hitman2003

Here's mine World Heavyweight Championship Batista v. The Undertaker WWE Championship John Cena v. Shawn Michaels Battle of the Billionaires ECW Champion Bobby Lashley (w/ Donald Trump) v. WWE Intercontinental Champion Umaga (w/ Mr. McMahon & Armando Alejandro Estrada) Money In the Bank Match Edge v. CM Punk v. “King” Booker v. Carlito v. Randy Orton v. WWE United States Champion Chris Beniot Street Fight The Hardy Boyz v. MNM Ric Flair v. Mr. Kennedy WWE Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match Melina v. Ashley v. Mickie James Battle of the Tag Team Champions WWE tag team Champions Paul London & Brian Kendrick v. World tag team Champions The Worlds Greatest Tag Team Kane v. The Great Khali WWE Cruiserweight Championship Chavo Guerrero v. Jimmy Wang Yang 10-Man Elimination Extreme Rules match Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Balls Mahoney & Sabu v. Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, Hardcore Holly & Marcus Cor Von Pre Show Battle Royal (DVD extra) Kenny Dykstra, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, The Boogeyman, Chris Masters, William Regal, Dave Taylor, Gregory Helms, Scotty 2 Hotty, Shannon Moore, Daivari, Funaki, Jamie Noble, Little Guido, The Highlanders, Cryme Tyme, La Resistance, Deuce & Domino

Hogan & Flair did feuded in 2000 and they didn't draw any money. They were in the main event of Uncensored 2000. IIRC, it was the lowest buyrate up that point for a WCW PPV.

WRESTLEMANIA 22 POLL RESULTS Thumbs up 612(81.6%) Thumbs down 41 (05.5%) In the middle 97 (12.9%) BEST MATCH POLL Edge vs. Mick Foley 282 Money in the Bank ladder match 176 John Cena vs. HHH 109 Mysterio vs. Orton vs. Angle 84 Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon 79 WORST MATCH POLL Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell 314 Candice Michelle vs. Torrie Wilson 300 Undertaker vs. Mark Henry 49 Angle vs. Mysterio vs. Orton 10 Based on phone calls, e-mails and fax messages to the Observer of Tuesday, 4/4. The 22nd Wrestlemania, on paper, did not appear to be a show worthy of the name, but due to the effort of those in the ring, the show greatly exceeded most expectations, even from people expecting the modern day Wrestlemania effort and a good show. I'm not sure exactly when to trace the change, but at some point in the late 90s, Wrestlemania went from being everyone's best payoff of the year, and really, in many people's eyes, only a little more, to the Super Bowl it was always billed as for the participants. The change was probably a slow deal where the generation who grew up watching Wrestlemania on PPV became wrestlers, and all wanted to live up to their memories of things like Ricky Steamboat's match with Randy Savage in 1987. While many of the moments in early Wrestlemanias, due to the great hype job, have become probably the biggest parts of history to the general public, you really don't find all that many great matches in first generation Wrestlemanias. This year was another prime example that this is the show everyone aims to have their best match of the year on. Due to time constraints in many cases, it isn't always possible, but from an effort standpoint up and down the show, this card was a pretty big step up from usual WWE fare. This year didn't feature a match like Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, which will go down as one of the top matches in Mania history. But the performances of many people, from Shawn Michaels to Shelton Benjamin to Edge and Mick Foley and even HHH made several matches come across far better than they had any right to be. In the end it was a spectacular show, very worthy of the name. Whether the company achieves its financial goals, which were to break the company's record of 1,040,000 PPV buys set in 2001 (and with international, as well as far more domestic homes wired, that record is far easier to achieve nowadays) is a question. We did hear of examples in the U.S., and even more so in the U.K., where they were hoping for close to 200,000 buys alone, of cable operators being flooded with last minute orders, which delayed people seeing the show until well after it had started. If nothing else, that has to be taken as a positive sign, that in the end, a lot of people on the fence about the show decided at the last minute, what the heck, the line-up may not be great but Wrestlemania only comes once a year. The 4/2 show at the All-State Arena in Chicago drew a sellout of 17.155 fans paying $2.5 million. An example of how ticket price increases affect the live gate is shown that in 1997, when in the same arena, then called the Rosemont Horizon, was sold out for Mania (with the famous I Quit match with Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin and the weak main event of Psycho Sid vs. Undertaker for the WWF title), the gate was $837,150. This year's gate was the third largest ever for pro wrestling in the U.S., trailing 2001 Mania at the Astrodome ($3,530,905) and the 2003 Mania at Safeco Field in Seattle ($2,760,035). It was the largest gate ever for an traditional arena setting, as opposed to an enclosed baseball/football stadium setting, beating the $2.4 million figure set for WM XX in 2004 in Madison Square Garden. Both Toronto Wrestlemanias, held at Skydome, also beat this year's total, and the company had a show at the Colonial Stadium in Melbourne, Australia in 2002 that did better, so it would rank as No. 6 overall in company records. A lot of decisions were made, changed, and made again in the weeks leading to the event. If there was a negative to be said, it was that, in the end, it still proved to be what many wrestlers have called it of late, a vanity promotion for the owner and his family. Now that isn't to knock any of their performance. Vince McMahon did all that you could ask for and more, given that he's not a wrestler, not to mention he's almost 61 and because of muscle/tendon imbalances he likely has, he's a walking major muscle tear waiting to happen. In a sense, they were careful as McMahon didn't try anything himself, but was willing to take an incredibly solid pounding with gimmick shots. The key spot in the match was Michaels climbing to nearly the top of a 15 foot ladder, so he was a good 13 feet off the ground, and came down with