WWF WrestleMania All Day Long (April 2, 2000)

 

Original Airdate: April 2, 2000

Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Ivory from the Anaheim Convention Center

Kevin Kelly and Lilian Garcia check in from the Arrowhead Pond, where the arena is all set up, but empty. They have a ladder sitting in the middle of the ring, so maybe they were looking to work out spots for later. Not Kevin and Lilian, though

Various talking heads reflect back on the first WrestleMania. Vince McMahon talks about the financial risk of the undertaking. Gerald Brisco about handling the promotions for the closed circuit locations around the southeast. Howard Finkel about what it was like being in the office when Vince was forcing this idea on everyone

Video package of highlights from the first WrestleMania 

Brisco talks about what all the ‘old timers’ thought of Rock ‘n’ Wrestling. There were celebrities and wrasslers. And they were, like, together

WWF Women's Title Match: Leilani Kai v Wendi Richter: From WrestleMania I. They fight over the initial lockup, and Richter powers her down for a hammerlock on the mat. Kai rips at the hair to escape, and grabs a wristlock, but Wendi slugs free, so Kai snapmares her over for a blatant choke. Richter counters with a bodyscissors, but Kai powers out, so Richter cradles her for two. That whole sequence was sloppy, and looked horribly amateurish. Kai with another snapmare, but she misses a charge into the corner, so Fabulous Moolah attacks her from the floor. That cues Cyndi Lauper for the save, but the damage is done, and Kai nails Richter with a big boot. She goes for the kill, but Richter rolls through a flying bodypress to win the title at 6:14. The match was garbage, but as a payoff to the Rock 'n' Wrestling stuff that set it up, it was great. ¼*

Cole and Ivory take the time to remind us that Lauper was actually a big star back in 1985. It’s incredible how much changed between 1985 and 2000. I feel like most of the big stars from 2010 are still very recognizable in 2025. The shelf life is very different today

A look at the media exposure for the Hulk Hogan/Mr. T versus Roddy Piper/Paul Orndorff main event

Hulk Hogan and Mr. T v Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff: From WrestleMania I. Billy Martin acts as the guest ring announcer (remember when those were a thing?), Liberace is the guest timekeeper (those too), Muhammad Ali is the special guest enforcer, and Pat Patterson acts as the referee. Hogan starts with Orndorff, but wants Piper instead. The heels actually oblige, but now Mr. T is chomping at the bit, and demands a tag. Hulk obliges, so Piper slaps Mr. T across the face. Mr. T responds in kind, so Roddy takes him down in a waistlock, but Mr. T escapes! Mr. T scoops him up for an airplane spin, but Piper freaks out and attacks - triggering a four-way brawl. Orton tries to get involved as well, but Ali hops into the ring to stop him, and damned if he isn't really swinging! The heels decide to walk out, but Hulk begs Patterson not to count them out, and he and T blitz them upon their return. The dust settles on Hogan and Piper, and Hulk delivers an atomic drop, then chokes away. The wide angle here is really annoying, but I guess they wanted Mr. T in the shot the whole time, or something. Hulk and T take turns beating on Piper, and Hogan puts him on the floor with a big boot, but gets clobbered by Orndorff, and the heels cut the ring in half. They destroy him, but Orndorff misses a flying elbowdrop, and Hulk gets the tag! Mr. T is a backlot of fire, but quickly gets overwhelmed against the two experienced grapplers, and taken down. Piper holds a front-facelock, but T manages to use his raw power to fall into a tag back to a recharged Hogan. A brawl breaks out, and Orton interferes - only to end up clobbering Paul with his cast covered arm for Hulk to pin at 13:33. The match wasn't anything particularly special, but it was energetic, well booked, and a veritable who's who of 80s celebrity. If I was buying this show in 1985, I would have absolutely felt that I'd gotten my money's worth out of this. * ¾

Cole and Ivory check out the Rock and Kane racecars that are on display for the fan festival today

Pat Patterson reflects back on Orndorff threatening to knock Ali out at one point, which feels like the craziest thing anyone could ever decide to try. Kerwin Silfies remembers how trendy wrestling was in 1985, with the theater crowd coming to the matches instead of going to see musicals or plays. Meanwhile, McMahon remembers that he felt depressed after the show, because he didn’t know what he could do to top it

McMahon reflects on deciding to do three venues for the second WrestleMania, in an effort to top themselves. Brisco thought it was biting off a lot

Video package on WrestleMania 2

Fabulous Moolah joins Cole and Ivory, thinking back on the territory system

WWF Women's Title Match: Fabulous Moolah v Velvet McIntyre: From WrestleMania 2. They’re highlighting a surprising amount of women’s matches here. Well, I guess they figured they’d better get them in, because I think this was the last women’s match at a WrestleMania until 1994. Moolah blitzes her with a series of snapmares at the bell, but Velvet manages to win a sloppy criss cross with an equally sloppy pair of dropkicks. Bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope splash, but Moolah dodges and gets the pin at 0:59 - despite Velvet having her foot on the ropes. DUD

Back at the Convention Center, Moolah clarifies that she always carried herself like a lady, even when she’d work three times in a day, with a $5 payoff

Randy Savage/George Steele feud review video

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v George Steele: From WrestleMania 2. Lots of stalling at the bell, as Savage runs away. He lures Steele into a chase to try and take the high ground, but gets caught, and George tries eating his leg. Inside, Steele tosses him around a bit, but gets distracted by Elizabeth, and tied up in the ropes. Savage with an ugly flying bodypress (Steele was out of position) for two, and George tosses him out of the ring. I don't think he quite understands the finer points, that one. His attention is drawn to Liz again, however, and Randy is able to sneak attack with a high knee. More biting from the challenger turns the tide, and he beats Savage with a bouquet of flowers. ECW, ECW, ECW! Steele rips into a turnbuckle and beats Macho with the stuffing... which somehow works. No sillier than a bouquet of flowers, I guess. On the floor, Steele gets distracted by Liz again, which allows Savage a flying axehandle, and he bodyslams him on the way back in. Flying Elbowdrop hits, but only gets two. Who is he, the Ultimate Warrior? Steele mounts a comeback, but gets suckered into the corner, and Randy cradles him with two feet on the ropes for leverage to retain at 7:08. I know this feud did good business, and it's entertaining from a character standpoint, but man, the matches were always the shits. DUD

Roddy Piper/Mr. T feud review video

Boxing Match: Roddy Piper v Mr. T: From WrestleMania 2. Three minute rounds here. This acts as the main event of the New York portion - with Joan Rivers as the guest ring announcer, Burger King's 'Herb' as the time keeper, and special judges G. Gordon Liddy, Cab Calloway, and Darryl Dawkins at ringside. T also brings Joe Frazier as his corner man, while Piper has Lou Duva.

ROUND ONE: Do I really HAVE TO cover this one again? I mean, I know it worked as an angle, but man, even as a kid I hated sitting through this match. And I had a lot more patience for this crap when I was a kid, believe me. Nothing much to the first round, as they putter around for the bulk of the duration, until getting caught up in the corner with about thirty seconds left, and stay there until time expires.

ROUND TWO: Lots of sizing each other up here, until Piper starts throwing haymakers, but gets dodged by T. Piper gets a knock down with about a minute left, but T beats the count. Piper stays on him, and gets another knock down as the round ends.

ROUND THREE: T comes out hot, and knocks Piper down in the corner in short order, but Roddy beats the count. I can't believe that, even well into the 90s, people actually thought this might have been a shoot. Even at the wide angle, it looks completely phony. T with a big jab to knock Piper out of the ring, but he beats the count in, and manages to fight T off until the round ends.

ROUND FOUR: Piper throws a stool at him as the round starts (as in, the thing they sit on with their butts, not the stuff that comes out of their butts, to be clear), and both guys trade big shots - T controlling. T corners him, so Piper resorts to a bodyslam, and that's a disqualification at 10:17. While I appreciate the angle, and I appreciate the spectacle they were going for, this one just doesn't do it for me. Never has and never will. DUD 

Triple H, Howard Finkel, Marty Miller (a cameraman) share what working at WrestleMania means to them

Kerwin reflects on Vince being determined to fill the Pontiac Silverdome for WrestleMania III. Brisco, by this point, had come around, and actually wasn’t skeptical that they’d get the people in there

Highlights of WrestleMania III

McMahon thinks back on the pride he felt at WrestleMania III, particularly how proud he was of Andre the Giant for what he did for the business. And, with tears in his eyes, Vince thinks back on feeling his late father’s presence in the ring when opening the show

Aretha Franklin sings America the Beautiful at WrestleMania III

Kevin Kelly is with Linda McMahon at the Pond, who immediately puts me to sleep as she reflects on… something… and tries to hype… something else

