The SmarK Retro Rant for WWF Wrestlemania X-7
- Live from Houston, TX
- Your hosts are Jim Ross & Paul Heyman
- So this is it, the peak of North American wrestling and the point from which you can draw a clear line downwards again, quality-wise. This is the start of the current "Stadium show Wrestlemania" format, as well as the four hour format. After the show myself and many others called it the greatest PPV of all-time, but does it hold up 8 years later? Note for those wondering: This show is coming up on 24/7 next week, but I'd rather watch the unedited DVD version.
For fun, we'll start with the Heat match from the DVD extras…
Grandmaster Sexay & Steve Blackman v. X-Pac & Justin Credible
Brawl to start and Too Lethal clears the ring, but Albert clotheslines Sexay, allowing X-Pac to hit a spinkick and take over. Credible yanks him out of the corner with a powerbomb and X-Pac gets another spinkick, but Sexay gets a double-clothesline and makes the somewhat hot tag to Blackman. Blackman faceplants Credible, but goes after Albert, allowing X-Factor to hit him with a double superkick for the pin at 2:44. Well I'm pretty sure this won't affect my evaluation of the show one way or the other. 1/2*
Intercontinental title: Chris Jericho v. Commissioner William Regal
The video package is much appreciated here as I totally forget this whole era. Jericho attacks and hits a leg lariat to put Regal on the floor, then follows with a pescado that overshoots by about a foot. Well, can't fault him for enthusiasm. Back in, Jericho gets a back elbow off the top for two. Regal tries to take him down by the leg, but Jericho counters into the Walls, and Regal kicks out of it. He directs Jericho into the post, twice, and uses a nice wristlock takedown to work the arm. Regal works him over like a mechanic, but Jericho elbows out and tries the Lionsault, which hits knee. Regal rolls him up for two off that miss. Release german gets two. Regal removes the turnbuckle and sends the shoulder into the STEEL, then throws some nasty high kicks to pound on the shoulder. Jericho fights him off with an enzuigiri and they're into the hard-hitting offense tonight, and follows with a missile dropkick for two. He charges and runs himself into the post again, allowing Regal to bring him out of the corner with a rare butterfly superplex, which gets two. Jericho escapes a backdrop suplex and goes for the Walls again, but Regal hits the bad shoulder and counters into the Regal Stretch. Jericho makes the ropes and fights back with HARD chops, but Regal kicks his face off. Jericho sends him into his own exposed turnbuckle, however, and bulldogs him to set up the Lionsault for the pin at 7:07. Well that was kind of out of nowhere, but it was clean and made sense at least. These guys were just beating the hell out of each other here and loving it. ***1/4
Meanwhile, Shane McMahon arrives in his WCW limo.
Right to Censor (Val Venis, Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather) v. The APA & Tazz
Steven Richards gets his ass kicked in the initial brawl, and Bull gets a springboard clothesline on Faarooq to start. Faarooq powerslams him for two and Tazz comes in with a suplex, but Bull boots him down. Val comes in with a legsweep for two. Goodfather drops the leg and follows with a backdrop suplex for two and the Ho Train (or whatever the heel version was called), but a pump splash misses. Hot tag Bradshaw (who reminds JR of Dick Murdoch & Stan Hansen, although these days it's more like Ted Dibiase minus the talent) and the brawl erupts again. Bradshaw brings Val to the top for a backdrop superplex, but Bull breaks up the pin and powerbombs Bradshaw. Goodfather sets up for another Ho Train, but the Clothesline from Hell finishes at 4:15. Short and energetic enough to hide all the weak points. **
Meanwhile, Trish (in her phase as Vince's mistress) wheels a catatonic Linda into the arena (but how do you tell the difference?) and gets bitched out by a decidedly smaller-boobed Stephanie. So weird to see her looking all normal.
WWF Hardcore title: Raven v. Big Show v. Kane
Raven attacks Kane before Show even enters, but gets nowhere. Kane tosses Raven at Show on the floor and then hits them both with a flying clothesline, and we head into the crowd already. The difference between Big Show here and Big Show today is amazing, by the way, as he's clearly both in shape and sporting muscle definition here, although whether it's muscles or "muscles" is left to the reader to decide. So backstage we go and Show slams Kane onto a pile of pallets and locks Raven into a supply closet of some sort, which Kane quickly breaks into. Raven wisely stands back while Kane takes out Show, and then attempts to choke him out with a rubber hose. Sadly, he doesn't put it up Kane's nose, but Kane does throw Raven through a WINDOW. Kane and Show fight over a chokeslam (Show, clearly not afraid of telegraphing his move, yells out "Chokeslam, right here on the floor!" which I'm hoping isn't calling spots. Although he'd still be quieter than Ken Shamrock). Then things get silly as Raven charges in, driving a golf cart, but Kane steals in and runs him down. So over to the catering table for a couple of spots and we're back to the stage again. Show tries to press Raven off the stage, but Kane boots them both through another stage and pins Show to win the title at 9:23. These matches just don't hold up anymore, although there was enough crazy bumps to make it a fun match. **
Meanwhile, Edge & Christian debate semantics with a zoned-in Kurt Angle.
Meanwhile, the Rock arrives to a decidedly mixed reaction. Who arrives at Wrestlemania 40 minutes into the show?
European title: Test v. Eddie Guerrero
Well this is a lot sadder all of a sudden. Test fights off the Eddie attack and powerbombs him for two, and they brawl outside. Back in, Eddie slugs away in the corner, but Test presses him into the corner for two. Test with a back elbow and he goes up, but Eddie tries to bring him down with a rana and fails badly. Test comes down with a flying elbow for two. Speaking of failing badly, Test charges and is supposed to bump over the top rope, but trips and gets himself tied up in the ropes, leaving Eddie to stop and free him so they can continue. That's a pretty embarrassing time and place to screw up like that. The look on Eddie's face is pretty funny though, as he gives kind of a "what can you do?" shrug to the crowd. So back in, Eddie makes the best of it and starts working the injured right leg and then gets a sleeper. Test fights out with a tilt a whirl slam, and then another one that turns into a pretty wicked powerbomb for two. Blind charge hits elbow and Eddie goes low, allowing Perry Saturn to run in with the MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY GREDUNZA~! It's kind of stretching credibility to say that the ref wouldn't have seen that. Eddie misses the frog splash, however, and Test comes back with the Niagara driver for two. He boots both Eddie and Saturn down and gets two, but now Dean Malenko breaks it up. Test gets rid of him as well, but Eddie hits him with the belt and pins him to win it at 8:04. Kind of a mess, but not a total disaster or anything thanks to Eddie keeping his cool. **1/4
Meanwhile, Steve Austin arrives now, an hour into the show. Man, those guys are so gonna get fired when Vince finds out.