an elbow drop on McMahon through a table, a move that no doubt will be described for all eternity as a 30 foot drop. While that sounded and looked impressive, to the wrestlers it was even more so because McMahon had a garbage can around his head. That meant he actually couldn't see Michaels falling and tense himself to take the blow, which is a big deal. In boxing, the gimmick when you see a boxer stick his chin out and dare the guy to hit it, the bottom line is if you see the punch coming and ready for it, you can tense yourself. That spot in boxing is getting over to the public that you are fearless and can take a punch, but the people within boxing see right through it. Usually, it's the punch you don't see coming and you aren't braced for is the one that puts you to sleep. McMahon obviously knew it was coming, but he had to brace for several seconds because he didn't know the exact moment he was getting taken out. The McMahon match very well could have been the biggest drawing single match on the show, due to the fact it was given the most TV time and strongest storylines. John Cena vs. HHH was clearly positioned as the main event, to the point the SmackDown main event was pretty well purposely made a distant second. In laying out the show, both matches got the most time, and the match, which on paper, figured to be the best, the SmackDown main, was shortchanged to just 9:18, ending when Mysterio pinned Randy Orton after a springboard hurricanrana. They were given barely longer than the women's title match was given and seventh longest of the 11 match-show. Because of that, the expected big emotional reaction to Rey Mysterio's title win wasn't really there. Two days later, Orton was suspended for 60 days for unprofessional conduct. We don't have full details of the story, but what we do know is this. There have been a series of incidents that date back to January. It is those behavioral problems that led to the decision to bring in Kurt Angle after Royal Rumble as champion instead of putting the title on Orton. Another incident happened around late February although the exact time may be off a week or two. I believe it happened shortly after No Way Out, and since he had won the match to get the title shot, they apparently decided against suspending him immediately because of Mania. The decision was made to punish him (and he had been fined in the interim, and probably on more than one occasion). It was this incident that led to the decision not to give him at the title at Wrestlemania, which had been the long-term plan before Batista was injured. There was the feeling his behavior was getting out of control in recent weeks and that it was only going to get worse. The final straw is something he did in Chicago in the days leading up to Wrestlemania. The only thing we could find out is it caused a near disaster and is being kept under wraps. It was not something that would have been good for the company. Obviously, it must have been extremely serious for them to take a main eventer out of the already depleted SmackDown line-up. In addition, we're told the 60 days is a minimum, and it is actually an indefinite suspension, and the incident was so bad it is not a lock he'll be brought hack, and that anyone other than a top guy would be gone for sure. Even though WWE publicly announced the suspension on 4/4, he worked the SmackDown tapings after the story was out, putting over Mysterio in a title match, and is expected to put over Angle in the first round of the King of the Ring tournament on the 4/11 tapings. When saying with such a thin roster on top that you know he's coming back, the story is that if you knew the story of why he was suspended, you would expect he wouldn't be brought back. Again, I'm sketchy on full details, but the decision to put Mysterio in the Mania match and make it a three-way was said to have been made before the February incident, but that was the incident that led to changing the decision from Orton getting the title. We do know the company hadn't been happy with Orion's treatment of women, particularly some of the women that came out of the first diva search competition. It had become almost a running joke more than a year ago, as stories from women in the company who had left had gotten out. It is not clear the Chicago incident or the prior incident had anything to do with that. The person who may benefit from this would be Ken Kennedy when he's ready to return, because there is a clear spot open for a top heel. They could also fortify that spot if they do a draft this year, but every year the draft is needed to fortify SmackDown, and the end result is always that it strengthens Raw and buries SmackDown. The Chicago crowd was unique in reactions. The company completely expected John Cena to be booed out of the place, but did not expect Mysterio and Trish Stratus to be booed, to the point Jim Ross almost did the insulting the fans saying they are trying to be defiant like they would do in cities like Toronto. It's ironic because most major market Wrestlemanias have this reaction, but when the same thing happens in Madison Square Garden, the company reaction is the Garden is the precursor to what will happen in the rest of the country and make plans to turn people, while Chicago and Toronto are defiant fans trying to get themselves over. It appeared the booing of Mysterio wasn't a rejection of him as much as the crowd loving Kurt Angle. The booing of Stratus was more based on cheering Mickie James. Stratus was not booed at first, but there was a small chant for James early on, but as the match went on, it seemed like it became the thing to do and in the end, James was heavily cheered and Stratus was heavily booed. They expected the booing of Cena, to the point the company came up with an explanation. According to one company source, instead of the double turn idea that had been brought up, Vince McMahon is determined that in the end, he is going to win this latest battle with his audience and get people to cheer John Cena. It's his new game. The strategy is for Cena to stay defiant of the people who boo him, continue to work like a babyface, be portrayed as the ultimate babyface, and rallying his kids and women fan base to stay behind him and label the rest of the fan base "haters." The idea is to make the odds always against him, and portray him as someone who has less skill, but is the underdog in every match because of it. The announcers would stick with Cena, with the idea that the fans who boo Cena are "traditional" wrestling fans, i.e., portraying them as the crowd old and out-of-touch, which is the last label the largely young male fan base booing him wants to be part of. The booing of Cena is because the traditional fan base respects HHH as the better wrestler because he's the biggest star in wrestling now. There were more than a few people laughing, since HHH had bad-mouthed Kurt Angle, saying he was cheered against Cena in their program because he didn't know how to play heel. As the story goes, with HHH, it's not the same thing, it's because the crowd recognizes HHH as the best wrestler in the company. You can insert your own punch line. WWE on its own web site explained it as "The Cerebral Assassin's greatest mind game may have been turning the majority of the capacity crowd against the WWE champion." In the arena, during almost every break and during many of the backstage skits, loud "Cena sucks" chants broke out. Live reports indicated about 80% of the crowd was negative toward Cena, and while there were small pro-HHH chants, even during the match, the atmosphere wasn't for the match itself, but it was those hating Cena vs. those liking Cena, just as it has been for a lot of the past seven months since Jericho and SummerSlam. Whether it had been Edge, HHH, Angle, Gene Snitsky, Chris Masters or Steve Lombardi, the reaction was going to be pretty much the same. In the end, in a surprise, Cena won via tap out with the STFU when it appeared HHH would make it to the ropes. I fully expect HHH gets the title and defends against Rob Van Dam (who won the money in the bank ladder match, and then on TV all but outright said he would take his title shot at the ECW PPV) on the 6/12 PPV, but the title change will simply be moved back a few weeks or a month. Saying anything will happen is foolish because, as noted, the idea of what to do next changes every ten minutes. There are people talking about turning Cena, but it seems unlikely because of the merchandise, but there is a feeling he's better off chasing the title. HHH going babyface and feuding with Edge over the title has been talked about as well, but HHH has nixed all talk of going face for years now. At Mania, both HHH and Michaels did a crotch chop, testing out a DX deal, and if they are linked up again as DX, they almost have to be faces. The big hint on the show was them actually airing the TV commercial where Cena said he would take back what was his at Backlash midway through Wrestlemania, leading to the surprise of him actually winning, which few expected. A similar sleight of hand was also done with the SmackDown title match, when Orton talked about being champion, and Dave Batista (who is coming back much sooner than he probably should, perhaps by the end of this month or early next month) returned to confront him to basically tease that as an upcoming title match program. While Mysterio was booed during his match, he was not booed at winning. He couldn't have been booed afterwards, since he broke down and cried, while being congratulated by Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero. But the reaction was nowhere near expected. Part of the reason was such a pro-Angle crowd, but also, the match was too short and the people hadn't been drawn to it at such a deep level to explode at the outcome. Mysterio, Angle and Randy Orton were going in the direction of having the classic Wrestlemania match, when, with no build, Mysterio pinned Orton. The people simply weren't ready to pop big. Mysterio's title win, from an historical standpoint, was the most noteworthy event on the show. At 5-2 and 165 pounds, Oscar Gutierrez, 31, is, by far, the smallest man ever to hold a major world's heavyweight title in the history of pro wrestling. The idea for him to win had been bounced around since the death of Eddy Guerrero in November. Guerrero, who was 5-6 Vi and 210-220 pounds, and Chris Benoit, and 5-8 1/2 and 225 pounds, were the smallest champions in company history, and all were in the past few years. Mad Dog Vachon, a multi-time AWA champ in the 60s, was probably 5-7, but because of his ability to project complete and uncontrolled violence, he never came across as a small guy. With Benoit and Guerrero, because a lot of wrestlers were around their size as the game in WWE has become more about quickness and match quality as opposed to huge immobile guys like in the 80s. had no backlash whatsoever. With Mysterio, the smallest guy in the company, the idea of giving it to him is somewhat different. The plan always was for him to get it at some point this year. Mysterio was the plan after the Guerrero death, and then it was changed to Randy Orton. From the booking in recent weeks, it became clear, since Mysterio was either beaten, or if not, beaten down, by the top guys, at almost every turn, that he was going over. Most seemed to expect it, and I believe the booing in the crowd was people who fully expected him to win and felt Angle should retain. The debate as far as show-stealing match went, pretty well was narrowed down to the Money in the Bank ladder match and the Edge vs. Mick Foley hardcore match. The former was a spectacular spotfest, with one crazy ladder spot right after the other. It was probably five minutes from peaking when it was over, and also not quite on the level as the similar match the year before, which had a higher caliber of wrestlers. The latter delivered the blood and used objects like barbed wire and thumb tacks, and a flaming table finish. Both men sacrificed themselves to attempt to steal the show in the most painful manner possible. While the match was brutal and bloody and was the consensus match of the night (I liked the ladder match more, but they were close), the Mania stage will make it legendary as I thought the recent Against All Odds Rhino vs. Abyss TNA PPV crazy spot brawl was right at the same level, really only lacking the aura of the names and the stage, and wasn't even considered for best match of that night. McMahon took a tremendous beating from Shawn Michaels, although