March 29th, 1998
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Venue: FleetCenter
Attendance: 19,028
The journey between March 1997 to March 1998 was an insane one for the WWF. The company began to regain its popularity and was well underway in the Monday Night Wars with WCW.
Yet the WWF still felt like it was a step behind WCW. Since WCW had the NWO formed and became the hottest commodity in wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation needed a significant response.
Enter "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
WrestleMania returned to the East Coast as the 14th edition headed to the FleetCenter in Boston. At the time of this writing, it's the only time that Boston hosted the Showcase of the Immortals.
Meanwhile, the WWF would be in full swing with its more mature approach to violence and subject matter. To summarize, this era of the WWF was no longer for kids.
Did that stop the younger audience from watching and have a sudden desire to slam their sibling or friend with a chair? No, of course not. Who needs those "Do not try this at home" disclaimer? None of us, quite frankly.
The tradition of honoring America to open a WrestleMania was on a hiatus in the last few years. So, the WWF realized it was time to bring that up again. Chris Warren, the man who sings the theme song for D-Generation X, was tasked to perform.
However, he created a mash-up of both America the Beautiful AND the Star-Spangled Banner. The performance was, well, just hear at least the first twenty seconds to get the idea.
The band was booed throughout the whole performance, and once it ended, the crowd let them hear it.
Jim Ross tried to (somewhat) justify the performance when he said: "Only in the USA and the WWF can there be this type of freedom of expression."
This WrestleMania also featured the new WWF scratch logo, appearing on your screens' bottom left corner and replacing the old classic block logo. If you're going to bring in a new era, you may as well re-brand your appearance.
Only eight matches were on the card in Boston. Two of those matches featured titles that no longer exist today in the Light Heavyweight Championship and the European Championship.
Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku, and now renamed European Champion Triple H (formerly Hunter Hearst Helmsley), retained their respective titles.
The Rock (formerly known as Rocky Maivia) also had luck on his side in his Intercontinental Championship match. The Rock tapped out to Ken Shamrock's ankle lock, making the former UFC fighter champion.
However, because Shamrock held the submission hold longer than he should have (as if the world was ending), the referee reversed the decision and disqualified him instead. The Rock would hang on to his championship.
That being said, once again, only two things that stood out to me at WrestleMania 14. Let's get into it.
Brother vs. Brother
Like I brought up in my WrestleMania 10 review, siblings fight all the time. Nothing you can avoid when you grow up with a brother or sister.
But what happens when you find out that there's been a sibling who you were unaware was still alive? That's what happened to the Undertaker in mid-1997.
Paul Bearer, former manager of The Undertaker, stated that the phenom had a big secret. It was a secret so big that it would impact The Undertaker and the WWF. Bearer said that if The Undertaker didn't let him be his manager again, he would reveal his secret.
'Taker denied, and Bearer revealed that his half-brother Kane was alive after a house fired that killed his parents and was coming for him. Isn't that a story?
At the first-ever Hell in a Cell match at "In Your House: Badd Blood," Undertaker was inches away from beating Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship when Kane suddenly made his debut and cost him the title.
Kane wanted one thing, to challenge his brother at WrestleMania. However, Undertaker continued to deny his challenge. When it was time for the 1998 Royal Rumble, Undertaker was once again in another championship opportunity with Shawn Michaels, this time in a Casket Match.
Once again, Kane interfered and, to get his attention, helped Shawn win by putting him in the casket. For a bit of insult to injury, Kane set the casket on fire with' Taker inside. When officials extinguished the casket and opened it, Undertaker was nowhere to be found. Isn't that a great add-on to the story?
After months of trying to get his attention, Undertaker finally agreed to the challenge, and their bout was set at WrestleMania 14.
Before the match began, baseball figure Pete Rose came out as a special guest ring announcer. The former Cincinnati Red took advantage of his platform and made fun of the Red Sox, who hadn't won a world title since 1918 (at the time).
When Kane came out, he grabbed Rose and gave him a Tombstone Piledriver, much to the crowd's enjoyment.
Soon enough, another WrestleMania moment was created when The Undertaker made a legendary entrance with "the creatures of the night."
The towering men stood in the middle of the ring face-to-face as the match was underway.
Right off the bat, Kane was on the offense, taking complete control of the match. With Paul Bearer's distraction, Kane found the opportunity to use the steel steps on him and gain some leverage.
As Undertaker regained momentum, in the middle of performing a diving clothesline from the inside of the ring, Kane was able to push his brother through the Spanish table.
Regardless, none of that mattered as The Undertaker was able to fight back, giving everything he had to take down his brother.
After a 17-minute match, it took The Undertaker three Tombstone Piledrivers to finish off Kane and seal the victory.
Once the bell rang, Kane and Paul Bearer continued to attack 'Taker, hitting him with a steel chair and executing his piledriver.
It may not have been a pretty match, but Undertaker still did what he does best at WrestleMania; win.
The streak grew, and his record improved to 7-0.
"Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold!"
WrestleMania 13 was a crucial time for "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in his career. His fantastic effort in the submission match against Bret Hart left fans adoring Austin, giving him a newfound respect for "The Rattlesnake."
