Wrestlemania XXIII

The Wrestlemania brand returned to Detroit, the same place where the franchise held the event twenty years earlier in front of over 93,000 fans at the Pontic Silver Dome. The opening segment was very well done, as footage from Anthrea Franklin's performance of America The Beautiful was included with the Queen of Soul's return to the event for another wonderful performance. The show kicked off with the Money in The Bank ladder match and as had before the tradition of the past few years, this was a risky spot fest that had several memorable spots. Finlay suffered a nasty cut on the top of his head from a ladder. Jeff Hardy did an incredible dive from the top of the ladder, putting Edge through another ladder on the outside before the spot because repetitive and predictable. Eventually, Mr. Kennedy won the briefcase to earn a title shot. Ironically, when The Undertaker suffered an injury a few months later and had to drop the belt, Kennedy was originally scheduled to cash-in at a Smackdown taping in Pittsburgh that I actually attended live at the Mellon Arena, the venue that hosted Penguins games before the PPG Paints Arena was built, but he had a misdiagnosed injury himself that led to him dropping the briefcase to Edge, who successfully did the cash-in after a Batista-Undertaker cage match. I wanted to mention this because it really shows how far Kennedy's stock fell in such a short time. The details of his release from the company in 2009 really depend on who you ask, but one thing is for sure, Kennedy had the charisma and the skills to be a world champion, but it never materialized. Granted, the native of Green Bay, Wisconsin did himself no favors in the big picture because in the four years he was on WWE TV, he had injuries, he violated the wellness policy, and there was the infamous back suplex on Randy Orton that many suspect led to Kennedy getting fired. The point being, one way or another, management didn't want to invest more TV time or promotional dollars into Mr. Kennedy. Was it fair? Probably not, but considering his underwhelming career path in the past decade, maybe management made the right decision. Either way, it's very disappointing that Mr. Kennedy didn't get the chance to have a run as world champion.

Kane vs. The Great Khali...enough said.

Chris Benoit beat MVP to retain the US title in a decent contest, but nothing too great. I know that some fans are happy to see MVP's recent return to WWE for the nostalgia, but I have to be honest, he never really impressed me as far as his skills in the ring or on the mic. If I had to guess, I'd say that the MVP gimmick of a brash athlete with a big time contract sounds great in theory, but was average at best in application. Maybe there's something he brought to the table that I didn't get, but I didn't see anything special from his average promos and at best average matches. That being said, he was able to generate a career far beyond his stint in WWE, including a extensive run in New Japan so good for him.

The Undertaker vs. Batista was a really great match that surprised many people at the time, simply because Batista wasn't known for top-notch bouts in 2007. This was really a great performance by both athletes, and as we know, Batista would later do his best work as a heel so perhaps his relatively quick push to the main event in the mid-2000s didn't give him a chance to develop his skills until a few years later when he had the previously mentioned stellar heel run. There are a few other things to mention about this bout. It was a prime example that Smackdown was clearly considered the B-show by management for much of its existence because despite The Undertaker winning the Royal Rumble to get the title shot, this contest is booked literally in the middle of the card. Furthermore, this was the first time that the streak was put in major jeopardy and it was a focal point of the match. Also, it should be mentioned that The Undertaker won with the tombstone, and Batista didn't kick out of it before the finish. Too often in the modern era, finishers are overused in an attempt to create a false finish, but the result was basically just reducing the value of the finisher.

The ECW originals vs. The New Breed was a solid action-packed match, but the circumstances of this showcase prove how doomed the entire project was from the start. Granted, it's very possible that Vince brought back the brand to eventually sour fans on it to quiet the ECW chants, but there was a critical event that shifted the entire focus of the brand just weeks after the relaunch in 2006. For years, fans claimed that Rob Van Dam could've and should've been given a main event run in the WWE, and it appeared that he definitely had the skills. When RVD won the WWE title from John Cena in 2006, the newly reformed ECW brand was the focus of the product because he was a double champion and there was an anticipation for the return. The new ECW was going to go as far as the face of ECW, Rob Van Dam was going to go as WWE champion. Within a few weeks of finally winning the WWE belt, RVD was arrested for drug possession after a house show and dropped both belts the following week. Was Rob Van Dam underutilized in WWE? Absolutely, but he has nobody to blame but himself for fumbling the opportunity when he got the chance to get a main event run. Obviously, it's not good PR for the company if the champion is arrested so they shifted away from him. Without RVD as the foundation of the brand, there wasn't much management was going to do to promote the ECW brand. The originals won and for at least this show, they were presented as extreme legends.

The Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga bout was fine, but considering that the match was secondary to stipulation and the aftermath, the bell-to-bell action and even the participants didn't necessarily have an impact on the segment. The entire selling point was Vince McMahon and Donald Trump at ringside with the intrigue of one of them getting their head shaved after the contest. Obviously, the orange villain wasn't going to get his head shaved so Lashley won the match to set up Vince getting his head shaved on pay-per-view. Say what you want about Vince, but the guy will do whatever it takes to make headlines, including embarrassing himself, as he appeared to cry with his expensive suit covered in shaving cream. This is a scenario where the moment was more important than the match, and Vince sobbing while looking completely ridiculous in a disheveled suit was the payoff of the segment.

Melina defeated Ashley Massaro to retain the women's championship in an okay match, but this wasn't really given the time to be another more than just something to pace the card before the main event.

The main event of John Cena defending against Shawn Micheals was a 30-minute contest that built intensity throughout the match with a physical bout that probably doesn't get talked about enough today. Cena had a nasty cut on the top his head from a pile driver on the steps, and HBK delivered stiff chops as the drama unfolded. There was a lot of good back and fourth action that kept the crowd following the exchanges to see who would get the advantage toward the conclusion. John Cena won with a submission to retain the championship.

Wrestlemania XXII

The Wrestlemania brand went to Chicago in 2006 and I was actually there live, but will keep this article of the Wrestlemania Challenge series within the retrospective context as far as re-watching the event because the live view point is another article for another time. This show is generally considered a very good event and it's the last WM that took place with an emphasis on violence before the company started to take a more PG direction. The broadcast kicked off with a tag team title match as Kane and the Big Show defended against the combination of Carlito and Chris Masters. Watching how over Carlito was at this point really shows how much either he under performed or management underused him. There were questions about his work ethic or motivation to get to the next level under the WWE banner, and rumors of a failed drug test led to his release in 2010. Even a decade later, it seems like there was so much more for him to do because he had the charisma, mic skills, and in-ring ability to be a much bigger star. The actual match was fine with some good spots from Kane and the finish saw the champions retain with the choke slam for the pin.

The Money in The Bank match was an entertaining spot fest with a lot of risky bumps. Similar to the previous year, Shelton Benjamin shined again in this environment with an incredible dive to the outside after he ran up the ladder. Plus, the spring board spot onto the ladder was a tremendous display of athleticism. Ric Flair took a huge suplex from the top of the ladder from Matt Hardy, temporarily taking him away from the match before "The Dirtiest Player in The Game" made his way back to ringside. It should be noted that even at an older age, The Nature Boy was one of the most over performers on the show. The finish saw Rob Van Dam, who delivered a splash from the ladder earlier onto Finlay, grab the briefcase for the victory, earning a title shot that he would cash-in a few months later at One Night Stand.

JBL pinned Chris Benoit to win the US title in a decent match, but not anything too spectacular. While JBL is a very entertaining persona, this was a time frame that saw him show some weight gain and he was somewhat clumsy in portions of the contest.

The hardcore match with the benefit of hindsight will probably be remembered as an iconic WM bout. Edge, who was just starting to get a push toward main event status that he would keep for another five years, needed major angles to solidify his position as a legitimate main event talent and this feud was key to that. The Matt Hardy real-life debacle made Edge a hated heel, but this Foley feud made him a star. The barbed wire, the thumbtacks, and obviously the conclusion with the flaming table were insane. The match itself gave Edge a level of credibility because he survived the hardcore "test" of the hardcore legend.

The Boogeyman vs. Booker T was an absolutely nothing match. As great as Booker T is, even he wasn't going to be able to carry Boogeyman to an average match. Granted, any match at this spot on the card wasn't going to be able to follow the hardcore spectacle, but even outside of those circumstances The Boogeyman had nothing to offer besides a shock value gimmick. The Boogeyman won, but this contest is skippable. Thankfully, the card rebounded quickly when Mickie James defeated Trish for the women's championship in a really good match. This was one of the few times up until this point that the women's belt was given time on the show and an angle to build around it. Trish and Mickie are both very talented in the ring, but Mickie's character work in this feud as the stalker fan shouldn't be overlooked either. With that type of gimmick, there's a chance it could be presented as tacky, but Mickie's portrayal made her look like a dangerous heel.

The Undertaker vs. Mark Henry casket match was entertaining, and while it doesn't compare to the WM bouts a few years later that stole the show, it still had its moments. The Undertaker did an incredible drive from the ring over the casket and landed on Mark Henry near the entrance way. The Undertaker won to continue the streak, but at this time frame, the undefeated run wasn't really put in jeopardy yet.

A segment earlier in the show had Vince and the rest of the McMahon family have a hilarious potential conversation with God that saw Vince conclude with a "hallelujah!" Hulk Hogan wasn't on the card, but Vince is still sporting a ridiculous Hogan-level 1998 tan for this contest. Speaking of which, similar to Vince's bout with Hulk at WM 19, his clash with HBK wasn't a technical classic, but it was a memorable sports entertainment match. Obviously, they used a lot of gimmicks to camouflage the fact that Vince isn't Ricky Steamboat in the ring, but Michaels' elbow from the ladder through a table is the type of moment that this match-up was designed to provide the audience. Shawn Michaels got the victory, but the feud continued throughout most of the year.

