wrestlemania

Wrestling Recap: Hogan vs. André (WrestleMania III)

Dr. KLeave a comment

The Date: 29 March 1987
The Venue: Pontiac Silverdome; Pontiac, Michigan
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Joey Marella
The Stakes: Singles match for the WWF Championship

The Build-Up:
On 31 March 1985, Vince McMahon gambled it all on WrestleMania, an event seen by over one million viewers that changed the face of the wrestling landscape forever by bringing together the biggest names in wrestling alongside numerous celebrity guests. Now regarded as the premier wrestling event, WrestleMania eventually became known for career-defining matches and iconic “WrestleMania Moments”, with perhaps the first and most memorable of these moments coming in this titanic clash between “The Eighth Wonder of the World” André the Giant and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. Born in Coulommiers, Seine-et-Marne and suffering from gigantism, the physically imposing yet kind hearted Andre became a larger than life attraction thanks to some clever booking and sensationalist claims. Just in the build up to this match alone, André was said to have been undefeated for fifteen years and to have never been slammed, to say nothing of the dramatic claims regarding WrestleMania III’s attendance figures! Still, with André’s health failing and his body deteriorating, the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) sowed the seeds of dissent between the giant and the Hulkster after Hogan was presented with an award for this three-year reign as WWF Champion. Unimpressed that his own trophy was much smaller and annoyed at Hogan stealing his spotlight, André shocked the world by aligning with Hogan’s long-time nemesis, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and challenging Hogan to a match for the belt, dramatically tearing the shirt and crucifix off the stunned Hogan in the process. The clash between the “Irresistible Force” and the “Immoveable Object” has since gone down as one of the most definitive and iconic WrestleMania matches of all time despite (or, perhaps, because of) Hogan’s wild claims regarding the contest.

The Match:
While a lot of this era of wrestling hasn’t aged too well, and the quality of the in-ring work doesn’t quite match a lot of the work horses who thrill us today, it can’t be denied that there was a certain energy about the business during this time. Hulkamania truly was running wild back then and Hulk Hogan was peerless at the top of the mountain for his iconic and celebrated status, which took wrestling into the mainstream and catapulted the WWF to greater heights back in the day. Also, while it’s symptomatic of André’s failing health, I really dig the old motorised carts that brought some of the larger Superstars to the ring during this time. But, getting back to the energy, you can practically feel the atmosphere oozing from the raucous crowd as Hogan and André stand toe-to-toe at the start of the match. Today, this stare down would garner a “This is awesome!” but, back then, the crowd simply ate up the anticipation of seeing these two larger-than-life titans squaring off in the middle of the ring. One thing I loved about this tense moment was that Hogan worked himself into a frenzy talking smack to André and shaking with rage at the big man’s actions, while André stayed completely stoic and simply swatted the Hulkster away like a gnat. This led to Hogan landing blow after blow to André’s massive head, which the giant no-sold, and to the Hulkster being crushed when he tried and failed to slam André. Though he squirmed out of the pin fall, much to André’s surprise, Hogan began favouring his lower back, which the giant immediately homed in on with plodding kicks and blows. André dictated the pace, easily toying with and manhandling Hogan and taunting him, humbling the champion and making him seem small. André flung Hogan from corner to corner, pounding his abdomen with his hips, but was stunned when Hogan dodged a headbutt and caused André to slam into the ring post.

An iconic clash, to be sure, but a plodding match handicapped by André’s ill health.

Hogan mounted a comeback consisting of blows to the head and shots to the chest, repeatedly slamming André’s forehead off the top turnbuckle pad, before being taken down with a lumbering big boot. André gave Hogan a receipt for those chops and clamped down hard with a bearhug for what felt like an ice age. Eventually, Hogan seemingly succumbed to the agony but, just as his arm was being raised for the third time, Hogan rallied, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and forced André to release the hold with yet more fists to the face. Hogan’s attempts to shoulder tackle André down were akin to running into a brick wall and, again, Hogan was taken down with a big chop. A simple, clumsy kick to the gut sent Hogan to the outside, where André again ate the ring post thanks to Hogan’s wiles. Hogan then pulled up the protective mat at ringside and threatened to hit a piledriver, only to be awkwardly dumped to the concrete. André dumped the champion back into the ring, missed a kick, and finally fell to the canvas from a clothesline. Fuelled by this small victory, Hogan “Hulked Up”, the crowd on their feet and in an uproar, and finally delivered the body slam heard around the world! Hogan then flew off the ropes with the Atomic Leg Drop and scored the pinfall, securing the WWF Championship and drinking in the adulation of his fans as André and Heenan were sent scurrying to the back. I talked about “energy” and “atmosphere” at the start of this review and this match is perhaps the greatest example of style over substance as there really was nothing to it. It’s not André’s fault, the guy was clearly struggling, was basically immobile, and was clearing in a lot of pain, but I don’t think enough smoke and mirrors were used to cover for that. I enjoyed seeing him toy with and humiliate Hogan, putting a hurting on the champion and dominating him, but Hogan’s comeback barely dealt any damage, leaving the ending a bit flat for me. A shot with the ring bell, belt, or a chair or seeing André make a massive mistake might’ve helped with this. The only reason this match gets two stars is because of how iconic the body slam, the stare down, and the atmosphere were. Strip that away and it’s a dull, slow, repetitive match that I’d say barely qualifies as a contest.

The Aftermath:
Despite André the Giant’s clearly failing health, this match wasn’t the end of his in-ring career. André and Hulk Hogan squared off again almost one year later at The Main Event I in a match for the WWF Championship that saw André finally end Hogan’s incredible run with the belt thanks to the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase bribing crooked referee Earl Hebner. As part of this deal, André sold the belt to DiBiase, though faux WWF President Jack Tunney overruled this and declared the title to be vacant. This led to a fourteen-man tournament that culminated at WrestleMania IV, where Hogan and André faced each other once more. This time, weapons were involved in the match and resulted in both men being disqualified. However, when André accompanied DiBiase to the ring for the final match of the tournament, Hogan evened the odds, allowing his friend and tag team partner, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, to capture the WWF Championship. After Hogan defeated André once again in a steel cage match, he moved on to his Mega Powers super-team and subsequent feud with the Macho Man. André, meanwhile, fought the likes Jake “The Snake” Roberts, revealing he was deathly afraid of snakes and the Ultimate Warrior, formed an intimidating tag team with Haku, and finally turned back to the light side after having enough of Heenan’s foul treatment. From there, André made sporadic appearances in America and Japan, before finally passing away in 1993 and becoming the first-ever inductee in the WWF Hall of Fame. As for Hogan, he milked this contest for all its worth, revisiting it during his World Championship Wrestling (WCW) run in matches against the Giant (initially billed as André’s son) and elaborating upon the match more and more as the years went on.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the iconic clash between André the Giant and Hulk Hogan? Do you think this is the best WrestleMania Moment? Did you enjoy seeing Hogan on the backfoot for most of the match? What did you think to the ending, and do you agree that the match lacked substance? Which of Hogan and André’s matches was your favourite? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania match? Let me know what you think in the comments below, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Hogan/Mr. T vs. Piper/Orndorff (WrestleMania)

Dr. K8 Comments

The Date: 31 March 1985
The Venue: Madison Square Garden; New York City
The Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse “The Body” Ventura
The Referee: Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson
The Stakes: Tag team grudge match

The Build-Up:
The origins of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known worldwide as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), can be traced back to the 1950s. Despite some uncertainty about which McMahon founded the company, Vince McMahon Sr. is the one most closely associated with its early success. Initially working alongside the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), then then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) established itself as as one of many wrestling territories. While McMahon Sr. resisted involving his son, the more well-known and controversial Vince McMahon, the younger McMahon forced himself into the business, eventually buying out his father and putting local territories out of business with an aggressive expansion plan. McMahon brought in Hulk Hogan and established a strong working relationship with hip, relevant celebrity stars to put the WWF in the public eye, but risked total ruin by planning the biggest pay-per-view event in wrestling history, WrestleMania. McMahon pulled out all the stops for the event, roping in celebrity appearances from the likes of Cyndi Lauper and A-Team (1983 to 1987) superstar Mr. T, who became embroiled in Hogan’s issues with “Rowdy” Roddy Piper after Hogan and Mr. T appeared in Rocky III (Stallone, 1982). After Piper grew increasingly aggressive and outspoken about the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” era, he inevitably crossed paths with Hogan, easily the biggest wrestling star in the world at that time, leading to Hogan teaming with Mr. T to face Piper and his bodyguard, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, in the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania. Seen by over one million viewers, WrestleMania was the largest wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States and changed the face of the industry, ultimately becoming the biggest event not just for the WWE, but the entire wrestling world.

The Match:
Vince McMahon certainly brought in all the stars of the day for the first-ever WrestleMania. It wasn’t enough to have Mr. T fighting by “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan’s side or to have boxing legend Muhammad Ali as one of the two special guest referees, but baseball legend Billy Martin acted as the special guest ring announcer, Liberace as the special guest time keeper (after having a boogie with the Rockettes), and Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Bob Orton (cast and all) walked to the ring alongside Hogan and Mr. T and the “Hot Rod” Roddy Piper and “Mr, Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, respectively. While all this pomp and circumstance and these celebrity appearances may seem egregious today, the crowd went absolutely nuts for Liberace and Muhammad Ali, to say nothing of the ovation Hulk Hogan and Mr. T got. Piper and Orndorff came to the ring with a marching band almost drowned out by a sea of boos, while Hogan and Mr. T soaked in the adulation of the braying crowd during the lengthy introductions. Undeterred by Orndorff’s antics with a Singapore cane, Hogan goaded Orndorff to face him but then encouraged him to tag in Piper at the start of the match. However, when Mr. T begged and pleaded to get in the ring and kick things off, Hogan happily obliged. Disgusted by Mr. T’s presence and the chanting from the crowd, Piper went nose to nose with the tough guy actor and finally got things started with a slap fest. When Mr. T kicked Piper in the gut, the Hot Rod took him to the mat with some fundamentals but was left frustrated and humiliated when Mr. T slipped out of the situation. Determined to humble Mr. T, Piper tried for a headlock, only to be hoisted into a fireman’s carry and pumped to the mat like “yesterday’s newspaper”!

Despite a good showing from Mr. T, this was a mediocre affair focused more on its guest stars.

This caused an all-out brawl as all the competitors and their ring men threw hands, with only Muhammad Ali able to maintain order, forcing the heel team to take a powder at the crowded ringside. After teasing a walk out, Piper and Orndorff returned to the ring to continue the brawl, with Hogan and Mr. T forcing their opponents to butt heads and Hogan single-handedly taking down both his foes. Despite an eye rake, Hogan tagged in Mr. T and the two continued to dominate Piper, who took a couple of nice slams from the actor before Hogan re-entered the ring. A big boot from Hogan sent Piper flying to the outside so Orndorff retaliated by sending Hogan out after him with a clothesline, allowing Piper to slam a steel chair across the Hulkster’s spine! With Patterson and Ali struggling to keep things under control, Piper maintained the advantage by choking Hogan on the ropes and allowing Orndorff to put the boots to the icon. Frustrated and eager to end the assault, Mr. T rushed the ring, ultimately causing more harm than good as Hogan took a double atomic drop, some spiteful boots from Piper, and a suplex. Orndorff continued the assault with some theatrical punches, though Hogan easily kicked out at “two-and-a-quarter” so Orndorff steadied him for a top-rope elbow from Piper. Although Orndorff scored with a backbreaker, Hogan avoided a top rope dive and brought in Mr. T, who targeted his foes’ eyes before receiving a beatdown. After an awkward exchange between Mr. T and Orndorff, Piper returned to the ring to keep Mr. T grounded with a front facelock. Still, Mr. T powered his way to the corner and brought in Hogan, then saved Hogan from a shot from Piper. Although Orndorff locked Hogan in a full nelson, the Hulkster swung his opponent into the path of Orton’s diving cast shot, which was enough to score him the three count.

