Wrestlemania Count-Up – Wrestlemania XV (2015 Redo): Crashing and Burning
Wrestlemania XV
Date: March 28, 1999
Location: First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 20,276
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler
The pre-show will be replaced by Sunday Night Heat, the regular Sunday night show, for the next several years.
Sunday Night Heat: Ivory vs. Jacqueline
Sunday Night Heat: Battle Royal
Everyone goes after Rock and Grunge (a famous ECW tag team known as Public Enemy and therefore the crowd favorites) and put them out in about five seconds. A group of people get rid of Viscera (the giant formerly known as Mabel) but he pulls Gillberg out to make himself feel better. Animal, Skull and 8-Ball are put out and Hawk (with a full head of hair) goes out as well. Taylor is eliminated as Owen and Jarrett actually play some favorites for a change.
Boyz II Men sing America the Beautiful.
Hardcore Title: Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Billy Gunn
Merchandise plug.
We recap Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn in a Brawl For All match. So back in 1998, the WWF lost its mind and decided to have a shoot toughman competition which was designed to be won by Dr. Death Steve Williams, a legitimate brawler and the Brock Lesnar of the 1980s. However, Bart Gunn shocked the world (or no one who knew his background as a toughman fighter but why pay attention to something like that) and won the thing.
Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn
Since this took about two minutes all together, the San Diego Chicken (sports mascot) shows up to annoy Pazienza, who knocks him out with one punch.
Mankind and “The Big Show” Paul Wight brawled on Heat earlier tonight.
Mankind promises to beat up Big Show again.
Paul Wight vs. Mankind
Once in the back, Vince wants Show arrested for assault in ANOTHER angle on this show.
Intercontinental Title: Road Dogg vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Goldust vs. Val Venis
Ryan yells at her brother until Venis goes outside for a brawl and a double countout. Ken comes back in and suplexes Dogg and Goldust to leave both guys laying. This gives me a chance to point out how stupid this is considering they have no issues, making this yet another bad decision. Back up and Ryan trips Goldust by mistake (allegedly, as Dogg was nowhere near Goldust), allowing Dogg to roll through a powerslam attempt for the pin to retain at 9:54.
Goldust rips into Ryan post match.
Big Show is arrested.
HHH vs. Kane
HHH lays Kane out with the chair and a Pedigree post match before officially reuniting with Chyna to a big pop.
European Title: X-Pac vs. Shane McMahon
Shane is defending and has Test in his corner. Patterson and Brisco fail at attacking X-Pac during the entrances so Shane has to run. He celebrates over a leapfrog, earning him a kick to the face. Test saves Shane from the Bronco Buster and crotches X-Pac against the post as the Mean Street Posse watch from the front row. Back in and Shane hammers away but misses a Corporate Elbow.
Post match the Outlaws make the save until Kane comes out to chase HHH off. The Outlaws shout to Lawler that HHH is done. He would be done with the midcard at least as he would win his first WWF World Title in August.
Hell in a Cell. To give you an idea of where Undertaker is right now, here are some of the spoken words during his theme song: “Accept the lord of darkness as your savior. Allow the purity of evil to guide you.” Boss Man pounds away in the corner to start but Undertaker does the same to take over. Various shots put Undertaker down but he keeps sitting up. A double leg trip (in the Cell mind you) puts Boss Man on the floor and Undertaker rams him into the Cell a few times.
Vince is guest referee, but Commissioner Shawn Michaels makes a surprise appearance with referee Mike Chioda. After complaining that he had to buy a ticket to get in, Shawn tells Vince that he has to pay attention to the rulebook. The rules clearly state that only one person can appoint a referee at Wrestlemania, and I think you can guess who that is. On top of that, the Corporation is barred from ringside and if Shawn sees any of them out here, he and Vince can have a fight of their own out back. This is another angle made and written off in less than two hours.
WWF World Title: The Rock vs. Steve Austin
No DQ, Rock is defending and Austin comes out in a shirt due to forgetting his vest at home. This is also the Wrestlemania debut of the WWF World Title belt that debuted the night after Wrestlemania XIV. They immediately brawl to the floor to start and go into the crowd for the main event style brawl. No one can get an advantage so they fight up the aisle with Rock backdropping him knee first onto an electric light, only to be sent into the big Wrestlemania logo, making it sway in a bit of a scary moment.
Highlight package takes us out.
Ratings Comparison
Hardcore Holly vs. Billy Gunn vs. Al Snow
Original: D+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D
Original: F+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: C-
Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn
Original: F
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
Mankind vs. Big Show
Original: C-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
Ken Shamrock vs. Road Dogg vs. Goldust vs. Val Venis
Original: D
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: D+
Kane vs. HHH
Original: D+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: C
Tori vs. Sable
Original: F
2013 Redo: F
2015 Redo: F
X-Pac vs. Shane McMahon
Original: C+
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: C-
Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man
Original: H (For holy goodness why was this a Cell match?)
2013 Redo: F
2015 Redo: F
Steve Austin vs. The Rock
Original: B+
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: B
Overall Rating
Original: D
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D
Individual ratings aside, it still sucks.
And the 2013 Redo:
http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/24/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xv-russo-at-his-best/
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http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/
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