STW - WrestleMania 12 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today we're covering WrestleMania 12 from the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. This is the first WrestleMania we’ve covered since last year’s episode on WrestleMania 21!

As you covered last week in your Ask Bruce Anything...how hectic is it to plan a wedding around a WrestleMania?

WrestleMania 12 happens on March 31, 1996 in front of 15,855 fans with 12,909 paid. That’s a gross of $737,440. The 12th edition of WrestleMania gets 290,000 buys...down from 340,000 from WrestleMania 11 with LT on top. Do you think LT gave you the extra 50,000 buys?

WrestleMania 11 costs $34.95 for the pay-per-view where 12 costs $29.95. Why the decrease?

The road to WrestleMania begins at the Royal Rumble where Diesel costs the Undertaker his WWF Title Match against Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble by last eliminating Shawn Michaels, Goldust wins the IC Title from Razor Ramon and Vader makes his WWF debut.

Vader and Gorilla Monsoon have their classic angle the next night on Monday Night Raw where Vader attacks Monsoon and puts him on the shelf. We’ve covered this in the archives but how big a deal was Vader attacking Gorilla?

Between the Rumble and Mania a lot happens including a pay-per-view! Let’s recap what’s going on in the WWF from between Rumble and Mania!

-Roddy Piper replaces Gorilla Monsoon as WWF President. Bringing Roddy in here wasn’t to put him back in the ring and make him a central character again was it?

-Vignettes start on the Mankind character including George the Rat. Do you remember who put them together?

-Phinneas Godwinn debuts. Who brought Dennis Knight in?

-The Billionaire Ted skits also debut! How much did Vince love them?

-Justin Bradshaw debuts on Superstars. Any idea when he debuts he would become a Hall of Famer?

-In Your House #6 is the pay-per-view between the Rumble and Mania. Highlights include Razor Ramon beating the 1-2-3 Kid in a diaper match (thanks Jim Cornette)...Michaels pins Owen in a great match...and Bret Hart beats Diesel in a steel cage match to retain the WWF Title after Undertaker interferes.

-In Your House #6 is really the beginning of the end of Razor & Diesel in the WWF. We’ve covered this in the archives but leaving the arena that night both Scott Hall & Kevin Nash have made up their minds that they’ll be going to WCW. Scott Hall is suspended for a failed drug test and Kevin Nash is unhappy that Vince McMahon agrees with Bret Hart on the finish of the cage match that he not get hit with a power bomb. Did you talk to Razor & Diesel around this time about their future?

The plan going into Mania is supposed to be Razor vs. Goldust in a Miami Alley Fight but the plan is changed after Razor’s suspension and notice to WCW given and Roddy Piper is put in his place. Was the original plan for Razor to defeat Goldust for the Intercontinental Title or for Goldust to get the big win at Mania over Razor?

At what point do you find out that Razor failed his drug test and the match at Mania had to change? Did Razor object to working with Dustin in this match?

The Ultimate Warrior agrees to return to the WWF and is scheduled to face Hunter Hearst Helmsley at Mania. We’ve covered this in the archives but do you remember any objection Triple H had to working Warrior? This is pre-Curtain Call so it’s not like it was a punishment.

From the Observer in the run up to Mania:

“the Huckster-Nacho Man/Billionaire Ted skit/match will be on the pre-game show, which pretty much removes the legal threats from that skit. By using the likenesses of Hulk Hogan, Ted Turner and Randy Savage, all owned or controlled by WCW, as part of an endeavor in which the public pays for it, which PPV falls into but a free show doesn't, they would open themselves up for potential legal action down the road.”

Is this why you kept it off the Pay-Per-View? You couldn’t have thought that putting this on the pre-show was going to generate any buys for it did you?

On the Raw on 2/19 Steve Austin’s personality is referred to by Vince McMahon as Stone Cold. He would drop the Ringmaster gimmick a week later. What a foreshadow there huh Bruce?

Roddy Piper announces that Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels will be an Iron Man Match and the person who wins the most falls wins the WWF World Title. How excited was Pat Patterson to put this together?

Mark Henry debuts on a March edition of Raw. Who pushed the hardest for the signing of Henry?

Bret Hart has always said in the build up to WrestleMania 12 he was portrayed as the “old guy” as he’s running in Calgary in this sweatsuit and rolling around getting stretched by Stu Hart in the dungeon while Michaels is shown being young and athletic. Do you think he has a valid case there?

Diesel’s flipping off wrestlers on TV and says he’s going to kick Undertaker’s “7 foot ass.” Seems kind of aggressive for this time in the WWF. Why the change here?

Is Bret Hart’s “You Start the Fire” one of the best music videos the WWF has ever done?

Jose Lothario is introduced as Shawn Michaels’ manager. Did Shawn really need Jose?

Marco (Mero) and Sable sign with the WWF. How did the negotiations with them go to bring them in?

Hakushi finishes up around this time. What missed about him?

