This boredom inspired comeback is a review of Wrestlemania X-7 (2001), widely considered by the popular consensus of wrestling fans to be the best Wrestlemania of all time, and possibly the greatest pay-per-view of all time. I decided to see whether or not I'd agree with this, by watching the event in its entirety. So, like Limp Biskit (Who were absent from this ppv due to the version I watched being a WWE dvd release from years later, which made me sad), let's get rollin'.
The event kicked off with an overly sentimental video-package of random people watching classic Wrestlemania moments on TV's. The oddest thing was when it cut to a clown watching one of the TV's, prompting a 'The Fuck?' response from myself. J.R and Paul Heyman were on commentary, providing enjoyable face/heel banter with engaging analysis.
Chris Jericho (c) vs. William Regal (Intercontinental championship)
This was an enjoyable match despite its short length, given the abilities of Jericho and Regal. The match featured the story of Regal targeting Jericho's shoulder, plus neat high-spots such as a butterfly suplex off the top rope by Regal. Jericho picked up the win with a lionsault, which was a bit out of nowhere, but played in with the idea that Jericho couldn't use the Walls of Jericho due to his shoulder. A fun opener that could've been great if given a longer time.
Match rating: 7.5/10
We then got a backstage segment with the APA, in which Bradshaw got a cheap pop by making very obscure Texas sports references, which brought to mind his use of obscure trivia today as a commentator, guess little has changed.
APA/Taz vs. Right to Censor
This was fairly generic match, with few high-spots, and the short length meant no-one really stood out except Bradshaw; who picked up the win. The thing I remember most about this match is J.R referring to the legendary Stan Hansen as 'Little Stan Hansen'...that says a lot.
Match rating: 5.5/10
Raven (c) vs. Kane vs. Big Show (Hardcore championship)
It was very odd seeing main event level guys like Kane/Big Show in a Hardcore title match, it's as though Vince went "We need to use these guys, but there's no room on the upper card...fuck it, put them with Raven". For the most part, this was a fun match, with silly spots such as Raven being sent through a glass window, and Big Show/Kane crashing through an obviously fake wall. Plus there was an infamous spot where Raven drove away on a golf cart, but crashed into a fence, almost breaking a cable that would've cut the power of the arena; ending the pay-per-view there and then. The match ended with Kane sending Show/Raven off the stage (and onto a crash mat), then hitting a legdrop to become the new Hardcore champion, an accomplishment I'm sure he's still proud of today.
Match rating: 7.5/10
Test (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero (European championship)
I was fairly disappointed in this match, with Guerrero being in it I expected better. But Guerrero played the methodical heel role, working on Test's leg, giving the match a slow pace. There were some decent moments, but for an Eddie Guerrero match at Wrestlemania, I expected better. A notable thing during the match was a crowd sign saying 'Eddie Guerrero mows my lawn'...um.
Match rating: 6.5/10
We then had a simple Mick Foley promo where he hyped the Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon street fight later, which he'd be refereeing, then got is trademark cheap pop from the Houston crowd.
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
After an amusing pre-match promo from Angle where he admonished the Texas crowd for wearing cowboy hats, the match kicked off with nice grappling. The story of the match both men wanting to make the other tap, but it soon escalated into brawling after Angle couldn't 'out wrestle' Benoit. At one point, the referee was knocked down (they're very fragile you know) and Benoit had Angle tapping, but when the ref got back up, Angle pinned Benoit using the tights, and picked up the win, a great way of getting heel heat.
Match rating: 8/10
We then had a throwaway segment where William Regal walked in on Kamala trashing his office, though Regal's overly English reactions made it enjoyable.
We then had a vignette showing the superstars visiting an Army base, with Kurt Angle staying in heel character during the visit, something you'd rarely see these days, and which was quite amusing.
We then had the man himself being interviewed backstage, only to be jumped by Benoit and made to tap out, a good way of continuing the feud and giving Angle more heat.
Ivory (c) vs. Chyna (Women's championship)
Despite the story of Chyna's injured neck (hey, a women's match having a story) this was a throwaway match, not lasting long, and only being used to make Chyna look strong, though she'd be gone from the company soon afterwards anyway.
