I return to my WWE pay-per-view reviews today, where we now venture straight into the heart of the Attitude Era. Vince McMahon was making money hand over fist, and Raw slowly began to widen it's lead over Nitro in the "Monday Night Wars", an advantage that would virtually never be lost until WCW's closure. In theory, that should make this as good as it gets when it came to tuning into Vince's carnival house, but at least on pay-per-view, 1999 was really only successful when it came to making money. Major events throughout the year routinely disappointed, none more so than WrestleMania 15, which seemed to be set-up for failure from the very start. Outside of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's feud with The Rock, Mr. McMahon, and the various other members of the Corporation, no match or rivalry on the card how gotten much in the way of build. It seemed as if the strategy heading in was to just rely on the litany of rising stars across the roster, plus the red hot weekly product, to completely carry the WWF's biggest show of the year, and in fairness, that plan worked to perfection, with WrestleMania 15 breaking WrestleMania 4's record as the most bought pay-per-view in WWE history at the time. Vince McMahon was beginning to become untouchable, at the absolute peak of the wrestling business with no end to his profit in sight.
- WrestleMania 15 comes to you from the First Union (now Wells Fargo) Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a frequent host of WWE events in the years to come. Jim Ross has yet to reclaim his play-by-play job after a bout with Bell's Palsy, so Michael Cole is in that role, joined by Jerry "The King" Lawler in the commentary booth. The days of a grand, iconic WrestleMania stage were still in the future, as 15 gets a simple look, a hanging truss of steel in the shape of the Roman numeral logo.
- Local Philadelphians Boyz II Men kicks proceedings off with a performance of "America the Beautiful", before we get a classic Attitude Era hype package, narrated by "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Blassie puts over the competitors we'll seen on this night by describing them as deities, as always, a tremendous job by him. My main note from this opening video was with the highlights of past WrestleManias they showcase, most noteworthy by how few there were. It was pretty much just Shawn's title win at 'Mania 12, and a few shots of Austin, and that was about it. Obviously, most of the main performers of WrestleManias past, like Bret Hart, Randy Savage, and most notably, Hulk Hogan, were all signed to WCW, so I get that there wasn't a ton of footage that could've been used, but damn, it really makes WrestleMania seem brand new, as opposed to already a decade and a half into it's existence.
- Our opening contest is a triple threat match, as Billy Gunn defends the Hardcore Championship against Hardcore Holly and Al Snow. At both the Royal Rumble and St. Valentine's Day Massacre, it was the other member of the New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg, who was in the Hardcore title scene, while Gunn contended for the Intercontinental title instead. That division between the two partners made far more sense, as Gunn was more of the wrestler and Road Dogg more of the brawler, but I guess this is just Vince Russo (who was the head booker at the time) trying his best to outsmart the audience and harming the consistency of the product as a result. Outside of the weirdness of Gunn being in this match, it was a fun, weapon-filled opener, the exact type of wacky hijinks you could expect for a midcard match in this era. Snow brings the comedy, whacking his opponents with a hockey stick, drawing "Let's Go Flyers" chants, before later using a broken broom handle in the same manner of Steve Blackman and his escrima sticks. Gunn is certainly the best athlete in this match, and really puts Holly over strong, bringing out a flip bump for an early clothesline and getting hurtled into the steel steps, a spot that was repeated frequently throughout the night. Snow channels Sabu to hit a dropkick after leaping off a chair, and Gunn gets the biggest pop of the match for launching Snow through a table on the outside and following up with some vigorous crotch chops. Gunn appears to retain the gold after hitting a Fame-asser on Snow, onto a chair, but Holly intervenes, smacking Gunn on the back with his own chair, and stealing the cover, winning the Hardcore title for a second time.
- On the episode of Sunday Night Heat leading into this show, a battle royal was held to determine who would challenge Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart for the WWF tag titles, with the final two remaining getting the title shot. D'Lo Brown and Test would be that lucky duo, though with each man on opposite sides of the face/heel spectrum, they didn't exactly function well as a team. The challengers bicker after making their entrances, Brown accompanied to the ring by valet Ivory, though they do gain an early advantage after jumping the champions, who were distracted as Jarrett was giving orders to his valet, Debra. For what it was, this match was solid, featuring some fast-paced work from Brown, Jarrett, and Hart, while Test popped in occasionally to change the dynamic with his power. Test batters Owen with a crunching big boot and a massive sit-out powerbomb, though Hart manages to counter a gutwrench powerbomb, catching the big man with an enziguri and locking in the Sharpshooter. D'Lo makes the save for his partner, and after taking a bit of a beating for Hart and Jarrett, fires back with a big double clothesline, and seems to have Jarrett beat after a spinebuster. Owen makes the save, and Ivory and Debra begin to hurl insults at each other, which distracts the referee. In the commotion, Owen delivers a missile dropkick to D'Lo, and Jarrett by applying a slick jackknife cover, which gets the three count. Test gets in Ivory's face for causing the defeat, and D'Lo steps in to protect his lady, which instigates a brawl between the two men. I wish this match got more than four minutes of ring time, since it's clear that these guys can go and this show desperately needed a standout match in the midcard.
