WrestleMania 31 Review

Boy was I scared for this one...

After what many of the fans considered one of the worst Mania builds in history, the groundwork was laid for the WWE to put on one of the biggest disaster PPVs in history. Let's look at the factors: Their top babyface prospect wins the Royal Rumble to a chorus of boos, the actual fan favorite appears to be buried all the way down to the midcard level, main event matches are STILL being given to part-timers, with the up-and-coming superstars sacrificing their hard work for a lower spot on the card, and there were tons of grudge matches that could have been on the card, but were sidelined to the multi-person matches on the pre-show.

However, I tried to remain optimistic, as the excitement of WrestleMania took over this weekend. I didn't care if the build up was crap, I was ready for WRESTLE FREAKING MANIA!!!! And much to my surprise, and to the delight of many Internet fans out there, it was NOT a bad show. In fact, it was a pretty good show. Best ever? No. Top 10? Probably not. But the important part was that it was entertaining and not a complete and utter failure. So kudos to the WWE. Maybe you do know what you're doing after all.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Tyson Kidd and Cesaro vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores vs. The New Day

Kicking off the Kickoff show, we had a tag match that had all types of fast and furious action. Unfortunately for fans of the Usos, it was made very clear that Jey Uso was not fully healthy as they wrote him off within the first minute of the match. Big props to Jimmy Uso though for going at it by himself, you really gotta feel for those brothers though since they were born in the Bay Area. As soon as this match was announced, I had some serious bones to pick about the inclusions of New Day and Los Matadores. I don't think Los Matadores have been relevant since they debuted and that was 2 years ago, and it's clear that the fans won't embrace the New Day the way Vince wants us to. Just go back to what they were doing earlier and give these guys a chance to be a heel trio, reminiscent of the Nation of Domination. Two teams that would have been better suited were the Prime Time Players (popular team and reunited recently) and the Ascension (young team and booked to dominate the competition months ago). But I digress...

This match is very spot heavy, but at least it's fun. There's a moment where Natalya locks the Sharpshooter on El Torito....What more do you want? Cesaro and Kidd keep showing me new reasons to appreciate their dynamic with each match, and I really hope they're here to stay for the time being. I mean, they weren't doing anything with them before, so at least they're relevant as a team. After Jey Uso got taken to the back, the other 7 competitors really pulled their weight in delivering an entertaining way to wake the crowd up.

2nd Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

With this getting moved to the Kickoff Show, I wonder how prestigious it'll be in years to come. At least it's a way to glorify the annual filler battle royal. Anyways, this match had a handful of big name stars in it, and some direction given to it, but not much. The entire ring eliminated Curtis Axel at the start of the match, possibly stopping AxelMania dead in its tracks instead of letting it run wild. Another entertaining spot was Bo Dallas celebrating during the match by running out of the ring, only to be eliminated soon after. I think something that absolutely had the ball dropped on was that Kofi Kingston didn't have one of his iconic battle royal moments that we've become so familiar with. Big guys like Kane, Big Show, and Ryback dominated throughout, and even Hideo Itami from NXT got a strong reaction as he tested his luck against the World's Largest Athlete. There was even an awesome spot where Cesaro teased doing what he had done the year before in eliminating Big Show, only to have him eliminated instead.

But in the end, it came down to do one obvious objective: make Damien Mizdow a star. After so much tension, he finally stood up for himself against the Miz and eliminated him from the match. So it came down to Mizdow (HOPEFULLY he goes back to Sandow soon) and Big Show. Mizdow tried his hardest to eliminate Big Show, even doing the dragon sleeper over the apron spot that Chris Benoit did to win the 2004 Royal Rumble (which completely shocked me when I saw it). But ultimately, Big Show won the match and evidently it was his first battle royal victory (which I'm not sure if it hurt his credibility as a wrestler or if it helped). This may not have been the match decision fans wanted, but it still made Mizdow look good, while also giving a logical match conclusion.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Bad News Barrett vs. Stardust vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper vs. Dean Ambrose vs. R-Truth vs. Daniel Bryan

With multi-person ladder matches, they have to actually try in order to not deliver. This thing may not have been as spot heavy as some might have wanted, but there was some good spots nonetheless. From Dean Ambrose jumping off the ladder onto everyone else, to Bad News Barrett giving Stardust a superplex off a very tall ladder, to Ambrose being powerbombed through a ladder by Luke Harper, there was a lot to enjoy. All seven guys fought really hard and felt like they deserved to be fighting for this title at WrestleMania. It came down at the very end do Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan having a headbutting match to see who would take the strap. Bryan was victorious and led the crowd in a YES! chant.