The Aftermath:
Despite this abrupt end and the short length of the match, the crowd seemed very happy with what they watched. They were on their feet and making noise from the moment the celebrities arrived, to say nothing of seeing their hero, Hulk Hogan. Piper fled in disgrace, leaving the disorientated Orndorff to be ejected from the ring so Hogan could pose with his allies, to the delight of the crowd. Despite their energy, however, and a decent showing from Mr. T (who showcased some impressive power and ring skills, despite his limitations), this was a really weak match. More time was spent on the elaborate introductions and stalling than actually wrestling, potentially to account for Mr. T’s weaknesses, and the ending fell really flat for me. still. One million buys can’t be wrong, though, and the event did what it was supposed to do: it put the WWF on the map and kick-start an annual tradition that is now the biggest and most extravagant wrestling production of all time! Although Orndorff turned to the side of good following this match and Piper’s ill treatment of him, even teaming with Hogan a few times, Piper’s issues with the Hulkster and Mr. T resurfaced after the Hot Rod started training Orton as a boxer. This culminated in a match between Orton and Mr. T at Saturday Night’s Main Event V and, ultimately a poorly received boxing match between Mr. T and Piper at WrestleMania 2 that saw Piper get disqualified. The animosity between Hogan and Piper would last for decades, with the two meeting in contests in both the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Piper even making a surprise return at WrestleMania XIX to unsuccessfully try and screw over Hogan one more time. This wouldn’t be the last time we saw Mr. T in a wrestling ring, either. Not only did he compete and the next WrestleMania, as mentioned, but he also acted as a special guest referee/enforcer and guest competitor in the WWF and WCW, before being infamously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania? Did you enjoy seeing the celebrities involved in the event? What did you think to Mr. T’s showing in the ring? Were you also disappointed that the match was more of a celebrity showcase than an engaging confrontation between the teams? Which of Hogan and Piper’s many matches was your favourite? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Drop your thoughts below to let me know what you think about WrestleMania, support me on Ko-Fi, and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Sting vs. Triple H (WrestleMania ’15)

Dr. KLeave a comment

The Date: 29 March 2015
The Venue: Levi’s Stadium; Santa Clara, California
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL
The Referee: Charles Robinson
The Stakes: No disqualification singles match

The Build-Up:
For an unprecedented eighty-four weeks, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) dominated the “Monday Night Wars” thanks to big-name star power, big-money contracts, and ground-breaking storylines involving the New World Order (nWo). During this time, Hulk Hogan, arguably wrestling’s greatest icon, experienced a career revival as the villainous “Hollywood” Hogan and his clash against WCW stalwart-turned-dark avenger Sting became the stuff of wrestling legend on this day in 1997. On 26 March 2001, the wrestling world changed forever when World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought WCW and claimed ultimate victory. However, while many WCW wrestlers jumped ship to the WWE for an ill-fated “Invasion” angle, Sting repeatedly turned down offers to join the WWE and instead spent nearly ten years signed with Total Nonstop Action (TNA). Over the years, WWE repeatedly tried to negotiate a contract and fans longed to see the Icon clash with the Undertaker in a dream match. However, it wouldn’t be until 2014, when Sting was shockingly announced to be included in WWE 2K15 (Yuke’s), that the WCW Icon finally decided to sign with the company. At the time, the WWE was in one of its worst ruts as weekly television was dominated by the Authority, a stable of wrestlers and corporate figureheads led by Triple H that routinely interrupted matches and quashed fan favourites. It was in the midst of a multi-man match against the Authority’s representatives that Sting finally made his presence felt. He debuted at the 2014 Survivor Series to help Dolph Ziggler fend off Triple H and pin Seth Rollins to remove the Authority from power. Although this only lasted for a few weeks, Triple H was incensed by Sting’s interference and challenged him to a face-to-face confrontation at Fastlane. Sting accepted and the two brawled, with the Icon besting Triple H’s signature sledgehammer. However, the simple story of Sting being a “vigilante” looking to oust Triple H from power was quickly muddled by the ridiculous decision to reframe the feud into a battle for the honour of the long-dead WCW.

The Match:
As a massive Sting fan, I was super pumped about him finally signing with WWE in 2014. Sure, he was getting on a bit but there were still so many opportunities for dream matches there, especially with a light schedule and a bit of smoke and mirrors. Sadly, things were kind of botched right from the start. After Sting helped remove the Authority from power, he really should have been placed as the replacement authority figure, one who favoured putting on interesting matches and seeing things go down in a fair and just way. Also, they never should have replaced his WCW music with that generic, awful quasi-goth metal track. I didn’t expect the WWE to pay for Metallica’s “Seek & Destroy” but they bought WCW, so they owned the rights to his original Crow music that is so iconic to the character, so they really should’ve used that. Finally, as much as I feel like Triple H vs. Sting was definitely a match to do while he was about, this is not the match people wanted to see. People wanted Sting vs. The Undertaker, even back in 2014, and I’ll never understand the decision to veto that in favour of this except to stroke the egos of a bitter Vince McMahon and the vindictive Triple H. Speaking of whom, the Game came to the ring following a pre-taped introduction by Arnold Schwarzenegger, flanked by T-800 endoskeletons, and decked out in Terminator-themed apparel that might’ve looked cool if the match hadn’t taken place in broad daylight! I get that this was a tie-in to the event’s sponsor, Terminator Genysis (Taylor, 2015), but it actually didn’t make much sense since the last time Schwarzenegger and Triple H interacted, the Austrian Oak slapped the shit out of the Game. Oh, and Triple H looked ridiculous in his cheap cosplay outfit, too. The bell hadn’t even rung before Michael Cole was repeating the ludicrous diatribe that Triple H’s goal was to destroy the last remnant of WCW. As if that wasn’t bad enough, JBL constantly kept ragging on Sting throughout the match, questioning his ability to hang in the WWE, and pretending like he’d been absent from the business for the last ten/fifteen years. Just absolutely pathetic stuff all around from the commentary team, really. WCW was dead and buried and Sting had a whole career after it, so all they succeeded at here was sending mixed messages about the legendary figure.

Sting dominated the early stages of the match until D-Generation X rushed the ring!

After milking a brief outburst of “This is awesome!” (which, to be fair, it kind of was because it was Sting at WrestleMania!), the two locked up. Sting knocked Triple H down with a shoulder block so the Game countered with another lock up to show some off his fundamentals and then hit a shoulder block of his own. Sting bounced back with a hip toss and a dropkick that sent Triple H scurrying into the corner as Sting pandered to the crowd to chants of “You still got it!” Though hesitant, Triple H engaged in another lockup, but this time he turned the match into a brawl. Sting shrugged off Triple H’s patented knee smash and sent him scrambling to the outside to avoid the Scorpion Death Lock. After clearing his head on the outside, Triple H returned to the ring to slug it out with Sting once more only to end up back outside after taking his little flip over the top rope off an Irish whip. This time, Sting followed but crashed and burned into the barricade when the Game dodged a Stinger Splash. Triple H chucked Sting shoulder-first into the ring steps and hefting him back into the ring with a suplex off the apron for a two count. Triple H maintained his dominance with some mounted punches, a whip into the corner, and relished in seeing Sting fall to his knees at his feet. After another near fall, Triple H slapped on a rest hold as, apparently, all this action was just two much for the competitors. When Sting tried to mount a comeback, the Game shut him down with his signature spinebuster for another two count before returning to his rest hold. This time, Sting fought out with the Scorpion Death Lock after countering a top rope attack. However, Triple H’s old D-Generation X buddies, “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” Jesse James, and X-Pac, rushed the ring, forcing Sting to break the hold to fight them off. Sting even countered the Pedigree and launched Triple H from the ring, and then took all of D-X out with a top rope dive! Unfortunately, a momentary distraction from Billy Gunn was all the opportunity Triple H needed to plant Sting with the Pedigree but, incredibly, Sting got the shoulder up before the three count.

While faction warfare broke out at ringside, it was Triple H’s sledgehammer that made a chump of Sting.

Stunned, Triple H retrieved his sledgehammer from under the ring but he was interrupted by, of all people, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall of the nWo! Yes, Sting’s long-time enemies, who he vehemently opposed during arguably the most memorable moments of his entire career, actually helped him! This led to an admittedly awesome moment as the nWo finally got into it with D-X, it just had no place being in this match as it made no sense for them to defend either him or the “honour” of the long-dead company. Regardless, in the chaos, Sting dropped Triple H with the Scorpion Death Drop for a two count. Sting then reapplied the Scorpion Death Lock and Hogan moved the sledgehammer out of Triple H’s reach, which really should’ve been the finish to the match. Instead, Triple H grabbed the ropes (which shouldn’t have counted as it was a no disqualification match…) and Sting was blasted by a Sweet Chin Music from the ”Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels! Since Triple H was slow to cover, Sting kicked out, so D-X slid Triple H his sledgehammer and Sting’s hated enemy, Scott Hall, passed him his trusty baseball bat. Sting not only nailed Triple H with the bat, he also comically snapped his sledgehammer in two before unleashing a flurry of strikes in the corner. A Stinger Splash followed but, rather than hitting a second and bringing the match to a close in a feel-good moment, Triple H blasted Sting in the head with the tip of his sledgehammer and pinned him for the three count! To make matters worse, the two shook hands in a show of respect after a tense showdown between their factions! This match feels like it was put together by someone who had no idea about anything that happened in WCW and just wanted to see D-X and the nWo have a scuffle while putting the final nail in the coffin of the long-dead company. Sting looked pretty good but it was clear from the rest holds that he was getting a bit gassed by the middle and, honestly, this match should’ve made better use of the no disqualification stipulation to help with this. Instead, it was tonally all over the place, with Sting proving a daunting figure but being buried by JBL, him getting the better of Triple H but being beaten by a sledgehammer to the face, and then him shaking Triple H’s hand afterwards like he was beaten by the better man and not a brute who cheated to win.

