Wrestlemania XVII
Date: April 1, 2001
Location: Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 67,925
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

Do I even need to explain this one? It’s one of the all time legendary classics if not THE all time legendary classic and maybe the greatest show in wrestling history. I’ve seen this show more times than I can count thanks to a VHS that a buddy of mine made for me of the original broadcast. As for the card, it’s Austin vs. Rock II and that’s all you need to know. Let’s get to it.

Sunday Night Heat: Grandmaster Sexay/Steve Blackman vs. X-Pac/Justin Credible

It’s so strange to hear these theme songs at this show. It feels like something that belongs in a video game only. Believe it or not there’s actually a bit of a setup for this as Sexay recruited Blackman to team with him earlier today because those feet could be great for dancing. X-Pac and Credible are part of X-Factor, and have Albert (A-Train/Prince Albert/whatever else you want to call him) in their corner.

The good guys clean house to start and X-Pac misses a Bronco Buster in the corner. Albert gets in a clothesline from the apron so X-Pac can take over, including stealing the goggles. Some right hands don’t get Grandmaster very far as X-Pac kicks him in the face. A double clothesline works a bit better and the hot (?) tag brings in Blackman. Everything breaks down and Albert pulls Grandmaster to the floor, leaving Blackman to take a double superkick for the pin at 2:45. It’s nothing to see of course but this was a perfectly nice tag match that did its job just fine.

The opening video is still one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, with a bunch of clips of people watching Wrestlemania over the years, including a man in a barn with a trumpet, a farm couple outside their house, a man carrying hay, an Asian man on the streets of what appears to be a city in China, two teenagers watching through a TV store window, a twenty something couple in the backseat of a car and a clown. This is interspersed with what appears to be some kind of nuns dancing in a field. The one thing I always wonder: how do you get pay per view on these portable TVs with no apparent cables coming into them?

The stadium looks incredible with the wide shots showing just how massive the whole thing is. There’s something so cool about those visuals where you can see the tens of thousands of people. It’s the first stadium show since….geez 1992?

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Jericho, with a bad shoulder, is defending and has been tormenting Commissioner Regal for weeks due to Regal being an insufferable bore. This includes relieving himself in Regal’s teapot and dressing up like Doink for reasons that still aren’t clear (I’m sure Shawn Michaels is still mad about it too.). Regal responded by torturing Jericho with a series of handicap matches, setting up this showdown for revenge and the title. Notice that I can snap off those details without even seeing the highlight video while I could barely tell you how the main events of the last five Wrestlemanias were set up.

Jericho starts fast with a clothesline and spinwheel kick to send Regal outside as Heyman is in full on analysis mode. You can tell how excited he is to be here. Back in and a top rope back elbow gives Jericho two but Regal forearms his way out of the Walls attempt. Jericho’s bad shoulder goes into the post twice in a row and it’s time for some British limb punishment. An elbow to the face gives Jericho a breather but the Lionsault hits knees. The turnbuckle pad comes off and Regal sends the shoulder into the exposed steel so Jericho kicks him in the head.

A middle rope dropkick gets two but Regal goes right back to the shoulder. In something rather un-Regal, he takes Jericho up top for a butterfly superplex and another near fall. The Regal Stretch goes on until Jericho makes a rope. Right handed chops work a bit better for Jericho but a kick to the arm cuts him off again. The bulldog takes Regal down and the Lionsault out of nowhere retains the title at 7:08.

Rating: B-. This would have been a Kickoff match today so it’s a nice relief to have it actually get some attention rather than being background noise while the announcers previewed the more important stuff. These two beat the heck out of each other with Regal doing vile things to the shoulder. The ending came very suddenly but we got good stuff until we got there.

Shane McMahon arrives in the WCW-1 limo.

The APA and Jackie want to know where Tazz is, sending Bradshaw into an awesome speech about how important it is to be in the Astrodome because of all the sports traditions in the building and IT’S WRESTLEMANIA. I’ve always really liked this one.

APA/Tazz vs. Right to Censor

It’s Val Venis/Goodfather/Bull Buchanan for the RTC here and Tazz’s entrance cuts off Steven Richards’ rant. It’s a brawl to start with Jackie DDTing Richards until Tazz and Buchanan get things going. A big boot drops Tazz and it’s Venis coming in for two off a Russian legsweep. Goodfather gets a chance as well and whips Tazz into the ropes so hard that Tazz can’t even turn around in time.

The former Ho Train sets up a slow motion Vader Bomb with Tazz moving without much effort. It’s off to Bradshaw for a backdrop that barely gets Goodfather over and a better fall away slam to Venis. Everything breaks down and it’s the double spinebuster to Buchanan. A top rope belly to back superplex (with the cool looking ceiling making for an awesome visual) drops Venis, leaving Goodfather to miss the Ho Train so the Clothesline From Bradshaw can finish at 3:55.

Rating: D+. And that’s the worst match on the card. This could have been on Raw but it was a quick way to get the Texans on the card, which is hardly a bad idea. There was no reason for this to be any longer or any more evenly matches and for something like this, that’s all it needed to be. Sometimes you need a fun match instead of a long struggle and that’s what they had here.

Trish Stratus (currently Vince’s mistress) wheels in the catatonic Linda McMahon) but gets yelled at by Stephanie (in a much more compassionate way) for being late. Also, Trish needs to crack the ice for the champagne by hand.

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Big Show vs. Kane

Raven, with a shopping cart full of toys, is defending so Heyman has some advice for him: “Run like h***.” Big Show comes out late so Raven this Kane with a plastic sign to no effect. Show (in his bad looking singlet phase) finally comes out so Kane throws Raven at him and comes off the top to the floor with the clothesline for two. They waste no time in fighting into the crowd and take their sweet time getting up to the stage (mainly because they’re in a freaking stadium) with Raven popping back up, only to be thrown partially through a wooden wall.

Show slams Kane onto a pile of wooden pallets and chases Raven into a caged storage area. The door is locked so Kane breaks it open and hits Show in the back with a broom. Raven chokes Kane with a garden hose but gets driven through the chain link wall. Kane isn’t finished and throws Raven through a glass window for a scary crash.

Not to be outdone, Show throws Kane through a regular door….so Kane shoves him through a wall. Raven pops in and grabs a golf cart, with Show jumping on the back for a crash (which according to Raven nearly knocked out the power to the entire building). Kane steals another golf cart and the referee hitches a ride, with Raven nearly being run over. This was supposed to start off some kind of a chase but for some reason it didn’t happen, probably time. Or Raven making the story up because he’s goofy like that.

They fight down the hallway and Raven goes through the drink table. That’s enough backstage as they head up some steps to the stage, with Kane winning a slugout with Show. A clothesline takes Kane down and Show gorilla presses Raven but they both get kicked off the stage and through part of the set. Kane drops an elbow/leg to pin Show for the title at 9:18.

Rating: C+. Completely different kind of match of course but I had a good time with it because they went with the full on goofy style instead of trying anything serious. The Hardcore Title was WAY past its usefulness at this point but at least they had some fun here. It didn’t need to be on the show, but would you rather watch another battle of the giants?

Kurt Angle obsessively watches footage of Chris Benoit making him tap out. Edge and Christian come in and say it’s going to be a big night for all three of them, though Angle only talks about how he didn’t officially tap.

Jimmy Snuka is at WWF New York. Cool enough.

An Australian fan is here. This was before the international feel really became a thing for Wrestlemania so this was a little different.

Rock arrives, forty minutes into the show. Are we really supposed to believe that people are just getting here after three matches? This has always bugged me for one reason or another.

European Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Eddie is challenging and has Perry Saturn, in a big fuzzy hat, with him. Test starts with a layout powerbomb for an early two and a gorilla press drop sends Eddie face first onto the top turnbuckle. Eddie catches him on top but a super hurricanrana attempt is easily blocked with a simple grab of the rope. A top rope back elbow to the jaw (must be a Canadian thing) rocks Eddie but Test misses a charge….and gets his boot caught in the rope like a goon.

Thankfully Eddie is smart enough to distract the referee so Saturn can get in some right hands so Test doesn’t look incredibly stupid. The leg gets undone (with Eddie’s help) and Eddie starts in on the knee as he should be doing. With Heyman getting in the still annoying lines of “they’re the same size on the mat”, Eddie grabs a sleeper but gets taken down with a tilt-a-whirl slam. A tilt-a-whirl powerbomb gets two but Eddie kicks him low, allowing Saturn to come in with the Moss Covered Three Handled Family Credenza.

JR: “HEY REF! THERE’S A THIRD MAN IN THE RING!” There has been a third man in the ring for the whole match Jim. Saturn was the fourth. Anyway, Eddie has to roll through the frog splash and gets caught with the pumphandle powerslam. That’s good for two after Test dispatches Saturn, followed by a big boot that so clearly misses Saturn that you can hear the fans’ non-reaction. Another big boot drops Eddie so Dean Malenko can run in for the save (seemed like he missed his spot, possibly because the aisle is so long). Test goes after him and it’s a belt shot to give Eddie the pin and the title at 8:03.

Rating: C-. Another match that could have been on Raw but was perfectly watchable for the most part. Eddie getting the title makes a lot more sense as Test wasn’t exactly a thrilling choice, though they took care of him a bit with all the interference that it took to get the title off of him. Not a good match or anything, but it’s not like it was anything atrocious.

Mick Foley promises to call the Vince vs. Shane street fight right down the line. Right here in Houston, Texas!

Austin arrives.

Ok so for those of you unfamiliar with this show, it might not have seemed great so far. The real show starts now.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

This has kind of an infamous build as they’re fighting because neither of them had anything else to do, as mentioned on Raw. In other words, “go out there and do your awesome stuff”. Angle insults the fans on the way to the ring, insisting that he has NEVER tapped out to Benoit. Oh and adults wearing cowboy hats look stupid. Amen brother. Heyman: “This is as excited as a man can get with his clothes on.” Thankfully the match starts so I can get that image out of my head.

Angle takes him down to start but Benoit gets on top before rolling away for a standoff, much to the fans’ appreciation. They go to the mat again with Angle trying to get to the leg but rolling into the ropes instead. The threat of a Crossface sends Angle bailing to the floor as it’s an even match so far. Back in and Angle takes him down again but the Crossface sends him straight back to the rope.

That’s enough for Angle, who forearms Benoit in the face and it’s time for a fight on the floor. Makes sense and that’s a great way to make Benoit look awesome. A very hard whip sends Benoit into the steps and a suplex gets two back inside. Since he’s rather good at analysis, Heyman points out that Angle is now cool with a pin instead of a submission, which is a bit of a concession to Benoit.

Angle snaps off some overhead belly to belly suplexes but eats a clothesline as JR and Heyman argue over the best amateur wrestlers ever. A snap suplex gives Benoit two and a superplex gets a delayed version of the same. You know Benoit can’t just two suplexes so we hit the rolling German suplexes, only to have the third reversed into the ankle lock (BIG reaction for that). Benoit reverses that into an ankle lock of his own so Angle kicks him in the head.

Now the Crossface goes on but Angle rolls into his own Crossface. After a foot on the rope is good for the save, Benoit grabs his own Crossface to make Angle tap but there’s no one to see it. The Angle Slam gets two and Kurt can’t believe it. Angle’s moonsault hits knees so Benoit connects with the Swan Dive for two more. You can feel the energy from the crowd on these near falls. Back up and Angle gets in a low blow, setting up a rollup with tights to pin Benoit at 14:04.

Rating: B+. That would be the first show stealing classic of the night with a sweet story of Angle wanting to prove that he’s the better wrestler but resulting to cheating while still being able to brag about the win. That’s also the kind of ending that can keep a feud going, which I guess I can survive if I absolutely have to. Great match, yet somehow not even close to their best.

William Regal goes into his office and finds Kamala, rubbing a picture of Queen Elizabeth on his stomach. I think this speaks for itself.

Clip of the Wrestlemania pep rally in Fort Hood, with various wrestlers getting plaques (Lita looks completely miserable), though Angle would rather have a medal. There was a parade and the boss got a WWF chair.

Angle insists that he was the better man tonight. Benoit comes in to make him tap again.

We recap Chyna vs. Ivory. The Right to Censor wasn’t happy with Chyna posing for Playboy and tried to censor her, which included a spike piledriver to hurt Chyna’s neck. Chyna came back but got hurt again, only to come back again and come for the title here.

Women’s Title: Chyna vs. Ivory

Chyna is defending and fires off a pyro gun from the stage for a cool entrance. Ivory gets in a belt shot to knock Chyna down and rains down forearms but a kick to the ribs is blocked and that’s about it. The champ gets thrown across the ring like she’s nothing and Chyna unloads in the corner. Some hard clotheslines (JR: “I guess we could call that a Chyna Line. Or maybe not.”) and a powerbomb have Ivory out cold but Chyna pulls her up at two. A gorilla press drop finishes Ivory instead, giving Chyna the title at 2:38. That’s exactly what this should have been and nothing more. Chyna would leave the company before losing the title.

Trish ensures Vince that she has doubled up Linda’s medication and will only bring her down when Shane is at his most vulnerable. Michael Cole, still the annoying interviewer, comes in and asks about the shocking development of Shane buying WCW. Vince: “You want shocking? Tonight, you’ll get shocking.” That’s a guarantee.

We recap Vince vs. Shane and egads there’s a lot to this one. So Vince was having a public affair with Trish and said that he wanted to divorce Linda, who had a nervous breakdown as a result. Vince put her in an institution and had her heavily medicated, basically leaving her as a vegetable (make your own jokes). Shane came back to stand up for his mom but Vince had him beaten down, getting in a great line with “I will never ever forgive your mother for giving birth to you”.

A street fight was set up with former Commissioner Mick Foley (as fired by Vince) pulling out a contract that he signed before being fired saying that he could referee the match. Then Shane bought WCW on Monday, making this the first battle in what should have been a years long promotional war. Got all that?

Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon

Street fight as required with Mick Foley refereeing. Shane comes out first and introduces the WCW stars in the skybox (Lance Storm, Stacy Keibler, Shawn Stasiak and Chavo Guerrero are visual). Apparently they were scheduled to do a run-in during the match but Stasiak spoiled the plans in an interview so this is all you get of them. Stephanie in a Daddy’s Girl jumpsuit, is here with Vince.

A slap to Shane’s face gets us going, even though Foley didn’t call for the bell. Vince chokes in the corner but Shane nails a clothesline and something close to a spear. Some elbows to the back draw Stephanie in for the save, plus a slap to Shane. Shane is smart enough to baseball slide Vince and hammer away instead of going after her, plus nailing a few shots to the back with a KEEP OFF sign. A clothesline from the barricade has Vince in trouble and Stephanie begging him to get up.

Shane hits him in the back with a kendo stick and follows with the punches, which look a lot better when Shane isn’t middle aged. A monitor to Vince’s head knocks him silly and Shane loads up the elbow off the top. One great looking dive and a Stephanie pull later leaves Shane crashing in a good landing. That’s enough for Trish to wheel Linda down, just as Vince instructed. Trish helps Vince up and then slaps him in the face, triggering the catfight with Stephanie (with the fans eating this up with a spoon).