He got another really good moment that night during a backstage interview with Maria Menounos. He is approached by Pat Patterson, Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, and Bret Hart all congratulating Bryan on his victory and joined in a YES! chant. Then Ron Simmons showed up to deliver a "DAMN!" to finish the segment (not really relevant, but who am I to complain about a Ron Simmons "DAMN!" moment). This did wonders for not only Bryan holding the title, but reminded everyone of the prestige that went with the IC Belt. Hopefully, things with Bryan as the Intercontinental Championship prove to be a good call.

Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

This match had a good storyline concept (execution needs some to be desired) and tons of great counters. As we got closer to Mania, this was one of the matches I was looking forward to the most because I knew both these guys could deliver in a big match like this and they didn't disappoint. One part I commended them for was having J&J Security taken out early. That meant there was no smoke and mirrors for Rollins to hide behind and if he wanted to beat Orton, he had to earn it. Of course, I'd be a fool not to talk about the ending. Let me just say this: that RKO was so sweet, it made me pop right off my couch and shout in astonishment. It was a very beautiful ending to an awesome match.

No Disqualification Match: Sting vs. Triple H

Of the entrances these two had, I have to say I favored Triple H's Terminator inspired getup with the cameo from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. As for the match, these guys showed that they can still put on an entertaining encounter even if they're up there in age. The match was full of crazy overbooking (which I will get into soon), but I will say I don't think these guys actually NEEDED it to be overbooked. Had they had a regular match where someone went over the other with a clean victory, I think they could've still delivered in quality. But of course, everyone wants me to talk about what happened when we stepped back in time to something out of the Monday Night Wars.

So it looked like Sting had the upperhand, when all of a sudden D-Generation X came running out to help. X-Pac and New Age Outlaws helped distract Sting long for The Game to capitalize, when all of a sudden the nWo showed up. Seeing Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan come out to not only help Sting (something that seemed IMPOSSIBLE in 1997), but to also take on DX in THE dream battle between two of wrestling's greatest factions. Then when it looked like Sting had Triple H beat, SWEET CHIN MUSIC FROM SHAWN MICHAELS! You KNOW I got hyped seeing my all-time favorite back at the show that gave him the nickname Mr. WrestleMania. Even though people may have not liked the match's ending, it was all kinds of nostalgic fun. And the handshake at the end was a nice touch for anyone who binge watched the Monday Night Wars (guilty as charged) on the WWE Network for just 9.99 (couldn't help it). It does beg the question though of what is next for Sting, since he lost his first ever match in the WWE.

Music Performance

Quick thing here: Is Skylar Grey under contract with WWE? Since Mania XXVIII, Skylar has done music performances at 3 of them and the one she didn't perform at (Mania XXX), she was part of one of the show's theme songs. Am I missing something here? I didn't think she was a big name player in the world of music, but she must be good enough right? Eh, she did ok with her song "Rise," but Kid Ink was so much better with his song "Money and the Power." My favorite part though was the man who brought these two songs together: Travis Barker. I've always liked Blink-182 as a band, but Barker's drumming was always the part that I liked best, so for me, I really enjoyed seeing him on the Mania stage.

The Bella Twins vs. Paige and AJ Lee

I wish these 4 were given a bit more time (it's the only match to not get at least 10 minutes), but they definitely made the most with the time they had. There was a lot of story on which team would succeed: an established team dynamic or two great singles competitors trying to work together. These women fought very aggressively and definitely showed the world why they should be given a chance to run the division. I'm a bit curious where they can go from here though. Maybe Nikki and Brie will have a falling out and we can get a Fatal 4-Way for the Diva's Title lined up for Extreme Rules. I'd be game for that.

Hall of Fame

I should also take this time to briefly talk about the Hall of Fame class this year. I don't have any real problems with them. There are tons who deserve it, from Alundra Blayze, to Tatsumi Fujinami, to Larry Zybszko. Having said that, comedic inductees like Rikishi and the Bushwhackers do make this a bit disjointed in tone. Not saying they don't deserve it, but to go from straight up wrestling talent to a man who is famous for how he looked in a thong, to a tag team that never won the WWE Tag Team Championships and were more famous for their walk and ability to eat and lick everything in their path.