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v Ricky Steamboat: From WrestleMania III. They measure each other to start, and Dragon keeps his cool, frustrating Savage. Steamboat dumps him to the outside after a pair of armdrags, so Randy forces him to chase, and Macho nails him from the high ground on the way in. Macho with a ropechoke for two, and he pops Ricky with an elbowsmash. A corner charge misses, allowing Steamboat to go after the arm that Randy just ran into the buckles, but Macho escapes an armbar with a well placed backelbow. Randy tosses his challenger over the top from there, and he delivers a kneedrop for two on the way back in. Turnbuckle smash, but Ricky reverses, and gets Macho tied up in the ropes to unload on. Steamboat with a bodypress for two, and a shoulderblock gets two. Another shoulderblock for two, but Macho dodges a third one, and throws a high knee. That allows Randy to toss him over the top again, but Steamboat skins the cat this time - only to get clotheslined right back over by the champion. Randy follows with another high knee, this one sending Steamboat into the crowd. George Steele comes out to help him back to ringside so the challenger can beat the count - so Randy responds by launching him right back over the top! Savage adds a flying axehandle on the floor this time, and he rolls Ricky in to hit with another one. Savage with an elbowsmash for two, and a snap across the top rope gets another two. Macho with an atomic drop for two, and a vertical suplex is worth two. Elbowsmash, but Dragon throws punches, so Macho goes to the eyes. That allows him a gutwrench suplex for two, but Steamboat keeps swinging. Macho tries a side suplex, but Steamboat blocks. Steamboat tries a backdrop, but Savage blocks - only to get backdropped over the top while charging for a follow up. Monsoon and Ventura’s banter here is incredible, and adds so much. Steamboat hustles the champion back in to hit with a flying tomahawk chop for two, and a knife-edge chop is worth two. The crowd is hanging on their every move here. Steamboat with chops until Macho bails, and he tries suckering Steamboat into getting clobbered from the high ground, but Ricky is ready for it this time with a slingshot sunset flip for two. A schoolboy gets another two, and a somersault cradle is worth two. A small package gets two, and a bodyslam leads to a catapult into the corner! That allows Ricky a sunset cradle for two, and a rollup is worth two - reversed by Savage for two. Steamboat pounds him, so Savage grabs the tights, and sends him into the corner to buy time. Macho tries a cross corner whip, but it gets reversed back into the original corner, and the referee gets bumped. Savage puts Steamboat down as well, and goes up for the flying elbowdrop, but there’s no referee to count the pin! Savage decides to grab the ring bell to finish Steamboat off all the way, but Steele intervenes, shoving Macho off the top before he can use it. Meanwhile, Steamboat is recovering, so Macho tries to bodyslam him, but the champ is still dazed, and Ricky manages to roll through the slam into a cradle at 14:26. Hardly a hot take to say that this is still outstanding. It started off with the usual low key stuff, but once it got going, it really got going. The nearfall trading was something really special, and this absolutely holds up as a classic. **** ¾

Chris Jericho gushes about how great Savage/Steamboat was, and reflects on what it meant to him personally, as it showed that smaller guys could steal the show

Cole is on the Convention Center floor with Stacey Pauly from Jakks Pacific, who talks about the history of action figures, complete with a look at the old LJN and Hasbro figures on display

Video on how the current ‘real scan’ Jakks action figures are created. With lasers!

Vince, again, reflects on how selfless Andre was for putting Hulk Hogan over. He did it to honor Vince’s dad!

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Andre the Giant: From WrestleMania III. Bob Uecker acts as the guest ring announcer, and Mary Hart as the guest timekeeper. The big, epic staredown to start, and Hogan throws right hands. He goes for the slam early, but Andre topples him for a two count. That slows Hulk way down, and Andre goes to work. He delivers a pair of bodyslams, then a pair of corner whips, as Hulk struggles. Andre misses a headbutt in the corner, allowing Hulk to throw a few rights, and a running forearm smash gets Andre wobbly. Hogan chops him in the corner, and a series of turnbuckle smashes rattle the challenger, but Hulk runs into a boot. That allows Andre a bearhug, and Hulk fades, before finally slugging free. Hulk with a pair of shoulderblocks to stagger the challenger, but a charge for a third gets blocked with a chop. That allows Andre a big boot to send Hogan to the outside, and Andre follows him for a big chop on the floor. Headbutt, but Hulk dodges, and Andre hits the post. That buys Hogan the time to pull up the floor mats, and he tries a piledriver on the floor, but Andre backdrops him to block. That whole spot looked stupid. Stupid because who could believe Hulk could do it, and then the execution of the backdrop was terrible. Inside, Andre misses another big boot, allowing Hogan to rebound with a clothesline so big that it takes Andre off of his feet for the first time! Hulk delivers a bodyslam as they get up, and the legdrop finishes at 11:54! What can you really say? It’s not a great match, but no one was honestly expecting it to be. It delivered, it drew - the nose plays. ¼*

Silfies thinks that both Hogan and Andre were larger than life, though he’s very diplomatic in talking about the quality of the actual match. But, Andre was proud of it, and it meant a lot to him. Pat Patterson remembers sitting in the crowd for the main event, just to feel the crowd, and how incredible it was

Andre the Giant tribute video. This is the same one they played a million times around 1993-1995, and even has the same bumpers. Lazy

Hillbilly Jim is at the home video booth at Convention Center, and he remembers what a great dude Andre was

Six-Man Mixed Tag Team Match: King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook, and Little Tokyo v Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, and Haiti Kid: From WrestleMania III. Bob Uecker sits in on commentary for this one, and he’s very excited about ‘all of the beaver’ in the building. The little guys do their usual comedy spots to start, until Bundy tags in. Beaver and Kid decide to antagonize him instead of switching off with Jim, but he shows mercy as they throw tiny dropkicks. Bundy manages to get Jim in a front-facelock, so Beaver comes in to bite him. Bundy lets it slide, but Beaver does it again, and Bundy has had it. He bodyslams Beaver, and hits him with an elbowdrop for the DQ at 4:09. Hey, they pushed him to that. Beaver had it coming. DUD

Hillbilly reflects back on working with all the little guys at WrestleMania III, and hypes all the ‘DVDs’ being released, whatever those are 

Patterson thinks back on what the scene at the airport was like the day after WrestleMania III. It was a scene, man

Rock thinks performing at WrestleMania is everything to a wrestler, and means more than the Crockett Cup or even SuperBrawl. Noted. Meanwhile, Chris Tafuri thinks back on working as a cameraman at WrestleMania IV, and how well they dressed that venue up

Over at the Pond, Garcia catches up with Kat, who is ready for Terri Runnels tonight

Bob Collins (VP of Promotions) is at the Convention Center, and talks to Michael about the first fan festival back at WrestleMania IV - which was basically born out of a demand from the casino

Highlights of this week's fan festival activities 

WrestleMania IV highlights

Basil DeVito (President of New Business Development) stops by, and thinks back on working with Donald Trump for the promotion for WrestleMania IV, and how he and Vince really hit it off well

Collins and DeVito share their favorite WrestleMania: IV and III, respectively. Who in the world loves WrestleMania IV best?

WrestleMania IV highlights. Well, it was an insanely long show, so no wonder they needed two video packages

More WrestleMania IV highlights. Apparently, we’re not showing any matches from the show, so I guess that’s why we’re just doing a bunch of highlights. And, honestly, no beef with that. There’s wasn’t a single strong match on that show, but they could have at least shown the Savage/Ted DiBiase final, you’d think

WrestleMania V highlights 

RUN DMC’s The Kings music video

Bruce Prichard joins Cole and Ivory to talk about the Brother Love Show at WrestleMania V. I don’t get why that always gets highlighted, it was one of the worst segments ever, and always put me to sleep, even as a kid. I’m shocked Bruce was only 37 at this point (in 2000). He’d already been around forever, and was still basically just a kid!

Andre the Giant v Jake Roberts: From WrestleMania V. Big John Studd acts as the special guest referee for this one - which seems especially ridiculous, given that he openly hates Andre. Not to mention that I can't even imagine him diving to count near falls, ala Tommy Young. Not that I'm expecting a lot of complex cradles here. Andre rams Jake into an exposed turnbuckle right away, and grabs a sleeper. Much choking follows in the corner. I love Andre, but the man had no business out there working ten minute singles matches at this stage in his career. Much like Yokozuna in the mid-90s, putting him into a tag team was a brilliant move to hide his limitations, I just wish they thought of it sooner. This is just way too long for what it is. Like, even at WrestleMania IV, when he had a much more high profile match against Hulk Hogan on the card, he was out and done in five minutes. Roberts ends up getting Andre tied in the ropes, but Studd prevents him from using the snake, and Andre escapes. Jake uses the exposed buckle to his advantage, but ends up getting knocked out of the ring. The Giant ends up getting into an argument with Studd during this, and Ted DiBiase shows up in the chaos to steal Jake's snake. Meanwhile, Andre starts choking Studd down to get disqualified at 9:39 - Roberts chasing down DiBiase and unleashing Damien to save. Man, what a clusterfuck that finish was. This is another one that should have been a hot blow off after months of feuding, but ended up falling flat. And there's still over an hour of this show left to go! -* ½ 

Prichard thinks back on dealing with Jake’s snake, and how various workers hated it. He shares a story of Jake ribbing him by shoving the snake down his pants at a live event one time