- Even though the previous contest was way too short for my liking, it looks like an absolute Broadway epic in comparison to what we have in store up next, as Bart Gunn faces Butterbean in a "Brawl for All" rules match. I could explain what those rules actually are, but the fight is already over, as Gunn quickly gets tagged by the rotund boxer, then goes completely out following a devastating right hand just 35 seconds into the first round. For reference, this was booked after Gunn won the Brawl for All tournament the previous summer, a massive waste of time considering how poorly received it was by the live crowd, and this knockout of the man who won the whole thing, which makes the entire rest of the field look incredibly weak for losing to this guy. After this catastrophe of a fight, guest referee and former boxer Vinny Pazienza is attacked by the San Diego Chicken, because why the heck not. The only slightly redeemable part of this mess was the appearance of Gorilla Monsoon as one of the judges, his final on-screen appearance before his passing in October. Gorilla got a standing ovation from those in attendance, which was awesome to see. Attitude Era crowds weren't exactly noted for being respectful and honoring their elders, but I'm glad they made an exception for one of the most beloved men in the business.
- Paul Wight made a shocking appearance in the main event of St. Valentine's Day Massacre, aligning with Vince McMahon and offering a potential game-changing addition to the WWF roster, as a former WCW Champion who had already begun to establish himself as a potential draw. After a few weeks spent exclusively under his real name, Wight has adopted the "Big Show" moniker that would stick with him for the rest of his WWE career, and now his first pay-per-view match comes against a recent world champion in Mankind. Mankind is desperate to have a role to play in the main event, and the stipulation of this match is that the winner will get to be the referee for that final match later tonight. While I am a fan of both of these guys, I thought this match was an absolute snoozer that could've easily been the worst match of the night on a better card. Wight has a lot of growing still to do as a performer, his offense is so slow and so basic, and the crowd just doesn't care about him. Mankind has cooled off from his historic WWF title win earlier in the year, but is still over, and the emergence of Mr. Socko gets a decent pop. Mankind fights hard to get the Mandible Claw locked in, which he does eventually after a sneaky low blow, though Wight survives by lifting Mankind up on his back and slamming the smaller man down. Wight brings out a couple steel chairs, jabbing Mankind in the ribs with and smacking him in the back, before setting the pair up and chokeslamming Mankind onto them. That spot didn't quite look as brutal as both guys were hoping for, as Mankind mostly missed the chairs, which was unfortunate. Wight is disqualified for the move, an abrupt and extremely disappointing finish, and Vince McMahon is furious, coming out to berate his muscle for being an idiot and costing the Corporation a chance to control the outcome of the main event. Wight isn't happy with this lecture, and briefly considers giving McMahon a chokeslam, before a slap by Vince sees Wight knock his boss down with a clubbing blow. For this insolence, Wight is later arrested.
- The Intercontinental Championship has taken a backseat to the drama surrounding Ken Shamrock and his sister Ryan, who has routinely attempted to canoodle with various men on the WWF roster, much to Ken's chagrin. Val Venis and Billy Gunn were the first to make a pass at Ryan, and Ken's sisterly distractions cost him the IC title at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, with Venis picking up the gold in a match that Gunn refereed. Venis rejected Ryan's affections, leading her to shack up with Goldust, roping the "Bizarre One" into this feud. Now, Shamrock, Venis, and Goldust are all chasing Road Dogg, who has gotten involved in this soap opera for absolutely no reason. This is a fatal four-way, but not in the way you might be familiar with, as the match starts with Shamrock and Dogg in the ring, with Goldust and Venis only entering the fray if they tag in. There is some okay work in this match, particularly by Venis, who hits Goldust with an emphatic spinebuster and breaks out a Perfect-Plex. The crowd absolutely does not care, though, which is fair, because the booking in the build indicates the company has no interest in it either. Just like Gunn in the opener, Dogg is the most over man here, and his shtick gets the audience into it, unleashing the rights and lefts on Venis and Goludst, before nailing the Shake, Rattle & Roll knee drop on Shamrock. Dogg hits his hump-assisted pumphandle slam on Venis, and Shamrock takes the opportunity to try and take out his most heated rival, getting the ankle lock applied on the adult film star. Venis does force a break by grabbing the bottom rope, and both men brawl to the outside, getting counted out. Shamrock loses his temper at this and attacks both Dogg and Goludst, and both men receive a release belly-to-belly suplex. Goldust is first up and has a clear advantage, looking to put the champion away. Goldust attempts an Irish whip that gets countered, but Ryan Shamrock, never seeing that Goldust was the one set to the ropes, trips up her most recent conquest. Goldust attempts to recover from that setback, but Dogg counters a slam into a flash pinfall to retain.