As far as celebrity inductees go, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a perfect candidate, not only for his connections to the world of fitness, not only for his previous publicity work with the WWE, and not only because it was in the state he use to "Governate" in, but because someone needed to promote Terminator Genisys and pay the bills for Triple H's entrance. Connor "the Crusher" Michalek was the first recipient of the Warrior Award and it brought great big tears to my eyes to watch, of both sadness and in appreciation of Connor's winning spirit. Kevin Nash was an appropriate choice to main event the class in terms of a speech, but the highlight of the class is easily the induction of "Macho Man" Randy Savage. If only he would've been able to be alive to speak at it. Lord knows how good that would've been. But still, it's a very good Hall of Fame class this year, with one of my only complaints being that it's a little cluttered than in recent years.

United States Championship Match: Rusev vs. John Cena

Regardless of what you thought of the ending, this was basic storytelling at its finest. Straight out of Rocky IV, Rusev entered to a grand entrance befitting a champion from Russia, and Cena played a video package that would make you proud to be an American. From there, these two beat the crap out of each other in a very physical match up. Highlight of the match was to see Cena pull off a Springboard Stunner out of nowhere on Rusev (even smart marks gotta give him some credit on that one). I really enjoyed the match, and I think by having Lana cause Rusev's first loss by accident doesn't hurt his character, but hopefully can just be a layer that helps peel back the onion that is Rusev as a character. So John Cena is your United States Champion, and at this point, with him and Bryan running the midcard titles, I can honestly say I'm curious to see what happens next.

The Rock and Ronda Rousey take on The Authority?!?!?

So here was a nice little bonus for the evening. Just when you thought the Authority was gonna get away with one of their long and irritating promos, they were interrupted by The Rock. He got in a few verbal jabs, but Stephanie McMahon was not having him ruin her moment, so she slapped the taste out of his mouth and asked him if he was gonna strike a woman. He said he would never, but then he went ringside to Ronda Rousey sitting in the front row and the two megastars stormed the ring. The crowd was going INSANE!

After the tension had built up, The Rock starting laying punches on The Game and then sent him to Ronda where she threw him around the ring. Then Steph started running her mouth again and went in for a slap, only for Ronda to grab her by the arm and teased what would happen to her if she tried to mess with her again. It was an awesome moment I never predicted would happen as I tuned into the PPV. So bravo to them for giving the fans another mark out moment for the evening. And they weren't even done with those yet either...

The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt

Man was it good to see the Deadman back. In a battle of the past and present faces of fear, the Undertaker returned after a year long absence to silence Bray Wyatt. Two things: 1. From what I've read, Bray was working this match with an injured ankle...big props to him. and 2. Taker can still go, but he really does need someone that can take control of the match. Having said that, I enjoyed this match much more than Taker's match with Lesnar last year, but it still wasn't a 5-star classic. The nostalgia of seeing the Undertaker again was awesome, and for the match he was able to have with an injured Wyatt, after the work Wyatt did to sell this match (for real...Wyatt was the MVP of WrestleMania season by selling this match single-hand), it's probably the best payoff we could've had for it.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns...vs. Seth Rollins

There were tons of scenarios that were surrounding this main event, with one of the top ones being Rollins cashing in at the conclusion of the match. Naturally, that's not too much of a surprise, so in order to keep us on our toes, he came out during the match and cashed in while both men were down to create a Triple Threat main event. BRILLIANT.

Let's talk briefly about the Lesnar/Reigns portion of the match. It was actually really good. It was a strong brawl type match that felt more shoot style than what I was expecting. Lesnar manhandled Reigns like you'd expect (SUPLEX CITY!), but it was the little things Reigns would do to show his toughness, like getting back up, and smiling with a bloody mouth. This dude was as sick during a beating as Lesnar was, and it really took the fans by surprise. Did it make him look strong? I believe so, especially when his offence was able to bust open Lesnar on 3 different occasions. Who knew this match would have so much blood in it.

