WrestleMania XV kicks off with Boys II Men singing "America The Beautiful" and drawing a whole bunch of boos from the notoriously rough Phillie crowd. This crowd is here for what the WWE "style" was at this time - brawling, raunch, swearing, whatever the opposite of wholesome was and Boys II Men just didn't fit the bill at all.
Our opening contest is for the Hardcore Championship held by Billy Gunn. His opponents are ECW alum Al Snow (with Head) and Hardcore Holly. In the weeks building up to this show, the expectation was that Road Dogg would be the one heading into the match as the Hardcore Champion (while Gunn would hold the Intercontinental Championship), but there was a switcheroo for whatever reason. My guess is that one of the Vinces - McMahon or Russo - just wanted to subvert expectations as part of the "crash TV" method they were using to make their shows feel chaotic and "must see." Anyway...this was funner than I thought it would be. Its not a very "hardcore" match in the true sense of the word as there's no blood and only one table bump, but everyone in the match was relatively over and the action is non-stop with everyone working like they want to leave with the title. Plus, at 7 minutes, there's just no time for anyone to be bored by the action. I also liked the finish, which saw Gunn hit his Fameasser but then get screwed out of the title by Holly. Not a bad opener at all. (2.5/5)
The WWF World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett (and a very scantily clad Debra McMichael) took on the team of D'Lo Brown and Test. Brown and Test were the last two men to survive a pre-show battle royal, which made them the number one contenders because...well...that's just how the titles were treated in the WWE at the time. This match only goes 4 minutes, but again, kudos to the competitors for making the most of those minutes and actually getting something of a story across (even if the story has more to do with D'Lo's valet Ivory and her on-going conflicts with the Pretty Mean Sistas, Terri Runnels and Jacqueline). Also, any Owen Hart on a show is better than no Owen Hart. Inoffensive except if you were expecting an Attitude Era show from 99' to actually feature some sort of real tag team action. (1/5)
The next "match" is a notorious one - Butterbean vs. Bart Gunn in a Brawl-for-All style boxing match. This one is hard to rate as a "match" because, in terms of actually providing a hard-hitting battle, it offers none. This is what one would call a two-hit fight: Butterbean hits Gunn, Gunn hits the mat. But what a story! The Brawl-for-All tournament was supposedly designed because Good Ol' JR had let it be known that when "Dr. Death" Steve Williams arrived in the WWE, he'd be the toughest guy in the locker room or something like that. This led to "the boys" debating who would actually win in a legit boxing-style fight, with guys like Marc Mero (who did have amateur boxing experience) and JBL all entering the contest that was, again, supposedly originally designed to get over Steve Williams (who was nearing 40 and hadn't been a major star in the US for at least a decade when he was signed by McMahon to be a potential rival for Austin). Anyway...Bart Gunn was not expected to win the tournament, but he happened to have a ridiculously strong left hand and was tougher than he seemed. Of course, because Gunn wasn't supposed to win the tournament, the company refused to get behind him despite him being 34 years young, objectively handsome (or at least not ugly), in great shape, and having respectable size (at 6'4'', he'd basically be considered a giant in today's wrestling scene). So, instead of pushing him as a hired gun for the Corporation or as a legit bad ass that could reasonably hold his own against other known or perceived tough guys - Shamrock, Taker, Big Show, really anyone - Vince decided to embarrass him on the biggest show of the year and then swiftly fire him. Which brings us to Butterbean, the "King of the 4 Rounders," a guy most known for his imposing and unforgettable look and ability to knock out his competition quickly. Now, true boxing aficionados will tell you that Butterbean was more "sizzle than steak," a Harlem Globetrotter more than an NBA All Star, but this bout with Gunn was going to be a spectacle and Butterbean was the perfect opponent in that regard. And, when the bell rings, anyone with even passing knowledge of Butterbean's abilities - limited as they may have been - knew he was going to take Gunn out quickly (which he does). What people may not remember, though, is that Gunn actually gets up from Butterbean's initial flurry, which is commendable in its own right and way, way, way beyond what most anyone else inside or outside of the WWE locker room on that night could've done. Is this a "must see" match? No, of course not. Its not a pro-wrestling match at all. But in terms of being a "must see" Attitude Era moment? It definitely ranks in the top 15-20 moments of that entire span, which is no small feat considering how wild and crazy the WWE was over those years. (5/5)
Big Show faced Mankind in the next contest to decide who would serve as the guest referee in the night's main event. I don't remember this being very good, but I was pleasantly surprised by the action in this. Mankind did a great job of bumping for Big Show and I'm a bit surprised that these two didn't have an extensive feud after this match because Foley was such a great sympathetic babyface that I think he could have salvaged the ridiculously poor job they did with Big Show as a monster heel upon his debut (he actually came into this match winless despite being in the company for a full month). Big Show gets frustrated and resorts to using chairs against Mankind, which results in him getting DQ'd in under 8 minutes. Vince comes down and gets in Big Show's face and Big Show eventually decks him, turning babyface. I'd be curious to know what the plan was when Big Show first came to the company and if Vince always viewed him as a babyface and wanted this to be his big "coming out" party. Regardless, Mick Foley carried this match into "good" territory and Big Show was perfectly fine, so perfectly fine that I'm surprised that Vince supposedly soured on him not too long after this. (3/5)
Backstage, Vince tells his goons to have Big Show arrested. They also notify him that Mankind was injured after getting chokeslammed through the chairs.
