The 10 shortest matches in WrestleMania history

The 10 shortest matches in WrestleMania history

Superstars toil their entire lives to perform on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Yet, getting to WrestleMania and participating in a WrestleMania epic are two very different accomplishments.

Over the course of The Show of Shows’ history, there have been almost as many instances of performances that came and went in the blink of an eye as there have been long, grueling, hard-fought contests.

Watch video clips from some of the shortest WrestleMania bouts

Here, WWE.com counts down 10 others matches from The Showcase of the Immortals that take less time to watch than they do to discuss.

10

Road Warriors vs. Power and Glory at WrestleMania VII — 59 seconds

Animal and Hawk, The Legion of Doom, made their names in the 1980s and 1990s by running roughshod over lesser competition in every territory they competed. Yet, even when The Monsters of the Midway were paired against the seemingly formidable team of Power and Glory at WrestleMania VII, Animal and Hawk managed to continue their streak of dominance, plowing through the devious duo of rock-strong Hercules and the smooth-operating Paul Roma in 59 seconds.

9

Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn at WrestleMania XV — 35 seconds

WWE’s infamous “Brawl for All” experiment — a 1999 tournament that pitted the roster’s toughest mid-carders against one another under hybrid boxing-wrestling rules — at first appeared to serve as a launch pad for the singles career of eventual winner Bart Gunn, who crushed opponents one knockout after another.

The Superstar with a brutal left hand was evidently outgunned, however, when he took on prizefighter Butterbean in a special-attraction Brawl for All Match at WrestleMania XV. The rotund Butterbean connected with a devastating right hook roughly 35 seconds in, knocking Gunn out cold and forever putting to bed the ill-fated Brawl for All concept. ( PHOTOS)

8

Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb at WrestleMania X — 35 seconds

Earthquake’s career was enjoying something of a renaissance in early 1994, when he was scheduled to face the imposing Adam Bomb at WrestleMania X in Madison Square Garden. Earthquake’s momentum carried into that year’s Show of Shows, as he literally squashed the Superstar from Three Mile Island in barely more than half a minute.

7

Red Rooster vs. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at WrestleMania V — 31 seconds

Saddled with the much-maligned Red Rooster moniker, accomplished technical wrestler Terry Taylor had grown tired of insults from his former manager, WWE Hall of Famer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, by early 1989, paving the way to their WrestleMania V sprint. Heenan dusted off his singlet for the occasion, but despite having the appearance of wrestler, The Weasel was decidedly outmatched. Taylor scored the three-count approximately 31 seconds after the bell sounded.

6

King Kong Bundy vs. S.D. Jones at WrestleMania I — 24 seconds

“Special Delivery” Jones was certainly outsized by his opponent when he stepped into the squared circle with 458-pound King Kong Bundy at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985. The undercard bout was given a generous 20-minute time limit, of which Bundy needed only 24 seconds to finish the job.

5

Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX — 22 seconds

The 10 shortest matches in WrestleMania history

Yokozuna’s first WWE Championship reign lasted scarce moments longer than his first actual title defense, which was a 22-second jaunt against Hulk Hogan. The loss — owed partly to an errant toss of the salt by Yokozuna’s interfering manager, Mr. Fuji — came on the heels of Yokozuna’s defeat of Bret “The Hit Man” Hart. Although Yokozuna’s duel feats of both main-eventing and winning the WWE Championship in his first WrestleMania are remarkable, history does not look well upon his and Fuji’s decision to challenge The Hulkster immediately following the grueling Hart match. ( PHOTOS)

4

Rey Mysterio vs. JBL at The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania — 21 seconds

The 10 shortest matches in WrestleMania history

Defending Intercontinental Champion JBL wasted no time in bringing the fight to challenger Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXV, attacking The Ultimate Underdog before the match even got under way. Once the bell rang, the bout took a drastic turn, and The Master of the 619 used his great speed advantage to stun his larger opponent and claim his first Intercontinental Title. ( STORY)

3

Hart Foundation vs. The Bolsheviks at WrestleMania VI — 19 seconds

Throughout much of the 1980s, Nikolai Volkoff would incense the WWE Universe with his pre-match ritual of singing the Soviet national anthem. By the time Volkoff and Bolshevik tag team partner Boris Zhukov were scheduled to face The Hart Foundation in 1990, the Foundation’s powerhouse, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, had heard enough of Volkoff’s shtick. He and “Hit Man” attacked The Bolsheviks during the opening bars of the anthem, all but ensuring a quick Hart Foundation victory.

2

Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 — 18 seconds

In hindsight, AJ Lee’s smooch to World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania XXVIII was more of a kiss of death than the good-luck ritual it was intended to be. So distracted was Bryan with kissing the petite Diva that the submission specialist completely lost sight of his opponent, Sheamus, and the sound of the match’s opening bell. As soon as Bryan brought his attention back to the matter at hand, he was greeted with The Celtic Warrior’s Brogue Kick and pinned immediately. The length of Bryan’s World Title defense on The Grandest Stage of Them All? A paltry 18 seconds.

1

Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero at WrestleMania XXIV — 11 seconds

It was with more than a dash of bravado that ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero entered the Citrus Bowl to face Kane at WrestleMania XXIV. In hindsight, Guerrero may wish he had exercised more perception and less hubris. With Guerrero distracted by Kane’s trademark and fiery entrance, The Big Red Monster crept into the ring and surprised the champion from behind. Eleven seconds and one thunderous Chokeslam later, and Kane was standing tall as the ECW Title holder.

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