Foley tries to break it up (like a gentleman….I think) so Stephanie slaps him too. Trish chases Stephanie up the aisle, with Stephanie doing the most overblown fall I can remember, with her arms flying into the air before she starts going down. She can’t look natural no matter what she does. The two of them leave and we cut back to Vince getting up and calling Linda a b****. Foley breaks that up so Vince chairs him down and puts Linda in the ring, sitting her in a chair in the corner.

Vince isn’t done and throws Shane inside, followed by a bunch of garbage cans. Some can shots to the head have the still near dead Shane in even more trouble. Vince loads up another shot…..and Linda stands up. The place actually goes nuts and the fans are literally on their feet, which you almost never see in wrestling. Shane points behind Vince, who turns around and gets kicked low. Foley comes back in and unloads on Vince, setting up the debut of Coast to Coast to give Shane the pin at 14:23.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen this show literally 100 or so times and I still smile at Linda kicking Vince. This was about five stories all coming together in the soap opera story of the show. It works really, really well with Linda of all people getting a crazy reaction. When the McMahons are on their game, they’re some of the most entertaining people in wrestling and that was the case here. It’s nothing from a quality standpoint, but from a soap opera car crash perspective, this was a blast and incredibly fun.

Yesterday at Axxess (which is rather dark and looks like nothing you would see today), the Hardys talked about how their feud with the Dudleys and Edge and Christian has to end with TLC II because it’s the most dangerous match in wrestling.

Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

The Dudleys are defending and it’s TLC II. I would recap the story, but it’s more or less “let them go nuts”. The entrances take some time and it’s a rare instance where you just know this is going to be incredible. Both sets of Boyz waste no time in jumping the Canadians as the fight is on in a hurry. Edge and Christian are sent outside, leaving the Hardys to take over with a double Poetry in Motion.

Not wanting to waste time, Edge and Christian bring in a ladder to drop everyone. Just to make it a little personal, they also stand on Matt’s crotch in the corner. Jeff gets drop toeholded face first into an open chair but it’s way too early for Edge to climb the ladder. A clothesline takes Matt off the ladder (which falls as well), leaving Jeff to dropkick Edge down as well. The Hardys set up a pair of ladders and drop Christian, setting up a legdrop/splash combination off said ladders for the first high spot.

The Dudleys come back in for What’s Up on Edge and let’s get some tables. Bubba powerbombs Jeff through Edge through a table and it’s time to set up four tables (two on top of two) outside. There’s no way that’s going to end well. Back in and Bubba SMACKS Matt in the head with a ladder, drawing a well deserved gasp from the crowd.

Three ladders are set up and all six climb, with Christian and Matt falling to one side (Christian just vanishes over the top and down onto the floor in an underrated bump), Jeff and D-Von falling to the other (and hitting the ropes) and Bubba and Edge knocking each other off to fall backwards. With all six down and one ladder left, here’s Spike Dudley (returning from injury) for a Dudley Dog to Edge off said ladder. Another one off the apron sends Christian through a table at ringside but here’s Rhyno (also taken out recently) to stop Jeff from going up.

Back to back Gores put Bubba and Matt down and Rhyno points Edge up a ladder. Now it’s Lita (Gored by Rhyno last week) coming in and “jerking Edge off” according to JR to bring him down from a ladder. There’s a hurricanrana to Rhyno and Spike chairs him into a ladder to knock Edge off. A Doomsday Device hits Rhyno and Lita cracks Spike in the head with a chair. Lita takes her top off but walks into the 3D, leaving Edge and Christian to chair the Dudleys down.

Edge sends Christian outside to get the big ladder, but you can’t have one of those with Jeff around. Jeff takes out Christian and climbs up the ladder (which is standing on the floor and equally as tall as the ones in the ring) for a huge Swanton onto Spike and Rhyno through a pair of tables. Well actually entirely through Spike as Rhyno was just grazed and his table didn’t even break. Edge brings the big ladder in and sets it up in front of three regular sized ladders.

Christian and D-Von go up the big one but Matt (“HERE WE GO!”) moves it from underneath them, leaving them hanging from the ring. They both fall so Jeff climbs up onto the regular ladders and tries to walk a tightrope to get to the titles but one of the ladders comes down. Instead he climbs a regular ladder and grabs the belt but Bubba takes the ladder away, leaving Edge to climb the big ladder for the highlight reel spear that made him look like even more of a star than he already did.

Two things about that spot: first of all, Jeff’s feet were caught in the ladder that Bubba moved so he swung forward into the spear to make it look even better. Second: a fan asked Edge if he was scared doing that in rehearsal. Edge: “YOU THINK WE DID THAT MORE THAN ONCE???”

As soon as we’re done with the replay, Rhyno shoves Bubba and Matt off the big ladder and through the four tables at ringside for the amazing crash. D-Von and Christian go up this time but Edge grabs D-Von and Rhyno gives Christian a boost to pull down the titles at 15:42. Edge and Christian clutching the titles and looking shell shocked is a great bonus.

Rating: A+. This was magnificent and it really does amaze me how structured they make this feel. They built things up over the course of this match with the fighting to start and then a few big spots, followed by the interference and then the sequence of show stealing spots (Jeff’s Swanton, the spear and the huge crash) to wrap it up. They managed to tell a story with what should just be a car crash match and that’s one of the most impressive things about this whole series. This is incredible and the best team ladder match ever, bar absolutely none.

Video on Axxess. This video was a big reason that I wanted to go to Wrestlemania, though this version looks WAY more fun than what you actually get, mainly due to the crazy long lines.

Heyman applauds TLC II. As he should.

Howard Finkel announces the new attendance record of 67,925.

Gimmick Battle Royal

Luke, Butch, Duke Droese, Iron Sheik, Earthquake, The Goon, Doink the Clown, Kamala, Kim Chee, Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, Tugboat, Hillbilly Jim, Brother Love, Sgt. Slaughter

Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan are out for commentary, which is suddenly a lot sadder. If nothing else, it’s so satisfying to hear Heenan’s healthy voice before the cancer took away its greatness. This is one of the first nostalgia matches the company did n this kind of a stage and my goodness it still feels amazing. It also comes at the right time on the show as they needed to take a little breather after what we just saw.

Doink gets a nice reaction while Hillbilly Jim (who looks like he hasn’t aged a day) gets a VERY nice reaction, mainly because it’s such a fun gimmick. Hayes gets a big reaction, both from the fans and Heenan. Gang was supposed to be Akeem but couldn’t fit in the costume. Gene sounds like he has a nightmare about the Gooker, and yes we get the video of his debut. Repo Man is thrown out almost immediately and the Gooker is out second. Heenan: “This looks like a riot at Let’s Make A Deal!”

Tugboat is tossed as well and Kamala tosses Earthquake, who Gene almost calls by his real name. Kamala eliminates Kim Chee (what loyalty) and Luke is out next. Cornette is out (he and Love had agreed to stay in the corner and lightly hit each other but kept messing up and wound up injuring each other in mistakes straight out of the Three Stooges) and Droese follows him as you might be able to tell that this isn’t about the actual wrestling.

Goon and Volkoff go out next and Doink eliminates Butch. Kamala tosses Doink (and gets booed out of the building), with Hayes, Gang and Kamala going out as well. We’re down to Love, Sheik, Hillbilly and Slaughter but before I can even write those names, Sheik dumps Hillbilly to win at 3:05, mainly because he was too frail to be tossed out.

Rating: A. Consider the reason for the match and you’ll get why the rating makes sense. The match itself lasted just over three minutes while the entrances took 10:28. The entire point of this was to let these guys have one last entrance on the big stage and give the fans a nostalgia trip, which worked perfectly well. I had a good time here and it’s great way to let things lighten up a bit before we get to the last two matches.

Post match Slaughter comes in and gives Sheik the Cobra Clutch to stand tall one more time.

We recap Undertaker vs. HHH. After beating Austin two straight falls at No Way Out, HHH said he had beaten everyone there was to beat. Undertaker came out and said HHH had never beaten him. HHH jumped Undertaker and choked him with a chair (HHH: “You’re the guy that makes people famous. I’m already famous. I’m famous for crippling people.”) so Undertaker beat up his limo with a pipe.

HHH came back with a restraining order keeping Undertaker from Stephanie, so Undertaker had Kane kidnap Stephanie and threaten to throw her off a balcony until the match was made. Not yet done, HHH even destroyed Undertaker’s motorcycle with a sledgehammer. You can feel the hatred here and that’s the kind of video where WWE excels.

HHH vs. Undertaker

Motorhead plays HHH to the ring in one of the all time great entrances, especially with a wide shot of the entrance and a shadowed HHH stepping out and posing to show just how grand the stage really is. Undertaker rides the motorcycle down the long ramp with more speed than you’ll ever see on a wrestling show for a nowhere near as cool (yet still cool) visual. Oh and as a Network bonus: Rollin is still used as the theme rather than the bizarre times where they dub in the Ministry theme.

The fight is on in a hurry on the floor and HHH is knocked through the makeshift Spanish announcers’ table. They get in for the opening bell, with JR mentioning Undertaker being 8-0 at Wrestlemania. The fact that we weren’t even halfway to the first loss is really incredible and makes the already other worldly Streak all the more impressive. A big backdrop has HHH in trouble and a running clothesline in the corner rocks him again. There’s a running powerslam (which I don’t ever remember Undertaker using otherwise) but an elbow misses.

Old School (Is it Old School all the way back in 2001?) is broken up with a pull off the top, which is fair enough as Undertaker was just standing there. HHH elbows him in the back of the head and gets in another to the chest, setting up a neckbreaker for three straight two’s. The yelling at the referee lets Undertaker fire off the punches to the ribs but walks into the facebuster. The sledgehammer is brought in but the referee takes it away. Undertaker has to counter the Pedigree and the referee gets bumped in the corner.

A chokeslam gives HHH two and he’s not happy with the slow count, meaning it’s a beatdown on the referee. Well a kick and elbow drop to the back but for a referee that’s a heck of a beating. Undertaker throws HHH over the corner and takes it outside with HHH being backdropped over the barricade. They fight up to the technical area with Undertaker hammering away and tossing HHH up to a higher level.

HHH finds a chair though and destroys Undertaker with about nine shots about the head and knee. Too much posing takes too much time though and Undertaker is back up with a chokeslam off the tower for an awesome visual (I miss flashbulbs in wrestling). Undertaker isn’t done though as he climbs onto the barricade and drops a very big elbow onto HHH (revealing that he landed on a crash pad, taking away a lot of the impressiveness).

The medics get beaten up and they head back to the ring, where the referee is still down, about seven minutes after he was kicked and elbowed. Back in the ring and Undertaker grabs the sledgehammer but gets low blowed to save HHH’s life. Undertaker kicks the hammer out of HHH’s hands and the slugout is on. HHH tries a Tombstone but gets reversed into the real thing for no count, because the referee hasn’t moved in TEN MINUTES.

Undertaker finally goes over and shakes him before calling for the Last Ride. It’s not well placed though as HHH grabs the hammer and nails Undertaker in the head to counter….for two, in a great near fall (these two are great at those). Undertaker is busted open so HHH hammers away in the corner and it’s the Last Ride (I believe the debut of that counter so it’s not even a cliché yet) for the pin at 18:19.

Rating: A. Sweet goodness I love this match as they beat the heck out of each other because they wanted revenge. That’s how you do a match like this and there was nothing overly cowardly from HHH for a change. They were testing each other throughout the match and that made for a heck of a fight, which is all you could ask for. Well that and some better medical care for the referee. This one holds up very, very well and I like it better than their second Wrestlemania match at XXVII. Check this one out if you haven’t seen it in a long time, or even if you have because it’s that good.

And in case we haven’t had enough greatness on this show, there’s this left.

We recap Steve Austin vs. the Rock with the legendary My Way video. Austin was out for about a year with neck surgery and Rock became the biggest star in the world in his absence. Austin is back and won the Royal Rumble, with Rock winning the WWF Title the next month to set up the showdown of showdowns.

This turned into a game of oneupsmanship with the two of them using their own moves against each other and beating the heck out of each other over and over. You knew this was going to be special because the energy was right there in front of your eyes. The final exchange is perfect too. Rock: “You are going to get the absolute best of the Rock at Wrestlemania.” Austin: “I need to beat you Rock. I need it more than anything that you can ever imagine. There can be only one World Wrestling Federation Champion, and that will be Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin.” Do you need anything else?

Well you certainly didn’t need the ridiculous Debra involvement (Austin’s wife, who Vince had managing the Rock), which thankfully isn’t brought up or referenced in any significant way outside of the video because it was a bad idea that didn’t help anything. It would have dragged things down, and thankfully it’s just not here.

WWF World Title: Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Austin is challenging and it’s No DQ, announced just before the entrances. Austin’s entrance still gives me chills as it’s one of the best of all time as he’s reached a level of popularity in Texas (or anywhere for that matter) that is unmatched anywhere. Throw in JR’s incredible commentary (as only he could do) and a camera shot of Austin walking up to the second rope for the pose with all the flashbulbs going off and the camera zooming out to show all the people) and it’s hard to ever top. Rock….isn’t that popular here, but you had to know that was coming.

Austin’s “are you kidding me” look up at Rock as he poses is great and the fight is on as soon as Rock comes down. An early belt shot misses Rock so it’s the Thesz press and middle finger elbow as they start fast. Rock grabs a swinging neckbreaker but it’s too early for the Rock Bottom. The Stunner can’t hit for either of them so Austin throws him over the top rope as we’re not even a minute in yet. They head into the crowd with Rock getting the better of it and bringing it back to ringside. A clothesline takes Rock down but Austin has to adjust his knee brace.

The running crotch attack to the back gets two and a superplex keeps Rock in trouble. The turnbuckle pad is taken off but Rock nails a clothesline and they fight outside again. Austin gets sent into the ring bell but comes right back up with a bell shot for a knockdown. The bloody Rock is sent through the announcers’ table (a running theme tonight) and it’s back inside for more right hands. Rock’s comeback is booed so Austin gets in his own swinging neckbreaker to get the fans back, plus a two count as a bonus.

Stomping and choking in the corner has Rock in even more trouble but Austin stops to yell at the referee, allowing Rock to charge out of the corner with the hard clothesline. There’s a middle finger to Austin and he goes face first into the buckle. Instead of covering, Rock brings in the bell and clocks Austin (more booing) to bust him open for two. Right hands knock Austin outside but he drops Rock onto the barricade.

The catapult sends Rock into the post for that always awesome bump where he spins sideways. A monitor to the head gives Austin two but the Stunner is countered into the Sharpshooter for a Wrestlemania XIII callback. The hold is finally broken, though Austin comes up holding his knee. A rake to the eyes gets Austin out of a second attempt and he slaps on a Sharpshooter of his own.

Austin’s whip spinebuster gives him two more and frustration sets in even deeper. Rock gets a spinebuster of his own and there’s the People’s Elbow but Vince breaks up the cover. Shockingly enough Rock isn’t happy and chases the rather spry Vince, right into a Rock Bottom from Austin for two more. The ref gets bumped (not sure why it’s necessary in a No DQ match) and Austin hits Rock low. Austin tells Vince to bring in a chair and the boss gets in a shot to Rock’s head, with Vince throwing the referee in for the two count.

A quick Rock Bottom gets Rock a breather but he has to drag Vince inside instead of covering. Another Stunner gets another two so Vince hands him a chair for a heck of a shot to the head. That’s another two and the fans are cheering for the kickouts. Austin has had it and DESTROYS Rock with an insane sixteen straight chair shots for the pin and the title at 28:06 to a monster pop.