Michaels' facials and body language carried what was essentially a one-sided beating that pretty successfully hid McMahon's athletic weaknesses. While Michaels may not have had the best match this year, as he had in more Wrestlemanias than any man in history, he more than lived up to his Mr. Wrestlemania moniker. The announcing, when you look at how everything went down, was nothing short of weird. Michael Cole and Tazz did the SmackDown matches and were fine. Jim Ross did the Raw matches with Jerry Lawler, and without Jonathan Coachman, and it was the best Raw announcing team since the decision to put Coachman in the booth. But because Styles was so popular at some of the activities during the week, the decision was changed again the day of the show to have him announce one match, the Foley vs. Edge match. In fact, when Ross, Lawler, Tazz and Cole came out, there was a loud "We Want Joey" chant, from the fan base that hasn't been brainwashed into the idea that Styles can't announce because you get told over and over that is the case. Earlier in the day, at the company \\rcstleniania brunch. Styles said you can ask him anything you want, because. "What are they going to do? Kick me off Wrestlemania?" I think it was abundantly clear listening to that match that the problem, and this is hardly some major revelation, was Coachman, and not Styles. And while Style was given a very public slap in the face last week when he was pulled, Coachman in the end got a less publicized version of the same thing, as it was never made public he wouldn't be calling the matches, was never acknowledged, but at least Styles got the consolation prize of calling one match, that figured ahead of time to be one of the top matches on the show. The ladder match had both announcing teams, but it was clear Ross was carrying the broadcast and I thought it was the best announced match on the show, although the main event was also very good. So the next night on Raw, it was back to Coachman, Lawler and Styles. Even if Ross isn't interested in going back full-time, now that we've seen the deal without Coachman being better, it's hard to understand why he's still there. A lot of the wrestlers didn't know their finishes late that day because so many changes were made, including the big matches. I was told, and it was particularly obvious in the women's match, that if you go back, you could read the faces of a lot of people as they came through the entrance way and know the finishes, because telling people so late made it hard for them not to show it as they would if they knew a week in advance. In the end, based on original commercials for Backlash, the tag team title situation was changed. Instead of going to Chris Masters & Carlito as new champs and defending against Kane & Big Show, they split Masters & Carlito up and turned Carlito face, and put the Spirit Squad over as the heel champs. I doubt there was any question about Edge going over, and 1 couldn't even imagine Mickie James not going over based on the direction of the feud. The Cena win was a change clearly designed to fool people, like Cena's loss to Edge was, and like it, most likely this isn't a real direction change but a delay in going down the same path. RVD's win and the dynamic of HHH vs. RVD at the ECW PPV seems more likely than Cena vs. RVD, although Vince McMahon is very strong on the idea of Cena as a babyface right now. In addition, TV interviews by Michaels and Ric Flair also wanting shots does seem to indicate the champ will be a heel soon enough. A. The show opened with a dark match 18 Battle Royal with most of the names on the roster who weren't on the main card. The only notable absences from this match were Paul London and Brian Kendrick. It came down to MNM, Road Warrior. Viscera and Gene Snitsky. MNM was eliminated first from that group. Road Warrior was next, and his elimination looked weird, as he immediately put his foot on the apron and the refs couldn't figure out what to do. This left Viscera with Snitsky, and Viscera tossed Snitsky out and then kissed Lillian Garcia on the way out. 1. Kane & Big Show retained the World tag titles over Chris Masters & Carlito in 6:41. There were surprisingly loud chants for "Carlito" early on. Show pressed Masters and dropped him. Masters rolled out and Show pressed Carlito and threw him over the top rope onto Masters. Kane then came off the top rope onto both guys, but really was trying to clothesline Masters. The finish saw Show have Carlito set up for the choke slam, when Masters gave Show a chop block. Masters then came off the top rope with a double sledge, but Show moved, and Carlito got nailed. Kane pinned Carlito with a choke slam. Masters and Carlito argued after the match. Kane and Carlito were better than they've been on TV, but not much to the match. *3/4 2. Rob Van Dam won the Money in the Bank ladder match in 12:21 over Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Ric Flair, Fit Finlay and Bobby Lashley. Van Dam and Flair were clearly the two most popular, and really the only two who had a shot at winning. Van Dam did a dive over the top rope onto Hardy, who was holding a ladder so Van Dam crashed into it. A ladder was put resting on the ropes and Benjamin ran up the ladder legs and did a flip dive on Lashley, Hardy and RVD. Hardy superplexed Flair over the top of the ladder. Flair worked that his knee was blown out and was screaming and taken to the back. Benjamin tried a power bomb on Lashley off the ladder, but Finlay and Hardy to help him pull Lashley off. Flair then came back limping and was going crazy, chopping everyone in sight. Lashley was climbing and RVD came off the top rope, holding a chair with a dropkick to Lashley's kidneys. Hardy did a legdrop from two-thirds of the way up a ladder on Lashley. Hardy did a side effect of the ladder on Finlay. Flair had been largely eliminated a second time taking a long back bump off a ladder when he was knocked off. RVD came off the very top of the ladder with a splash onto Finlay. That drew a loud "ECW" chant. The finish saw two ladders in place. Hardy, Benjamin and RVD were all climbing. RVD switched ladders and kicked over the ladder, sending Benjamin and Hardy over the top rope to the floor, and he grabbed the briefcase to win. **** Howard Finkel introduced the Hall of Fame inductees next. He stated beforehand that Bret Hart was uncomfortable about being there. I expected a lot more negative reaction because it was more just quiet, seemingly that people totally understood The crowd reaction for Vickie and Chavo Guerrero was just incredible, even more than you’d expect and you could see it really made both of them very happy. William Perry and Verne Gagne got nice reactions. 