The World Heavyweight title triple threat match was great and Rey Mysterio's win was one of the most emotional moments in the history of the industry. Don't make any mistake, Rey was over enough to be the champion and unquestionably had the skills to be a world champion so while the angle was booked as a way to honor Eddie Guerrero, Rey's extensive main event accomplishments since that time prove that he is undoubtedly a legend in his own right. As far as the actual match, it had a lot of good action, including the double German suplex that launched Rey across the ring and the eventual pin fall that generated a tremendous reaction from the audience.

Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson in a playboy pillow fight was a segment when we were all winners.

The main event was John Cena defending his championship against Triple H, who had monopolized the WM main event spot for the past several years and would continue to do so in the years that followed. This was an intense contest that used the back and fourth action to build great drama throughout it. The crowd was electric and added a lot to this contest. Finally, Cena retained the belt when Triple H tapped out, but he dropped it a few months later to Rob Van Dam at the One Night Stand pay-per-view.

Wrestlemania XXI

The Wrestlemania Challenge series continues as "The Showcase of The Immortals" returns to the west coast with the Staples Center as the venue for the event. With the Hollywood theme, the advertisements for the show included WWE stars in parodies of iconic movie scenes. The Undertaker channeled Clint Eastwood, Booker T did a takeoff on Samuel L. Jackson, and Ric Flair reenacted a spot from Brave Heart where he rode on a donkey that was a hilarious segment. Wooo! The broadcast started with a face off of the tag team champions with Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio. This was a really solid match with a lot of good action, but they actually had better bouts before and after this one. That's not a jab at this performance either, it was more that their series of matches set a really high standard. Rey got the win, but as we know, Eddie eventually turned heel and the two had another series of matches a few months later. It's also very sad to consider that Eddie passed away before the end of the year.

Edge won the Money in The Bank ladder match and went on to cash-in on John Cena the following January to win the WWE championship. There's too many highlights to discuss each of them specifically, but this was a wild spot fest that really had some memorable moments. Chris Benoit German suplexed Jericho while Y2J was holding onto a ladder, sending it flying out of the ring. Shelton Benjamin had the chance to shine here, as he did an incredible dive over the ropes, ran up the ladder to deliver a clothesline, and suplexed Edge off the ladder throughout the contest. I know Shelton didn't have the best promo skills, but he had so much athleticism in his prime that watching these performances again makes you wonder if he could've had a main event run at some point if he would've been paired with a manager to do the mic work for him. It's somewhat disappointing that in the years that followed that Shelton almost got typecast as the high spot guy for these types of matches. Another note was that this type of bout with a variety of spots makes it very obvious how formulaic current ladder matches are in the WWE. How many times have we seen the broken ladder spot in recent years? Either way, this was the start of a concept that has become a staple of the modern WWE era with the possible cash-in scenarios.

The Undertaker vs. Randy was fine with some fast-paced action to kick it off and then it picked up toward the conclusion, but the middle of the match dragged on at certain points. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible, but it might've worked better if they trimmed a few minutes from it. That being said, I have to be honest, I thought there was going to be more from this contest because it was a spotlight for Orton, who wasn't a solidified main event star yet. Perhaps, the biggest takeaway from Orton's work from this era is that he was capable of going to another gear when he wanted to, but it appears that he chose to coast to mail-in performances for a considerable portion of his career. Hey, if he can get top level money for mediocre matches, good for him, that's capitalism, but it always seemed like he had more to offer rather than just rely on his name value to keep his spot.

Trish vs. Christy Hemme was a subpar contest, but you can't blame either one of them because Hemme had no wrestling experience. They were put in a tough spot since the feud was only booked as a way to market Hemme's playboy issue and she didn't seem to have the time to prepare for this stage. The in-ring action was clumsy and Hemme's selling was terrible. Trish retained the title.

On the flip side, Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels was an absolute classic and these two legends stole the show here. The back and fourth in-ring action created tremendous drama that had the audience following everything as the advantage shifted between both athletes toward the conclusion. The psychology of this contest was very well done because when there was an amateur exchange, Angle got the better of Michaels, but then HBK had the advantage during traditional wrestling spots. As I wrote a few days ago, the argument could be made that Shawn actually had a better return, as far as a consistent run of memorable matches after the comeback in 2002 than he did before the injury put him on the sidelines for four years. This feud also featured Kurt's version of Shawn's theme song. Angle won with the ankle lock to make Michaels tap for the victory. Rumors suggest that Marty still can't walk.

As great as Angle/HBK was, the Akebono/Big Show sumo exhibition was at the other end of the spectrum. This was just an awful segment and while competitive sumo involves an incredible amount of skill, worked sumo looks ridiculous. I don't know if this was a way to potentially introduce Akebono to the WWE audience and then sign him to a contract or if it was a one-off just to add some type of spectacle to the show, but it fell completely flat. Akebono is well-known in Japan, but the crowd in LA didn't know who the random sumo wrestler was that squared off with the Big Show. Either way, this wasn't the way to bring Akebono to the WWE and considering that it was a one-of appearance, the entire segment was rather pointless.

John Cena won the WWE championship when he beat JBL. The actual match wasn't anything special, but that didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. As I've written about previously in this Wrestlemania series, most of the time, sports entertainment is more about the moments than it is the matches and this is a prime example of it. Cena celebrating with the championship was the moment that solidified him as a new top star so it was mission accomplished. Much of the same can be said for the Batista vs. Triple H match, it wasn't really anything spectacular, but the moment of Batista celebrating with the belt is the goal to push him as one of the next top stars for the company.

Wrestlemania XX

The twentieth anniversary of Wrestlemania saw the event return to Madison Square Garden, the legendary venue that hosted countless WWF cards throughout the years, including the first edition of this event two decades previously. The show opened with John Cena vs. The Big Show in a decent match that showcased Cena well, as he picked up Big Show with an incredible amount of strength for the Attitude Adjustment. Big Show, who is in much better shape now, let his weight balloon at the time and it's clear this contest was designed to feature Cena as a way to move him up the card. The conclusion saw The Dr. of Thuganomics use his knuckle jewelry to KO Big Show to win the match and claim the championship. The four way tag title match was fine, but with that amount of teams and limited time to work with, this was more of a way to shoehorn more wrestlers onto the card than anything else. The combination of Rob Van Dam and Booker T retained the belts, but this was a prime example of two over stars that were randomly thrown together as a team because the writing team didn't have anything better for them to do.

There was a cool cameo with Bobby Heenan and Mean Gene backstage with Moolah and Mae Young, mostly because it's just great to see "The Brain" back at WM after he stole the show the night before at the Hall of Fame ceremony.

The Christian vs. Chris Jericho match was solid, and the feud itself actually showed a lot of what Christian could do outside of the tag division when he was given an angle with more substance. Prior to this, most of his post-E&C stint was comedy based so this storyline gave him a chance to portray more of a hated heel persona. The Trish heel turn after the match to join Christian added another layer to the storyline,and I'd say the steps he took to evolve as a performer here are ultimately what led him to leave the company the following year to continue to enhance his image with the chance to work main event matches in TNA. For all of it's blunders, TNA was a platform that allowed some former WWE stars to go there and prove they could work a main event style if given the time and the opportunity to do so.

The Rock and Sock Connection vs. Evolution handicapped match had its moment, as they played a lot of the greatest hits so to speak with signature spots that got a reaction from the crowd, but after about 15 minutes this match started to drag on, which brought it down by the time Randy Orton hit the RKO on Mick Foley for the win. I understand that they wanted to use The Rock while they had the chance with his Hollywood schedule, but there isn't exactly an extensive list of stellar handicapped matches so this one probably should've been kept short. Perhaps, one of the reasons that The Rock agreed to do another WM match at the time was because it was a tag match, but all things considered, it might've been a better quality bout if it was a standard tag bout instead of management trying to pack as much star power as possible into the contest.

Stacy Keibler was in an evening gown match so we're all winners here.

The Cruiser weight title match was fun and saw Chavo retain the belt. However, since it was Ultimo Dragon's only WM appearance, I wanted to discuss his WWE run, and more specifically why management could've gotten a lot more from it. While he had some injuries at the time, it seems like WWE brass just didn't know what to do with Ultimo Dragon, even though there was a newly established cruiser weight division that he could've flourished for with several different opponents. It's odd that he made a handful of TV appearances in mid-2003 and then more of less disappeared until a month or so before this WM bout. The following month, he requested his release and returned to Japan.

The infamous Brock Lesnar/Bill Goldberg match never had a chance and was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It's ironic these two would have such a memorable feud for the WWE title over a decade later, but this was anything but spectacular. To be fair, Goldberg, who was never known for carrying matches during his heyday in WCW, was put in a no-win situation with most of the WWE booking in 2003. For a guy that needed an opponent to work around his limitations as to not expose his weakness, Goldberg was booked in lengthy matches that didn't do him any favors as far as the perception of his ability in the ring. Keep in mind, at the time, Goldberg only signed a one-year deal with the company so they weren't going to make any long term investment for him as champion, which is why he only held the title for a few months before he dropped it back to Triple H, who the company booked as the top star on Raw. On the flip side, Brock was given a mega push on Smackdown and was showcased as one of the top guys, but he decided to quit just a year and a half after he debuted on television, and more importantly before he made big money. Since Lesnar wasn't necessarily a pro wrestling fan, maybe he didn't realize the level of travel that was required for a main event performer, but he quit the business after probably the best push an aspiring wrestler could hope for in the WWE, especially at the time. Goldberg's contract was expiring, and Lesnar wanted to play football so neither one of them was going to risk injury in this contest. The New York crowd knew they both didn't want to be there and let the two athletes in the ring know it. Goldberg pinned Brock and then Stone Cold stunned both of them.

