Wrestlemania Count-Up – Wrestlemania XVII (2015 Redo): It’s This Show
Wrestlemania XVII
Date: April 1, 2001
Location: Reliant Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman
Sunday Night Heat: Steve Blackman/Grandmaster Sexay vs. X-Factor
The Astrodome looks amazing with a sea of people and the very cool looking ceiling with daylight still coming in. The ramp is really long as well which makes for some lengthy entrances.
Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
Shane McMahon in his WCW limo arrives.
Tazz/APA vs. Right to Censor
Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show
Jimmy Snuka is at WWF New York (a WWF themed night club/restaurant).
The Rock has just arrived.
European Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Test
Rating: D+. Again this was fine but that tieup in the ropes killed the momentum they had going. Test was little more than a midcard guy at this point but Eddie was getting more and more over every week. Unfortunately he was also getting more and more into substance abuse and would be gone by the end of the year for a long time.
Austin arrives nearly an hour into the show.
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
They hit the mat again and go for the legs but roll into the ropes for another break. The fans are all over Angle and he has to get to the ropes to escape a Crossface twice in a row. Back in and Benoit tries a third straight Crossface so Kurt punches him in the face for the first real advantage.
Video on the WWF going to Fort Hood for a pep rally with the military. There was a parade with a cadence for Undertaker and the wrestlers all got plaques. Angle of course wanted a medal instead. This was cool stuff and something that would be amplified by the Tribute to the Troops show in a few years.
Ivory is defending and Chyna has that fireworks gun again. An early belt shot puts Chyna down and Ivory (described as looking like Lilith Sternin-Crane by JR) hits some very weak forearms to the back. Chyna grabs a kick to the leg and throws Ivory away with ease. Some clotheslines set up a powerbomb but Chyna picks Ivory (further described as a yapping female dog by JR) up at two. Instead a gorilla press drop completes the squash and Chyna is champion at 2:39. This is the most logical way to go with this match as there was no way anyone was going to buy Ivory putting up a fight against Chyna here.
We recap Vince vs. Shane. Vince went on a power trip and Shane came back to take him out for cheating on Linda. This led to a street fight at Wrestlemania but Shane upped the ante by buying WCW out from under Vince six days before this show. This is a match with a very deep backstory and a bunch of stories are going to be intertwined.
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Yesterday at Axxess, the Hardys said the feud with the Dudleyz and Edge and Christian ends with TLC II.
Tag Team Titles: Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz
Axxess video.
The new attendance record is 67,925, meaning we get some more awesome wide shots of the crowd.
Gimmick Battle Royal
Luke, Butch, Duke Droese, Iron Sheik, Greg Valentine, The Goon, Doink the Clown, Kamala, Kim Chee, Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, Gobbledy Gooker, Hillbilly Jim, Brother Love, Sgt. Slaughter
Slaughter gives Sheik the Cobra Clutch one last time.
HHH vs. Undertaker
HHH finds a chair and destroys Undertaker but he takes too long with a big swing, allowing Undertaker to grab him by the throat for a terrifying chokeslam off the tower. The visual is kind of ruined as we see HHH laying on a big pad but it looked great until then. Undertaker makes up for it by dropping an elbow off the tower and beats up the EMTs who dare try to help HHH.
The Last Ride (an elevated powerbomb) is loaded up but HHH grabs the sledgehammer and blasts Undertaker in the head for a VERY close two. That was one heck of a near fall. Undertaker is busted open so HHH hammers away in the corner, only to have Undertaker come out with the Last Ride for the pin at 18:17.
Rating: A. Another great brawl here with both guys beating the tar out of each other for nearly twenty minutes. The referee being out cold that long was a stretch (and no medical assistance was a bit ridiculous) but it let the match make more sense. This was when HHH could do no wrong and Undertaker always makes it work at Wrestlemania. Really good stuff here and a forgotten classic.
Of note: JR says Undertaker is 9-0 at Wrestlemania. This is the match that really made the Streak a thing for the first time.
A fan won a contest to get tickets to the show.
Rock and Austin are ready.
WWF World Title: Steve Austin vs. The Rock
What was a big surprise was Vince and Austin uniting, which is also a very questionable decision. Austin was still red hot and certainly could have carried the company as the lead star but this took the Austin train off the tracks (outside of Texas of course, where Austin could do no wrong). Vince and Austin coming together signaled the end of an era and a bold move, but it was part of a string of decisions that helped bring the company down from its peak and sent it into a tailspin for a few years.
Ratings Comparison
Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
Original: B
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: B-
Right to Censor vs. Tazz/A.P.A.
Original: C-
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show
Original: C+
2013 Redo: C+
2015 Redo: C+
Eddie Guerrero vs. Test
Original: C-
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: D+
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
Original: B+
2013 Redo: B+
2015 Redo: A-
Chyna vs. Ivory
Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Original: B
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: C+
Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz
Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A+
Gimmick Battle Royal
Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: A
Undertaker vs. HHH
Original: A+
2013 Redo: A
2015 Redo: A
Steve Austin vs. The Rock
Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A+
Overall Rating
Original: A+
2013 Redo: A++
2015 Redo: A+
As I said a few years back: Yep it holds up.
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/24/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-17-oh-yes/
And the 2013 2013 Redo:
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