3. JBL won the U.S. title from Chris Benoit in 9:44. Match was too short for a Benoit Wrestlemania match. They also played too much on Guerrero for easy heat. Well, you'd think that. JBL kept doing the Guerrero dance, and either people didn't know it because he did it so badly, or they didn't care, because people didn't react. However, when JBL tried the three amigos, people were not happy with that. Benoit blocked the third suplex and Benoit came back with the three amigos of his own. He got a near fall with a diving head-BUTT. Benoit ducked a clothesline and got the crossface. JBL, while caught in the move, rolled Benoit to his back and held the ropes for the pin. JBL may have been on of the few people fully aware of his result, since he guaranteed it on TV, and also did the storyline that by beating both Guerrero and Benoit, the two best technical wrestlers of the era, both for major titles, it makes him the best technical wrestler in the world. **3/4 4. Edge pinned Mick Foley in a hardcore match in 14:37. Foley took abuse early with hard cookie sheet and broiler pan shots to the head, followed by a dropkick of a sign to the face. Since this stuff hasn't been done here much of late, it wasn't boring comedy like they turned it into. Edge speared Foley, but then sold it, because Foley took off his flannel shirt and revealed he had hidden barbed wire underneath. Foley whipped him with barbed wire, and then got a barbed wire but hidden under the ring steps. Lita ran in and jumped on Foley's back. With Lita on his back, Foley ran toward Edge and did his running clothesline spot where all three went over the top rope together. She landed right on her BUTT, which is a lot better than landing on her head. Foley used a neck breaker on the entrance ramp. Edge hip tossed Foley into the ring steps and Foley took the bump hard on his hip. He then whipped Foley into the steps and he took a header. Edge pulled out a table and set it up near the ring. He whipped Foley on the entrance ramp and his head hit the grilling hard. He poured lighter fluid on Foley. Edge DDT'd Foley on a broiler pan after Lita distracted him. Edge hit Foley in the chest and back with the barbed wire bat, then tore up his head with it and gave him a facebuster on it. Foley poured thumb tacks and gave Edge a back suplex on the thumb tacks. Edge had tons of tacks sticking in his back. Foley pulled out Mr. Socko and wrapped him in barbed wire, and put both Lita and Edge in the claw. Lita bled from the mouth. The finish saw Foley pour lighter fluid on the table. Lita hit Foley in the knees with a barbed wire bat. Lita lit the table on fire. Edge then speared Foley, who was on the apron, and both went through the flaming table with Edge on top for the pin. Fans gave Foley a standing ovation after the match. **** Next was a freak show segment. Booker T was looking for Boogeyman. Instead, he saw Paul Burchill practicing his fencing technique. Gene Snitsky practicing his toe sucking technique on Mae Young, Ted DiBiase doing a retro Million Dollar Man gimmick where he asked Eugene to bounce the basketball 100 times and kicked it away at 98. Goldust was there wearing a dress and hitting on Booker. 5. Boogeyman beat Booker T & Sharmell T in 3:52. Boogeyman was wearing this fur all over to cover up his born left biceps. They didn't do much of anything, but what they did looked terrible. They really couldn't do much since Boogeyman was hurt. Boogeyman pulled a huge handful of worms out of his pocket and ate them. There looked like there were 200 of them. He then kissed Sharmell, who ran off with worm drool all over her mouth. Boogey then pinned Booker immediately with the neck hanging tree slam. Booker T was the one guy after the show who was not at all happy with his match and how he was used. -* 6. Mickie James won the WWE women's title from Trish Stratus in 8:48. Crowd wasn't into it early, but they sure were by the end. Stratus kicked the ringpost and sold her left leg for much of the match. James wrapped her leg around the post. At this point a "Let's Go Mickie" chant started which ended up being the real story of the match. Very quickly, the crowd started booing the hell out of Stratus. Stratus did a tremendous job in the match in carrying James, who was also better than usual. Stratus failed going for the Stratusfaction. James came back to do the move, but they both collapsed and fell in a heap. It appeared that was the finish, or whatever they were doing got botched. They just got up and James hit a very weak looking kick and pinned her. ** Vince led the McMahon family in a hilarious prayer to God. Vince was roasted, like he had spent a month in a tanning bed, complete with blisters and had then put on 40 coats of that self-tanning stuff that makes you orange instead of tan. He knew God didn't like him, but he was going to send God's favorite wrestler to hell. Unless God told Shawn personally this week that he wants to be used in a wrestling angle with Vince and let Shawn make money merchandising him, somehow I wouldn't think he's really God's favorite wrestler 7. Undertaker beat Mark Henry in a casket match in 9:26. A nothing match The only thing saving it from being a bad match is that toward the finish Undertaker did this insane running dive over the top. Now granted, he's done that on big shows before, but there was a casket on the floor and he had to jump over the ropes and clear the casket, or he'd be in a lot of trouble. This is a 44-year-old man with a destroyed body due to injuries who is 6-9 and around 300 pounds doing this. He did it, flew, landed on Henry. Then, almost as scary he picked up the 400-pounder with a tombstone piledriver. For anyone under 300, that's not a big deal, but that's a lot of weight to hold, and one slip, and that's not a pretty thought. It turned out fine, in that neither Undertaker