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Ultimate Warrior v Rick Rude: From WrestleMania V. Warrior rushes the ring while still wearing the title belt - Rude hurting his knee when he tries to knee him on instinct. Warrior throws the challenger around as the crowd finally shows some signs of life, and grabs a bearhug at center ring. Rude's selling to make Warrior look like a complete powerhouse was just brilliant here. Rick rakes the eyes to escape, and plants a gorgeous missile dropkick on the champion, but it only gets one. Warrior pops back up and delivers a pair of bodyslams, then goes back to hugging him like a bear. Rick rakes the eyes again, so Warrior blitzes him, but a splash hits the knees, and Rude piledrives him for two. Jawbreaker gets two, and Rude can't even swivel his hips due to Warrior's beating! That was always one of my favorite Rude touches, and something I absolutely despise about today's product. With the exception of a few guys, everyone still does the same full on celebration after a win now, regardless of how grueling the match was. Rick keeps going to work, but Warrior starts powering up, and nails him with a jumping shoulderblock and a pair of facebusters. Backbreaker and a big clothesline set up a few corner whips, but a stinger splash misses. That's enough to setup the Rude Awakening, but Warrior blocks, and blasts him with a short-clothesline to send the challenger to the outside. Warrior tries to vertical suplex him back in, and executes it - only to have Bobby Heenan sweep him from the floor to allow Rude to topple him for the title at 9:42. Rude's lean physique and propensity to oversell made Warrior look like a beast here, and it made for a very entertaining bout. Smoke and mirrors never looked so good! Easily Warrior's best match ever to that point, that much is for sure. ** ¾

Savage/Hogan feud review video

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Hulk Hogan: From WrestleMania V. Elizabeth stands in a neutral corner, as promised. Savage taunts and stalls to start, and a frustrated Hulkster gives chases - Randy hiding behind Elizabeth. Hulk protesting Macho's actions directly to Donald Trump is pretty funny. Back in, Hulk catches him with a drop-toehold into a front-facelock, then shifts to a side-headlock. Macho uses a side suplex to escape, but an elbowdrop misses, and Hulk works a wristlock. Both guys look like they were actively competing to see who could get a darker tan before this match. I'd actually give Savage the edge there, shockingly. It's a wonder neither got skin cancer, to be perfectly honest. Macho catches Hogan with a flying axehandle to put him down with an armbar, but Hulk throws him out of the ring to escape. Back in, the challenger unloads a pair of turnbuckle smashes and a running forearm smash to setup a pair of elbowdrops and a bootrake. Backdrop is countered with a kick to the face to draw blood, however, and Macho follows up with a hangman's clothesline. Chinlock, but Hogan escapes, and hits an atomic drop - only to miss an elbowdrop. That allows Savage to drive him into the corner with a high knee, and a schoolboy gets two. He makes the mistake of slapping the Hulkster around, however, and gets blitzed in the corner. Cross corner clothesline hits, and Hulk decides to make Macho earn his money tonight - bodyslamming him clear out of the ring! Elizabeth tries to check on him, but that only infuriates the world champion, and Hulk goes out to prevent any woman beating. He tries ramming Macho into the post, but Liz won't allow it - only to have her efforts backfire when Savage slips free, and drives Hulk into the steel. Seeing Elizabeth checking on Hogan sets Randy off, however, and he chases her away from ringside. He blasts Hulk with a flying axehandle on the outside, then snaps his throat across the top rope on the way back in. Straddling ropechoke and a bodyslam setup a kneedrop for two, and Savage chokes him with some wrist tape. That's enough to setup the Flying Elbowdrop, and he absolutely NAILS IT! Man, no wonder his knee was all fucked up in later years. Unfortunately for him though, it only triggers the HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop! 17:54! These two always had excellent chemistry, and while this wasn't an all time classic from a workrate perspective, it was given time and felt like a completely satisfying blow off to one of the bigger angles of the Hulkamania era. **

Vince reflects on ‘creating’ Hulk Hogan

Godfather thinks performing at WrestleMania is like a pimp ball. Chris Jericho thinks it’s a dream come true, and he’s excited for his first one

Ivory ventures over to the production truck, getting a look at how they cut the show

A look at Rhythm & Blues performing at WrestleMania VI

Patterson reflects on Robert Goulet being so nervous about singing the Canadian national anthem at WrestleMania VI that they had to project the words on the giant screens for him

WrestleMania VI highlights

Edge & Christian reflect on attending WrestleMania VI, and cheering for Hulk. Tafuri thinks back on getting to work with Steve Allen

We get the segment from WrestleMania VI, with Steve Allen annoying the Bolsheviks by ‘warming up’ instead of singing the Soviet anthem. In the bathroom

Cole and Ivory hang out in the fan fest ring, where Ivory puts Michael in the camel clutch

Mixed Tag Team Match: Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri v Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire: From WrestleMania VI. Dusty brings Miss Elizabeth out as their surprise corner person, to get under Macho's skin. Guy knows his audience. Sadly, of the five active participants, none are still with us today. We didn't know this in 1990, but maybe that splotch on Dusty's belly was just a really primitive version of cupping? He was ahead of his time, is all! Savage and Rhodes start, and Dusty immediately controls, so Sherri comes in to attack. She doesn't get far, but does succeed in distracting him for Macho to attack - only for Dusty to block the flying axehandle. Tag to Sapphire (which automatically brings Sherri in), and Sapphire destroys her with butt bumps. Something that very vaguely resembles an airplane spin gets two, but Sherri has enough of her, and pops her with a right. Bodyslam, but Sapphire big ass topples her for two. Tag to Rhodes, but that means a switch back to Savage as well. As noted previously, that's my big pet peeve with mixed tags. You can't build proper momentum (not to mention a heat segment) if a tag to your partner automatically necessitates one on the other side as well. The mixed gender ones in the Attitude Era were the only time it worked. Of course, Savage and Sherri have their own strategy to get around it: have Sherri constantly cheat and claw at Rhodes while Randy cuts the ring in half, without ever actually tagging into the bout. Sapphire objects, so Macho gives her a smack, and hits Dusty with a flying axehandle for two. Oh, how the mighty have fallen - what a demotion for Savage after the last three WrestleManias! Dusty finally starts mounting his big fat comeback on Savage, but the ladies get tagged in again, with Sapphire still unable to string together so much as a move without looking like an amateur. Finish comes as Sherri goes after Elizabeth, and Liz shoves her right into a schoolgirl from Sapphire at 7:31. This was an epic carry-job by Savage and Sherri, though it didn't really work as a match. Fun in a sports entertainment kind of way, though. ½*

Back at the Convention Center, Ivory makes Cole eat her bra

Brisco reflects on the doubt they felt about making Warrior ‘the guy’ at WrestleMania VI

WWF Title v WWF Intercontinental Title: Hulk Hogan v Ultimate Warrior: From WrestleMania VI. Big power showdown to start, as they size each other up. Collar-and-elbow lockup battle goes to a stalemate. Test-of-strength goes to a stalemate. Big criss cross ends in Hogan hitting a bodyslam, but Warrior no-sells, and they criss cross again - this time Warrior slamming him, and Hogan getting up, though not quite as quickly. Warrior capitalizes with a clothesline over the top, and Hulk hurts his knee on the landing. Warrior shows no mercy, going to the outside, and stomping the knee, allowing Hulk to showoff those acting chops that won him so much acclaim over the years as he sells the hell out of it. Warrior brings him back in, and they start trading eyerakes, with Hulk getting the best of it, and hitting a cross corner clothesline. Ten-punch count and a bodyslam setup a pair of elbowdrops for two, and Hulk hooks an inside cradle for two! It's so odd to see Hogan actually carrying a match during this era. Axe bomber gets two, and a forward-backbreaker is worth two. Hulk grounds him in a chinlock, as Warrior is very clearly blown up here - and badly. Well, he's the idiot who decided it wise to run down the extra long aisle at full speed before the biggest match of his life, what did he expect? Side suplex gets two, then back to the chinlock. Give Hulk credit here, carrying a match like this is way out of his comfort zone, but he's doing a great job of giving Warrior the rest he needs, while still keeping things interesting enough to not lose the audience. Warrior powers out of the hold, but another criss cross ends in a double-knockout spot - again allowing them to catch a breather, while also functioning as a dramatic spot. Both men beat the count, and Warrior starts no-selling. Hulk throws axehandle after axehandle, but Warrior ignores them, and starts pelting him with running clotheslines. Pair of cross corner whips leave Hogan on his knees (Hey, remember the knee? Glad you do, 'cause Hogan doesn't), and Warrior delivers a vertical suplex for two. Bearhug see Hogan fade, but the arm starts shaking on the third drop, and he slugs his way free. Despite the complexity of the moves used being as simple and basic as it gets, they have the crowd molten throughout here. Another criss cross sees the referee get clobbered, and Warrior goes airborne with a pair of flying axehandles. That's a risky strategy against Hogan. Just ask Savage. Warrior goes for the kill with the jumping shoulderblock, but Hulk sidesteps, and Warrior wipes out. Cover, but there's no referee - giving Hogan a visual pinfall. Warrior comes from behind with a side suplex as Hogan tries to revive the official, and gets a dramatic two count out of it from the dazed referee. Hogan with a schoolboy for two, and a backelbow knocks Warrior to the outside. Hogan goes after him for a slugfest on the floor, but Warrior rams him into the post on the way back in. Warrior keeps after him with a clothesline, and he manages to power Hulk through the press-slam/splash combo, but it only gets two! HULK UP BABY! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop, but Warrior rolls out of the way - Hogan landing right on the knee from earlier! Warrior quickly follows up with a splash, and we have a new champion at 22:50! Interestingly, this was the longest match in WrestleMania history to that point (main event or otherwise), and would remain so all the way until 1996, when the Hart/Michaels Iron Man Match shattered its record. That's kind of a feat in its own right, given that neither guy is exactly renowned for his stamina, and really highlights how well booked this match was - one of the greatest smoke and mirror shows of all time, and at the highest level. *** ½ 

