Grilling JR - WrestleMania 19 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Our topic…what some have called the cursed WrestleMania…WrestleMania 19!

20 years ago that night in Seattle - and it’s been talked about a lot since then with all the moving parts, changing of the guards, and the somewhat success of the show…looking back…do you think it was cursed?

Let’s get into it why it was cursed JR!

We’re coming off No Way Out which we covered last month in the archives - but right out of the gate it’s reported that Paul Heyman was being removed from his position as lead writer of SmackDown - a position he had held since the summer of 02. You are weeks away from the biggest event of the year - what do you remember going down regarding Paul being taken off SmackDown creatively?

From the Torch

There wasn’t one incident that caused Heyman to be “fired” from his prestigious position as lead Smackdown writer. Instead, it was a result of many factors, including Heyman’s inability to adhere to deadlines and work efficiently with others. “Heyman had gotten increasingly less reliable when it came to making deadlines and returning phone calls in a timely fashion,” says one source. Multiple sources say Heyman followed his own schedule, without the discipline necessary to coordinate with the team of people who make everything fall into place on Tuesday evenings for Smackdown tapings.

Kevin Dunn, the long-time head producer of WWE’s television division, has been pegged in some reports as Heyman’s primary adversary. “That’s just spin to try to create a bad guy in this situation, but in reality it’s not that simple,” says one insider. “It was Vince McMahon’s decision, and he didn’t make that decision just because one person sometimes butted heads with Heyman or another didn’t agree with him philosophically.”

Here we are 20 years later and Paul is still a major player in the WWE on the screen & creatively. Did you imagine that here in 03?

Also coming out of that No Way Out show is a litany of injuries. Edge is going to be going in for neck surgery to keep him out for a full year and Kurt Angle is also physically destroyed as well.

Injuries at this time were a big thing in 03 for the WWE - was there a lot of contributing factors to this - or was it just riding hard for so long from 98-02 that it was all going to eventually catch up?

The build for WrestleMania kicks into high gear on the Raw after No Way Out where a battle royal takes place to determine Hunter’s title match at the show. Was the plan to have a 3-man series with Scott Steiner & Triple H and the resulting matches change course?

Goldust would debut his tourettes gimmick…but the less said about that the better right Jim?

William Regal would appear on the Raw after No Way Out but it would be his last appearance for over a year due to the health issues. This guy just couldn’t catch a break back then could he?

The build for Chris Jericho & Shawn Michaels starts to heat up and Jericho has told the story that because of just one segment of the Highlight Reel meant to be just a segment would lead to a WrestleMania match between the two. It was instant chemistry for these two wasn’t it?

The Rock and Hurricane would begin their backstage promos on this Raw as well - this is just really simple stuff that allowed the Rock to bring Shane Helms up another level, right?

The battle royal would come down to Rock & Booker T which would lead to Booker actually getting the win and the World Title shot against Hunter at Mania. At the time - Booker was really just doing tag matches with Goldust - was this is a…well we need a babyface to work with Hunter in this spot? Not saying Booker didn’t deserve it…but he just felt like he was the only guy available so to speak.

Hulk has only been back for 3 weeks and there’s already drama…From the Torch

“Hulk Hogan was advertised for the Feb. 25 Smackdown in London, Ontario, two days after the No Way Out PPV, but didn’t appear. Advertising was changed the morning of the show indicating that he would not be there as had been advertised for weeks. Hogan had never agreed to work the Tuesday taping. Instead, he had asked for that day off since the next day his 14 year old daughter was going to be performing in front of talent scouts who were traveling from across the country to see her. There was some talk that if Vince felt it was vital Hogan be there, he could take a chartered jet right after the tapings back to Tampa, Fla., but they opted instead for the storyline where McMahon didn’t invite Hogan to the show, building up his return for the following week’s Smackdown.”

Were you there for this on SmackDown? Was Vince hot at Hulk about this? Or is this just Hulk being Hulk?

We’ve talked a lot about people that were injured and hurt - but making their return was Rhyno on SmackDown who would team with Chris Benoit to defeat Shannon Moore & Matt Hardy. Now that Rhyno wasn’t hurt…did you think he could be back in the mix at a main event level?

Nathan Jones comes out to save Undertaker from an A-Train & Big Show beatdown…but throws a kick, trips and missed completely. It’s been a long internet meme…but Taker watching this couldn’t have been happy to have been saddled with Nathan right?