The WWE tag title match was another four way match and was basically a nothing match that only went a few minutes. Too Cool retained, but there's really nothing to discuss here. Victoria defeated Molly Holly next to retain the Women's championship for a bout that saw Molly get her head shaved. Credit to Molly for being willing to temporarily sacrifice her hair to get a spot on the WM card and it provided a memorable segment. Victoria is very underrated and it's disappointing that the prime of her career was at a time when there wasn't the focus on women's wrestling that is seen today. Make no mistake, Victoria should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero was the top notch contest you'd expect it to be from these two legends. It was a very entertaining match and everything  they did was very crisp in the squared circle. The conclusion was a roll up after Eddie untied his boot, allowed him to escape from the ankle lock before he got the pin. Next up was The Undertaker vs. Kane, and while this is considered a special occasion because it was The Undertaker's return to his classic persona after almost four years of the biker character, the actual match wasn't really anything spectacular. This was all sizzle and very little substance, but it was fine, considering the situation.

The triple threat main event was a really good match, which isn't easy considering that three way matches can be difficult to structure, depending on the participants. As we all know, Chris Benoit made Triple H tap to the crippler cross face to win the championship, putting him among one of the top stars in the organization. It goes without say that Benoit in the time since become one of the most controversial figures in the history of the sport. While I don't think there's anything wrong with fans that want to watch his matches to enjoy them in the context of pro wrestling., I haven't written about him since the Benoit tragedy because I think his absolutely horrendous actions in real life overshadow what he did in the world of sports entertainment. While it would be nonsensical to act like he never existed, real life is more important than pro wrestling, and I decided not to write about him the past several years because there's no reason to glorify a killer. There's obviously a lot more that can be said about Benoit, but as far as the tragedy outside of the ring, I think he knew what he was doing because the murder-suicide took place over the course of three days. The Eddie and Benoit embrace at the conclusion of the show was a very emotional moment and it's sad that Benoit's actions caused it to be erased from history.

Wrestlemania XIX

As we arrive in 2003, the retrospective will more or less rightfully tell you that it was the beginning of a dip for the WWE and the industry as a whole. Scott Steiner's main event push the two previous pay-per-views were disastrous, with some suspecting that may have been the intended plan. That same year was also the "reign of doom" for Triple H's extensive run as champion, which got stale months before it concluded. The Rock spent most of 2002 away from the ring to film the Scorpion King and he finished up for the time being the month after this show. As we now know, this event was also the final match for Stone Cold Steve Austin as an in-ring wrestler. Make no mistake about it, 2003 was definitely a down year for WWE, but Wrestlemania 19 is usually considered a stellar show, proving that if you have the right pieces in the right place, you can make the most of the roster.

The show opened with Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy in a short, but entertaining bout. Rey debuted for the company less than a year earlier and at that point, management probably didn't know what they truly had with Rey on the roster. In retrospect, it's somewhat ironic that he went from the opening match to winning the World Heavyweight title at WM in the span of three years. It can't be understated how much of a special athlete Mysterio is and he's undoubtedly path the way for many of the competitors that are featured on WWE programming today. For Matt Hardy, this heel run showed that he could be more than just a member of a tag team, and truthfully, he probably didn't get the credit he deserved as a performer until more recent years.

The Undertaker vs. Big Show/A-Train handicapped match was a rather odd booking decision since it wasn't much of a match and looked to be a way to get Nathan Jones involved in the show without him actually wrestling. If Nathan Jones, who was mediocre at best, wasn't up to par to wrestle on the show then he probably shouldn't have been booked to do anything at the event. Speaking of Nathan Jones, his stint under the WWE banner is a rather bizarre scenario. He was brought in alongside The Undertaker, but appeared nowhere near ready to work WWE TV so he disappeared from the product after WM 19. When he resurfaced toward the end of the year to do a match at Survivor Series, he the company just a few weeks later. Next up was the three way tag team title match that saw Team Angle defeated Rhyno and Chris Benoit and The Guerreros to retain the belts. The match was fine, but looked a little rushed and only went about seven minutes so there's not much to discuss here.

The Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho bout was really pivotal for both athletes. It was Michaels' return to WM for the first time since his exited from the ring in 1998 and while he looked to be in top form previous, this was an important contest as far as his place at the WM franchise. On the flip side, this angle really helped elevated the profile of Jericho after a rather lackluster reign as Undisputed champion and getting lost in the shuffle prior to this feud. The bout was really good and stood out, despite being booked in the middle of the show. HBK won the contest, but Jericho's cheap shot after a phony hug left him leave with heat.

The Triple H vs. Booker T match was decent, but the booking decisions made in this angle still remains one of the biggest mishaps in wrestling history. The promos used in the angle were trashy and boarder line went too far. This could've been remedied if Booker T won the title and had the triumphant moment, but Triple H wasn't going to put anyone over in this era. If I had to guess, I'd say the main reasons for Booker T not winning the belt, despite being over and ready to win it, were based on the political status of the company. As mentioned, Triple H, "The King of Kings" had ascended to the throne, with The Rock ready to depart for Hollywood, and Stone Cold going to retire, this was the start of the Triple H era, he wasn't going to allow anyone else to take the top spot. The other aspect is that at the time, Booker T was still known as a WCW commodity, and we know that management hasn't made it a priority to showcase WCW. The possible proof of this theory is that when King Booker won the World Heavyweight title three years later, it was with a gimmick that was a WWE product. The bottom line is, this title win could've made Booker T a star to the WWE audience at a time when the roster lacked depth, but they made the wrong decision for Triple H to retain it.

Vince McMahon vs. Hulk Hogan was bowling shoe ugly, but it was a tremendous performance. This match didn't need the perfect drop kick or moonsault because it had the critical elements that allow for a stellar display of sports entertainment. Hulk was an over baby face, and Vince was a hated heel. The crowd was emotionally invested in the result of the match, and say what you want about Vince McMahon, but he's an incredible performer in his own right. The visual of him peeking over the apron as blood runs down his face was a perfect heel moment. Roddy Piper's surprise appearance was a cool moment, but outside of this run-in, I think almost everyone would agree that his 2003 run wasn't what it could've been if it was booked right. Hulk got the win, but I'd say that much of the credit for what made this match so memorable goes to Vince because he was such a great heel.

The third match in The Rock/Stone Cold trilogy was just a masterpiece. The back and fourth action created unbelievable drama that built throughout the contest. In retrospect, the background of Stone Cold's journey to WM 19 makes this performance even more impressive, as he was in the hospital from a panic attack less than 24 hours before he was set to go to the ring in front of over 50,000 fans. These two had such an electricity during their in-ring exchanges and the crowd followed everything they did. The Rock got the win, and it was Stone Cold's final match, but it was definitely a solid retirement match.

Brock Lesnar won the belt in the main event more or less than a year after his debut on WWE TV. Granted, he beat The Rock at Summer Slam in 2002 a mere six months after he arrived on the scene, but Wrestlemania was really booked to be a defining moment for him. Ironically, it was almost a decade later that Lesnar became the top draw when he returned, but that was the original plan at WM 19. This was a really good match, but it's remembered more for Brock's botched shooting star press than anything else. It should be noted that this is another example of how great Kurt Angle is because he was working through a serious neck injury just to get through the match, but he still had a solid performance at the event.

The career of Alan Eagles

At a time when the world is experiencing unprecedented circumstances with a global pandemic that has impacted virtually every aspect of society, these are stressful and uncertain times. But, last week on All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite broadcast, an unknown grappler had the chance to stand across the ring from one of the best wrestlers on the planet on national television. With all the negatives that  go along with the economic and health concerns on the revolving door of the news cycle, a gritty newcomer had the opportunity to flip the script on the gloomy situation in the world and showcase the skills that he learned along the way as he pursued his dream to be a professional wrestler.

When the bell rang inside the scaled-down venue and with Pineapple Pete next to Billy Gunn watching at ringside, Alan Angels, a 22-year-old hopeful originally from Atlanta found himself scheduled for a bout against Kenny Omega, who is considered by many to be one of the greatest wrestlers of the modern era. Truth be told, on the surface, this match-up didn't appear to be much of a challenge for the incredible athlete dubbed, "The Best Bout Machine" in Japan. When Omega was building his reputation, thrilling audiences with absolutely tremendous matches on the other side of the globe, Angels was literally learning the ropes, as he embarked on the tedious process of repeatedly landing on the stiff canvas as safely as possible at the WWA4 training center under the guidance of AR Fox just a few months after he graduated high school in 2016.

Kenny Omega was promoted in Tokyo as "The Cleaner" when Angels was actually cleaning up venues after independent shows. The usual professional wrestling playbook suggested that the three and a half year pro might last three minutes in the ring with the man that worked the main event of last year's Wrestle Kingdom. History tells us that "Iron" Mike Sharpe just wasn't going to get a near fall on Randy Savage.

But, Angels has a drive to continue to push himself forward and considers the chance to hone his craft an evolving process. Citing influences such as Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio, he came to the realization early on that there are multiple levels and layers to the professional wrestling genre. So, after his debut in the squared circle in late-2016, he worked some of the minor league cards around the Georgia circuit to get an introduction to the industry that fascinated him with its spectacular athleticism and flare for the dramatics.