Patterson remembers finding Warrior sobbing in the locker room after the match. Vince notes that it was supposed to be a passing of the torch, but it didn’t quite work out that way, and throws shade at Hogan for not properly passing it. I won’t even touch that

Video package on the Gulf War, and its connection to WrestleMania VII’s central premise

Willie Nelson singing America the Beautiful at WrestleMania VII

Silfies thinks back on the Nasty Boys partying in Nelson’s bus all night after winning the tag title, and having such a great time that they left behind one of the title belts. Which they never got back to this day

WrestleMania VII highlights

Sgt. Slaughter joins Cole and Ivory, discussing how Vince pitched the heel turn to him 

Video highlighting Slaughter’s antics as a heel

Tafuri talks about the extra security measures they had to take for WrestleMania VII, though he stops short of mentioning any ‘bomb threats’ causing a venue change. Jesse James reflects on his feelings about the angle, since he was in the Gulf War while the angle was going on. He’s super diplomatic in saying that he hated it

Back at the Convention Center, Slaughter thinks that his heel character played a part in inspiring the US soldiers to win. Well, that’s certainly somewhat delusional

WWF Title Match: Sgt. Slaughter v Hulk Hogan: From WrestleMania VII. Alex Trebek is the guest ring announcer, Marla Maples acts as the guest time keeper, and Regis Philbin sits in on commentary. Slaughter looks to have slimmed down quite significantly going into this. He still looks like an old man next to Hogan, though. Besides dropping pounds, I think a big cosmetic improvement would have been shaving his head completely bald, ala Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. Feeling out process to start, with Sarge doing some bumping around for the Hulkster. A shoulderblock knocks him to the outside, and Hulk follows to attack, so General Adnan tries to interfere, allowing Slaughter to grab a chair. Hogan no-sells it though, and Slaughter is begging off on the way back in, but he manages to rake the eyes to stagger Hulk. He puts him down with a backelbow, but an elbowdrop misses, and Hulk drops him with the axe bomber! Cross corner elbow and an atomic drop get two, and Slaughter wisely bails, but Hulk is right after him with a backrake. Back in, Hogan delivers a forearm smash for two, and a few turnbuckle smashes don't end well for the champ. Cross corner whip sets up a backdrop, and a high knee sets up a slingshot into the corner! Give it to them, this isn't a technical classic, but they're working hard to deliver. Cross corner clothesline and a ten-punch count stagger Slaughter for a turnbuckle smash for two, so Hogan tries a 2nd rope flying axehandle, but Slaughter blocks. Hulk shrugs him off with an eyerake, however, and a bodyslam sets up a pair of elbowdrops. Hulk goes up to the top, but this time Adnan hooks his boot, and Slaughter is able to slam him off. Looked like there was a miscommunication there. I think Adnan was supposed to hook his boot on the first try (you can see him going for it), but someone missed their mark, and they had to redo it. Slaughter capitalizes by sending Hogan out over the top with a clothesline, and he follows after him for a ram into the post, then smacks the challenger with a chair a few times. He chokes him with some electrical cable before bringing it back inside, where Slaughter hammers the back. Backbreaker gets two, and Sarge applies a Boston crab, but Hulk gets the ropes after failing to power out. Slaughter with a sloppy flying kneedrop to the lower back, but Adnan is distracting the referee for some reason, and the count is delayed. Not sure what the deal was there. Slaughter goes out for a chair and cracks Hulk with it to draw blood (off of a plastic folding chair?), then drills him with a short-clothesline to setup the Camel Clutch. He gets it applied, but Hogan manages to power out, so Slaughter shoves him chest-first into the corner to cut off a comeback. He drapes the Iraqi flag over Hulk's body as he makes the cover, but that only triggers the HULK UP!! Flag Ripping! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Legdrop! 20:23! This was certainly a satisfying blow off for the angle, but as a match, it overstayed its welcome a little bit. Not a bad match, mind you, it just could have stood to lose about five minutes. ** ¾

Cole claims that Slaughter/Hogan is his favorite WrestleMania match of all time, and Sarge is proud of it, though he wishes they got to have it at the Coliseum. But, he’s happy that he helped ‘restore patriotism’ 

Highlights of the Randy Savage/Ultimate Warrior match, and the post-match angle. Well worth covering, though why not just show the segment

Silfies reflects back on Macho losing ‘the Intercontinental title’ to Warrior at the show, which I’m surprised they didn’t catch. He talks about how the shot of a kid in the crowd crying at Savage and Miss Elizabeth’s reunion is one of his favorites ever

The Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian, and the Hardy Boyz all talk about how large WrestleMania looms for every wrestler

Over at the Pond, Kevin catches up with Mick Foley, who just had it ‘hit him’ last night that he’s main eventing at WrestleMania

Cole catches up with a couple of the guys who run the website, and they reveal that fan support for Mick Foley to win the main event is leading the online polls. Meanwhile, the poll for greatest match is led by the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels Iron Man match from 1996, followed by Savage/Steamboat, then Rock/Steve Ausitn from 1999. I’m shocked that Hart/Austin wasn’t faring better, frankly. Not just because it’s awesome, but because it was still pretty fresh, and such a huge fixture of the Attitude Era in general. Also shocked that Shawn/Razor Ramon from 1994 wasn’t getting more traction. My vote would have been for Bret v Owen Hart from 1994, though

WrestleMania VIII highlights 

Vince reflects on the real life relationship between Savage and Elizabeth

Savage/Elizabeth video package

Ric Flair/Savage feud review video

WWF Title Match: Ric Flair v Randy Savage: From WrestleMania VIII. Kind of odd to think that this was Flair's only WrestleMania appearance before the fall of WCW. Just like it always stuns me that he never wrestled at a SummerSlam at all during the Federation years, despite being a notable part of the '91 and '92 shows. Savage is eager to get started, and chases Flair into the aisle to start, so Mr. Perfect saves. That allows Ric to take the high ground in the ring, and he cracks Macho with chops on the way in, but eats a clothesline! Randy with a high knee and some jabs in the corner to setup a ten-punch, so Flair tries an inverted atomic drop, but eats another clothesline! Macho continues the blitz with a cross corner whip and a backelbow for two, but ends up taking a nice bump when he walks into a backdrop over the top! Flair follows him out with some chops, then in with a hanging vertical suplex for two. Side suplex gets two, and a pair of cross corner whips rattle Savage right into a big chop for two. Kneedrop follows, and Macho ends up falling out of the ring. Flair follows to drop him back-first into the apron out there before bringing him back in with another hanging vertical suplex for two, but Savage manages to fight off some chops with a swinging neckbreaker. Randy tries following up with some fists, but Ric rakes the eyes - only to get slammed down off the top when he goes up! Yeah, I'm shocked too. Savage with a cross corner whip to setup a backdrop, and a hangman's clothesline follows. Another cross corner whip flips Flair onto the apron, and Macho catches him coming down with a clothesline for two. Another clothesline sends the champ over the top, and Randy is on his tail with a flying axehandle out there - knocking the Nature Boy into the guardrail, and drawing blood. While you could spot Hart's too, Flair's bladejob was definitely more obvious. Macho sends him into the post out there before adding a vertical suplex on the floor, then back in for some mounted punches! Flying axehandle gets two, and a bodyslam sets up the Flying Elbowdrop, but Perfect pulls Macho out at two! Randy predictably loses it, but while he's going after Perfect, he fails to notice that Flair has palmed a pair of knux! He wallops Macho with it for a dramatic two count, and here comes Perfect with a chairshot to the knee to teach Randy a lesson for kicking out. That draws Miss Elizabeth out, and she makes a dramatic entrance down the aisle - pushing past protesting officials (including Shane McMahon), as Ric works Randy's knee. Kneebreaker sets up the Figure Four as Elizabeth reaches ringside, but even with Perfect's help for leverage, Savage manages to reverse. Ric quickly escapes and tries a bodyslam, but Macho counters with an inside cradle for two. Flair punishes him for that by pounding the leg, but Savage slugs back, and hooks a schoolboy (with a handful of tights) to win his second WWF Title at 18:01! Flair's offense tended to be a bit repetitive (yeah, but what else is new?), but this was a great match - loaded with drama, and wonderfully booked. Booking is one thing they really used to excel at in the 80s and 90s, and this (along with the IC title match earlier) is a great example. **** ¼