Post match Vince and Austin shake hands, officially ending the Attitude Era. Of note: Vince told Austin before the match that if he wasn’t feeling it, he could Stun Vince and they would figure it out the next day. That’s some incredible control to give a wrestler but Austin didn’t go with it. He did however say this was a bad idea in retrospect. Austin and Vince share a beer over Rock’s body and it’s one more belt shot to Rock to wrap things up as JR wants answers.

The long highlight package ends the show with My Way playing us out. Oh and one more thing. The song talks about how someone wants one more fight and then he’ll do things someone’s way. So, after three years, Vince could say to Austin that’s finally doing things…..“my way.” If that’s what they were going for, I need to buy a hat and take it off for them because that’s outstanding.

Ratings Comparison

Chris Jericho vs. William Regal

Original: B

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: B-

2019 Redo: B-

Right to Censor vs. Tazz/A.P.A.

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C-

2015 Redo: D+

2019 Redo: D+

Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show

Original: C+

2013 Redo: C+

2015 Redo: C+

2019 Redo: C+

Eddie Guerrero vs. Test

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D+

2019 Redo: C-

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B+

2015 Redo: A-

2019 Redo: B+

Chyna vs. Ivory

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

2019 Redo: N/A

Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon

Original: B

2013 Redo: B

2015 Redo: C+

2019 Redo: C+

Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A+

2019 Redo: A+

Gimmick Battle Royal

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: A

2019 Redo: A

Undertaker vs. HHH

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A

2015 Redo: A

2019 Redo: A

Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2015 Redo: A+

2019 Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A++

2015 Redo: A+

2019 Redo: A+

I think I’m done with this one as the ratings are barely changing every time.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/24/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-17-oh-yes/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/26/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xvii-the-greatest-show-of-all-time/

And the 2015 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xvii-2015-redo-see-the-previous-comment/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: March 15, 2024
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

The Rock is here again and that alone makes this feel important. With just over three weeks before Wrestlemania, the show is really starting to come together and there is a good chance that we’ll get a few more adjustments this week. That might include a battle of the Usos being set so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes agreeing to face the Bloodline at Wrestlemania with quite the set of stipulations. Rhodes slapped Rock to end the show, making things a lot more serious.

Here is the Rock to get things going. After a long introduction, Rock says he usually torches every city he’s in, but this week is different. He started his career right here in Memphis on Channel 5 (big pop for that) and then at the Big Top Flea Market. Rock was Flex Kavana back then (he doesn’t get it either but he went with it) and now he is back home. Since this is the home of the blues and country, we’re going to have a little song tonight.

With some musical accompaniment, Rock sits down for a song about what he’s going to be doing to Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. Rock threatens to beat them both, maybe even with his fanny pack, but he might even go after Mama Rhodes. That leads him into a musical story about how Cody was conceived (complete with a Stardust picture) due to cheap condoms.

As for Rollins, yeah he’s weird but he’s not even as popular as his wife. We get a shot at Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant before mocking the Cody Crybabies. The song ends and the fans cheer for Rock, who just mocked all of them because evil Rock is too good to overcome. Rock talks about the slap from Cody and brings up Cody crying about being able to hand the title to his mother. That brings Rock to Mama Rhodes, with Rock promising to make Cody pay both nights at Wrestlemania.

The only belt Cody is going to get is a weightlifting belt that Rock pulls out, which he is going to use to beat Cody bloody. Then after Roman Reigns beats Cody, rock is going to hand it over to Mama Rhodes and say….what can I say except you’re welcome. If you smell what the final boss is cooking. This was pure Rock charisma and it’s no wonder that the fans were going nuts for him after every mean and horrible thing he said.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Legado del Fantasma vs. LWO

Angel chops del Toro up against the rope to start and hands it off to Berto, who misses a charge into the corner. Wilde comes in for a double basement superkick, setting up the double running flip dives as we…don’t take a break for a change. A double elbow and assisted springboard moonsault gets two on Berto and now we take the break.

Back with Berto elbowing del Toro for two and knocking him into the corner. A double middle rope gorilla press slam gets two on del Toro but he’s right back with a Spanish Fly for a breather. Wilde comes in to clean house but Angel throws him into a kick to the ribs from Berto for the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C+. This is one of the good ideas of a series of qualifying matches like this one as you can throw a bunch of established feuds out there with fresh stakes. The match wasn’t anything break but having people flying around all over the place is always a good way to go. It’s the kind of thing that has worked forever in wrestling and it worked well again here.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. After taking the mic from Kayla Braxton, Knight talks about how he’s been looking for AJ Styles, who thinks Knight needs to be humbled. Well he’s standing right here, so why not come out here and humble him? There’s no Styles, which doesn’t shock Knight at all. Styles will go all the way to Australia but he can’t come to Memphis? Knight says if Styles can’t show up here, how about he shows up at Wrestlemania? We get the catchphrase and here is Styles to jump him with a chair and accept. This was checking off a box that was all set to go.

We look at Randy Orton attacking KSI and sending Logan Paul running last week.

Paul comes in to see Nick Aldis and wants to know what kind of punishment Orton is facing after last week. Aldis thinks Paul should request that apology in person, which Paul doesn’t like. How can he expect Aldis to do his job when he can’t even find Paul a Wrestlemania opponent? That’s a rookie mistake if I’ve ever heard of one.

Summerslam is coming to Cleveland.

A fired up Jimmy Uso accepts Jey Uso’s challenge for Wrestlemania.

Randy Orton vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Orton spends so much time posing that Waller gets annoyed but here is Logan Paul to interrupt/join commentary. Waller jumps him to start but Orton hammers away in the corner, only to be dumped outside. Orton takes over out there as well but stops to glare at Paul, allowing Waller to send him into the announcers’ table.

We take a break and come back with Orton fighting out of a cravate. Orton hits the powerslam and they go outside, where Waller is dropped onto the announcers’ table a few times. Theory’s distract fails and it’s the hanging DDT but Waller bails before the RKO. Instead Orton drops Theory and now the RKO can finish Waller at 7:37.

Rating: C. Not bad here as Orton was never going to be in any serious danger to Waller, even with Theory out there. We’re pretty clearly moving towards Paul vs. Orton, with Kevin Owens possibly involved as well, so keeping Orton looking strong over a goon is a good way to go. They didn’t have a great match or anything here, but they did what they needed to.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kevin Owens makes the save. Cue Nick Aldis to announce a triple threat match for the US Title, with Orton and Owens getting the title shots. Paul: “Oh no.”

We look at Bayley being thrown out of Damage CTRL on the way to her title shot at Wrestlemania.

Dakota Kai is ready to destroy Bayley before she can get to Iyo Sky at Wrestlemania. Damage CTRL runs the show.

Santos Escobar vs. Dragon Lee

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. Lee wastes no time in knocking him to the floor for a running flip dive. A running hurricanrana takes Berto off the apron but Lee walks into the Phantom Driver for the pin at 1:58. Remember when Lee was the next big thing earlier this year?

Post match the beatdown is on but Carlito makes the save. He’s taken out as well but Rey Mysterio makes the real save. Mysterio issues the challenge to Escobar for next week and promises to slap the smile off his face.

Wrestlemania Tag Team Title Qualifying Quarterfinals: Pretty Deadly vs. New Catch Republic

Bate and Dunne take turns working on Wilson’s arm to start with Dunne shifting over to the fingers for some extra pain. Wilson manages to send Dunne outside though and Prince gets in a cheap shot to take over. Back in and Dunne fights out of trouble without much effort, allowing the tag to Bate for the house cleaning. The very spinning airplane spin has Prince in trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Bate muscling Wilson up with a suplex, allowing the tag back to Dunne to pick up the pace. Prince has to escape an armbar and it’s back to Bate for stereo kicks to the head in the corner. Wilson makes the save and everything breaks down, with the Republic being sent into the post. A middle rope bulldog/face plant combination gets two on Bate but Dunne is back up. The Birminghammer finish Prince at 13:11.

Rating: C+. Good match here with Pretty Deadly getting in more offense than I would have expected. This sends the Republic on to a match with Legado del Fantasma for a spot in the six way at Wrestlemania, which is quite the complicated setup. I’m not even sure how many quality teams there are for such a match, but at least we’ll have one smaller team in there for some impressive looking insanity.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Bayley vs. Dakota Kai

The rest of Damage CTRL is here with Kai. Bayley wastes no time in starting the beating but stops to glare at Damage CTRL. That’s enough for Kai to get in a slap, which earns her a drive into the corner. The fans chant for NXT’s Trick Williams for some reason as Bayley sends her face first into the apron to take over. Kai is down on the floor and gets surrounded by Damage CTRL as we take a break.

Back with Asuka offering a distraction so Kai can get in a standing double stomp out of the corner. Bayley knocks her off the top though and there’s the top rope elbow for two. Sane gets in another cheap shot though and it’s Kai kicking Bayley in the face. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Kai but Sky comes in with the belt for the staredown. Kai grabs Bayley’s leg and Sky decks Bayley for the DQ at 7:33.

Rating: C. That’s a bit of a weird way to go as you would think that Bayley could use a win on the way to Wrestlemania. Kai is fresh back in the ring after her injury but it’s not like she is anywhere near Bayley’s level in the first place. Damage CTRL coming in is a fine way to go, but I’m a bit surprised by the lack of Bayley getting a pin.

Post match the beatdown is on so here is Naomi, who gets beaten down as well. The fans chant for Bianca Belair but have to settle for Sky hitting Over The Moonsault to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Well you can’t say they didn’t get a lot done. This show had the rather snazzy opening from the Rock plus three Wrestlemania matches being announced. That’s quite the use of two hours and as usual, it shows that things can go well even when the wrestling was just ok. Wrestlemania is shaping up and now we have a few more weeks to really set things up for Philadelphia.

Results
Legado del Fantasma b. LWO – Kick to the ribs to Wilde
Randy Orton b. Grayson Waller – RKO
Santos Escobar b. Dragon Lee – Phantom Driver
New Catch Republic b. Pretty Deadly – Birminghammer to Prince
Bayley b. Dakota Kai via DQ when Iyo Sky interrupted

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

 

Wrestlemania XVI
Date: April 2, 2000
Location: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Attendance: 19,776
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This was one of the shows that tied for the most votes for a redo but I’ve seen Wrestlemania X, the other option, more times than I really need to and this sounded more interesting. It’s kind of an infamous Wrestlemania as there are no singles matches on the entire show but it is the biggest show of the year in the best year WWE has ever seen. Let’s get to it.

Lilian Garcia sings the Star Spangled Banner. Sweet goodness she can knock that out of the park.

The opening video is a quick “hey it’s Wrestlemania” before looking at the four way main event with a McMahon in each corner. That’s all that really matters here, but it’s quite the big deal.

Godfather/D’Lo Brown vs. Big Boss Man/Bull Buchanan

Ice T. raps Godfather and Brown to the floor with an original song, including telling the fans to “GRAB YOUR B******!” Brown slugs away at Buchanan to start and it’s off to Godfather in a hurry. That means a slam into the spinning legdrop, only to miss the big elbow (which would have missed by three feet anyway). Boss Man comes in and the fans aren’t pleased, mainly because this is their opener.

It’s back to Buchanan, who hits that perfect top rope spinning clothesline so Boss Man can come in for the running crotch attack to the back. A big boot into the ax kick gets two as Lawler can’t help but freak out over Godfather’s ladies. Buchanan whips Brown into the steps and it’s back inside for the bearhug.

The fans get on Boss Man again as Brown fights out, only to get caught with a backbreaker as JR makes XFL references. Buchanan goes up so Godfather shakes the rope for the crotching. A hurricanrana allows the hot tag to Godfather and there’s the Ho Train to Boss Man. Everything breaks down and it’s a Boss Man Slam to Brown, followed by the great looking guillotine legdrop for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: D+. What a completely bizarre opener. This would have been a filler match on any given episode of Raw and it’s the first thing you see on Wrestlemania? With the heels winning? It’s a really weird choice here and serves no major purpose, so why go this way? The crowd was surprised and a bit deflated, which is a rather stupid choice to open the show. Totally weird one here.

HHH and Stephanie, the Women’s Champion, are rather chill before the huge main event.

We see Crash handing over the Hardcore Title so it can be defended in the Hardcore Battle Royal.

Hardcore Title: Hardcore Battle Royal

Crash, Tazz, Viscera, Joey Abs, Rodney, Pete Gas, Hardcore Holly, Taka Michinoku, Funaki, Mosh, Thrasher, Faarooq, Bradshaw

Crash is defending and this is a big free for all with falls counting anywhere. Whoever gets the final fall leaves as champion, with no limit on the title changes allowed. It’s a brawl to start and Tazz suplexes Crash for the pin at 24 seconds. Viscera grabs Tazz for a posting and a World’s Strongest Slam gives him the title at 56 seconds.

A bunch of people brawl around the ring but another bunch go after Viscera. The Acolytes can’t put him down, though Hardcore can bust Crash open with a shot to the head. The weapons shots continue with no one getting any serious advantage until Hardcore hits Viscera with a cookie sheet for two. More violence ensues as we hit five minutes, though Viscera is starting to slow down.

Abs suplexes him for the title at 6:37 to go but gets sent into a door so Thrasher can pin him with 6:18 to go. Back in the arena and the bloody Pete Gas sprays Thrasher with a fire extinguisher for the title with 5:32 to go. They go back to ringside and Tazz suplexes Pete for the title with 4:44 to go. In the confusion, Tazz even rolls Thrasher up for one, with the referee counting out of insanity. The Hollys double team Tazz inside until he trashcan lids his way to freedom, including a shot to Crash’s head for two.

We have two minutes left as the Hollys fight over who gets to pin Tazz, as you might have seen coming. Hardcore’s dropkick gets two with a minute left but he gets suplexed out, leaving him alone in the ring. Crash comes back in for a cookie sheet shot for the title at 37 seconds left.

Tazz grabs the Tazmission but Hardcore busts a jar of candy over Tazz’s head for the pin and the title at 1 second left to win the thing at 15:00. That was a botched ending as the referee stopped counting at 2 because Hardcore came in too early and shouldn’t have gotten the pin. Also, allegedly, Tazz was supposed to get a run as Intercontinental Champion (possibly in the role that went to Chris Benoit) but the glass got in his eye and he was out of action for a few months as a result.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to say about this one, but the biggest problem is it goes on a bit too long. Cut this down to ten minutes and it’s better, as what they have loses its charm a bit near the end. The ending being botched didn’t help things either and there is no big moment that makes you chuckle. It’s not a disaster or anything, but it’s nothing memorable either.

We look at Axxess, which was still a new thing back then. Chris Jericho thinks everyone is here to him, and he might be right. It’s so weird seeing it still be what looks to be a smaller function, compared to the insanity that it is today. This goes on for a good while, likely to clean up the arena.

We look at the battle royal ending again, because it was that much of a mess.

Al Snow talks to someone in a bathroom stall because he has some idea. Steve Blackman comes in and tells him to be serious.

We cut to a closeup of Trish Stratus’ chest, just in case you thought the next match meant a thing.