The main event of that SmackDown featured Lesnar defeated Haas & Benjamin - Team Angle - in a handicap match with the stipulation that if Lesnar won he’d get a cage match with a member of Team Angle of his choice - and instead of picking Kurt - he decides on Heyman. A lot has been said about this build between Brock & Kurt. Two of the best amateur wrestlers in the company’s history - never wrestling until Mania on purpose and being kept apart - and it wasn’t all that great. What do you think was missing - or do you think it was more about protecting Kurt and working around that?

The WWE’s long time nightmare is finally shut down - as the WWE let the employees of the World in Times Square know that they’d be shutting down the restaurant and nightclub immediately. Where do you rank this between the XFL & WBF on WWE failures - or is the Invasion the biggest one?

It would cause the WWE in its financial report to report a $26.7 million dollar loss. That was felt throughout the company was it not? Was your talent budget cut because of this?

It very quickly becomes obvious that Kurt Angle is in really bad shape - from the Torch

Sources say the feeling is pessimistic right now within WWE regarding the situation, and Kurt’s WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar is now at risk. Fellow wrestlers were encouraging Angle to sit out the rest of his matches on the South African tour, but he insisted on wrestling as scheduled. However, his matches were changed to tag team matches where he was able to greatly limit what he did in the ring. The losses of Kurt Angle and Edge would devastate the Smackdown roster’s depth.

You’re just weeks away from the show - and now it sounds like there’s heavy doubt Kurt - the current champion - can even make it. How quickly is there a backup plan in place and what was it if you remember?

How tough was Kurt to deal with in terms of trying to get him to slow down and keep his career going?

Speaking of injuries…from the Torch

“Just a few matches into his return after missing many months of in–ring action due to a shoulder injury, Randy Orton suffered an even more serious injury to his foot that could keep him out of action over a year. In the same match, his tag team partner Batista suffered a torn triceps muscle which could keep him out of action for an estimated four months. While it’s not known exactly what move caused Batista’s muscle tear, Orton’s injury happened when Bubba Ray Dudley landed on his foot after a double flapjack by Bubba and D-Von. Apparently when Orton went up for the move, he flailed a bit in the air. That caused his feet to get crossed, so when he landed, Bubba landed back–first on top of his foot, breaking his ankle, several bones in his feet, and severely dislocating his big toe. Orton was visibly in severe pain.”

Two young guys - all go out in one match. This story has been told for years that Orton & Batista held Bubba Ray as fault for this match - did you remember having to deal with this in talent relations?

It’s also around this time that King of the Ring is dropped as the company is going to be moving to brand-exclusive PPVs outside of the big 4. Why do you think King of the Ring was dropped? What did you think of the concept?

The next Raw from Long Island begins the build for Booker & Triple H - and it’s been long talked about and let’s get right into it. It has always felt like there were some racial overtones in this build. Did you get that feeling watching it at ringside? Was there ever anything said backstage at how the program was viewed?

The build for Austin & Rock begins when Austin dispatches 3 Minute Warning in a segment and Rock is standing behind him once he was finished. Was it known there’s a chance that this run for Austin was going to be limited and the best possible match for him during this was going to be Rock at Mania?

On the next SmackDown from Bridgeport, Connecticut there’s a well known promo battle taking place between Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan.

From the Torch

“Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon engaged in a debate over their history with one another…

Vince said that he created Hulkamania and could have put anyone in the position at the time and it would have been as successful, or more successful. He said that he took Hogan from being an obscure wrestler in Minnesota and made him a star. Hogan said Hulkamania was a success despite Vince. Vince said he hated Hogan because he turned his back on him, joined Ted Turner and tried to put him out of business, and testified against him in the steroid trial. Hogan said that if it wasn’t for his testimony, Vince would still be in jail today. If Hogan loses, he has to retire.”

The reason it’s so well known is that the raw footage made it out on the internet with Hogan messing up his lines and the crowd reacting to them. Vince vs. Hulk - I don’t know - just felt like this didn’t click either - what say you?

There’s a work out shown of the Undertaker trying to teach Nathan Jones in the ring before “the show starts.” This wasn’t really a work was it - Taker was tasked with trying to get Jones up to snuff in time for Mania wasn’t he? What did Taker think of this assignment?

Austin’s return to the company provides a rating boost as it draws a 4.5 for the first time in many months but the week after it drops to a 4.0. If you look at the numbers - and just the numbers - it feels like none of the creative is working. Would that be a fair assessment at the time JR?