The dirt-stained mats of the regional circuit were a harsh reminder that the journey to stardom is anything but glamours. Angels wanted to chase his dream and give himself the best possible chance to be successful, with the ambition to add more variety to his skill set so he packed up his belongings and moved to Norcross, a suburb outside of Atlanta to train with QT Marshall, a prominent member of Cody's Nightmare Family. While many have recognized QT for his energetic performances on Dynamite, he's a longtime veteran of the sport that has an extensive list of accomplishments as a trainer. Marshall is known among pro wrestling pundits as a bright mind that can provide insight into the nuances of the sport that can really take a performance to the next level. One of the many reasons for that is the expansive facility where QT teaches his students, a complex with multiple wrestling rings, a weight room, and space for conditioning exercises. After his arrival there in mid-2018, Angels cites The Nightmare Factory as one of the best decisions in his time as a wrestler so far.

With live attendance and the number of possible venues limited, All Elite Wrestling decided to use a venue in Georgia to produce its TNT show, which created an opportunity for the young Angels, who always hauls his gear bag in the trunk of his car, a golden rule among aspiring performers. While the bell-to-bell action went roughly six and a half minutes, the process to broadcast a national television show is a much more lengthy scenario.

"It was an all day thing. I’ve been at a few AEW shows, and it’s always a big production and super impressive looking at how much goes into the show. You get there super early in your dress clothes, are told what you are going to do, and when it’s gonna be. After that, you just chill in catering until it’s time to get changed. It gets super intense around the time the show is about to start. Everyone is rushing around trying to get everything done. When it’s time for your match, you get a little pump and then go out there. It’s always funny to me that you spend all day just for those ten minutes or however long you are out there, but they are so worth it," Angels explained.

As he laced up his boots and secured his kick pads, Angels knew that this was new territory for him and this was his chance to make an impression on a national audience. With the esteemed Tony Schiavone and "Le Champion" Chris Jericho on commentary to call the action, the match began with a technical exchange that saw the former IWGP champion get the better of the youngster. Jericho, who has put himself in a league of his own in many respects with the accomplishments he had in New Japan and AEW in recent years, got a little flustered when Schiavone questioned the accuracy of his record against Omega. The Fozzy front man was so enthusiastic about his undefeated status against Omega that he accidentally called Angels, "Alan Eagles" instead, which might've been an unintended reference to the 70s rock band. Similar to most that saw this opening exchange, Jericho assumed that this "Tijuana taxi driver" wouldn't have much of a chance against one half of the AEW tag team champions.

However, "Eagles" surprised the leader of the Inner Circle when he not only mounted an offense against Omega with an array of impressive aerial maneuvers, but kicked out of the V-trigger knee, a signature strike from Omega that usually seals the deal. Eventually, a second knee put Eagles down for the three count, but the once-skeptical Jericho expressed how impressed he was with the effort of the previously unknown wrestler. For the athlete unintentionally nicknamed Eagles, he took the experience as a way to test himself and continue  to grow as a performer.

"I am my biggest critic. I always think I can do better but, feedback from everyone else has been pretty good, aside from the people saying that I’m just a job guy and didn’t need to last that long with Kenny. Doesn’t bother me one bit though. I lived my dream and am super grateful for the opportunity It was kind of a reassurance that I should be in that spot. I feel like I was able to hang with one of the best wrestlers in the world and was just a confirmation to me that even though I might not be there yet, I’m on the right track. It also really made me realize that if you just keep grinding that good things will happen," Eagles explained. 

With aspirations of traveling the independent scene to new places and work with new opponents and hopeful to one day make his own mark in Japan, it remains to be seen how far Alan Angels will go because these are only the opening chapters of his story. Still, the narrative of his match against Kenny Omega goes beyond just those six minutes in the squared circle. It's an example of what's possible when someone chases their dream and takes a shot to make a name for themselves. Only time will tell if national stardom is in the cards for him, but one thing is for sure, fans will take notice the next time Alan "Eagles" Angels steps into the squared circle again.

Wrestlemania XVIII

The first Wrestlemania of the post-Attitude era took the brand to Toronto, where nearly 68,000 fans packed the Sky Dome for an electric atmosphere. The card opened with a brief, but solid Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal match. It was a physical contest that saw RVD hit the five star frog splash to get the win and claim the IC championship. Another short match that only went roughly five minutes was Diamond Dallas Page vs. Christian. The match was fine for what it was, but when a bout has the length of a Raw match on an event like WM, there's not much to say about it. However, I wanted to take this chance to discuss Dallas Page's original stint in the organization. DDP was infamously brought in as the "stalker" in an angle with The Undertaker and it was doomed from the start. Most importantly, nothing about a seedy voyeur fit anything from DDP's character so there was literally nothing to build upon in terms of a storyline. In my opinion, much like the majority of the WCW talent that was moved over to the WWF at the time, the bitterness of the previous five years of the Monday Night war wasn't going to let management put over DDP, especially during a feud with an iconic WWF performer like The Undertaker. Considering his age and the amount of talent that had to be shoehorned onto one roster at the time, perhaps there wouldn't have been a long term spot for him under the WWF banner, but management could've undoubtedly done more with one of WCW's biggest stars, specifically when the invasion angle flopped because lack of star power. While Dallas Page had better appearances since then, including his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame a few years ago, it would've been very interesting to see him get a chance to work with some of the top WWF talent in 2001 without the lame stalker gimmick.

There was a Hardcore title match that ended with Spike Dudley as the champion, but it was only two minutes so there isn't much to discuss for it.

Kurt Angle vs. Kane was a really good match and it was the first bout on the card that had the chance to really pick up on the action from a bell-to-bell prospective. Angle won, but similar to last year, Kane's performance here spoke volumes about the value he brought to the company. As mentioned yesterday, Kane was a big fish in an even bigger pond during some of his early years using that persona. For some reason, that perception might've followed him beyond that because it would be even a few more years until he started working the main event scene regularly. Unfortunately, it's well-documented that ratings began to slip around this time frame because the sports entertainment bubble had burst and the botched invasion angle, along with Austin's infamous heel turn at the time, saw many casual fans that followed during the Attitude era simply move on to other entertainment options. The result of that was Raw became the main priority of the company, while Smackdown was on the brink of cancellation from UPN. As we know, Paul Heyman's "Smackdown Six" rescued the blue brand because he took a group of solid in-ring workers and boosted their profile to make them bigger stars in the process. Management wanted to keep the flagship show stable so Raw had most of the competitors that were already established to give the brand more star power. Kane was a major star so he was on Raw, but that indirectly kept him at a specific level on the card because Triple H more or less monopolized the top spot on Raw at the time. Proof that Kane was a main event talent was that he did win the world heavyweight title a few times in the years that followed.

The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair was an entertaining match,if for no other reason than it was good to see the spark of the Nature Boy again. Flair has talked about it himself on many occasions, the way he was booked in WCW was a major shot at his confidence and there was a point in time that he assumed he was done in the ring. This bout with The Undertaker seemed to be a way for Flair to recapture who he was as a performer and it led to another five years of entertaining Flair matches before he began to lose a step or two before he finished his WWE career. in 2008. Obviously, The Undertaker won to keep the streak intact and it's interesting to note that this was actually the first Wrestlemania where his status of ten WM wins was one of the selling points of the match and not just a side note during the contest.

Edge vs. Booker T was fine and on paper, it sounds like it should've been a higher profile match, but as we've seen more often with the marathon WMs in recent years, with nearly a dozen matches on the card, this bout more or less got lost in the shuffle, especially because it was only five minutes. Speaking of matches that sounded better on paper, considering their careers, you'd expect Stone Cold and Scott Hall to deliver on this stage, but that just wasn't the case. Scott Hall arrived with the NWO invasion the month prior, but it was clear from almost the start that this wasn't the same Hall that helped fuel the Monday night wars a few years earlier. Hall was released less than three months later because of the substances problems that he has thankfully seemed to recover from in the past few years. Stone Cold got the win, but this match is forgettable and not exactly the best booking for Stone Cold on the biggest event of the year. That being said, as I mentioned during the WM 10 article, when Scott Hall was on, he was as good as anyone in the business.

The four-way tag team match was decent, but nothing spectacular. To be fair, most matches like that are usually more of a way to get more wrestlers on the show than anything else. Billy and Chuck won, but the bigger takeaway from this is that it was more or less the conclusion of the tag team surge that the promotion had during that era. Matt Hardy eventually turned heel, E&C had already split, and a disastrous booking decision later drafted Bubba and D-Von to different brands.

As much as I'm not a fan of Hulk Hogan the wrestler or Terry Bolea the person, this match against The Rock at WM 18 is one of my favorite matches because the crowd was so energetic, they wanted to see Hulk return to the WWF in all of his prior glory. This was before the concept of a Hulk nostalgia run was overused and became more of an egomaniac pushing for another run than anything else. The performance was brilliant, specifically because both performers went with it and Hogan was organically turned baby face, which is why it worked. The actual in-ring action was rather minimal, but everything they did was impactful. The crowd followed everything and these two got the most that they could from each spot as the drama unfolded. The Rock won the match, but Hulk got over for a fresh run nearly a decade after he jumped ship to WCW. Unfortunately, it was just over a year before Hulk's ego caused him to have a dispute with the direction of his character and he abruptly left the organization. Even more unfortunate is that after the terrible comments he made on a hidden camera from the Gawker debacle, Terry Bolea tarnished much of the legacy of Hulk Hogan.

The women's title triple threat match was okay, but it was only a few minutes and basically just a way to pace the card before the main event. Jazz retained the championship.

