The Common Denominator – “The Ultimate Wrestlemania” (Steve Austin, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Undertaker, Andre the Giant, CM Punk, Ric Flair, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Roddy Piper)

Columns, Top Story

I warned you this was coming!

Live on pay-per-view, it’s ULTIMATE WRESTLEMANIA!

Using his vast resources and “modern technology,” Vince McMahon has pulled out all the stops to create the greatest wrestling super-card ever. He promises that every wrestling superstar that ever appeared at Wrestlemania is a possibility for the show. Anticipation has been building ever since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin won the Ultimate Royal Rumble and announced his intention to challenge Bruno Sammartino for the WWWF Championship!

Our commentary team is a three-man booth, featuring Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse “The Body” Ventura

Video package to start, featuring a montage of the history of Wrestlemania from the original through today. Back live, and Aretha Franklin is out to sing the National Anthem. The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff storm the ring as the song ends. They grab the microphone and begin running down America. This draws out “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter. The four men brawl at ringside and eventually all the way to the back out of sight. The commentary gets into an argument about free speech, ending with one of Monsoon’s classic Give me a breaks.

Opening match:
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper vs. Triple H
JR makes a quip about the owner’s son-in-law being in the curtain jerker, while Moonsoon says HHH’s ego has nothing on Piper’s. Both men have incredibly elaborate entrances, as Piper has a full battalion of bagpipe players marching him to the ring, while Triple H is outfitted like a medieval warrior and is accompanied by a cavalcade of centurions. The entrances alone take about 10 minutes. They exchange a series of holds and reversals but finally Piper snaps and lays in with the fists. HHH regains the edge with a knee-lift. Eventually they brawl out to the floor. HHH finds a sledgehammer and Piper grabs a chair. The ref threatens a DQ, so HHH drops the hammer. As the ref goes to collect and dispose of the hammer, Piper smacks HHH with the chair. He tosses HHH back into the ring and locks on a sleeper. HHH appears to be out of it but eventually fights out of the hold. Back and forth for a while before Piper again tries for the sleeper. HHH backs him into the corner to break, kicks him in the gut and spins around Piper, hitting the Pedigree. Piper crumples in the corner, and HHH makes the pin with both feet on the ropes in the corner, 1-2-3

Winner: Triple H (11:23, pinfall via Pedigree)

JR calls it a tainted victory. Ventura says, Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat!

Match #2:
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “The Viper” Randy Orton
JR touts this as a battle between two of the most feared and decisive signature finishers of their respective eras. Monsoon claims no one has ever kicked out of a pin after Jake’s DDT, while Jesse says Orton has the edge because he can hit the RKO from anywhere at any time. Jake, of course, has his infamous burlap bag with him, which he sets in the corner. Orton is aggressive to start the match, with Jake stalling and playing mind games. Orton escapes an early DDT attempt and gains the advantage with a forearm strike. After a few minutes of action Randy whips Jake down and drops him on the apron. He grabs him and positions him along the ropes. JR notes that Randy has a DDT of his own, with the added innovation of using the ropes to use his opponent’s weight against him. Orton goes for that very move, but at the last second Jake slithers loose down to the floor, tapping the side of his head to show how smart he is. But Orton simply dives out on top of him. They brawl their way back into the ring. Randy goes for the RKO, but again Jake slides out of the move. Orton hits a suplex and begins pounding on the mat waiting for Jake to get up. Just as he does, Jake spins, hits a back elbow and nails the DDT with a loud smack. Jake covers, 1-2-3.

Winner: Jake “The Snake” Roberts (8:04, pinfall via DDT)

Jake goes over to the corner, grabs the bag and dumps Damien the snake on Orton’s prone body while Monsoon condemns Roberts’ “deplorable actions,” and Jesse laughs. Jake goads the crowd, making the mistake of turning his back on “The Viper.” Orton comes to, taps Jake on the shoulder, and hits a vicious RKO. He then picks up Damien, drapes it over his own shoulders, and poses over Jake for the crowd.

