10 WWE WrestleMania Matches That Should Have Closed The Show

9. Bret Hart Vs. Yokozuna – WrestleMania IX

Two years later and terrible Terry is up to his old tricks again, this time  sticking his nose where it didn’t belong to take down another foreign menace, Yokozuna. 

Hogan had already had a match earlier in the show, teaming with Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake to take on IRS and Ted DiBiase, also known as Money Inc. 

Hogan slumming it in the mid-card of what was, all things considered, a rather terrible WrestleMania (possibly the worst ever), made sense when you consider that WWE were due to embark on a youth movement that prioritised athleticism and Hogan would be gone from the company by the summer. 

Bret Hart defending his WWE Title against Yokozuna was the scheduled main event of the show and looked set to close it. Hart had been promised a long reign as Champion and probably assumed that he was going to beat the super heavyweight and walk out of Caesars Palace with the gold around his waist. 

It didn’t quite turn out that way, with Yoko emerging victorious thanks to Mr. Fuji and a handful of salt. The match wasn’t great – they’d have a slightly better one in the main event of next year’s show – and the result was a blow to The Hitman’s growing fanbase, but the post-match tomfoolery was unforgivable. 

Following the loss, Hogan – a good man with no ulterior motive – waddled out to check on Bret, who clearly needed a concerned friend after the devastating salt attack. Mr. Fuji, auditioning for ‘dumbest wrestling manager ever’ (and trust me that covers some ground) challenged Hogan on behalf of his client on the spot, putting the WWE Title on the line for good measure. 

Cheering him on like a pink and black patsy, The Excellence of Execution was just fine with Hogan fighting his battles for him and the match was on. And then the match was over, thirty whole seconds later. Clothesline, big boot, 1-2-3.

WrestleMania IX is by no means a good show but this terrible piece of business just makes it that much worse. Bret and Yoko should have gone on last and Bret, by rights, should have gone over.