The Aftermath:
Since Sting lost this match like a chump, Triple H and the Authority continued to dominate the WWE, especially as their golden boy, Seth Rollins, had captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania ’15. Thanks to having the Authority in his corner, Rollins successfully defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship throughout the year and even toppled John Cena in the main event of that year’s SummerSlam. To honour him and his accomplishments, the Authority presented Rollins with a commemorative statue, but were stunned to find Sting in its place. Despite the fact that he lost his big match, Sting challenged Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions, a decision that would’ve made a lot more sense if Sting had won at WrestleMania ’15 and spent his time afterwards continuously opposing the remnants of the Authority. This also could’ve tied into Rollins’ later rivalry with Triple H as he could’ve claimed to beat the man who beat his mentor. Unfortunately, Night of Champions would spell the end of Sting’s in-ring WWE career as he suffered a debilitating neck injury from Rollin’s trademark Buckle Bomb. Although the remorseful Rollins got some flack for this (and, honestly, he really should’ve stopped using the move from that point), Sting maintained that it was a freak accident. Despite announcing his retirement during his induction to the WWE Hall of Fame, Sting jumped ship to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2020, where he took on a mentor role to youngster Darby Allen and even returned to the ring for a handful of matches.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to Sting’s long-awaited WWE debut? Were you disappointed that he faced Triple H and not the Undertaker? What did you think to the involvement of D-X and the nWo and do you think it made sense for the nWo to help Sting? Were you annoyed by JBL’s commentary during the match and the anti-WCW narrative being told here? Did it annoy you that Sting lost and how do you feel about his time in the WWE? Whatever your thoughts on Sting, and this match in particular, feel free to voice them below and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Batista (WrestleMania 23)

Dr. KLeave a comment

After debuting as part of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team at the 1990 Survivor Series, the Undertaker became a force of nature within World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). To celebrate the Deadman’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against the future members of the super-stable Evolution.

The Date: 1 April 2007
The Venue: Ford Field; Detroit, Michigan
The Commentary: Michael Cole and John “Bradshaw” Layfield/JBL
The Referee: Charles Robinson
The Stakes: No disqualification singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship

The Build-Up:
Over his many years as a WWE Superstar, the Undertaker went on to become a true phenom within the promotion, facing off against a who’s-who of wrestling’s biggest names and amassing the greatest winning streak in wrestling history with 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. By WrestleMania 23, Evolution had long since split up, legal issues had caused a company-wide rebrand, and the WWE had split their roster into three distinct brands, Raw, SmackDown!, and the ill-fated Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) revival, each with their own distinct competitors and championships. After defeating his mentor for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21, Batista impressed in the Raw main event before being drafted to SmackDown! in 2005, where he reigned as a popular babyface champion until being forced to relinquish the belt due to an injury. Upon his return in 2006, the “Animal” regained the World Heavyweight Championship from King Booker and ended up signing a contract to defend the belt against the Undertaker, who had shockingly won the annual Royal Rumble match and then formally chose to challenge Batista on an episode of Raw. Although Batista initially claimed to have great respect for the Undertaker, his patience was tested by the Deadman’s spooky mind games and aggressive stance, which led to many awkward tag team bouts where the two struggled to get along and often left each other to the mercy of their opponents.

The Match:
During the first brand split, I was a SmackDown! guy. This was by necessity rather than choice, since it was available on Sky One for “free” in the United Kingdom at the time, but luckily it meant I was treated to some of the best wrestling available courtesy of the fabled “SmackDown! Six”. There were some strange decisions in that brand split, though, such as splitting apart established tag teams like the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) and the Dudley Boyz; D-Von Dudley underwent a dramatic repackaging on SmackDown! as “Reverend D-Von” and was accompanied by a monster of a man, Deacon Batista. Looking back now, there’s no way that I (much less anyone else) could’ve predicted that this huge, tattooed, grim-faced heavy would become one of the most popular main eventers of the “Ruthless Aggression” era. Even I didn’t really take notice of Big Dave until he jumped over to Raw and started running with Evolution, but he improved week by week and had such a great look and explosive moveset that I quickly became a fan of his. He was one of those one-of-a-kind guys who just naturally clicked with the audience and his ascension to the top felt natural and earned since the fans latched onto him over Randy Orton and wanted to see him succeed, even if his in-ring skills weren’t perhaps as refined as some other competitors. This wasn’t an issue by 2007; by then, Batista had fully established himself as a big-time player in the WWE and had honed his craft to the point where he was pretty reliable on the mic and in the ring. I think there was a lot of anticipation heading into this match as Batista was still a rising star but he was facing the Undertaker, a guy who had never lost at WrestleMania, with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. To his credit, Batista showed absolutely no intimidation when the Undertaker stalked his way to the ring through smoke and flanked by fire. If anything, Batista appeared determined and a little pissed off as he dashed at his opponent with a quick tackle and started beating on him in the corner.

The Undertaker was forced to bust out his best moves to counter Batista’s power game.

The Undertaker soon returned the favour, throwing hands in the corner, so Batista countered with some shoulder blocks and sent the Deadman over the ropes to a chorus of boos. The mixed reaction to Batista continued as the two brawled around the ringside area. The Undertaker mostly shrugged off Batista’s shots and the slams into the barricade and ring apron but took a hell of a bump when the champion whipped him knee-first into the steel steps. After rolling the groggy Undertaker into the ring, Batista uncharacteristically climbed to the top rope and hit a diving shoulder block for the first near fall of the match. He then no-sold a big boot and downed the Undertaker with a big clothesline for another near fall and continued to dominate the Deadman with his power game. This quickly turned into a fun spot where the two exchange big right hands, with the fans loudly cheering every punch the Undertaker threw and booing Batista’s. The Undertaker eventually won this exchange and got himself back in the match with a few splashes in the corner and his Snake Eyes/big boot/leg drop combo for a two count. Although the Undertaker hit his “Old School” rope walk strike, Batista powered out of a Chokeslam attempt but the Undertaker shut down the champion’s attempts to regain the momentum by hitting a clunky diving clothesline off the ropes for another two count. The action went outside again where the Undertaker got a measure of revenge by bouncing Batista’s head off the ring steps, running his elbow into the Animal’s jaw, and hitting his apron leg drop to topple Batista to the floor. The Undertaker then returned to the ring and more than made up for his earlier diving clothesline by launching himself over the ropes and taking Batista down with a hell of a suicide dive that left both men down!

Although Batista have his all, the Undertaker emerged victorious and as champion again.

Once they got to their feet, the two continued to brawl at ringside. This time, the Undertaker got whipped into the timekeeper’s table, but Batista made a conscious decision to continuously return to the ring to break the referee’s ten count since he had guaranteed that he would pin the Undertaker for the victory. Thus, Batista beat on the helpless Phenom on the outside before powerslamming him off one announce table and through another! Batista tossed the exhausted challenger into the ring but was left frustrated when the Deadman kicked out no matter how much he pummelled him. This frustration almost cost him as the Undertaker forced his way out of a Batista Bomb attempt, but Batista shut that down with a beautiful belly-to-belly slam for a two count. Batista then let his emotions get the better of him as he lashed out with the ten punches in the corner and left himself wide open for a Last Ride and the crowd was stunned when the Animal managed to kick out at two. Batista answered back with his big spinebuster, but his momentum was again thwarted first by the Undertaker’s zombie sit up and then by a Chokeslam, but again the champion was able to kick out before the three. The closing stretch saw Batista slip out of a Tombstone Piledriver and drill the Undertaker with a Spear before finally hitting the Batista Bomb…for a two count! Aghast, Batista tried to hit it again but the Undertaker powered out. The Phenom then reversed Batista’s attempt at a Tombstone, bounced him out of the corner, and nailed the Animal with the legendary Tombstone Piledriver to score the victory, earning himself his fifth World Championship and bringing the Streak to 15-0. This one was actually really good; the Undertaker seemed hungry and ready to fight and the match made good use of Batista’s power game. I liked the story of Batista being determined to get a legitimate, uncontested pin fall victory and trying to hit the Batista Bomb and being exasperated when it failed to get the job done. The Undertaker also did a hell of a job making Batista look good by throwing his body at the Animal at every opportunity. It lacked a little edge at times and JBL’s obnoxious commentary was, as ever, quite the distraction but this could’ve been a great place to end the Streak. Yhe Undertaker didn’t need the World Championship to be popular, especially at this time, but if he had gone into the event with the belt instead of challenging for it, I think that outcome could’ve been a little different for Big Dave.

The Aftermath:
Since this match was heralded as one of the best matches the two ever had, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Undertaker and Batista were far from done following this exchange. Batista himself felt slighted that the two didn’t get the main event spot at WrestleMania 23, which may have contributed to the two clashing twice more in the following months. Batista challenged the Undertaker at Backlash in a Last Man Standing match and in a steel cage match on SmackDown!, but both matches ended in controversial draws. Unfortunately, their rivalry was cut short when the Undertaker suffered an injury. The WWE had Edge cash-in his Money in the Bank contract to steal the belt so Batista transitioned into challenging Edge for the title, though he was unsuccessful each time. It wasn’t until he got into it with the Great Khali that Batista regained the World Championship and, once the Undertaker returned from his injury later in 2007, the two continued to face off for the belt. Interference from Edge meant Batista finally emerged victorious and the three men faced off at Armageddon at the end of the year, with Edge regaining the belt in a triple threat match. By WrestleMania XXIV, the Undertaker was challenging Edge in the main event while Batista had to settle for representing SmackDown! in a “Battle for Brand Supremacy” against Raw’s Umaga, though the Animal and the Deadman would cross paths again three more times between 2008 and 2009, with the Undertaker being victorious in each instance.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the Undertaker’s battle against Batista at WrestleMania 23? How would you rate it against the Undertaker’s other WrestleMania matches? Do you think the Undertaker needed the World Championship at this point in his career? Were you a fan of Batista’s and would you have liked to see the Streak end at his hands? Do you think this match should’ve been the main event of the evening? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from his long and distinguished career, and what dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and go check out my reviews of other Undertaker matches across the site!

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Orton (WrestleMania 21)

Dr. KLeave a comment

After debuting as part of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team at the 1990 Survivor Series, the Undertaker became a force of nature within World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). To celebrate the Deadman’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against the future members of the super-stable Evolution.

The Date: 3 April 2005
The Venue: Staples Center; Los Angeles, California
The Commentary: Michael Cole and Tazz
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: Legend vs. Legend Killer, singles match with the Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak on the line

The Build-Up:
Over his long and legendary career, the Undertaker became force of nature within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), amassing an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented, and notorious, names in his near-mythical wrestling career. If that wasn’t enough, the Undertaker boasted the greatest winning streak in wrestling history by racking up 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. By WrestleMania 21, Evolution had broken up following their heavy Batista turning against his egomaniacal leader, a move that worked out far better for Batista than his former Evolution stablemate Randy Orton, who floundered in his first run as World Heavyweight Champion. Legal issues also saw the WWF rebranded to WWE and the company attempted to balance its bloated roster with a brand split that restricted certain competitors and championships to either Raw or SmackDown! On Raw, Evolution reigned supreme; Triple H had enlisted Randy Orton, Batista, and the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair in defending his World Heavyweight Championship. However, after Orton had made a name for himself as a “Legend Killer” and dared to get ideas above his station by doing what Triple H couldn’t and dethroning Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2004 SummerSlam, Orton was unceremoniously kicked out of the group and spent the rest of the year struggling to get over as a babyface in matches against his former teammates. In early 2005, Orton was inspired by the legendary “Superstar” Billy Graham to attack his on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, reverting to his devious Legend Killer persona and attacking the likes of Jake “The Snake” Roberts to goad the Deadman into accepting an interpromotional match. Unfazed by the Undertaker’s mind games, Orton became the first true challenger of the Deadman’s unprecedented WrestleMania winning streak by directly referencing the Streak and his intentions to break it. Orton went into WrestleMania 21 with a great deal of confidence and momentum thanks to hitting his finishing move, the RKO, on the Deadman and even colluding with his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, to get one up on the Phenom.

