Welcome to the latest edition of our WrestleMania Rewind series, written by yours truly, exclusively for everyone here at SLTD Wrestling. The aim of WrestleMania Rewind is to review every WrestleMania in roughly 2,000 words. Click here to read the series so far.
We’re going to be looking back at WrestleMania 14 today, which marked the beginning of the WWF’s most successful period ever, and arguably, it’s the reason why the WWE exists today. March 29th 1998 is when WrestleMania 14 took place, in front over just over 19,000 fans at the Fleet Centre in Boston. JR and Jerry Lawler were our commentators.
Match 1: 15-Team Battle Royal for a shot at the WWF Tag-Team Championships
Needless to say that obviously there’s chaos in the ring and a lot of eliminations. It comes down to Legion of Doom, the New Midnight Express, The Godwinns and DOA. Phineas Godwinn and DOA are eliminated, leaving us with the New Midnight Express and…shock, horror… the Legion of Doom. A pair of clotheslines from LOD are enough to eliminate the New Midnight Express and earn LOD a tag-title shot at the next PPV.
Opinion: Standard battle royal stuff really. It was OK, but it was pretty obvious that LOD were going to win.
Match 2: WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Match – Taka Michinoku (c) vs Aguila
Aguila’s able to land a headscissors early and follows up with a moonsault outside. He tries to suplex Taka back in, but Taka lands on his feet, dropkicks Aguila to the floor and follows up with a springboard splash on the outside. Back in the ring, Taka takes control with a series of strikes and gets a 2-count off a dropkick.
Aguila back body drops Taka outside. Taka lands a forearm. Aguila lands a few top rope armdrags and wristlocks, before connecting with a sick corkscrew plancha on the outside. He gets a 2-count off a moonsault. Aguila lands a headscissors. Taka connects with a missile dropkick from the top rope, and blocks a hurricanrana with a powerbomb. He wins with the Michinoku Driver.
Opinion: A terrific, rapid-fire cruiserweight match. There was always something popping the crowd. It could’ve gone either way, but Taka probably just shaded it.
Match 3: WWF European Championship Match – HHH (c) (w/Chyna) vs Owen Hart
It’s a fiery start with Owen on the attack. He gets a 2-count off a hurricanrana and sends H into the barricade. He goes for the Sharpshooter, but H blocks it. H gets into it with a kneelift and a clothesline. He gets a 2-count from a high knee. Owen tries to get back into it, but H cuts off his comeback and goes on to focus on Owen’s ankle. Owen’s back in it with lefts and rights, and crotches H on the ringpost.
He gets a series of 2-counts from a top rope dropkick, a powerslam, a spinning heel kick and an enziguri. H counters a hurricanrana into a powerbomb to get a 2-count of his own. Owen gets a 2 off a top rope crossbody. H avoids the Sharpshooter by kicking Owen off, but Owen gets a 2-count off a headbutt to the balls! A series of counters leads to the Sharpshooter. H gets to the ropes where Owen’s low-blowed by Chyna, and H Pedigree’s Owen to get the win.
Opinion: A great match. Owen sold his “injured” ankle really well and shone. He made H look good and put him over really well.
Match 4: Marc Mero & Sable vs Goldust & Lena
There are a series of tags early between the men and the women. It eventually comes down to the girls and it’s a slapfest. Sable’s on fire and clotheslines Luna outside. The men are back in and Goldust counters a TKO into a DDT for 2. Mero gets series of 2-counts before Sable and Luna come back in. Sable gets a 3-count from her version of the TKO.
Opinion: Goldust might have been having issues at this stage. He was blown up and overweight. This was just a vehicle to push Sable. The crowd went nuts when she got the win.
Match 5: WWF Intercontinental Championship Match – The Rock (c) vs Ken Shamrock
Shamrock unloads on Rock, landing right hands, clotheslines and kicks until Rock sends him outside, then crashing into the steel steps to get control. Rock gets a 2-count off a scoop slam and the People’s Elbow. Shamrock gets up and throws Rock outside. Shamrock gets a chair and shoves the ref aside. Rock nails him with the chair for a 2-count. Shamrock gets a 2-count off a powerslam and Rock taps to the AnkleLock.
Post-match, Shamrock wipes out the Nation and puts the AnkleLock back on Rock. He starts laying out refs/officials left, right and centre, so the referee reverses the decision and Rock retains.
