Sycho Sid vs. The Undertaker

[3.0] "Bad match, but the most frustating thing about that match is actually what he never had. Like, Undertaker is at an point on his career that he finally understood his gimmick and he fights along with that knowledge he got, and it is MUCH better his individual performance, selling and workrate here compared to all of his previous matches. It is still an bad match because his chemistry with Sycho Sid was shit, literally (I will explain), and Bret Hart's interferences was stupid, just something to increase the heel heat he just got after his match with Steve austin. Pisses me off that in the same year we had insane matches like the Taker vs HBK and Bret vs austin it was also Bret's last year as a WWF wrestler due to...well, if you know, you know. Which means that, yeah, makes me sad that we never got an Taker vs Bret at WM. Oh, and the funny thing about this match is that at some point, I don't know which one, Sycho Sid literally pooped on his pants. Undertaker did his best to support the smell, check him talking about, it is so funny lmao."

[4.0] "A few good moves in the match, but outside of the final few minutes, and Sid hitting the Tombstone Piledriver, this was very much a match of aura. People seemed into the near-falls and the bigger moments, but Bret Hart's interference just made it feel overbooked, and especially when the buildup to something like that is about 70% restholds, it just feels like a cheap match, especially as a main event, Christ alive! Fine, only notable for the fact that Sid shit himself here, which is the true beginning to the Attitude Era"

[3.0] "A long slog of a match with a lot of stop start moments. These 2 work better with smaller opponents."

[6.0] "Wasn't completely turned off from this match but it was a very run of the mill Undertaker 1990s match. Sid's fine in the ring, no technician but does his bit. Overall this was just one of those "tick it off the list" matches for me"

[5.0] "A step down from Taker's previous Mania match against Diesel. From a presentation standpoint, it's a worthy WrestleMania main event, and while a 21-minute match with Sid might sound like a recipe for disaster, it's actually not as bad as it sounds. Bret's pre-match interruption is kinda weird, and him interfering and costing Sid the match takes a bit away from the match. Obviously the pace is relatively slow, but it's alright for the most part. ***"

[4.0] "The wrestling is boring. It's well-written, yes, but incredibly dull. The storytelling, while simple and effective, lacks interesting spots, clever sequences, or anything that truly grabs your attention. It doesn't have any glaring errors, that's all."

[3.0] "A Main Event that shouldn't have been, this was for Steve Austin and Bret, and this match was slow, most of the times they were trying and making it dramatic by being on the mat, but it didn't work, great for another one on the streak of Taker, and a world title win in WrestleMania, but the match didn't help the moment to be more outstanding. 3/10 [**1/2]"

[3.0] "A Main Event that shouldn't have been, this was for Steve Austin and Bret, and this match was slow, most of the times they were trying and making it dramatic by being on the mat, but it didn't work, great for another one on the streak of Taker, and a world title win in WrestleMania, but the match didn't help the moment to be more outstanding. 3/10 [**1/2]"

[2.0] "This match between both men was a pure drag to go through with really action and psychology between each other, it moved way too slow, had no business going as long as it did, and the finish with Bret didn't do as much favours for it."

[2.0] "Very bold to have a WrestleMania main event be 20 minutes, and consist of 15 minutes worth of rest holds. Triple H owes his career to this match."

[4.0] "I expected this to be bad. But it was totally fine. My biggest issue was the length, didn't need 20 minutes and drags at points due to the fact it did go that long."

[6.0] "Whilst it isn't a classic wrestlemania main event it is certainly far from the worst that there has been - not usually a fan of interferences in these main event style of matches but i think it added to the match here cementing a Bret Hart heel turn 6/10"

[7.0] "Pretty good match. It was better than people said it was. It was slow. Ill give it That. But the moves were cool. Undertaker wining was amazing. I don't really care for Bret Hart coming out and being whiney. Put that aside and it's a good match. Rating: ***1/2"

[4.0] "This is a complicated rating saved from being worse only by newly heel Bret's opening tirade and his attempts at interference. As for the match itself, it was bad. Sid already seemed gassed after powerbombing Bret before the match even started. After that it was mostly rest hold, basic offense, rest hold, basic offense, rest hold, etc. Even the crowd was turning on the match until the last 5 minutes when it finally started to pick up. There was a cool sequence with Sid reversing Taker into a piledriver of his own. Then eventually Bret interference out of nowhere with a steel chair allowing Taker to pick up the win. It was a case where this would have been much, much more underwhelming without the opening tirade and interference."