The Raw featuring the drop to 4.0 is the classic Raw where the Hurricane gets the win over the Rock after Steve Austin’s interference - but the match is originally promoted as Rock vs. Booker for the title shot at WrestleMania on Raw the week before. There’s a storyline reason why the match didn’t happen - but looking back - Booker really could’ve used a pinfall win over the Rock instead of Hurricane couldn’t he?

From the Torch

“With Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon and The Rock vs. Steve Austin competing for the attention of fans, Triple H vs. Booker T hype has gone into racist territory. Flair and Hunter are playing racist snobs who look down upon Booker because he is black, and “people like him don’t wrestle people like them for World Titles.” Hunter and Flair have both suggested that Booker would more appropriately be driving them to and from the arena from the airport rather than wrestling for their World Title.

It’s a storyline Flair has been part of in the past when he was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Booker has defended himself by talking about his upbringing as the youngest of eight children and someone who has spent time behind bars for armed robbery. He said his time in the cell made him change the direction of his life.

The race-oriented angle is mixed with class snobbery that plays into the established images projected by all three involved in the storyline. It has stirred controversy behind the scenes among members of WWE management, some of whom wish they wouldn’t go into such areas. “There’s no sense going any further than the last two weeks’ promos,” says one member of management. “The point’s been made.” Others endorse it as “fair-game,” especially since Flair and Hunter are portrayed as heels for being racist upper-class snobs.”

Was it too much do you think JR?

It’s announced that after months of negotiations, WWE and UPN announced a multi-year contract extension for SmackDown. Rights fees were a lot different 20 years ago - but even with the WWE airing on national TV - UPN was not a powerful station at the time. There wasn’t the competitive bidding war that there is now for rights fees was there?

It’s also reported in the Torch that Jeff Hardy went to you directly to have every other weekend off from house shows - knowing it will be a massive pay cut and that you granted him the request. How important was Jeff to the company to give him this time off - to help his passion for music - and did anybody complain about it?

From the Torch

“It was no surprise when last Tuesday Kurt Angle was given the bad news that an MRI showed that his neck was in terrible shape. He would require vertebrae fusion surgery which would sideline him for about a year. WWE’s creative team spent the next week trying to figure out what to do with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania with Angle out of the picture. It turns out the creative team didn’t need an alternative plan after all, as Angle felt well enough after one week that he surprised everyone by volunteering to to risk it and wrestle at WrestleMania after all, then get surgery immediately afterward.”

Did you think this was the right idea? Were you for it - or against it - or is this one of those things where you put your faith in Kurt to go in there and take care of himself and get through it?

It’s also reported that at the SmackDown taping - it was announced as Kurt vs. Brock for the WWE Title - something quite amazing considering it’s also announced for WrestleMania just a few weeks later - and no one backstage knew what was going to happen or assumed Kurt had to drop the title for his safety. The match takes place with Brock destroying Kurt…but it’s not Kurt…it’s his brother Eric…and Kurt gets the win and retains the title.

There’s no way in the world this would happen today in any company would it?

Were you worried about the talent side of things and if something had gone wrong…what would happen to the company?

There’s been talk all these years later about how there was really only one person who could step in to take on Brock if Kurt couldn’t make it and that would’ve been Chris Benoit but Vince didn’t see Benoit at that level. The ramifications of Kurt not wrestling would’ve been gigantic for the card wouldn’t it?

At the time - and as we’ve covered in the archives so make sure you check it out - Goldberg finally comes to terms with the WWE. Do you know if there was ever talk about him replacing Kurt on the show or was it always to work Rock coming out of WrestleMania?

The next Raw on the build to WrestleMania is more well known for what happened backstage compared to onstage.

From the Torch

“Years of tension from butting heads in WCW resurfaced on Monday as Ric Flair confronted Eric Bischoff backstage. Flair, apparently unprovoked by anything that day or even recently, decided to unleash years of built up tension on Bischoff. He walked into Bischoff’s locker room and began yelling at him. Later that day they got into a physical confrontation and sources say Flair got the best of it. Arn Anderson then intervened and separated the two. Arn then also got in some words at Bischoff, who is far from his best friend. Vince McMahon met with the involved parties, although all three appeared as scheduled on Raw later that night. Paul Heyman and Brian Gewirtz were suspended for two weeks from executive duties after a confrontation backstage, so it’s possible Bischoff, Anderson, and Flair may face similar disciplinary action. Bischoff is disliked by many backstage, mostly based on his years in charge of WCW, so Flair has become something of a locker room hero in some circles for confronting Bischoff as he did.