In the final run up to Mania the WWF sells out MSG for the first time since WrestleMania X but also the first house show it’s sold out since the mid-1980s with Hart & Undertaker vs. Michaels & Diesel on top. Was this a sign to everyone that business might be turning around?

Going into the pay-per-view...was there any fear of putting Hart & Michaels for 60 minutes on top at the biggest show of the year?

You talked last week about all the drama going into WrestleMania...was this the most eventful run up to Mania up until to this point and did any Manias after match it?

We’re finally here. The Observer readers voted 68.7% thumbs up, 24.8% thumbs down and 6.4% thumbs in the middle. What say you Bruce?

A. The Bodydonnas won the WWF tag titles in the tournament final over The Godwinns in 5:21. The finish saw Phinneus set up Skip for the slop drop, but Sunny lifted up her skirt to give a panty shot and he was stunned. This allowed Skip to come from behind with a schoolboy for the win. *

Even in a dark match how great was it to see your brother work a WrestleMania?

B. Nacho Man, Huckster, Billionaire Ted and this skit all died within seconds. They aired a taped segment of a high school gym filled with nothing but senior citizens. An even older Huckster came to the ring with a walker and expired. Nacho Man tried to climb the ropes and fell off and also expired. Then Billionaire Ted talked about how he didn't care that his two biggest stars had died because he could just buy more stars since he can't create them himself. Then a big guy in a black robe came in with "FTC" on his outfit, Ted turned around and saw him, and he had a heart attack and was left for dead. This segment was awful.

I don’t disagree Bruce...but Vince enjoyed the hell out of it didn’t he?

1. Vader & Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith beat Jake Roberts & Ahmed Johnson & Yokozuna in 12:51 when Vader pinned Roberts with a Vader bomb. There were pops for the signature points of the match and for Vader-Yokozuna, but not sustained heat. **1/2

Not a bad match but not really the dominant pay-per-view debut you guys had in mind for Vader I’m sure. What were your thoughts?

2. The first half of the Roddy Piper and Goldust match took place in a Hollywood backlot taped the day before. After editing, the footage aired in a 4:23 segment. It was basically a collection of movie fighting scenes and was about as good as would have been possible. Goldust came in driving a Gold Caddy, and Piper sprayed it with a water hose and bashed out the windows with a baseball bat. Piper got a few bat shots in, smashed Goldust into a food table and hard into a garbage bin and threw several garbage cans on him. He sprayed Goldust with the hose, slammed him on the car hood and gave him a fist drop on the hood. Piper's punches were so stiff he appeared to open up his hand and Goldust was opened hardway in probably three different spots. Finally Goldust used a low blow and rammed Piper into a garbage bin and got in his car and drove off. Piper got in front of the car and Goldust basically ran into him and Piper held onto the hood. The way the scene was shot and replayed, it appeared that running over segment was actually done by a stunt man dressed to look like Piper. Piper then got into a White Ford Bronco to pick up the chase. Even though this was on tape and shown on TV monitors and the big screen to the fans live, this segment got more reaction than anything on the show except for Ultimate Warrior.

White Ford Bronco huh? We really needed the OJ reference didn’t we? Who shot this segment and are you shocked that Meltzer figured out it was a stuntman for Roddy?

You talked last week in Ask Bruce Anything about how both Piper & Goldust went to the hospital afterwards. What were their injuries and how banged up were they?

3. Steve Austin pinned Savio Vega in 10:08. Finish saw Vega spin kick the ref, who sold it forever. Vega kicked Austin in the face for a fall but no ref. Ted DiBiase then got the Million Dollar belt and gave it to Austin who hit Vega with it twice, then put on the Million Dollar dream. The ref still was out, so DiBiase got a coke from an official and poured it on the ref, who revived and saw Vega out and signalled the finish. Austin got the move on for a long time after the match. Both guys worked hard but there was no heat and the finish died live. The work itself was good in spots and slightly off in other spots. **

Long before the Stone Cold phenomenon, no one really gave a shit about this match did they Bruce?

4. Ultimate Warrior (Jim Hellwig) pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Paul Levesque) in 1:38 with three clotheslines, a shoulderblock and press and a splash. Warrior got by far the biggest reaction on the show when he came out. It was amazing how quiet the crowd got after the ring intro, but since Helmsley did the Pedigree right away and Warrior didn't sell it and went right to the finish, the crowd picked up right away. Hellwig was a little smaller than at his peak, but he's also 39 years old, and he was quite a bit larger and more cut than when he returned the last time. DUD

So much here. Warrior squashes a young heel that’s been decently pushed by just getting up after the Pedgiree and beats him in 1:38. Did Hunter have any objection to this? Did you?

In a segment that didn't air to the live audience, they were doing an interview introducing "Wildman" Marc Mero, who did a heel interview until Helmsley came out and the two started arguing and fighting. Helmsley then blamed the fight on the woman who they called Sable that accompanied him to the ring.