Backstage, “Mean” Gene Okerlund is with WWF Hardcore Champion Raven. Raven has pledged to defend the Hartcore title against anyone who has the guts to accept his challenge. He is in mid-interview when Sheik, Volkoff, Duggan and Slaughter bust through the interview set. They brawl and eventually the fight leaves the staging area. Okerlund and Raven stare at the foursome as they exit then look at each other and shrug.

Match #3
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Kurt Angle
Warrior storms the ring at full speed, grabs the mic, and gives a long rambling speech. Angle’s music hits. He enters the ring, grabs another mic, and makes confused faces. Finally, he asks warrior, what the hell are you talking about? Warrior attacks with power offense, but Angle weathers the storm. Warrior appears to be completely blown up less than two minutes in. Angle wrestles circles around Warrior, using arm-locks, take-downs, and a crisp German suplex. Warrior struggles to his feet and hits a desperation power-slam. He splashes Angle in the corner, but misses a second attempt. Angle hops up and nails a moonsault. A quick exchange and Warrior goes for a power-slam but Angle wriggles loose and trips Warrior, locking on the Angle-lock. Warrior struggles to free himself, but has nowhere to go, and finally taps.

Winner: Kurt Angle (6:55, submission via Angle-lock)

Match #4
WWE Championship
John Cena (c) vs. Goldberg
Loud Goldberg! chant, but Cena gets a strong positive reception as well. Eventually a dueling chant breaks out as the two lock up. Even match as Goldberg does a ground-and-pound style of match, with Cena firing back with typical offense. The two eventually end up back face-to-face in the center of the ring. Goldberg does his signature flex/tongue-wagging pose, to which Cena responds with his “you can’t see me” gesture. They trade holds, Cena whips Goldberg into the corner, but Goldberg charges out with a spear, but the crowd is shocked when Cena no-sells it. He kicks Goldberg in the gut and nails the Attitude Adjustment. Goldberg no-sells the move. They brawl out of the ring and then back in. Cena hits a power-slam. He goes for the 5-knuckle shuffle, but Goldberg moves. He uppercuts Cena, whips him into the corner and goes for a spear, but Cena ducks charges into the corner with a shoulder-tackle. Goldberg climbs the ropes. Cena follows. They battle in the corner and Cena nails an AA off the second rope. He goes to the pin, 1-2-3. Cena retains.

Winner: John Cena (12:15, pinfall via second-rope Attitude Adjustment)

Match #5
20-Man Battle Royal
The Big Show, Kamala, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, King Mabel, Earthquake, Big Bossman, Bam Bam Bigelow, Giant Gonzales, The Great Khali, Big John Studd, Mark Henry, Big Van Vader, “Playboy” Buddy Rose, “Adorable” Adrian Adonis, Mankind, Brock Lesnar, Typhoon, Yokozuna, Kane

Monsoon comments that the four tons of humanity is probably the largest battle royal pound-for-pound in history. There’s almost no room to maneuver as the giants of the squared-circle do battle and jockey for position. A few of the more mobile wrestlers eventually begin to establish dominance. Brock Lesnar scores the first elimination, tossing King Mabel in an impressive show of strength. Vader squashes Adonis with a Vader bomb in the corner. He and Mankind dump Adonis and then brawl with each other. Khali and Gonzales square off in the ring, standing several inches above the other competitors. Earthquake and Typhoon team up and dump Rose, but Mark Henry sneaks up and dumps both of them. One Man Gang slams Big Bossman and then goes up for the 747 splash. He gets drop-kicked off the ropes and out, however, by Bigelow. JR mentions that Bigelow main-evented Wrestlemania XI. Bigelow gets nailed in the corner by Bundy. Jesse notes that Bundy still holds the Wrestlemania record for fastest match at 9 seconds. Lesnar nails Bigelow. Bundy and Studd double-team Vader. Ventura notes that Bundy and Studd frequently teamed together. Mankind and Kane eliminate each other. Several of the wrestlers turn their attention to Yokozuna. JR notes that he is the heaviest performer in the match. Khali dumps Gonzales. Bundy turns on Studd and dumps him. Half of the field is gone. Bigelow, Kamala, Khali, Bossman, and The Big Show finally have Yokozuna almost out when Henry and Lesnar rush the mob and hit them full force. Kamala and Bossman flip over and out. Henry dumps Khali. Vader and Bundy team up to dump Big Show. Bigelow jumps Bundy from behind and dumps him.
Vader, Lesnar, Henry and Bigelow team up and finally dump Yokozuna over and out with a sickening thud. Lesnar and Henry square off in one corner, while Vader and Bigelow tussle. Lesnar plants Henry with an F-5, while Vader splashes Bigelow in the corner. Lesnar eliminates Henry while Vader dumps Bigelow, leaving the two alone in the ring. Vader screams It’s Time! They brawl around the ring. Vader goes for a power-bomb, but Brock flips him over his head. Lesnar scoops Vader up and nails the F-5. He then goes to dump Vader, but Vader powers loose. He nails the Vader-bomb and then scoops Lesnar out and dumps him.