The Match:
Unlike many people, I’m one of the few that actually enjoyed the Undertaker’s turn as the motorcycle-riding, leather trenchcoat-wearing “American Bad Ass”. It helps that this persona debuted at the peak of when I was really getting into wrestling and was my first real exposure to the character outside of the videogames, but I do feel this run was under-rated as it gave the Undertaker a chance to adapt to the times and show more of his personality. However, as a big fan of the ongoing Undertaker/Kane storyline, I was super excited after Kane helped WWE Chairman Vince McMahon defeat and bury the Undertaker alive at the 2003 Survivor Series. Anyone who knows anything about the Undertaker knew that this was leading to a return to his classic Deadman character and it was surprising how enjoyable it was seeing him torment Kane with spooky shenanigans before reverting to a version of his undead persona at WrestleMania XX. Drafted to SmackDown! during the first brand split, the Undertaker was touted as a special attraction and his supernatural powers were often framed as “mind games” to intimidate opponents. Thus, the best way for someone to prove their mettle against the Undertaker was to not show fear or intimidation, and Orton certainly excelled with that. Growing from a forgettable jobber to an arrogant asshole, Orton had made a name for himself taking out legends and running with Evolution, and arguably his feud with the Undertaker finally got his career back on track after his disastrous run as a fan favourite World Champion. After making a chilling impression with one of his trademark entrances (that included not just torch-baring druids but also the Undertaker gliding to the ring through a spooky mist), the match kicked off with Orton staying out of the Deadman’s reach and using his speed to avoid a few shots. Orton even snuck in a slap to the face for good measure to play a few mind games of his own!

Randy Orton’s arrogance and youth were nothing in the face of the Undertaker’s tenacity.

Although a lock-up attempt didn’t go well for the young upstart, Orton did use his speed and agility to land a dropkick off an Irish whip to score a one fall and even a back body drop. However, Orton went through the sequence once too often and paid the price courtesy of a big punch from the Undertaker. The Undertaker tried to slow the pace by methodically beating Orton in the corner. A charge to his young opponent saw the Deadman caught in a roll up for a two count, but the Undertaker dumped Orton to the outside when the youngster went for his signature RKO. Dictating the pace of the match, the Undertaker landed his patented leg drop across the ring apron and then successfully (if awkwardly) hit his “Old School” rope walk strike to the delight of the fans. However, the corner again proved to be the Deadman’s undoing as he ended up crotched on the top rope and smacked off the barricade off a dropkick to the outside after Orton dodged a big boot. The cocky Legend Killer delivered a few strikes on the outside and then promptly returned the action to the ring and scored another two count off an explosive clothesline. The Undertaker answered back with a running DDT and a sidewalk slam for a couple of his own near falls. A few running splashes in the corner wore Orton down but the Legend Killer shrugged off the Snake Eyes and sent the Undertaker crashing to the mat with a back elbow for a two count. Orton then continued the pressure with some vicious strikes to the Undertaker’s head and chest, but his bravado finally turned to fear when the Undertaker did his trademark zombie sit up. This led the former World Champion to trade strikes with the Deadman before being clumsily being clobbered with an elbow/clothesline attempt from the Undertaker.

Despite some close near falls, the Undertaker dispatched his upstart challenger without much issue.

The Undertaker then slapped on the Dragon Sleeper to further punish the upstart, but Orton stayed conscious and even hit a desperation DDT for a close two count before locking in one of his most infamous moves, the goddamn rear-naked choke. Indeed, one of the many complaints I have about Orton is that his in-ring repertoire is so limited, and he needlessly drags out matches with rest holds. To be fair the Undertaker did look a little gassed so maybe they both needed the breather, but the crowd was not happy to see things grind to a halt once Orton applied the sleeper. Luckily, the rest holds didn’t last long as the Undertaker hit a back suplex counter and kicked Orton in the face, and the Legend Killer sucked the crowd back in after hitting a big powerslam for another near fall. Orton’s arrogance almost cost him as he posed during the ten punches in the corner and risked being planted with a massive Last Ride. The youth slipped out of it and even crashed into the referee so that Bob Orton could clock the Undertaker with his signature cast! Luckily, the referee was a little too groggy and the Undertaker was a little too persistent and the Deadman kicked out, sat up, and promptly booted the Cowboy off the ring apron in retaliation. The crowd came unglued when the Undertaker hoisted Orton up for a Chokeslam but damn near hit the roof when Orton countered it into an RKO outta nowhere! If there was ever a perfect time to end the Streak, that was arguably it but, unbelievably, the Undertaker kicked out. Frustrated, Orton made the rookie mistake of attempting to hit the Deadman with his own finisher, the Tombstone Piledriver. Naturally, the Undertaker reversed this, hit a Tombstone of his own, and pinned Orton to extend the Streak to 13-0. As much as I think, in hindsight, that Orton probably should’ve won this match to cement him as the true Legend Killer, it’s hard to say that this match really deserved such a moment. It was a bit middling and their styles didn’t really mesh well as the Undertaker is all about a slow, methodical, power-based game and Orton is…well, a bit dull and safe. I think it would’ve been smarter to have the match focus on Orton outsmarting the Deadman (which was there, but not could’ve just been played up more) and trying to hit the RKO at every turn while the Undertaker got more and more frustrated before decimating Orton with a Tombstone, but it was an okay match, despite its flaws.

The Aftermath:
Apparently, Randy Orton refused to be the man to break the Undertaker’s legendary streak, a decision that I do think was a mistake as Orton really could’ve made a name for himself with that accolade and maybe the Undertaker would’ve felt less pressure to push himself to the limit in his later years. However, since Randy Orton came within a gnat’s wing of breaking the Undertaker’s winning streak, this was far from the last match between these two. Although a brief hiatus and an injury kept both men out of the ring for a few months, they rekindled their rivalry after Orton was officially drafted to SmackDown! later that year. The two faced off in a WrestleMania rematch at the 2005 SummerSlam and, this time, Bob Orton’s interference and the RKO took out the Deadman. The father/son duo not only defeated the Undertaker a few months later at No Mercy, they also locked him in a casket, set it on fire, and chopped at it with axes! The Undertaker made a dramatic return at the conclusion of the 2005 Survivor Series and his feud with Orton culminated in a brutal Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon, which saw the Deadman emerge victorious. By the time WrestleMania 22 rolled around, the two had parted ways. The Undertaker moved into a feud with Mark Henry, Randy Orton took part in a triple threat match for the World Hevayweight Championship, and the two never had another program together as they simply faced off in a series of tag team matches between 2007 and 2009.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the Legend vs. Legend Killer match between the Undertaker and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22? How would you rate it against the Undertaker’s other WrestleMania matches? Did you think Orton was going to win after his father interfered or after hitting that RKO? Do you think the Streak should have ended here, or at all? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from his long and distinguished career, and what dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Flair (WrestleMania X8)

Dr. KLeave a comment

After debuting as part of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team at the 1990 Survivor Series, the Undertaker became a force of nature within World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). To celebrate the Deadman’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against the future members of the super-stable Evolution.

The Date: 17 March 2002
The Venue: SkyDome; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Charles Robinson
The Stakes: No disqualification singles match

The Build-Up:
Following his debut, the Undertaker went on to become a true phenom within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He faced off against a who’s-who of wrestling’s biggest names and amassing the greatest winning streak in wrestling history with 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. By WrestleMania X8, an event as infamous for its “Icon vs. Icon” match as it was its main event, legal issues would saw the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) rebrand to the WWE. The company was also on the cusp of creating their own competition with a brand split after buying out rival companies World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The first steps towards this happened when, the night after the infamous “Invasion” storyline ended, legendary WCW and wrestling icon “Nature Boy” Ric Flair returned to the WWF and revealed he was now co-owner of the company! This caused friction between Flair and WWF Chairman Vince McMahon but McMahon finally ousted Flair from his authority when the Nature Boy’s issues with the Undertaker saw him strike a fan. Flair and the Undertaker butted heads because the former didn’t approve of the latter’s recent heinous actions. The Undertaker would regularly attack other wrestlers if he felt disrespected and delighted in tormenting Flair by attacking his friends and family to force him into agreeing to a match at the Showcase of the Immortals.

The Match:
I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never really been the biggest fan of Ric Flair since he’s a little before my time and I find his matches a little too samey and repetitive, but even I remember being astounded when the Nature Boy returned to the WWF after an eleven-year absence. It’s a shame, though, that guys like Flair, Eric Bischoff, Rey Mysterio, Goldberg, Scott Steiner, and the New World Order (nWo) didn’t appear in the WWE until well after the WCW Invasion angle was over as we really were robbed of some potential dream matches as a result of them choosing to sit out their big money contracts. Still, it was fun seeing him tangle with McMahon and later get a career resurgence as part of Evolution, even if he was well past his prime even in 2002. Yet, I would wager that even prime Ric Flair would’ve had an uphill battle against the Undertaker. At this time, the former Deadman was rediscovering his mean streak as “Big Evil”, a more callous and vindictive extension of his sadly underappreciated “American Bad Ass” persona that saw him cut his hair and eventually ditch the motorcycle and Limp Bizkit theme song. The Undertaker would also go around kicking the crap out of other wrestlers for disrespecting him and, while this didn’t exactly land (people wanted to cheer the Undertaker no matter how badly he beat up beloved icons like J.R. or plucky newcomers like Maven), it again gave the Undertaker a chance to show off more personality and mix things up a bit with some fresh new faces. He even captured the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam during this run! Considering how personal the Undertaker made this feud, Flair didn’t waste any time with frivolities. As soon as the bell rang, he went after Big Evil, striking with some ungainly punches and spilling the action to the outside and tackling over the announce tables in a flurry of aggression!

The Undertaker absolutely dominated Flair, beating him to a bloody pulp with ease.

Staggered and surprised by the assault, the Undertaker eventually turned the tables by catching Flair off an uncharacteristic mid-air dive and ramming him spine-first into the ring post. However, neither this or a smack off the steel ring steps slowed Flair’s assault. It wasn’t until Big Evil hefted Flair into the corner and unloaded with some strikes that the Nature Boy found himself physically overwhelmed, to the point where he initially couldn’t even perform his signature cartwheel bump when tossed into the far corner. A second toss was more successful and “Booger Red” pursued Flair back to the outside to deliver more punishment by busting the living legend open. The assault continued in the ring but, when Flair dropped with his trademark face flop, the sight of his blood was apparently enough to motivate a brief comeback with some knife-edge chops, which the Undertaker immediately shut down with a running clothesline in the corner. Battered and helpless, Flair was sent crashing to the canvas with an uncharacteristic superplex, but Big Evil maliciously pulled Flair off the mat as the referee’s hand was coming down for the three count. Slowly, methodically, the Undertaker continued to target Flair’s blood-splattered head, landing his patented apron leg drop and again interrupting his own pin attempt to keep beating on his foe and knocking him down and again and again to the mild interest of the restless crowd. After dodging a leg drop, Flair tried to mount another comeback with some more chops and looked to be getting himself back in the game after jerking Big Evil off the top rope when he went for his “Old School” ropewalk strike. However, Flair was immediately shut down with a big sidewalk slam for another two count, though this time, Flair kicked out of his own accord.

Even Anderson’s Spinebuster couldn’t keep Big Evil from dispatching Flair and scoring his tenth win.