An enziguri takes Albert down so it’s back to Blackman, who gets shouldered down. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Test gets sent outside. That leaves Albert to get suplexed and Snow slowly hammers away as the match somehow grinds to more of a halt. Blackman’s middle rope headbutt gets two as Chester starts hitting on Trish. Lawler: “It’s like Chester the Molester.”

Albert knocks Blackman away and brings in Test to pick up the pace in a weird near hot tag from the heels. A powerbomb gets two on Snow because this needs to keep going, including the bowling shoe line from JR. Snow is back up with a backbreaker/guillotine legdrop combination for two on Test. Albert gorilla presses Test onto Blackman for two with Snow making the save. He gets knocked down, leaving Blackman to get press slammed again, setting up Test’s top rope elbow for the pin at 7:00.

Rating: F. Other than Trish, this is one of the most irredeemable matches I’ve seen in years. There was no heat, there was no good action and there was no reason to keep this going. I’m not sure what the thinking was going into this but it was a disaster in every sense of the word. This is up there with some of the worst Wrestlemania matches ever and the only reason it’s not higher is the stakes are so low.

Post match, Snow and Blackman beat up Chester because the loss was his fault. Somehow, this made things even worse, if that’s possible.

Kat is in the back with Mae Young and we get an Austin Powers style gag with Mae holding up various objects at rather opportune times to cover various things.

The Dudley Boyz aren’t happy with being in a ladder match but they’re ready to walk out as champions. This is when Bubba still had the southern accent and it’s bizarre to see these days.

Tag Team Titles: Edge and Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz

The Dudleys are defending in the first ever triangle ladder match. There isn’t exactly a story here, because that would be missing the point in a match like this. Edge and Christian jump the Hardys before the bell and the fight is on with the champs still in the aisle. As usual, the three brawls break out at the same time and they wind up all around the arena. Bubba gives Jeff a Bubba Bomb and Christian throws in the first ladder.

Everyone winds up inside with ladders crushing the Dudleys in the corner. Edge gets laddered down as well and Jeff hits a DDT on Bubba. Jeff’s 450 hits ladder though, leaving Bubba to put the ladder on him and Bubba Bomb said ladder. Another ladder is put on top of Matt so Edge rides a ladder down, Shawn Michaels style, to crush him again. Back up and Bubba puts the ladder on his head for the Terry Funk helicopter spot until the Canadians dropkick him down.

The double flapjack puts D-Von into the ladder in the corner, followed by Christian climbing a ladder and diving down onto Bubba and Matt. Jeff climbs up so Edge spears him off the top rope in a big crash. Multiple ladders are set up in the middle and it’s Bubba cuttering Christian off for the next double knockdown. The Hardys are back up with the splash/legdrop combination to Bubba, followed by a superplex to bring D-Von off the ladder.

Edge and Christian and the Hardys climb but take each other back down and it’s a huge double crash. A third ladder is set up and all six climb, with the Hardys taking a crazy bump over the top to the floor, with Christian and Edge being shoved onto the ropes for a nice crash of their own. Back in and Christian gets crushed with the ladder, leaving Edge to take 3D (the old version, with Bubba getting a running start). Some tables are thrown in and the Dudleys bridge one up on top of a pair of ladders like a scaffold.

The Hardys make the save because that took a long time but the Dudleys are right back up too. Bubba sets up a table at ringside and climbs onto a table (JR: “Not the Spanish announce table!”) and powerbombs Matt through it. D-Von’s splash misses Jeff and only hits table so Jeff runs the barricade at Bubba, who throws a ladder at him for the nasty crash.

Just to make it worse, Bubba sets up the huge ladder in the aisle with a table for a bonus. Christian pops back up and saves Jeff with a bell shot though, leaving Bubba on the table. You know what that means, as Jeff goes up and hits the CRAZY Swanton to crush Bubba (who sells it like death). Back in and Matt goes up, only to get shoved off the platform and through the table, leaving Edge and Christian to win their first (of a freaking ton) Tag Team Titles at 22:31.

Rating: A. I could watch these every day, but egads they are some violent matches. They beat the heck out of each other and it’s some of the most exciting things you’ll see. One of them was once told that they weren’t supposed to be telling stories in these matches but they were managing to pull it off. That’s absolutely the case, as the series of matches that started here would just get better. It’s almost impossible to believe they would wind up being so amazing, but this was quite awesome in its own right, with the ending being a pretty cool visual. Check this out if you haven’t in awhile.

Linda McMahon tells Mick Foley to go get it tonight. Foley talks about how this is the biggest show of the year and it’s the biggest match ever, so it’s the biggest match of all time. Tonight, he’s proving that fairy tales come true for him. I’ve watched a lot of Foley over the years and you can hear it in his voice: this means the world to him.

The Kat vs. Terri

Mae Young and Moolah are the respective seconds, Val Venis is refereeing and you win by throwing the other woman to the floor. Val gets in his usual jokes about how this is the big show and only comes once a year, but…..yeah you get the joke here. The catfight is on in a hurry but Kat stops to kiss Val. A few hair tosses let Terri pose but Kat nails a spear. Mae gets on the apron and tries to take off her clothes, meaning Val misses Kat throwing Terri out. Moolah goes after Terri so Mae can kiss Val, allowing Moolah to pull Kat to the floor, giving Terri the win at 2:23. This was somehow worse than the usual women’s match of the day.

Post match Mae hits Moolah and gives her the Bronco Buster. Kat strips off Terri’s pants for a bonus.

The Radicalz are ready for their six man match but Eddie Guerrero is more worried about his hair. And Chyna.

Chyna is disgusted.

Radicalz vs. Too Cool/Chyna

The Radicalz (minus Benoit here) have only been around about two and a half months here. Eddie and Scotty circle each other to start until Eddie’s headlock makes Scotty lose his hat. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Eddie so Scotty dances over to Chyna, meaning Eddie needs to crawl to the corner in a hurry. As JR talks about Chyna looking great, it’s a double suplex to drop Dean, allowing Chyna and Grandmaster to dance a bit.

Grandmaster slams Malenko and makes that weird noise of his, followed by a belly to back suplex to Guerrero. Saturn breaks up the Hip Hop Drop though and it’s the Radicalz taking over for the first time. Just to make it personal, Saturn STEALS GRANDMASTER’S HEAD THING and stomps away even more. Grandmaster doesn’t like the hat stealing and gets over for the tag a few seconds later, only to have Scotty get dropped ribs first onto the top rope. Lawler: “Chyna starting to feel the heat. She’s starting to perspire and get moist!”

Eddie gyrates at her a bit before sending her into the turnbuckle, earning himself a Grandmaster suplex to the floor. Everything breaks down and it’s a double Worm (JR: “Not the double Worm! Well it is Wrestlemania!”) to Saturn and Malenko. The referee grabs Chyna to keep her from killing Eddie and Saturn superkicks Scotty.

The always great looking top rope elbow mostly misses so Scotty can superplex Eddie down. Chyna comes in off the hot tag and cleans house, including a double low blow to Saturn and Malenko. Eddie tries to powerbomb Chyna but she slips out into one of her own (with almost no elevation), setting up the gorilla press for the big spot. A sleeper drop finishes Guerrero at 9:39.

Rating: B-. The wrestling wasn’t anything great but they did an awesome job of firing up the crowd. The people wanted to see what they were doing here and it was a lot of fun as a result. They pulled me into this and I was having a good time with the whole thing. Chyna wasn’t what she used to be but the stuff with Eddie was awesome and would get better the next night when they got together.

Some fans won a contest and were flown to Wrestlemania on the day of the show.

Shane McMahon is ready for Big Show to win the WWF Title.

We see Kurt Angle laying out Bob Backlund for getting him in a two fall triple threat match. Angle didn’t need him anymore and never really did in the first place so good job on splitting them up.

Kurt Angle tries to get extra security after he retains his titles tonight. He’s willing to sign autographs for the guard’s kids! Maybe. Goofy, delusional Kurt is one of my all time favorites and always has been.

Intercontinental Title/European Title: Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

Angle is defending and this is a two fall match, with the Intercontinental Title on the line first and the European Title second. Jericho can’t guarantee walking out as a champion but he’ll walk out as the Ayatollah of Rock and Rollah. As for Kirk Angel and Mr. Roboto, they can have a shirt remind them of their trip to Anaheim and a Y2J beating. Jericho was still finding his footing with the signature promos in the WWF but they would get way better in a hurry.

They start fast with Benoit getting the better of it until Jericho triangle dropkicks the two of them to the floor. Jericho goes up but gets shoved down onto the announcers’ table, leaving Benoit to suplex Angle for two. Back in and Jericho dropkicks Angle down for two more but has to break up Angle’s cover on Benoit for the same. Angle suplexes Jericho for another two and a dropkick puts Benoit on the floor. The crossface chickenwing has Jericho in trouble but Benoit makes the save. A Swan Dive finishes Jericho for the first fall and the Intercontinental Title at 7:54.

Benoit gets smart by going for the cover on Jericho again but Angle comes in with a suplex for his own two. Jericho catches Angle on top but Benoit belly to back superplexes Jericho, leaving Angle to miss the moonsault. Everyone is down until Benoit has to save Angle from the Walls. The spinwheel kick puts Benoit on the floor and it’s the double powerbomb to Angle. Benoit is right back in with the rolling German suplexes for two on Jericho as Angle makes another save.

There’s a dragon suplex for two on Angle, with the most ridiculous count I’ve seen in a long time as Angle’s shoulder is on top of Benoit’s. The ref gets bumped (maybe it can fix his eyes), meaning Benoit making Jericho tap to the Crossface doesn’t mean anything. A belt shot drops Jericho as the referee is back up, just as Benoit misses the Swan Dive. Jericho gets back in and Lionsaults Benoit for the European Title at 13:47.

Rating: B. This is always a weird one as it’s some pretty intricate booking (with Angle being very protected in losing both titles) but it didn’t feel urgent for a lot of the match. They were just going from move to move a lot of the time, but it’s still one of the best things on the show. It’s not like these three could ever do badly, so the match was entertaining and almost non-stop action, so it’s a lot more good than bad.

Vince McMahon promises to be a factor and guarantees to make it right.

HHH doesn’t care about what Vince says because tonight he’s going to show everyone who the man is.

X-Pac/Road Dogg vs. Kane/Rikishi

X-Pac and Dogg have Tori with them, along with the awesome Run-DMC theme. Kane on the other hand has Paul Bearer and the always cool inverted red and black attire. Tori slaps Bearer to start so Kane grabs her by the throat as Rikishi gives Road Dogg the Stinkface. X-Pac and Dogg fail to run away and we settle down to X-Pac kicking hitting the Bronco Buster on Rikishi.

Dogg’s dancing punches set up the shaky knee for two but Rikishi grabs a pop up cutter (that’s an awesome move and someone should use it as a finisher). It’s back to Kane and the pain begins in a hurry. X-Pac gets away from the threat of a Stinkface so Tori takes it instead, giving the fans what they had been waiting on. The Tombstone finishes X-Pac at 4:16.

Rating: D. The match was just a means to an end here as you needed a way to get to Tori taking the Stinkface and X-Pac getting dropped on his head. That’s fine from a storyline perspective, though I’m not sure I would have had it second from the top of Wrestlemania. Not a good match, but what were you expecting given this lineup?

Post match Too Cools out, meaning it’s time to dance. Hold on though as the San Diego Chicken, as in the disguise that Pete Rose wore last year, is here as well. Dancing ensues and the Chicken is far too good of a dancer to be Pete Rose. Kane grabs the chicken (there has to be a joke there somehow) but Rose runs in with the baseball bat. Rikishi takes that away so Kane chokeslams Rose, setting up the Stinkface to end the Rose saga for a good many years.

Rock is ready for the final battle and of course he would do it all over again. This is Wrestlemania and it’s not about the McMahons (oh please) because it’s all about the WWF Championship and tonight is the night.

Some celebrities are here.

WWF Title: The Rock vs. Mick Foley vs. Big Show vs. HHH

HHH is defending, elimination rules, and there’s a McMahon in every corner, with Vince, Linda, Shane and Stephanie here respectively. They might as well have just had the McMahons working the match as they’re the only things that matter here. JR: “Not Mankind, not Dude Love, not Mankind, but Mick Foley is in the main event of Wrestlemania!” That made me smile so much. Foley and HHH pair off as Rock punches Show in the corner to start in a hurry. HHH gets hammered down to start up the running knee but Show runs them both over with a double clothesline.

Rock gets gorilla pressed and there’s one for HHH as well. Foley tries choking Show, who drops down hard onto him to cut that off in a hurry. There’s a side slam to Rock but Foley kicks Show low to break up a chokeslam to HHH. It’s time to triple team Show, including a series of clotheslines to finally knock him down. The Cactus Clothesline takes HHH to the floor, meaning Foley can beat on HHH with a chair. Shane gets knocked off the apron and a chair shot to Show lets the Rock Bottom get the first pin at 4:48.

It winds up going into Foley’s ribs though, meaning Rock had to make a save from even more violence. A double arm DDT sets up the Mandible Claw and Rock adds a belt shot. That means the People’s Elbow, but Foley grabs the Claw on the Rock in a smart move. HHH low blows both of them (maybe not the brightest move) and everyone is down for a bit. Foley hammers Rock a bit and gets two off the DDT, with the fans being rather relieved by the kickout.

Rock kicks the chair into Foley’s face and a DDT gets two, with HHH making a rather illogical save. NOW Foley is willing to team up on Rock and the fans really aren’t sure what to think of this one. The running knee gets two on Rock and this time HHH doesn’t make a save. There’s a double suplex for two more and the ROCKY chants start up again.

A steps shot puts Rock down and Foley loads up the middle rope elbow, only to slam HARD ribs first into the side of the announcers’ table (it’s sad seeing that he just can’t do it here). HHH drives Foley through the table and Pedigrees Foley for two, with a big reaction from the crowd. A chair to the head sets up a Pedigree onto the chair to get rid of Foley (for good I’m sure) at 19:40.

A hard piledriver onto the steps has JR demanding/begging that the match be stopped and gives HHH a rather delayed two back inside. The Pedigree attempt is countered into a backdrop over the top so they fight into the crowd again. After knocking Rock over the barricade, HHH knocks a fan’s hat off to be extra nasty. Rock gets in a shot of his own and they’re both down at ringside again. A suplex sends HHH through the announcers’ table and it’s another double knockdown.

HHH sends Rock inside so Vince posts HHH, drawing Shane back out to jump Vince (you knew this stuff was coming). A monitor shot to the head knocks Vince silly and gives us one of the funniest stunned expressions I’ve ever seen from Stephanie (look that one up if you get the chance). Vince fights up and beats on Shane, because the main event of Wrestlemania can be ignored for the sake of more drama between these two. A chair to the head drops Vince and Shane even threatens the massive Michael Clarke Duncan at ringside.

Cue Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco to get the busted open Vince out of here so we can go back to the actual match. Rock DDTs HHH for two but a shot to the face puts Rock right back down. The Pedigree is countered into a catapult to cut off an interfering Shane and the Rock Bottom connects. There’s no cover due to exhaustion so here’s Vince again (a full two minutes after he left) to go after Shane yet again. Vince grabs the chair….and of course turns on Rock with a shot to the head for two. Another chair shot from Vince retains the title at 36:26.