Jim - what a mess for you to deal with at the time…what do you remember of this? What did you think of it?

It was speculated in the Torch at the time that Ric was upset at his position in the company - seeing Hulk having one more run on top with Vince going into a WrestleMania and Flair was just Hunter’s manager at this point…and he blamed Bischoff for a lot of it. Did Ric just need to blow off his steam and everyone was better off at this point after?

It’s reported in the Torch that Tommy Dreamer - added to the Raw writing team just a week earlier - was then removed. “The official line is that Dreamer was removed because the office decided it was a conflict of interest for active wrestlers to work as writers. Meanwhile, there is talk that Dreamer was removed after he questioned gaps in storyline logic and things of that nature. There is also some talk that Michael Hayes wasn’t happy about Dreamer being added to the team and may have gone out of his way to convince others to have him removed. Dreamer appeared on the Mar. 14 “Byte This” and joked that he was removed for suggesting that he win every match at WrestleMania. Dreamer also put over the work ethics of the McMahon and the writers, and said he hopes he can work as a writer again some day.”

What do you remember of Tommy being on the creative team?

Chris Jericho cut a hell of a promo on Shawn Michaels on Raw to build up his desire to end the legacy of Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. When you put two great wrestlers - sports entertainers - whatever you want to call them - in a simple program - sometimes it brings out the best in both for themselves and the audience as well don’t you agree?

The same night Flair attacked Bischoff - Eric was in the main event of Raw taking on Steve Austin. Looking back - Eric was such a team player back then wasn’t he?

Austin would defeat Bischoff obviously but would take a Rock Bottom from Rock and have his beer stolen. Was Steve - different during this run? Did you get a sense he wasn’t up for this?

It’s brought up in the Torch that WWE is so cold - they’re having Vince McMahon go on the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn to help the Mania build instead of the likes of the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or the Late Show with David Letterman - and even Rock and Austin aren’t doing the high-profile talk shows to help. Would you agree that the WWE was cold in the mainstream coming off the years it was running high? Is that a creative issue?

Kevin Kelly is laid off by the WWE as he was working as the co-host of Byte This at the time. Kevin has gone on to be very successful with various wrestling promotions including New Japan - were you surprised the company moved on from Kevin?

The Iraq invasion and coverage of it was really hurting SmackDown as it was preempted in a ton of markets and the show on March 20th drew a 2.73 rating, ranking it as the second lowest rating in the history of the show. Nothing seems to be going the WWE’s way in this build is it?

The go-home Raw doesn’t do much better in the ratings, getting a 3.44 - the lowest rating since the NFL ended - and at a time when Austin’s return to the show just a few weeks before drew a 4.5 so you’re talking a full rating point of audience disappeared. The Raw features a lot of replays from SmackDown of the McMahon-Hogan angle and the Angle-Lesnar angle as the WWE felt the need to get them on there because of the lack of viewers from SmackDown - but it killed the audience with the closing quarter drawing a 2.56 rating - the lowest rated quarter for a live Raw show in six years. Not much else to say about that is there?

Do you remember morale being tough at the time?

The SmackDown angle with Hogan & Vince has Mean Gene MCing - like the old days - and it ends with McMahon laying out Hogan with several chair shots and Hogan gets a ton of color and Vince makes HOgan sign the contract using his own blood. These two needed this didn’t they?

With Regal on the shelf from his time on the India trip a few months back - Chief Morley is inserted into the tag team with Lance Storm. Did you think Sean Morley ever had a chance to do anything in the WWE besides be Val Venis?

The go-home Raw featured Austin stunning Test & Storm before Bischoff comes out and announces he has a court order banning Austin from the arena and gets Austin arrested and dragged out - while Rock is singing “Jailhouse Rock” to him. We’re just recycling old ideas again that worked before aren’t we?

On that show - and in very peculiar booking for the WWE - Booker & Goldust team up to take on Triple H & Ric Flair. Booker & Goldust get the win in 16:47 when Booker pins Hunter and busts Hunter open. This…is not typical WWE booking - the week before the big show - where the challenger outrights defeats the champion - let alone the babyface going over the heel - and many have said that this was when everyone knew that Booker was losing to Hunter at WrestleMania. Do you agree with that?

With Austin gone…”the Rock Concert” is set up.

