WrestleMania Countdown: Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon – WrestleMania 10

Photo Credit: 411Mania

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.

WrestleMania X – Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon

Backstory

WrestleMania X’s most spectacular match occurred between clique members Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. They competed in a ladder match to determine the undisputed WWF Intercontinental Championship. Michaels’ second reign with the belt was cut short when he was stripped of the belt due to inactivity in June of 1993. Ramon won the vacant belt in a battle royale on Raw in September.

Michaels returned to television in November and began tormenting Ramon, proclaiming himself to be the real Intercontinental champion. Michaels refused to acknowledge the title change and walked around with his own version of the belt. He interfered with Ramon’s title match with IRS at the 1994 Royal Rumble, leading to a title match to crown the rightful champion.

Match Review

The first ladder match in WrestleMania history was an absolute spectacle. While the match is tame by today’s standards, it was an innovative offensive display in a new and exciting match type for the WWF. The chain wrestling was crisp, and Michaels was at his athletic peak. Both men created memorable moments

Both men put their bodies on the line for the WWF Intercontinental Championship and mangled each other with the ladder. Ramon took the brunt of the damage to his ribs while Michaels received the worst single shot, eating a stiff ladder shot to the face. The finish was memorable, and the match cemented both men as major players during WWF’s “New Generation” era.

Aftermath

• Razor Ramon traded the belt back and forth with Diesel until 1994’s SummerSlam. He would hold the belt for the rest of the year and continued to be one of the most popular members of WWF’s midcard during the “New Generation” era.

• Shawn Michaels aided Diesel in his feud with Ramon and won the WWF Tag titles with the big man. The Two Dudes With Attitudes split after Survivor Series and wrestled for the WWF Championship at next year’s WrestleMania.

The match was not only one of WrestleMania’s greatest matches, but it was also one of the best matches of the ’90s and put the ladder match on the map for American wrestling audiences. It helped catapult both men’s Hall of Fame-level careers and began the tradition of excellent WrestleMania ladder matches.