nor Henry was hurt. It didn't turn out fine as far as being a good match. * 1/2 8. Shawn Michaels pinned Vince McMahon in 18:28 in a street fight. After Michaels' bashed Vince's head in with his first object, the entire Spirit Squad ran in for distraction No. I. They the upsy daisy on Michaels, but Kenny missed a legdrop off the top rope. Michaels got the megaphone and cleaned house on all five guys. The big move was Michaels left with Kenny, and he hip tossed him over the top rope. Kenny flew like he was shot out of a cannon and his team caught him. That was the end of their first Mania. Vince was already bleeding badly from above the eye. Vince whipped Michaels many times with his belt. Big-time heat here. Shane McMahon came out and beat on Michaels with a kendo stick. Michaels came back with a low blow and handcuffed Shane to the ropes. Michaels destroyed Vince and Shane with hard kendo stick shots and nailed Vince with a hard chair to the head. Vince really did almost nothing, and no wrestling, but it was carried because he felt Michaels hit him as hard as he could with objects, not to mention Michaels' incredible facial expressions that kept people with it in what was really a one-sided slaughter devoid of any usual psychology, while Shane was handcuffed and had to watch. He would tease doing a superkick, then hold up, then make faces, beat Vince around, tease it again. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. The climax was he pulled out a 15 foot ladder, put Vince on a table, put the garbage can over his head, and came off with an elbow drop. Michaels finally hit the superkick for the win. Vince was carried out on a stretcher, but flipped off the audience on his way out. ***1/2 9. Rey Mysterio won the WWE title in a three-way over champ Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in 9:18. Mysterio got a big ring entrance with the band P.O.D. from Chula Vista playing his entrance music, and him coming out with a big Mayan headdress like Canek used to wear and Mil Mascaras sometimes wore. This was a fast paced excellent match with an abrupt finish. Orton hit Angle with a belt shot. Mysterio came off the ropes but Orton hit him with a backdrop. Orton was behind Mysterio and then Angle got behind Orton and lifted, basically German suplexing Orton who in turn threw Mysterio into orbit. Angle at one point threw Mysterio overhead into a hurricanrana on Orton. At this point the crowd started with a "Let's Go Angle" chant and then turned on Mysterio and started booing his offense. They booed his attempt at a 619, and cheered when Angle did the ankle lock off it like on TV. Mysterio tapped, but Orton had ref Charles Robinson distracted so he missed it. Angle then put the ankle lock on Orton. and Orton tapped, but Mysterio had Robinson distracted. Orton used an RKO on Angle, but Angle kicked out. Angle was being booked as superman since he was losing his title. Angle did a belly to belly off the top rope on Orton. Mysterio then nailed Angle with a 619 and springboard Thesz press but Angle kicked out. Angle did the Angle slam on Orton for a near fall. Mysterio then knocked Angle out of the ring and did a 619 on Orton and a springboard hurricanrana for the pin. The crowd booed Mysterio the entire match, but cheered when he won, although not the way it should have been. He went to the back and at that point Chavo & Vickie Guerrero came out to congratulate him. Crowd cheered a lot, but it was not the moment you would have expected from reading it. ***1/2 10. Torrie Wilson pinned Candice Michelle in 3:54 in the Playboy Pillow fight match. This was not the lingerie pillow fight people expected. It was more clothes tearing, bad wrestling, nobody cared this late in the show (it was designed to be crummy so HHH and Cena would get a fresh audience) type deal. Both ended up with their dressed torn and Wilson won with a schoolgirl. DUD 11. John Cena beat HHH in 22:02 to retain the WWE title. It was real clear this was portrayed as the main event. They had the most elaborate entrances, with HHH coming out as Konnan, and Cena coming out as a Chicago gangster with a bunch of gangsters in the car, many from OVW including C.M. Punk. It should be noted OVW star Colt Cabana was a druid for Undertaker earlier in the show. Fans seem to boo both men early, but Cena far more. HHH ended up getting cheered and worked almost as the face early. It was slow paced early. HHH did his Harley Race bump over the top. He also took a backdrop on the metal ramp. He whipped Cena into the steps. Cena did a big comeback and got booed. He did a hard clothesline, the five knuckle shuffle and STFU, but HHH got to the ropes. The heat in the last few minutes of the match was excellent and HHH really deserves credit for carrying this match. HHH laid out Cena and did the same DX crotch chop that Michaels did late in his match. Crowd popped real big for it. HHH got the sledge hammer and used it, but Cena kicked out. Cena used the FU, but HHH kicked out. HHH went for the pedigree, but Cena reversed it into the STFU and HHH tapped out. The last several minutes had excellent heat, as much people for and against Cena but in the end the tension for the match was strong. It was a better match than HHH vs. Batista was last year. ***3/4

Here is a list of WWE buyrates that I compiled throughout the year using the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. New Year’s Revolution 2005 - 367,000 2005 Royal Rumble - 570,000 No Way Out 2005 - 238,000 WrestleMania 21 - 985,000 Backlash 2005 - 310,000 Judgment Day 2005 - 260,000 ECW One Night Stand - 330,000 Vengeance 2005 - 427,000 Great American Bash ‘05 - 238,000 SummerSlam ‘05 - 534,000 Unforgiven 2005 - 225,000 No Mercy 2005 - 219,000 Taboo Tuesday 2005 - 215,000 19th Annual Survivor Series - 375,000 Armageddon 2005 - 290,000

My favorite SummerSlam is still 1992. The double main event that year was great. 97 - Also a good show (mainly for the Bret-Undertaker and Austin-Owen match-ups) 98 - A great show. Definately one of the best SummerSlams. 01 - IMO, the best from top to bottom. There were 2 matches that were bad but the rest is just great. 02 - Another great show. 05 - This show was a mix of good and bad. But overall I think that it's definately one of the better SummerSlam PPVs.