Then came Rollins. Shocking everyone. And the result was perfect. The match made Reigns look strong in a fight. Lesnar still looked like a dominating beast. Rollins is the opportunist who picked his spot perfectly in order to cement his name in history. He did NOT pin the champion, so Lesnar has grounds for a rematch. Reigns was pinned (which made fans happy), but he was already weakened by Lesnar, NOT by Rollins until the final moment of the match. What does this say for Orton being a title contender since he beat Rollins earlier in the night? It really left people asking questions, making observations, and definitely will have tons tuning into Monday Night RAW tonight to see how much of it is answered. The future is definitely here...NOW.


Final Thoughts: This WrestleMania was a lot more fun than I was expecting, and that made it all the better to enjoy. Are there still some issues fans will find this show or the company's direction? Absolutely, that's what being a wrestling fan on the internet is all about. But it does make me very optimistic of what the WWE will do for the next year. May take a repeat viewing, but I'll call this a Highly Recommended for right now.


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The Year in PPV- 2001, Part III

It's time to wrap up 2001 by ending the Invasion angle and crowning an Undisputed Champion...


11. No Mercy

No Mercy was a very solid show to watch, offering a little bit of everything for everyone. While a lingerie match with Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson will never be a 5-star classic, it at least needs to be acknowledged that there is a demographic that was extremely satisfied with the match. If you love hardcore matches with heated rivalries, then look no further than the ladder match for the Intercontinental Title between Edge and Christian. And if you want a super heavyweight gem, look at the match between Kane and Test, two VERY underrated big men who left me absolutely entertained in this little 10 minute match. And if you love big name superstars going at it, watch the clash between Booker T and the Undertaker.

This show also boasts two blockbuster main events for the two heavyweight championship belts. The final match on the card saw Stone Cold Steve Austin defend the WWF Championship in a triple threat against Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam. It's a good match, but the most memorable match of the evening happened right before it. The Rock defended the WCW Championship against Chris Jericho, in a feud that had a very slow burning payoff. It started with these two colossal egos clashing on the mic. Then it led to them clashing in the ring. These men at the time were still arguably the two biggest fan favorites in the company and left the fans very happy in this instant classic.

Recommended


12. Rebellion

Normally I go on rants with these types of shows, but here's an exception that I actually thoroughly enjoyed. How on earth did that happen?!?!? Well, it's like I said about this time period in wrestling, it had all this talent, but lacked direction. So, when you have a PPV that relies less on storylines and more on matches, you have a recipe for a solid show. The show opened on a VERY high note with an Intercontinental Championship match inside a steel cage. Edge and Christian continued their feud and really tore down the house in one of the last classic style cage matches (with the bars, instead of a chain wall). After that, the next highlight featured the Dudley Boyz defending the WCW Tag Team Championships against the Hardy Boyz and the APA. These are three of the Attitude Era's most popular teams showing what they do best: go out there and give it their all to entertain.

Then we get to the two world title matches. Around this time, there were 4 men really poking around the main event scene: The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho. Jericho defended the WCW Title against Kurt Angle in a forgotten gem that was recently released on the Road to Jericho DVD. You know when Jericho selects it, that it's worth checking out. But the main event saw Austin defend the WWF Championship against The Rock in a WrestleMania X-Seven rematch. It didn't have that spark that their Mania had, but it's still Stone Cold vs. The Rock. It's going to be good right? Well, yes, but I actually feel that of their documented matches, this is the weakest because it had the shades of the Invasion angle surrounding its booking. But for an overall show, this wasn't half bad to sit through.

Mild Recommendation


13. Survivor Series

For those who want to see this WWF vs. Alliance storyline come to an end, then this is the show for you and then some. This show really only had 2 throwaway matches that weren't too relevant for the aftermath of this storyline, but they were the first two matches on the card, so it's easy to move on. We had matches that unified champions, including an Intercontinental vs. United States Champions match (Test vs. Edge), and a steel cage match for the WWF and WCW Tag Team Championships (the Hardy Boyz vs. the Dudley Boyz). There was a 6-pack challenge to crown a new Women's Champion (Trish Stratus vs. Jacqueline vs. Lita vs. Molly Holly vs. Ivory vs. Jazz), and a battle royal where the winner would have immunity for being fired for one year.