Rating: C-. It’s too much. There were so many instances here where I kept wondering how many more times we were going to have the McMahons get involved or have the guys fight into the crowd. Storyline wise, this would have been WAY better as a run of the mill singles match, but I can go with having Foley in there for the sentimental moment. Show….well they had an extra McMahon. At the end of the day though, it was all about the McMahons instead of Rock winning the title like he should have, with the family stuff being more of the same stuff we had seen for years. It’s not terrible, but cut out the nonsense and it’s better.

Post match Vince and Stephanie hug because all is well in part of the McMahon Family again. Shane comes in to look at Vince but gets Rock Bottomed. Vince gets one as well and Stephanie takes the third in a row, followed by the People’s Elbow.

A long highlight package ends the show.

Overall Rating: D+. I’m not sure what they were going for here but it missed pretty badly. The problem here comes down to the fact that most of the matches just aren’t very good. TLC Beta and the triple threat are both great to rather good, but no one cared about the ladder match after TLC debuted five months later and the trio would have one great match against each other after another on higher levels. This doesn’t really feel like a Wrestlemania as there is way too much stuff that serves as little more than filler. It’s not the worst Wrestlemania ever, but it’s rather close to the bottom of the pile.

Ratings Comparison

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D+

Hardcore Battle Royal

Original: C+

2013 Redo: B-

2015 Redo: D+

2020 Redo: C-

Original: F

2013 Redo: D-

2015 Redo: F

2020 Redo: F

Edge and Christian vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz

Original: B+

2013 Redo: A-

2015 Redo A-

2020 Redo: A

The Kat vs. Terri Runnels

Original: F

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

2020 Redo: N/A

Radicalz vs. Too Cool/Chyna

Original: D

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: C-

2020 Redo: B-

Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho

Original: A

2013 Redo: B+

2015 Redo: B

2020 Redo: B

Rikishi/Kane vs. D-Generation X

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D

HHH vs. The Rock vs. Big Show vs. Mick Foley

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: C+

2020 Redo: C-

Overall Rating

Original: D

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D+

2020 Redo: D+

Where did that six person tag one come from? And have I ever been that all over the place like I am on the Hardcore Battle Royal?

Not much changes in a few years.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/23/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-16-they-thought-this-was-a-good-idea/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/25/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xvi-the-worst-show-from-the-best-year/

And the 2015 Redo:

https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xiv-2015-redo-time-to-play-the-game/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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.

Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man

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.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/22/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-15-this-is-the-best-they-can-do/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/24/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-xv-russo-at-his-best/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Make sure you check out some recent reviews:

Collision – March 9, 2024

Wrestlemania XIII (2015 Edition)

Rampage – March 8, 2024

Monday Night Raw – March 11, 2024

NXT – March 12, 2024

Dynamite – March 13, 2024 (Big Business)

Impact Wrestling – March 7, 2024

Ring Of Honor – March 7, 2024

Wrestlemania XIV (2024 Edition)

---

WATCH: Mercedes Mone Believes She Will Return To WWE One Day

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-mercedes-mone-believes-will-return-wwe-one-day/

The Next Big Thing? Possible Sign WWE Will Bring Brock Lesnar Back

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-big-thing-possible-sign-wwe-will-bring-brock-lesnar-back/

Good For Them! Two Former WWE Superstars Get Married In Hawaii This Week

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/good-two-former-wwe-superstars-get-married-hawaii-week/

WATCH: First Time Ever Dream Match Officially Set For AEW Dynasty

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-first-time-ever-dream-match-officially-set-aew-dynasty/

Could Be: Interesting Name Possibly Being Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/interesting-name-possibly-inducted-wwe-hall-fame/

Maybe Not: Conflicting Reports Over Massive Salary For Recently Signed AEW Star

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/maybe-not-conflicting-reports-massive-salary-recently-signed-aew-star/

WATCH: John Cena Presents Awards At The Oscars…While Naked

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-john-cena-presents-awards-oscars-naked/

He Got It: WWE Officials Impressed With Star Over Recent Match

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/got-wwe-officials-impressed-star-recent-match/

Good And Bad? NXT Officials Reportedly “Frustrated” After Roadblock Title Match

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/good-bad-nxt-officials-reportedly-frustrated-roadblock-title-match/

Talk To Me? 48 Year Old Former WWE Superstar Reportedly Held Talks With AEW About Coming In

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/talk-48-year-old-former-wwe-superstar-reportedly-held-talks-aew-coming/

He’s Back: Injured WWE Superstar Returns To The Ring.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-back-injured-wwe-superstar-returns-ring/

There He is: WWE Announces Special CM Punk Return Later This Month.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-announces-special-cm-punk-return-later-month/

He’s In: WWE Announces Legendary Non-Wrestler For Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/hes-wwe-announces-legendary-non-wrestler-hall-fame-class-2024/

And Done: Wrestling Couple Separating After Seven Years Of Marriage

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/done-wrestling-couple-separating-seven-years-marriage/

Showdown: Gunther’s WrestleMania 40 Challenger Officially Set Following Grueling Gauntlet Match.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/showdown-gunthers-wrestlemania-40-challenger-officially-set-following-grueling-gauntlet-match/

All In: Huge 6 Team Ladder Match Set For WrestleMania 40

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/huge-6-team-ladder-match-set-wrestlemania-40/

Several More Names Identified In Vince McMahon Lawsuit, Nick Khan Named

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/several-names-identified-vince-mcmahon-lawsuit-nick-khan-named/

Booked: Major Announcement Made For Summerslam 2024

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/booked-major-announcement-made-summerslam-2024/

It Worked: Interesting Change Made To This Week’s Monday Night Raw Main Event

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/worked-interesting-change-made-weeks-monday-night-raw-main-event/

Him Again? Update On Brock Lesnar Possibly Returning To WWE TV.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/update-brock-lesnar-possibly-returning-wwe-tv/

Down And Out: AEW Star Injured, Out Of Tag Team Title Tournament

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/aew-star-injured-tag-team-title-tournament/

Not Done? Controversial Former WWE Superstar Open To Future Return To The Ring.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/not-done-controversial-former-wwe-superstar-open-future-return-ring/

His Time Is Then: John Cena Talks Eventual Retirement, Has Firm Cutoff Date

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/time-john-cena-talks-eventual-retirement-firm-cutoff-date/

He Gets In: The Rock Talks Returning To WWE As A Heel, Why It Works

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/gets-rock-talks-returning-wwe-heel-works/

Yes Him: WWE Announces Surprising Inductee For Hall Of Fame

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/yes-wwe-announces-surprising-inductee-hall-fame/

His Role: The Rock Not Likely To Be Around WWE As Often After WrestleMania.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/role-rock-not-likely-around-wwe-often-wrestlemania/

WATCH: Major Debut Takes Place During AEW Dynamite.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-major-debut-takes-place-aew-dynamite/

One More: Wrestling Legend Says 2024 Will Likely Be His Last Year

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/one-wrestling-legend-says-2024-will-likely-last-year/

Time It: WWE May Be Changing Another Longstanding Tradition

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/time-wwe-may-changing-another-longstanding-tradition/

Crossover? WWE Superstars At AEW Dynamite For Mercedes Mone Debut.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/crossover-wwe-superstars-aew-dynamite-mercedes-mone-debut/

WRESTLING RUMORS: Speculation About Missing WWE Superstar Returning Later This Year

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wrestling-rumors-speculation-missing-wwe-superstar-returning-later-year/

WATCH: Injured NXT Star Returns To The Ring Following Back Surgery

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-injured-nxt-star-returns-ring-following-back-surgery/

CEO Talk: Details On Mercedes Mone’s AEW Deal

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ceo-talk-details-mercedes-mones-aew-deal/

Next Up: WWE Announces Major Match For WrestleMania Weekend

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/next-wwe-announces-major-match-wrestlemania-weekend/

Ole? Sami Zayn Reportedly Upset Following This Week’s Monday Night Raw

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/ole-sami-zayn-reportedly-upset-following-weeks-monday-night-raw/

VIDEO: Former World Champion Reveals He Is Returning To The Ring

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/video-former-world-champion-reveals-returning-ring/

He Would Know: Undertaker Offers Interesting Reasons He Finds It Difficult To Give Wrestlers Advice.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/know-undertaker-offers-interesting-reasons-finds-difficult-give-wrestlers-advice/

WATCH: Booker T. Hints At Backstage Incident With CM Punk At This Week’s NXT.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/watch-booker-t-hints-backstage-incident-cm-punk-weeks-nxt/

As always, hit up the comments section to chat about what is going on and get on the Wrestling Rumors Facebook page and follow us on Twitter (featuring news stories written by ME).

Wrestlemania XIV
Date: March 29, 1998
Location: Fleetcenter, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 19,028
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross
America the Beautiful: Chris Warren

This is the first of the annual redos and it’s a show that is incredibly historic but doesn’t get the most attention. As you might remember, the main event is Steve Austin getting his shot against Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title, along with Kane vs. Undertaker for the first time ever. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of Wrestlemania and how tradition has been taken hostage by a new generation. These people are here to be the top stars and fight for the same title held by Andre, Hogan and Bruno. This year is destined to become a part of the history and somewhere, the father of Wrestlemania will revel in it as well.

Tag Team Battle Royal

Faarooq/Kama Mustafa, Savio Vega/Miguel Perez Jr., Jose Estrada Jr./Jesus Castillo, Truth Commission, Bradshaw/Chainz, New Midnight Express, Mark Henry/D’Lo Brown, Quebecers, LOD 2000, Rock N Roll Express, Headbangers, Too Much, Disciples Of Apocalypse, Steve Blackman/Flash Funk, Godwinns

For a future Tag Team Title shot and LOD 2000, with Sunny, are surprise entrants. If one member is eliminated, the entire team is gone. It’s a huge brawl to start (as it has to be) as JR tries to keep track of everyone involved. Vega is out, with Perez having to be helped to the back. Jim Cornette and Sunny argue on the floor as Kurrgan comes out to help eliminate the Truth Commission.

Cue Barry Windham (not in the match) to toss Chainz out and sure we’ll count that. Brown is eliminated and the Quebecers follow as the ring is clearing out a good bit. The Rock N Roll Express are out and Estrada/Castillo follow. The Headbangers are tossed as well, with JR wondering why Mark Henry is still in there despite his partner being tossed. Henry gets the message and leaves as Animal gets rid of Too Much.

We’re down to the Midnights, the LOD, the Disciples and the Godwinns as they didn’t waste time here. Things slow down a bit with Hawk shoulders Henry but Phineas is back up to get rid of the Disciples. Hold on though as the Disciples come back in to throw the Godwinns out, leaving us with two. Then the Godwinns get back in again and hit the LOD with their buckets. Animal is sent outside through the ropes but comes back in to make the save. Hawk hits a clothesline to get rid of Holly for the win at 8:21.

Rating: C-. This was nothing but a way for the LOD to come in with their new look and Sunny then run through some people for a win. There was almost no drama to this one and the stuff with the Godwinns seemed to be setting up something for the LOD going forward. Having the LOD come out for the return pop worked but a thirty man battle royal which took awhile to get through didn’t help.

We look at various media events to promote the show, including the DX public workout which almost went very badly due to Shawn Michaels being in quite the bad place.

Light Heavyweight Title: Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila

Michinoku is defending and Aguila would go on to be better known as Essa Rios. Aguila snaps off a headscissors and a spinwheel kick to send Taka outside. That means a baseball slide into a top rope moonsault (which JR calls an Asai moonsault) to take Taka out again. Back in and Taka dropkicks him to the floor for a change, setting up the always great looking top rope dive to the floor.

Back in again and Aguila sends him outside again, only to have Taka go up top. That’s fine with Aguila, who runs the corner and hits a top rope armdrag. A springboard armdrag and a very spinning wristdrag have Taka on the floor again, setting up the big corkscrew dive. JR is trying to keep up with this while Lawler has more or less given up.

Taka misses a moonsault back inside and gets planted for two before being sat up top. Aguila gets knocked down but Taka’s splash hits knees, allowing Aguila to hit a middle rope hurricanrana. A missile dropkick gets Taka out of trouble though and the sit out powerbomb plants Aguila again. Taka misses a middle rope moonsault, only to dropkick him out of the air. The Michinoku Driver retains the title at 5:59.

Rating: B-. It was a total popcorn match as they were all over the place with the high spots and as a result, it was rather entertaining. That being said, this felt like someone saw the cruiserweights in WCW and decided to do their own lower level version. That’s more or less exactly what this was, which is one of the reasons the division didn’t stick. Fun match, but it could have been on any given edition on Raw.

Gennifer Flowers interviewed the Rock earlier today, and asked how he would handle the homeless situation if he was leader. Rock prefers ruler, but the reality is that if those people stay off his lawn and in their boxes, he’s happy. As for the judicial system, as long as you realize he’s the judge and jury, everything is fine. Just remember that he would be a hung jury. Finally, he’s fine with running the White House as long as the interns underneath him do their, ahem, jobs. This was basically a celebrity serving Rock up some batting practice.

European Title: HHH vs. Owen Hart

HHH, with Chyna, is defending in one of the last bits of fallout from Montreal. Hart has a bad ankle coming in and Chyna is handcuffed to Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Hart slugs away to start and snaps off a hurricanrana for two, only to get elbowed in the jaw for his efforts. With Hart out on the floor, Chyna tries a right hand but gets pulled back by Slaughter, meaning HHH’s cheap shot doesn’t work either.

It’s way too early for a Sharpshooter back inside and HHH grabs the facebuster to take over. The jumping knee gets two and Lawler is literally screaming at HHH to go after the ankle. A DDT gets two before it’s FINALLY time to go after the ankle. HHH goes old school (yes even back then) with the spinning toehold, followed by an elbow onto the leg. More cranking on the leg in the corner has Owen in trouble but he’s able to come back with a belly to belly.

A spinwheel kick gives Hart two and he hits the enziguri, only to hurt the bad ankle again. The hurricanrana is countered with a hard powerbomb to give HHH two more as things slow down a bit. HHH puts him up top but gets shoved away, setting up a high crossbody for two. Owen falls head first into a low blow ala Sting (always works), sending Lawler into hysterics over the referee not calling a DQ. The Sharpshooter goes on but HHH makes the ropes. With the referee distracted, Chyna throws powder in Slaughter’s eyes and hits Hart low. That and the Pedigree are enough to retain the title at 11:28.

Rating: C+. This was good enough, though it’s far from the HHH that he would later become. The ending didn’t exactly keep Owen looking strong and that was pretty much the point of the match. Slaughter was barely a factor here, but that is the summation of his time as Commissioner: a grand total of nothing and it was nice to see him go away.

Post match Chyna beats up Slaughter.

We recap Sable/Marc Mero vs. Luna Vachon/The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust. In short, Sable is a star, Mero doesn’t like it, Luna and Goldust tried to do something about it and Mero came to her defense. Or the more realistic version: Sable, Sable, Sable, Sable, Sable, Sable and Sable. Er wait, putting “and” in front of her might suggest that Sable isn’t important and we can’t have that.

Marc Mero/Sable vs. Luna Vachon/The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust

Goldust takes Mero into the corner to start but gets caught with a running headscissors. The women come in but Luna immediately tags back out, leaving Sable to superkick (ok not so super) Goldust. Mero comes back in and is quickly clotheslined down as Lawler wants to know why Luna won’t fight Sable.

