The wrestling staff of Back Sports Page have carefully selected what they believe to be the top 41 matches in WrestleMania history. Presented in chronological order, this series will detail the backstory, match review, and aftermath of each match, along with how the outcomes shaped the careers of those involved.
Backstory: A tag team spot fest and inappropriately placed Zs were on the menu for Houston at WrestleMania X-7. Edge and Christian, The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz battled over the WWE Tag Team championships in the second TLC match in history. The first official TLC match took place at SummerSlam 2000, although all three teams had been pioneering matches based around their respective signature weapons for the better part of a year. Each team held the then-WWF Tag Team Championships multiple times over the previous two years.
The three teams intermittently feuded throughout 1999 and 2000 but reignited their rivalry in January 2001. The Dudley Boyz beat Edge and Christian at the Royal Rumble for the tag titles and held them until March. From there, the titles hot potatoed back and forth between the three teams until WrestleMania. After Edge and Christian’s shenanigans caused all three teams to hold the belts on the same night, a rerun of their SummerSlam classic was set for the show of shows.
Match Review: The match begins with some solid tag team wrestling. The Dudley Boyz get the upper hand first until Edge and Christian introduce ladders as weapons. Then all chaos breaks loose. Faces get smashed in by ladders. The Dudley Boyz hit their signature headbutt before Bubba Ray Dudley powerbombs Jeff Hardy through Edge, who is lying on a table. Three ladders are placed in the middle of the ring, and each man takes a tumble off one. Later in the match, each team has an ally run in to help. Rhino helps his fellow Team RECK members, Edge and Christian. Spike helps his Dudley brothers. Lita comes to the aid of the Hardyz.
The latter half of the match was a car wreck. Jeff Hardy hit a swanton bomb off a 20-foot ladder onto Rhino and Spike Dudley. Edge hit a spear on Jeff Hardy, who was hanging from the titles in the most iconic moment from the match. Matt Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley battled at the top of the ladder before Rhino pushed both men out of the ring through stacked tables, paving the way for an Edge and Christian victory.
Aftermath:
- Edge and Christian began their 7th and final reign as WWE tag champions at X-7. They would lose the title to The Brothers of Destruction a few weeks later on SmackDown! Tensions arose between the team after Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring tournament, and the two parted ways in September when Christian turned heel on Edge. The two would feud over the WWF Intercontinental championship for the next few months.
- The Dudley Boyz turned heel in mid-2001 and joined up with The Alliance. The Dudley Boyz became the first team to hold the ECW, WCW and WWF tag team championships. They also unified the WCW and WWF tag titles. They would be split up the following year during the first WWE draft.
- The Hardy Boyz continued gunning for tag gold for the rest of the year. The Hardy Boyz won the WCW and WWF tag titles by the end of 2001. They ultimately lost the unification match with The Dudley Boyz. The loss led to a brief split and match at Vengeance, but the group reunited next January.
All three teams completed their magnum opus at WrestleMania X-7. Three of the greatest tag teams of all time were at their peak and created absolute magic. Then they did it again on the biggest stage in wrestling, topping their already legendary performance.
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