Digging deep into his repertoire of dirty tricks, Flair crotched the Undertaker on the top rope and knock him to the outside again. This time, Flair grabbed a lead pipe from the Undertaker’s bike and bashed Big Evil right between the eyes, busting him open as well. Flair continued to bludgeon his foe but the Undertaker quickly regained control by running Flair into the ring apron and barricade, only for the Nature Boy to strike back with shots from a safety sign retrieved from the aisleway. Flair, his confidence growing, sneaked a couple of “Woo!”s and struts in and lived up to his reputation as the “Dirtiest Player in the Game” by kicking the Undertaker in the balls when Big Evil went for a Chokeslam. Flair then tied the Undertaker up in his signature Figure Four Leglock, finally waking up the crowd, but the Undertaker simply powered out and countered with a falling Chokeslam for a near fall. Frustrated by Flair’s defiance, the Undertaker took his aggression out on referee Charles Robinson but got drilled when Arn Anderson, the enforcer of Flair’s legendary Four Horsemen stable, rushed the ring and planted him with his signature Spinebuster! However, thanks to the referee being incapacitated, Big Evil kicked out (though this sequence well and truly got the crowd invested in the match). The Undertaker attacked Double-A and trapped him in the Dragon Sleeper (for my money, a far better submission move than his later Hell’s Gate) but Flair saved his friend by walloping Big Evil with a steel chair. Although the Undertaker easily shrugged it off, he struggled to hoist Flair up for the Last Ride so he settled for a Tombstone Piledriver to mercifully bring this to an end and bring his WrestleMania streak to 10-0. Sadly, this wasn’t the best match for either men; apparently, Flair was unsure if he should even be in the ring at the time and credits the Undertaker with renewing his confidence, but this was a chore to sit through. It was just the Undertaker beating up a defenceless old man for about half an hour; Flair barely got in any offense and, when he did, it was all chops and weapon attacks. The best part of this match is Arn Anderson’s surprise run-in. Watching this as a kid, at a time when the Undertaker’s winning streak wasn’t as big a deal as it would later become, I was certain that would be the finish but it wasn’t to be and that was probably for the best as this would’ve been a pretty lame match to go out on.

The Aftermath:
This match wouldn’t completely spell the end of the feud between the Undertaker and Ric Flair. Flair acted as the special guest referee for Big Evil’s number one contendership match against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at Backlash the following month. The Undertaker won the match and would go on to capture the Undisputed Championship from Triple H, while Flair transitioned into a mini feud with Austin since he missed that the Texas Rattlesnake’s foot was on the ropes during the decisive pinfall. Otherwise, the Undertaker and Ric Flair stood at opposite sides of the ring later in 2002 for a tag team match but their time facing against each other came to an end after that as Flair’s career wound down and the brand split kept the two apart. However, the Deadman would make a point to honour the Nature Boy during Ric Flair’s emotional retirement segment in 2008 and Flair returned the favour by appearing at the Undertaker’s retirement celebration in 2020.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the Undertaker and Ric Flair’s no disqualification bout from WrestleMania X8? How would you rate it against the Undertaker’s other WrestleMania matches? Did you also find the match a bit dull and lifeless? Were you a fan of the Big Evil gimmick or did you think it was unsuitable for the Undertaker? Did you think the match was over after Arn Anderson hit that Spinebuster? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from his long and distinguished career? What dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and go check out my reviews of other Undertaker matches across the site!

Wrestling Recap [Undervember]: Undertaker vs. Triple H (WrestleMania X-Seven)

Dr. K3 Comments

After debuting as part of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team at the 1990 Survivor Series, the Undertaker became a force of nature within World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). To celebrate the Deadman’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against the future members of the super-stable Evolution.

The Date: 1 April 2001
The Venue: Reliant Astrodome; Houston, Texas
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Paul Heyman
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: Singles grudge match

The Build-Up:
After his 1990 Survivor Series debut, the Undertaker amassed an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented, and notorious, names in his near-mythical wrestling career. If that wasn’t enough, the Undertaker amassed the greatest winning streak in wrestling history with 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. By WrestleMania X-Seven, one of the most celebrated WrestleMania events of all time, the Undertaker was in the middle of one of his biggest reinventions as the leather-clad motorcyclist “American Bad Ass”. He became embroiled in the battle against Triple H and the McMahon-Helmsley Regime, who had run roughshod over the WWF using their political power. After Triple H finished up is most recent feud with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “The Game” touted his superiority and dominance and raised the ire of the Undertaker, whom Triple H had never faced in a pay-per-view singles match before. Immediately, tensions escalated to the point where they were interfering in each other’s matches, using proxies (such as the Undertaker’s brother, Kane, and the Big Show) to attack each other, and Triple H even had the Undertaker arrested after he tried to force his way into his limousine. In retaliation, the Undertaker had Kane hold Triple H’s wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, hostage to force WWF Commissioner William Regal into sanctioning this one-on-one match on the grandest stage of them all!

The Match:
Although many have criticised the Undertaker’s American Bad Ass (or “BikerTaker”) phase, I always enjoyed it. Of course, it helped that I started watching wrestling around the time of the 1999 Royal Rumble, so this was the only version of the Undertaker I knew outside of the videogames, and that I was into heavy metal music and the whole leather aesthetic that was popular at the time. Regardless, I always felt like it was a fantastic reinvention of the character. It allowed the Undertaker to stay relevant in the far more grounded landscape of 2000’s WWF, gave him the chance to showcase more personality and vulnerability, and saw him destroying foes with an absolutely devastating lifting powerbomb known as the Last Ride. At the time, there was no greater, more hated heel than Triple H (well… maybe WWF Chairman Vince McMahon…). He’d not only dominated the main event as the WWF Champion but also been revealed as the mastermind behind Steve Austin’s run-in with a car, though he had definitely been taken down a notch by both Austin and the Rock earlier in the year. The best thing about these two WWF stalwarts was that it made perfect sense to have them face off, even if it was pretty clear that they were playing second fiddle to the more dramatic story revolving around Austin, Rock, and the WWF Championship. The match was bolstered somewhat, however, as Triple H was played to the ring by the legendary Motörhead in a rousing mini rock concert that ensured the Game got his fair share of cheers despite his heinous actions throughout the year. Not to be outdone, the hometown hero, the Undertaker, blasted to the ring on his bike to Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’”, which, while a good song, still pales in comparison to his original Kid Rock theme. They brawled around at ringside, with Triple H collapsing through a makeshift announcer’s table before being rolled into the ring and J.R. pointing out (maybe for the first time?) that the Undertaker had never lost a WrestleMania match and had amassed an 8-0 winning streak at the show of shows.

The Undertaker dominated the early and took things to the outside after attacking the referee.

Triple H’s attempt to trade punches with the Undertaker in the ring might have gone badly, but the Game scored a knockdown with his Harley Race-style jumping knee…only for the Undertaker to shrug it off, manhandle Triple H into the corner, and toss him overhead with a back body drop. The Undertaker continued to press his advantage, beating Triple H silly from corner to corner and planting him with a powerslam. Even when he missed an elbow drop, the American Bad Ass came right back with his signature flying clothesline but found himself launched from the top rope when Triple H countered the former Deadman’s “Old School” rope walk strike. Triple H capitalised with a neckbreaker for the first near fall of the match before working over the Undertaker’s forehead (which he had split open with a sledgehammer in the build up to this match) on the ring apron. Frustrated after another slick neckbreaker resulted in a two count, Triple H went for multiple covers and the Undertaker kept kicking out, so the Game started arguing with referee Mike Chioda and then hit his trademark knee smash to shut down the Undertaker’s attempt to fight his way back into the match. Exasperated and sadistic, Triple H harassed the timekeeper and retrieved his trusty sledgehammer, but Chioda snatched it away before he could do any damage with it, only to get sandwiched in the corner when the Undertaker catapulted Triple H out of a Pedigree attempt. This meant that the referee was a little too slow in making the count when ‘Taker covered Triple H off a Chokeslam, so the Undertaker also attacked Chioda and took him out of the match for a ridiculously long time, effectively turning this into a no holds barred brawl for a bit. The Undertaker thus launched Triple H to the outside and tossed him over the barricade and into the crowd for a slugfest through the audience without fear of a count out or a disqualification.

Despite some fun spots, this otherwise standard brawl that was overshadowed by later matches.

The two battled up to a production area full of monitors and machinery. Here, the Undertaker beat the hell out of Triple H and the Game repeatedly bashed Undertaker’s head and legs with a steel chair. However, the Undertaker dramatically Chokeslammed Triple H over the railing to the concrete below and followed up with a diving elbow drop, an effect sadly ruined by an unfortunate camera angle that clearly showed the crashmat the two guys landed on (still a hell of a bump, though). The Undertaker fended off the doctors and beat Triple H through the raucous Houston crowd before tossing him unceremoniously back into the ring. With Triple H battered and helpless at his feet, the Undertaker grabbed the sledgehammer and prepared to get himself a little payback but got kicked right in the dick instead! Still, the Undertaker avoided taking a shot from the hammer by booting Triple H in the face and the two just exchanged haymakers instead. To try and one-up his opponent, Triple H tried to hit the Tombstone Piledriver, but the Undertaker impressively pivoted out and reversed it into a Tombstone of his own, but Mike Chioda was still out like a light, so it was all for nought. Although Triple H countered the Last Ride with a sledgehammer shot to the Undertaker’s head, it still wasn’t enough to keep the American Bad Ass down for the three count. Incensed, Triple H furiously attacked the Undertaker’s bleeding forehead. He was so desperate to bust ‘Taker open further that he clambered up the ropes for the ol’ ten punches and left himself in prime position for an absolutely devastating Last Ride right out of the corner! The Undertaker dropped to the mat, the referee made the count, and the match ended with another victory for the legendary icon, bringing his winning streak to 9-0. This was an okay match, but nothing really special apart from the brief detour out of the ring and even that was sullied by one of the longest ref bumps I’ve ever seen. Most of the match was a slugfest, which is always a little disappointing as both men are capable of so much more, but it definitely had a big-match feel and spectacle to it. I think it might’ve helped to have the sledgehammer come into play a little more and to have Triple H properly target a body part rather than just getting dominated and begging off, but the biased crowd was super into the whole thing and it was fun enough, though it’s obviously overshadowed by their later WrestleMania bouts.

The Aftermath:
So no, this wasn’t the last time that the Undertaker and Triple H battled at the Showcase of the Immortals. This match also didn’t put an end to the rivalry between the two men. The main event of WrestleMania X-Seven saw Steve Austin shock the world by joining forces with Vince McMahon and, the next night on Raw, Triple H shockingly formed the “Two-Man Power Trip” with his hated rival. Triple H captured the Intercontinental Championship and the heinous heel tandem delighted in tormented Matt and Jeff, the Hardy Boyz, and their companion, Lita. Since the Two-Man Power Trip boasted about being the most dominating duo in the WWF, the Undertaker and Kane quickly stepped up to oppose them. However, although the Brothers of Destruction captured the WWF Tag Team Championships, Kane got his arm broken by the Two-Man Power Trip, which was a deciding factor in the brothers losing the belts to Austin and Triple H at Backlash the month after WrestleMania X-Seven. Unfortunately, Austin and Triple H’s run with all the gold and all the power was cut short when Triple H tore his quadricep muscle in a tag team match, a horrific injury that side-lined him for most of 2001. When Triple H returned, it was to triumphant cheers; for the first time in years, Triple H was lauded as a hero while the Undertaker was in the midst of a heel run beating the respect out of people. It wouldn’t be long before the two clashed again as the Undertaker defeated Triple H for the Undisputed Championship at the 2002 King of the Ring, though their in-ring encounters did noticeably lessen for a few years after this thanks to the first brand extension.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the Undertaker and Triple H’s first WrestleMania match? How would you rate it against their other WrestleMania matches? Were you a fan of the American Bad Ass gimmick or did you think it was unsuitable for the Undertaker? What did you think to the Chokeslam off the equipment area and did the referee bump also confuse you? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from his long and distinguished career, and what dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and be sure to check out my reviews of other Undertaker matches across the site!

