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15 years ago today, the greatest wrestling show of all time took place

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Wingfan19

Unconfirmed Member
Gad damn! My friend still sends me that My Way hype video at least once a year. We watched that one live and it was insane. Fuck man, 15 years already.
 

kamakazi5

Member
The only Wrestlemania I have ever seen and it was amazing. I loved Austin and the ending to that match changed me forever as a person. Lol, I couldn't believe it.
 

Juicy Bob

Member
I believe it was actually Austin's idea that he should turn, as he thought he peaked as a face. Too bad that went nowhere, given that the fans still loved him regardless.
I'll always admire Austin for that. Rather than playing to his ego and staying the prime babyface forever like he so easily could've done, he decided that he wanted to challenge himself instead and take a risky run at being a heel.
 
I like how in the promo package they try and make the Debra drama a thing. I mean, I guess it was, but I like how in the next instant Austin is like "who gives a shit about that sports entertainment crap, I want the title"
 

mreddie

Member
I like how in the promo package they try and make the Debra drama a thing. I mean, I guess it was, but I like how in the next instant Austin is like "who gives a shit about that sports entertainment crap, I want the title"

Funny part was Austin in reality wanted the Fed to give Debra something to do. They put her in the angle and paired her with the Rock and he hated it.
 

Anth0ny

Member
I like how in the promo package they try and make the Debra drama a thing. I mean, I guess it was, but I like how in the next instant Austin is like "who gives a shit about that sports entertainment crap, I want the title"

Yeah, it was totally unnecessary. The feud wrote itself. Luckily, they did the right thing in the end by dropping it entirely by the time the match came around.
 

ArtHands

Thinks buying more servers can fix a bad patch
Its the perfect wrestlemania. Rock/austin match aside, the TLC match, Triple H vs Taker, gimmick battle royale (fun break match before the end) etc are all awesome
 

gnexus

Member
The only Wrestlemania I've been to in person. Such an incredible time. Thanks for linking the Austin commentary to his match, I love movie/TV commentaries, so this is awesome.
 

ajim

Member
My God reading through OP was sending shivers down my spine reliving those moments. I probably haven't watched wrestling wince 2003 or whatever so thanks for bringing back some awesome memories mate.

Was amazing times for entertainment.
 

blakep267

Member
I totally forgot about hardcore matches. Those were so fun. Id be like, what are they going to pull out this time? A super shiny trash can or a table. Set it up and go to town
 

Spizz

Banned
Great OP, X-7 was definitely the peak of pro wrestling IMO. Survivor Series was fun that year with the invasion (heel Austin was a terrible idea), but wrestling was never the same after X-7. That event was a once in a lifetime night.
 
One of the best shows with the most pointless heel turn ever, they should have known that Austin wouldn't work as a heel.

Heel Austin was such a breath of fresh air though, his run was entertaining was all hell.

Eh, it needed to happen for him to be a heel and that feud had run it's course.

The Invasion ruined everything. Heel Austin was one of the few entertaining things in the company for most of 2001.

That promo on Scotty 2 Hotty where he kept calling him Kurt Angle that also debuted the what chant was unfucking believeable
 
How dare you give the hardcore match less than 2 stars! Kane backstage driving a golf buggy with a referee alone makes it at least 3 stars. Those matches were so stupid and fun. I was devastated when Austin turned evil but at least it gave us Austin appreciation night and the Kurt Angle milk truck, one of the best things ever. Damn, I remember looking forward to Raw and Smackdown so much each week back in 2000-2001 and now I'll just read about what happened at Wrestlemania and then continue not giving a shit for another year.
 

Skilotonn

xbot xbot xbot xbot xbot
I still have the DVD along with all my other ones.

Can't remember if this was my favorite Wrestlemania though, I'd have to sit and think about it. But I loved the Austin / Rock match, especially when The Rock started wearing Austin's 3:16 clothes, and them doing each other's finishers - always loved those kinds of things.

The tag team TLC match was amazing too.

Stuff like this really, REALLY makes me wish I didn't miss out watching wrestling live, and then let it steamroll into being almost 4 years behind now. I keep promising my friend that I'd catch up. But the thing is with me is that I don't want to just catch up with the PPV's only, I want to actually catch up with the RAW tapings as well, and Smackdown maybe.

So you can only imagine how much I'll have to catch up on. I do want to do it though.
 

Clegg

Member
I loved the story they were telling n the Angle/Benoit match.

Angle, a technical marvel and Olympic champion was getting outwrestled by Benoit so he just decked him after being on the losing exchange in their 7/8 minutes of grappling. Simple but unbelievably effective.
 
I still have the DVD along with all my other ones.