Winner: Big Van Vader (12:34, via over-the-top elimination)

Match #6
Intercontinental Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho receives a massive ovation as the Millennium clock countdown reaches zero. He’s got George “The Animal” Steele with him, which Ventura scoffs at. Savage is, of course, accompanied to the ring by the lovely Miss Elizabeth. Both wrestlers talk trash via pre-recorded interviews shown during the entrances. Jericho draws a big response with the line, “It’s on, Nacho Man, because I’m about to get ‘jalapeno’ business!”
Jericho uses his speed and hits an arm-drag on Savage. Savage peppers Y2J with fists, but Jericho hits a standing drop-kick. Savage suckers him in and chokes him out along the ropes and lays him out with a forearm, dropping an elbow. Jericho turns the tables with a chop goes to work with a wristlock into an arm-bar. Savage whips him into the ropes and backdrops Y2J out of the ring. They brawl on the apron and then back into the ring. Jericho chops away at Savage, but Savage lays into him with a high knee and tosses him. Jericho skins the cat back in, however, so Savage clotheslines him right back out again, sending Jericho crashing into the front row. Savage grabs the ring bell as Monsoon goes nuts and Ventura encourages him. He looks to nail Jericho with the bell, but Steele stands in the way. Savage tosses the bell away and as Steele goes to fetch it, Savage nails him with a double axehandle. Savage drags Jericho back into the ring. A small package gets two. They try a whole series of pinning attempts, trying a whole variation of moves. Jericho gets sunset flipped into the turnbuckle and the ref gets bumped. Savage lays out Jericho with a clothesline and goes up for the elbow drop. He nails it, but there’s no ref. Savage retrieves ring bell and goes to the top, but Steele steals it from him and shoves him off the top rope. Jericho finds his feet and makes it over to Savage. He locks in the Walls of Jericho. Savage submits.

Winner (and new I-C champ): Chris Jericho (16:48, submission via Walls of Jericho)

“Mean” Gene is backstage again, this time with Bobby Heenan. “The Brain” says there was a conspiracy to keep him off the show, but he’s the Brain, and he’s always got something up his sleeve. He’s in mid-sentence when Duggan, Slaughter, Sheik and Volkoff brawl through the area again.

Match #7
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Edge vs. Christian vs. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig vs. Ricky Steamboat vs. Owen Hart vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Dolph Ziggler

Monsoon says there’s way too much action to call as bodies are flying everywhere. He explains that the winner of the match will have a guaranteed title shot at any time of their choosing. The match is full of high spots, including Snuka nailing a Superfly Splash off the ladder onto Benjamin. Ventura, though, derides Snuka for passing up a great opportunity to grab the briefcase. Edge and Christian spend most of the match working together and then turning on each other over the ladder and then alternating back to teamwork. Steamboat and Owen have a nice exchange that ends when Hennig interjects himself with a ladder. Eventually there are three ladders in the ring. Ziggler and Hennig are on the one under the case, with Edge and Christian each on the other two. It becomes clear that Edge and Christian are forming a plan, but when it’s time to execute the plan, which is for the two of them to attack Ziggler and Hennig, Edge swerves Christian and doesn’t jump. The three men all topple to the floor on the ladder, while Edge calmly reaches over and grabs the case.

Winner: Edge (21:06, via retrieval of the MitB briefcase)

Backstage, “Mean” Gene tries to interview The Outsiders, referring to them as Diesel and Razor, but they cut him off and say they don’t play Vince’s games and that they are Hall and Nash and they are going to take it to the Outlaws “NWO style.”