Kurt Angle v. Chris Benoit
This is my first Benoit match since the tribute show, so I figured I might as well make it a good one. Angle takes him down and they go into a swanky mat wrestling sequence, but it's a stalemate. Angle takes him down again and neither can gain dominance. Angle with a double-leg takedown and they wrap each other up on the mat, but end up in the ropes for the break. Angle takes him down again, but this time Benoit hooks the crossface and Angle has to make the ropes. Angle shoots in again and Benoit hooks the crossface again, forcing Angle to bail and escape. Back in, Benoit shoots in and crossfaces him again, but Angle makes the ropes and then blindsides him with a forearm to take over. To the floor, and he sends Benoit into the stairs, and back in for a snap suplex that gets two. Angle pounds away in the corner, but Benoit fires back with the chops, so Angle fires off the belly to belly suplex. A great little Angle moment as he headfakes Benoit with a whip attempt and then turns it back into another belly to belly. Benoit clotheslines him down again, and they slug it out in the corner, with Benoit winning that exchange. Benoit elbows him down for two. Snap suplex gets two. Superplex gets two. Rolling germans, but Angle rolls into the anklelock, which Benoit reverses into his own. Angle gets flustered and charges in, which allows Benoit to take him down with the crossface, but he's awesome enough to reverse to his own, forcing Benoit to make the ropes. Ref gets bumped and Benoit gets the crossface for the phantom tapout, but reviving the ref allows Angle to hit the Angle Slam for two. He goes up for the Anglesault, but hits the knees and allows Benoit to go up with the diving headbutt, for two. Angle goes low and they do another wrestling sequence, but Angle hooks the tights and gets the pin at 14:01. This was like a stand-up comic telling an epic 15 minute joke and then forgetting the punchline, as the finish felt like it was attached with a soldering iron. A great example of the "something for everyone" feel of this show, as they did a technical battle, into a brawl, a series of reversals and counters, and if it had a finish it would have been a classic. Still great, though, especially with the trading of finishers and obsession with submission wrestling that would come to define both their careers leading up to the epic 2003 rematch at Royal Rumble. ****1/4
Meanwhile, William Regal has problems with Kamala besmirching his office.
WWF Women's title: Ivory v. Chyna
This is the payoff for the retarded angle with Chyna's "neck injury" at Royal Rumble, although Chyna was basically so far above the star power level of everyone in the division that a broken neck was the only way anyone would buy Ivory as any kind of threat to win. This was also the downfall of Chyna, as her ego was, to say the least, wildly out of proportion to her worth at this point and resulted in her departure from the company. Ivory attacks her with the belt and pounds on the neck, but Chyna basically shrugs her off and backdrops her. Powerbomb gets two, as Chyna picks her up. Gorilla press finishes at 2:38 as Chyna completely squashed her and treated her like a joke. DUD To the shock of many, Trish Stratus would successfully revive the women's division after Chyna buried it completely. I will say, however, that at least this was short and paid off the storyline in logical fashion, because no one was going to buy offense from Ivory anyway.
Street Fight: Shane McMahon v. Vince McMahon
To give you an idea of the awesome stakes here, Shane's newly purchased WCW is banished to a skybox way up in the Astrodome, with a graphic saying "WCW wrestlers" to identify them and nothing else. It didn't get much better for them. Mick Foley is the special ref here. At this point in the bizarre, bizarre era for the promotion, Vince was the heel and invading WCW owner Shane was the babyface, which lasted not very long until they realized how ass-backwards it was and changed it. Vince slugs away in the corner to start, but Shane spears him down and drops elbows, prompting Steph to come in and call off her brother. Shane is having none of that and baseball slides Vince out of the ring, then beats on him with a sign and chokes him out with a power cable. Shane finds the kendo stick and gives Vince a quality beatdown with that, then the dancing punches to put him down. He puts Vince on the dreaded Spanish Announce Table and goes up, but the elbow misses and Shane goes through it himself. And then we really ramp up the soap opera as Trish wheels Linda out and slaps Vince, then gets into a catfight with Stephanie as I'm just totally lost as to who I was supposed to be cheering for at the time. So the girls fight back to the dressing room and Mick tries to get Linda out of there, but Vince attacks with a chair and knocks him out. This leaves Vince free to drag Linda into the ring to witness his final destruction of Shane with a series of garbage cans previously unknown to mankind. NO HUMAN BEING CAN SURVIVE THREE GARBAGE CANS! However, Linda rises up as if from the dead and kicks Vince in the nuts, then Mick beats the hell out of Vince for the previous wrongs done unto him, and Shane wraps things up with a Shane Terminator (which, pre-RVD for the WWF, had no name) at 14:11. I…don't really know what to think of this anymore. A lot of the initial appeal was in the moment of the big angle surrounding it, and taken out of that context 8 years later, it's left as not much of a match. It was big and stupid and generally enjoyable, though, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. ***
WWF World tag team titles: The Dudley Boyz v. The Hardy Boyz v. Edge & Christian
I've gotta say, we're only two hours into this and already we've had what would be show-stealing classics on any other PPV. Big brawl to start and the Dudleyz hit Christian with a flapjack, but the Hardyz double-team the Dudleyz. E&C use a ladder and take out everyone else, then hang Matt in the Tree of Woe and stomp on his nuts. The Dudleyz pound on Christian outside while Edge makes a go for the belts, but Matt hauls him down and climbs. Edge clotheslines him off the ladder and tries again, but now Jeff dropkicks him off and the Hardyz baseball slide the Dudleyz on the outside. Matt hits a yodeling legdrop off the ladder, but the Dudleyz get rid of him and it's Whazzup off the ladders. D-Von gets the tables, and Bubba powerbombs Jeff onto Edge, through a table. Well there's your first highlight spot. The Dudz set up four tables on the floor while Paul E runs through the family history of the Dudleyz for an unimpressed JR, but they stop and head in. Three ladders get set up in the ring and everyone climbs, and you just know this is going to end badly. And indeed everyone bumps off. This allows Spike Dudley to run in and hit E&C with Acid Drops, leaving Jeff Hardy to climb. But now Rhyno comes in on behalf of E&C and it's GOAR GOAR GOAR for the Hardy Boyz and Dudley Boyz. And of course Lita joins the fun and pulls Edge off the ladder, before hitting Rhyno with a rana. The Dudleyz hit the Dudley Device on Rhyno and Lita's so fired up she starts stripping, but the Dudleyz hit her with 3D to get rid of her. That allows Edge to destroy everyone with chairs as this is just unmitigated craziness, and speaking of which Jeff sets up a ginormous ladder and puts both Spike and Rhyno through a table on the floor with a swanton. The super-ladder gets set up in the ring and D-Von races Christian up to the belts, but Matt pulls the ladder out and they're stuck hanging on the ring. Both hit the mat and Jeff climbs another series of ladders and tries to walk to the belts, but everything falls over and ruins the spot. He tries again and also hangs from the loop, which allows Edge to climb up and SPEAR HIM TO THE MAT. That is fucking epic, man. I'm shocked no one had thought of that kind of spot before this. So next it's Matt and Bubba fighting up there, but Rhyno shoves them over and they go through the four tables outside. So D-Von is left alone against E&C, as Rhyno boosts Christian up and Edge holds onto D-Von, which allows Christian to claim the tag titles back at 15:45. Total insanity and some of the craziest, most creative ladder match bumps I've ever seen, which now looks like a template for Money in the Bank. It set the stage and still delivers! *****
Gimmick Battle Royale
Before the era of WWE 24/7 and their constant navel-gazing for nostalgia fans, this was their first crack at it. Commentary is provided by Mean Gene and Bobby Heenan. So the participants are the Bushwackers, Duke "The Dumpster" Droese (looking like he's still ready for a job), The Iron Sheik, Earthquake, The Goon, Doink the Clown, Kamala (complete with Harvey Wippleman), Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael Hayes (with "Badstreet USA"), One Man Gang (what, no Akeem?), Tugboat, Hillbilly Jim, Brother Love, Sgt. Slaughter and the Gobbledygooker. The actual match is immaterial, because the point was just the entrances and giving everyone one last Wrestlemania payoff. And sadly in Quake's case, it was his last one. Everyone just kind of takes gentle bumps out of there in rapid fashion, leaving the awesome final four of Sarge, Love, Hillbily and Sheik, and Sheik throws them all out to win at 3:00 because he's the only one who can't take a bump out of the ring. Slaughter gives him the cobra clutch for old time's sake afterwards.