Hulk Hogan v Sid Justice: From WrestleMania VIII. Sid attacks as Hulk climbs into the ring, but Hogan fights off the blitz, and knocks Justice to the outside. Sid stalls before coming back in and hammering Hogan, but Hulk fights him off again - knocking him to the outside a second time. More stalling, until Sid comes back in calling for a test-of-strength, and we play that game for a while. Sid with a chokeslam, and he goes to work on the back in dull fashion. Sidewalk slam sets up the Powerbomb, as fans are actively walking out on this bullshit in the background. I feel bad for them given what's coming, but also can't blame them. Hulk no-sells the Powerbomb, of course, and makes his usual comeback. Big boot, bodyslam, Legdrop - you know the drill. However, unlike every other time, Sid kicks out at two! That brings out Papa Shango to attack Hogan for the DQ at 12:26, and they do a beat down until Ultimate Warrior (looking a lot smaller than he used to) makes his surprise return to make the save! Terrible match, but the post-match surprise did a good job of washing the bad taste out of everyone’s mouths, as today it's pretty much mostly remembered for that, and not how horrible the actual wrestling was. -**

Cole talks about how it seemed like the past/present/future all in the same ring during that previous match, but that it ‘didn’t really work out’ with Warrior or Sid, though Hulk ‘had his heyday in the 80s.’ Who ever would have guessed that Hulk would be headlining additional WrestleMania’s after this, let alone winning more WWF titles

We get clips of a documentary they were shooting on the ‘making of’ WrestleMania IX, which I think may be the first time the audience became aware of that. I wanted to see more of that for years and years, and every time they would include little teases in various releases, it felt agonizing. They finally did release it as a documentary on Peacock in 2025, and it was great

Silfies reflects on how they transformed what was basically a parking lot at Caesars Palace into something cool and memorable. They did a great job, I’d say. You can criticize and second guess a lot of things about WrestleMania IX, but not the set

We get Savage and Bobby Heenan’s entrances at WrestleMania IX

Over at the Pond, Kelly catches up with Jim Ross, who reflects on getting to join the WWF, and debuting at WrestleMania IX, after coming from ‘the minor leagues.’ Though he says ‘no offense’ before saying that, so clearly he had the best of intentions. He also talks about how much he enjoyed working with Heenan and ‘another broadcaster’ Randy Savage. Shit dude

WrestleMania IX highlights

Mr. Perfect v Lex Luger: From WrestleMania IX. Feeling out process to start, with lots of basic reversals, until Perfect wins a criss cross by dropkicking Luger out of the ring. Back in, Lex tries to criss cross again, but Perfect takes a shot at the knee to bring him down, and he works the leg a bit. Spinning-toehold is applied, but Lex has the ropes to force a break. Perfect keeps pounding the leg, as an entire section of the crowd entertains themselves by trying to get on camera to see themselves on the big video screen. They're really into it too, give them that. Luger reverses a cross corner whip to turn the tide, and he dumps Perfect to the outside, going to work on the back. Lex with a backbreaker to setup a pointed elbowdrop for two, and Luger seems gassed already. Perfect fights him off in the corner, so Lex tries a leveraged pin, but gets caught by the referee at two. Powerslam gets two, but Perfect counters a backdrop with a sunset flip for two, and he tries a sleeper, but Luger rams his back into the corner to quickly break. Perfect keeps fighting with an inside cradle for two, and he hits a backdrop before whipping Luger into the corner. Catapult sends Lex into the turnbuckle, and a right hand is worth two. Ten-punch in the corner follows, so Lex tries an inverted atomic drop, but Perfect lunges at him with a clothesline for two. Swinging neckbreaker gets two, and Perfect goes up with a sloppy missile dropkick, but Luger is in the ropes at two. Backslide, but Lex uses the ropes to reverse, and gets the pin despite Perfect having his feet in the ropes at 10:56. I think this would have been better with the heel/face dynamic reversed, which is actually what we almost got in 1994, before Perfect bailed on them again. * ¼

Over at the Pond, Ross talks about the level of athleticism in the WWF at the moment, which will be on full display tonight 

Brisco reflects on Yokozuna. Gerald found the xenophobic Yokozuna angle a little regressive, but he was so great that he made it work

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Yokozuna: From WrestleMania IX. Yoko practically looks like a cruiserweight compared to his last days. Bret goes right at him with right hands at the bell, but an attempt at wrestling the monster goes badly, as he can't even begin to apply a waistlock, or hook a takedown. Yokozuna capitalizes by knocking the Hitman out of the ring with a shoulderblock, but Bret manages to sweep him down from the floor (to a huge pop), and then hit a slingshot splash on the way back in. 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop follows, and the crowd is hot for the Hitman! He throws a series of clotheslines, but Yoko absorbs them, and delivers his own clothesline to flatten the champion. Bodyslam and a legdrop crush the Hitman, and draw a big 'USA' chant from the crowd. Say what you will about this as a main event, but it certainly isn't lacking in crowd heat. Yokozuna grounds Hart in a nervehold (you had to know that was coming eventually), but an avalanche misses, and Bret puts him down with a 2nd rope flying bulldog for two! Yoko shrugs him off with a superkick, however, and it's back to the nervehold. Another avalanche misses, and Hart goes back to the well with a second 2nd rope flying bulldog for two, and this time is able to follow-up with a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. 2nd rope flying clothesline and a hangman's clothesline put the challenger down, but Yokozuna powers out of a ten-punch count. He tries a turnbuckle smash into an exposed buckle (torn off when Yoko was escaping the ten-punch), but Bret reverses, and that knocks the monster silly enough for Hart to apply the Sharpshooter! Unfortunately, Mr. Fuji is ready with a handful of salt, and we have a new champion at 8:56 - Yokozuna winning the title undefeated. Actually a decent little match. Not a forgotten classic, or anything, but watchable, and didn't overstay its welcome. * ½

WWF Title Match: Yokozuna v Hulk Hogan: From WrestleMania IX. Of course, Hulk Hogan then runs out immediately after the bell to protest the injustice, and Fuji offers him a shot at the title on the spot. Bret says 'go,' so Hulk slides in, but gets trampled by Yoko, and Fuji pulls out the salt again - only to accidentally hit the new champion this time, and allow Hulk to hit a clothesline, then a Legdrop for the title at 0:23! Again, we can endlessly debate the decision with the benefit of hindsight, but I can't fault them for trying this from a business perspective. DUD

Back at the Pond, Ross reflects on making his big comeback to call the main event at WrestleMania XV

Hardcore Holly thinks WrestleMania is like the Daytona 500 of wrestling. Did he forget that he switched gimmicks? Pat Patterson loves WrestleMania, because every worker turns it up on that big stage. Marty Miller is blown away by the sheer scope of these shows. And it would get so, so much bigger in later years

Cole and Ivory move outside of the building, where fans are hanging out, waiting for the doors to open for the main show

WrestleMania X highlights. Set to Men on Mission’s WrestleMania Rap!

Yokozuna/Lex Luger feud review video. ‘Because he slammed the WWF champion, he felt he earned the right to a title match.’ The man came from WCW, he should have understood the concept of a ‘top ten’

