7 Biggest WrestleMania rises and falls from year to year

WrestleMania Fall: Bam Bam Bigelow

Bam Bam Bigelow

WrestleMania XI - WrestleMania XII

How many wrestlers can you think of that main event WrestleMania one year, and are gone completely from the company by the next? This was the case with Bam Bam Bigelow.

Bigelow is often regarded as one of the best “big men'' in wrestling history. During his second run with the WWF in the mid-'90s, Bigelow was a perennial upper mid-card heel. He eventually became a member of Ted Dibiase’s Million Dollar Corporation in the summer of 1994.

At the 1995 Royal Rumble, Bigelow had an altercation with football great and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who was a guest at ringside. This led to an actual match between Bigelow and Taylor at that year’s WrestleMania XI.

While some may argue that the WWF Championship match between Diesel and Shawn Michaels was the “real” main event, Bigelow and Taylor did go on last at the show. Their match was a mainstream media magnet.

Bam Bam Bigelow faced Lawrence Taylor in the main event of WrestleMania XI

Bigelow was praised backstage for his attitude and being able to carry LT to a passable match. According to reports, Bigelow was said to have been promised a big babyface push as a reward for his efforts. While Bigelow did turn face not long after WrestleMania, he never quite reached main event level status. He negotiated an early release from the WWF in late 1995 due to unhappiness with his creative direction and position in the company.

By the time WrestleMania XII rolled around in 1996, the main event antagonist from the prior year had been gone from the company for almost five months and was appearing sporadically in ECW!