HHH v. Undertaker
And don't we all miss HHH's stylish "jean jacket over leather jacket" look? This was supposed to involve Shawn Michaels to set up his return, but he showed up in the old "no condition to perform" and lost his spot. I'm actually quite curious to see if removing this match from my HHH and Undertaker hate at that time has improved it or even affected it. This is the first of many appearances of Motorhead, playing HHH down to the ring. HHH is unfortunately not able to time his dramatic water spit properly to the live version, but I'm sure he forgave Lemmy. Undertaker was using the shitty Limp Bizkit entrance at this point, which will not be on the 24/7 version I'm sure. They slug it out on the floor right away and destroy ANOTHER Spanish table. That's gotta be a rib. Into the ring and HHH gets the high knee, but Undertaker pounds on him and backdrops him. Corner clothesline as HHH sells like crazy, and that sets up a powerslam and an elbow that misses. He gets the flying clothesline, however, and we go Old School, but HHH yanks him down to counter. Neckbreaker gets two. He pounds on the neck and gets another neckbreaker for two. Facecrusher and he grabs his trusty sledgehammer, but the ref won't let him use it. Pedigree attempt is reversed into a catapult and the ref is already bumped, as Undertaker gets the chokeslam for two. UT is upset about the cadence of the count, so he beats up the ref and we proceed without him. HHH takes the quite the bump to the floor and then another one into the crowd, and they head deep into the Astrodome for the brawl. In a unique spot, they fight into the actual sound mixing area, where HHH finds a chair and beats the hell out of UT with it. This is a LOT more brutal-looking than the usual "hardcore" sequences you'd see in matches like this, which is a nice touch.
UT revives and chokeslams HHH off the scaffolding, however, and luckily the camera can't see the crash pad. The replay kind of ruins the mystique. Taker follows with an elbow and beats up the well-meaning EMTs and they head back to the ring, as JR is concerned about the well-being of the poor ref who's been unconscious for going on 5 minutes now. He knew the risks when he donned that striped shirt. So now Undertaker has the hammer, but HHH goes low, then runs into a big boot. They slug it out in dramatic fashion and HHH tries a tombstone, but UT counters to his own. And there's still no ref. UT revives him (obviously never having taken first aid before) and sets up for the Last Ride, but HHH grabs the sledgehammer on the way up and knocks Taker out with it. That's an awesome spot, but it only gets two. Taker starts bleeding and HHH makes the all-time bonehead move and pounds away in the corner, which allows Taker to bring him down with the Last Ride to finish at 18:54. Yeah, I completely short-changed this one originally, as I was way more into the drama and hatred this time around. Hard work from both here, back when HHH could still go and was still willing to job clean as a sheet when needed. ****
And how can you follow that? With this…
WWF World title: The Rock v. Steve Austin
Austin gets the superstar pop to end all of them. Austin attacks and they immediately try to hit each other with Stunners, but brawl out to the floor instead. Into the crowd and they trade shots into the table, but Austin puts him down with a clothesline and they head back in. Austin chokes away on the ropes and gets two, then gets a superplex for two. Austin, clearly playing a heel despite the cheers, pulls the turnbuckle off, but Rock slugs back and gets the clothesline and belly to belly for two. He clotheslines Austin to the floor, but gets a ringbell in the face as a result. Austin beats on Rock in the wreckage of the tables, then back in for more punishment as the crowd eats it all up. Rock fights back, but Austin gets a neckbreaker for two. He pounds away on the mat and then stomps a mudhole in the corner, but Rock blasts out of there with a clothesline for HUGE boos. They slug it out and Rock sends Austin into the exposed turnbuckle and retrieves the bell while Austin blades. He puts Austin down with that, for two. Rock pounds him down with huge shots and Austin won't go down, so Rock drags him to the apron and pounds on him to bring him to the floor. They slug it out there and Austin drops Rock on the railing and gives Rock the greatest catapult into the post I've ever seen. I mean, Rock bounced off that sucker head-first and flew three feet. Austin follows with a monitor to the head, and back into the ring for two. Rock is up so Austin tries the Stunner, but stops to flip him off first, which allows Rock to take him down with the Sharpshooter. And now Rock's fanbase gets more vocal as Austin finally makes the ropes. Another try at it, but Rock also makes the mistake of flipping off Austin, and now Austin gets his own Sharpshooter. Rock powers out of that, so Austin goes to work on the leg and does it again. And Rock makes the ropes this time, to big heel heat.
Then we really get old school as Austin hooks the Million Dollar Dream, but Rock uses the Bret Hart counter for two. Austin pounds on the tired Rock, but it's ROCK WHAM STUNNER for two. And now Vince McMahon heads out as they slug it out, and Austin gets a spinebuster for two. Rock gets his own to set up the People's Elbow, but Vince pulls him off at two. Rock chases, and walks into a Rock Bottom from Austin, for two. He tries the stunner, but the ref is bumped, so Austin goes low instead. So Austin calls Vince in there with a chair and they blast Rock with it, but it only gets two, so Rock revives and hits Rock Bottom, then goes to beat up Vince. However, it's KICK WHAM STUNNER and that should have been your finish. It gets two and Vince gives Austin a chair, and he blasts Rock for two. Finally he just destroys Rock with the chair, pounding him into nothingness, and pins him to win the belt at 28:07. Still awesome, still the two biggest stars in the history of the WWF at the peak of their powers. ****3/4 Of course, this was also the moment that officially ended the Attitude Era, with Austin doing an ill-advised heel turn and the company transitioning into the god-awful WCW Invasion instead of, you know, continuing to try to make money.
So is it still the greatest PPV I've ever seen? YES. I love it even more, as I was just as tremendously entertained by this viewing as I was on the first one, and that's a truly magical show to be able to do that. All the finishes were clean, everyone was working hard (except for Chyna) and the crowd was incredibly pumped for a stadium crowd.
Best. PPV. Ever.
Until I watch Bash 89 again, then I'll probably change my mind.