Match rating: 3/10
Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon (Street fight)
Side note: Vince and Shane had the same theme for this match, which confusing and annoying (besides, we all love 'Here comes the money'). The match started with Shane giving out some unimpressive offense of jabs and kendo stick shots, until Shane went through the announce table after Stephanie pulled Vince out of the way of a leap of faith. Then there was about 10 minutes of stalling with Vince taunting his 'sedated' wife Linda, then a catfight ensued between Stephanie and Trish Stratus, and Vince hitting Foley with a steel chair, it dragged, and killed the match. Things finally picked up when it was revealed that Linda wasn't actually sedated, she then preceded to low blow Vince, then Shane ended the match with an impressive coast-to-coast that got a large pop. Overall it was underwhelming for a street fight, with things mainly being carried by the McMahon storyline.
Match rating: 6/10
We then got an interview with the Hardy boyz, with Matt talking about their upcoming TLC match and how 'personal' it was, though he said it with the monotony of a WCW Lance Storm promo. It's easy to see why Matt wasn't the 'big thing' he hoped he'd be.
Edge & Christian (c) vs. The Dudley Boys vs. The Hardy Boyz (TLC match, Tag Team championship)
There's always been a certain magic to the TLC matches between these 3 teams that's been seldom found thereafter. The way each high-spot seems to flow into the next, with appropriate, yet not that apparent build. In this match, all participants had their moments and spots, the match had the benefit of a year-long feud to give it the feel of an epic climax. All-in-all, with 3 over teams engaging in extraordinary spots such as Jeff Hardy being speared whilst dangling from the tag belts by Edge; who jumped from a ladder, needless to say, this match was epic.
Match rating: 10/10
Then we had footage from the Wrestlemania fan Axcess, with a man who suspiciously looked like Bruce Pritchard buying a sock off Mick Foley for $200. We also had Kurt Angle AGAIN acting in heel character, bloody Angle, he can sure keep Kayfabe.
Gimmick Battle Royal
To be honest, I can't rate this match like a normal match, since the only real highlights were seeing the legends involved make their way to the ring, and during the match itself you couldn't see much due to the amount of people in the ring. The personal highlight for me was having Bobby Heenan as a guest commentator alongside Gene Okerland, with quips like *Gobblty Gooker comes out "Didn't you used to date her?"
Match rating: N/A
HHH vs. Undertaker
After an awesome HHH entrance with a live performance from Motorhead (who amusingly sung the wrong lyrics to HHH's theme) and a not so awesome Undertaker entrance (they replaced Limp Biskit with some generic rock) the match got underway. Both men looked strong, exchanging each others big moves with a crisp flow. Then action went to the outside and in the technical area, with the famous botch of when 'taker chokeslamed HHH off a camera tower in what looked like an impressive spot, but a replay from an unfortunate angle showed HHH landing on a crash mat. Then in the ring, HHH got a near-fall after hitting Undertaker with his sledgehammer, but 'taker picked up the win with a Last Ride. This was an enjoyable match, though in my opinion, I think the quality would've been better if both men had kept it in the ring instead of brawling in the crowd, as their recent matches have shown.
Match rating: 8.5/10
The Rock (c) vs. Steve Austin (No disqualification, WWF championship)
This was the largely hyped main event, and it didn't disappoint, as it was, in my view; the match of the night. It was a back and forth all out brawl of epic proportions, you really felt the sense that both men wanted the title at any cost, as they tried to destroy each other with ring bells, sharpshooter's, exposed turnbuckle's, ring posts, and the other man's finisher. The match gave off the big fight feel, showcasing near-fall after near-fall. Then there's the highly disputed climax: Austin's heel turn, which is highly regarded as a booking miscalculation, though I believe, viewing the match as a one-off, it works. The turn/alliance is so unexpected and shocking, it almost gives the match an epic ending, as you get the sense that a match like this needs a major element to finish on, it's just the subsequent booking of the heel Austin that made the turn fall flat.
Match rating: 10/10
So yes, I found this to be a great pay-per-view, but was it the best Wrestlemania? or even the best pay-per-view? Well I've seen recent WWE offerings with higher rated undercards (It's arguable that WM29's undercard was better than this ones), yet, I think this is the best pay-per-view I've watched in full, but I wasn't thinking this halfway through the show. It is clearly the triple main event of the TLC match, HHH/'taker, and Austin/Rock that has raised the quality of this event. I remember having high opinions of WM28 despite its poor undercard, yet the great triple main event. This possibly gives an indication a pay-per-view will only ever be as good as its upper card.