Match #8
The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) vs. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall)

It’s another match where the intros take several minutes. Although as the Outlaws go into the “we got two words for ya!” bit, Nash cuts Gunn off with a big boot. The ref doesn’t even attempt to maintain any kind of “tag-team” order, with all four men in the ring or brawling outside virtually the entire match. The end comes when Nash basically shrugs off the Outlaws’ offense and nails a jack-knife power-bomb for the win. Ventura notes that the intros were longer than the match.

Winners: The Outsiders (5:23, pinfall – Nash on Gunn – via power-bomb)

Match #9
WWE Cruiserweight Championship TLC Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Eddie Guererro vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Daniel Bryan vs. X-Pac vs. “Hurricane” Helms vs. Billy Kidman vs. Tito Santana

Big brawl to start as Van Dam and Bryan hit Santana with a con-chair-to while Helms and Kidman double-team Eddie. Rey climbs a ladder and takes out almost everyone else with diving splash, while X-Pac stomps on RVD in a corner. Kidman pounds on Santana outside while RVD and Mysterio fall off the top turnbuckle through a table. Helms makes a go for the belt, but DB hauls him down and climbs. Eddie clotheslines him off the ladder and tries himself, but now Rey takes him down with a hurricarana. RVD gets another table, and he powerbombs X-Pac through it. Kidman and Rey set up a pair of tables on the floor, but before they can do anything with them, Bryan tosses Eddie off of a ladder through the tables. Three ladders get set up in the ring and everyone fights for position. Amid all the chaos, Kidman finds a chair and starts nailing everyone, leaving only he and Eddie fighting over the chair atop one of the ladders. But now Rey comes back with a headscissors on Kidman. Eddie and Rey now fight to reach the belt, but X-Pac pushes them off and out. So X-Pac is left alone against Kidman and RVD, as Bryan boots Santana out of the ring. Kidman and RVD dump X-Pac through a table, but Bryan nails them with a chair, but while no one is paying attention, Helms ascends the ladder and retrieves the title belt.

Winner (and new Cruiserweight champ): “Hurricane” Helms (17:05, via belt retrieval)

Match #10
The Road Warriors vs. The Dudley Boys

Big LOD chant from the crowd. Just a brawl for the first couple of minutes, but eventually the ref is able to restore order. Quick tags from the Dudleys and they are able to keep Hawk under control, but Hawk tags in Animal who goes on a tear and hardly sells any of the Dudley’s offense. They do manage to finally get the edge with a low blow and a flap-jack. Another brawl ensues. Dudleys hit the Whazzup headbutt on Animal and then go for a 3-D on Hawk, but he breaks loose. Ref is bumped and the Dudleys get the tables. They hit Hawk with a 3-D through a table, but Animal comes in with a chair lays them both out. He revives hawk and they hit the Doomsday Device on Devon just as the ref comes to. Hawk gets the 1-2-3 while Animal keeps Bubba at bay.

Winners: The Road Warriors (7:20, pinfall – Hawk on Devon Dudley – via Doomsday Device)

Match #11
WWF Hardore Championship “Invitational”
Hardcore Champion Raven comes out with a shopping cart full of weapons and explains the rules. The match will go 20 minutes. Hardcore rules, falls count anywhere. Whoever scores the last pinfall before time runs out will be the champion. The bell rings and immediately Terry Funk, Rhyno, Mike Awesome, Hardcore Holly, Al Snow, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, Sabu, and Tazz storm the ring. It’s sheer mayhem as Monsoon scoffs at the lack of scientific wrestling. Ventura agrees partially, but notes, sometimes you just want to watch a fight! The carnage just leaves a pile of bodies and broken items all around the ringside area. Over the course of the match, Finlay, Haku, Cactus Jack, Crash Holly, Spike Dudley, and even Santino Marella run in and participate. At the 18 minute mark, Terry Funk nails Raven with a branding iron and scores a pinfall, but he and Tommy Dreamer are standing toe-to-to in the middle of the ring nailing each other with weapons. Suddenly, Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff bust through the entrance area and begin brawling toward the ring and as they make their way down, Dreamer and Funk knock each other out. Duggan and Sheik find their way onto the ring where Hacksaw finds his trusty 2×4. He nails Sheik with the board. Sheik falls onto the unconscious Funk. The ref counts the 1-2-3 just as time expires.

