted the title shot that would be given to the winner. Luger was eventually entered into the match, although The Great Kabuki and Genichiro Tenryu were also entered, on Mr. Fuji's behalf, to attempt to prevent Luger from winning. Kabuki and Tenryu were unsuccessful, however, as Luger won the match and gained a match for the WWF Championship.
The storyline leading to the match between "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Crush focused on the supposedly strained friendship between the two wrestlers. On the July 12, 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw, Crush challenged Yokozuna for the WWF Championship. At the end of the match, Yokozuna performed the Banzai Drop to win the match. After the match, he performed three more Banzai Drops while various wrestlers ran to the ring to stop the attack. Savage eventually came to the ring to help Crush. Following the match, Crush was not seen on televised matches for several months, although he continued to appear at house shows. On October 18, Crush appeared on Monday Night Raw accompanied by Yokozuna and Yokozuna's manager, Mr. Fuji. Crush criticized Savage for not intervening sooner during the July 12 match. In a worked promo, Crush announced that he had turned against Savage and the United States in order to align himself with Yokozuna and Fuji. He then attacked Savage by dropping him on the ringside guard rail. Yokozuna performed the Banzai Drop on Savage before a group of referees came to the ring to break up the fight. During the November 8, 1993 episode of Monday Night Raw, Savage left his position as commentator to attack Crush. The following week, Jack Tunney announced that Savage was suspended from commentating as a result of the previous week's attack. The feud intensified at Survivor Series 1993 when Savage and Crush caused each other to be eliminated from their respective matches.
Bam Bam Bigelow and Doink the Clown was engaged in a feud that began in the fall of 1993. Doink annoyed Bigelow with a series of pranks, such as throwing water and confetti on him and tripping him with a broom. Bigelow retaliated against Doink and Doink's midget sidekick Dink. A match was booked for Survivor Series 1993, but Bigelow was unable to get revenge because Doink did not compete. Instead, the WWF prolonged the feud by having Bigelow's team face The Bushwhackers and Men on a Mission dressed as Doinks. The feud eventually culminated in a match scheduled for WrestleMania X. In the match, Bigelow and his storyline girlfriend Luna Vachon competed against Doink and Dink in a Mixed tag team match.
The feud between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels also dated back to the fall of 1993. Jack Tunney announced that he was stripping Michaels of the WWF Intercontinental Championship for not defending the title often enough. There have been reports that the real reason for vacating the title was because Michaels refused to drop the belt. Ramon won the title after competing in a battle royal and defeating Rick Martel, the other finalist in the match. In the angle, Michaels refused to acknowledge the title change, however, as he insisted that he was the true Intercontinental Champion. To gain revenge against Ramon for taking the belt, Michaels attacked Ramon and helped Irwin R. Schyster to steal Ramon's gold chains.
Event + Other on-screen personnelRole:Name:CommentatorsVince McMahonJerry LawlerInterviewerTodd PettengillRing announcerBill DunnHoward FinkelDonnie Wahlberg Burt Reynolds RefereeMike ChiodaDanny DavisJack DoanEarl HebnerJoey Marella In a dark match before the pay-per-view aired, The Heavenly Bodies faced The Bushwhackers. Near the end of the match, The Bushwhackers gained control when they performed the Battering Ram on Jimmy Del Ray. Tom Prichard, Del Ray's partner, attacked Bushwhacker Butch before he was able to pin Del Ray. This allowed Del Ray to recover and pin Butch to win the match. As the broadcast began, Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler were introduced as commentators for the event and Little Richard sang "America the Beautiful".
The first televised match was between Bret and Owen Hart. The beginning of the match went back and forth with neither wrestler gaining a strong advantage. The tension between the two was demonstrated by Owen's bragging and Bret's refusal to let Owen leave the ring. Owen eventually gained momentum by using a camel clutch on Bret and performing suplexes and a Tombstone piledriver. When Owen stood outside the ring to recuperate, Bret jumped over the top rope to attack him. Bret landed awkwardly, however, and suffered a kayfabe injury to his knee. Owen used a figure four leglock to capitalize on Bret's sore leg. Bret was able to recover, and he kicked Owen in the back of the head and used a Bulldog and sleeper hold to weaken Owen. Owen regained the advantage, however, and applied the Sharpshooter on Bret. Bret was able to escape and perform a Sharpshooter on Owen. Bret then attempted to end the match with a victory roll, but Owen blocked it and pinned Bret to win the match.
Sy Sperling, the president of hair restoration company Hair Club for Men, appeared in the ring before the next match. He announced that he was at WrestleMania to introduce one of his latest clients, ring announcer Howard Finkel. Finkel came to the ring wearing a toupée, showing off his new hair while the crowd applauded. The match then began, as Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon came to the ring to face Doink the Clown and Dink. Bigelow attacked Doink at the beginning of the match with a dropkick and a powerslam. When Dink entered the match, the rules stated that Bigelow had to tag Vachon into the match. Dink ran around the ring avoiding Vachon, but she eventually caught him. She kicked him and powerslammed him, but she then missed a moonsault attempt. Doink and Bigelow re-entered the match, and Doink performed a DDT on Bigelow. Bigelow reversed the momentum to win the match after a diving headbutt on Doink. Bigelow pinned Doink to win the match, and he and Vachon then attacked Dink.