Top 5 WrestleMania Moments That Will Make You Cry.

Written By Patrick O'malley

Intro.

Tears are a known form of showing emotion when our brains tell us that we're feeling sad, and this is something that you can feel while watching big moments on TV, and as this years WrestleMania approaches on our viewing horizon I thought that this would be a good time to take a look at those moments, that make our pupils fill up with water.

5. Mick Foley Gets eliminated From The Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match.

WrestleMania 16 doesn't get much praise from fans these days, and I get why, because it had botches, and the Matches felt like they were dragging on, even though it had one of the best builds in my opinion. It did come with its very own caviat. Mick Foley saying goodbye to the fans. Foley over the 2000's was in and out of retirement, but to me this felt like his in ring goodbye. It has been stated over the years that at this point Mick's health wasn't to good, due to the amount of concussions that he had suffered over his time working with the WWF. As a fan watching this in the year 2000, I didn't understand just how serious Micks health was, it was only after reading his book Have A Nice Day, that I learnt that in 1999 he was struggling to remember his own name, this prompted He Who Shall Not Be Named to urge him to retire. I always thought Mick should've gone out his way, and even though some fans think that his Hell In A Cell Match from No Way Out 2000 was his goodbye, his Mania outing was fitting in my opinion because this felt final. He was given this oppotunity for all the work that he had done over his time as an in ring competitor.

4. The Ultimate Warrior Beats Hulkamania.

If you go by the todays standards, WrestleMania 6 is another example of how hindsight needs to taken in when watching this show. It's not great, and in my opinion it's the Worst Mania. The Main event needs to looked at and studied. The build was heavily layered on respect and intensity, however the physicality of the Match doesn't Match todays standards. Why did this moment mean so much to me as a kid? I was a Warrior fan over being a Hogan fan. I can't stand neither man these days due to there awful behavior, and attitudes, but when you ask me as an adult, this repressented a clear changing of the guard that would run through most of 1990. This left some kids ( me included ) in floods of tears.

3. HBK Carried The WWF.

The build to wrestleMania 14 is considered by some fans to be one of the best in company history, but if you ask me, it was the most interesting. on one hand you had Shawn Michaels, a man who always brought the energy, whilst facing his own demons. In January of 1998 Shawn injured his back in his Casket Match for the WWF Championship  against The Undertaker. Shawn woke up the morning after, and could feel an unusual amount of pain, that had him temporarily parylized. This meant that he had to drop the belt to his next opponent. Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Match played out to critical acclaim. Shawns issues with drugs had got worse during the build up leading to him leaving the fan interactions after a fan abused him. The passing of the torch was a bitter pill for HBK to swallow, as this happened. He was seen storming out of the post Mania press conference, and as a fan watching this footage as a kid I thought that this was part of the show, it was only as I got older that I realised he was going through some real issues, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

2. Connor Malik.

On paper the name Connor Malik doesn't sound like much, but when you know all the facts, he's made an everlasting legacy, that came from the worst circumstances. Connor was just 5 years old when he lost his battle with Cancer. He was a massive WWE fan, he and his younger brother at one point went up to Daniel Bryan, and said that he and his brother are the real Tag Team Champions. This would start off a friendship that would last until his final moments. Connor was sat at ringside for when Daniel won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Mania 30. After Daniel got the win, he was seen holding Connor as the pyro went off into the New Orleans night. This wasn't just a WrestleMania moment, this was a snapshot in time, that needs to be savoured, and held close to your heart, and act as a reminder to hold your loved ones close.

1. The Undertakers Final Salute.

As time has gone on, and when you think back to 2020, you could make the argument that hindsight is something that needs to be treasured. This can be said about the legacy of The Deadman. The build to his final Mania Match against AJ Styles was met with solid praise, however this came at the cost of uncertainty, as the world was plunged into the Covid 19 pandemic, and it had no sign of slowing down. As the world started to shut down, the WWE took the controversial decision to keep business going as usual, this came from a number of benefactors to do with TV contracts, this also meant that all shows had to be filmed, and placed behind closed doors. This gave birth to the element of the Cinematic Match. The Boneyard concept was simple, direct, and to the point. Was it sad to see a legends career go out like this? Yes, but when you take a look at the circumstances, it had to be this way. As I watched this filmed Match take place on the broadcast. I was reminded that when the world goes through its hardest of times, it's great to be able to have entertaining things to take your mind away from the outside world, this fact was driven home as Mark Calloway rhode off into the night, as he left his 30 year career in the ring on a high, and not on a wimper. This wasn't just a look at how the WWE had looked after a legacy, but a look at how they managed to put there minds together to help fans in the moments when some were losing there loved ones. For two nights the real world took a back seat, whilst one mans legacy was celebrated on a global scale. The location was perfect, and the way it was shot, and soundtracked by one of my favourite bands Metallica, you could say that this was the perfect way to say goodbye to an old friend.