From the Torch

Austin’s truck hit the ring as he followed an ambulance into the building on a swerve he set up. However, Hurricane came out as the driver. Rock made fun of him calling him Hamburglar and had him arrested. As the police took Hurricane out, Austin came from under a sheet in the bed of the truck and hit the ring. Rock was gone, but Austin got his guitar and stomped a mud hole in it.

This…just leaves a lot to be desired doesn’t it? Rock’s Hollywood persona and the goofiness of Hurricane being involved - as entertaining as it was - doesn’t really build the hype for Austin-Rock for a 3rd time at Mania does it?

The go-home SmackDown show features a pre-tape of Roddy Piper discussing Hulk vs. Vince. Did you ever expect to see Roddy back in the WWE?

Also on that show we would see Shane McMahon leading Vince through a workout preparing for his Mania match…do you remember what Shane’s role was in the company because at this point he’d been off TV since the end of the Invasion?

So SmackDown ends…it’s all eyes on Seattle. JR…can you walk us through the week running up to the show. Do you know who made the call to have the main event be Brock vs. Kurt? Did you agree with that decision?

The night before the show…Steve Austin is having a panic attack. Walk us through that…

Did you have a bad feeling regarding this show going into it?

The show also has a movie being made about it so there are cameras everywhere…does that add to the pressure?

The show itself - is a real disappointment on pay-per-view. 560,000 buys - less than the Royal Rumble just two months earlier by about 25,000 - and 280,000 buys less than WrestleMania the year before. That’s an astounding drop isn’t it?

Now the live gate is not a disappointment, drawing $2,760,635 fourth highest in WWE history at this point. That just shows you the ability the company had to draw off the WrestleMania brand isn’t it?

“WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Chief Morley & Lance Storm defeated Kane & RVD in the Sunday Night Heat match. It was originally advertised for the PPV but moved to the pre show due to time constraints.”

Do you deal with some angry talent when something like that happens? Does it effect their pay or do you make sure to take care of them like they worked the pay-per-view?

“(1) Matt Hardy beat Rey Mysterio Jr. at 4:30 to

retain the Cruiserweight Title. They opened with non-stop highspots including Shannon Moore interfering on Matt’s behalf.

At 3:00 Matt dropped Rey with a Twist of Fate for a near fall.

Rey nailed Matt with the 619 at 4:00, but Matt ducked the West Coast Pop attempt. Matt pinned Rey to retain the title with a grip on the ropes for leverage at 4:30.

Very good for a five minute match, but extremely

disappointing that on a four hour show they couldn’t give the cruiserweight title match at least 15 minutes. (**1/4)”

It’s reported that the match was originally slated to go that 15 but that it was cut short due to the rest of the show. For Rey’s first WrestleMania - not the stellar showing you’d hope for is it?

And because we needed the time for…LIMP BIZKIT performing music to lead the Undertaker out for his match.

The good news is Nathan Jones was taken out backstage ahead of time so he wasn’t out there for the beginning of the match…

(2) Undertaker & Nathan Jones beat Big Show &

Taker gave Train a Big boot, then ducked a Show clothesline and nailed Show with a flying clothesline. Train then blindsided Taker with a big boot

to the face. Show got up and chokeslammed Taker. Jones ran down to the ring. Show attempted to cut him off, but Jones kicked Show. Jones then entered the ring and gave

Train a big boot from a stationary position. Taker then picked up Train (barely) and gave him the Tombstone for the win. Average action at best. The finish was predictable. Taker got to keep his WrestleMania undefeated streak alive, although it’s a bit tainted needing Jones’s help to win. After all, Taker managed to fend off both opponents for nearly 10 minutes without him. (*1/2)

This…this is the shits isn’t it? Just no other way to say it. Why did it take so long for everyone to realize Nathan Jones wasn’t prime time ready?

Do you remember the guys - A-Train, Big Show, Taker - being pissed about how this is all done and put together? Could anything had saved this mess?

“(3) Trish Stratus beat Victoria (w/Steven

Richards) and Jazz in a three–way match at 7:20 to capture the WWE Women’s Title from Victoria.

Richards went to swing a chair at Jazz, but the chair hit the top rope and bounced into his own face. Victoria then put Trish in an inverted bodyvice. Trish came back quickly and scored the pin on Victoria. Strong seven minute women’s match. Jazz showed up everyone else

with her intensity and relentlessness. (**)”

These 3 women could go couldn’t they? Do you think Jazz is super underrated?