The villains take over on Mero, who manages a boot in the corner to put Goldust down. Luna gets the tag and so does Sable, which seems rather unnecessary due to the rules. Sable cleans house in the traditional catfighting style but does throw in some kicks in the corner. A clothesline puts Luna on the floor and it’s back to Goldust, who gets sent into the steps. Back in and the TKO is countered into a DDT to give Goldust two as things slow down again.

Mero knee lifts his way to freedom and a springboard moonsault press (which BARELY rotates enough) gives him two. This time it’s Goldust going up top but getting crotched right back down. A super hurricanrana sets up the TKO for two, with Luna making the save. Sable tags herself in and covers Goldust (as the rules are all over the place here) but has to avoid Luna’s top rope splash. Sable powerbombs Luna for two before avoiding a charge against the ropes. The TKO gives Sable the pin at 9:08.

Rating: C-. I know it’s been said to death, but simply put, Sable just wasn’t very good. She was there because of how she looked in gear and she knew how to sell a shirt, but those are the high points of her talent. The other three were trying, but this was all about Sable and everyone could tell from the second the match was announced.

Tennessee Lee (better known as Robert Fuller/Colonel Robert Parker) brings out Jeff Jarrett with Gennifer Flowers, the latter of whom is guest ring announcer for the next match.

Intercontinental Title: The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock

The Rock, with the Nation of Domination, is defending. Shamrock has been wanting the title and Rock gave him one heck of a scary chair shot to the face. Rock also accidentally hit Nation leader Faarooq, which seems to bode badly for him. They start fast as JR says this is for the European Title. Shamrock kicks him in the chest to start and they go to the floor, with Rock staggering near the technical equipment.

Back in and Shamrock strikes him down again before bouncing Rock’s head against the mat. They go back outside with Rock managing a whip into the steps for a much needed breather. That sets up the not quite People’s Elbow for two but Shamrock sends him outside again. The chair is loaded up but the referee grabs it, earning him a shove from Shamrock. Rock grabs said chair for a shot to the head for a near fall as the referee is back up. Shamrock unloads on Rock and belly to belly suplexes him into the ankle lock for the tap/the title at 4:49.

Rating: C. They kept this one moving as it wasn’t even five minutes long, with Rock only getting in a few shots here and there. Shamrock ore or less mauled him, with that chair shot barely doing any damage. This almost felt like a TV match instead of some big pay per view (let alone Wrestlemania) title match, but it also made Shamrock look like a monster by running through the champ that fast.

Post match Shamrock stays on the Rock so here are the Nation and some referees. That doesn’t work at all as Shamrock beats everyone up, which is enough for the referee to reverse the decision, meaning Rock retains. Shamrock blows off some more steam by beating up Rock on the stretcher. This really doesn’t feel like a Wrestlemania title match, but it was a rather different time. Again though: Shamrock looked like a killer and that worked well.

We get the still awesome “we are real athletes” promo, with wrestlers talking about their backgrounds and the injuries they had to deal with over their careers.

We recap the New Age Outlaws defending the Tag Team Titles against Chainsaw Charlie/Cactus Jack. The Outlaws don’t like old guys and put the two of them in a dumpster for a ride off the stage. Now it’s time for the appropriate choice of a dumpster match.

Tag Team Titles: Cactus Jack/Chainsaw Charlie vs. New Age Outlaws

The Outlaws are defending in a dumpster match (same rules as a casket match). It’s a brawl to start with Cactus trying to put Dogg in the dumpster early. That’s broken up and a metal sheet to the head slows Cactus down. Cactus’ flip dive off the apron only hits dumpster (you knew that was coming) and Gunn backdrops Charlie (or Funk as JR calls him) into the dumpster.

The Outlaws slam the dumpster lids onto Cactus and Charlie’s heads as JR thinks the old guys like this a bit. Cactus blocks the slamming of the lid though and it’s time to bring out some more weapons to crank up the violence. An elbow off the apron with a cookie sheet hits Gunn and of course it’s time for the ladder. Cactus and Gunn go up, only to be sent crashing into the dumpster for the big spot.

With Cactus getting out, Charlie gets powerbombed into the dumpster, leaving the Outlaws to take Cactus up to the entrance, which doesn’t feel overly logical. They go to the back so we look at some highlights, which would feel so bizarre these days. Cactus is sent into various catering things, including big Surge and Powerade displays. Gunn gets double armed DDT’ed onto a forklift and here is Charlie to pick both Outlaws up and drop them into a dumpster. Cactus closes the lid for the win and the titles at 10:17.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly your traditional match but what mattered the most was Cactus and Charlie getting their revenge after taking a huge beating. The fans wanted to see them win the titles and that is what they got. Granted it was on the Titantron, but that is better than not getting the belts at all. It makes sense to not put the Outlaws in a more traditional match as that was never really their thing, so thankfully this was a case of playing to their strengths.

We recap Kane vs. Undertaker and…yeah this is a deep one. So Paul Bearer turned on Undertaker, who wanted revenge. Eventually Bearer revealed that Undertaker had a brother named Kane, who was believed to be killed in a fire as a child. In reality, Kane was still alive and had apparently been kept hidden by Bearer for years. Then Kane appeared and wanted revenge on Undertaker, attacking every wrestler he could until Undertaker agreed to fight.

Undertaker never would, so eventually Kane put Undertaker in a casket and burned him alive (after teasing joining Undertaker in a pretty cool moment). That violates one of the most important rules in wrestling, which says “don’t tick off a giant monster who may or may not have evil powers”. This included Undertaker appearing on top of the Titantron and lighting a casket on fire, revealing a burning Kane inside for one of the most amazing things I had ever seen at 10 years old. Now it’s time for their first fight and this is huge.

Here is Pete Rose as a special guest and he is all over the Boston Red Sox fans, instantly getting every single thing about being a heel in wrestling. Rose halfway introduces Kane, who makes his full entrance….and promptly annihilates Rose with a Tombstone. This makes Kane the most popular man in Boston for at least a good thirty seconds.

Undertaker vs. Kane

Kane has Paul Bearer with him but Undertaker comes out with the tunnel made of torch carrying druids for one of the all time awesome entrances. They go nose to nose for an awesome visual before Undertaker starts striking away (I believe the first time he has ever attacked Kane). That’s enough to knock Kane into the corner, where he launches Undertaker in instead. Kane strikes away and puts him in the Tree of Woe to continue said striking.

Undertaker is sent outside for a second before the beating continues back inside. For some reason Undertaker tries to jump onto Kane’s shoulders, earning him a quick crash back down. Kane hits him with the steps and even Bearer gets in some cheap shots from behind. Back in and Undertaker starts running the ropes rather hard (that always looks cool), only to charge into a chokeslam, with Kane pulling him up at two.

We hit the chinlock, which is where the match grinds to a halt. Kane is a monster who has basically become a horror movie villain, but he knows how to grab a chinlock and lay on the mat for a bit? There is something that completely misses there and it kills the match dead. That’s broken up and Kane drops an elbow before grabbing another chinlock. Undertaker finally powers his way out and sends Kane outside, where the Taker Dive is sent crashing through the announcers’ table in a great visual.

Back in and the top rope clothesline gives Kane two but Undertaker is back with a Tombstone…which is reversed into one from Kane for two. That wakes the fans way back up and Undertaker starts striking away as Kane is starting to stagger. A running clothesline puts Kane down and there’s the chokeslam into a Tombstone for two on Kane. Another Tombstone gets another two, with Kane kind of twitching his shoulder for the kickout. The top rope clothesline into a third Tombstone (with a regular cover instead of the hands over the chest) finish Kane off at 16:59, though Kane kicks at about 3.1.

Rating: B-. This is a match that started and ended well, but there is a long stretch in the middle and it really hurt things. That chinlock segment and a bunch of the basic wrestling they did felt like it was out of a completely different match, which dragged things way down. This really needed to have about five minutes cut out, because the opening staredown and brawl worked, along with the last portion. Instead, it’s a rather long match that didn’t work as well as it should have.

At the same time, Undertaker winning didn’t exactly feel right, as Kane had been built up as this monster who should have been a different kind of opponent. In this situation, it would have made sense for him to win and beat Undertaker to set up some big, and much more violent, rematch. What we got was ok, but it should have been that much better.

Post match Bearer comes in to stomp on Undertaker, who fights up and hits Bearer in the face. Kane is back up and wrecks Undertaker with the chair, setting up a Tombstone onto it to leave Undertaker laying. Kane and Bearer leave, with Undertaker getting up and kind of falling out to the floor.

We get a vignette featuring various legends, who talk about how they had their day but can never do this kind of thing today. Now, they cheer for these new people. This is an all timer from the company and shows how everything has changed. Awesome indeed.

We recap Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title. Austin is on an all time roll and is ready to claim his destiny, but he has to deal with not only Shawn, but the rest of DX, including Mike Tyson, who has joined the team and is a special referee. To call this huge would be an understatement as even Eric Bischoff said “oooh, that’s pretty good.”

WWF Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin

Michaels, with HHH and Chyna, is defending and Mike Tyson is guest enforcer referee. We get the long tracking shots from the back, which are still some of the best things WWF ever did and make things feel that much bigger. The DX Band plays Shawn to the ring for something that should be cool but they don’t quite have that epic feeling.

Austin flips him off to start and gets punched in the face, which does not sit well. The chase is on outside, followed by Austin hitting him in the head on the way back in. Shawn’s attempt to escape results in his tights being pulled down before Austin backdrops him onto HHH. That doesn’t work for HHH, who whips Austin into the barricade. HHH and Chyna are ejected and things are a lot more even.

Never one to lose a chance to beat someone up, Austin sends HHH into the DX Band set, earning himself a cymbal to the head from Shawn. Back in and Austin hammers away before flipping Shawn over in the corner. An atomic drop of all things gets two and the Stun Gun gets the same. Austin knocks him off the apron and into the announcers’ table, followed by the chinlock back inside.

Shawn fights up but gets sent hard into the post. The fight heads back to the floor, where Austin is sent over the barricade and Shawn clocks him with the ring bell. Back in and Shawn slowly hammers away until Austin fights up with right hands. Shawn is sent over the top for the crash but he’s fine enough to wrap Austin’s knee around the post. They get back inside again with Shawn slowly starting in on the leg but Austin fights back up.

That’s enough for Tyson to offer a distraction though, with Shawn getting in a chop block. The Figure Four has Austin in more trouble be fore finally breaks it up. Austin fights up again and makes another comeback, with the referee getting bumped, leaving Shawn to hit a not so great forearm. There’s the nip up into into the top rope elbow and Shawn loads up the superkick. That doesn’t work as Austin ducks and grabs the Stunner, with Tyson coming in to count the pin for the title at 20:06.

Rating: B. This is one of those matches that has so many details that make things all the more interesting. While it is Austin’s big crowning moment and the start of a new era, there was only so much that could have been done because of Michaels’ injuries. It would have been interesting to see what they could have done at full strength, but the match did the one thing that it needed: Austin hitting the Stunner to win the WWF Title for the first time.

Post match the celebration is on, with JR getting in the all time line of “the Austin Era has begun.” Austin throws Tyson an Austin shirt but Shawn gets up and isn’t happy. He takes the shirt away and tries a right hand, with Tyson easily blocking it and dropping Shawn with a right hand of his own. Tyson and Austin celebrate, confetti falls and the highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. This show is rather weird in a lot of ways, as it might not be the best show in the way of quality, but it was one of the most important shows the company has ever had. First of course there is Austin, whose win took the company into an entirely new era. It’s the definition of a Wrestlemania Moment and it is still played in highlight reels decades later for a reason.

At the same time you have the focus on a much more in your face style, with stuff like the dumpster match and Kane vs. Undertaker being a weird sci-fi soap opera. The last three matches (and the Intercontinental Title to a lesser extent) felt big and that is what they were supposed to do. The first half of the show is only so good, but once this show kicks in, it kicks in hard and the company was off to the races soon after.

Ratings Comparison

Tag Team Battle Royal

Original: D-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D+
2024 Redo: C-

Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila

Original: D+
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B-
2024 Redo: B-

HHH vs. Owen Hart

Original: B-
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: B
2024 Redo: C+

Marc Mero/Sable vs. The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust/Luna Vachon

Original: C
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C
2024 Redo: C-

The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2024 Redo: C

New Age Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack/Chainsaw Charlie

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: B
2024 Redo: C+

Kane vs. Undertaker

Original: D+
2013 Redo: C-
2015 Redo: D+
2024 Redo: B-

Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: B+
2013 Redo: B+
2015 Redo: A-
2024 Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: B+
2013 Redo: B
2015 Redo: B
2024 Redo: B

The match ratings are all over the place compared to the previous editions and the overall rating is the same. Yep that’s one of my reviews.

 

 

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Ring Of Honor
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re less than a month away from Supercard Of Honor and that means it is probably time to start building up the card for the show. By that I mean announcing anything for it whatsoever, which hasn’t taken place yet. You can probably guess a few of the matches, but some of them need to be made official. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

Women’s TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Leyla Hirsch vs. Red Velvet

Hirsch takes her into the corner to start and gives Velvet a quick pat on the chest. An easy takedown lets Hirsch grab an armbar, with Velvet having to go to the ropes. Back up and Hirsch sends her flying with a throw but Velvet is right hand with some rights and lefts in the corner. Some boot choking in the corner has Hirsch in more trouble but she sends Velvet into the same corner to break that up.

A choke from the middle rope leaves Velvet flailing, only to come back with an Iconoclasm for two. Velvet grabs a short armscissors before hitting a nice looking superkick. It takes too long for Velvet to go up top though and a superplex brings her back down for two. They slug it out from their knees until an exchange of moonsaults goes to Hirsch. Velvet gets planted again and has to grab the rope for the break this time, only to come back with a sunset flip for the surprise pin at 9:52.

Rating: C+. They surprised me with the result as it seemed to be Hirsch’s spot in the semifinals to win. Velvet is someone that has managed to stick around in a fairly prominent role longer than I would have expected and good for her for getting this kind of a chance. I wouldn’t expect her to win the title, but then again I wouldn’t have expected her to make the semifinals either.

The Infantry do a bunch of posing and talk about taking people to Boot Camp.

Abadon vs. Judie Azul

They shake hands to start before Azul avoids a charge in the corner. Abadon strikes back as Mercedes Martinez is watching from the ramp. A running knee drops Azul and it’s the Black Dahlia to give Abadon the pin at 1:49.

The Spanish Announce Project comes up to Maria Kanellis-Bennett, whose team is off for the night. If the Project wins a match then they might get a fight with her team, but for now she can taunt Serpentico with his mask.

Lee Johnson vs. Jon Cruz

Cruz jumps him from behind to start but Johnson hits some running elbows. The reverse inverted DDT is escaped and Cruz bails out to the floor. Cruz breaks the count to annoy Johnson but a dropkick has Cruz in more trouble. A Stunner over the ropes slows Johnson down though and Cruz hammers away.

The rather cocky thumbs up annoys Johnson, who gets stomped down into the corner. Johnson fights up and gets two off a Blue Thunder Bomb, only to have Cruz get two off a clothesline. Cruz’s bridging belly to back suplex gets two but Johnson suplexes him into the corner. The reverse inverted DDT finishes for Johnson at 6:45.