The main event from an in-ring and storyline stand point was fine, but the build up and follow through is debatable. Nearly a year before this bout, Triple H tore his quad during a match on Raw and somehow finished the match. The comeback story and specifically the video packages for it were really tremendous. It even made sense for Triple H to win the match and the championship, something that can't necessarily be said for every WM that he worked. All that said, the way that this feud was presented and how Chris Jericho's title run was booked was basically the opposite of how to make a heel champion. By 2002, The Rock was on his way Hollywood, and Stone Cold was on borrowed time as an active wrestler because of the neck injury. The botched Invasion angle caused a dip in ratings and quite simply, management had to start to restock the main event scene. Sure, Jericho pinned The Rock and Stone Cold in the same night to win the Undisputed belt, but where did he really go after that? The title feud was based more on Triple H's chase for the championship and his angle with Stephanie McMahon than anything that emphasized Jericho as champion. The lack of any focus on Jericho as a main event talent led to his stock declining considerable during the year that followed, especially because he spent the majority of 2003 in the mid-card. However, as far as WM moments, the Triple H win was a good conclusion for the show.

Wrestlemania XVII

The 2001 edition of Wrestlemania would be a defining event in not only the direction of the industry, but in the history of the business as well. The long-rumored WCW purchase went through and was announced publicly just a week earlier, and with a substantial level of uncertainty about the future of the business, the entire sports entertainment world watched this broadcast, hoping for some indication about what could be next for everyone involved. Would there be some hostile takeover at Vince McMahon's marquee event? Would one of the key players from the Turner organization show up to crash the party and kickoff an angle that would finally set up the super bowl of wrestling? In truth, outside of a cameo where WCW mid-carders were barely visible from a sky box in the massive Astro Dome, there wasn't much mention of the Ted Turner group. However, the aspects that ultimately allowed the WWF to win the ratings war and for the buyout to be possible were on full display because an all-star cast of performers delivered an iconic event that some consider to be the greatest WM event in history.

The show opened with a really solid William Regal vs. Chris Jericho bout, although it seemed a little rushed because these two only had roughly five minutes for this contest. The finish saw Jericho beat Regal to retain the IC belt, but both athletes would have a more high profile spot at WM in the years that followed. Next up was the APA and Tazz vs. The Right to Censor, and the match was fine, but there's more to be said about the RTC gimmick. First of all, it was very wise for the WWF to take the gimmicks they were getting complaints about, specifically about the content on UPN, which was a broadcast station, and use it for an angle. That way they didn't have to write several known characters off of television and could use the real-life complaints for an angle that got a considerable amount of heat. Speaking of which, Stevie Richards, as was the case for the majority of his career, didn't get the credit he deserved for his work with the RTC gimmick. There was a point in time that the Right to Censor was one of the most hated acts in the company, and the audience reacted when the baby face got the advantage over the heels. Stevie's mic work and ability to get legitimate heat with this gimmick seems to be overlooked. Bradshaw waffled The Godfather with a clothesline to get the win.

The triple threat Hardcore title match was a fun brawl with some wild shenanigans throughout the contest. Raven was typecast for most of this stint with the WWF as just another ECW guy, which was probably why he was used for the hardcore division here. It's somewhat odd that Raven built so much of his persona on character development, but the writing team at the time really didn't do anything to use or build upon his character. In fact, one of Raven's strengths was the depth of his persona, and the WWF simply missed the boat of him. One of the highlights of this contest was Raven trying to escape on a golf cart while the Big Show attempts to stop him, while they almost ran over a cable that would've knocked the show off the air. Kane jumped in another golf cart with the ref along for the ride and almost legitimately hit Raven with the golf cart, but hit the brakes to save Raven's leg from being run off. Eventually Raven and The Big Show fell off the stage and then Kane dove off to get the victory. It should be mentioned that Kane was really hitting his stride during this period and he was definitely a top-tier performer. I think the only reason that he wasn't a regular in the title picture until a few years later is because he was a big fish in an even bigger pond. At this time, Stone Cold and The Rock were setting records so it didn't make sense to shift the main event scene.

Eddie Guerrero beat Test to win the European championship in a very solid match. I'm not sure if it was more because he was working with Guerrero, but Test looked like a star in this bout. In some ways, it makes you wonder why Test more floundered later in his career and outside of a major push on the doomed ECW brand, he more or less stayed in the mid-card. Test had the look, the size, and decent in-ring skills that you would look fit the WWE mold. If I had to guess, I'd like it was a combination of how stacked the roster was at the time and a lack of mic skills that might've prevented Test from achieving more success.

Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit in an absolutely stellar match. They started off with a lot of amateur style mat work before it built to a very physical contest. Technically speaking, this is one of the best WWF matches you can find, and this performance is one of the reasons this event is memorable.

Chyna pinned Ivory to win the Women's championship, but not long after this, her contract expired and she eventually decided to leave the company, with the belt being vacated before it resurfaced a few years later. Make no mistake about it, most of this bout was Ivory making her opponent look good, but that's not to take anything away from Chyna, she looked like a star and a one-sided contest fit the narrative. The circumstances around her exit from the organization remain a source of controversy, depending on who you ask or who you believe. Bruce Prichard, an executive at the time and returned more recently, claims that Chyna wasn't pushed out of the promotion, but rather that she wanted more money than she was offered to re-sign a contract. Granted, it's a messy personal situation with Chyna and Triple H after their real-life split, but the bottom line is, Chyna was a major star at the time, and Vince McMahon has done business with people that had different disputes with the company before so I would guess that Vince would've been willing to offer her another contract despite the personal scenario with Triple H. As mentioned before, it's very sad that Chyna had several mental health problems and substances problems before she passed away a few years ago. As I said a few days ago, Chyna was undoubtedly a pioneer in the industry because she changed the parameters of women in the industry.

Vince vs. Shane McMahon was bowling shoe ugly in the ring and totally sports entertainment based, but it delivered a dramatic performance. As much as the McMahon family was overused and shoehorned into the product in more recent years, this angle worked, and more specifically, the reaction that Linda McMahon got when she stood up from the chair to hit Vince with a low blow is proof that this storyline was over with the crowd. Shane won after a coast-to-coast drop kick   to Vince and both deserve credit for the back and fourth drama that worked very well here.

The TLC bout was incredible and it's probably a good thing that this was the finale in the trilogy of ladder matches between these three teams because each contest under this stipulation had a very direct purpose of topping the previous match. In many respects, the series of Dudleys, Hardys, and E&C ladder matches redefined the standard for risky matches in the entire industry. There are way too many highlights and bumps to discuss, but the spot where Edge speared Jeff Hardy while he was hanging from the belt was one of the most memorable clips in the history of the industry.

The gimmick battle royal was more about the pop for the entrances than anything, but the actual match was kept short and was very entertaining. It was really great to see Bobby Heenan and Mean Gene back on commentary for this. This goes without saying, but I will always take the opportunity to say it that Bobby Heenan is one of the most entertaining figures in the history of the industry. The Iron Sheik won the bout, probably because he couldn't take a bump over the ropes to be eliminated, but Sgt. Slaughter put him in the camel clutch after the bell.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H was a really good match and it shows the depth on this card that two stars of this level were in an almost secondary type of match on this pay-per-view. These two are involved in several more moments at WM so there's a lot more to discuss for the future events.

The main event was one of the best matches in WM history, and the back and fourth action was absolutely tremendous. The match was great, but the aftermath of it how a much more lengthy impact on the industry. It's well-documented that even Steve Austin himself acknowledges that the heel turn was a mistake, but the reason why it was such a flop is probably the biggest reason that in many ways, WM 17 was considered the conclusion of the Attitude Era. Stone Cold became the biggest star in the history of the business because he was the anti-hero, but then he joined the establishment with he shook hands with Vince McMahon so there was a total shift in the narrative of what made the Attitude era successful.

Wrestlemania XVI

The Wrestlemania Challenge series goes to the first WM of the new millennium, a time when the end of the world was thought to be a computer malfunction instead of a pandemic. After the blunders of last year, the franchise looks to rebound in some aspects, with Vince Russo's departure to WCW nearly six months earlier, and the WWF initiative to try to move new stars up the card in this showcase event, as Stone Cold Steve Austin was still on the sidelines to recover from neck surgery a few months earlier. The show kicked off with Ice-T rapping the tag team of Godfather and D'lo Brown to the ring with a crew of working girls with them. The well-dressed team squared off with the combination of Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan. This was a decent tag match, but the biggest takeaway here was how over The Godfather was at this time. The crowd followed everything he did and he got a noticeable reaction throughout this contest. The finish saw Bull Buchanan hit a stellar top rope leg drop on D'lo for the win.

Next up was a hardcore battle royal, which was more like a gauntlet, as there was a 15-minute time limit and the belt could change hands throughout it. This was a fun brawl, but got repetitive after about five minutes because most of the competitors hit each other with cookie sheets or the same weapons several times. Hardcore Holly hit Crash with a box fan and he suffered a hard way cut. Pete Gas got a hard way cut too and was a mess throughout most of the match. The finish saw the infamous botch of when Tim White thought Crash kicked out, but it was announced that Hardcore Holly was the winner so there was another title switch back to Crash on Raw. There was another tag match with Head Cheese, the combination of Al Snow and Steve Blackman, against Test and Albert. Before the bout started, Al Snow introduced a little person dressed in a cheese costume to be their mascot. The actual match was fine, but it got very little crowd reaction after the bell. The conclusion was a victory for T&A when Test landed a top rope elbow on Blackman. Post-match, Al and Blackman attacked the person in the cheese costume, which was the end of his run as their mascot.