Opinion: Utter, utter chaos. The crowd were into everything that these two did. I forgot what a great feud they had. Great stuff showing Shamrock’s crazed side, and Rock sold tremendously well for him. He made Shamrock look like a killer.
Match 6: Dumpster Match for the WWF Tag-Team Championships – Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie vs New Age Outlaws
There’s a lot of needless bumps outside. The worst ones included: Cactus somersaulting, and being side Russian leg-sweeped into, the dumpster, before Road Dogg blasted Charlie into a ladder, causing Cactus and Gunn to fall into said trash receptacle. They brawl to the back where the Outlaws get KO’d with a chair and loaded onto a pallet. Charlie uses a forklift to put them in a dumpster, and the old guys win.
Opinion: Both teams looked tough, but the finish was weak. Literally, all the offense the old guys got was a pair of neckbreakers, before using a chair to win. Why didn’t they just do that at the start?
Match 7: Kane (w/Paul Bearer) vs The Undertaker
Taker lands a series of extra strikes that have virtually no effect, whereas Kane’s find their mark. No fancy offense here. Just plenty of smash-mouth, in-your-face brawling. Kane continues his assault outside with the aid of the steel steps, and wears Taker down.
Kane gets a 2-count off a chokeslam before using a chinlock. Taker fights back up, only to be levelled with a clothesline and Kane goes back to the chinlock. Taker’s up again and kicks Kane outside. He flies over the top rope, but Kane sidesteps him and drives Taker through the announce table! Kane gets a 2-count off a flying clothesline, and counters a Tombstone into one of his own for another 2.
Taker rocks Kane with lefts and rights, and lands a clothesline and a chokeslam. He gets a 2-count off a Tombstone, then delivers a legdrop and another Tombstone for ANOTHER 2. Taker lands a top rope flying clothesline and a THIRD Tombstone helps him to pick up the win.
Opinion: An unbelievable, completely under-rated match. It was arguably the culmination of the best feud that the WWF/E have ever produced. Just fantastic stuff, and storytelling, all around.
Match 8: WWF Championship Match – Shawn Michaels (c) (w/HHH & Chyna) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Mike Tyson is the special guest enforcer. Austin starts like a house on fire, intense and fired up, and knocks Michaels over the top rope with a clothesline. He tries to follow up, but HHH sends him into the barricade, so the ref bans HHH & Chyna from ringside as Michaels continues to attack Austin.
Back in the ring, Austin lands some right hands and gets a 2-count off an inverted atomic drop. He gets a wristlock in, but Michaels escapes. Austin gets a 2-count by slingshotting Michaels into the top rope before sending him crashing into the announce table from the apron. Austin gets another couple of 2-counts before going to a chinlock. Austin’s relentless. Michaels fights out with a jawbreaker.
Austin’s back on the attack. Michaels backdrops him over the barrier, and blasts him with the ringbell behind the referee’s back. Michaels controls things, wrapping Austin’s left knee round the ringpost, zoning in on it. Austin gets a quick 2 off an inside cradle, but Michaels continues to focus on his knee, putting in a figure-4 – using the ropes for leverage. Austin reverses it, resulting in a break.
Austin gets a 2-count from another slingshot before Michaels locks in a sleeper. There’s a ref bump as Austin gets out of the sleeper, and he sends Michaels into the turnbuckle repeatedly. Michaels catches Austin with a forearm and follows up with a top rope elbow. They counter finishers until Austin finally hits the Stunner, and Tyson counts the 3.
Opinion: Watching this match back is tinged with a little sadness. Although it was great to see Michaels and Austin going at it, you could tell Michaels was hurt. He wasn’t moving as freely and there were spots where he just couldn’t physically do what he wanted. However, it was great to relive the moment where Austin won his first WWF Championship.
Summary: This PPV marked a turning point in the WWF’s fortunes. If they hadn’t have been on such a roll to this point and followed it up with this terrific all-around event, then it’s arguable that they wouldn’t even exist today. Highlights of the night were definitely the last two matches – Michaels/Austin and Kane/Undertaker – as well as the Light Heavyweight Championship bout. Pro-wrestling at its best. Watching this WM reminded me why I love this industry.
Hopefully, you enjoyed that quick look back at WrestleMania 14. Leave your comments/feedback via the usual channels, and join me again tomorrow to revisit WrestleMania 15!
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