Rating: C. Is it just me or has Ethan Page morphed into Lee Johnson when no one was looking? Page hasn’t been around for about a month now and Johnson has slipped right into his role of beating low level opponents. Maybe there is a reason for that, but Johnson is starting to build some momentum and that might mean a title match at Supercard Of Honor.

Nyla Rose vs. Airica Dimia

Rose kicks her down before the bell and hits some fast suplexes. A running splash in the corner sets up a toss into a running crossbody as Dimia is crushed again. Rose shrugs off a clothesline and hits one of her own, setting up the Beast Bomb for the pin at 1:48. Squash.

Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco vs. Spanish Announce Project vs. The Infantry vs. Workhorsemen

Angelico and Henry start things off with Henry (now with green hair) working on the arm. Serpentico comes in to work on Henry’s arm for a change but it’s the rather large Drake coming in for a chop. Cartwheel comes in to strike away but Serpentico sends him into the corner without much trouble. It’s off to Bravo for a change and a quick knockdown gets two on Serpentico.

Everything breaks down and the ring is cleared out until Drake plants Cartwheel for two. Henry kicks Cartwheel down so Drake can add a slingshot splash for two. Cartwheel manages to send the Workhorsemen into each other for a change though and it’s back to Loco for a standing moonsault. Henry grabs a super hurricanrana into a stomp from Drake as everything breaks down again.

Cartwheel and Loco take over, with the former hitting a standing corkscrew splash for two on Serpentico. Loco’s spinning moonsault sends Serpentico outside but Drake is back in with the spinning belly to belly. The Infantry’s double dives are broken up by the Project and Cartwheel hits the big tumbling dive. Back in and an ax kick into Boot Camp gives Dean the pin on Loco at 9:37.

Rating: C+. And there is your four way match of the week, which seems designed to get as many people on the card as possible. That works well enough but I have no reason to believe that this is going to be the big win that puts the Infantry over the hump. It was your usual action packed match with everyone getting their stuff in, but that’s about the extent of its value after all these weeks.

Post match Maria Kanellis-Bennett comes out to taunt the Project with Serpentico’s mask to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I know it’s not going to last but man have I been liking these shows a lot more without all the worthless extra matches. This show felt so much more focused as it picked a select number of people to lock onto and that helped quite a bit. For months now I’ve thought there was a pretty good show in here if you cut out about half of what we got week to week and that has been on display in the last few weeks. It’ll probably change next week, but it’s fun while it’s lasting.

Results
Red Velvet b. Leylah Hirsch – Sunset flip
Abadon b. Judie Azul – Black Dahlia
Lee Johnson b. Jon Cruz – Reverse inverted DDT
Nyla Rose b. Airica Dimia – Beast Bomb
Infantry b. Workhorsemen, Jack Cartwheel/Gringo Loco and Spanish Announce Project – Boot Camp to Loco

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 7, 2024
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We are one day away from Sacrifice and as such, most of the show is ready to go. The main event will see Moose defending the World Title against Eric Young, plus Jordynne Grace defending the Knockouts Title against Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz. We might get a little bonus this week so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Kevin Knight

Non-title and Ali’s goons are here with him. Knight shoves him down to start and then hits a hard running shoulder. Ali tries a leapfrog but gets dropkicked out of the air in a nice looking counter. There’s a rolling splash for two but Ali sends him throat first into the middle rope. A DDT gives Ali two, only to have him take too long going up, allowing Knight to snap off a super hurricanrana. The no look crossbody gives Knight two and he stomps away in the corner.

Knight goes up top and gets brought down with a super Backstabber of all things for two. Back up and Knight clotheslines him to the floor, setting up a heck of a springboard dive for the big knockdown. Cue the Good Hands but Chris Sabin and Kushida run in to take them out. The distraction lets Ali hit another DDT but he misses the 450. A Sky High gives Knight two and the other guys keep brawling to distract the referee. That’s enough for a belt shot to knock Knight silly and give Ali the pin at 8:40.

Rating: B-. The messy ending didn’t help this but dang Knight is fun to watch. He doesn’t break any new ground with the high flying but he does it really well and that is always going to work. Ali cheating to win and the bragging about it is good old fashioned heel stuff and it made for a nice balance here.

Post match Ali hits a 450 onto Knight’s arm. Alex Shelley runs in for the save.

Video on Xia Brookside and Tasha Steelz trading wins and then splitting the third match but both get a Knockouts Title shot at Sacrifice anyway.

Kevin Knight’s arm is really banged up and there is no way he can compete at Sacrifice. Alex Shelley will take his place but also gets in a jab at Chris Sabin for not wanting him there at No Surrender.

Ash By Elegance vs. Angel Blue

Blue is from Alaska, which you don’t see very often. The bell rings and Ash tells Blue to kiss her boot, which isn’t happening. Instead Ash hammers away in the corner as Rehwoldt describes her as “the best there is, the best there is and the best there ever is.” More right hands on the mat have Blue in trouble and a backsplash gets two. A suplex sets up Rarefied Air to pin Blue at 2:43.

Steve Maclin, from his hotel room, says he has been right about Nic Nemeth from the day Nemeth debuted. Maclin was waiting for him in Puerto Rico and saw fear in Nemeth. He’ll be at Sacrifice…and then the feed gives out. We can hear a fight and then Nemeth looks into the camera.

Good Hands vs. Time Splitters

Kushida and Skyler fight over wrist control to start until Kushida takes him down into an armbar. Everything breaks down and the Splitters clear the ring without much effort. Shelley comes in to stomp on Hotch’s arm and Kushida snaps it over the top for a bonus. The Hands get in a double Russian legsweep to take over on Kushida and we take a break.

Back with Kushida fighting out of the corner and diving over to Shelley for the tag. The house cleaning doesn’t last long though as Shelley is knocked into the corner so Skyler can come in with a slingshot spear for two. Hotch’s rolling neckbreaker (a Mustafa Ali move) gets two but Shelley sends the Hands into each other. Kushida gets in the real house cleaning and the basement dropkick hits Skyler in the face. Shelley takes out Hotch and the Hoverboard Lock finishes Skyler at 11:32.

Rating: C+. I say it almost every week but the Good Hands name is appropriate, as the team can work well with anyone and that is especially the case with a good team like the Time Splitters. Shelley and Kushida were on the same page here but it feels like we could be heading for a Shelley heel turn, which certainly has potential. Like a Shelley vs. Chris Sabin showdown for example.

Dirty Dango and company are ready to dominate, like Monty Brown, Crimson, Jerell Clark and the Naturals. They want all of the best opponents with less than a year’s experience. Oh and Josh Alexander’s head gear looks weird but facing him in the main event will make people want to join their wrestling school. It’s only $60 a person.

Mustafa Ali thinks he needs a new strategy for the six man tag at Sacrifice, so he’ll be teaming with the Grizzled Young Veterans instead. The Good Hands are stunned.

Masha Slamovich vs. Dani Luna

Killer Kelly and Jody Threat are here too. Luna takes her down into an early front facelock, followed by a basement clothesline for two. Luna’s suplex gets two so Kelly kisses Slamovich on the head. That seems to work as some hair mares bring Luna down a few times, setting up a camel clutch.

Slamovich switches into a seated abdominal stretch, followed by some quick clotheslines. Luna fights up and hits a quick running dropkick, setting up a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Slamovich’s Snow Plow is countered so she settles for something of a Russian legsweep for two of her own. Luna isn’t having that though and grabs the Luna Landing (fireman’s carry slam into a powerbomb) for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much more interesting the Knockouts tag team division is compared to the WWE women’s tag team division. There aren’t exactly many teams in the division, but it still feels like these women are being treated as something that matters compared to pure filler. I still don’t know how necessary the Knockouts Tag Team Titles are, but they do at least come off as somewhat important.

We look at Kon and PCO teasing a big fight last week.

PCO vs. Alan Angels

Angels slugs away to start but has to kick his way out of a chokeslam. A DDT puts PCO down but he sits up to avoid a frog splash. PCO hits a heck of a clothesline and the PCOsault finishes at 1:34.

Post match Kon comes out with a chair for the brawl with PCO, meaning a chair duel ensues. They brawl to the back rather quickly.

Crazzy Steve retained the Digital Media Title over Rhino on Xplosion.

Crazzy Steve talks about being an artist, a champion and a teacher. It doesn’t matter who he is defending against, but he is ready for Laredo Kid at Sacrifice.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. Young talks about everything he has given to this company and now he is looking at Moose. He sees someone big and strong who might go on to become one of the best ever but he’s giving it his all at Sacrifice. Cue Moose to say he can’t believe the fans are believing what Young is saying. Moose is ready to see everything Young is willing to sacrifice but Moose is leaving as champion. He offers a street fight right now and Young is game, but the System runs in to beat Young down. Alisha Edwards brings in a chain but the ABC makes the save.

Dirty Dango vs. Josh Alexander

Dango has Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius with him. Alexander wrestles him down to start and Dango actually takes over with a front facelock. That’s broken up with a flapjack into an ankle lock, with Dango bailing to the floor. We take a break and come back with Dango kicking away from another ankle lock, with Alexander grabbing his knee on the way down.

A dragon screw legwhip on the floor keeps Alexander in trouble, followed by a leglock back inside to stay on the leg. Said leg is wrapped around the post but Alexander uses the good leg to pull Dango face first into the post. Alexander hits a middle rope dropkick for a breather and there’s a Regal Roll.

A knee to the neck gives Alexander two but Dango avoids a charge in the corner. The Falcon Arrow gets two but Alexander is right back with the rolling German suplexes. Alexander shoves him off the top onto the goons and there’s a flip dive onto them. Back in and Dango hits a DDT but misses Down And Dirty, allowing Alexander to grab the ankle lock for the win at 14:47.

Rating: B-. They had a good match but I wouldn’t expect Alexander to be so egregious about ignoring the leg injury. Dango worked on the thing for more than five minutes but then Alexander was back up doing dives and flips, which are out of his wheelhouse in the first place. The rest of the match was rather entertaining, as Dango is getting to show the talents that he really has, which are fairly substantial.

Overall Rating: C+. TNA was in a weird place here as they had to set up another pay per view less than two weeks after the previous one, but they have somehow made it work. Young vs. Moose might not be the biggest match in the world but the rest of the show should be enough to make up for it. This show did a good job of making me want to see Sacrifice, even if it is a fairly low level pay per view.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Kevin Knight – Belt shot
Ash By Elegance b. Angel Blue – Rarefied Air
Time Splitters b. Good Hands – Hoverboard Lock to Skyler
Dani Luna b. Masha Slamovich – Luna Landing
PCO b. Alan Angels – PCOsault
Josh Alexander b. Dirty Dango – Ankle lock

 

 

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Dynamite
Date: March 13, 2024
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

So it’s Big Business and Mercedes Mone is going to debut tonight. That hasn’t been officially announced, but AEW has beaten us over the head with the hints to the point where you can’t be any more obvious. Other than that, Samoa Joe is defending the World Title against Wardlow. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Renee Paquette is in the back when a nice car comes in. The door opens and let’s go to the arena.

We aren’t wasting time this week as here is Mercedes Mone (dubbed the CEO) fr the big debut. Mone talks about how great it is to be here and how much magic we will be seeing. Wrestling has given her hopes and dreams, with people like Eddie Guerrero making it feel so special. Those dreams made her the first woman to main event a pay per view in this building. She dropped out of school at 13 to take care of her brother and went to a place near here called Chaotic Wrestling. Now she is here so let’s get down to business.

She’s looking forward to tearing it up with everyone back there, including the two women in the main event: Willow Nightingale (who injured Mone’s foot/ankle last year and put her out for months) and Riho. For now though, she is All Elite and thanks Tony Khan for the tweet announcing it. Dancing ensues. This wasn’t exactly a bombshell shocker (and it wasn’t supposed to be) but it did what it needed to do and gave Mone a nice start.

Samoa Joe promises to take out Wardlow, whose time has come. He doesn’t lose titles at the Garden.

Adam Cole reads a story about a man named Wardlow, who had to fight for his freedom from an evil man (MJF). He was ready to win more titles and now he is ready to destroy Samoa Joe and win the World Title. The end.

AEW Wold Title: Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow

Wardlow, with the Undisputed Kingdom, is challenging. They start fast and head to the floor, with Joe being whipped into various things. Back in and Wardlow hammers away, only to have Joe chop his way out of the corner. Joe kicks him down but Wardlow heads up top for something like a Whisper In The Wind.

We take a break and come back with Wardlow hitting a middle rope shoulder. Joe is back with a knockdown and backsplash, setting up a slugout. What appeared to be an over the shoulder powerslam is broken up though and Wardlow hits his knee out of the corner for two. The Swanton misses so Joe hammers away in the corner, only to get powerbombed down. The Powerbomb Symphony is loaded up but Joe reverses into the Koquina Clutch to retain at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Well that happened. Wardlow was built up as a serious challenger for a few weeks and was then put away without much trouble. The match was good and felt like a title fight, but it was the latest example of Wardlow losing after being treated like a big deal. Swerve Strickland is the real next challenger for Joe, which makes the Wardlow thing feel like that much more of a waste of time.

Post match a livid Swerve Strickland comes out with his chain but a smirking Joe walks off.

The Elite is not happy with Alex Marvez disrespecting Kazuchika Okada and promise vengeance on Pac/Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo. Marvez also has to sing Happy Birthday to Matthew.

Elite vs. Eddie Kingston/Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac

Okada and Kingston start things off but Okada brings in Matt before doing anything. One heck of a chop rocks Matt so it’s Pac coming in for a running shoulder. A hurricanrana into a backbreaker puts Matt down so it’s off to Penta. That means a rolling cutter from Nick, which only makes Penta kick him in the face a few times.

An AA powerslam gives Penta two and something like What’s Up sends Matt rolling outside. Okada comes in to chop it out with Kingston, setting up a dropkick to put Kingston in trouble. A triple strike in the corner puts Kingston down and we take a break. Back with Matt diving into an exploder suplex but Okada and Nick break up the tag attempts. Kingston fights up again and gets the big tag, meaning everything can break down.

Penta and Pac hit stereo dives, setting up a top rope double stomp on Nick. Pac’s springboard 450 gets two with Okada making the save. Okada DDTs Kingston and Matt wheelbarrow faceplants Pac. Penta hits a Canadian Destroyer but Nick takes him down. A low blow into the Rainmaker finishes Kingston at 12:38.

Rating: B. This was the kind of wild match that you would have expected from the people involved and that is a good thing. The ending should set up the title match between Kingston and Okada, which very well could see the title changing hands. Other than that, it was the usual wild AEW six man, as going nuts and ignoring the rules tends to be the norm for these things.

Tony Schiavone brings out Will Ospreay for a chat. Ospreay has spent years trying to be like Bryan Danielson, who is one of the best ever. He has seen Danielson doing things to hurt his body over the years and that has Ospreay wanting to see what happens when they face each other. It’s the best wrestler ever against the best in the world today and Ospreay is ready to show he is on another level. Ospreay can bring some fire in his promos.

Deonna Purrazzo challenges Mariah May and Toni Storm to a tag match next week. Partner to be named.