In the year leading up to Boston, the popularity of Austin reached new heights in the company. The moment you heard that glass shatter to start his music, you had the sense that hell would be broken loose.
At the 1998 Royal Rumble, Austin won his second consecutive Royal Rumble match, eliminating The Rock to achieve the back-to-back feat. This time, nothing controversial surrounded Austin's win, and he certainly had an opportunity for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 14.
Speaking of the WWF Championship, Shawn Michaels was a completely different person in the latter half of 1997. While he may have "lost his smile" in February, he quickly came back and formed the very outspoken faction with Triple H known as "D-Generation X" (DX). The once "innocent" individual turned into a no filter, rude, and arrogant performer.
Michaels found an opportunity to win back the WWF Championship at Survivor Series in one of the most controversial moments in the company's history.
The politics that were happening behind the scenes were exposed when Shawn Michaels put Hart in his Sharpshooter, and Vince McMahon asked for the bell to be rung, without Hart tapping out.
Hart lost his championship, spit in McMahon's face, yelled out "WCW," and left the company. It would come to be known as the "Montreal Screwjob," and McMahon's evil persona was born.
The week after the Royal Rumble, McMahon announced that the championship match between Austin and Michaels would have a special guest referee, or "enforcer."
That man would end up being boxing great Mike Tyson, who appeared on Raw and was face-to-face with Austin.
Their first meeting went well.
Four weeks before WrestleMania, Michaels wanted to prove that he was tougher than Mike Tyson and could take him on.
With a few teases in the ring, Michaels revealed a bombshell, instead. Mike Tyson was revealed to be a member of DX when Shawn ripped his shirt to reveal his allegiance.
If you're Steve Austin, you're not going to enjoy that the odds are now heavily stacked against you.
Moving forward to WrestleMania, Tyson was introduced first to boos of the crowd and made an X with his arms, rocking the DX shirt. He would be circling the ring throughout the entire match, making sure everything was in check.
As soon as the bell rang, Michaels began running around the ring, taunting Austin and running away from him whenever he had the opportunity. The challenger eventually caught up to Michaels, and the fight was on for the WWF Championship.
Triple H and Chyna, who were ringside for Michaels, began to attack Austin when referee Mike Chioda was distracted. Once Chioda realized something was up, both were ejected, leaving the Heart Break Kid alone.
In the concluding moments of the match, Michaels had Austin in a sleeper hold. As both men walked around with the hold secured, they bumped into Chioda into a corner, twice. The bumps would inadvertently knock him out and leave the match without a referee.
The champion would go for his signature "Sweet Chin Music" superkick, only for Austin to duck. When Michaels tried it again, Austin grabbed his foot, spun him around, and struck with his "Stone Cold Stunner."
Austin went for the pin, and in a surprising move, Tyson came into the ring, quickly pinned to three, and crowned Austin the new WWF Champion.
Tyson was then seen holding up an "Austin 3:16" t-shirt to the roar of the crowd and left Michaels confused once he got up.
That's when Michaels tried to get into Tyson's face, only to be burned badly.
"The Austin Era has begun!" were the words uttered by Jim Ross as soon as Stone Cold became champion.
The image of Austin climbing the turnbuckle with Ross' soundbite continues to be replayed today as one of the more popular "WrestleMania moments."
As the confetti filled the FleetCenter, and Tyson continuing to raise Austin's hand, he would take his place on top of the World Wrestling Federation.
Final thoughts
WrestleMania 14 wasn't the strongest Mania that the WWF had produced. However, this surprisingly remains to be an important one for historical purposes.
WrestleMania is all about moments. The company lives and breathes through its 34 years of running this show. In three and a half decades, you can expect there are a ton of moments.
The moment with Austin proved to be a crucial one due to the TV rating war with WCW. Austin was growing to be the company's top star, and once he became champion, it solidified his position with the fans and the WWF.
It's been said that WrestleMania 14 was the official start of the Attitude Era. Who else to lead the way than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin?
It would only be the beginning as his battle with Vince McMahon would soon be full speed ahead for the rest of 1998, only making the war with WCW spicier.
The WWF had a new look, held back nothing, and a Texas native took charge.
In a year, however, there would be a man who would try and get in the way of Steve Austin and his new reign.
That man would be doing it for the people.
Results:
- Legion of Doom last eliminated The New Midnight Express to become #1 contender for the WWF Tag Team Championship - 15-team battle royal
- Taka Michinoku (c) def. Aguila - WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
- Triple H (c) def. Owen Hart - WWF European Championship
- Marc Mero and Sable def. Goldust and Luna Vachon - Mixed tag team match
- The Rock (c) def. Ken Shamrock by disqualification - WWF Intercontinental Championship
- Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie def. The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) (c) - Dumpster Match for WWF Tag Team Championship
- The Undertaker def. Kane
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def. Shawn Michaels - WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Rating: B-
Thanks for reading. Look out for tomorrow when I take a look at WrestleMania 15.
21 days away until WrestleMania 35.
Comentarios