And then it all came down to the main event: a traditional Survivor Series elimination match where the winning side would stay in business. Team WWF (The Rock, Chris Jericho, Big Show, Kane, and the Undertaker) took on the Alliance (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Shane McMahon) in a back and forth war featuring 10 of the greatest superstars to come out of the Monday Night Wars, and in this winner take all situation, they fought like it was all their last match on earth. As history would suggest, it's obvious which side won, but you should still watch this epic match and feel the moment that brought a complete storyline failure and gave it one of the best payoffs imaginable.

Highly Recommended


14. Vengeance

Vengeance has a traditional undercard, but on this special night, it didn't really matter because the main event was something never seen before. The undercard did have a few memorable encounters. One of them, although not the greatest worked match, was a match that saw Matt and Jeff Hardy go at it with Lita as the guest referee. If you grew up as a fan of the Hardy Boyz, this match either had you heartbroken or excited to see which brother would stand out as the superior superstar. Another memorable gem on the card was the Hardcore Championship match with Rob Van Dam defending the title against the Undertaker. This match incorporated both unique fighting styles in a wild brawl that culminated in a very memorable spot outside the ring. Give it a watch and see for yourself.

This evening in history had a very memorable triple main event to merge the WWF and WCW Championships to create one Undisputed Champion. The winner of the WWF Championship match (Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle) would take on the winner of the WCW Championship match (The Rock vs. Chris Jericho) and the winner of that match would take their rightful step in history and be able to claim that they were the first Undisputed Champion in history. Not to give too much away, but the winner of the Undisputed Title that evening has been using that claim to fame to this day.

Mild Recommendation


Final Thoughts: The end of the year brought a storyline failure to a close, while still delivering some awesome matches, and ended the year with something absolutely memorable. And thus, this was the last full year of the WWF. The change of horizons was on its way as Ruthless Aggression would own the landscape in the months to come. With a large roster of talent, it's easy to see why this era is so popular with wrestling fans. Whether or not you like the Invasion storyline, there is a crap ton of great matches from this year that are obviously worth checking out on the WWE Network.


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The Year in PPV- 2001, Part II

Let's continue 2001 by seeing the end of the Power Trip and the beginning of the Invasion...


6. Judgment Day

The undercard for this show is absolutely CRAMMED with big name stars who get tons of time to do what they do best. For example, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit wrestled for over 20 minutes in a 3 Stages of Hell match (Regular match, Submission match, and a Ladder match) for Angle's Olympic Gold Medals, there was a 30 minute tag team turmoil match for a future WWF Tag Team Championship match that had a lot of intrigue surrounding the mystery of who would be Chris Jericho's partner, Chyna fought in her last WWF match as she defended the Women's Championship against Lita (a Diva's dream match for some), and the Hardcore Championship was defended in a Triple Threat with Rhyno, Test, and Big Show.

The two main events continued the feud between the Brothers of Destruction and the Two Man Power Trip. Triple H defended the Intercontinental Championship against Kane in a Chain match, and Stone Cold Steve Austin defended the WWF Championship against the Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match. Both these matches lacked in technical quality, but they made up in hardcore quality and overbooking. It's a nice contrast for many of the well-wrestled matches on the card, providing a bit more variety to the show.

Recommended


7. King of the Ring

You know a show is great when the main event Triple Threat for the WWF Championship featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Benoit, and Chris Jericho, is NOT the match everyone was talking about by the end of the night. An interesting note to make about this match is the potential involvement of Triple H. The Game was injured with a torn Quadriceps muscle and would miss action until January in 2002. With how this feud teased the dissention between Benoit and Jericho, one has to wonder if the original plans called for a Fatal 4-Way. Even more disappointment occurred at the end of the match when Benoit injured his neck and he wouldn't see action again until May of 2002. And if you wanna add more craziness, just wait til you see who makes an appearance at the end.

But the MVP of this evening is Kurt Angle, as he proved to be an integral part of the King of the Ring tournament and was involved in one of the most brutal matches in WWF history. The night's focus would normally be involved on the tournament, with the winners of Christian vs. Angle and Rhyno vs. Edge facing off. But, Angle had his mind focused on his Street Fight with Shane McMahon later on in the evening. That's right, Angle had the opportunity to compete in 3 matches on the same night. And that Street Fight is nothing to sneer about. It's HARDCORE as anything I ever saw in ECW. It's got tons of blood, people flying through glass, and a whole bunch of weapons and big spots. It's a must watch match on a night full of quality encounters.