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`Tags: 24, 24/7, Attitude, Bobby Heenan, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, DVD, Edge, heel turn, HHH, Intercontinental title, Iron Sheik, Jeff Hardy, Jim Cornette, Kamala, Lita, Lost, MMA, NWA, Raven, RAW, Retro Rant, Royal Rumble, RVD, Shane McMahon, Shawn Michaels, SmarK Rants, Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker, Vince McMahon, WCW, Wrestlemania, WWE, WWF
Agreed…this PPV will never be topped
Wow. 4 stars for HHH vs. Undertaker. Dunno if I would have gone that far.
As far as TLC 2 goes, it reminds me of the Flair vs. Steamboat ‘89 series. The ‘triangle ladder match’ from WrestleMania XVII would be like the Chi-Town rumble match where you thought you’ve seen it all and it was the greatest thing ever. Then TLC I at SummerSlam 2000 is like the Clash of the Champions match where everything was taken to another level and everything just felt superior to what came before. TLC II is the WrestleWar ‘89 equivalent in that the participants just went all out one more time and gave you another classic worthy of 5 stars. People tend to pick the second or third match from the series as the superior one. I personally prefer TLC I, as seeing all those big spots for the first time just felt more special. TLC II for me was just a cherry on top. They repeated a spot or 2 from the last match, but hell, it’s easily still worthy of 5 stars. But if there was an ability to add more stars to a match, I’d give TLC I even more.
I watched this DVD again last week, and the flow of the PPV is just awesome. Everybody was firing on all cylinders. I’ve never had 4 hours breeze by in such entertaining fashion. It really was the exclamation point on the Attitude Era. Everything that’s come after this has just been inferior, and I believe the ‘E’ has been trying forever to chase that magic and reclaim it again with their current generation. I dunno if it’ll ever happen.
Oh, by the way, Trish’s Oiled Tits = EPIC WIN.
From the Who Cares? Department:
Akeem slimmed down so much from his Akeem days that he couldn’t wear the Akeem suit for the gimmick battle royal, thus we get OMG instead.
The joke was that OMG had lost about 100lbs, and the Iron Shiek found it. *rimshot*
I will go ahead and say Rock/Austin here is probably my favorite match ever.
Of course, it’s kind of bittersweet because I became less and less of a fan of the product after this show as I thought Austin’s heel character here was a joke and the 1996 version of Austin would probably kick his ass for it. If possible, of course. I know hindsight is 20/20 and all that, but it probably would’ve been better served for The Rock to pull out the heel turn here. As little sense as it would’ve made, and despite the fact that we’ve already seen it, Austin as a heel can only work if he’s a coward, since being a bad-ass rule breaker made him popular, and that completely ruined his character.
The Rock v Steve Austin is also my favourite match of all time.
I actually liked the Austin heel character of 2001. And I think just as he was getting into some interesting character development (and fantastic new heel music) they went and turned him face after Survivor Series
(.
Other than maybe the Macho/Warrior match at WM 7, Rock/Austin is the most epic match I’ve ever seen. Even watching it now,I get goosebumps thinking about how much I was marking out at the time. Of course, I was a Rock guy so him continually kicking out of stuff was perfect. And I liked the story with Austin selling out because he needed the title that badly…I think everyone agrees they blew the execution of it (they should have turned HHH face the next night) but they had a logical heel turn if ill-advised.
My favorite part of the match is after the last Rocky kickout, Austin turns to Vince and yells, “What’s keep the motherfucker alive?” and then he pounds the crap out of him.
I don’t think HHH/UT is **** but who cares? Best show ever, I totally agree.
Not ****, but I wouldn’t call it either ** or around that like it was originally called by Scott. I would say that the match is a ***1/2 at least.
Just another voice to the echo:
The Rock vs Steve Austin is also my favorite match of all time. So, that’s at least 3 of us. I wonder if there are any more.
I don’t know if I would say favorite, but it is pretty high up there. What I loved about the match was that while it was a pristine example of the Attitude/Austin Main Event Brawl Style of match, there was also a ton of really cerebral stuff going on along with character definition and great call backs to some of Austin’s previous matches with Rock, Foley and Hart.
It might not be as good of a technical match as some of the other all time greats, but it is hard to find many that are more purely entertaining or epic feeling.
I love X7
“The Rock vs Steve Austin is also my favorite match of all time. So, that’s at least 3 of us. I wonder if there are any more.”
You got my vote too. I have sat down and watched it at least 2 dozen times. Probably closer to 50. Was there anything more exciting than watching the match as it aired? I loved it.
Rock’s imminent departure for a movie (Scorpion King, IIRC) prevented any kind of heel turn that would have had lasting impact- they could have pulled the SWERVE~ and have had Rock win the belt here, but it was going to move again the next night. They were limited in that they could build nothing for the immediate future around the Rock based on what happened at WM.
Anyone remember the face pop Triple H got the next night on RAW?
When Triple H came down to the ring during the Rock/Austin cage match on Raw…the crowd was waiting to cheer Triple H as he beat up Austin (they just had a blood feud, McMahon had told Triple H earlier in the night that Austin actually got the job done, etc….it was perfect) and when he joined Austin, THAT’S the moment the air went out of the Attitude era balloon.
I know they were saving the Triple H face turn and fate intervened with the injury but that was the moment. People loved Triple H at that point…honestly, he could have been the next “guy” with Rocky leaving and Austin turning heel. They tried to go full throttle with Triple H when he came back in 2002 but after the inital MSG return, it wasn’t the same.
Face HHH vs. Heel Austin with Jericho, Benoit & Angle joining the main event could have carried the WWF in 2001, Invasion or not.
I, too, liked Austin as a heel (in no small part because I thought it was going to elevate the Two Chris’ to main event status until Benoit and HHH got hurt). I think that the route the took him, psychotic bad-ass, was the right way to go.
Everyone craps on the Austin heel run, but his actual work as a heel was great, he just had a ton of stuff working against him
1- People still wanted to cheer him too much
2- Almost the entire WWF main event roster was decimated in short order around him (Rock had a run in Hollywood, Benoit and HHH went out with injuries and Angle was constantly banged up) leaving Austin to carry things in the initial stages without a strong face opponent.
3- Heel Austin could have carried the promotion as the primary focus for months, but the WCW story had a shelf life once the promotion folded so Austin had to be folded in to it.
In retrospect it would have been better to keep Austin face and have him champion the WWF for 6 months or so against first the WCW and then the NOW and then turned Austin heel and gotten a strong run out of him. But regardless, Austin (like Hogan before and Rock later) did great heel work considering how popular he was.
Sorry, NWO, not NOW…. although you could argue that the National Organization of Women would have a beef with Austin as well.
In 2001 my 19th birthday and my high school graduation were seperated by one day. Because of this I got twice as many gifts as I usually would have. With all that extra money I thought about buying my first DVD player. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to get one or not. That is until I saw the DVD for Mania X-7. I bougt the DVD of this show before I even owned a DVD player. As far as I am concerned this is the greatest wrestling PPV ever and more than likely will never be topped. If people ever ask me why I watch wrestling I tell them to watch this show. It has everything that a wrestling fan could ever want in a wrestling show. If there is such a thing as a perfect wrestling show this is it.