Bret Hart v Owen Hart: From WrestleMania X. Feeling out process to start, with Owen doing some ridiculously over the top gloating (in a good way) over even the smallest of advantages. Bret escapes a waistlock by dumping his baby brother to the outside, serving to bruise Owen's ego more than anything else, and the younger Hart reacts by slapping his older brother across the chops. Bret refuses to get rattled, and calmly outwrestles Owen on the mat, with the younger Hart forced to use the hair to take control. He tries a cross corner whip, but Bret avoids the collision, and rolls Owen up for two. He grounds Owen in an armbar, so Owen again resorts to a cheap escape, instead of wrestling his way out, like Bret has been doing. Criss cross ends in Bret hitting a monkeyflip, and he sends Owen over the top with a clothesline. Bret drags his little brother back inside, and a frustrated Owen starts shoving at him, so this time Bret slaps him across the face, and follows up with a schoolboy for two. Crucifix gets two, but another criss cross ends badly when Owen pops off a spinheel kick. The young Hart is quick to put the boots to his older brother, and he dumps Bret to the outside to ram into the post. He bring Bret right back in for a cross corner whip, and a backbreaker sets up a camel clutch. Bret escapes, so Owen plants him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for two, then tries a 2nd rope twisting bodypress, but Bret rolls through for two. Owen cuts him off by diving on with a reverse chinlock, but an attempt at a slam sees him get toppled for two. Owen with a vertical suplex, but Bret counters to a German suplex, so Owen reverses into a bridging version for two. Legdrop gets two, but another attempt at a vertical suplex is countered by the Hitman with an inside cradle for two. Tilt-a-whirl slam, but Owen counters with a well executed tombstone piledriver, and he goes up with a flying splash - only for Bret to roll out of the way! Owen tries to keep control, but Bret is ready with an inverted atomic drop, and a clothesline for two. Russian legsweep gets two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. The execution here has been flawless thus far. Owen fires back with a leg-feed enzuigiri, and tries to capitalize with the Sharpshooter, but Bret is able to block. Owen with a double-underhook cradle for two, but the force of the kick out sends him to the outside, so Bret dives with a plancha - hitting it, but also landing badly on his knee in the process. Bret has a noticeable limp now, which is a nice callback to the angle from the Royal Rumble. Inside, Owen is able to take control by swiping at the leg, and he goes to work on it - even going so far as to mock Bret's pain as he uses the post on the knee. Figure four looks to put the Hitman away, but Bret manages to reverse, and they're in the ropes. Unfortunately for the Hitman, the knee is too battered for him to capitalize, and Owen keeps hammering it in the corner. Bret pops off his own leg-feed enzuigiri to avoid another corkscrew legwhip, and a cross corner whip sends Owen chest-first into the buckles. Bret follows up with a habitual legdrop (nicely selling the leg on impact) for two, and a bulldog gets two. Piledriver connects, but the knee is so battered at this point, that by the time he's able to cover, it only gets two. He powers through a vertical superplex for two, but he's moving very slowly now, and Owen is able to fight off a sleeper attempt with a mulekick. That allows the Rocket to slap on the Sharpshooter, and Bret is far away from the ropes. Jerry Lawler enthusiastically cheering him on in the background is a great touch. Bret is able to muster a reversal, but Owen is in the ropes, and the knee gives out anyway. Bret tries a cross corner whip, but Owen reverses - only to hit boot on the follow-up charge. That allows Bret to try a victory roll, but Owen counters into a cradle, and he gets the pin at 20:21. That was quite the shocker, at the time. For a match that's over twenty years old, this totally holds up. It isn't state of the art, but it's just a perfectly worked, perfectly told, and totally timeless story. Tremendous psychology, exemplary selling, a memorable finish - this remains one of my all time favorite matches, and a masterpiece.  *****

Edge & Christian reflect on how amazing the Bret/Owen match was. Silfies thinks it was the best technical match he ever saw - at WrestleMania, or otherwise

We get the closing minutes of both of the WWF Title matches from WrestleMania X (Yokozuna/Luger and Yokozuna/Bret)

Jericho reflects on how he thought the Bret/Owen match was the best he’d ever seen since Savage/Steamboat. And then, later in the night, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon still managed to steal the show with the Ladder match

WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Razor Ramon v Shawn Michaels: From WrestleMania X. I'm guessing some of you may have heard of this one, yes? Reversal sequence starts us off, ending in Ramon hitting a chokeslam, and a criss cross ends in Michaels returning fire with a swinging neckbreaker. He tries following up with a turnbuckle smash, but Ramon reverses - only for a charge to end in the Bad Guy taking a bump to the outside, where Diesel lays him out with a clothesline! The referee catches him, however, and Big Daddy Cool is ejected. With Diesel gone, Ramon corner whips Michaels into a flip on the turnbuckles, and a clothesline sends HBK over the top. Razor follows out to pull up the floor mats, but Shawn goes to the eyes before he can do anything with it, and they head back in. Ramon wins a criss cross, and tries for the Razor's Edge, but Michaels counters by backdropping him over the top - right onto that exposed concrete! Shawn drags the ladder down the aisle, but Razor slugs it away from him before he can get it inside. Ramon picks it up, but Shawn thinks fast - using a baseball slide to send the ladder crashing into the champion! Michaels adds a smash into the steps, and he gets the ladder inside for the first time - using it to bash the Bad Guy in the stomach with! Again, but Razor is still crawling around, so Michaels ups the ante by slamming the ladder down across the Bad Guy's back! He STILL won't take the hint, so Shawn ups the ante again by pitching the ladder at a vertical Ramon, and that's seemingly enough to finally stifle him. Shawn climbs, but Razor pulls his tights down to stop him from reaching the gold, and Michaels is forced to abandon his climb attempt. He hits Razor with a flying elbowdrop off of the ladder instead, and a bodyslam sets up the iconic flying splash off the ladder! The camera angle on that one was just perfect. Shawn climbs, but a battered Razor is able to tip the ladder over, and Michaels takes a bump across the top rope. The crowd doesn't quite know what to make of all this, but they know they like it. Criss cross ends in a double knockout spot, and both men are left looking up at the lights. Shawn is up first, and tries whipping Ramon into a corner leaning ladder, but Razor reverses, and HBK takes a bump into the ladder, and over the top! Ramon follows to the outside, chasing Michaels around the ring with ladder shots, and he sends HBK flying into it with a catapult out there! Back in, Ramon bashes Shawn with the ladder again - triggering another over the top bump from the challenger. With the ring clear, Razor decides to make his first climb attempt of the match, but a tenacious Michaels comes off the top rope with a flying axehandle to knock him off - only for the ladder to tip over in the process, and land right on Michaels! Unbelievable timing here. Both guys stagger up, and end up climbing opposite sides of the ladder, leading to a slugfest at the top! Razor manages to win by slamming Shawn down, but the ladder tips in the process, and Ramon crashes to the canvas. He dusts himself off for another climb, but Shawn has recovered enough to dropkick him off - the ladder left teetering ominously at center ring. Shawn crawls over and give it a shove to tip it onto Ramon, then blasts the Bad Guy with a Superkick! The ladder is bent and beat up by this point, but this isn't like today's versions of these matches, where they have a dozen of them scattered around the ring. I'm not even sure if they had a backup on hand. Shawn with a piledriver, and he climbs up onto the top rope while leaning against the ladder, then rides it down into a splash on Ramon! Shawn makes another climb, and he very nearly pulls it off this time, before Ramon manages to tip the ladder over - Michaels falling into the ropes, and ending up tied up in them! That's a complex spot to pull off there. With Shawn tied up, Razor makes another climb, and despite Michaels' desperate attempt to free himself, he can't stop the Bad Guy from victory at 18:49! Unbelievable! This one might seem tame to newer fans who grew up in the era of Money in the Bank and TLC, but without this, those don't exist. This is, without a doubt, one of the most influential matches in wrestling history, and though the bumps aren't quite as big or crazy as more modern versions, the storytelling and psychology are generally far superior. Most modern ladder matches are basically little more than spot fests. This actually used the high spots and bumps as tools to tell a story, as opposed to being the story. A total game changer. It's rare enough to see one match that could be called a bonafide masterpiece, but two in the same afternoon? *****

Brisco talks about how Vince excels at making each WrestleMania different, and that the Ladder match will be a ‘top five’ match forever. Even 25 years since he said that, it still holds up. Patterson notes that it was a rare match that no one talked about who won it the next day, but rather just about how amazing it was. Triple H talks about how all ladder matches will forever be compared to that one. Again, still true

Cole and Ivory find some ladders backstage, and talk about the dangers of the ladder match. It’s interesting how we’re talking about the Shawn/Razor match setting the standard and being the one that all ladder matches are compared to, just hours before another business changing ladder match

A look at the 1995 fan festival

A look at the celebrities involved in WrestleMania XI

WrestleMania XI highlights. How did they find any?

Bam Bam Bigelow/Lawrence Taylor feud review video

A look at Lawrence Taylor appearing on Regis & Kathie Lee to promote WrestleMania, with Regis dressing up like Bam Bam, and cutting a promo on him

Bam Bam Bigelow v Lawrence Taylor: From WrestleMania XI. Salt 'n' Peppa play LT down to the ring live for this one. They do a good job of making this feel epic, with both guys having an entire stable in their corners, and lots of hype. Which is good, because at the end of the day, this is till career midcarder Bam Bam Bigelow and a retired football player headlining the biggest show of the year. Taylor stuns Bigelow with a slap during the referee's instructions, and he knocks Bam Bam over the top with a clothesline! Back in, LT hits a bulldog for two, and a hiptoss sends Bigelow back to the outside. Taylor follows with a shove, which nearly triggers a brawl between Bam Bam's corner people (the Million Dollar Corporation) and Taylor's football player buddies. Back in, Bam Bam hammers him, and a bodyslam sets up a headbutt drop, but LT rolls out of the way. He blasts Bigelow with a forearm smash, but gets pounded down again, and Bigelow slaps on a Boston crab. Taylor inches towards the ropes, so Bam Bam lets off, and uses a stepover-toehold instead. Nice to see that Ted DiBiase put on an actual tuxedo tonight, instead of that cheap looking sequined bullshit he usually wears. LT makes the ropes, so Bigelow tries a headlock, but Taylor side suplexes his way out of it. Bam Bam keeps control with a pair of headbutt drops and a legdrop, but he hurts his knee while executing the flying moonsault, and the cover is delayed - only getting two once he gets around to it. Smart way to avoid killing the spot, I suppose. Backdrop looks to follow, but LT counters with a weird hybrid powerbomb/gutwrench suplex looking move. Bigelow fights him off with an enzuigiri, and he delivers another pair of headbutt drops. Flying headbutt looks to finish, but LT kicks out at two! Bam Bam argues the count, allowing Taylor to recover, and he unloads in the corner. A pair of forearm smashes connect, and a 2nd rope flying version is enough to finish at 11:44. Nothing special in general, but Taylor did really well for a celebrity participant, and the promotion did a good job of making the match seem like a huge deal. * ½ 