“They cut backstage to Johnathan Coachman

interviewing Rock backstage. Instead of a pop, Rock was met by silence and eventually some boos. Rock said Austin may have beat him the last two times they met at WrestleMania, but he said he learned in Hollywood that nobody remembers acts one and two. He said tonight is

act three, and that’s all people will remember. He said this is the final chapter of the greatest feud in history.

When he was about to say his “Finally, the Rock...” routine, he took off his sunglasses and welled up a few tears. He put his sunglasses back on and walked off before finishing.”

Seattle has been said to have been such a bad crowd that the WWE hasn’t run a big show there since. What do you remember of the crowd - and its reactions? Was it the stadium itself that hurt?

I’m sure Rock knew what was going on with Steve didn’t he? Do you think that was what was coming through here?

“(4) Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie

Haas) beat Eddie & Chavo Guerrero & Rhyno &

Chris Benoit at 8:35 to retain the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Titles.

The match opened with a six-way brawl. Benoit suplexed Guerrero off the top rope. He

then hit three consecutive German suplexes on Chavo, but Benjamin quickly nailed Benoit to stop his momentum. Benoit, in other words, has learned nothing from the Edge, Austin, and Angle situations. Rhyno tagged in at 8:00 and gave the Gore to Chavo, leading to Benjamin scoring the opportunistic pin. What you’d expect from these

six in an eight minute match, although it seemed to be just getting going when they went to the finish. (***)

Do you think the injuries to everyone at the time wasn’t getting through to some of the talent?

Do you think some needed to change their style?

This…is not the WrestleMania moment for these 6 guys but it’s still a good match was it not?

“Torrie Wilson and Stacy, and the Miller Lite Girls—who oogled over each other earlier in the night—argued about who they thought would win between Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan.”

Needed more time for the Miller Lite Girls right?

“(5) Shawn Michaels beat Chris Jericho at 22:34.

They opened the match with five minutes paced well, but in a way that suggested the match would go long.

Jericho went for a superplex at 19:30, but Michaels shoved him off. Michaels then mounted the top rope and hit his top rope elbow. He then pounded the mat with his right foot and went for Sweet Chin Music, but Jericho ducked. Jericho then put Michaels in the Walls of Jericho. Michaels almost reached the bottom

rope, but Jericho dragged him back to the middle. Michaels again reached for the bottom rope and grabbed it successfully at 21:00. An exhausted Michaels flipped out of a Jericho suplex attempt and rolled up Jericho for a three count. Jericho rose and began crying. Michaels offered a handshake. Instead, Jericho opted for a hug. Ross declared it great sportsmanship which assured that Jericho would turn on Michaels. Sure enough, he low-blowed Michaels, which prompted Ross to call him a “sick, pathetic loser.” Excellent match. Surprising finish in the sense that now is the time to

elevate stars who can draw at house shows every weekend, but the match was good enough that not much damage was likely done. For not wrestling often over the past several months, Michaels delivered a nearly prime-of-his-career-level performance. (****1/4)”

Jericho has long talked about how good this match is and it was the best match on the show. Hard to disagree right JR?

The whole thing - the match - the angle afterwards - I don’t think Jericho was hurt in losing to Shawn do you?

“Backstage the French-Canadian referee entered Vince McMahon’s office with a big smile on his face…

A Goldberg vignette aired with highlights of his Nitro days with a plug that he will be wrestling on Backlash in April.

The footage brought on a “Goldberg” chant…”

This makes sense to promote Goldberg but does it feel like WrestleMania doesn’t matter if he’s not on this show?

Now here comes the filler portion of the night…Limp Bizkit performs the WrestleMania theme song live…and then we get…

From the Torch

The Miller Lite Girls were placed on an oversized bed on the entrance stage, but before they could have a pillow fight, Stacy walked out and interrupted. “The only thing I can think of that is better than two girls in bed is three,” she said. Torrie then walked out and said the only thing missing is a Playboy cover girl. Torrie ripped off Stacy’s top revealing her bra. Torrie spanked Stacy as the Miller Lite Girls ripped off each other’s shirts and hit each other with pillows. Coachman did play-by-play. At one point they rolled on top of Coachman, then ripped off his pants, revealing his white briefs. The women teamed up to pin him for a three count, then hit him with pillows. The women then raised each other’s arms in victory as Coachman pulled his pants up.

Yup.