Winner (and new Hardcore champion): The Iron Sheik (20:00, via final pinfall of match on Terry Funk)

Match #12
4-Woman Elimination Match
WWF Women’s Championship/WWE Diva’s Championship Unification Match
The Fabulous Moolah (c) vs. Wendi Richter vs. Trish Stratus (c) vs. Lita
Richter targets Moolah right away. Ventura notes the manner in which Richter lost the title. They brawl out of the ring and Richter finds a chair and bashes Moolah repeatedly, but the ref is watching Lita and Trish in the ring. Solid action between the two of them. Richter enters the ring and breaks up a pin attempt by Lita. Richter and Stratus double-team Lita, but bails and Stratus turns on Wendi, hitting Stratusfaction and scores a pin, eliminating Richter. Trish dives out onto the floor and hits Lita. They brawl back into the ring. Lita gains the upper hand and hits the Twist of Fate on Trish. She then goes up and hits a moonsault on Trish for the pin. However, just as she stands up, Moolah slides into the ring and rolls her up for a pin attempt. However, Lita rolls through and reverses the pin attempt for the three-count.

Winner (and Unified WWF/Divas champ): Lita (8:35, pinfall via rollup reversal)

Match #13
4-team Gauntlet Match
WWF/WWE Tag-Team Championship Unification Match
The Steiner Brothers vs. The Hardy Boys (c) vs. The British Bulldogs vs. Demolition (c)

The Steiners and Bulldogs are out first. It’s a brutal stiff match with teams matching each other move for move. Davey Boy Smith and Scott Steiner do a series of amateur style moves with Smith ending up on the worse end of it after Scott nails a hard belly-to-back suplex. Dynamite tags in and nails a snap suplex on Scott. Scott fires back with a Frankensteiner. Rick comes in and takes out Davey Boy with a vicious clothesline. The Steiners then hit their bulldog/suplex finisher for the pin on Dynamite Kid. That brings out Demolition. JR notes their epic 19 month long reign. Ax and Smash dominate Rick early on, but he eventually makes a comeback and a four-way brawl ensues. The Demos get Rick isolated again and hit the Demolition Decapitation. Smash goes for the pin, but Scott makes the save. He takes Smash out with a suplex and then hits the Steiner Screwdriver and scores the pin. Out come the Hardys. Monsoon says they have a definite advantage by being fresh, but Ventura dismisses them as “a couple of pretty boys.” JR says Jesse shoulf prepare to be surprised. Indeed the Hardys use their speed and energy to dominate early on, but Scott eventually traps Matt on the mat and takes over. Jeff and Rick brawl on the floor. Rick goes for a shoulder tackle but hits the ring post instead. Jeff takes one of the ladders that was left at ringside and goes up. He hits a swanton dive from atop the ladder, but he’s out himself as well. In the ring, Matt goes for a Twist of Fate, but Scott reverses into a Frankensteiner. He then hits a belly-to-back suplex and a spinebuster for the pin.

Winners (and Unified Tag Champs): Rick and Scott Steiner (17:11, pinfall – Scott on Matt – via spinebuster)

Match #14
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. CM Punk
Grand entrance for Flair. Handshake to start, but Punk pulls Flair into a headlock, but Flair yanks free and hits a pair of chops, followed by a strut. Flair tries a hammerlock and Punk reverses, but Flair takes him down with a drop toehold. Shoving match in the corner and Punk gives him a slap. Ric fires back with chops. Drop kick from Punk. Irish whip but Punk puts his head down and gets a knee to the face. Flair follows with an elbow and drops the knee. Flair charges and gets and gets kicked in the head. He does the Flair flop. Ric goes to the corner, but Punk goes up and slams him off. Brawl out of and back into the ring. Back in, Flair takes over and whips him into the corner and gets a backdrop suplex for two. Suplex gets two. Delayed vertical suplex gets two. Punk fights back with chops and a neckbreaker, and he backdrops Flair onto the floor. He follows with a moonsault to the floor. Back in the ring, they trade chops with the crowd “Wooooo”-ing each one. Punk slams Flair, then goes up and hits the Macho elbow for two. Flair sneaks in a low blow and locks in the figure-four, but Punk makes the ropes. Irish whip is reversed by Flair, but Punk hits an uppercut and hits the GTS, and that’s enough for the pin. They hug afterward and Punk raises Flair’s hand.