Wrestling Recap: The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan (WrestleMania X8)

Dr. K3 Comments

The Date: 17 March 2002
The Venue: SkyDome; Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: “Icon vs Icon” grudge match

The Build-Up:
On 31st March 1985, Vince McMahon forever changed the face of the wrestling world with the very first WrestleMania, an elaborate pay-per-view event that became the hottest event of the calendar year for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and what better way to celebrate than by looking back at one of the event’s most historic matches! For nearly two years, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) went head-to-head with rival World Championship Wrestling’s (WCW) Monday Nitro but, in 2001, WCW was crippled by bankruptcy and shockingly purchased by McMahon, bringing the “Monday Night Wars” to a surprising end. When McMahon’s attempts to keep WCW alive fell through, the WWF began a storyline where WCW “invaded” the WWF; unfortunately, since WCW’s top names sat out their high-paying contracts, the WWF was forced to rely on lesser names, resulting in one of the biggest missed opportunities in wrestling. Ironically, within months of the Invasion ending, WCW stalwarts debuted in the WWF, including the dreaded New World Order (nWo). First teased when Scott Hall gatecrashed Nitro, the rechristened “Hollywood” Hogan led the nWo in hijacked WCW’s programming, recruiting numerous allies, capturing the top WCW titles, and even to their own ill-fated pay-per-view before ultimately outstaying their welcome and unofficially dissolving when WCW folded. When the original trio came to the WWF, it was as a “lethal dose of poison” McMahon planned to use to kill his company in a bid to push his rival, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, out of the WWF. The nWo soon ran afoul of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and the Rock; when Austin quashed a feud with Hogan due to backstage politics, Hogan and the Rock began a rivalry that saw Hogan and the nWo brutalise the Rock and even attempt to kill him by crashing a truck into an ambulance that the People’s Champion was trapped inside, thus setting the stage not just for a clash of icons but also a blood feud that spanned generations.

The Match:
Everyone knew Hulk Hogan back in the day; hell, I’d wager everyone is aware of him now, for better or worse, but even I knew he was a big multimedia star back when I was a kid and barely able to watch wrestling outside of a few choice matches and segments. It was the WCW/nWo videogames that introduced me to the nWo and the despicable “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan but, while I was vaguely aware of the group during my early years as a wrestling fan, I wasn’t able to watch WCW back then, so it was quite the moment when Hogan, Hall, and Nash showed up at No Way Out in 2002. I was a keen watcher of wrestling by then, especially the SmackDown! brand, and was excited to see what these much-hyped interlopers would bring to the table, but even I was immediately disappointed when they downplayed their threat and made it more about their egos than actually taking over the WWF. Still, the hype was real for Hogan vs. The Rock; while, in hindsight, a six-man tag pitting Rock, Austin, and the Undertaker against the nWo might’ve been the bigger, better match for WrestleMania X8, it ultimately worked out all the better for the fans and wrestling history given how rare it was (and still is) to see generational stars clash like this. The first hint that the match wasn’t going to go exactly as planned can be heard the moment that god awful nWo music hits and Hogan saunters down to the ring playing air guitar and pandering, with his usual smug bravado, to a chorus of cheers. Yes, despite Hogan literally trying to murder the Rock in the build up to the match, the Toronto crowd were absolutely unashamed Hulkamaniacs and cheered Hogan all the way down that ridiculously long entrance ramp. It was so obvious that that J.R. had to point out that Hogan’s legacy and star power have almost superseded his more heinous actions and even Hogan seemed confused by the barrage of “Hogan! Hogan! Hogan!” chants coming from the nostalgia-drunk audience. To be fair, it’s not like the Rock was met by anything less than a rapturous reception, but was pretty clear that the fans had altered the execution of the match the moment the two went face-to-face, eye-to-eye in the ring and were met with duelling chants and, after exchanging sly looks with each other and the audience, the two clearly agreed to toss out the plan and give the people what they wanted.

Right as the match started, the crowd insisted on a double turn and both men readily accepted!

The two locked up in a test of strength that Hogan won to the adulation of the crowd; a second lockup saw the Rock caught in a side headlock and then blasted to the canvas by a shoulder tackle. In between each move, the Rock’s facial expressions told the whole story; he was stunned, livid, at Hogan’s power and the crowd’s reaction to his foe’s signature posing, and he flailed like a ragdoll as Hogan chopped at him and cut him down with a clothesline. Although many in the crowd cheered when the Rock floored Hogan with a flying shot of his own and got in his face, these were quickly drowned out by a chorus of boos that the two men milked to the nth degree. A bit of schoolyard shoving led to a flurry of punches from the Rock that caught Hogan off-guard and saw him catching his breath on the outside. The Rock followed, attacking from behind and rolling Hogan into the ring for a few more shots to the face and another explosive clothesline. Dazed, Hogan seemed primed for a Rock Bottom but he fought out of it, much to the delight of the crowd, and regained control with a bionic elbow off an Irish whip. Hogan dropped a few elbows and stamped on the Rock’s face, but the crowd didn’t care (if anything, they encouraged it!), they just kept chanting Hogan’s name as he whipped the Rock from one corner to another and pummelled him with big haymakers and clotheslines. The Rock got himself back in the game with an awkward-looking tackle, however, spitting barbs at the rapturous crowd after they jeered his attempts at a comeback. The audience leapt to their feet when Hogan planted the Rock with a back body drop for the first near fall and they even cheered when Hogan tied the Rock up in an abdominal stretch and attacked his ribs, raked his back a couple of times, went to work smacking him with the old school ten punches, and even biting the Rock’s forehead!

The fans refused to boo Hogan; no matter what he did, they were firmly behind the wrestling icon.

The Rock turned the tables and chopped Hogan, mocking him and the crowd between moves, but found his momentum shut down with a surprising chokeslam-like manoeuvre from Hogan. Even when Hogan blatantly choked the Rock, the crowd wouldn’t be dissuaded from cheering the Hulkster and this only became more apparent as the two exchanged punches and Hogan launched the Rock from the ring to a thunderous ovation! Hogan pressed his advantage by slamming the Rock into the steel steps and the barricade; then they cleared out the announce table, only for the Rock to try to smash his head in with a steel chair. The referee intervened, however, which allowed Hogan to floor the Rock with a stiff clothesline, but poor Mike Chioda got blasted by the Rock after Hogan countered an Irish whip. The Rock got back into it with a spinebuster and his patented sharpshooter; no stranger to the leg lock and operating on pure instinct, Hogan powered to the ropes but the Rock simply dragged him away, giving the Hulkster no choice but to tap out. However, Mike Chioda was still out, robbing the Rock of an early victory, so the People’s Champion roughly tried to bring the referee to his senses (to chants of “Rocky sucks!”), only to walk right into a low blow from Hogan. Hogan followed up with a Rock Bottom but only scored a two count thanks to the referee struggling to make the count. Frustrated, with Mike Chioda still somewhat out of it, Hogan took off his belt and whipped it across the Rock’s back but ended up being planted by the Rock’s super-slick DDT. The Rock then grabbed Hogan’s belt and got a measure of revenge, lashing Hogan over and over and even spitting on it to add insult to injury, but his attempt to finish Hogan off with a Rock Bottom led to the Immortal One powering out of the pin!

Although the Rock won, Hogan won back his fans and embarked on an unexpected nostalgia run.

The crowd leapt to their feet as Hogan “Hulked Up” in the ring; fists clenched, teeth gritted, he shrugged off blow after blow and answered with clubbing blows to the Rock’s face. Hogan whipped the Rock off the ropes and floored him with his signature Big Boot and the crowd were literally frothing as Hogan came crashing down with his patented Atomic Leg Drop. Mike Chioda fell to the mat but the crowd, Hogan, basically everyone lost their damn minds when the Rock kicked out at two! With Toronto at a fever pitch, Hogan went for his finishing combination again, but the Rock rolled out of the way and scored with another Rock Bottom. Rather than go for the cover, the Rock purposely hoisted Hogan up and hit a third Rock Bottom before springing to his feet and earning himself the three count off a People’s Elbow! While the crowd might have been torn, if not against the Rock, throughout the match, they were unanimously elated with this outcome and showered both men with a standing ovation. This only escalated when the clearly exhausted and wounded Hogan sheepishly offered his hand in a show of respect; still milking the electricity of his impromptu heel turn, the Rock hesitated but ultimately shook the Hulkster’s hand and the two briefly embraced before Hogan humbly stepped aside for his better. Unimpressed, Hall and Nash attacked their nWo teammate until the Rock made the save and, together, Hogan and the Rock fought off Hall and Nash to effectively (if unofficially) disband the nWo. Fatigued, Hogan then tried to leave the ring but the Rock couldn’t help himself; he stopped Hogan and all-but begged him to perform one last pose down and, despite his obvious pain and discomfort, Hogan conceded and basked in the unanimous show of respect and adulation from the uproarious Toronto crowd, much to the Rock’s obvious glee!

The Aftermath:
This match has been heralded as one of the best wrestling clashes of all time, and for good reason; both men worked extremely well together and played to each other’s strengths and the Rock did a masterful job of working around Hogan’s limitations. What really makes this match, though, is the crowd; they are as big a part of the proceedings as the in-ring action and, without them causing an impromptu double-turn, I don’t know if this would’ve been as memorable as it was. However, the stars aligned perfectly, allowing Hogan to redeem years of wicked deeds during his time in the nWo with this one match and embark on an unexpected nostalgia tour over the next few years. Indeed, if it wasn’t obvious from the ending to this match, Hollywood Hogan turned face for the first time in years after WrestleMania X8. He would team up with the Rock (and Kane) to battle his former nWo teammates and found himself drafted to the SmackDown! brand, where he donned a new version of his classic red and yellow attire and rode his renewed fame all the way to a title shot, and victory, over Triple H the very next month at Backlash. The Rock was pivotal in securing Hogan this match as he gave up his own championship opportunity to film The Scorpion King (Russell, 2002); by the time he returned to the ring, not only was the WWF now known as WWE but Hogan had lost the Undisputed Championship to the Undertaker and was busy feuding with the likes of Kurt Angle and defending the WWE Tag Team Championship alongside Edge. Hogan and the Rock would, of course, face each other again a little under a year after this match. By this time, the Rock was firmly in the midst of his own “Hollywood” heel turn as an abrasive egomaniac and Hogan was embroiled in a feud with Vince McMahon. Before the two faced off at WrestleMania XIX, however, Hogan was forced to battle the Rock again at the 2003 No Way Out pay-per-view to the same result, but with the caveat that the Rock’s victory came after assistance from McMahon and a crooked referee. While both men would go on to have numerous other matches, their next biggest in-ring encounter came during the opening segment of WrestleMania XXX where Hogan, Rock, and Steve Austin shared the ring in an iconic (and hilarious) WrestleMania moment.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to the Icon vs. Icon clash between the Rock and Hollywood Hulk Hogan? Do you think the match would be as memorable without the rampant Toronto crowd? Who was your pick to win this match at the time? Were you a fan of the nWo’s brief stint in the WWF? Would you have preferred to see Hogan face off against Steve Austin? Which generational wrestling icons would you like to see go one-on-one? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Drop your thoughts below or leave a comment on my social media to let me know what you think about WrestleMania X8 and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.

