WWF WrestleMania XIV (Version II)

Original Airdate: March 29, 1998

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 and Miguel Perez; Jose Estrada and Jesus Castillo), Recon and Sniper, Chainz and Bradshaw, The Nation of Domination (Faarooq and Kama Mustafa; D-lo Brown and Mark Henry), The Quebecers, The Rock 'n' Roll Express, The Headbangers, Brian Christopher and Scott Taylor, The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull and 8-Ball), The Godwinns, Steve Blackman and Flash Funk, The New Midnight Express, and LOD 2000 (as surprise entrants, now managed by Sunny). Chainz and Bradshaw are a team now? Interesting note here, the first five or six rows on the side where the hard camera is are set up with tables, filled with press covering the event. It can’t be understated how important the Mike Tyson deal was in the WWF’s renaissance. We get down to the Midnight’s and the LOD, and the LOD shrug them off for the win at 8:20. This wasn’t good, but it got a lot of guys that I wouldn’t want to see doing anything else a spot on the show. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WWF Light Heavyweight Title Match: Taka Michinoku v Aguila: Criss cross to start, won by Aguila with a spinheel kick to send Taka to the outside. Aguila is on him with a baseball slide, and a flying moonsault press connects on the floor. Taka beats the count, so Aguila tries a suplex, but Taka lands on his feet, and sends Aguila to the outside with a dropkick. That allows Taka a springboard flying bodypress into the aisle, and a cross corner forearm connects on the way back in. Snapmare sets up a pair of seated dropkicks for two, but a charge ends in the champ getting backdropped over the top. Aguila armdrags him off the top to bring it back in, and a springboard armdrag follows, sending Taka back to the outside. Aguila is on him with a corkscrew suicide dive, so Taka tries a dive on the way back in, but misses. That allows Aguila a flying moonsault press for two, so Taka goes to the middle with a splash, but Aguila blocks. Aguila with a headscissors off the top for two, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Taka dives with a missile dropkick. He goes for the scoop sitout brainbuster, but Aguila blocks. He tries a rana, but Taka counters with a sitout powerbomb - only to miss a flying moonsault. That allows Aguila a magistral cradle for two, but a dive gets blocked with a dropkick, and Taka drills him with the scoop sitout brainbuster at 5:58. It felt like they were having some communication issues, but this was a fun (if spotty) match. ** ½ (Original rating: **)

WWF European Title Match: Triple H v Owen Hart: Chyna is handcuffed to Commissioner Slaughter for this. Owen attacks to kick start the match, and a corner whip rebounds HHH into a backdrop. Hart with a ten-punch count in the corner, and a rana gets the challenger two. Irish whip, but HHH reverses, and catches him with a backelbow. Owen bails, so Chyna goes after him, but Slaughter anchors her. HHH goes out himself, but Hart sends him into the guardrail before Hunter can do much, and Hart uses a spinebuster into a Sharpshooter on the way back in, but HHH goes to the eyes to block. Backdrop, but HHH uses a kneeling facebuster to block, and a clothesline connects. Hunter unloads in the corner from there, and a high knee gets the champion two. Vertical suplex gets two, and a kneedrop follows. Back into the corner for another pounding, but Hart responds in kind, only to hit the boot on a charge. That allows Helmsley a DDT for two, and he goes to work on Owen’s bad ankle. Owen manages to crotch him on the post to buy some time, and he capitalizes with a missile dropkick for two. Overhead belly-to-belly suplex gets him another two, and a spinheel kick is worth two. Cross corner whip leads to a leg-feed enzuigiri for two, but Hart aggravates the ankle in the process, and HHH powerbombs him for two. Superplex, but Hart blocks, and dives with a flying bodypress for two. Cross corner whip, but HHH reverses, and nearly gets the Pedigree, but Hart counters to the Sharpshooter. Hunter blocks, so Hart delivers a headbutt drop to the groin for two. Pedigree, but Owen blocks again, and a reversal sequence ends in him applying the Sharpshooter! HHH makes the ropes (with Chyna’s help), so Hart hammers him with mounted punches. Meanwhile, Chyna blinds Slaughter with a handful of powder, allowing her to drill Owen with a low blow, and HHH is there with a Pedigree at 11:31. I wish the ankle factored into the finish, but this was a fun match regardless. ** ½ (Original rating: ** ¼)