Winner: CM Punk (18:05, pinfall via GTS)

Match #15 World Heavyweight Championship Match
The Rock (c) vs. “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels
Rocky cuts a promo in the ring prior to Shawn’s entrance. It’s a heelish promo, but the crowd chants “Rocky! Rocky!” anyway. HBK comes out to a big ovation, leading to dueling chants. While both are crowd favorites, JR notes that these two do not like each other. That becomes quite clear once the bell rings.They slug it out and Shawn takes Rocky down and dumps him. He follows with a pescado and they head back in. Shawn gets a clothesline and goes up for a double axehandle. Superkick misses and Rocky gets a backbreaker and a Samoan drop. Rock whips him into the corner and slugs him down, spits on his hand and punches HBK. Shawn reverses a suplex, but his back is hurting. He walks into a DDT. Rocky goes to an abdominal stretch, but Shawn hiptosses him out of it. Shawn goes to the corner but Rock follows him up and hits a superplex. Sideslam on Shawn, but he kips up and nails a flying forearm. Shawn hits a Pedigree for two, and they brawl outside. Rocky clears the announce table and teases a Pedigree on the table, but Shawn back-drops him instead. Back in they trade blows. Rocky puts him down with a slam and then hits the People’s elbow for two. Shawn fights back and whips him into the corner. Rocky charges back and goes for the Rock bottom, but HBK slips out and again whips him into the corner. Another charge and Michaels hits the superkick for the three-count.

Winner (and new World champion): Shawn Michaels (14:19, pinfall via superkick)

Match #16
Andre the Giant vs. The Undertaker
A “Tale of the Tape” graphic gives fans an idea of just how big both of these men are and what they have accomplished in the ring. Ventura says Andre has the edge, while JR notes Taker’s reputation for winning Wrestlemania matches. Monsoon says that both men are legends, but once the bell rings all of that goes out the window.
Fairly simple entrance for Andre, especially compared to the spectacle of Undertaker’s, complete with druids and smoke. Andre is unimpressed. Big staredown in the middle of the ring, with Andre a few inches taller. Taker hits a few forerms, but Andre grabs him and hits a headbutt. Taker goes to a knee, but comes back with an uppercut. Irish whip, but Andre grabs the ropes. Taker clotheslines the big man out of the ring in an impressive spot. Taker follows but Andre grabs him and bashes his head into the ring post. Ref counts, but both men are back in. They trade holds in a nice sequence but Andre ends that with a chop and a legdrop for two. Taker does the zombie sit up, but Andre stomps him down. Taker goes for a body slam but Andre blocks. Knife-edge to the neck and a pair of headbutts has Taker dazed. Andre slams him and drops an elbow. Another elbow misses. Taker has a wristlock. He climbs the ropes for the old school drop. Andre is stunned. Taker whips him into the ropes and hits a big boot to the face. Andre stumbles to his feet. Choke slam attempt by Taker is blocked. Chops by Andre. Back elbow from Taker and a big clothesline. He pulls Andre to his feet and to the shock of the crowd, hoists Andre up and hits the tombstone. That’s enough for the pin.

Winner: Undertaker (9:17, pinfall via tombstone piledriver)