His WWE title victory over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004 & the celebration with Beniot at the end of WrestleMania XX are by far my favorite Eddie moments. He had lots of great moments that I will forever remember but those 2 stand out the most for me.

I decided to take a little break from this right now. The departure of CM Funk was a unexpected and we thought that we could handle the Raw results without him. However, we were unable to put them out as quickly as he did and that's when I decided to take a little break. We wil be back, I'm just not sure when. But when this is started up again there will be some changes.

In Your House: Unforgiven Greensboro, North Carolina - April 26, 1998 Free-For-All match: WWF Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws defeated Skull & 8-Ball in a non-title match after Billy hit Skull with a tag title belt behind the ref's back. (4:09) Pay-Per-View matches: WWF Unforgiven began with a mass of fireworks. Afterwards, Jim Ross talked about how Mr. McMahon would be watching the main event. The Can-Am Express (Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon) (w/Jim Cornette) defeated The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) (10:39) when Furnas pinned Gibson. ** ¼ Jim Cornette was thrown out within the first thirty seconds of the match for getting up on the ring apron. The Can-Am Express dominated most of the match until Morton made the hot tag to Gibson. Gibson came back with a flurry of offense, but LaFon regained control of the bout with a vicious flapjack off the ropes. Morton tried to run in but Furnas took him out. LaFon tagged Furnas in and Furnas gave Gibson a frankensteiner for the victory. After the match, JR said that the rivalry had been settled. A video package was shown of the Shamrock-Rock feud. Ken Shamrock defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion The Rock (7:51) by disqualification when The Nation of Domination interfered. ** ¾ Ken Shamrock assaulted The Rock for much of the match. Rock had some offense early on but the match was all about Shamrock. Shamrock used illegal chokes, eye rakes, and got Rocky's leg tied up in the ropes so he could kick at it. The announcers talked about how Shamrock wanted to destroy The Rock. After four belly-to-belly suplexes, Shamrock signaled for the ankle lock and was approaching the WWF Intercontinental Champion, cowering in the corner. Suddenly, all of the Nation were in the ring and they attacked the "World's Most Dangerous Man" for the DQ much to the audience's disapproval. However, Shamrock began to fight them all off. After the match, Shamrock went nuts and began suplexing every member of the Nation except for the exiled Ron Simmons…who did not come out to help The Rock. Once The Nation made their way to the backstage area, The Rock confronted Simmons. Simmons mentioned how he was "fired" so he wasn't going to waste his time They argued about his not helping out the Rock like the rest of the Nation did. Just as Simmons was about to leave, the Rock attacked him. Soon after the rest of the Nation joined in. Backstage, Kevin Kelly asked how much of a disappointment it was that after all this time, he still couldn't take the Rock's Intercontinental Title. Kelly was thrown to the ground and put in the ankle lock until referees jumped in. JR talked about how the next match had turned personal after Sasuke, the man who trained Taka, had disrespected him because of jealousy over Taka's soaring popularity. Sasuke won Taka's Light Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. Taka can gain revenge or Sasuke can pick up the decisive win here tonight. Taka Michinoku defeated WWF Light Heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke (17:28) in a “2/3 Falls” match to regain the title. **** ½ Fall #1- After some great back and forth action, Sasuke hit a Flying Space Tiger Drop to the outside, sending the match in his favor. Sasuke hit a gutwrench suplex off the top but Taka rolled out of the ring. Sasuke hit a devestating enziguri followed by a bridging tiger suplex for the three. Fall #2- Sasuke dominated most of this. However, his big mistake was going for the thunderfire powerbomb early, in which Taka rolled off his shoulder and hit an armdrag. Taka hit an amazing flurry of offense including a springboard missile dropkick and a headscissors takedown. Sasuke regained control with an undetected thumb to the eye, but his attempt at another Thunder Fire Powerbomb was reversed into a small package that got the pinfall for Taka. Fall #3- Sasuke regained control by immediately attacking challenger. Sasuke slowed down his offense and began to work on the neck of Taka with chinlocks and mat headscissors. However, Taka made a great comeback after a hard reverse elbow off a whip into the ropes that dazed the champion. The referee got to nine before both men got up and continued fighting. At this point, Sasuke was infuriated and barraged Taka with rights and lefts. Stiff kicks to the head preceeding a piledriver grounded Taka and it looked like the match was just about over. However, the attempted Asai moonsault hit Taka's knees and the challenger seemingly "hulked up" or had a rush of adrenaline from the crowd's raction. Taka then reversed an offensive maneuver, hit a brainbuster, tornado DDT and Michinoku Driver all in succession to regain the title. After the match, Taka asked Sasuke for a handshake. He received one and