Mixed Tag Team Match: Goldust and Luna Vachon v Marc Mero and Sable: Goldust and Mero start, and Marc uses a headscissors takedown, followed by a clothesline, so Goldust tags out. Luna wants Mero, but those aren’t the rules, and in comes Sable. Sable chases her around, and Luna tags out before any contact is made. The crowd is very hot for Sable here. Marc with a backdrop, and he passes back to Sable to superkick Goldust! Luna won’t get in, so Sable is forced to pass back to Marc, and Mero cross corner whips Goldust, but runs into a boot on the charge. Goldust adds a clothesline, and he drops Marc across the top rope. Ropechoke allows Luna to abuse him a bit, but a criss cross goes Marc’s way with a bodypress for two. Backdrop, but Goldust blocks, as the crowd chants for Sable. Another criss cross results in a double knockout spot, and both tag out - this time Sable managing to take Luna down before she can run away again! Sable with mounted punches, and she unloads in the corner, then snapmares her. Clothesline sends Luna over the top, and Sable demands that she get her ass back inside. Luna obliges, but immediately tags, so Sable punches Goldust right in the jaw! He bails, and Marc is on him with a whip into the steps out there. He tries a slingshot splash on the way back in, but Goldust blocks, so Marc uses a low blow. TKO, but Goldust counters with a DDT for two. Curtain call, but Mero blocks, and delivers a kneelift to set up a flying moonsault press for two. Corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and Goldust goes upstairs - only to get crotched before he can dive. That allows Mero a rana off the top for two, so Luna tries a cheap shot, but it backfires, and Marc schoolboys for two. TKO looks to finish, but Luna breaks the count at two. Sable responds by covering Goldust herself, so Luna tries a flying splash to save, but ends up landing on Goldust. That allows Sable a powerbomb on Luna for two, but Luna turns it around with a ropechoke. Straddling version misses, however, and Sable delivers her own TKO for the pin at 9:10. This was a total spectacle match, and that’s fine. It was fun, gave the crowd what they wanted, and delivered on the angle. * ¾ (Original rating: *)

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Rock v Ken Shamrock: Gennifer Flowers acts as the guest ring announcer for this, and the title can change hands by disqualification here. Shamrock charges in to kick start the match, and blitzes the champion, ending in Rock going over the top via clothesline. Rock decides to bail up the aisle, but Shamrock chases after him, and continue to dominate on the way back into the ring. Rock dumps him to the outside to buy time, and the champ follows to whip Ken into the steps out there. Inside, Rock uses a bodyslam to set up the elbowdrop for two, but a charge goes sideways when Shamrock sidesteps, Rock flying out of the ring. Ken drags him back in, but loses hold of a chair in the process, and Rock brains him for two. Rock’s chair shots were always sick. Ken gets fired up and makes a comeback, and a powerslam gets him two. Belly-to-belly suplex sets up the anklelock, and Rock taps at 4:50. Not the best match, and felt kind of quick for the angle that supported it, but it was all action. Afterwards, Shamrock won’t release the hold, and ends up beating up the officials until the decision ends up getting reversed, allowing Rock to retain. ¾* (Original rating: ¾*)

WWF Tag Team Title Dumpster Match: The New Age Outlaws v Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie: Brawl on the outside right away, with the challengers dominating. The Outlaws manage to turn it around, and cue the crazy bumping from Jack right away. I’ve never seen a dude just so eager to go out there and wreck his body. They get the challengers into the dumpster, but fail to shut the lid in time, and Jack pops out with the mandible claw. That stuns the Outlaws for a moment, and Charlie pops out with a cookie sheet to knock them loopy. Inside, Jack hits Jesse James with a swinging neckbreaker, and Charlie delivers a standard version. Jack dives from the apron with an elbowdrop on Billy Gunn on the floor, and Charlie hits Jesse with a DDT in the ring. Jack brings a ladder into the ring, and Cactus climbs to try a dive, but Gunn follows him up the side to slug it out. That ends in Charlie crashing into the ladder, and both guys take a fall into the dumpster. Jesse pulls Billy out and looks to dump Charlie in, but Jack is out before they can do so. They end up powerbombing Charlie into the dumpster, but Jack is heading up the aisle. The Outlaws chase, and those three end up going backstage, as Charlie recovers in the dumpster. Backstage, the Outlaws catch up to Jack, and beat him down a hallway. Charlie comes over to save, and they end up pounding both of the Outlaws onto a pallet - Charlie then using a forklift to dump them into a dumpster for the win at 10:01. This wasn’t especially good, but these garbage brawls were still sort of novel at the time, and the bumps were good enough to make it interesting. * (Original rating: *)

Undertaker v Kane: Pete Rose plays the guest ring announcer, and gets tombstoned by Kane, starting something of an Attitude Era WrestleMania tradition. Slugfest to start, won by Undertaker. Undertaker goes to work, but Kane keeps anticipating his moves, and he ties Undertaker in a tree of woe. Kane with a corner whip and a corner clothesline, and he drops Undertaker front-first across the top rope, then dives off the top to knock him to the outside. Undertaker beats the count, so Kane unloads on him in the corner. Undertaker tries a victory roll, but Kane drops down to block, and they spill to the outside, where Kane drops him across the rail. Kane drops the steps on him next, before suplexing him back into the ring for more abuse in the corner. Chokeslam gets two when Kane pulls him up, and he delivers an elbowdrop. Headlock, but Undertaker drops him across the top rope to break, and a big boot knocks Kane out of the ring. Undertaker is on him with a suicide dive, but Kane sidesteps, and Undertaker crashes through the announce table! Kane lands a flying clothesline for two on the way back in, and a tombstone gets two. Undertaker recovers with a series of punches, and a chokeslam of his own leads to a tombstone for two. Undertaker stays focused with a legdrop, and he delivers a second tombstone for another two. Undertaker responds with a flying clothesline of his own, but Kane sits up before a cover can be made. Undertaker responds to that with another tombstone, and that’s finally enough at 16:57. This had a few moments, but overall was too long for what they were able to deliver between the ropes. ¾* (Original rating: ** ¼)