“(6) Triple H beat Booker T to retain the WWE Raw World Hvt. Title at 18:50. Before the match, Ross and Lawler talked about what a big joke WCW was, which does a lot to build up Booker T’s rep, huh?

Towards the end Booker began to climb to the top rope, Flair intervened, but Booker punched him away. Hunter, though, recovered and knocked Booker off

balance, then went for a superplex. Booker punched out of it, fended off Flair once more, and then hit his Harlem Hangover legdrop flip onto Hunter. Rather than go for a pin, Booker grasped at his knee. Hunter was the first to his feet, and he gave Booker a Pedigree at 18:30. He was

too spent to make a pin attempt at first, though. Flair yelled encouragement to Hunter. Hunter draped his hand over Booker’s chest and scored the three count. Booker kept selling his knee. Good match. After 10 minutes of back and forth action in “act one” of the match, Hunter

dominated “act two” by working over his leg for five minutes, setting up “act three” which saw Booker’s spirited comeback fall just short due to his knee being too weak to support him. (***1/4)”

This pin has long been talked about - and about how long it took Hunter to crawl over to pin Booker. Was that Hunter’s way of letting everyone know how much better he was?

Should Booker had gone over considering the build was controversial?

The WCW talk - that’s from Vince isn’t it? And he just couldn’t get over that fact ever could he?

“(7) Hulk Hogan pinned Vince McMahon at 20:53.

Give credit to Vince McMahon. Even though he hyped his own match as the main event, at least he had the self-awareness to not put his match on last (after some cajoling I assume, since at one point last week this was scheduled to go on last). Vince entered the ring second and had a staredown with Hogan, who seemed to be

getting welled up with emotion. Vince slapped Hogan.

Hogan fought back at 7:00 and grabbed a chair and bashed

McMahon across the forehead. McMahon, of course, came up bleeding. Hogan continued to bash Vince with the chair, but eventually McMahon ducked and the chair hit Hugo Savinovich. McMahon then came back with a low blow. He then pulled out a ladder and set it up at ringside. McMahon bashed Hogan in the forehead with a ringside monitor. McMahon climbed the ladder and sat on the top. He then cupped his ear sarcastically and the crowd responded with a cascade of booing. McMahon then leaped onto Hogan on the table with a legdrop. The table broke and a “Holy Sh--” chant broke out among some ringsiders.

They showed a bloody Hugo being helped from ringside. In the ring Vince covered a bloodied Hogan for a two count at 13:40. He tried another cover, but Hogan kicked out again. Vince then got out a lead pipe. The camera zoomed in on Vince’s bloodied scheming face. He entered the ring and wound up, but Hogan hit Vince with a low-blow. With both Hogan and Vince down, a man in a trench coat entered the ring. He disrobed and the crowd popped as they realized it was Roddy Piper. He nailed Hogan with the lead pipe, turning

heel and prompting cat calls from the crowd.

Vince crawled to the writhing Hogan and draped his arm over Hogan. McMahon reached for the pipe again, but ref Brian Hebner stepped on it. Because it was a street fight, it was actually legal. McMahon attempted to throw Hebner through the ropes. McMahon hit Hogan with the pipe as the French-Canadian ref replaced the original.

McMahon hit a legdrop and scored a two count. The crowd popped for Hogan’s kick out. Hogan began his superman comeback, which popped the crowd. He waved his finger at McMahon, punched Vince, then punched away at the evil ref and threw him over the top rope.

McMahon bashed Hogan from behind with a double-axe handle, but Hogan no-sold it. Hogan hit the Big Boot, then the legdrop, then two more legdrops, and scored the pin. I don’t think there was even one traditional bump in the match and they wrestled like 49 and 58 year olds, but

the blood and storytelling abilities of Hogan and Vince carried the match, not to mention sheer inspired effort.” (**3/4)

This…this is a roller coaster JR. You got the Spanish announcer getting color, both of these guys getting color, Vince jumping off ladders, the classic shot of Vince coming up with the pipe, the Hogan comeback, Piper, should this had been the main event with hindsight?

As that match winds to an end - next up is Rock vs. Austin. Did you know - at this point in time - you were calling Steve’s last match?

Does that change you how you prepare for this?

“(8) The Rock pinned Steve Austin at 17:52.

Austin surprised Rock with a Stunner at 13:00 leading to a near fall. Austin shoved the ref out of his way, but was met with a Rock low-blow. Rock began bragging about how smart he was to think of the low blow. Rock milked the moment, took off his left elbow pad and threw it to the crowd, and went for the People’s Elbow. Austin moved.