The three team ladder match was an iconic match that truly made all of the participants stars. Some of these bumps will make you absolutely cringe, especially when Jeff Hardy goes for a 450 splash, but crashes awkwardly into a ladder instead. Obviously, this bout was totally high spots and big bumps, but it was done in such a way that elevated those involved. In retrospect, it's very interesting to see that half of these competitors would eventually win world titles, while The Dudleys went on to cement their legacy as one of the greatest tag team of all time and Matt Hardy is still making waves today with yet another new chapter in his career. This is a prime example of what young, talented stars can do when they are given the opportunity to steal the show, an aspect that wasn't happening at all in WCW during this era. One of the many highlights of ladder match was Jeff Hardy's incredible swanton bomb from the ladder through a table, which became one of the most memorable moments in WWF history. Edge and Christian won when they sent Matt Hardy crashing through a table and grabbed the belts.

The cat fight match between Terri and The Kat was the most plastic match on the card, enough said.

The six person tag match of The Radicals vs. Too Cool and Chyna was a fun match with solid work for everyone involved. Chyna pinned Eddie Guerrero for the victory, but I wanted to take this chance to talk more about Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn since they weren't involved in many WM events. Dean Malenko is such a polished pro and everything he did was solid. He wasn't known as the most charismatic or a promo guy, but he had his moments, specifically during his feud with Chris Jericho in WCW. From a technical stand point, Malenko could do it all in the ring and worked for every major organization of his era. He's also extremely underrated, probably because of his statue or lack of mic skills, but make no mistake about it, you simply won't find a subpar Dean Malenko match. Saturn is another athlete that for whatever reason sometimes seems to be overlooked or forgotten about for his ability in the ring. If I had to guess, I would say that he just wasn't at the ring place at the ring time to really get major exposure. The majority of his run with Kronus in ECW was prior to the company's debut on pay-per-view so he didn't have a national platform until WCW, where most of the roster was always going to be kept at a mid-card level because the main event scene was more or less monopolized by the same group of talent for years. He arrived in the WWF rather suddenly after the Radicals quit WCW so it wasn't as though there was a specific plan for him when he debuted, and just over a year later, the roster was flooded with talent from the purchase of WCW so he was somewhat lost in the shuffle for most of his WWF run.

The triple threat two out of three falls match for the IC and European titles was a really good match and it was a glimpse into the future of the company as all three athletes shined in this bout. Chris Benoit won the IC belt while Chris Jericho got a win for the European championship. In truth, Kurt Angle dropping both belts on the same night was a way to clear a path to the main event for him, as he won the King of The Ring a few months later to move up the ranks before he won the WWF championship before the end of the year. Angle will have several more stellar WM bouts in this article series to discuss so there will be other articles to explain those details, but it should be noted here that it's remarkable with less than two years of in-ring experience, he kept up with his veteran opponents.

Kane and Rikishi beat Road Dogg and X-Pac in an average tag bout. The post-match shenanigans were longer than the actual match when Too Cool ran to the ring to dance with Rikishi. The San Diego chicken showed up for the second year in a row, with most assuming it was Pete Rose in disguise again with another plot to get revenge on Kane, who pummeled him the two previous years. When Kane was going to dispose of the chicken, it was revealed that it was just some jabroni in a suit because Pete Rose ran in with a bat to try to sneak attack Kane, but Rikishi intercepted the bat. Pete was choke slammed and then took the Rikishi spot in the corner, proving that Pete Rose would sign autographs in your driveway if you paid him.

The four-way main event was fine, but it dragged on too long and didn't build much back and fourth drama until the latter stages of the match. A few things to note here. This was a sign that the office wasn't fully invested in the Big Show, as he was eliminated within the first five minutes of the bout. Big Show, who jumped ship to the WWF just over a year earlier, had weight problems at this point in his career and eventually landed in OVW in 2001 to attempt to get in better ring shape. That being said, it's great to see that Big Show is in better shape today than he was twenty years ago. Another aspect to this contest was that it was promoted as Mick Foley's last match just a month after his supposedly last match. The angle was based on a "McMahon in every corner" and as a result, the main event became more about the McMahon family than the competitors in the match. Eventually, Vince hit the Rock with a chair and allowed Triple H to retain the title. Overall, the event was good, but you can tell that a lot of the card used the momentum of the era instead of  a selling point based on specific matches.

Wrestlemania XV

Wrestlemania 15 brings us to 1999, where pro wrestling is the highest rated show on cable and the industry is in the middle of the Attitude Era so you'd expect from hype alone that this would be a top notch show. Surprisingly, that isn't the case as this event was more sizzle than substance and more hype than quality content. In short, this show is a booking mess with Vince Russo's finger prints all over it. The opening match for the Hardcore title was Al Snow vs. Bill Gunn vs. Hardcore Holly in a triple threat match. There were some decent spots and it was kept short, but overall this was an entertaining brawl to kickoff the pay-per-view. Sure, the WWF hardcore division was a total rip off of ECW, but it provided some entertaining TV and gave mid-card guys something to do that would featured them on television when they might've not had the opportunity otherwise.

D'Lo Brown and Test won a battle royal on Sunday Night Heat prior to the pay-per-view to earn a shot at the tag team titles. This match had some good spots and proved how good of a team Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart were, but it was only a few minutes so there's not much to say about it.

The Butter Bean/Bart Gunn boxing match was memorable for all the wrong reasons, as Bart was violently KO'ed within thirty seconds, and all things considered, it was probably irresponsible for the WWF to even book this bout. As was profiled recently on the Dark Side of The Ring series, The entire Brawl For All concept was a total disaster that went against everything that draws money in pro wrestling. One of the advantages that sports entertainment has over other sports is that a result can be designed to attempt to draw as much money as possible. Another extremely important aspect is that the choreographed nature of pro wrestling allows for the risk of injury to at least be less than combat sports because you can't draw money when the stars are injured. There are well-documented examples of how the Brawl For All ruined the chance to draw money, specifically with Dr. Death Steve Williams, but this WM 15 bout fumbled any chance that anything could be redeemed from the train wreck of a concept. At the very least, Bart landing a KO on a few of his co-workers could've been used to repackage him to establish something useful from the dreaded tournament. Instead, after he won, he more or less disappeared from TV until he resurfaced to fight Butter Bean. Obviously, after Bart was knocked out, he had no momentum or hype so it was basically the end of his WWF career. As far as scheduling the bout, it's completely ridiculous to book someone with no actual boxing experience against a professional boxer. Very similar to the Brawl for All tournament, this one-off bout at WM 15 had no payoff either because Butter Bean wasn't going to be signed to a contract.

The Mankind vs. Big Show contest was brief and nothing spectacular. The bumps Mick takes here will make you cringe, and it's odd that Big Show uses a chair about half way through the match and the referee doesn't call for the bell, but when he choke slams Foley through two chairs for the finish, it's considered a DQ. Mick is scheduled to be the special guest ref for the main event as a result of the win, but that's in doubt as he was stretchered from the building. Road Dogg won a four way match against Goldust, Ken Shamrock, and Val Venis to retain the IC title. This match had some decent action, but it was essentially a thrown together bout without much of a storyline so there's not anything major to discuss for it.

The Kane/Triple H contest was really good and had some great spots. Kane's agility, including a dive over the ropes to the outside, was remarkable here. This had the potential to be a great match, but it was ruined with the Russo booking. Kane, who was initially a heel for the corporation, had accidentally sent a fire ball at Chyna's face. Chyna had turned heel against DX and joined the corporation previously so technically, Triple H is supposed to be the baby face. Still following along? The review clips prior to the match show Kane as the sympathetic figure as he carries Chyna from the ring and agonizes that he accidentally sent the fire ball at her. At a point in the contest, the steel steps were used, but it wasn't called a DQ. The finish of the match saw Chyna double turn and attack Kane before Triple H used a chair, which was somehow considered a DQ after the steps weren't a reason to call for the bell earlier. So, Chyna turned against the wrestler that tried to take her to safety, but in the process she rejoined DX so that would theoretically make her a baby face again. Stay tuned, this series of events will get even more ridiculous.

Next up was another example of why Sable's only qualification to be in the wrestling business was to model t-shirts. She defended the women's title against Tori in a terrible match that had several botches. Sable's promo before the match sounded very robotic and her attempt to be a heel included an attempted twerk move. After the referee was knocked down, Nicole Bass, a former female bodybuilder, attacked Tori, allowing for Sable to get the victory. This is direct from the Russo playbook, which would explain why it was lame.

Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac for the European championship was a decent bout that could've been better, but it was another match on the card that was ruined by Russo booking. The finish saw Triple H and Chyna turn on X-Pac and both joined the Corporation. So Chyna turned baby face and then turned heel again about 20 minutes later. This "swerve" was nothing more than nonsense that added illogical angles at the biggest event of the year.

Speaking of matches that were ruined by terrible booking, The Undertaker vs. Bossman HIAC match is known as probably the worst HIAC match in history. The bout was less than 10 minutes and the conclusion was The Undertaker hanging the Bossman from the roof of the cell. This was as ridiculous as the spot that implied Mickie James was murdered on Impact a few years ago. Either The Big Bossman was hanging on live pay-per-view or it was a completely ridiculous spot that insults the audience because there's no logical explanation for how Bossman returned to TV a few weeks later.

The main event was solid, but featured a lot of generic brawling in the crowd earlier in the bout, which is something that was seen in almost every pay-per-view main event at the time. The action picked up with some good back and fourth spots toward the conclusion, but Russo tactics tainted some of this bout as well. There were three ref bumps in this match, bring the total to four ref bumps on the show before Mankind returned to the arena. Stone Cold won the title after he hit the stunner and Mick Foley counted the pin. As mentioned, this show was overbooked and lacked quality because of the booking for most of the event.