Wrestling Recap: Money in the Bank Match (WrestleMania 21)

Dr. K3 Comments

The Date: 3 April 2005
The Venue: Staples Center; Los Angeles, California
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: Six man ladder match for a chance to cash-in on a World Heavyweight Championship at any time within a year

The Build-Up:
Since World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has largely dominated the wrestling landscape, it’s no surprise that the WWE has been at the forefront of creativity, whether with their celebrated Superstars, their impact on pay-per-view entertainment, or the creation of memorable matches. Since 1993, Superstars were given a first-class ticket to a World Championship match at WrestleMania by winning the annual thirty-man Royal Rumble match, and the company had been awing fans with their ladder matches since 1992, with their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) matches being some of their most hotly-contested spectacles. It was long-time veteran “Y2J” Chris Jericho who first came up with the idea of combining these concepts in the “Money in the Bank” ladder match, originally pitched as a means to get more names onto the WrestleMania 21 card, which, in its original inception, saw six men vying for the chance to grab a briefcase that would be their ticket to a championship match. At the time, the WWE was in the midst of their first brand split and only competitors from the Raw brand were involved in the match but, in time, the number and variety of the competitors would increase. There were a number of moving parts involved heading into the match: all of the competitors had crossed paths both in the past and recently, with Jericho and Christian having been at odds with each other since WrestleMania XX, Christian was finally finding his feet as an amoral, egotistical singles star alongside his muscle, Tyson Tomko, and his storyline brother, Edge (who was originally reluctant to be in the match), was just starting to explore his own path as a reprehensible bad guy. Also involved were Chris Benoit (a dependable hand who had spent most of the year in the main event scene as the World Heavyweight Champion), Kane (still in the midst of a run as an unmasked psychopath), and rising star Shelton Benjamin, who was not only the Intercontinental Champion at the time but who had also made an impression by besting Triple H in what should have been star-making performances Raw.

The Match:
I’ve always enjoyed ladder matches; they can be extremely gruelling and impressive bouts, especially the tag team and TLC contests that the WWE perfected between 1999 and 2002. The idea of putting some of the best and most physically impressive up-and-comers in a ladder match alongside some reliable hands with a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the line was already a great prospect, but the very idea of a Superstar being able to cash-in that briefcase anytime, anywhere really added some much-needed spice into the main event scene. However, I have to say that I think I preferred it when the Money in the Bank ladder match didn’t have it’s own pay-per-view event; it makes sense, of course, since the King of the Ring, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble matches all got their own events but I think it very quickly diminished the spectacle of the match and the entire concept since you suddenly had annual Money in the Bank pay-per-views running with at least two of the matches on the card, which I do think is a bit of overkill. These matches could easily be spaced out over the year, taking place on WrestleMania or SummerSlam or even special editions of Raw or SmackDown! since it’s a great way to get some names on a card and under the spotlight without draining the crowd with multiple matches in one night. Following the entrances (which included a fantastic visual of the ladders around the entrance ramp bursting into flames when Kane came out), Jericho, Benoit, Christian, and Shelton put aside their differences to intercept Kane on the aisleway in a blatant attempt to target the biggest man in the match, only to be summarily manhandled by the Big Red Machine.

Chaos ensued in the early going, with the ladders and the agile Shelton stealing the show!

This pack mentality continued at ringside as Benoit and Shelton worked together to take Kane out with a double suplex, while Jericho caused a ladder to smack Christian right in the face in the ring before getting into it with Shelton. The youngster ended up eating the canvas off a facebuster and then Jericho successfully fended off Benoit and Edge with a dropkick to the ring apron before he, Christian, and Shelton took it in turns to dive onto the two, though of the three it was Shelton who impressed the most with his running senton splash from the ring to the competitors outside. Not to be outdone, Kane then took all of them out with a diving clothesline of his own before heading into the ring and swatting Edge and Christian with a ladder. Jericho ended this assault with a Missile Dropkick off the top rope and then used the same ladder to brutalise Shelton and Edge before he (and the ladder) got planted with a German Suplex by Benoit! Benoit retrieved the ladder and managed to counter Kane’s Chokeslam into a Crippler Crossface; however, he took a ladder shot right to the face from the Big Red Machine when he had the same hold locked in on Edge and ended up having his left arm pulverised by the ladder courtesy of Kane. Edge put a stop to the assault with a Spear and then rekindled his old partnership with Christian to crush Kane between two ladders before both men were downed by a springboard clothesline from the agile Shelton Benjamin. Although Shelton was able to hit a spin kick on the ladder to take Christian out of the equation, he got hurled into another ladder by Edge but immediately got a little payback by countering Edge’s Spear into a flapjack into the same ladder! Shelton followed this up by crushing Edge against the ladder with a huge Stinger Splash, clearing the ring and allowing him to make a climb for the briefcase; unfortunately, Jericho intercepted him from the other side of the ladder and the two got into a slugfest. Christian, Benoit, and Edge then joined the party, scaling ladders of their own to duke it out up high, each one making a desperate reach for the briefcase, until Christian sacrificed his spot to drive Benoit’s arm into the canvas, Jericho plummeted from his ladder, and Edge was sent crashing off the top courtesy of Shelton’s signature T-Bone Suplex Slam!

The opportunistic Edge bypassed the athleticism of his foes to steal the briefcase for himself!

Chris Jericho recovered first but Christian intercepted him before he could climb, earning him a good old boot to the back of his head for his troubles. This led to the undeniable highlight of the match as Shelton ran up an angled ladder and clotheslined Jericho from the top of another ladder as he was reaching for the briefcase! Absolutely unreal stuff from Shelton here; it boggles my mind that he didn’t get more of a push towards the main event, or a World Championship run! Unfortunately, Christian was on hand to bash Shelton off the ladder with one of his own; Kane then booted the ladder in Christian’s face and tried to murder Shelton by Chokeslamming him out to ringside, but the youngster’s boot got tied up in the ropes and Christian’s “Problem Solver”, Tyson Tomko, took Kane out with a boot before he could do any more damage. Tomko then set up a ladder and gave Christian a boost towards the briefcase, but Kane simply shoved the ladder over and sent Christian spilling onto his bodyguard on the outside! Kane then made a play for the briefcase but he and Jericho ended up toppling to the top rope during their struggle; Benoit then returned to the ring and, despite his bad arm, was able to set up a ladder, scale it, and drop head-first onto Kane’s prone body with his trademark Diving Headbutt that busted open the stitches above the Rabid Wolverine’s eye! Benoit then hauled himself up another ladder and frantically fought off Kane’s attempt at a Chokeslam with repeated headbutts. Although this worked, Edge came out of nowhere with a sickening chair shot to Benoit’s injured arm! Benoit tumbled from the ladder and, with the field clear, Edge was able to scale it, unhook the briefcase, and steal the victory for himself to a chorus of boos! Man, I have to say, this was a hell of fun match; I think the only things that let it down were the short length (though this did add to the entertaining chaos) and the fact that Edge and Benoit kinda disappeared for a bit in the middle there. As weird as it always is seeing Kane in this kind of match, he really held his own; I think a bit more could’ve been done with the other guys ganging up on him, but he definitely made an impression with his power game. The star of the show was, of course, Shelton Benjamin; his agility and innovative offense was absolutely riveting at the time, and it really is a shame he didn’t get a proper run at the top. Everyone else was, of course, brilliant and played their parts well; the match even benefitted from the ladders actually behaving and this really set a high standard for other Money in the Bank ladder matches to follow.

The Aftermath:
Most of these guys would continue to mix it up in matches together over the following weeks and months; Chris Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship at Backlash the following month and Edge scored a big victory at that same event by blasting Chris Benoit with a brick to win their Last Man Standing match. A few months down the line, at Vengeance, Chris Jericho and Christian were challenging for John Cena’s WWE Championship and Kane was embroiled in a feud with Edge that had somehow resulted in the Big Red Machine becoming the heroic avenger after he was betrayed by Lita, a woman he had blackmailed into a relationship and all-but-raped! This of course leads me to the man who benefitted the most from this match; Edge’s victory saw him become an unhinged, despicable character on Raw, one who stole Lita away from Kane and delighted in flaunting their highly sexual relationship on a weekly basis. He even made a chump out of former friend Matt Hardy, who made a dramatic return to the company to get into it with Edge despite the real-life animosity between them as Lita had been sleeping with Edge behind Matt’s back! Edge cemented himself as a top heel on Raw but held onto the Money in the Bank briefcase for about eight months; although he could’ve cashed in his contract at any time, he wisely chose to do so at the conclusion of the 2006 New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view, which saw him blast WWE Champion John Cena with two consecutive Spears to capture his first World Championship. Unfortunately, Edge wouldn’t get to defend the belt at WrestleMania 22 as he lost the title to Cena via submission only one month later; instead, Edge went on to have a brutal hardcore match against Mick Foley that further established him as a top star. Of course, this wasn’t the last Money in the Bank ladder match; the first interpromotional version was held at WrestleMania 22, it was upgraded to an annual pay-per-view event in 2010, and the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match took place in 2017.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the inaugural Money in the Bank match? Did you like that Edge won the match or would you have liked to see someone else take the win? Were you impressed by Shelton Benjamin’s physicality and would you have liked to see him get a World Championship run? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included in this first match? What’s your favourite Money in the Bank match? Whatever your thoughts on the Money in the Bank match, share them below or leave a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap: A McMahon in Every Corner! (WrestleMania ’00)

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The Date: 2 April 2000
The Venue: Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim; Anaheim, California
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: Fatal-four-way elimination match for the WWF Championship

The Build-Up:
On March 31st, 1985, Vince McMahon changed the face of the wrestling landscape forever by bringing together the biggest names in wrestling (alongside a number of celebrity guests) for the very first WrestleMania, a pay-per-view extravaganza that became the hottest event of the calendar year for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and what better way to celebrate than by looking back at one of the event’s most historic matches. By the late-nineties, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) was clawing back to prominence after being beaten in the weekly ratings by World Championship Wrestling’s (WCW) Monday Nitro for nearly two years. Amidst the adolescent antics of D-Generation X and the violent rivalry between the Undertaker and Kane, fans were caught up in the rivalry between the loud-mouthed, anti-authority “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and WWF Chairman Vince McMahon. Unfortunately, Austin was written off television using a hit-and-run angle so that he could get much-needed neck surgery, and the main event scene of the WWF came to be dominated by Triple H. Triple H became an extremely powerful figure, both on- and offscreen, after marrying McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie, and throwing his weight around as WWF Champion, crushing those with either his political power, his trusty sledgehammer, or his buddies in D-X. After Cactus Jack failed to unseat Triple H, costing the man behind the persona, Mick Foley, his career in the process, the people’s last chance laid, fittingly, in the People’s Champion himself, the Rock. However, the Rock’s path to the WrestleMania main event was disputed by the Big Show following a botched finish to the Royal Rumble; the Rock’s attempts to regain his championship match were further thwarted when the Big Show aligned himself with Vince’s son, Shane, so Vince returned to the Rock’s corner to get a measure of payback against his children. Although Chris Jericho was initially scheduled to be added to the WrestleMania main event, Linda McMahon entered the fray and announced that she would accompanying Mick Foley to the ring at the Showcase of the Immortals and the sage was set for a fatal-four-way with a member of the McMahon family in every corner!