Diesel/Shawn Michaels feud review video

WWF Title Match: Diesel v Shawn Michaels: From WrestleMania XI. Nicholas Turturro serves as the special guest ring announcer, Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the guest timekeeper, and Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy accompany Diesel and Shawn to the ring. Shawn tries a sneak attack before the bell, but gets backdropped over the top as a result, and nearly kills a few of the thousands of camera guys littering ringside tonight. Shawn tries to criss cross with him on the way back in, but gets pinballed around, ending up on the outside following a corner whip - and taking another camera guy out. I get that they wanted to make the promotion look hot by having all the photographers out there, but damn. And speaking of 'looking hot,' we cut to a shot of Pam and Jenny on the outside, and that earns another 'damn.' Shawn rushes back in with an attack, but can't manage to keep Diesel cornered long enough for a ten-punch. Diesel tries a press-slam, but he shoulder acts up, and he can't execute it. That allows Shawn to try a vertical suplex, but the champ reverses, and Shawn takes a bump to the outside. Michaels is just bumping all over the place here. He tries to use Sid to buy him time, and that allows HBK to poke Diesel in the eyes on the way back in, but a sunset flip is blocked, and Diesel drops his challenger crotch-first across the top rope. Big boot, but Shawn ducks it, and a cactus clothesline sends both guys tumbling over the top. Shawn heads back in to the top rope to dive after him with a flying bodypress, and a baseball slide follows. Another one, but Diesel sidesteps it - only to hit the post while trying to follow-up with an elbowsmash. Shawn dives off the apron with a flying splash, and is kind of laid back about the countout here, but Diesel beats it in anyway. Michaels puts the boots to his former bodyguard, and a 2nd rope flying bulldog is worth two. 2nd rope flying backelbow gets two, and a flying elbowdrop to the lower back is worth two. Nice execution on that one, with a long jump. Michaels tries a front-facelock, but Diesel backdrops his way out of it. Shawn tries again, same result. Diesel tries a snake-eyes, but Shawn shoves him into the corner to block, and he grabs a sleeper. Diesel powers out and unloads with elbows in the corner, and pair of cross corner whips lead to a pair of clotheslines. Snake-eyes sets up a straddling ropechoke, and Shawn takes a flip to the outside off of another cross corner whip. Diesel is on his tail, but runs into the Superkick on the way back in - only to find that the referee is down on the outside! Shawn gets a visual pin as Sid pulls the referee back in for the official dramatic two count. Sid exposes the top turnbuckle, but Diesel hits Michaels with a side suplex before the challenger can use it. The referee is doing a great job of selling a twisted ankle here while counting both guys for the double knockout, better than anything either of the wrestlers are doing. Even though Diesel executed the suplex, Shawn actually gets a two count out of it, but another 2nd rope flying bulldog is countered with a sidewalk slam. Nice spot there. Shawn STILL recovers first, but gets sent into the corner with a catapult - Diesel out of position, resulting in Michaels missing the exposed buckle. Oh well. Diesel does his best Hulk Hogan impression as he mounts a comeback, and the big boot sets up the Jackknife (and a sloppy one at that) at 20:37. This was the Shawn Michaels Show, with Shawn bumping and flying around, dominating Diesel without even having to resort to much cheating, and generally showboating like crazy. Which is great, except that he kinda got himself over at the expense of Diesel. Good - but not great - match. *** 

Vince tries to pick a favorite WrestleMania, but can’t. It’s like picking between his children. Oh, easy: WrestleMania Stephanie

WrestleMania XII highlights

Patterson claims that he knew that Steve Austin and HHH were destined to be megastars after seeing them at WrestleMania XII. HHH thinks WrestleMania XII started the snowball that he’s still rolling as champion today. Are we just pretending that he didn’t get brutally squashed at that show? They’re acting like he started DX with Shawn the very next night, or something

Clips of the Hollywood Backlot Brawl between Goldust and Roddy Piper at WrestleMania XII

Clips of Undertaker/Diesel at WrestleMania XII

Cole and Ivory are at ringside at the Pond, and note that most of the ‘boys’ think that the Hart/Michaels Iron Man is the greatest ever, and that it also won the fan poll. I loved it at the time it happened, but I’m surprised that it was still thought that highly of by 2000. It definitely doesn’t hold up anymore, and people don’t really talk about it in hushed tones anymore today

Highlights of the Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII

Brisco, again with the doubts, thought that Bret and Shawn couldn’t hold an audience for an hour. Considering reports of people leaving in the middle of it, maybe he wasn’t wrong on this one. Patterson talks about how he always wanted to see an Iron Man match on pay per view, but that they never had the right guys to make it work, until Bret and Shawn crossed paths, and he could finally make it happen

At the Pond, the doors have opened, and fans are starting to file in. Ivory spits at them

A look at the 1997 Slammy Awards

WrestleMania 13 highlights

Bret Hart/Steve Austin feud review video

Submission Match: Bret Hart v Steve Austin: From WrestleMania 13. Ken Shamrock acts as the special guest referee for this one. Austin tackles him down for mounted punches right away, but Bret responds in kind, and they spill to the outside to continue slugging it out. Hart reverses Steve into the post out there, but Steve counters a suplex by dropping the Hitman crotch-first across the guardrail. Clothesline knocks him into the crowd, and they brawl into the stands, where Steve tries a piledriver on the steps, but Bret counters with a backdrop. Bret throws him back over the rail and dives off of it with a fistdrop at ringside, but Austin reverses a whip into the steps, and the Hitman hits hard. Steve dives with a forearm from the apron, and he grabs the steps to bash Bret's brains in, but Hart manages to block. By using the very brains Austin wanted to bash in. That's poetic justice. Inside, Hart delivers a swinging neckbreaker, and a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop nails Steve in the back of the head. Bret starts going after the leg, but misses a springboard onto it, and Austin hits the Stunner early. Pinfalls don't matter here, though, so it goes nowhere. And, anyway, Steve is hobbling around on a bad leg, and has no follow-up. That allows Hart to kick the leg out again, and he takes Austin to the corner to slap on the ring post figure four. Steve's selling of the leg thus far has been exemplary. Hart grabs the ring bell, but then spots a chair, and decides he'd rather really hobble Stone Cold with that instead. He sets up some Pillmanizing, but Austin gets to his feet, and whacks Bret with the chair to knock the Hitman off the top rope. Steve unloads with the weapon a second time, and a slam follows. Cross corner whip rattles the Hitman's bones, but Steve is right on him again with a snap suplex to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop. Austin keeps taunting him with a Russian legsweep, and he ties Hart up on the mat with an octopus hold, but Bret won't give up. Steve responds by trying a Boston crab, but Hart makes the ropes. Undeterred, Austin decides to really step it up by putting Bret in the Sharpshooter, but Hart goes to the eyes to block, and throws a series of rights. Steve dumps him to the outside to cut off a comeback, and he follows to whip Bret into the timekeeper's table, but Hart reverses. Bret follows over to unload on him with rights, and Steve is busted open. Never noticed that detail of the blood on Lawler's format sheet before, that was a great tidbit from the recent Stone Cold podcast. Hart shows no mercy, sending Steve into the steps and post, and he unloads with mounted punches on the way back in, as Steve bleeds all over the place. Backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop, and Hart grabs the chair to start beating on Steve's leg with. Sharpshooter, but Austin goes to the eyes to block, so Bret just destroys him with fists in the corner. Austin is battered, but still manages to punt a field goal downstairs before he collapses, buying him time. That allows Austin to recover with a cross corner whip, and he stomps a mud hole in the Hitman, acting like a wild man. Steve takes him upstairs for a vertical superplex, and though he's in control, he's badly battered. He decides to grab some electrical cable to choke a submission out of the Hitman, but Bret is able to grab the discarded ring bell from earlier, and bash Stone Cold with it to shake him off. That allows Hart to capitalize with the Sharpshooter, and he's got it locked in nicely. Austin is in a bad way, the ropes out of reach, and little he can do. Anyway, he doesn't even seem to want the ropes, doesn't want to give Bret the pleasure. Steve fights it, pain plain on his face. He looks spent, looks finished, when he suddenly manages to muster the strength to push Bret off, blood pouring down his face in dramatic fashion as he does. Unfortunately, it only buys him a moment, as Hart is able to immediately reposition himself in the hold, and now Austin realizes he's done. Out of desperation, he makes a reach for the ropes. They're too far, and there is no escape, but he refuses to quit - instead passing out to give Bret the win at 22:06. Man, as many times as I've seen this, it's still great! I've never been as big a fan of this match as many others, especially since I got tired of some of the clichés it popularized, but you can't deny what a war it was, and that it really is a masterpiece. For my money, I still prefer stuff like Bret's match with Owen at WrestleMania, but this is easily one of the most influential and exciting matches of all time. And, of course, a great deal of its reputation is built around what happens after the bell, as Hart continues to attack an unconscious Austin, and the crowd turns on him, and starts cheering Stone Cold. They did a great job foreshadowing the double turn during the buildup, but it was still a really brilliant feat to actually pull it off, especially considering just how loved Bret was for so long, and just how horrible Austin was during this period. Shawn Michaels must have been eating his heart out backstage, watching these two not only steal the show, but deliver one of the most memorable WrestleMania moments ever. *****