Jay White vs. Darby Allin

White has Bullet Club Gold with him and Allin is heavily bandaged. White takes it to the mat to start and grinds away but Allin fights back up and sends him outside. The big flip dive connects, followed by a suicide dive to make it worse. A ram sends Allin into the barricade instead and a big whip over the steps has Allin crashing again as we take a break. Back with Allin fighting back and flipping away from White.

The Blade Runner is countered into a flipping Stunner, followed by a sunset flip for two. A springboard Coffin Drop is countered into a German suplex but Allin is back with a Scorpion Death Drop for two more. The Coffin Drop to the apron only hits apron and Allin is in trouble. He dives back in to beat the count and White hits the Blade Runner for the pin at 12:15.

Rating: B-. Maybe it’s the leftovers from the Revolution main event but I’m rather over seeing Allin doing his stunt show out there. It feels like that’s the entire point of his matches, which is annoying as he is capable of doing so much more. The action was good and White winning as Allin is going away for a bit is the right way to go, so call the whole thing a success.

Post match White teases respect but the Club jumps Allin instead. A Pillmanizing is loaded up but the Acclaimed runs in for the save. Then White chairs Billy Gunn down and the Club destroys the Acclaimed. With the Acclaimed down, Allin’s ankle is Pillmanized to send him away. To climb Mt. Everest.

Hook/Chris Jericho vs. Gates Of Agony

Hook and Jericho starts fast with a pair of double suplexes and the ring is quickly cleared. Toa takes over on Jericho in the corner as we settle down. Jericho is sent outside and we take a break. Back with Hook coming in to clean house, including grabbing a northern lights suplex. Jericho comes off the middle rope with a shoulder, leaving Hook to suplex Toa down. Kaun’s fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two but he gets knocked down. Redrum and a Walls combination goes on, with Jericho letting go to take out Toa, leaving Kaun to tap at 8:43.

Rating: C. Much like the earlier tag match, this turned into another wild brawl, but this one was more than a bit sloppy with some of Jericho’s stuff not looking very sharp. It wasn’t exactly must see stuff and having Jericho teaming up with another young star isn’t the most interesting. Odds are they’ll be in the upcoming tournament, which will probably lad into a regular feud before Jericho moves on to some other young star. As he tends to do.

Kyle O’Reilly talks about how banged up he was but now he’s healed up. He’s just wondering if he can hang, which he’ll get to find out this week on Collision against Bryan Keith. The Undisputed Kingdom come in and seem to be cool with him fighting on his own. O’Reilly: “Yeah….on my own.”

Video on Riho vs. Willow Nightingale.

Riho meets Mercedes Mone.

Chris Jericho is happy to have teamed with Hook, then challenges him to a match next week on Dynamite.

Riho vs. Willow Nightingale

Nightingale blocks an early whip attempt and runs Riho over without much trouble. A dropkick takes Riho down again and we take an early break. Back with Riho hitting a suplex and going up top. That’s broken up and Nightingale hits a heck of a Pounce to send Riho outside. The flip dive off the apron misses though and Riho hits a stomp off the apron. A top rope stomp off the top gets two but Nightingale is right back up. Riho gets planted so Nightingale takes the straps down, setting up the Babe With The Powerbomb to give Nightingale the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. Good match here, which is nice to see even if it feels like this is in the main event spot so Mone can do something after the match. Nightingale continues to feel like someone who should be ready for a big push somewhere in the near future, but at some point it has to actually happen. For now though, Nightingale gets a solid win and hopefully that continues. I was expecting this to be Riho getting a win to cut Nightingale off again and it’s nice to see that not being the case.

Post match the lights go out and here is Julia Hart for a distraction. Skye Blue runs in for the cheap shot from behind but Mercedes Mone comes in for the save (Kris Statlander, Nightingale’s friend and partner who was there for her entrance, was apparently off getting a hot pretzel). A lot of dancing ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started off feeling huge and that first hour and fifteen minutes or so were enough to make up for the rest of the show not being the strongest. Mone coming in here was a big deal and it makes sense to focus on her. I’m curious to see where that goes from here, but it was off to a nice start. Hopefully the audience is up after last week, as the show was good enough to warrant strong viewership.

Results
Samoa Joe b. Wardlow – Koquina Clutch
Elite b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Pac/Eddie Kingston – Rainmaker to Kingston
Jay White b. Darby Allin – Blade Runner
Hook/Chris Jericho b. Gates Of Agony – Redrum to Kaun
Willow Nightingale b. Riho – Babe With The Powerbomb

 

 

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NXT
Date: March 12, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We are less than a month away from Stand & Deliver and things are getting more interesting. Last week’s Roadblock saw Tony D’Angelo crowned as the new #1 contender, with Trick Williams coming back to deal with Carmelo Hayes. That should set up a heck of a one two punch for the big show so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Roadblock recap.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: OTM vs. LWO

This is the first of three first round matches with the winners going on to a triple threat match for the title shot at Stand & Deliver. OTM jumps them from behind in the aisle and it’s Price taking over on del Toro inside. The LWO fights back and knock the villains outside for stereo dives. Back in and Wilde takes over on Nima, only to get caught on top. One heck of a one armed superplex gives Nima two as Baron Corbin/Bron Breakker are watching from the balcony.

We take a break and come back with del Toro coming in to strike away as commentary talks about the qualifying matches for the main roster Tag Team Titles. Del Toro sends Price into the corner with a bit of a sloppy headscissors, followed by a top rope missile dropkick for two. Everything breaks down and del Toro enziguris Price to the floor. That leaves Wilde to jump onto Nima’s back and WAY into the air for a crash onto Price, who has to run up to catch him. Back in and a springboard 450 gives Wilde the pin on Nima at 10:40.

Rating: B-. As usual, a power vs. speed match works rather well and that was the case here, with the LWO bringing a bit of main roster star power. Watching the high spots and big dives will always be entertaining and Price/Nima were there to throw the LWO around as well. Nice opener here as they didn’t break any new ground but played the formula rather spiffily.

Earlier today, Oba Femi arrived and almost got in a fight with Brooks Jensen (his challenger tonight). A bunch of people break it up, including Josh Briggs, with Jensen not being happy about it.

Thea Hail, with Chase U, is jealous about Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx hanging out without her but she has other friends. Cue Kelani Jordan, who will team with Hail tonight.

Here is Roxanne Perez to explain her actions last week. The sweet, innocent Perez is gone and her attacking Lyra Valkyria last week was the culmination of a year of frustration. She defeated Meiko Satomura last year and then collapsed, mainly because she carried this brand for a year. That came after carrying the weight of the women’s division in all kinds of matches but people would rather talk about Tiffany Stratton or Becky Lynch. Not that it matters as she is the most decorated woman in NXT history at 22 years old. Then she helped Lyra Valkyria but never got the rematch that she deserved.

Now everyone wants to cheer her, but where were the people when Indi Hartwell was holding her title? The NXT fans remind her of little innocent Roxanne Perez. What a difference a year makes: now it’s Valkyria riding away in an ambulance and now it’s time to vacate the title so Perez can be champion again. Cue Ava to say not so fast but here is Tatum Paxley to charge at Perez, only to be quickly broken up. That was a good, angry explanation from Perez, though her small stature and voice make the heel style a bit more difficult.

The D’Angelo Family welcomes Luca Crusifino, who has taken care of some things. Stacks played Trick Williams’ music last week and now Tony D’Angelo is off to Stand & Deliver. Ilja Dragunov comes in and everyone but Tony leaves. Dragunov says Tony has everything but the title and that isn’t changing at Stand & Deliver. D’Angelo says no matter what happens, he likes Dragunov, who is then put in a car and driven away by Stacks and Crusifino.

Lexis King vs. Mr. Stone

Stone slugs away to start and is quickly beaten down, with King working on the ribs. A knee to the ribs and a rake to the back set up an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Stone knocks him off the top, only to get hit in the face. The Coronation finishes Stone at 3:31.

Rating: C. This was more angle advancement than a match and that’s not a bad thing. King messing with Stone and Von Wagner is a way to go for him as he continues to be something of an agent of chaos. At the same time, anyone can get the idea of a villain messing with someone’s family, though it’s likely going to be Wagner doing the beating instead.

Post match the beatdown is on but Von Wagner runs in for the save.

Logan Paul announced Summerslam will be in Cleveland.

Oba Femi is ready to slaughter Brooks Jensen. Dijak comes in to say he’ll be here after Femi is done playing around.

Ridge Holland is training but stops to call his family.

North American Title: Brooks Jensen vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and Femi shoves him outside, followed by a headlock back inside. Femi beats on him up against the ropes but gets caught with a clothesline as we take a break. Back with Jensen dropkicking him to the floor and hitting an elbow off the apron.

They get back in, where Femi hits a pair of Irish Curses for two as Josh Briggs comes out to watch. Jensen fights up and hits a quick superkick into a powerslam for two. Femi shrugs that off and hits a backdrop, followed by a rather powerful toss. He does it again and Jensen is barely still in this. The pop up powerbomb plants Jensen but Femi looks at Briggs, setting up another powerbomb to retain the title at 11:42.

Rating: C+. This was more about Briggs and Jensen’s odd relationship and that could go in a few different directions. It would seem like they are destined to get back together and it wouldn’t stun me to see them in the title picture around Stand & Deliver. On the other hand you have Femi, who seems to be in for a match against Dijak sooner or later.

Briggs checks on Jensen post match.

The D’Angelo Family lets Ilja Dragunov out of the trunk on a bridge. Dragunov goes up to Tony D’Angelo, who says this wasn’t out of disrespect. The thing is Dragunov can’t just walk into D’Angelo’s restaurant uninvited. D’Angelo talks about bringing people to this bridge and leaving alone, but this isn’t one of those times. He can end everything with a snap of his fingers, so Dragunov tells him to show what he can do. D’Angelo says have a nice walk back and goes to leave, but Dragunov says he always finds a way. The Family leaves and Dragunov looks at the title.

Muhammad Ali is going into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Arianna Grace vs. Gigi Dolin

If Grace wins, Dolin has to be more like her. Grace works on a headlock to start but gets sent outside without much trouble. Back in and Dolin hits a dropkick as Booker wonders why they can’t get along. Grace sends her into the corner and stomps away before dropping an elbow for two. The chinlock goes on until Dolin fights up and hits an STO for two of her own. Grace grabs the tiara for a cheap shot but Dolin hits her low…for the DQ at 4:28 (Grace’s face is rather amusing).

Rating: C-. Slightly odd ending aside, that wasn’t the best match as Dolin’s star has fallen a long way. She’s barely done anything since Toxic Attraction broke up and now she is going to be stuck with Grace for a bit. Grace is slowly growing on me as a heel, but that might be due to her not talking here.

Karmen Petrovic is happy to have Sol Ruca back and Ruca wants Blair Davenport. Lola Vice comes in and gets in an argument with Petrovic. Brinley Reece comes in and is rather pleased with Ruca for breaking that up. Edris Enofe and Malik Blade come in to get Reece away. There was a lot in this one and good acting wasn’t part of it.

Kiana James/Izzy Dame vs. Thea Hail/Kelani Jordan

Hold on though as Kelani Jordan has been attacked so Hail is on her own. Cue Fallon Henley to be Hail’s partner (that’s who I thought she meant by having a friend earlier) and house is quickly cleaned. Henley takes James down and hits a springboard armdrag on Dame. Back up and Dame chokes her on the ropes before grabbing the neck crank.

Cue Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx, which has Hail rather annoyed on the apron. Henley fights up and brings Hail in to clean house as everything breaks down. Hail’s Kimura to James is broken up and Jayne pulls Henley out of the way of a cheap shot but Hail gets hit in the face instead. That leaves Jayne to Bankrupt Hail for the pin at 4:34.

Rating: C. I still don’t get the appeal of James and Dame as a team but at least they’re an established unit. They weren’t the focus here as this was about Jayne messing with Hail, which has to be coming to a head sooner or later. For now, it wasn’t a great match, but Henley was kept strong and that gives me hope for her future.

Post match Hail asks what Jayne is doing because this isn’t who Jayne used to be. Hail thought Jayne was cool and her best friend but Jayne doesn’t seem impressed. Hail ignored the bad things from Jayne and idolized her like a sister. She is done though because this is Jayne, who Hail doesn’t want to be. The old Thea Hail is back and she runs around the ring to the Chase U fight song. Oh this should be fun.

Riley Osborne is rather pleased in the back when the No Quarter Catch Crew interrupts. The Crew isn’t impressed and threaten the Catch Clause. Nathan Frazer and Axiom come in to talk about their success, with Axiom saying he’s close to the first champion (“What ever happened to that guy?”) and vague threats are made.

The Good Brothers are ready to win the Tag Team Titles because they don’t think much of Bron Breakker and Baron Corbin.

Hank Walker and Tank Ledger know no one is taking them seriously so they’re ready to go on to Stand & Deliver against the Wolf Dogs. Corbin and Breakker come in and give them something of a pep talk.

Ridge Holland vs. Shawn Spears

Holland powers him into the corner to start and knocks Spears down a few more times. A missed charge lets Spears chop and punch away in the corner before he sends Holland outside. Holland picks him up for a ram into the post and Spears tells him to do it, which has Holland second guessing himself. Instead Spears posts him and then gives him a lecture as we take a break.

Back with Holland fighting up but Spears ties him in the ropes. Spears yells about how Holland has let everyone, including his wife, down. Holland fights up and hammers away but seems scared of a DQ. Instead he sends Spears outside for a ram into the barricade before loading up the steps. A chokeslam through the announcers’ table leaves Spears laying, which isn’t a DQ. They go inside with Holland grabbing a chair but the referee takes it away and puts it in the corner for no logical reason. The C4 onto the chair gives Spears the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what I just watched. It was like some weird psychological experiment with a match going on in the background. The idea of Spears wanting Holland to embrace his inner violence makes sense, but this was an odd way to go about it. It’s different enough to overcome Spears’ limitations in the ring, but I’m not sure how long that is going to be the case.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He’s having trouble putting this into words but he wants to know why Carmelo Hayes did all this. Williams went to Shawn Michaels’ office because he wanted to be at Hayes’ level. He had no idea it was going to go like this but Trick Willy was born. Then someone attacked him and Hayes lied to his face about it. Hayes has been lying for a long time and now they are going to have a match at Stand & Deliver.

Cue the Meta Four, with Noam Dar finding this interesting. Williams tells him to stay out of this but Dar talks about how they have both lost something. Dar says he is here to steal Williams’ heat, with Williams saying Lash Legend seems to know Williams has heat too. The match is made for next week and the brawl is on, with Williams stopping to kiss Legend (who does not seem to mind one bit). Williams stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I really wasn’t feeling this show as the opener was the only good match, followed by a bunch of stuff that kind of came and went. The NXT Title match at Stand & Deliver got some build and we’re one step closer to Williams vs. Hayes, but a lot of the rest didn’t feel important. A sizable chunk of this show felt like it could have come at any time rather than less than a month away from Stand & Deliver and that’s off for NXT.

Results
LWO b. OTM – Springboard 450 to Nima
Lexis King b. Mr. Stone – Coronation
Oba Femi b. Brooks Jensen – Pop up powerbomb
Arianna Grace b. Gigi Dolin via DQ when Dolin hit her low
Kiana James/Izzy Dame b. Thea Hail/Fallon Henley – Bankrupt to Hail
Shawn Spears b. Ridge Holland – C4 onto a chair

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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