Highly Recommended


8. Invasion

Picture this: We had a time in history when WCW and ECW banded together to put the WWF out of business. HOW ON EARTH DID THEY SCREW THIS UP!?!?!? Well, the Invasion PPV is certainly one of the best examples, since it got the big storyline off to a lukewarm response. This show should have had some of the most epic dream matches you could imagine. This should have featured the likes of Sting, Ric Flair, the nWo, Scott Steiner, Lex Luger, and a few others, but instead it featured the WCW midcard taking on the established WWF superstars. The matches are also too short to mean anything, making many of them just whiz on by without much care. Makes a lot of the evening feel pointless if you ask me. The only midcard match that works is the Hardcore Championship match between Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. Now THERE'S a dream match to have during the Invasion.

By the time we get to the main event, it's an oversaturated 5 on 5 tag match with team WWF (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and the Brothers of Destruction) taking on the Alliance (Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, Rhyno, and the Dudley Boyz). Sure, these 10 guys beat the crap out of each other, but wouldn't it have made sense to split these matches into 4 main events and made the momentum of stars flow better throughout the entire evening? Think about it: Brothers of Destruction vs. Dudley Boyz, Jericho vs. Rhyno, Angle vs. Page, and Austin vs. Booker in a battle of the World Champions. The only reason these 10 men fought in one crammed match was for the ending (which was another BIG problem with the Invasion).

Skip It


9. SummerSlam

This show had "Bodies" by Drowning Pool as the theme. HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!?! Headbanging aside, this show actually is a MASSIVE improvement from Invasion in that it actually delivers bigger matches with bigger names. In order to do this, however, some of the WWF talent had to defect to the Alliance by turning on Mr. McMahon (a pattern that got old REALLY quick). Nevertheless, one can't deny the amount of talent on this show. From the opening match that saw Edge challenge Lance Storm for the Intercontinental Championship, to the showdown between Chris Jericho and Rhyno, to the main event between Booker T and The Rock for the WCW Championship, there was a lot to enjoy on this card.

One of my favorite matches of the evening was Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy in a ladder match for the Hardcore Championship. Remember that dream match I talked about in my Invasion review? Add a ladder to that....yeah, it got even better. But the match that really caught my attention was the WWF Championship match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. These guys had a fierce chemistry with each other and involved a lot of fists thrown, blood spilled, technical wrestling, and overbooking. It's a terrific match, that probably a lot tend to forget because the ending. But don't worry, I'm sure they redeemed themselves down the road with a rematch.

Highly Recommended


10. Unforgiven

It's a show like Unforgiven that shows even with a number of good moments, the Invasion still provided tons of head-scratching decisions. This show has a poorly worked tag match between the Brothers of Destruction and KroniK, a throwaway United States Championship match before the main event, and a feud about the destruction of a mop (I'm serious....). With some of those flaws, how can this show still be credible? I'm glad you asked. For starters, it opened with a 4-way tag team elimination match for the WWF Tag Team Championships with the Dudley Boyz defending against the Hardy Boyz, Big Show and Spike Dudley, and Lance Storm and the Hurricane. This night also included an awesome Hardcore Championship match with Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho, The Rock defending the WCW Championship in a handicap match against Booker T and Shane McMahon, and Edge and Christian squaring off for the Intercontinental Championship. And to make the night even greater, we come to the main event.

In a match for the WWF Championship, Kurt Angle challenged Stone Cold Steve Austin, in Angle's hometown of Pittsburgh, only a few weeks after 9/11. Just take a wild guess what happened? I know the result is heavily projected, but it's that feel good moment the fans needed after the tragedy that befell the country earlier that month. I have absolutely no problems with the execution of this match, or this moment. It's one of the biggest defining moments in Angle's career and was the perfect way to end this night.

Recommended


Thoughts: Even if the Invasion has more than its fair share of questionable booking decisions, I'll be darned because it has some of the best matches in company history. I didn't really care for Austin's heel turn, especially with the logistics of why he would EVER join WCW (a company he openly despised working for), so I was really glad to rally behind Angle as the American babyface to challenge this turncoat. The Rock returned, Triple H and Benoit got injured, and we got to see Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Diamond Dallas Page in the WWF. It's a very mixed bag of momentum for main event and midcard matches, but I enjoyed a lot of the match quality over the arching storyline. But how would they bring the Invasion to an end? 