The Match:
I should say that, while many fans and critics out there don’t think too much to this match (or this WrestleMania, there’s a very good reason that I’m choosing to review it; this was the very first WrestleMania I ever watched, and I had just started really getting into wrestling just prior to the Royal Rumble, so I was all about Mick Foley, Triple H’s dominating run as champion, and the intrigue surrounding these larger-than-life competitors. As such, considering the emotional ending to their Hell in a Cell bout at No Way Out, I was fully onboard with J. R.’s call that Foley was the “sentimental pick” for this match and had absolutely no qualms about seeing him added to the contest so close to his “retirement” because it just added a lot more emotional stakes to the match after seeing him push Triple H to the limit as Cactus Jack and knowing it could very well be his last shot at reclaiming the WWF Championship. Arguably, if there’s anyone that people didn’t seem too interested in seeing in this match, it’s the Big Show; the mammoth Paul Wight had already switched alignments a handful of times by this point, and been the WWF Champion himself and, despite the allure of his size and strength, just wasn’t as beloved, hated, or revered as the other three competitors so he kind of stands out a little bit. Once the Rock comes out, it’s pretty clear who the crowd is really behind; despite being accompanied by the hated Vince McMahon, the Rock was firmly entrenched as the most popular star on the roster at this point and the people had been begging to see him dethrone Triple H ever since he won the Royal Rumble. And then, of course, there’s the champion himself; Triple H’s big run at the top wasn’t quite as self-serving as his later reign of terror, but he had gone out of his way to make sure that he was the most hated man in the WWF at that point; from throwing his weight around, stacking the deck at every turn, to firing and the retiring Mick Foley, Triple H had every advantage at his disposal, to say nothing of being physically capable of going toe-to-toe with any man, especially each of his opponents in this match.

Despite his size and strength, the Big Show is the first to go after the others team up against him.

With no count-outs, time limits, or disqualifications in effect, and three former World Champions gunning for him, Triple H was at a distinct disadvantage here; not only did he not have to be pinned to lose the belt, he could also be eliminated from the contest entirely if he wasn’t careful, and the four wasted no time in pairing off for a slugfest that saw the Game renew his rivalry with Foley and the Rock and the Big Show go at it in the other corner. Hyped up on adrenaline and emotion, Foley was able to beat Triple H down in the corner and hit his running knee spot, but both men were soon floored by a double clothesline from the Big Show, who showcased his physical dominance in the early going by manhandling each of his opponents indiscriminately with headbutts, tosses, and huge Gorilla Press Slams. Foley’s attempt to choke out the Big Show left him crushed beneath the giant’s weight, and he easily shut down the Rock’s offense with a sidewalk slam, but surprisingly Foley saved the Game from falling victim to the big man’s patented Showstopper chokeslam with a kick to the nuts. Triple H, the Rock, and Mick Foley then got on the same page to pummel the Big Show and finally knock him down for a group stomping. It’s Foley who breaks up the alliance, attacking Triple H and sending himself and the Game to the outside with his Cactus Clothesline; while the Big Show overpowers the Rock on the inside, Foley attacks Triple H with a steel chair in front of the announcers, then wallops the big man across the spine in retaliation for Shane tripping the Rock. Stunned by the shot, the Big Show lumpers right into a Rock Bottom and is summarily eliminated from the match.

It wasn’t long before Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection were battling for victory.

Triple H offers to join forces with each of his two opponents to take out the other, and ends up getting suckered in by the Rock as a result; the former WWF Tag Team Champions stomp the shit out of Triple H, smacking him back and forth between them and flooring him with a double clothesline before dumping him to the outside. Every time Triple H attempts to mount a comeback, the Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection shut him down, but Triple H is wily enough to duck a shot from the Rock that sees Foley get blasted in the head with the ring bell! Triple H follows up by running the Rock into the steel ring steps to turn things around, dropping the Rock chest-first on the barricade, but he’s left cowering in ear with Foley pulls out his trusty barbed wire 2×4! Thanks to a kick to the dick, Triple H fells the former Hardcore Champion and then uses Foley’s own weapon against him; thankfully, the Rock interrupts before Foley can get too shredded, giving Mick the opportunity to hit the Double-Arm DDT and pull out Mister Socko for the Mandible Claw. The Rock then smashes the WWF Championship over Triple H’s face, but Foley interrupts the People’s Elbow by slapping the Mandible Claw on the Rock (which a vocal majority of the crowd are not happy about) and this dissension allows both men to fall victim to a double low blow form the Game. The Rock and Triple H make it to their feet first, and Vince surreptitiously slips a steel chair into the ring for the Rock to use, but nearly has a heart attack when Foley attacks the Rock and almost scores a pin fall off the Double-Arm DDT. Foley’s momentum is cut off, however, when he charges at the Rock with the chair and gets a face full of steel for his efforts, but Triple H breaks up the Rock’s pin attempt (which the announcers question and hastily try to explain as the Game wanting to personally eliminate Foley from the match).

After injuring himself on a risky move, Foley is eliminated and Triple H focuses his wrath on the Rock.

Triple H then clotheslines the Rock down and he and Foley agree to team up to eliminate the Rock and then settle their score, which the crowd also isn’t happy about. Suddenly fending off two men at once, the Rock is pummelled by the unlikely duo’s attacks and double teams but refuses to let himself be pinned to the mat. Foley knocks the Rock to the outside, smashing the Brahma Bull in the face with the steel stairs and leaving him helpless as Triple H lays him across the Spanish announce table. Foley ascends the nearest turnbuckle and absolutely crashes and burns on a diving elbow drop, momentarily taking himself out of the match and leaving Triple H to quickly cover up by smashing the Rock through the table himself. With the Rock incapacitated at ringside, Triple H is infuriated when the injured Foley still manages to kick out of a Pedigree s he smashes the former King of the Death Match over the head with a steel chair and finally puts his dreams to rest with a devastating Pedigree to the chair. The crowd is a sea of boos at seeing their beloved hero eliminated, but applaud his efforts, continuously respectful of his tremendous effort and the sacrifices he made not just throughout his career, but also in this match. Before he leaves, though, Foley clocks Triple H in the head with the barbed wire 2×4, busting him open in the process and allowing the match to boils down to, arguably, the two men who should’ve had the main event to themselves all along: The Champion, Triple H, and the people’s last, best hope, the Rock. After kicking out of a pin fall attempt, Triple H gets decked by the Rock’s signature right hands, and then clotheslined to the outside after a brief miscommunication; the Rock forces Triple H up the aisleway for a brawl on the concrete and, naturally, out into the crowd and back over to the announce table. Triple H uses a steel chair to smack the ring steps into the Rock’s face and pin him to the floor, attacking the steps with the chair to increase the pressure, and then plans the Rock with a piledriver onto the other steel steps! Despite J. R.’s pleas to stop the match, and that such a spot probably should’ve been the finish, the Rock not only kicks out of a pin attempt but even fires up enough to go for a Rock Bottom! Triple H countered out of it but was toss over the top rope and back to the outside when the Rock countered the Pedigree!

Vince screws the Rock out of his victory, but the People’s Champ gets the last laugh on the McMahons.

The two brawl at ringside and through the crowd a bit more, an exchange that sees the Rock slam Triple H to the padded floor with a spinebuster and then smash Triple H through the remaining announce table with a beautiful suplex! When Triple H trips the Rock into the ring steps with a drop-toe hold, Vince attacks the Game and ends up being smashed in the head by a television monitor courtesy of his son. The two McMahons brawl at ringside and Vince gets busted open from a chair shot to take the focus off the ring and give the competitors a chance to catch their breath; this results in the Rock exploding with a series of punches and scoring a near-fall off a DDT and that cool twirling powerslam he used to do around this time. Triple H turns things around with Foley’s 2×4, but the Rock is able to slingshot the Game into Triple H and then plant the champion with a Rock Bottom. Unfortunately, the Rock is too fatigued to capitalise, but is saved from Shane’s chair shot by a returning Vince, who slaps his son around to thunderous applause. Vince grabs the chair and prepares to hit Triple H, but psyche! The WWF Chairman stuns the crowd, and Stephanie, and smashes the chair over the Rock’s head instead! When the Rock kicks out of the pin fall, Vince is infuriated and hits the People’s Champion again, harder this time, and Triple H finally snags the three count, becoming the first heel to ever successfully defend the WWF Championship at WrestleMania. The Rock is left a quivering, beaten mess, the crowd is so pissed off that they’re throwing trash in the ring, and Vince embraces Stephanie and Shane to birth a new alliance in the WWF. Angered at the betrayal, the Rock hits the ring and plants all three McMahons with Rock Bottoms and then hits the People’s Elbow on Stephanie to placate the crowd somewhat.

The Aftermath:
Naturally, the Rock wasn’t finished with Triple H following the end of this match; over the next few weeks, the People’s Champion was continuously on the backfoot as the combined forces of the McMahons and D-X conspired to beat him down at every opportunity. Although the Rock was able to earn a one-on-one shot at Triple H at Backlash, the McMahons stacked the deck against him by naming Shane as the special guest referee and Vince’s stooge, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, in supporting roles. This led to Linda announcing that Steve Austin would be in the Rock’s corner at the event; although the Texas Rattlesnake wouldn’t show up until literally the very last minute during the match, his appearance not only helped the Rock to defeat Triple for the WWF Championship but also result in one of the most lauded and financially successfully pay-per-views of the year. The Rock’s issues with Triple H and the McMahons continued for a few months, with Triple H regaining the belt thanks to the return of the Undertaker, and the Rock continued to be pestered by Shane even as he faced new challengers like Chris Benoit.

Each competitor continued to play a pivotal role in the wrestling for years to come following this match.

The Big Show slid down the card after this and was reduced to a impersonator gimmick before being taken off TV completely so he could lose weight; he would make a dramatic return at the 2001 Royal Rumble, languish in the Hardcore division for a while, before finally getting renewed push to the top when he was paired up against rookie Brock Lesnar. Triple H saw out the rest of 2000 feuding with Kurt Angle and the Undertaker, before a horrific injury saw his power team with Austin disrupted. He returned to the ring to main event WrestleMania X-8 and remained in the main event picture scene for years thanks to his time in Evolution and feuds with Shawn Michaels and John Cena and transitioning into an authority figure. As for Mick Foley, he was soon back on TV as a beloved authority figure and mainly acted as a comedic figurehead or special guest referee. Foley returned to the ring in 2004 to team up with the Rock against Randy Orton, Ric Flair, and Batista of Evolution; Foley’s in-ring return was specifically to help sell Orton’s “Legend Killer” gimmick but he had a number of notable matches in the years after this against the likes of Edge, Ric Flair, and Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer in WWE, and against such names as Scott Steiner, Sting, and Kevin Nash during his time with Total Nonstop Action (TNA).

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy the main event of WrestleMania 2000? What did you think to the a McMahon being in every corner? Who was your pick to win this match at the time? What did you think to Mick Foley returning to the ring so soon after his retirement? Would you have liked to see Chris Jericho in this match? Did you agree with the finish? How are you celebrating WrestleMania’s anniversary this year and what’s your favourite WrestleMania moment? Drop your thoughts below by signing up or leave a comment on my social media to let me know what you think about WrestleMania 2000 and check back for more wrestling content throughout the year.