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WrestleMania XII

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WrestleMania XII
Promotional poster featuring Razor Ramon (who did not compete on the card), Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Diesel and The Undertaker
PromotionWorld Wrestling Federation
DateMarch 31, 1996
CityAnaheim, California
VenueArrowhead Pond
Attendance18,853[1]
Pay-per-view chronology
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In Your House 6
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In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies
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WrestleMania XII was the twelfth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1996, at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.

In the main event, Bret Hart lost the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels in a 60-minute Iron Man match. In his return to the company after a four-year hiatus, The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Roddy Piper competed in his first match since 1994, after which he left for WCW.

Background

Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship

The main attraction of this WrestleMania was the WWF World Heavyweight Championship contested in an Iron Man match; whereby the winner would be the man to win most falls over sixty minutes. Michaels had earned the opportunity to face reigning champion Bret Hart by winning the 1996 Royal Rumble, and had also defeated Owen Hart at In Your House 6 for the right to keep the WrestleMania title shot.

The main event was built on Bret Hart wanting to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels, who had suffered a number of setbacks over the course of the previous year, including: failing to win Diesel's WWF World Heavyweight Championship the previous year at WrestleMania XI, being accosted by a group of Marines at a Syracuse, New York nightclub, forfeiting the WWF Intercontinental Championship at In Your House 4 in October 1995 to Dean Douglas, suffering a storyline concussion at the hands of Owen Hart, and being betrayed in storyline by close friend Diesel at a house show at Madison Square Garden.

WrestleMania XII also marked the return of The Ultimate Warrior, who had last performed for the WWF in late 1992. As well as the first ever WrestleMania appearance and match of Stone Cold Steve Austin who wrestled against Savio Vega

Reception

WrestleMania XII received generally positive reviews from critics, who aimed praise particularly at the main event. Rob McNew of 411mania called the opening match "really good," and gave it 3 and 1/4 stars (out of 5 stars). However, he called the match between Helmsley and The Ultimate Warrior the worst of the night, going on to it call it the "funniest squash ever, considering that HHH is now arguably a bigger star than Warrior was." He gave the main event the highest score of the night, with 4 stars. However, he says the match "isn't for everyone." Continuing, he says, "It's about a three star match for the first 40 minutes, the last 20+ are an easy five stars." He gave the entire event a score of 7 out of 10.[2] In 2015, Ryan Dilbert of Bleacher Report called it the 16th greatest of the first 30 WrestleMania events.[3]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes[5]
1The Bodydonnas (Skip and Zip) (with Sunny) defeated The Godwinns (Henry O. Godwinn and Phineas I. Godwinn) (with Hillbilly Jim)Tag team match for the vacant WWF Tag Team Championship
2Camp Cornette (Vader, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog) (with James E. Cornette) defeated Ahmed Johnson, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji)Six-man tag team match13:08
3Roddy Piper defeated Goldust (with Marlena)Hollywood Backlot Brawl16:47[Note 1][4]
4Stone Cold Steve Austin (with Ted DiBiase) defeated Savio VegaSingles match10:05
5The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Sable)Singles match01:39
6The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) defeated DieselSingles match16:46
7Shawn Michaels (with José Lothario) defeated Bret Hart (c) 1-0 in Sudden Death Overtime60-minute Iron Man match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship1:01:52
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
  1. ^ Taped parts of the match were shown intermittently throughout the pay-per-view, with the live part of the match occurring just before the main event.

Iron Man match

Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. It was a draw after 60 minutes, but WWF President Gorilla Monsoon ordered for sudden death overtime.

Score Winner Decision Notes Times
1–0 Shawn Michaels Pinfall Shawn Michaels won the fall using Sweet Chin Music 1:01:52

References

  1. ^ Powell, Jason. "Iron Man Match highlights WrestleMania 12". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  2. ^ http://411mania.com/wrestling/wrestlemania-xii-review/
  3. ^ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2374639-wwe-wrestlemania-2015-power-ranking-every-card-in-ppvs-history/page/16
  4. ^ "10 Worst Wrestlemania Matches EVER". Slam! Wrestling. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  5. ^ Keller, Wade. "WWE WrestleMania Countdown - 1996 PPV Report (WM 12): Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Iron Man match, Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved 13 November 2014.