Rock, though, put Austin down again, took off his other elbow pad, and hit the People’s Elbow successfully. He scored a two count. Rock followed up with a Rock Bottom for another near fall. Austin clutched the back of his head and neck. Rock got serious and waited for Austin to rise. He went for another Rock Bottom, but Austin escaped. Rock, though, gave Austin a second Rock Bottom and scored a very near fall. Ross screamed, “I don’t believe it! How did Austin kick out!” Austin was slow to get up. Rock waited patiently, yet intensely.

Austin rose at 17:30. Rock set up a third Rock Bottom and delivered. Austin laid flat for the three count. Rock celebrated, then bent over Austin and patted him on the chest in a subtle shoot salute to his top rival. Austin was slow to exit the ring, but when he did, they played his music as he walked to the back. He turned to look the crowd for a second, then kept walking. When he got to the stage, he did give them the double middle finger salute.

Very good match from two pros. The finish surprised and deflated the crowd. They logically had Rock win clean since Rock has to go into the April PPV strong against Goldberg. (****)”

Rock took amazing care of Steve - the match itself was great considering the circumstances - but it does feel like it let any type of air out of the building with Austin losing?

Were you happy for Steve when it’s over?

The moment after the match - Rock sat in the ring talking to Steve - it’s hard not to get emotional watching that - knowing who these two men are - and the success they’ve had…

From the Torch

It was an emotional night for both since it might turn out to be Rock’s final WrestleMania, and even more likely it could be Austin’s final WrestleMania, and almost for sure it will be the final Rock vs. Austin match. They treated it as such, as both seemed to be fighting back tears as it symbolized the end of an era that began in the late’90s and led to a wrestling boom like this industry has never seen.

We know now that both would come back - and both would eventually wrestle at WrestleMania again - but these two guys - they were the pillars were they not?

Finally JR - we’re at the main event…

“(9) Brock Lesnar pinned Kurt Angle to capture the WWE Smackdown Hvt. Title at 21:07. They had a brief staredown before the bell. They did amateur style wrestling for the opening few minutes. Angle had the first impact on the back of his neck when he back suplexed Lesnar at 4:20. He let out a “whoo!” afterward.

This was a big test for Kurt was it not? Were you surprised they were both in there throwing suplexs?

Towards the end…

Angle reversed Lesnar with an overhead released German suplex that got “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd. Angle followed with an Angle Slam for a near fall at 16:25.

Cole said he thinks that is the first time anyone has ever kicked out of the Angle slam. The crowd didn’t know that since they didn’t pop as you’d think they would for such a historic moment. Brock rolled up Angle for a surprise two count out of nowhere. He followed up quickly with his F5 for a very near and convincing near fall. Angle went right into an Anklelock. Brock crawled toward the bottom rope, but Angle dragged him back toward the middle. Lesnar, though, forced his way to the bottom rope. Lesnar then kicked Angle off of him. Lesnar kicked Angle in the gut and went for an F5, but Angle escaped and turned it into a small package. Angle went for the Angleslam, but Brock escaped and set up the F5. Rather than go for the cover, he rolled to the bottom rope.”

Let’s stop right there…did you know that Brock would be attempting to do this finish?

Did you think it was the right time for him to pull off a move he’d done many times before - but not since being on the main roster?

“The announcers wondered what

he was doing. He left the ring, climbed to the rope rope, and went for a shooting star press. He couldn’t pull it off and landed on the side of his head in a scary moment.

Angle covered him for a very near fall. Lesnar, still hurting, pulled off a rushed F5 and scored the pin. Lesnar looked extremely groggy, almost as if he weren’t aware of his surroundings, as he grasped at his title belt. Angle approached him and they shook hands and hugged after the match. Fireworks went off to end the show. Excellent match. It was paced perfectly for its place on the show.”

JR - I’m assuming you’re at ringside - talk us through what ran through your head.

No way this match continues in this day and age right?

It felt like the fitting end to this Mania - here’s the new top guy - doing a death defying move - coming up short against the guy who killed his body in the last 3 years to make himself into a top star - with a broken freaking neck - out there killing themselves…

And it draws less than the Rumble.

Did you talk to Brock & Kurt afterwards? How were they feeling?

Is it a miracle it was only a severe concussion?

How many cold ones after the show? The party had to be subdued didn’t it?

What say you Jim - most cursed WrestleMania ever?