WWF WrestleMania XIV

If WrestleMania 13 set the stage for the Attitude Era, WrestleMania XIV is where the curtain rose. In the months after Survivor Series, the WWF became like a phoenix rising from the ashes of Montreal – Steve Austin set to finally ascend to the WWF Title at WrestleMania. With more and more fans getting behind Austin and his Attitude, anticipation was high – and it became the most commercially successful WrestleMania since the 1980s.

The show also marked a changing of the guard, as an injured Shawn Michaels wrestled what many believed to be his last match (and what would be his last until 2002) to pass the title and torch to Austin. Over the course of less than six months, two of the biggest stars of the 1990s (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels) were gone from the WWF, and still untested stars like Steve Austin, the Rock, and Triple H left to carry the promotion.

For me, it was a terrible time. Seeing Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels (two of the guys most responsible for my fandom) pushed aside so unceremoniously in such short order left a bad taste in my mouth, and I turned the TV off before the show was even over – having no interest in seeing Steve Austin win the WWF Title. While I would later get on board with Attitude, it would take the brilliant Steve Austin/Vince McMahon saga – the overarching storyline the WWF finally needed to counter WCW’s nWo angle – to do it.

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.


Opening #1 Contender's 15-Tag Team Battle Royal: This is team rules, so if your partner goes bye-bye, so do you. We've got: Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada, and Jesus Castillo), The Truth Commission, Chainz and Bradshaw, The Nation of Domination (Faarooq, Kama Mustafa, D-lo Brown, and Mark Henry), The Quebecers, The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Headbangers, Too Much, The Disciples of Apocalypse, The Godwinns, Steve Blackman and Flash Funk, LOD 2000, and The New Midnight Express. Standard punch-kick battle royal stuff, with random guys like Kurgan and Barry Windham doing run-ins (In a battle royal? Yep, it's the Vince Russo-era). It gets down to the New Midnight Express and the LOD - and the Express gang up on Hawk, but Animal makes the save, and we're done at 8:14. This was just a body count to put over the 'returning' (they had only been gone a few weeks - but had a new look, and now managed by perpetual tag team title slut Sunny) Legion of Doom. They would get their title shot the next month at Unforgiven - a losing effort against the New Age Outlaws. DUD

WWF Light Heavyweight Title Match: Taka Michinoku v Aguila: Big criss cross ends with Aguila catching him with a hiptoss, and a headscissors takedown puts the champ on the floor. Aguila follows with a baseball slide, and a flying moonsault leaves him dead for a countout - but the title doesn't change that way, so he goes to suplex him back in, only for Taka to counter into a dropkick, and a springboard bodypress. Sliding dropkick gets two, but he gets backdropped clean over the top off of a blind charge, and armdragged back in. Springboard version has Taka bailing, but Aguila is right on him with a corkscrew somersault plancha. Flying moonsault gets two on the way back in, and a headscissors off of the top - but he gets caught coming into the corner, and Taka blasts him with a missile dropkick. Powerbomb, but a flying moonsault misses, and Aguila with a cradle for two. Flying bodypress, but Taka meets him with dropkick on the way down, and the Michinoku Driver retains at 5:55. Fun, fast paced spotfest - but nothing more. **

WWF European Title Match: Triple H v Owen Hart: With Bret Hart (and the rest of the family) out of the promotion, revenge for Montreal was left on Owen's shoulders - first taking on the more obvious target of Shawn Michaels, before getting paired with HHH instead. Triple H, meanwhile, has his theme music played live by the DX Band as he makes his entrance. Owen charged right in with a double-leg takedown, and a backdrop - as Jim Ross wastes no time in noting that Owen has pinned Bret Hart. Ten-punch count and a rana for two, but he walks into a backelbow and they spill to the outside - HHH going into the guardrail. Back in, Hart with a spinebuster slam into the Sharpshooter, but HHH blocks, and hits a kneelift. Clothesline shifts the momentum the champions way, and a high knee gets two. Suplex and a kneedrop set up a DDT for two, and Triple H starts firing off shots at Owen's knee. Leglock, but Hart slugs free, and crotches the champ on the post. Missile dropkick gets two, and a well executed belly-to-belly suplex for two. Spinheel kick gets two, and Hunter Flair Flips his way into an enzuigiri for two. Another rana, but HHH counters with a powerbomb this time, but Owen counters a superplex attempt with a flying bodypress for two. Sharpshooter, but HHH shoves him off into the corner and tries the Pedigree, but Hart counters back into the Sharpshooter - though HHH makes the ropes. Meanwhile, valet Chyna blows Hart low, and the Pedigree finishes at 11:27. Technically fine - well paced, with lots of near falls - but Triple H was brutal to watch, plodding all over the place. He was already getting face pops here, and would officially turn the next night on RAW, unveiling the revamped Degeneration-X - though, I personally wasn't cheering, actually quite annoyed that Owen didn't get the title here. ** ¼  