[5.0] "Well, without unnecessary slugishness and few minutes less, it would be a hidden gem (not so hidden, but...you know...). Altercation between Syd and Bret added a good value to the champion's presence and made his win more believable. Not great, close to good."

[3.0] "The Skyscrapers explode! This was before The Undertaker upped his workrate. Sid was dead weight for him and these two had no chemistry. Loved both guys, but no. Not this match."

[4.0] "It's not a bad match, but it's indeed slow paced, a little boring and very safe. This was exactly what Vince imagined as a two big man having a fight, with some holds and the worst wrestling submission ever AKA the bearhug being utilized over and over again, but somehow Sid was still much better than I expected. I really didn't remember Bret interfering in this (and that is very stupid to be honest), and triggers me to see this two have a match with the ring still full of blood of the Bret x Austin match. As a match, this is solid 4/10 to me. As a Wrestlemania main event, it's very underwhelming with a flat finish."

[5.0] "Honestly? I don't hate this, and is far away from being one of the worst Wrestlemania Main Events. This match feels very similar to the previous Mania's Big Man match-up, because just like The Undertaker vs Diesel, The Undertaker vs Sycho Sid has its high points, but also suffers from its slow pace, rest-holds and somewhat sluggish moments. It doesn't help that it had to follow the All Time Classic between Stone Cold and Bret Hart earlier in the show. None the less, I think this is an enjoyable and absolutely serviceable Main Event. From the various Bret Hart interferences, Shawn Michaels on commentary and The Undertaker capturing the World Title for the very first time. Yes, the match got its boring moments and is honestly just average (4/10), but with the fun finish and lack of truly BAD moments, I think this is without a doubt a GOOD Main Event, which earns it the (5/10) rating. I can totally understand where some of the lower ratings are coming from, but I really don't mind this at all."

[2.0] "I am so sad this match is as poor as it is. I love the Undertaker and have great respect and enjoy a lot of Sid's work. This however, is a slog! Such a slow build and burn for nothing really of note. It's so visible where the two are communicating and calling spots which also takes away from it. The Bret interference did little to excite me either. Such a shame for a Wrestlemania main event, even with the enjoyment of Taker winning the gold."

[7.0] "This match is sick. An awesome hoss fight between two athletic bigs. Bret's constant interference is grossly unnecessary and took away from what could have been a special match. Sycho Sid is amazing when you don't have a British youtuber in your ear telling you he's not."

[1.0] "Rip Attitude Era, born two matches ago, died here. A grim reminder that the WWF is not truly capable of progress. It will be one step forward, one step back, and that is forever. The first match to ever put both me and my partner to sleep. I woke up to Netflix autoplaying Wrestlemania 40's Sunday show. The difference between the two is night and day. If you foster your talents your storylines, you run your business like a business, you can luck into with The Bloodline. If you run your business like a personal dictatorship, if you manipulate and break the spirits of those under you, if you pit your two top talents against each other for what is so obviously your own personal entertainment, luck doesn't matter any more. You have Bret and Shawn, two of the best wrestlers alive, and because of you, because of your sordid desires, you are forced to have Sid vs Taker main event your biggest show of the year. Fucking pathetic."

[1.0] "An all-timer in the boring category: extended bear hugs, nerve holds, you name it. Basically nothing of note happens for 95% of this match and then the part that's slightly exciting is the Bret run-ins which are pretty pointless. I really like Sid and love Taker, but their chemistry is really poor here and it's doomed having to follow one of the best matches in WWF history and an absolute outrageous brawl."