Wrestlemania XIV

We're two weeks into the Wrestlemania challenge series and just like the pandemic, this chronicle of the showcase of the immortals had it's ups and downs. With over a month of the shutdown in place, I might have to book Brutus to get a hair cut and ask The Sandman to bring the booze. This year finds the WWF in the middle of the Attitude era with the wild antics of Monday Night Raw drawing record-setting ratings as it traded wins with Nitro during this period. The show opened with a 15-team Battle Royal and in truth it was designed to reintroduce the Legion of Doom with some fresh aspects to their gimmick, including Sunny as their manager and motorcycle helmets added to their traditional spiked shoulder pads. As I mentioned yesterday, the Road Warriors are arguably the greatest tag team of all time, but lost some stream during this period because they were a little older by this point and while their playbook was effective, their somewhat limited in-ring presentation had been seen for almost 15 years. Unfortunately, helmets and Sunny in a skimpy outfit wasn't enough to recapture the intensity that made LOD such a memorable act. Still, for at least that night, the new look got an incredible reaction from the crowd.

Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila, who would go on to be known as Essa Rios in the years that followed, lacked the usual psychology of WWF matches of the time, but it was a great bout with some stellar high spots. Taka retained the Light Heavyweight championship after a Michinoku driver. Since this is one of the few times that the light heavyweight belt had any major exposure, I wanted to discuss a few things about the company's attempt to provide some counter programming to WCW's cruiser weight division. Granted, the majority of the cruiser weights weren't given the proper credit in terms of their star power or more specifically, their potential to became bigger stars, but at least WCW knew what they had as far as the division that could provide wrestling substance to go along with the sizzle of the NWO angle etc. For example, Bill Goldberg was a big draw in 1998, but if you put him in the ring for any extended period of time, his limited skill set would've exposed him as a rather one dimensional performer, which is why his original run was relatively short. When you're trying to sell a nearly three-hour pay-per-view or maintain a viewing audience, the in-ring work of the cruiser weight division helped set a base for the rest of the program. There's no doubt that Eric Bischoff missed the boat on making stars from the division that could've prevented the company from completely collapsing a few years later, but there was at least a spotlight put on the cruiser weight performers with the addition of Mike Tenay on commentary to explain their background. Plus, the cruiser weight stars were given the title to showcase their skills. On the flip side, the WWF brought in light heavyweights, but didn't do anything else to showcase them or truly emphasis the style. The result was some stellar matches that got almost zero reaction, simply because the fans weren't familiar with most of the stars that were booked for the light heavyweight matches.

Triple H defended the European title against Owen Hart in a match that saw Chyna handcuffed to Sgt. Slaughter to prevent her from interfering in the contest. The finish saw Chyna throw powder in Slaughter's eye and hit Owen with a low blow to set up the pedigree from Triple H. This was a solid match that was more proof that management could've done more with Owen, especially in the aftermath of the Montreal incident. While there was a brief angle of Owen attacking Shawn Michaels, he was more or less kept on the mid-card with this feud with Triple H instead at the time. A storyline where Owen went after Shawn's title as revenge for Bret could've drawn money.

There was a mixed tag match that saw Sable and Marc Mero defeat Goldust and Luna. In retrospect with how it's now known how rude Sable was to most of the others on the roster, watching this bout will make you shake your head because the entire match was built around a spotlight on Sable. The entire angle was based on how Sable was a bigger star than Mero, which shows you how invested the office was in Mero's future in the company. Sable hit Goldust with a legitimate punch to the face and then nailed Luna with stiff kicks in the corner as a result of what looked to be total carelessness. In the brief spots where Sable had to sell, it was done rather poorly, and this one dimensional performance along with her lack of any type of promo skill prove that modeling a t-shirt was her only qualification to be in the wrestling business. On a better note, Mero and Goldust had some good spots here, and it probably would've been a better match if it was a one-on-one contest. Luna had to work with Sable here so obviously, she deserved a better opponent, and probably doesn't get the credit she deserves for her career.

The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock was the IC belt was a really good match, and while the poise that The Rock brought to the ring was always apparent, there are glimpses here that Shamrock could've been a main event level talent. Perhaps, it's easy to say that when he was working with the Rock, but the intensity that Shamrock brought to the ring was believable and he portrayed his character well. If I had to guess, I'd say that the main reason that he didn't have a run with the title was because he didn't have any major promo skills at all. It's disappointing that Shamrock is known more today for being so far past his prime in MMA that it's embarrassing than most of his wrestling career because there was a roughly two year period where he was a major star.

The Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie vs. The New Age Outlaws in a dumpster match was a fun brawl. It's comical that management wanted to cast Funk as Chainsaw Charlie so they could copyright the name when he was known as a legend for decades before this. Even more comical was that Chainsaw Charlie wore a Terry Funk t-shirt during this match, which more or less made the name change pointless anyway. The Attitude era is looked upon so fondly by fans that sometimes people forget some of the absolutely awful gimmicks or angles, but this bout was the Attitude era done right.

Speaking of being done right, as far as episodic and cinematic wrestling, the Undertaker/Kane feud did it very well. Sure, it stretched the limits of logic, but there was an anticipation to see the narrative would unfold. The cinematic elements weren't a substitute for the substance of the storyline. As far as the actual match, it had an atmosphere that projected a major event and it delivered in the ring. Obviously, both of these two would have major roles at WM events in the years that followed.

The main event was the start of Stone Cold's run at the top star in the promotion and in the process he eventually became the biggest star in the history of the industry. Stone Cold is critical of the match, but I think it was decent and provided the moment to propel Austin to the next level with Mike Tyson raising his hand to declare him the winner of the match. Shawn Michaels finished up for a while here and made sporadic cameos throughout the rest of the Attitude era before he returned full-time in 2002. As great as he was during his first decade in the company, the argument could actually be made that he had an even better run after he cleaned his life up and made a return to the company.

Wrestlemania XIII

It's 1997 and the WWF was in the midst of not only struggling to keep pace with WCW, the Turner group that had taken a dominate lead in the Monday Night wars, but a plague of injuries hampered their plan ahead of the biggest show on the calendar. Plus, Shawn Michaels, who was given the spotlight the previous year, had conveniently "lost his smile" a month before the broadcast and vacated the belt instead of dropping it, sending the management to scramble to book a different card without one of the key players on the roster.

A four-way tag team match kicked off the show with The New Blackjacks vs. The Headbangers vs. The Godwinns vs. Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon. The match itself was fine, but appeared to be more of a way to shoehorn more teams onto the card, as The Blackjacks and the team of Furnas and Lafon were counted out just minutes into the bout. Eventually, the Headbangers beat The Godwinns to become the number one contenders for the WWF Tag Team titles, but there are a few other things to discuss here. Most importantly, Furnas and Lafon are an extremely underrated tag team on the American scene, and it seems like they just weren't at the right place at the ring time in terms of exposure to an American audience. The two made names for themselves with stellar matches in All Japan for years so it makes sense that the WWF, especially at a time when it needed fresh tag, would try to recruit them, but their style just didn't fit with the more entertainment based presentation that was approaching with the Attitude era. That's not to say those two aren't adaptable because their skills are definitely worth of a featured spot, but rather that management simply didn't know what to do with them. Through the deal with ECW, the team worked there through 1998, which was actually their second stint in the organization after they worked their briefly in 1996, which originally put them on the WWF radar. Another note, the New Blackjacks were doomed from the start, not because of a lack of talent, but rather any gimmick that is branded as the "new" anything is almost always a flopped because it automatically implies that it's a rip off of older more successful gimmick. The New Rockers was such a lame idea that it drove Al Snow crazy to the point that he started talking to a mannequin head. The New Midnight Express of Bodacious Bart and Bombastic Bob, what was supposed to be Bombastic about Bob Holly? Not surprisingly, Hardcore Holly got over with a character that was based on something more realistic as the grizzled veteran that would fight anywhere.

The Sultan challenged Rocky Maivia for the IC belt. As I mentioned previously throughout this series of articles, the presentation of a competitor is key to their success, and this bout is  textbook example of that. Both Rocky and Sultan would go on to have very successful career, with the Rock being one of the biggest starts in all of entertainment, but he would've never reached that level if he had remained tacky baby face Rocky Maivia. While I always enjoy seeing the Iron Sheik, The Sultan gimmick had a limited run from the start because the cartoonish attire and the entire basis of the character wasn't going to get over as the company moved into the Attitude. I'm not sure why Bob Backlund was here other than the company was keeping him on the payroll as The Sultan's extra manager because he wandered to the ring seemingly on his own instead of alongside The Iron Sheik and Backlund. For much of the same reason the Sultan gimmick didn't get over, Rocky as the typical baby face wasn't going to get over either. It was a generic baby face gimmick, and the fans just didn't buy it. The crowd was already chanting, "Rocky sucks" and they didn't really rally behind him during any of the designed spots in the match. It should be noted that if Rocky Maivia didn't turn heel then he would've have eventually got over as one of the biggest stars of all time as The Rock. This speaks volumes to why a heel turn for Roman Reigns would've been beneficial a few years ago. As for the actual match, it went too long and got a lukewarm reaction at best. After Rocky retained the title, he was attacked, but Rocky Johnson made the save so there was a nice moment for the two of them in the ring.