Mixed Tag Team Match: Goldust and Luna v Marc Mero and Sable: The angle here had Mero getting increasingly jealous and physically hostile towards valet/wife Sable - upset at her popularity eclipsing his. Goldust and Luna only factored in in a nominal way. Goldust and Mero start, with Marc quickly catching him with a headscissors - sending Goldust scurrying to tag Luna. That brings Sable in, but Luna runs like the bully bitch she is, and tags Goldust back. Mero quickly backdrops him, and in comes Sable with a superkick - but Luna won't even get in, so we go back to Goldust/Mero. They end up in a double knockout, and that forces Luna to get in, with Goldust unable to stand. Sable pounces her immediately - going to the mat for a cat fight, and whipping her across the ring. Clothesline sends Luna over the top, and she quickly bails to a recovered Goldust. Sable decks him, too, before Mero tags back in for the TKO - but Goldust counters into a DDT for two. CurtainCall, but Mero counters into a kneelift, and hits a flying moonsault for two. Rana off the top rope gets two, and the TKO hits - but Luna breaks up the count at two, and here's Sable! Powerbomb for two, and she hits a TKO of her own for the pin at 9:11. People were really impressed with this at the time (mostly because no one expected much out of Sable), but it doesn't hold up - running into all the usual problems of mixed tag matches (can't cut the ring in half or properly build heat on anyone, because a tag automatically requires a switch on the other side, too), and was really all about Sable hitting a couple of moves, and popping the crowd. Mero looked good though - likely angling for a bigger push to save his failing comeback run. *

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: The Rock v Ken Shamrock: To prevent any shenanigans, if Rock gets himself disqualified, he loses the title here. And, since someone said 'shenanigans,' Gennifer Flowers serves as the guest ring announcer - following a brilliantly hilarious backstage interview with the Rock earlier in the show, where he describes what he'd do as 'ruler' of America. Shamrock, meanwhile, wastes no time charging in, and going ballistic on Rocky with kicks and punches to clear him to the floor. The champ decides to bail, but Shamrock beats him all the way back to the ring, and levels him with a lariat. Savate kick, but Rocky hooks the tights to dump his challenger to the floor, and whips him into the steps for good measure. Inside, he hits the People's Elbow for two, but ends up on the floor out of a blind charge – Shamrock clotheslining him again. He grabs a chair, but doesn't even bother hiding it from the referee, so Rocky has no trouble stealing it away from him for a shot of his own. He can't sway the momentum, though, and Ken blasts him with a backelbow and a leg lariat. Powerslam for two, and a belly-to-belly suplex sets up the Anklelock - Rock tapping at 4:49. Shamrock won't break the hold, however (apparently having learned nothing from his referee assignment the year before), and, indeed, the referee reverses the decision to keep the title on Rocky - ironically keeping the title by disqualification. Short and to the point - smart booking, considering these two were still too green to work longer matches without a more experienced star to carry them - and well paced as a result. ¾*

WWF Tag Team Title Dumpster Match: The New Age Outlaws v Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie: The Outlaws locked hardcore legends Jack and Charlie (Terry Funk) in a dumpster, and threw it off of a stage on RAW (in a great, memorable angle) to set this up - the winners here the first team able to lock the others in the dumpster, and shut the lid. Basically, a casket match for garbage wrestling. Jack and Charlie waste no time jumping the Outlaws in the aisle with weapons, but Cactus misses a somersault bodyblock off of the apron, and goes crashing into the side of the dumpster. That allows the Outlaws to double-team Charlie into the dumpster, but they can't get Cactus in - so they settle for Russian legsweeping him into the side. Jack comes back with a double-Mandible Claw, and Charlie starts firing off shots with a cookie tray. Jesse James takes a pair of neckbreakers and a DDT, as Jack finds a ladder under the ring to get the party started. He climbs, but Billy Gunn meets him at the top for a slugfest - only for Charlie to fall into the ladder, and send them both flying into the dumpster. They end up brawling to the backstage area, and Jack DDT's the Outlaws onto a wooden crate - which Charlie then lifts with a conveniently placed forklift to dump them into a random backstage dumpster for the win at 10:00. The Outlaws would win the titles back the next night on RAW (Jack and Charlie stripped of them for not using the 'official' dumpster - since one Dusty Finish wasn't enough for WrestleMania) - joining Degeneration-X in the process, and rocketing to superstardom. Match was just a chaotic brawl - though certainly not boring, and some great bumps from Cactus Jack. *