[0.0] "It's a shame, because both of these guys are capable of so much more, but unfortunately, this is all time bad. Incredibly plodding and slow. And 21 minutes for a boring match may as well be 2 hours. Was willing to admit to crimes if the match would just end"

[3.0] "Decent match. Not worthy of the Wrestelmania main event but knowing what happened backstage in the preceding months, they did the best they could."

[5.0] "[2.25*] The funny thing is, I actually do not think the match was nearly as bad as the rating suggests. Of course this is not ideal for a fucking Mania Main Event lmao, but I thought it was decent. My rating would actually be even higher if it were not for those super annoying Bret Hart interferences that were terrible (besides the first interruption before the match where he shooted on HBK, that was awesome). Not a banger by any means but just two bad men trading blows. Slow for sure but these last few minutes since Sid did the Tombstone were actually good. The crowd went nuts when Taker won the WWF belt."

[2.0] "This was a slog to get through. Both men work better against smaller opponents and Sid's offense was so dull in this one. The constant bearhugs almost put me to sleep. He tried some aerial maneuvers but they just looked so shitty. I wasn't a fan of the finish as Taker not winning clean just doesn't feel right. Up there as one of the worst WrestleMania main events ever. [*]"

[6.0] "**3/4 (5.5/10) It had its moments. It also had moments that dragged a little too long. The start was hot, so was the ending. Everything in between was mediocre at best (with some dull intervals, particularly the rest holds). Not the atrocious match that memory tries to serve us when discussing Mania's worst matches of all time, but arguably one of their weaker main events."

[6.0] "A solid back and forth bout between the company's two biggest and baddest wrestlers at the time, let down ever so slightly by Bret Hart's constant interference. Other than that, it was a perfectly fine match. Not nearly as bad as the rating suggests."

[0.0] "Taker sure has a good number of streak matches that are just huge slogs to get through and also involve other big guys. You'd think that VM would learn not to place him with other slow big guys that can't wrestle. The prematch is kind of nice and it was also nice of Bret Hart to help end this match. But that didn't matter because match was 30 minutes of torture. Minutes straight of holds. Minutes straight of no selling. Minutes straight of Taker getting up and Sid hammering him from the second rope really badly. I really wanted to fall asleep during this. Horrible."

[1.0] "This fucking sucks. Its just so boring. Nothing of note happens at all apart from the Bret interference (which I never even knew happened). Speaking of the Bret interference what was the actual point of it, I guess him whining all the time was apart of his gimmick but it just wasnt needed"

[6.0] "I didn't find the fight as boring as the other comments here, in fact there were some good moments, but the truth is that the long duration ended up taking its toll. Either way, this is The Undertaker's best WrestleMania match up to that point, although that wouldn't be that hard to do."

[3.0] "Such a slog of a match. Michaels on commentary was nice but even that couldn't keep me from being bored. The Bret stuff was probably the only memorable thing about this match."

[4.0] "The ringside area looked like a crime scene before this match started. It had to follow two of the most insane matches in Wrestlemania history for different reasons, but it just couldn't. I actually enjoyed Sid's transitional title runs and Undertaker is one of my all time favourites, but this wasn't a pairing that played to either of their strengths and it showed. It just went way too long and really the only interesting things that happened was Sid landing a tombstone, which Undertaker kicked out of and Bret Hart interfering to cost him the match. Bret shooting on Shawn before the match started was quite funny."

[0.0] "No idea how this isn't among the Flop 50, because this has to be one of the most soul-destroyingly dull affairs I've ever seen. Nothing of note happens. Ultimately, the only thing you remember is that Bret Hart ran in, was sent to the back, then ran back in again 2 minutes later (I have no idea what the point of that was), and that Sid failed to break an announce table. The rest was just brawling without selling, and rest holds! If you like rest holds, we've got them! They had Bret/Austin and yet this was what they chose to close the show. Maybe the Streak was just all bad."

[3.0] "So boring, Sycho Sid is one of the most mediocre wrestlers i have seen, at least we got to see a bit more refined Undertaker and the Bret stuff was fun"

[6.0] "So we begin with Bret Hart coming out to cement his heel turn by heeling up on everyone in sight. The last undertaker match I watched was against Hogan at Survivor Series 91. Its like night and day the difference in his working style between this match and that.. a lot quicker and leaving Sid to play the plodding big man role. Not an offensive match by any means but I wouldnt be watching it a second time if Cagematch were not insisting I add a comment to my rating."