Triple H vs. Goldust was a solid match that saw the finish when Chyna rag-dolled Marlena, allowing for Triple H to hit the pedigree for the pin. This was the first WM appearance for Chyna and while her ability as a wrestler was minimal and probably overrated, the effectiveness of her portrayal of the body guard character can't be understated. She had a presence that made her a star, and the sum total of her run ultimately opened the door for more of a variety of roles for women in the industry as something more than strictly valets at that point in time. It's very sad that she struggled with mental health and addiction problems during the latter stages of her life. Hopefully, her story can be used as a precautionary tale for others to avoid the same path and get help.

The Owen & British Bulldog vs. Mankind and Vader match was solid with a lot of good action, but a rather flat count out finish. The main takeaway here was that Mankind and Vader were a solid team and it makes you wonder why they didn't get a longer run, or at least Vader could've been paired with someone else to form a tag team, which might've helped his rather disappointing stint in the WWF. This ended up being his last WM appearance, as he was reduced to jobber status before he left the company in 1998. The reasons for why Vader didn't get over in the company are numerous and well-documented. While some of those reasons were because of Vader himself, the majority of the reasons were probably outside factors. First, Vader didn't do himself any favors being known as difficult to work with because Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire is usually an efficient machine and those that aren't there to do business usually have a brief run. Vader's style took a toll on his opponents, but also on himself, as over a decade of work in Japan before he arrived in the WWF probably put his better days behind him when he signed a contract. Speaking of his style, the stiff nature of his work wasn't something that was common place in the WWF either. Plus, he let his weight balloon at certain points, which wasn't going to help his status either.

The classic Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin I Quit match was just a master piece, both from its in-ring work and its story telling. It was a physical bout that projected intensity. The double turn and how both performers worked it was brilliant. Don't get me wrong, Austin was surging in popularity at the time of this match, but the iconic visual of him digging into the mat and pushing himself up to try escape the sharpshooter while blood streamed down his face put him on a new level. Austin didn't need to win the match, the fact that he didn't quit is really what solidified his status. Plus, Bret's post-match attack when Austin was defenseless is more or less his official heel turn.

The Chicago street fight of The Nation of Domination vs. Ahmed Johnson and the Legion of Doom was a fun brawl, but went too long and because repetitive by the time Ahmed and LOD won the match. As far as edgy content, the Nation was one of the first stables to push the envelope as far as the gimmick and the promos. The LOD were majorly over in Chicago, but as history showed, their run in the WWF at this point was on borrowed time. If I had to guess, I think the Road Warrior, specifically Hawk, could've had more to offer if they would've evolved their gimmick. Unfortunately, they were a little older by 1997 and the LOD playbook had been seen extensively for the previous 15 years so their style wasn't as effective as it was in years prior. Still, Hawk was very charismatic and LOD is arguably the greatest tag team of all time.

The WWF title match of Sid defending against The Undertaker was okay, but went too long to the point that it began to drag on and was an example why Sid could only be used in short runs in a promotion. Don't get me wrong, Sid's intensity and presentation was great, but he was very limited in the ring in terms of his ability to be a versatile performer. With Sid, he had to play the greatest hits so to speak and stick to the signature spots or the match became sloppy. As mentioned, Sid's intensity was there, when it wasn't soft ball season. As far as in the ring, after the audience saw the basic Sid match for a certain amount of time, that was all that he could bring to the table. Switching from promotions throughout his career, while not intended, allowed him to return with a fresh coat of paint for another run after he had been away for a few years. Ironically, he would leave the promotion just a few months later to heal injuries and eventually resurfaced in ECW and later another return to WCW. The Undertaker won the title at the conclusion of the match, which he definitely deserved because he was one of the most over athletes on the roster, but it also provided a sense of stability for the company because of the competition of the industry.

Wrestlemania XII

We have arrived at a dozen Wrestlemania events for the Wrestlemania Challenge series and this particular show ushers in glimpses of what would eventually become the Attitude era, which generated a surge in popularity. The broadcast started with a random six man tag match as Jake Roberts, Ahmed Johnson, and Yokozuna were against Owen Hart, Vader, and British Bulldog. Despite being a thrown together tag, this match was solid will a lot of good action from everyone involved. Something to be mentioned is that Yoko was still agile, but was clearly decline because of his addition weight gain. Considering that he was only 30 when this bout took place, he definitely would've been able to contribute to the industry for years if he hadn't continued to physically decline. That being said, it must be stated that he did legitimately have a Hall of Fame career, which was represented when he was inducted in 2012. Sadly, he would be written off TV before the end of 1996 and take time off to attempt to lose weight, but he eventually gained it back before his death in 2000.

Steve Austin vs. Savio Vega was a decent match, but they would actually have better matches later on at In Your House pay-per-views. It was strange seeing Stone Cold, in his trademark black boots and trunks, get such a mediocre reaction alongside Ted DiBiase as the Million Dollar champion. It's a prime example of how much the presentation of a character matters because Stone Cold eventually became the biggest star in the history of the industry, but got almost no response from the crowd because the Million Dollar champion gimmick wasn't going to get someone over in 1996. It's ironic that the current product doesn't seem to take any cues from this example, especially because the booking direction over the past 4-5 year seems to be set in stone regardless of the reaction of the audience or the pattern of sluggish ratings. Sure, there's a temporary detour if the crowd would boo Roman Reigns or express discontent with Brock Lesnar's repetitive matches, but the overall direction of the company has stayed on the same path, proof being the original main event for the Universal title at WM 36. One of many examples of the opportunity cost associated with this way of doing business is that when others were at their peak in terms of being the most over with the audience, management didn't run with it. You have to strike while the iron is hot to get the most from a push. For example, a few years ago would've been the right time to run with Braun Strowman, but instead of wrestling in the main event that year, he won the tag titles with a kid from the crowd.

Next up was The Ultimate Warrior's infamous return to the company, and as much flak as this match gets because of the absolute disaster his comeback was, as a stand alone match, this was exactly what it should've been at the time. Triple H, still using the blue blood persona, made Warrior look like a million dollars and for the brief few minutes Warrior was in the ring, he did a great job of bringing his signature intensity to the squared circle. The problem is, everything that Warrior did in that match was the only thing he could bring to the table, which wasn't going to work in the evolving industry. This would've been better as a one-off because Warrior didn't have anything else in his playbook beyond what was seen in this bout. Warrior even being re-signed is an indication at how  the WWF was willing to try anything to attempt to garner some buzz for the promotion because of the numerous disputes he had with the organization. Not surprisingly, Warrior left the company just three months later, but it's doubtful he would've been over as the Attitude Era started because most of his gimmick was based on the cartoonish era of a previous generation. More than anything, the Warrior experiment proves you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice because his limited in-ring ability wasn't going to get over in the late-90s. Speaking of which, his feud with Hulk Hogan in WCW in 1998 was proof that he should've stayed retired.

Diesel vs. The Undertaker was a really good big man match and these two delivered a quality bout that probably doesn't get talked about enough. As I said yesterday, Nash's work, specifically in this time period, often gets overlooked because work rate wasn't his signature in WCW, but this bout against The Undertaker shows that he could go in the ring with the right opponent. There were some really impressive spots here, including when Nash hit the power bomb on Undertaker twice. The Undertaker eventually wins with the tombstone. In retrospect, it's interesting to consider that not only is this Nash' last WM appearance for several years, but he would show up on Nitro just a few months later.

The Hollywood back lot brawl  that started earlier in the night spilled into the arena and the finish saw Roddy Piper rip Goldust's ring gear before he scurried to the locker room. With the talk about cinematic matches today, it should be noted that if something outside the environment of a typical match or at multiple locations is done, this is the way to do it because it's at least realistic. In my opinion, there has to be logic to the presentation, even if the parameters of sports entertainment allow for some limits of logic to be stretched for certain narratives. Keep in mind, the environment of pro wrestling is theoretically reality based and because it's presented to a live audience, it's not a movie fight scene. If there's music in the arena, it's because it was played from a sound system in the building, which is why mic are used when wrestlers talk in the venue. There's not goofy sound effects or teleportation during a match. Roddy vs. Goldust was a physical bout that resembled  a street fight, but it was done within a reasonable context from different locations that allowed for it be something more than just a typical match.

The classic iron man match was the finale of the show, and while I've heard some criticism of the bout in recent years, I disagree with it. I think the match still holds up today, especially the structure of the match that allowed for particularly the last 45 minutes to be a very easy watch as the contest built intensity toward the conclusion. It must be mentioned that booking this match, even with these two legendary performances was a gamble, especially at this time. The WWF product wasn't tailored toward one-hour matches and it wasn't something that live audiences were accustomed to watching at WWF events. The bigger gamble was putting it on live pay-per-view because if the live crowd soured on it then the entire viewing audience would hear that reaction. The match was very well done and I think one of the better elements was that it went to OT because too often in iron man matches since, an almost comical amount of decision rank up that don't match the pace of normal matches. For example, a typical main event match might go 20 minutes, but in an iron man stipulation, there's often two of three decisions within that time frame. As we all know, HBK won with the super kick to claim the championship in one of the most memorable moments in the history of the industry. In interviews, Bret mentioned that Shawn told Earl Hebner to tell him and Jose Lothario to get out of the ring after the bell. You can actually see during his celebration in the ring that Shawn tells Hebner to get out of the ring too. Granted, HBK himself has said that he wasn't the best person at this point and was at a rather dark place in his life. Thankfully, Shawn turned his life around and has a completely different reputation today than he did in the late-90s. Although, it's somewhat ironic that the selling point of this match was Shawn achieving his dream, but he vacates the title less than a year later because he "lost his smile" and there were rumors that he didn't want to drop the title at Wrestlemania in 1997.