This was the defining most exciting dramatic PPV of all time and most memorable. Ever since WM X7 I’ve been comparing PPV’s in some shape or form since.
Also Scott I must of emailed you about 4 times arguing over the Taker/HHH match in the past being around **** and FINALLY you see the light.
In terms of flow, importance, epicness and just pure joy this show will never EVER be touched.
I always thought the pacing of this card was brillant, especially putting the light-hearted gimmick battle royal right after the TLC match and before the two big matches at the end.
On the Test v Eddie match – two dead wrestlers… how many matches at Mania have there been where all the participants involved be it one on one, triple threat etc…. are now dead?
Dino Bravo v Kerry Von Erich (WM VII)is one that comes to mind.
Andre v Studd from the original
Dino Bravo v Kerry Von Erich (WMVII)
Andre v Studd (WM)
Hercules v Earthquake (WMVI)
Perfect v Boss Man (WMVII)
Perfect v Hart (WMV)
Andre vs. Studd at I
Adrian Adonis vs. Uncle Elmer at II
Mr. Perfect vs. Blazer at V
Earthquake vs. Hercules at VI
Kerry vs. Dino at VII
Perfect vs. Boss Man at VII
Eddie vs. Test at XVII
7 in total
Thanks Scott, for revisiting this great show. Especially with watching a Benoit match for the first time since. That couldn’t have been easy for you.
Question for you. You’ve mentioned how it’s always between this and ‘89 Bash for you. Now when you say that, is that always from the edited, 2-hour THE version, or the full PPV version of the Bash? I gotta think if you cut some filler out of WM X-7 like they did with the Bash, X-7 wold blow it away. Just my opinion. Yours?
Some day I will watch this show, though I hate revisiting anything from 2001.
1. Remember the incredible “My Way” video package that set up Rock vs. Austin? They showed the video a couple of times on TV leading up to the PPV, then showed it again before the match and left “shit” uncensored. I recall thinking how awesome it would be if they let it go uncensored and about that time the lyric came up and I smiled inside. No video package, even in the bullshit “ok, stand here face to face for no other reason than to have a shot to end the video package on” era we live in now, will top it.
2. Remember the sit down interview Jim Ross had with Rock and Austin before the PPV? It was so simple, yet so goddamned effective!
Austin: “I need this, Rock, I need this more than you’ll ever know.”
I’ve always been a big Scott Keith and we’re usually pretty close to agreeing on a lot of these shows, but this one I really don’t get at all.
I haven’t reviewed the whole show because I don’t have the DVD for this and my taped-off-television version was recorded in EP for some reason and thus would likely not transfer to disc well. But I have reviewed all the major matches except Benoit/Angle and here’s how I have them, plus my post-match comments.
ROCK VS AUSTIN (taken from Stone Cold Legacy DVD)
***1/2 For the life of me I can’t figure out the overhyped appeal in this match. For one thing, at almost 30 minutes it’s about ten minutes too long for what these guys actually did. At times, the brawling felt like it would never end, and it hurt the rest of the stuff that happened. Funny enough, the one part most people didn’t like about the match was my favorite part: the ending. Vince McMahon’s assist and the multiple whacks with the steel chair. It led to some hilarious moments on Raw, and he continued to use the multiple chairshots as a heelish finisher of sorts. I loved Austin’s run as a heel before the whole alliance thing started. It was way too brief. The timing was wrong as well. To do it in front of his home-state crowd was silly. To do it at Wrestlemania was stupid. To do it against a guy the fans felt little if any sympathy for was downright insane. I mean, Rocky is one of the most entertaining guys in wrestling history, but it’s really hard to feel bad for the guy. He’s a big loud-mouthed asshole. If the turn had been done on.. say… Chris Jericho or even the Undertaker, it would have played off much better. Anyway, most people call this match ****1/2+ and I’m apparently the one exception, so chances are you’ll like Austin vs. Rock at Wrestlemania a lot more then I did.
UNDERTAKER VS TRIPLE H (taken from Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker)
***1/4 a lot of stuff went wrong in this match. The two ‘big bumps’ looked like shit because (1) the camera didn’t catch them and (2) the landing area was incredibly padded. Why even bother? Hell, they should have used a table or something. It wasn’t a bad match, but a lot of good spots were ruined.
TLC (taken from Ladder Match)
**1/2 Lots of dull spots and not even near as much action as previous efforts. And I pretty much loathe any ladder match where they stack tables then ignore them for ten minutes or more. They should do a new match type where all the tables are pre-stacked around the ring and the gimmick is not to grab a belt but to be the one who throws someone through those tables. Anyway, this match is completely overrated.
I respect your opinion but I pretty much disagee with everything you just said.
But I’m cool with that. It’s okay, that’s why it’s an opinion.
You know, my favorite Rock/Austin match is actually from Wrestlemania 19, and not just because I was there live. It was the only one that had a sense of finality to it. They kept the lame brawling through the crowd and up the aisle stuff to a minimum and told a story instead. A good story, and it gave the entire feud a sense of closure.
Oh man, did I hear “My Way” about 10,000 fucking times that night. To the defense of the UT-HHH match, it had alot of cool shit going for it like the sledge spot but what stands out the most about that match was that he hadn’t used the Tombstone since he returned at the Iron Man Match in July ‘00 and the pop for when he actually did it really stands out. It was one of those moments like Hogan hulking up for nostalgia at X-8, just a “FUCK YEAH!” type of moment ya know?
Surprised you gave the TLC match a full 5-stars. It was a very good match, but I actually remember being disappointed with it, thinking the SummerSlam 2000 match blew it away. I’d probably give it ****.
Otherwise, I think you’re spot on with the rest of the review, although I think I liked the hardcore match a little more than you did.
Both Angle/Benoit and the Taker/Triple H match is both ***1/2 star match.
I think Austin/Rock is ***** star match. But I think the WWE could had left out the whole Austin selling out to McMahon thing and kept him as face.
I posed these two questions to Scott a couple weeks after I bought the archive but hever heard anything so I’ll post it here:
Archives rule!
Ok question time and the subject is Wrestlemania X-7. Read the rant and then rewatched the show. I know it’s your favorite PPV but 2 things really bug me about it.
1. The ending to TLC II – Was it rushed for some unknown reason besides time? It just seems like they go immediately to the finish after the big spot where Bubba & Hardy go through the double tables on the floor. No time to build the drama of getting the belts just Christian on Rhino’s shoulders pulling them down. D-Von was on the ladder at the same time why not a little slug out to build the drama? And Christian being on Rhino’s shoulders took away from the overall heat of the E&C victory.
2. The ending to Stone Cold vs. Rock. Wouldn’t it have been more shocking and possibly a better kick off to an Austin heel turn it the ending had been a little or actually a lot less drawn out? Instead of the beatdown with the chair which went on forever and gave the fans real time to process what is going on. Have Rock just about ready to beat Austin have McMahon sprint to ringside out of nowhere whack Rock with chair…quick stunner…pin…Vince throws Austin the belt and they hightail out of the ring together….and let Rock sell the screwjob in the ring and fan jaws are still on the ground
before they even get a chance to cheer Austin.