[4.0] "It was exactly what I expected, which is a really slow match with some decent character work from Sid. Taker just isn't it at this point and I don't care how over he is, my mind just keeps wandering during his matches. I liked the whole stuff with Bret and Taker milking his Tombstone was nice, but it wasn't the main event that I would enjoy."

[2.0] "True story, this was the first wrestling match I ever watched. I walked into the room while my dad was watching this on VHS when I was about 13. I sure picked a winner huh? This match fucking sucks. Slow, boring action stretched out for 20 heatless, insipid minutes. Crowd was dead after watching the MOTY Hart v Austin earlier that night, and let's be honest, no one cared about this. The only memorable part of the match was the rumour that Sid shat himself in the ring."

[4.0] "At least it was better than Sid's previous main event outing at Mania. Its way too long for a match between these two whic is a bit of shame because the end stretch did have some fun moments (Takers top rope clothesline and Sid hitting the Tombstone for example). The finish with Bret was pretty solid and Taker's pose with the belt looks awesome. All those factors are enough to take it out of the horrible area, but not enough to make it good, specially when it comes right after the two best matches on the card."

[2.0] "Sid is a weirdly charming character at his best. Undertaker's whole thing at this point was his character. So I have to ask, who the fuck decided these two needed to work a 20 minute match with so much wrestling? Get your shit in and end it! It could've been so simple and the big nearfalls at the end were good! Bret interfering was funny too but it just made me so much more interested in him than the match. Could've been worse I guess. Could've been Sid vs Hogan - *1/4"

[3.0] "I really like the Bret stuff, but I'm not sure I've ever made it through this one without dozing off. Still, Taker's title win celebration on the grandest stage deserves some credit."

[3.0] "I'm something of a Sid apologist. I love that daft bastard, but even I can't justify this. No Sid match should go 20-plus minutes because the result is this stinker. Bret Hart coming down at the start of this match to cut a whining promo might just be the best part of this. Sid spends a lot of time keeping Undertaker in rest holds and the most interesting thing he does here is crap his pants, and we don't even know if he actually did the deed or if it's just some urban legend. Undertaker not being able to show emotion limits him when he's teasing a comeback. The worst match on the card and a stinker of a Wrestlemania main event. At least the crowd seemed to enjoy this."

[6.0] "Universally panned for decades afterwards, I didn't hate it anywhere close to the level others have. Seen a couple of discussions over the years trying to pin point the moment Sid supposedly crapped his pants (shrug)"

[7.0] "I honestly thought this was pretty decent for the story, Yes the match was very methodical and slow but there were some good spots, for example the reverse tombstone. I enjoyed the Bret stuff too"

[1.0] "You have to feel sorry for Taker in this, there is only so much he can do to drag a decent match out of Sycho Sid. It is awful. Also, this was not in any reality an apt replacement for Bret vs Shawn 2."

[2.0] "Who came up with the idea of giving Sid 20 minuets in a match? This match sucked for the first 15 minutes, but the ending was ok. There wasn't much in terms of psychology, the rest holds sucked and even though Undertaker won it could have been done in a cleaner fashion. *"

[4.0] "This was the last major WWF appearance for Sid, and good riddance, frankly. He had none of the (linited) skills he had early in his career remaining, and his promo work was cringe inducing. By this point Taker was more than capable of having good matches with the right opponent, but this wasn't it. It was made to look even worse by being the third no-DQ match on the card, and the weakest, with one of the best of all time having happened earlier."

[3.0] "You have to feel sorry for Sycho Sid in this, there is only so much he can do to drag a decent match out of Mean Mark. It is awful."

[5.0] "It was a terrible match with a good ending. The first 3 quarters of the match was just slow but after that it picked up and was fun to watch."

[4.0] "Famous for Sid cacking himself during the match. Unfortunately exposed as a poor choice for the main event in comparison to the classic earlier in the show that was Hart/Austin."