Concluded in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 2001, Part I

2001 is one of those heavily debated years for the WWF in terms of quality. On the one hand, it was a financially prosperous and dominant year for the company with both WCW and ECW going out of business. It was time for the WWF to stand tall, and without a significant form of competition, it was presumed we were on our last days of the Attitude Era. As the Aggression Era drew nearer, the traditional style of overbooking was being moved to the side in exchange for matches that relied more on the wrestling quality and physicality between opponents. Who got over depended less on what kind of character they had and more on the kind of match they could put on to entertain. Needless to say, there are TONS of great superstars and matches present on this year.

And on the other hand, we have a year that had one of the single biggest DISAPPOINTMENTS in wrestling history: the Invasion Angle. Everyone has an opinion on this storyline, and you're going to hear mine in due time. This was not only horribly executed, but also led to a a heavily saturated roster of wrestlers and title belts, had way too much going on for its own good, and even worse, didn't have many of the players needed to make the proper payoff. But that's a little down the road.

Let's at least get things off to a good start with one of the best Royal Rumbles of all-time...


1. Royal Rumble

From top to bottom, this Royal Rumble PPV is pure quality in both match quality and storytelling. From the Dudley Boyz challenging Edge and Christian for the World Tag Team Championships, to Ivory defending the Women's Championship against an injured Chyna, many matches are solid on technique but are boosted thanks to the overall booking and entertainment value of the superstars involved. As far as match quality, the best on the undercard (and maybe of the evening) was the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship that brought some closure to Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho's epic and competitive rivalry. And if you're looking for a good match with entertaining booking, watch the WWF Championship match between Kurt Angle and Triple H. Not only is the match well-wrestled, but also has enough overbooking to keep the Attitude Era fans interested.

This Rumble is usually considered one of the best, and it's VERY easy to see why. This focused on the ideas of it coming down to five men: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Undertaker, Rikishi, The Rock, and Kane. Kane particularly makes a massive statement in this Rumble with his elimination of 11 men (the most in a single Rumble match until 2014). But the match doesn't stop there. We have some hardcore moments in the middle of the match, moments that pit friend against friend and brother against brother, a handful of surprise returns, and an appearance from Drew Carey. Yes, DREW CAREY entered the Royal Rumble match and it was STILL amazing to watch.

Highly Recommended


2. No Way Out

Yet again we have another high quality show on the Road to WrestleMania. This one has more matches to work off of, so naturally there are a few throwaway matches (Hardcore Championship and a match between Jerry Lawler and Stevie Richards comes to mind), but when this show is good, it's REALLY good. The Intercontinental title was on the line in a Fatal 4-Way (Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Guerrero vs. X-Pac vs. Chris Benoit), the Tag titles were on the line in a triple threat tables match (Dudley Boyz vs. Brothers of Destruction vs. Edge and Christian), and Stephanie McMahon fought Trish Stratus in an overbooked mess of a match you can't look away from. But then, like any PPV before WrestleMania, this night was all about setting up the main event for the Showcase of the Immortals.

The show's main event saw Kurt Angle put the WWF title on the line against The Rock, and I really enjoyed this match. Sometimes when you're getting ready for the Show of Shows, the best chase is to see who walks into Mania as the heavyweight champion and these guys fought in a very competitive matchup. The man who won it deserved to be champion on this night. But the match that stole the show was the Three Stages of Hell match with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H. Things got so personal between these two, that they could only settle the score in a match this barbaric. The first fall was a regular wrestling match, the second fall was a Street Fight, and the third fall was a Steel Cage match. This was a really well done match and could've easily main evented the show. The fact that this match went on only halfway through the show is a testament to the amount of effort and the show had going for it.

Highly Recommended


3. WrestleMania X-Seven

When people discuss the greatest Mania event of all-time, Mania X-Seven is usually the favorite selection. While I admit the show is really good, I always have a tough time putting it as the absolute favorite (but it would still be in my top 5). With a throwaway tag team match with the Right to Censor taking on the APA and Tazz, a squash match for the Women's Championship between Ivory and Chyna, a Gimmick Battle Royal whose entrances lasted longer than the match itself (I get it's a nostalgia trip, but it's definitely one of the weakest battle royals I've ever seen), I couldn't understand why people will collectively agree it's the best Mania in history. But then we get some solid midcard title matches to help add some quality to the undercard, with Chris Jericho and William Regal opening the show for the Intercontinental Championship, Raven defending the Hardcore Championship in a triple threat against Kane and Big Show, and a surprisingly underrated European Championship match with Test and Eddie Guerrero.