Also I know JR couldn’t have been happy about King being fired, but was there legitimate dislike between him and Heyman? They really didn’t seem to be getting along during the entire show.
I love this show, it’s one of those Wrestlemanias that I remember watching with my best friend in his basement. I watched Wrestlemania XIV-Wrestlemania XX with him and X-7 and XX are my favorites.
I know hindsight is what it is, but really, why not stave off the Invasion for a bit?
Also, the Rock-Austin “My Way” promo video is my favorite along with the Rock-Lesnar training ones. When the Rock is running up the Orange Bowl steps? And the box jump? (for those interested, here’s the Rock’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqfHR0ArOlk and here’s Brock’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTczMKtmvdQ&feature=related)
Oh, and for shits and giggles here’s the my way promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT2NbOaj2js
Awesome, awesome PPV which most likely will not be topped in my lifetime. A pleasure to watch from start to finish. Have to say though, as much as I enjoyed the TLC match, no way it can compare with the Austin v Rock epic. Two of biggest stars in the history of the company give two fingers to all those numbskulls who say they’re just good talkers with limited movesets. One of the best examples of storytelling you’re ever likely to see and some kick-ass action to go with it. Somehow I don’t think the Cena/Big Show/Edge triple threat match will top this!
It’s funny because the announcers always say, this is the biggest/greatest/most important match in history. Just the entrances alone to Rock/Austin gives you goosebumps. The coolest think is that match is almost a half-hour long but the crowd is constantly buzzing, marking out and making noise. I think it’s *****.
PS. The Austin v Rock pre-match video promo was easily the best video package that the company has ever done for a main event match. I know you hate Limp Bizkit Scott but you have to admit that watching Rock and Austin beating the shit out of each other to the tune of My Way is beyond awesome!
I hate Limp Bizkit too but the video package was awesome. So was the one at the end of the show…I remember watching Wrestlemania 17 at my place, and one of my buddies was getting picked up by his brother. He came in right at the very end and saw the video package recapping everything that happened, and he said “Man, I don’t even like wrestling and I really want to see this show now”.
This is my first Benoit match since the tribute show
Well we don’t want to sugarcoat it or anything.
How anyone can still watch that guy and lose themselves in his match is beyond me.
How anyone can still act so melodramatically about this is beyond me.
Seriously, man. Watching and enjoying one of his matches doesn’t condone what he did and it certainly doesn’t mean one is in favor of it. I’m sure people are mature enough to separate the wrestler from the man. Not to make any excuses for him, but the man’s brain was pretty much destroyed when what happened, happened.
Besides, it’s been two years. Unless the crime directly affected you (IE: you being a relative and not just a fan who’s never even met the family), it’s time to move on.
I’ve heard the separating bullshit line, and I don’t care how fucked up his brain was, there’s no way to watch the guy wrestle and forget what he did.
If you (not you specifically) can, it’s not about maturity, but just how out of touch with reality and life you are..
If you want to refer to me as being heartless for saying this, you can, but it’s hard for me to feel bad about the deaths of people I didn’t know. I’m aware, however, what Benoit did was evil and I can fully understand people wanting nothing to do with the man, but I can still watch his matches just fine. Maybe that’s just me. Plus, the fact that his brain was a scrambled mess at least helps ease the situation for me. I’m not saying he’s completely innocent here, but it also leaves me feeling like Benoit wasn’t completely guilty either.
If you’re a family member of anyone involved in the situation then I can understand your hatred for the man and the inability to watch or support his legacy. But having not known the man or the family, it is quite melodramatic to claim that even watching him wrestle makes you sick.
Godwin’s Law Corollary for Wrestling: Substitute “Benoit” for “Hitler”.
Oh come on, Chris Benoit is not Hitler. For one thing, Hitler had a mustache.
I’m with you, Bobby. I can understand someone still being bothered by it and not wanting to watch his matches, but this whole “Everyone must feel the same as me and even watching his matches makes you a horrible person” attitude is ridiculous. I can watch his matches fine. It doesn’t effect my opinion of him or what he did one bit.
How did you ever make it through school? You must have failed history everytime unless you had classes that taught you history was all sunshine and flowers and nobody ever did anything bad.
What he did was fucked up and I’ll look down on him as a person, but don’t sit here with this holier than thou attitude and attack everyone who doesn’t curl up in a ball whimpering because they saw Benoit on their TV.
Terrible shit just as bad or worse than this happens all the time. As you’re reading this someone is murdering someone else in just as bad a way…if I sat here and dwelled on it all the time I’d never get anywhere. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna glorify the guy, but seeing him on my TV isn’t going to make me freak out either.
We already had this discussion on the WM XX repost.
How anyone can still watch that guy and lose themselves in his match is beyond me.
He was just that good.
Iceman makes a valid point.
Jimmy Superfly Snuka allegedly murdered his girlfriend back in the day so I turned off the TV during the Jericho segment on Raw.
Also isn’t Jerry Lawler alleged to be one of the biggest pedophiles in wrestling? I mute the commentary on Raw and look away while he’s on the screen.
Remember that whole OJ thing? Well I was shocked, SHOCKED I tells ya to see Naked Gun on TV last weekend. I sent a letter to the station and to my local congressman.
In fact I heard Barack Obama once farted in church. I think we should all rise up against the government.
Jerry Lawler was *accused* of raping a teenage girl, but I don’t think anything really came of it.
That act likely cost him a chance at the WWE Championship too.
Actually, Benoit, too, is only accused of murdering his wife and son, and then cowardly killing himself. He has never been convicted of any of those acts in a court of law.
You know, the first real Benoit match I reviewed after the murders was the 2004 Royal Rumble match.
Yes, it was very weird to watch it. And actually, I wasn’t in love with the match the first time I watched it. I remember thinking it was overrated and that everyone was just giving it high marks because Benoit won it.
TOTALLY WRONG
It was by far the best Rumble match ever, from start to finish. I actually think 2007’s was better once Khali made his entry and cleaned house, then ended with Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker. But 2004’s told an epic storyline from start to finish and instead of resorting to random brawling and stuff, every elimination made sense and the stuff with eliminating Big Show was perfect. I’ve reviewed every Royal Rumble but the last two, and it’s the only one I gave ***** to.
None of us will ever forgive what Chris Benoit did, and I’m not against making fun of him or the situation, but I figured I would never be able to enjoy another Chris Benoit match and I did. Big time.
Maybe it wasn’t because it was Chris Benoit, but because the entire 2004 Royal Rumble match was built so well… I don’t know.
I think it’s disgusting how so many Benoit marks want to absolve him or say the WWE should bring out DVDs with him in them. I’m even more disgusted with those calling for him to be put in the WWE Hall of Fame. A child is dead folks. An innocent who never hurt anyone. This cannot ever be forgiven and I truly hope they never return him to DVD or 24/7.