The Undertaker v Kane: This was Kane's introductory angle, as the Undertaker's demented half-brother, brought back by Paul Bearer to avenge the deaths of his parents - which he blamed on the Undertaker. Pete Rose serves as the guest ring announcer, but insults the crowd instead of ring announcing, and ends up getting Tombstoned by Kane - kicking off what would be a WrestleMania tradition. Obligatory staredown to start, into a 'Taker-won slugfest - though Kane no sells it all, and won’t even play along with the ropewalk spot! Kane hangs him in a tree of woe, and, um, woe ensues before they spill to the floor for Kane to abuse him with the ring steps, including just launching them off of his ribs like a basketball in one cool spot. Suplex back in, and a chokeslam off of a criss cross gets two. Chinlock, and a leaping elbowdrop, but unfortunately, he gets dumped. Undertaker follows with a missed plancha - Kane guiding him right through the Spanish announce table. Back in, Kane with a flying clothesline for two, and the Tombstone - but it only gets two. He gets desperate, unloading on ‘Taker with closed fists - but loses the resulting slugfest, and 'Taker chokeslams him. Tombstone only gets two – though I had already turned off the TV midway through this, so I was less shocked than the crowd. ‘Taker with another Tombstone, but still only two! Flying clothesline, but Kane's no-selling, so he gets a third Tombstone for his troubles – and that does it at 16:50. They must have had insane confidence in the Kane character to let him kick out of not one, but two tombstones – which was pretty much unheard of at the time. In fact, though 'the Streak' wasn't something people discussed yet, this was probably where it was most in jeopardy up to that point. The match was perfectly fine, and seemed like the completion of Vince McMahon's dream Undertaker v Undertaker match from SummerSlam ’94 – only with more developed move sets, as ‘Taker had advanced beyond working the zombie  gimmick by this point. ** ¼

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Steve Austin: Mike Tyson acts as the special guest enforcer - one of the WWE's most effective and memorable uses of celebrity over the years. Shawn's back is so bad (the result of a bad bump during his casket match with the Undertaker at the Royal Rumble) that just climbing into the ring looks to be a grueling ordeal. Shawn manages to get off a few jabs at the bell, but that just triggers a chase, and Austin levels him with a lariat then literally kicks his ass. Backdrop sends Shawn crashing into Triple H on the floor, but Hunter manages to ram Austin into the steps while they're out there - only for the referee to eject them from the building. The damage is done, however, and Michaels dives out with a flying axehandle before brawling with Austin over to the entrance area. He whacks Steve with a drum (like, a literal drum - left over from the DX Band playing him out), but gets gut-punched trying a flying axehandle back in. Visually impressive Flair Flip looks like it about shatters what’s left of Michaels' back, and Austin with an inverted atomic drop for two. Shawn in legitimate pain, Austin slows things down with a wristlock at center ring, and stunguns the champion for two. Stunner, but Shawn bails into the ropes to block, so Austin simply decks him out onto the floor. Shot into the steps gets two, and Austin hooks a chinlock. Shawn counters with a chincrusher, and they spill to the floor again - Austin ending up getting backdropped into the crowd. He beats the count in, so Michaels mounts him with punches, but has trouble moving around - the back really fucked. Austin manages to spear him as we jaws with the fans, and back out they go - this time Michaels managing to post the challenger's bad knee. Shawn fires off shots at it, but Austin counters a figure four, and schoolboys him for two. He can't sway the momentum, however, and Shawn goes back to bashing the knee. Figure four, but Austin reverses, and this time manages to follow-up with a slingshot into the post for two. Shawn tries a sleeper to slow him down, but the referee gets bumped as Austin breaks, and Steve stunguns him again before stomping a mud hole. Backdrop, but Michaels blasts him with a forearm coming out of the ropes (not even able to properly dive the way he usually does), and he toughs out a flying elbowdrop. Superkick, but Austin ducks into the Stunner, and Mike Tyson rolls in to count the fall himself at 20:02. Luckily, they didn't switch the title back the next night on RAW 'cause Tyson wasn't the official referee, or some bullshit. Afterwards, Michaels gets in Tyson's face about counting the fall (Mike had aligned himself with DX during the buildup), and gets himself knocked out as a result, and poetically covered over in an 'Austin 3:16' t-shirt - riding into the sunset (or in his case, downward spiral) of forced retirement. For Shawn Michaels it was the karmic ending to a brilliant and controversial career – finally having gotten rid Bret Hart less than six months earlier, only to get put out to pasture himself, and in turn, miss out on the WWF’s commercial peak. As a match, not as good as their previous effort at King of the Ring the year before, though this one is better remembered for its historical significance - both as Austin's title win, and the last match of Michaels' first run. That said, it's more of a performance than a match - Shawn putting in an extremely brave effort, and putting Austin over cleanly to kick off a new era. ** ½

BUExperience: Certainly a very historically significant, well remembered show – though it tends to be overrated. It’s mostly a bunch of decent matches, but nothing particularly great, and two Dusty Finishes on the biggest show of the year, to boot. That being said, it is extremely historically significant, and has a fun atmosphere – but not much beyond that. Still, this is where the Attitude Era kicked into gear – the momentum of Austin’s title win leaving the WWF only weeks away from overtaking WCW in the Monday Night Wars for the first time since 1996 – and changing the wrestling landscape forever. **