And then we made our way to the main events. In a match that darn near stole the show, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle put on a physical and competitive technical showdown on the biggest show of the year. While they had tons of matches that improved on quality, the standard and groundwork for their future classics were laid here. In a piece of overbooked match heaven, Shane McMahon and Mr. McMahon took part in a Street Fight with Mick Foley as guest referee, in a match that pitted the most dysfunctional family in sports entertainment against each other, and found a way to connect it to the ending of the Monday Night War. Finally, if you thought the Dudley Boyz, Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian couldn't come up with a THIRD epic ladder match for the World Tag Team Championships, think again. These guys took part in TLC II, and while it's my least favorite of their trilogy of matches, I can still appreciate the spots and the spectacle they put on.

Finally, we had two epic main events between four of the company's biggest stars. First, Triple H and the Undertaker squared off in a match that had them brawling throughout the arena. They obviously topped themselves with their encounters at Manias XXVII and XXVIII, but you could see the signs of what was to come a decade later with this match. And then it was time for the match everyone wanted to see: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. Thanks to that amazing video package to Limp Bizkit's "My Way," the anticipation had reached its boiling point and fans couldn't wait to see these two icons go at it. You were able to see how personal it had gotten, how much blood both were willing to spill, the lengths Stone Cold would go to win the title, and the determination of The Rock to not give up. This match had everything going for it until the ending. Some really love this ending, I'm not to fond of it. In my opinion, it overshadowed an already memorable match, but hey, give them credit for shocking the crowd.

Highly Recommended


4. Backlash

This Backlash was your basic run of the mill post-Mania filler show, that was only boosted by its main events. Of the main events the weakest was the Duchess of Queensbury Rules match between Chris Jericho and William Regal. The Chicago crowd wasn't really feeling the booking of that match, and I think it actually hurt the quality these two men had put in their feud. The match that surprised a lot of fans was probably the Last Man Standing match between Shane McMahon and Big Show. The spot at the end is absolute perfection and left that audience either breathless or screaming "Holy $h!t."

In a wrestling purist's wet dream of a concept, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle continued their feud in an Ultimate Submission match, which is essentially a 30-minute Iron Man match that can only be won by submission. It took a little time to get the crowd invested, but once Angle and Benoit get that chain of momentum going, it's a pure classic. Then, in a truly high stakes main event, the World Tag Team Champions Kane and Undertaker took on the WWF Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Intercontinental Champion Triple H in a winner take all matchup. Is it the greatest main event? Definitely not, but it has a lot of star power and a gimmick that was sure to shake things up.

Mild Recommendation


5. Insurrextion

By this time, EVERYONE knows how I feel about the UK PPVs, so I won't dwell on that. This was an absolute filler show that did not even need to be on the PPV schedule. There is such a lack of direction in some of its matches (why on earth would you open with Eddie Guerrero vs. Grand Master Sexay?!?!?), and a lot of the good matches are just rematches from Mania, Backlash, and will continue to be rematches at Judgment Day.

One of the best matches on the card that stood out to me was the Tag Title match that put four teams together in an elimination match (Edge and Christian, Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, and X-Factor). Of the matches that were rematches, the best was (of course) Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle's 2 out of 3 falls match. The main event was a handicap match between the Two Man Power Trip and the Undertaker. It was fine for what it was, but this show could have easily just been a Monday Night RAW episode instead of an actual PPV. Thankfully, I only have to review a few more of these UK exclusive shows, and then I don't have to watch any more ever again.

Skip It


Initial Thoughts: The Road to WrestleMania was PHENOMENAL. Nuff said. Those 3 shows were spectacular. Even Backlash was a fine follow up. The big problem was within everything AFTER this point. The one thing I know a lot of people were complaining about was the handling of Austin's character, but this stage of his heel turn was fine for me. It was down the road were stuff started to get really stupid and pointless, but we will begin to handle those problems next time...

Continued in Part II...


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