Wrestling fans should not celebrate his career. This is a guy who did more harm to the business then any wrestler before him did. I know everyone says wrestling is lowbrow and stuff, but there are good people involved in wrestling and the business is not without class. Chris Benoit brought shame to the business and untold emotional harm to everyone who crossed paths with him and countless fans across the world.
I know people say it was brain damage and dangerous moves or possibly painkillers or chasing pills with alcohol or whatever. I think that contributed to it, but at the same time after hearing people describe him before the murders, I think he fits the profile of a killer. During the Raw tribute, all of his friends were talking about how quiet and private he was. It just sounded so cliched. It reminded me of that line from the movie The Burbs. “They were quiet. Kept to themselves. Nobody suspected they were capable of foul play.”
Oh, and just a preemptive “Fuck you” to anyone who says I was too wordy in this post. That’s the problem with the world… nobody wants to read anything more then a paragraph long or hear anything longer then a sentence when people explain their stances on something. That’s why campaigns these days boil down to a couple guys saying buzz words until you want to kill yourself. “Values!” “Hope!” “Experience!” “Change!” “Sorry, we can’t explain what what we’re talking about, the people don’t have patience for it!’
Even though I don’t agree with your viewpoint this was a well written post. It was intelligent and insightful…people who get on their soapbox of self-righteousness generally get under my skin.
This topic has been beat to death but here is my viewpoint as heartless as it probably sounds: I don’t know any of these people so I really don’t care too much. Of course what happened in the Benoit household was a huge tragedy but at the end of the day I don’t have an emotional investment in these people so it doesn’t really affect me.
After the initial shock wore off I did watch some Benoit matches on youtube. It was surreal…the whole time I kept thinking about what he ultimately did but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the match one bit.
It’s just kind of tiring after every wrestling death to read about how scummy the industry is, how it needs to be cleaned up, etc. Yet the same people continue watching. I’ll own up to the fact that when I watch a wrestling show it is a brief form of escapism from the “real world”…not something I have a genuine emotional investment in.
Well I try not to get emotionally invested in this stuff and at this point I’m not even phased anymore. But at the same time lots of people are invested into it, and the amount of stuff they’re willing to slide with is scary.
“It’s just kind of tiring after every wrestling death to read about how scummy the industry is, how it needs to be cleaned up, etc. Yet the same people continue watching.”
I absolutely agree with you. Once again guys like Bret Hart and the rest of the “wrestling chews you up and spits you out” crowd have come out of the wood works. Another one bit the dust and it’s time to beat the “let’s start a union to clean up the business” drum.
Wrestling is no more or less scummy then any other form of entertainment. Actors and singers drop dead from drugs a lot as well. They just have access to better doctors and better rehab then wrestlers do. They have bodyguards and personal assistants who can keep an eye on them and make some type of effort to keep them in check.
Otherwise someone like Lindsey Lohan would be dead by now.
Yes, there’s a seedy underside to wrestling. Yes, wrestlers get chewed up and spit out. So do actors, especially child actors. If only there was a union to protect them.
Oh wait, there is.
Unions aren’t the answer because drugs are a personal choice. It’s an addiction and a disease but it’s also something most people choose to get into. I had a problem with pills as recent as a year and a half ago. I didn’t take them because I was a addict. I took them because I liked to get high off of them. I realized what a fucking moron I was and I quit. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. But it requires daily vigilance. I still crave them. And I promise you that guys like Shawn Michaels still crave them. That’s what addiction does to you, but staying an addict is a personal choice. All addiction means is you’re going to want them when you don’t have them, likely for the rest of your life.
What’s a union going to do to stop people from making this choice? Not a fucking thing. I’m not anti-union… I’m a liberal democrat who as a child was raised on union wages (my father was a longshoreman, a member of the ILWU) but I’m sick of hearing guys like Bret Hart say “wrestling needs a union to prevent this kind of stuff.” No it doesn’t. Wrestlers get chewed up and spit out, but it’s nobody’s fault but their own that they didn’t save any money when they were working. And it’s not like they can’t go onto other things once their career is over.
The WWE’s policy is any wrestler who has ever worked for the WWE can go to rehab on their dime. No questions asked, you want to get clean, they’re pay for your treatment. No fuss, no muss. Guys in a union would have to pay dues and likely some form of co-pay to get the exact same thing. And going to rehab and getting treatment is pretty much the only solution to a union could offer. It’s the same one the WWE is offering, but they’re giving it away for free.
To wrap up: there is a drug problem in wrestling, but there really is no solution. If there was an answer to wrestling’s drug problems, there would be an answer to everyone’s drug problems. Anyone who offers a solution that involves anything but the addicts themselves wanting to be clean is kidding themselves. Unions aren’t going to work. Forcing someone into rehab isn’t going to work. My sister has drug problems. We sent her to Provo Canyon Rehab in Utah for prescription drug problems. Did three months there, didn’t do a thing to help her. She was back on the drugs 48 hours after she was released. Because she didn’t want to get better. She didn’t think she had a problem. Interventions, forced rehab, outright begging… nothing works except for the addict wanting to be clean.
Some good points.
Entertainment of all sorts is as dirty as it gets as far as drugs, alcohol and sexual escapades.
I think it has something to do with “dirty” types generally being FAR more entertaining than straight edge types.
Very well thought out post, Charlie.
Before I address the union issue, I disagree with you about the mitigating circumstances surrounding Benoit. I do NOT absolve what he did because of MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury). But if he was susceptible to committing acts of violence repeated MTBI (that Benoit clearly had) could have caused him to do it.
As for the Union, it’s not the issue of things like rehab. It’s changing the schedule so that guys aren’t put in a position where abusing drugs is such an attractive choice. Look at a guy like Paul Orndorff, he had the same neck injury as guys like Angle and Benoit and kept working and permanently disfigured himself. Yes, it’s a personal choice, but if you never know if you’ll make money like that again it’s hard to say no.
What a union would allow for is a pension fund to be set up for wrestlers after they retire. I know that the NFL has a program where they give a class at the rookie summit about saving money.
The real stumbling block to the union, in my mind, is that it’s complicated to implement. Does it only apply to WWE? WWE and TNA?
Looking solely at the WWE an offseason would be supremely beneficial, but why would Vince forfeit a quarter of his income? Let’s say you have an offseason from the beginning of football season to the playoffs. You give the boys a few months off, get them home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, gives them a chance to get healthy from nagging bumps and bruises, and lets creative reload.
Also, there’s a large pool of immensely talented workers who would probably take the opportunity to wrestle in the WWE rather than join a union.
The schedule does need to be trimmed down.
Quite frankly, I don’t know why the WWE runs both brands at once during the house show circuit.
Do a week of Raw shows, a week of Smackdown shows… seems like a no-brainer to me. Would give guys a chance to catch a breather.
Instead, it’s like the old days where they’re running A and B house shows.
Economics dude, it’s not like the old days. Now a-days you can see HHH, Edge, and the Undertaker on the Smackdown shows and Cena, Orton, Jerico, and Shawn on the RAW shows.
Why run one show when you can make twice as much money?