- Chyna betrayed D-X to join the Corporation in February, a very strange decision after years of staying loyal to Triple H. Chyna has formed an ill-fitting partnership/romance with Kane, who got a fireball to the face delivered by Hunter for the big monster's troubles. Before the singles match between the two, Kane is jumped by the San Diego Chicken, who is quickly unmasked to reveal Pete Rose, back for revenge after taking a Tombstone Piledriver at the hands of Kane during WrestleMania 14. That spot was significantly more entertaining than the wrestling match that followed, as both of these longtime vets are still in a bit of a developmental phase, and don't have a ton of chemistry with each other. A lot of slow brawling ensues, with Kane being whipped into the ring steps after Triple H dodges a clothesline. Kane takes control with a lot of choking, and an impressive leg drop. Triple H counters a Kane dive with an arm drag off the top rope, before hitting a couple knee lifts, and the crowd finally wakes up when Chyna walks out. She slides the steps into the ring, which seemingly backfires when Hunter spikes Kane off the steel with a drop toe hold. Kane avoids a Pedigree on a set of steps still outside the ring, backdropping Triple H to the floor, before nailing a chokeslam back in the ring. Chyna wants a piece of her former ally, though, climbing into the ring with a chair. But yet again, Chyna swerves everyone, smacking Kane in the back with the chair, before sending it over to Triple H to deliver a couple more shots to Kane, before finishing it off by finally hitting the Pedigree. The crowd goes berserk for Chyna jumping into Hunter's arms, as all is right with the world.
- 1998 proved to be a banner year for Sable, who became, by far, the WWF's biggest female star ever, massively popular in front of live crowds and an absolute merch-shifter. But for all of her on-screen likeability, which, let's be honest, was mostly just due to her, ahem, assets, Sable was an absolute nightmare behind the scenes. Management quickly grew sick of her antics, but she was too big of a star to move on from, so they elected to try and humble her by forcing a heel turn, with Sable's character turning into a self-entitled diva. It just does not suit her one bit, proven by a pre-match promo that really exposes Sable's complete lack of charisma, sounding flat and uninterested, though the crowd only cares about her performing "The Grind", a dance move added to her repertoire that's mostly just hip swiveling. Sable is defending her Women's Championship against Tori, who debuted late last year as a massive and slightly unhinged fan of Sable, a dynamic the WWE would run back years later with Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Obviously, this match was an awkward mess, as Sable hasn't improved much in the ring despite her push, and Tori was never particularly graceful between the ropes, although she does have a decent grasp of the fundamentals. Both women trade some pins, before Tori accidentally takes out the referee with a crossbody. Nicole Bass, formerly of ECW, interferes after Tori counters the Sable Bomb, slamming the challenger and allowing Sable to pick the bones, connecting on the Sable Bomb to retain.
- Thanks to his role in the Corporation, Shane McMahon has steadily began to form an engaging heel persona, but without much in the way of in-ring experience, expectations weren't extremely high when he was booked for a European Championship defense against rival X-Pac. But right out of the gate, you can tell that Shane was a born entertainer, riling up the crowd with ease. Shane just nails all the little things, and combines with X-Pac to tell a dramatic story. Shane's cronies, Test and the Mean Street Posse, interfere constantly, and the odds just keep stacking against X-Pac, but he's never completely helpless. Shane is generally on the back foot in this match, getting most of his offense in only after someone else has weakened X-Pac, but when the challenger recovers, Shane is completely out-wrestled. That's the kind of nuance it takes to make a match like this work. Down the closing stretch, it really looks like X-Pac is about to close this one out, despite all the odds being stacked against him. X-Pac gets ahold of Test's belt, which was used by Shane earlier, and lights up the young McMahon, before hitting the Bronco Buster. X-Pac does avoid a charging Test on the outside, but seems to be toast after Test knocks X-Pac loopy with the European title. It seems like a very believable finish, but X-Pac kicks out, and the crowd comes unglued, clearly convinced that would be it and ecstatic to be proven wrong. Test gets the Bronco Buster, and the X-Factor connects to Shane. Then, for the third time in about a month, Chyna once again switches sides, distracting referee Earl Hebner while Triple H drives X-Pac to the canvas with a Pedigree, allowing Shane to escape as champion. I can absolutely see where the complaint could be made that this match had too many bells and whistles, with a lot of interference and weapon attacks galore. It would be fair to say that this wasn't the most amazing match, and Shane getting a featured spot on the WrestleMania card screams of nepotism. But I thought these two performers absolutely nailed it in this match, with a simple story that hid Shane's inexperience and relied on crowd reaction to elevate it to a 'Mania worthy outing, which was a roaring success.
