Although it seems shocking to fans in 1999, Wrestlemania VI featured a main event for the World Title bout between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior that was huge at the time, and remains one of the top main events of the 1990s.

The titanic matchup between Hogan and the Warrior headed up the first Wrestlemania of the decade, and remains memorable to this day. It was unique for the time, because it featured a head to head matchup between the federation’s top two good guys. Hogan was the World Champion and the Warrior was the Intercontinental Champion at the time, and the match was billed as a “Champion vs. Champion” showdown.

While no one will accuse the match of being a technical clinic, it was an above average encounter that was especially good for the two wrestlers involved. But, more important than the workrate of the actual match, was the crowd interest and excitement of the encounter. The two men each had a massive fan following- Hogan and his Hulkamaniacs vs. the Warrior and his Warrior, and thus the crowd support seemed split down the middle. The fans oohed and ahed with every big move or near fall.

When the Warrior pinned Hogan, the crowd erupted and the Warrior era began. In a rare sign of sportsmanship in this sport, Hogan presented Warrior with the belt and they celebrated together.

In this day and age of big name matchups on free TV several times a week, and short buildups, Hogan/Warrior from Wrestlemania VI was a shining example of how to put on a supercard main event. It was a match never seen before (and not seen again for over eight years!) and was given a long time to simmer in TV angles without making either man a heel.

The only thing which keeps this match so low on the list is that it wasn’t the federation-changing event it should have been. Hogan, in losing to the Warrior, showed a willingness to put younger talent over, but reverted back to the ego-maniac soon after. And the Warrior, after a couple years as a solid draw as a big star, fizzled out of the picture in the early 1990s, and never reached his full potential as a wrestling legend.