So in this order the size of star from this segment goes...Triple H...Sable...Marco...Mero right Bruce?

5. Undertaker pinned Diesel in 16:46 with a tombstone. The match was slow moving and didn't have much heat, but it was better than you'd expect considering who was involved. Diesel basically pounded Undertaker for most of the match. Finally he used his jackknife, but then smirked forever allowing Undertaker to sit up. He did it again, and then when he went for the pin, Undertaker grabbed him by the throat. Diesel used a back suplex and Undertaker sat up again. Undertaker then finished Diesel off with a nice flying clothesline, a choke slam, and the tombstone. **¼

The closing scene of the camera zooming out with Diesel in the middle of the ring has always stuck out in my mind but this result and knowing what we know now opens Pandora’s Box of questions. If Diesel doesn’t give notice...does Undertaker lose here and the streak never really gets going?

Did Taker ever talk with you before this match about Nash & Hall leaving and his thoughts? Was there ever any worry Kevin wouldn’t do business on his way out?

6. During the show, they continually showed scenes of the O.J. chase trying to put over that it was Piper's White Ford Bronco chasing Goldust. When Goldust arrived at the building to pick up Marlena, he bumped into Pat Patterson who was either back there just for the weekend or back involved in booking depending upon who you talk with. Piper then showed up and chased Goldust into the ring and started pounding on him. Goldust made the comeback with another low blow and rammed Piper's leg into the post (the announcers failed to make the connection that was the leg injured by the car running into him). Goldust got on top of Piper basically attempting to screw him and wanting to start kissing him. He went to the top rope but Piper shook the rope and Goldust crotched himself. Goldust came back with head-butts and kissed Piper, which led to Piper making the superman comeback. Piper grabbed Goldust's crotch and started squeezing, threw a knee to the groin and started spanking him, then ripped his costume off and Goldust was wearing womens black undies. After another knee to the groin, Marlena managed to cover Goldust up and he ran off leaving Piper, celebrating with his son Colton in the ring. This segment went 5:37. For what it was, it was really good and also had great heat.

Bruce...what in the hell was going on here? Between Pat Patterson’s cameo when he was “gone from the company” to Goldust and Piper’s sexual innuendos to Goldust’s underwear...and then Roddy’s son in the ring!

7. Shawn Michaels (Michael Hickenbottom) captured the WWF title from Bret Hart in 1:52 of sudden death overtime after the two had battled 60:00 with no falls taken. Michaels came out from the ceiling of the building. Hart didn't get as big a pop coming out as Michaels, but he didn't do an elaborate entrance, and he received no boos coming out The first half of the match was slow paced with little crowd noise. It wasn't as if the crowd was intensely watching because people were steadily leaving for the concession stands. But the execution on both sides was tremendous in what they were doing. The first big pop came when Michaels accidentally superkicked the timekeeper outside the ring when Hart moved, and he did a stretcher job. This is the type of match where announcing plays a big part, and Vince McMahon was good, but Jerry Lawler was the wrong color commentator for this match, especially since after playing the Bret Hart-hater role for the past three years, he suddenly dropped his hatred for Hart during this match except for a few one-liners about Stu and Helen. After several more near falls, Hart hit a tope and then used a german suplex for a near fall at 48:35 and then went back into a camel clutch. At this point the number of fans leaving the building picked up. Hart took his chest bump into the buckles hard leading to a near fall with a double sledge off the top at 57:05. Michaels did the Randy Savage elbow for a near fall in 57:40, a Doctor bomb for a near fall and a moonsault block for a near fall in 58:20. Michaels tried a flying huracanrana off the middle ropes but it was messed up. He went for a dropkick off the top but Hart caught his legs and got the sharpshooter on with :34 left and Michaels held out until the end without submitting. Hart left with the belt, but Gorilla Monsoon told the ref to re-start the match with a sudden death stipulation, which had never been previously advertised. The pop for that announcement was shockingly tepid. In the overtime, Michaels immediately hit two superkicks and got the pin in 1:52 and celebrated in the ring for several minutes afterwards, nearly choking up. In the celebration, Michaels kissed Helen Hart and hugged Bret's son Blade. Bret walked out of the ring at the finish rather than doing a symbolic in-ring passing of the torch. ****1/4

60 minutes here in what you’ve called a Tribute to Pat Patterson. Who came up with the finish? How do you think it went? Meltzer was at the show and was reporting regarding the crowd leaving. What was up with Shawn after the match with Bret’s mom and son? Was this a miss in your mind? Do you think you needed falls to build suspense and finishing at 0-0 made it anti-climatic? How important was Bret taking time off after this match to really sell the impact? Bret has brought up repeatedly in the aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob Shawn telling Earl to tell Bret to “Get the fuck Out of the Ring” after he wins the title. Do you remember this and do you remember hearing about it afterwards?

Were you in the building when Vince did the Shawn entrance from the roof and what was it like to see it?

How was your wedding Bruce?!?!?!