Rock gushes about how great the Hart/Austin match was. Patterson remembers sitting in the crowd for the double turn, and how incredible it was

Jerry Lawler visits with Cole and Ivory, putting over how great Austin was as a heel and as a babyface, and how the attitudes of the business changed, with fans no longer cheering for ‘traditional’ babyfaces

WWF Title No Disqualification Match: Sycho Sid v Undertaker: From WrestleMania 13. Shawn Michaels joins the commentary team for this one, making the longest, most drawn out entrance I've ever seen him make. And that's just to do commentary. What an ego on this guy. The announcers note that Undertaker has never lost at WrestleMania, though 'the streak' was still far from a thing at this point. Bret Hart marches in during the stare down to cut a promo on everyone (including Shawn), but gets dispatched by Sid via Powerbomb. I get that they're trying to cement his heel turn, but it's the main event of WrestleMania, not an episode of RAW. Not to mention that Sid is supposed to be the heel here, and they're just made the entire crowd cheer for him. That's a hallmark of Vince Russo's style there, and one of its weaknesses. Undertaker attacks the champion as officials drag Bret out of the ring, and he hits a corner splash early on. Bodyslam gets the challenger two, so he dives with the ropewalk forearm, but another corner splash gets caught in a bearhug. Mind you, we're only four minutes into the match, and the first three were taken up by the Bret stuff. Undertaker slugs free, so Sid clotheslines him over the top, and shoves him into an announce table. Sid follows for a few drops across the rail before slamming Undertaker onto an announce table, and then adds a trip into the post before rolling his challenger in to cover for two. Sid works a reverse chinlock, and boy, it's really noticeable how much Bret and Shawn were carrying this guy when you watch a bunch of those matches, and then one like this. Ditto for Undertaker after the Mankind matches. Sid with a 2nd rope axehandle and a powerslam for two, and the champ looks to be spent, moving very slowly between moves, and laboring to complete spots. That's another thing, after months of doing his stuff on smaller guys, suddenly he's got to lift and carry a three hundred pound dude again, and it's taking its toll. Legdrop gets him two, but Undertaker wins a criss cross with a jumping clothesline, and he dumps Sid to the outside. Undertaker follows for a slugfest out there, and Sid eats steps. Inside, Undertaker tries an elbowdrop, but Sid dodges. That allows the champion to work a chinlock, but Undertaker slugs free, and delivers a powerslam for two. Undertaker works a nervehold, but Sid gets offended, and slugs free. Big boot, but Undertaker counters with a clothesline for two. He tries a big boot of his own, but Sid gets the same idea, and we have a double knockout. They totally blew the visual for that spot by not positioning themselves towards the hard camera. Sid recovers first and covers for two, and he dives with an axehandle off the middle. Sid goes to the middle again with a clothesline for two, but another 2nd rope axehandle is met with a gut punch. Undertaker tries mounting a comeback, bit Sid bodyslams him to cut it off, and the big man decides to go all the way to the top to finish things off, but Undertaker slams him off. Probably for the best. Undertaker goes upstairs with a flying clothesline for two, and it's Tombstone time, but Sid reverses for two. Sloppy one, lucky that didn't result in an injury. Sid decides to dump him to the outside for another brawl, but Bret shows up with a chair, hitting the champion a few times before getting ejected. Oh man, I can't even tell you how annoyed I was with how they were changing Bret's character at the time. With Hart gone again, Undertaker is able to ram the champion into the post, and he rolls him in to hit with the chokeslam for two. Jumping clothesline, but Sid dodges. The champion calls for the Powerbomb, but here's Bret a third time, and he snaps his throat across the top rope. That allows Undertaker to hit the Tombstone, and we have a new champion at 23:50. What a way to kick off his title win. This was a terrible main event in general, but especially for the biggest show of the year. And it was terrible not just from a workrate perspective, as there was little in the way of a feud between them, and it just kind of felt like another match. Also, why the fuck was it twenty four minutes long? ¾*

Cole and Ivory hang out near the production truck for Sunday Night Heat, talking about how Rock has grown as a wrestler since WrestleMania 13

Rock discusses the Rocky Maivia ‘gimmick,’ and how excited he was to defend the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 13, but after the show was over, he realized that a change needed to be made. Patterson was surprised that people didn’t fall in love with the Maivia gimmick, but in hindsight admits that it was a little too much like a cheap politician to connect with the audience

Cole ventures into the production truck, where they are running Heat

WrestleMania XIV highlights

Cole and Ivory compare the star power of Mike Tyson to Lawrence Taylor. “I think he blew Taylor away,” notes Ivory. She must have been top of her fucking class

Mike Tyson video package, highlighting his journey to WrestleMania XIV

Patterson reflects on the question of the day at WrestleMania XIV, as they weren’t sure if Shawn Michaels would have been able to perform. Pat claims that he could have ‘crawled’ to the ring if necessary, but that both Steve and Shawn were nervous that they’d go out there and stink up the joint because Michaels was basically a ‘cripple.’ Triple H puts over Shawn sacrifice and performance at the show

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Steve Austin: From WrestleMania XIV. 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 

Clips of the post-WrestleMania XIV press conference, with Austin asserting dominance

Vince thinks that Shawn was peerless as a performer, but that the doubt he dealt with along the way nearly broke him. He also discusses what a professional Tyson was, though there was always that undercurrent of danger, because you never really knew what he might do

Outside, fans are still coming into the building, overlooked by the WrestleMania blimp

Undertaker v Kane: From WrestleMania XIV. 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*

Shane McMahon reflects on getting to be the first McMahon to wrestle at a WrestleMania when he faced X-Pac at WrestleMania XV, and we get clips of the match

Cole is in one of the luxury boxes at the Pond, looking over the crowd

Brawl For All Match: Bart Gunn v Butterbean: From WrestleMania XV. Brawl for All was an interesting concept, as the WWF held a series of shoot boxing matches in the summer of 1998, with Gunn winning the tournament - famously knocking out Steve Williams along the way. As a result, legit Tough man Contest winner Butterbean challenged him to a showdown. Vinny Pazienza is the guest referee, and judges Chuck Wepner, Kevin Rooney, and Gorilla Monsoon (in his last appearance, before his death that fall) are at ringside.

ROUND ONE: Big staredown to start, and that's about it, as Butterbean blasts Gunn with a series of body shots at the bell, and closes in with a knockout at 0:47. This was the end of both Brawl for All and Bart Gunn. DUD

Rock talks about watching the Brawl For All on the monitor in the back, and how Austin was betting on Bart to win

Highlights of Rock/Austin at WrestleMania XV

Cole and Ivory talk about how, today, there aren’t a lot of celebrities at WrestleMania, since now the wrestlers themselves are the celebrities

Vince reflects on the different celebrities that have appeared at WrestleMania over the years, and seems to have the most fondness for the crew from the first one

Cole and Ivory wrap up, and I’m amazed that they still have so much pep in their voices after eight hours of this

BUExperience: My main memory of this show from 2000 was that I was insanely excited to see it (mostly because they almost never looked back during this era), but that it was just so long, and by the time we got to the actual pay per view, I was so burned out that I couldn’t properly enjoy the main show. I felt like this ‘ruined’ WrestleMania 2000 for me, though I think that show had its own issues, if we’re being fair.

With the ability to split it over over several sittings (and without having to sit through a full pay per view immediately after it’s over), I found it to be really enjoyable. Yes, it was mostly fluff, but it was so refreshing to see them actually look back, and even though WCW was still very much alive at the time, it almost felt like they weren’t, because they were actually giving guys like Hogan and Savage lots of screen time, and talking about them like they were part of the family. 

It was also interesting to see them breaking kayfabe so openly here, which didn’t really become a thing until a little later, when they started doing all sorts of retrospectives in the DVD era.

In all, while this show is insanely long, and doesn’t really add much to the narrative of WrestleMania that you probably didn’t already know, today it stands as something of a time capsule in and of itself. It conjured all sorts of memories of our cable going out right as it was starting, and making a mad dash to my grandparents’ house to watch it there (along with the main show), and spending the day with them. I think this was the only time in my life my grandfather watched a wrestling match with me.

Worth checking out. I’m sorry I avoided revisiting it for so long.