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Steve Austin: Mike Tyson is the special outside enforcer for this one, and there’s a definite big match feel here. This feels important, the exact opposite of the dead-on-arrival Sid/Undertaker main from the year before. Posturing to start, as they square off. Shawn annoys him, leading to a chase, and Steve wins a criss cross with a clothesline. Austin with a pair of turnbuckle smashes, so Shawn tries running again, but Steve backdrops him over the top - right onto Triple H! Austin chases to the outside, but a recovering HHH sends him into the rail, so the referee boots him and Chyna from ringside. Michaels is none too pleased, but he stays focused with a flying axehandle on the floor, and hits his challenger with a clothesline in the aisle. Michaels grabs a drum from the stage where the live band played him out to the ring to nail Steve with next, and he whips Austin into the dumpster left over from the tag title match. Shawn tries another flying axehandle on the way in, but Steve blocks, and Austin cross corner whips him - Michaels taking a hard bump on the flip, and messing up his already messed up back. That was nasty. Steve with an inverted atomic drop for two, and Shawn is clearly not in good shape now. Honestly, trying that bump was a stupid move, but then, Michaels was all about stupid moves at that point. Steve with a hotshot for two, but Michaels blocks the stunner, and bails to the apron. Austin responds by punching him off of the apron, and Michaels takes a bump into the announce table. Steve follows to the outside to feed HBK the steps, and Michaels is moving much slower now than he was earlier. That he’s moving at all is something of a miracle, though. Steve with a pointed elbowdrop for two on the way back in, and he grounds the champion in a chinlock. Michaels manages to escape with a jawbreaker, and he tries crotching Steve on the post, but Austin reverses him into it. Steve tries a charge, but Michaels blocks with a backdrop, sending Steve into the first row. Michaels nails him with the ring bell as Austin tries climbing back over, and Shawn is moving very, very slowly and awkwardly at this point. Back inside, Michaels delivers an axehandle, and he grounds Steve for some mounted punches, looking like he’s in absolute agony all the while. Shawn with a turnbuckle smash ahead of more mounted punches, but he wastes time playing to the fans, and Steve tosses him over the top. Shawn sweeps the challenger down from there, and this time manages to bash Austin’s knee into the post a few times. Inside, Michaels works the leg in slow fashion, limited by his back. Steve tries a schoolboy for two, but Michaels goes right back to the leg to cut him off. Steve bails, but Shawn is on him with a baseball slide, and Tyson rolls him back in - where Michaels is waiting with a chopblock. Figure four, and Michaels uses the ropes for leverage, but Tyson doesn’t put a stop to it. Austin manages a reversal, but Shawn is in the ropes, so Steve uses a catapult into the corner for two. Michaels tries a sleeper to cut off a potential comeback, and the referee gets sandwiched in the corner as Steve fights free. That allows Austin a hotshot into the top turnbuckle, and he makes a comeback. Shawn’s pinball selling is not what it usually is here, though understandably so. He’s moving like he has weights in his boots. Shawn manages to win a criss cross with a ‘jumping’ forearm (he could barely get off his feet with it), but he somehow guys out a kipup. Michaels goes upstairs with a flying elbowdrop, and he sets up the superkick, but Austin ducks. Stunner, but Michaels blocks. Back to the superkick, but Steve blocks again, and successfully delivers the stunner - Tyson rushing in to count the pin in place of the downed referee at 20:02. This was a good match (especially when considering the injuries involved), but you can’t help but feel a little disappointed when imagining what this would have been like with both guys healthier. Or, at least, even with Michaels at 100%. And, yeah, there’s that King of the Ring match, but that was a different deal, and you know that someone like Michaels would have turned it up to eleven on this stage. It still absolutely felt like a satisfying main event level match anyway, and keeping Tyson’s involvement limited was smart booking. Ironically, the guy who was known for show stealing performances turned in perhaps his most impressive performance here in one of his least impressive big stage matches. Afterwards, Austin and Tyson literally burying Shawn in an Austin 3:16 shirt provides a poetic finish to the first half of his career. *** ½ (Original rating: ** ½)

BUExperience: There are definitely better cards for pure wrestling out there, but this was one hell of a spectacle, and really worked as a WrestleMania. Almost every match felt important, the event built to a crescendo, and it felt like something you’d hate to miss. I mean, it felt truly cool in a way that the WWF hadn’t felt in a long, long time before this. Like, even a celebrity filled event like WrestleMania XI still felt like just a wrestling event where the celebs were openly slumming it, this felt like a happening in a way the early Rock ‘n’ Wrestling stuff did.

To put this into perspective, the show features two Dusty Finishes, and still somehow feels satisfying. That’s no small feat. 

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