Can't remember if this was my favorite Wrestlemania though, I'd have to sit and think about it. But I loved the Austin / Rock match, especially when The Rock started wearing Austin's 3:16 clothes, and them doing each other's finishers - always loved those kinds of things.

The tag team TLC match was amazing too.

Stuff like this really, REALLY makes me wish I didn't miss out watching wrestling live, and then let it steamroll into being almost 4 years behind now. I keep promising my friend that I'd catch up. But the thing is with me is that I don't want to just catch up with the PPV's only, I want to actually catch up with the RAW tapings as well, and Smackdown maybe.

So you can only imagine how much I'll have to catch up on. I do want to do it though.

You want to catch up? Remember who left X7 as champ?


Yeah, he's champ. You wouldn't have to catch up on much. At most you just need to learn the new wrestlers.
 

Zipzo

Banned
I literally did watch this live.

No joke, I feel absolutely honored that I have the ability to say that.

Also stone cold becoming a "bad guy" honestly wasn't a big deal since people ate him up anyway. I thought the "wat" stuff was funny, and it led in to that arc with stone cold vs angle which is super hype, that arc doesn't get enough mention. Stone Cold threw his damned gold medals off a bridge. Just absolutely awesome.
 
How did I not know Stone Cold's audio commentary of Austin Rock II was a thing that existed. Utterly fascinating and insightful. Thanks again OP.
 

jiggles

Banned
I was still watching wrestling when this happened and I stayed up and watched it live. It was immense. I'd never been so hyped for a live event before.

I actually stopped following pro wrestling not long after. I specifically remember the WWF/WWE was using Creed's My Sacrifice in some promo videos when I called it a day. It was perfect, and really felt like closure.
 
Always thought this was an overrated show, turning Austin in Texas is probably one of the worst decisions WWE has ever made, it being a swan song to the attitude era is seen as a positive for many but for it ended a great era prematurely in my eyes.
 

Fliesen

Member
i stopped watching wrestling in the 90s, but WrestleMania X was a big deal for me, must've watched that VCR tape like ... 15 times.

you got Bret vs. Owen Hart, Bambam Bigelow + Luna vs. Doink and Dink,

Lex Luger vs Yokozuna, Bret Hart vs Yokozuna and the Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels Ladder match, where we got to see the Heartbreak Kid's butt.
shawn-butt.png
 

Acorn

Member
Wasnt X8 the last Wrestlemaina of the Attitude Era? I think it turned Ruthless Aggression when they dropped the F
The eras as defined by wwe are always a little off. Attitude era officially started with austin winning the title, in reality Shawn Michaels going full dick mode kicked off the change in tone.
 

Lothar

Banned
Wasnt X8 the last Wrestlemaina of the Attitude Era? I think it turned Ruthless Aggression when they dropped the F

Ruthless Aggression wasn't an era. That was just a dumb catchphrase they used for a few months. Attitude Era started in mid 97 and ended at WM17.

I believe it really ended when Stephanie became the head writer at the end of 00, but you might as well say it ended at WM17. It feels better to think that the Attitude Era ended perfectly with the best PPV. That it ended with a bang. Changing the head writers mainly seems to be what changed the product.
 

Rockandrollclown

lookwhatyou'vedone
Damn, it makes me sad we'll likely never see anything like that again. The guys today have physical gifts Rock and Steve Austin could never dream of, but its hard to be as invested in them. People often point out how the wrestling during the attitude era could suck a lot of the time, but there were very few wrestlers I was indifferent to. I either loved or hated almost everybody. Never forget, Crash motherfucking Holly was over during this period. Amazing what some decent booking can do.
 
Thanks for the memories OP!

Truly the last great Wrestlemania of our times, I was an 11 yr old kid at the hype of my fandom for The Rock and Austin and was giddy for weeks with my friends leading up to their match. Eventually all of us had to pick a side and draw our battle lines for the event (naturally went with The Rock).

I was heartbroken for days afterwards when he lost.

Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit was a lesson in technical wrestling excellence.

That TLC match too was simply incredible, so many of those guys beyond the acrobatic Hardy boys putting their bodies on the line.
The GOAT PPV.
 

deli2000

Member
The ending of the main event and subsequent turn were not necessarily bad. Heel Austin and the whole Power Trip angle were both great. The problem is that Triple H's injury and the invasion angle that followed pretty much killed any momentum that the storyline had.

Also SummerSlam 2002 is the best PPV ever
 

EVO

Member
Amen.

I took the day off school to watch this. That TLC match is the best of all time, and that Edge hit on Jeff Hardy is the best move of all time.
 

Cowie

Member
Appreciate the retrospective on it!

I'll need stuff to do with my wrestlemania month of the network, so this is well timed.
 
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