- The Undertaker has gone off the deep end since losing a Buried Alive match to Steve Austin at Rock Bottom last year, seemingly promising actual human sacrifices for anyone that stood in his path to taking over the WWF. That led to a feud with the Corporation, and a match with the Big Boss Man, which is taking place inside Hell in a Cell, for some reason. This is the first Cell match on pay-per-view since the iconic spectacle between The Undertaker and Mankind last year, and it's safe to say that the crowd expected something even remotely in that same ballpark here. What they got was 10 minutes of slow power moves, with nary a death-defying, career-shortening, stunt in sight. Undertaker rams Boss Man into the Cell wall a couple times, then is handcuffed to the mesh, where Boss Man opens him up with a nightstick shot. Undertaker provides the match's sole highlight with his big vertical leap into a clothesline, and the match ends shortly after that, Undertaker booting Boss Man between the legs and hitting the Tombstone to mercifully end it. The Brood (Edge, Christian, and Gangrel) then rappel down from the ceiling, tossing Undertaker a noose. Undertaker, with help from Paul Bearer operating the Cell controls, proceeds to hang Boss Man from the top of the Cell, apparently committing an actual murder after winning a match, which seems like poor sportsmanship to me. Yeah, following a horrible match with a ritual homicide is just the type of thing that belongs at WrestleMania.
- Main event time, as The Rock defends the WWF Championship against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Jim Ross is back to call this match, and Vince McMahon has decided that he will be the referee, since Mankind is still hurting after being chokeslammed "on" those two chairs. Shawn Michaels, currently the WWF Commissioner, puts a stop to it, and also bars everyone in the Corporation except for Vince from interfering, because I guess Vince has a legal right to stick his nose in the WrestleMania main event. Austin and Rock immediately go after each other, brawling to the outside and into the crowd. It's not particularly special in comparison to the normal arena-wide brawls you would get in the Attitude Era, though we do get a couple fun spots, chiefly Austin whipping Rock into the 'Mania sign structure. Austin also puts Rock through the Spanish announce table with two straight elbow drops, but Rock unexpectedly hits a Rock Bottom for a near fall. There's plenty more smoke and mirrors from here, as we get multiple ref bumps, the first coming after Austin accidentally hits Mike Chioda with a chair, the second when Rock just straight up attacks Tim White for a supposedly slow count after a Samoan drop. Austin then takes advantage to hit a Stunner, but referee Earl Hebner can only get two after diving into the ring. Hebner goes down, and Rock and McMahon start laying in shots, bringing out a recovered Mankind to send the boss packing. I would've liked a bit more of a clean, one on one match between these two, especially for the main event of the biggest show of the year, but I can't really fault the booking, as much like the European title match, all the extra gaga really gets the crowd hooked. Austin avoids the People's Elbow, and after each man trades finisher reversals, Austin strikes paydirt with a Stunner to end it. Austin's celebration runs extremely long, at least 5 minutes by my count, as he shares a toast with Earl Hebner, before hitting a Stunner to Vince, and dousing McMahon with beer to end the night. Not the strongest main event ever, and certainly not close to the level both men would achieve in Houston two years later, but this was an entertaining clash that continued to build Austin's legacy as the defining character in the WWF.
4/10
That dull Hell in a Cell match knocked this show from a 5 down to a 4 for me, a disaster that was somehow made even worse by the distasteful angle that followed it. Most of the show was mediocre at best, certainly not up to what you'd think would as WrestleMania standard, outside of Shane vs X-Pac and the main event. This was really just an episode of Raw dressed up as a pay-per-view, and I don't even think it was a very good one.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: Backlash 1999, where The Rock attempts to reclaim his title from the clutches of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and X-Pac looks for revenge against Triple H. See you soon.
- Henry
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