Road Dogg makes his way down the aisle to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Ken Shamrock, Goldust (who is accompanied by Blue Meanie and Ryan Shamrock), and the former champion, Val Venis. Unlike your "fatal" four-way match, this was fought under the rules that only two men could be in the ring at the same time and it was "elimination-style." Those rules lead to this being one of the longer matches of the night - a whopping 9 and a half minutes! Anyway, I'm a fairly big Goldust fan but this wasn't his in-ring peak. Road Dogg bothers me more and more as the years go on, but I'll admit his shtick was really over at this time. Shamrock is a guy I would've loved to see come up in a different era because I'm curious if having different coaches and trainers would've helped him become a smoother in-ring worker along the lines of a Kurt Angle or even Ronda Rousey. Val Venis is Val Venis. This was decent, but felt like a piss-break match after the more exciting Big Show/Mankind and the novelty of Butterbean/Gunn. (1.5/5)
Big Show gets shown being arrested backstage and then we get a classic WrestleMania moment as Pete Rose attacks Kane dressed as the San Diego Chicken and gets tombstoned. Kane was technically a heel going into this match, but was seen as somewhat sympathetic because he was so easily manipulated. His opponent was Triple H, who was a babyface and had been "betrayed" by his longtime manager, Chyna. This match goes 11 minutes, which feels a bit like a marathon compared to everything else on this show. I've always found Triple H to be a touch underrated when it comes to working with larger opponents as, in that context, he tends to bump and sell and not dominate a match with his "methodic" style and sometimes outright unimaginative style. The crowd is undeniably into this match too. Chyna eventually makes her way down and *surprise surprise* turns on Kane to rejoin Triple H, but Kane still somehow wins via DQ, which seems like a half-hearted finish. Not a bad match, but nothing remarkable. (2.5/5)
Backstage, Vince declares himself the special guest referee in tonight's main event.
Back in the ring, Sable defended her Womens' Championship against Tori. I wouldn't consider this among the worst WrestleMania matches ever like some only because (a) its too short and (b) its not like anyone was going into this expecting much. Tori was among the most experienced womens' wrestlers on the roster at the time, but she didn't have enough charisma to make this storyline work and get the crowd behind her (as Sable was in the midst of a drawn out heel turn). When Nicole Bass shows up, Lawler introduces her as being from the Howard Stern show, but really, there was no introduction needed as she had such a strong physical presence (even if she looks like she nearly injures Tori performing the one simple move she performs). Sable's performance here - from the pre-match promo to her wrestling - are interesting not so much because she's good, but because you can really tell how much her ego had swelled from when she first started and that this inflated sense of star power seems to have prevented her from actually being a bigger star. Like, if she'd actually had some fun out there, maybe her promos wouldn't sound so forced? If she'd actually trained a bit, maybe she could've come up with some fun moves to perform that would've popped the crowd (for example, remember when Snooki wowed everyone because she could do a backflip elbow)? (1/5)
Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac was the next contest. Shane hadn't yet started building all his matches around giant stunts so this is more-or-less fought in the ring and built around Shane getting help from the Corporation and the Mean Street Posse to try to beat X-Pac. Shane McMahon was technically the European Champion, though a Google search reveals that he "retired" the title not long after this - and then gifted it to Mideon not long after that. Anyway, Shane and X-Pac work well together, which isn't surprising considering that X-Pac, at his best, was always reliable to put on a decent match. Shane was limited in what he could do, but he was athletic and coordinated enough to do more than just brawl. The finish is the real story here as Triple H and Chyna turn on X-Pac and join the Corporation. Not a bad match, just kinda average. (2.5/5)
