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When we think of WrestleMania, we think of big moments. The ones that stand the test of time. Moments that will be talked about in years to come, and the moments that define careers.
In the last decade though, there hasn’t been that one significant moment that has defined the future of the WWE. Yes, we’ve had great matches and images that will forever be burned into our memories, but none that have shaped the future of the business.
Looking back, I personally think WrestleMania 14 was the last event that changed the WWF/E – the WrestleMania where Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first WWE Championship.
At the time, the WWF were in the fight of their lives, going up against a WCW machine which had unlimited money to spend, already established superstars and the nWo – one of the biggest stables of all time. The WWF had to do whatever they could to gain interest in their product.
Leading up to WrestleMania 14, D-Generation X were already established with HHH, Chyna and Shawn Michaels. They were the anti-authority group, just like the nWo, but in my opinion, they didn’t have ‘it’ yet. That didn’t come til after Mania when X-Pac and The New Age Outlaws joined the group.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was the rising star who was also an anti-authority figure. Even when he was supposed to be a heel, the fans couldn’t help but love him. Austin was becoming the biggest star in the WWF and it was only a matter of time before they pulled the trigger, and made him the man to carry the company into the future.
Shawn Michaels was the champion at the time, however, after what seemed like a career-ending back injury at Royal Rumble 1998, the WWF had no choice but to give Austin the title at WrestleMania. Adding Mike Tyson to the match as a ‘special enforcer’ gave the WWF the momentum, and the media coverage, that they needed. It was perfect timing for Stone Cold to become the number one superstar in the company.
That championship match at WrestleMania 14, and the way it went down, propelled Steve Austin’s career and he became the perfect superstar to lead the WWF in their challenge against WCW in the ratings battle – aka The Monday Night War.
I think Stone Cold’s match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 made him a legit, established star but at WrestleMania 14, it was set in stone that he was the chosen one. Personally, I believe that WCW never had a chance from the moment he became champion.
There have been other moments since then that people may argue have been just as important, if not more.
WrestleMania 20 ended with Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero as the two main champions of the company. The image of them both hugging at the end of the show was truly amazing at the time. For some it still is, but after what Benoit went on to do, that’s a discussion for another time.
One of the reasons that image was amazing was because it showed that the WWE didn’t need to have the typical ‘big guys’ as their champions. I don’t think it means as much as Stone Cold winning at ‘Mania 14 though, simply because there were 2 championships at the time.
The same can be said for WrestleMania 21 where John Cena and Batista won the championships. They were both meant to lead the way after the Attitude Era and even though Cena has remained on top, he’s never been able to make an impact like Austin did. That could be because there’s been a lack of interest in the product in the last 10 years, whereas Austin became champion during professional wrestling’s “boom” period.
I always hated having the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. It meant that there wasn’t that one guy who was at the top of the chain and that one superstar who was leading the way for the WWE. Both titles felt watered down and never had the meaning they once had. For me the World Heavyweight Championship should have been retired when WCW went out of business.
We are now looking towards WrestleMania 30 and I believe this will be the first really significant event since ‘Mania 14. I hope and pray that we will see Daniel Bryan defeat Triple H and therefore enter the main-event.
It’s looking likely that the WWE are finally going to give the fans what they want and Daniel Bryan will become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. He’s, without a doubt, the one to lead the WWE into the future and we may see the ‘Daniel Bryan Era’ begin.
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