I come from a very ultra-conservative background, but I do a lot of eastern training of my mind, body and spirit.
That being said . . . well said about Chris Benoit. I still think someday after a long stay with the Devil, he will finally be absolved of his sins – but it will be a very, very, very long time.
We shouldn’t hate this man, only because we don’t need to hate anybody. Hate is something that festers inside you and tries to take control of your life. Most likely it led to his destruction. Hate, anger, and frustruation along with whatever the other problems were to motivate this man to kill anyone.
Supporting him, however, like nothing had happened just doesn’t seem right to me either. Once he touched the boy, he lost any respect I had for him.
I never have vowed to watch a Benoit match again, but I haven’t watched one. The only one I watched was on 24/7 a few days after he died and I just was like “how to we view him now?”
And back then I did HATE him with a passion. Now, I just hope his soul finds peace. Depending on your believes he’ll either roast in hell forever, or at least for a couple thousand years before being allowed into Heaven for what he did.
“We shouldn’t hate this man, only because we don’t need to hate anybody. Hate is something that festers inside you and tries to take control of your life. Most likely it led to his destruction. Hate, anger, and frustruation along with whatever the other problems were to motivate this man to kill anyone.”
Exactly, I said something similar in a post a while back.
You should eventually forgive people who have wronged you PERSONALLY or at least try to. And that’s for YOUR sake, not theirs. To carry the weight of hatred on your back for someone that did nothing at all to harm you personally is only harming yourself. He’s dead, hating him won’t make him any deader or bring back his wife and kid.
I don’t think ANYONE condones what he did, how could you? But hating a dead man who did nothing to harm you personally is a waste of your own life. Hate is a waste of life.
It’s funny something like the History Channel talks about Hitler and the Nazis everyday, yet WWE can’t talk about Benoit for even 10 seconds.
I don’t think you’ll hear too much about Hitler in Germany…isn’t just doing the goosestep illegal?
We’ll see if things change regarding Benoit 60-70 years from now.
Oh come on, now you’re just being silly with your comparison.
Hitler was a world leader and likely the most shaping historical figure of the last 1,000 years.
Chris Benoit was a fake wrestler who murdered his wife and son.
So quite frankly I think it’s okay for a channel dedicated to history to show Hitler.
WWE stands for “World Wrestling Entertainment” and it’s not very entertaining for the vast majority of people to watch a guy who brutally murdered his wife and son to win fake championships and be celebrated by the fans.
I’ve watched the Summerslam Anthology set. The WWE has actually censored the crowd reactions for Benoit in it. I’m not sure I would have taken it that far, but I don’t blame them.
I think a lot of people want him on 24/7 or DVDs out of defiance, because WWE’s taking it away from them. I firmly fall on the “can’t watch his matches” side of this, and I’ll leave you all with this thought – he’s not that important in the grand scheme of the history of pro wrestling anyways. He won two world titles, a few other titles, and his jump was when WCW was already almost dead. It would make a huge difference in wrestling’s history if Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin or Ric Flair did what Benoit did, but Benoit’s mostly midcard matches can be erased, and if you didn’t know better you wouldn’t even notice.
I remember the go-home show of Smackdown, right before WM17. The last 10 minutes consisted of no match or promo – just a video of the Rock/Austin feud (to the song My Way). I’ve never seen them do this before or since. It just shows how epic this feud was.
Love this video package:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT2NbOaj2js&feature=related
I hate the Debra angle insertion in the middle of that promo–it kind of ruins the flow–but everything else is golden. From 2:08 on in that video is tremendous mark out stuff.
Totally agree with you there.
It’s funny how nostalgia works, I love the Rock/Austin feud; but I remember thinking at the time (once the video refreshed my memory) how f’n awful the inclusion of Debra into the feud was. Almost ruined the feud for me at the time.
Inserting Debra into the angle was a mistake, which I think the WWE admitted by taking her out and then largely ignoring it. It didn’t really make sense to align Austin with anyone, much less his wife, because his character was a loner that didn’t care about anyone. The feud got going once she was removed.
The Stone Cold heel turn would have been the right idea if it wasn’t for the fact they were about to start the Invasion angle. Austin was the most recognisable WWF star and should have been the man to lead the WWF against the invading WCW – especially with the Rock about to leave to make movies. By turning him heel at Wrestlemania, they forced themselves into a corner and were left with little option but to have him join the Alliance which meant you had WWF’s biggest star leading the battle against the WWF! It didn’t make sense. I always said they should have held off with the Invasion storyline until they brought in the likes of Flair and the NWO. That way, WCW would have had enough star power that they could have had a legitimate feud without the need for WWF stars like Austin, Shane and Stephanie McMahon leading the charge.
As great as this event was, I liked the Rock vs Austin matches from 99 more, because they were involved in a big big storyline, while the XVII Match had no real backstory.
Whereas I don’t know why it is so hard co make a good PPV like this. Ok, it’s not easy to make something like Benoit vs Angle – because usually today all good wrestlers are in the MITB match
. But what was 2001 Austin vs Rock could be today Cena vs Edge and what was HHH vs Taker could be Orton vs HHH, what was E&C vs Dudleyz vs Hardyz could be Benjamin & Haas vs Miz & Morrison vs Priceless, what was Angle vs Benoit could be Jericho vs CM Punk. Then we have still left guys like HBK, Taker, Kane, Big Show, Tommy Dreamer, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, Fit Finlay, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy etc. etc.. Enough good wrestler for an event that could make WMXVII look like December to Dismember. 
(just kidding)
This is an excellent WWF show, though I don’t believe it to be as good as Great American Bash 1989 (and I think I enjoy WrestleMania 3 and 8 more as a fan). I think GAB 89 has a more epic feel to it, plus there wasn’t the distinct drop-off in quality immediately following the event.
I agree with everything said, especially for Rock/Austin which is an amazing epic of a match. Watching this show live too, there was such a feeling of possibility with all the WCW stuff as well, although we know how that turned out. I was kind of bummed at the time with the result (I never cared much for Austin, always loved Rock).
I think the TLC match is overpraised though. I think the way the spots are set up is too deliberate and obvious, and there is little new ground broken over previous PPV TLC matches and the Raw match. It just seems like they figured everyone would pop for people falling off ladders no matter what, so they gave us a rerun.
Great review Scott. I’m sure it helped that this is one of my favorite shows ever put on, but I have to say that I enjoyed reading this as much as any review you’ve ever written (and I’ve probably read all of them a couple of times over).
Really stellar work. It made me want to go straight home and put the thing in.
I just caught this on 24/7 – sadly missing Angle/Benoit and of course much of the original music.
I still found myself very in to the main event, especially once they get through the brawling and bring it back to the ring. After watching their WM19 match, this one really sticks out as both guys really bring it the entire time. Still has that epic feel.
Aside from them turning Austin heel in Texas, they at least could have had the post match play out differently to get the point across. Samoaray25 said it best – why not have Austin win, grab the belt and run out of there? Instead he cracks beers with the crowd and Vince. I actually like the storyline and psychology of the turn but the execution is still bad.