Match #17 WWF Championship Match
Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart
Backstage, “Mean” Gene is with Hart. Hart says Hogan has been ducking him for years and now he finally has a signed contract with both their names on it. Gene asks how he finally got the Hulkster to agree to the match. Hart says it took someone with the power to get things done. That cues Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s appearance. He says Bret needed someone who could help him and Heenan says he knows how to get to Hogan. Heenan says it was he who worked out the deal and he will be in Bret’s corner to finally get revenge on Hogan for all of the years he came up short. Bret draws boos with Heenan at his side. Hogan comes out to “Real American” decked out in the red and yellow gear. Hogan offers a handshake but Hart slaps it away. Hogan punches him in the face twice and Bret bails to confer with Heenan. He gets back in and they lock up. It quickly spills out of the ring. Hart tries to gain control but Hogan blocks with an eye-rake and a headbutt. Back in the ring Hogan overpowers Bret and bearhugs him. Bret elbows him to escape and hits a leg lariat to take over. Hogan reverses a suplex and starts working on Bret’s knee. Bret sneaks in a low blow and drops a pair of knees on Hogan’s back. Camel clutch by Bret. Hogan mounts a comeback with another eye-rake and a body slam. Bret bails again but Hogan follows. Hart actually throws Heenan at Hulk and Hogan clotheslines him. Back in the ring, Hart stomps Hogan, but Hogan finds his feet and chokes away. Hart hits a chop block and fires away with some rights. He nails a backbreaker and a vertical suplex. With Hogan down Hart goes up and nails an elbowdrop. He goes for the Sharpshooter, and locks it in. Hogan looks done for but Hogan kicks out. Bret chokes Hogan down, but Hogan begins to fight out of it, “Hulking up.” Hogan fires with rights. Hart couters but gets blocked. Clothesline for Hogan. Irish whip into a big boot and the Hogan legdrop. 1-2-3!

Winner: Hulk Hogan (10:48, pinfall via legdrop)

Match #18
WWWF Championship Match
Bruno Sammartino (c) vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ( Ted DiBiase appearance)
Video package shows highlights from both men’s careers. Ventura protests Bruno’s eligibility for the show as his title reigns predate Wrestlemania by decades, but Monsoon astutely points out that Bruno was in his son David’s corner at the inaugural Wrestlemania for his match against Brutus Beefcake. Bruno enters first to a big ovation and has the microphone. He says he wants to see Austin’s face when he comes to the ring. Austin comes out to an equally wild ovation. Stone Cold parades around the ring flipping off the crowd and gives Bruno the double-finger salute. Bruno acts disgusted. During the pre-match announcements, Ted DiBiase’s music hits. He saunters to the ring and offers Austin $10 million for his spot in the match. After polling the crowd, Austin tells him go to hell! DiBiase then tries to buy the WWWF title from Bruno. Bruno, insulted, punches Ted and squeezes him with the bearhug. DiBiase is out. Suddenly, Edge’s music hits. He storms to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase, indicating his desire to cash in right now. Austin taps him on the shoulder, kicks him with in the stomach and nails him with the Stunner. Both men toss Edge. Austin throws the briefcase out and hits Edge in the head with it. Now the match begins proper. A lock-up goes in Austin’s favor and he works a headlock into a bulldog. Sammartino comes back with a German suplex. After several minutes, neither man can keep an advantage. Finally, Bruno gets a hammerlock. Austin tries to counter with a Stunner, but Bruno blocks and hits an atomic drop. Bruno whips him into the ropes, but Austin counters with a Thesz press for two. Bruno powers out and nails a clothesline. Some brawling ends with Austin getting Bruno down in the corner where he stomps away. Bruno comes back with a kneelift and a clothesline. More brawling and finally Bruno locks in the bearhug in the center of the ring. Austin has nowhere to go. He’s fading fast. The ref begins to check his arm. It drops once. It drops twice. On the third time, Austin’s arm stops just short of falling, and Bruno prematurely drops the hold, believing he has won. He turns to the crowd to celebrate as Austin manages to find his footing. The ref tries to explain to Bruno what has happened, but Austin sneaks in between them, kicks Bruno in the gut and nails the Stunner. He covers, adding a foot on the ropes for added leverage and gets the 1-2-3!

Winner (and new WWWF champ): “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (14:58, pinfall via Stunner)

Jesse is ecstatic! Monsoon is miffed! JR is going nuts with “Stone Cold!” “Stone Cold!” “Stone Cold!” Austin celebrates with beers in the ring.

End of Show. Thanks for reading!

A lifelong self-admitted geek and nerd, Ralph has passed on his love of comic books, movies and pro wrestling to his children. In his day job, he writes for a newspaper in the Memphis area and plays volleyball and softball. He is almost as smart and as funny as he thinks he is.