Before the next match, we get a nifty video package showcasing the Undertaker's feud with the Corporation. Looking back, the fact that Vince McMahon, later revealed to be the Higher Power behind the Ministry, would want the Undertaker to terrorize him and his family makes no sense, but that was the WWE during the Attitude Era, when allegiances and long-term character motivations would be abandoned for no reason other than the writers wanting to "spice things up." The Undertaker wrestles The Big Bossman in a Hell in a Cell match to continue the feud and the two proceed to put on one of the worst Hell in a Cell matches ever (if not the worst). There's a funny moment when Undertaker gets handcuffed to the cell wall, but the cuffs break almost instantly. On the plus side, I like that both men got "color," which isn't enough to save the match or anything but still makes it seem at least a little more violent than many of the cell matches we get nowadays. I'll also give some credit to the Deadman for his leaping clothesline, which looked terrific. The Undertaker won fairly handily, which was what everyone expected and part of the reason why this match had no heat. After the match, the Undertaker called down the Brood, who propelled from the ceiling and then gave the Undertaker a noose. He hooked the noose around Bossman's neck (not actually, but it did look real) and then Paul Bearer raised the cell, effectively "hanging" the Bossman while Michael Cole repeatedly asked/shouted "Is this supposed to be symbolic?" No, Michael, he's actually hanging the Big Bossman. This stunt was considered one of the most tasteless things the WWE ever did back in 1999 and, close to a quarter century later, it has aged even worse. Still, like the Butterbean match earlier in the show, it is undeniably memorable in its awfulness. The match is less offensive than I remember it being and the post-match angle is more disgusting than I remember it being. (1.5/5)
Main event time - Vince McMahon comes down the aisle, set to handle referee duties, but is interrupted by the return of the WWE Commissioner Shawn Michaels! Michaels gets a fairly big pop, though his performance isn't too good here and some of his lines (and readings of said lines) are woeful. I'm not sure if Michaels was still a drunk/druggie, but I wouldn't doubt it. Michaels announces that only he can decide who the special guest ref is (okay, sure) and that Vince is not it! Vince is sent to the back and out comes Mike Chioda to take over for The Rock defending the WWE Championship against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The match itself is fine, but not all that memorable. They brawled outside of the ring and into the crowd, by the entrance way, by the ring...nothing too special. If I was in that crowd I think I would've been kinda miffed about so much of the action being only viewable on the screen or by a portion of the audience. They finally got into the ring and we almost instantly get to the finishers as The Rock hits a Rock Bottom for a nearfall and then we get a ref bump off a chair shot. This match was no DQ so the use of a chair wasn't going to end the match anyway, but they needed multiple ref bumps anyway because...? Tim White replaces Mike Chioda but he gets taken out by a Rock Bottom and then the same basically happens to Earl Hebner as he's knocked out by Vince McMahon. The crowd is into this match and I'll give credit to Vince for laying out so many nearfall and swerve situations, but there was no way in hell Austin wasn't leaving with title and the audience knows it. Mankind shows up to prevent Vince and Rocky from dominating Austin and the Texas Rattlesnake overcomes the odds to regain the WWE Championship. I like the poetry of Mick Foley helping Austin win the title as, months earlier, it was Austin who helped Mick get the W over The Rock. I also like how much The Rock, even in losing, was treated like a top guy. After the match, Austin celebrates and hits a Stunner on Vince to close out the show. This would've been a bigger moment had it not happened countless times before. All in all, a satisfactory main event due to the star power involved, but not an all-time classic match or anything. (3/5)
With a Kwang Score of 2.35-out-of-5, WrestleMania XV is not the worst WrestleMania of all time as some may try to argue, but it doesn't feature a ton of great wrestling either. On the plus side, most of the matches go by swiftly and there are at least 3-4 truly classic Attitude Era moments. Unfortunately, when things do drag - the Intercontinental Championship match, the slower parts of HHH/Kane, the entirety of the Tori/Sable match - they really, really drag. Foley/Big Show is better than I remember it being (as was the opener) and the main event is fun enough, but the most entertaining 10 minutes on this card are the ones devoted to the notorious Brawl for All, which barely qualifies as a pro-wrestling storyline/angle. If you're not at all interested in that aspect, steer very clear of this entire show.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
No comments:
Post a Comment