Sasuke raised Taka's arm. The two hugged afterwards to the fans' approval. Highlights were shown from Shotgun Saturday Night. Sable told Kevin Kelly that at the pay-per-view, she'd be in the corner of her friend Goldust no matter what her husband, Marc Mero thinks. Jeff Jarrett pinned Goldust (w/Sable) (7:20) after delivering “The Stroke.” ** Jarrett worked on Goldust's legs until Sable and the crowd got the Bizzare One back into the match. Goldust hit a great running powerslam for two. It appeared as if Goldust was about to score the victory with the Curtain Call when Marc Mero and his new manager, Jacqueline, came out and distracted him allowing Jarrett to hit his finisher. After the match, Goldust and Mero began brawling and had to be separated by several WWF officials. Sable looked upset at what was happening. She wouldn't get in the ring as the trained fighter Jacqueline was leaning over the ropes and taunting her. Kane (w/Paul Bearer) pinned The Undertaker (9:39) in a “No-Holds-Barred” match. ** Undertaker didn't do a slow walk to the ring as he just appeared behind Kane after the lights went out at the end of the Big Red Machine's entrance. He immediately began to work on Kane using submission holds and chokes to wear down his younger brother. Kane caught a break by rolling out of the ring and introducing weapons. Kane used chairs to slow the Undertaker. However, Undertaker sat up after three chairshots to the back. Kane tried to get Undertaker in a chokehold but "the Phenom" powered out and delivered a thunderous chokeslam to his brother, onto a chair. Suprisingly, Kane kicked out of this. Paul Bearer, with ugly scars on his face, made his way to the ring and attempted to throw a fireball at Undertaker. It missed and went nowhere. Undertaker punched Bearer in the face for this. The ending of the match came about when Big Van Vader came out an attacked Undertaker. Vader powerbombed Undertaker on the concrete floor outside the ring and then tossed him in the ring. Kane immediately made the pin attempt, however, Taker managed to kick out just before the 3 count. Kane then delivered the “Tombstone” piledriver and was then able to get the pinfall victory. Kane seemed very happy after the match, even going as far as to get on the ropes and raise his arms in celebration. Vader and Kane walked to the back together. DX (Shawn Michaels & WWF Television Champion Triple H) defeated The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) (12:47). *** ¼ Triple H and Animal started off the match, wrestling a slow pace with Michaels and Hunter methodically wearing Hawk down with work on his back. Animal was attacked on the outside by X-Pac and Chyna while the ref was distracted. Hunter had him in a chinlock for an extended period of time until Hawk made a comeback. It turned into an all out brawl when Animal got the tag. Michaels had a nice counter, reversing what was going to be a Doomsday Device into a victory roll for a nearfall. Chyna & X-Pac made another attempt to interfere in the match which didn't work, Chyna got bumped off the apron by Helmsley. The ending came about when X-Pac attempted to deliver a spin kick from the top rope. Hawk managed to catch him and tossed him outside the ring. Shawn Michaels then delivered the “Sweet Chin Music” just as Hawk turned around for the win. D-Generation X considered doing a beatdown after the match but didn't. The New Age Outlaws met them on the stage to offer congratulations. Cactus said that tonight, he wouldn't let what Vader did to the Undertaker happen to him. Actually, he would because he kind of liked it. But the pain that he would inflict upon Vader would be far worse and ultimately, win him the "Texas Death Match". A video package was aired of the Cactus Jack vs. Vader feud. JR said that while Jack couldn't beat the "new and improved" Vader, he continually came back for more punishment until Vader antagonized him to the point where he wanted to maim him. JR said that Cactus really is losing his sanity here and that he hopes Foley, who has two young children, doesn't endanger his life during this match but he knows he will. Cactus Jack pinned Big Van Vader (w/Paul Bearer) (19:46) in a “Texas Death match.” **** ½ Paul Bearer came out to ringside with Vader but was a non-factor in the match, he wouldn't dare mess with Foley. Early on Vader gave Cactus stiff shots that swelled up his ears, eyes and nose. Foley bled from the forehead after a very hard punch. However, he returned with a clothesline that knocked both men out of the ring and then a diving elbow off the apron. They brawled up the aisleway and to a sound area where Vader used some equipment to emit feedback sounds into Cactus' ears, completely disorienting Jack for several minutes. He then used the bell clap to do further damage. Lawler said it was unique offense. JR said that he probably discovered that when he beat up the control room guy two weeks prior. After Cactus regained his bearings (Vader took too long driving Cactus into the guardrails in the aisle), he hit a running clothesline that winded the big man. Cactus introduced a barbed wire board to irish whip Vader into. Vader ultimately whipped Cactus into the board and did a running avalanche into him in a ugly scene. Jack rolled out after freeing himself from the tangle and Vader followed. However, when Vader tried to whip his opponent knees first into the stairs for the second time in the match, Cactus blocked and slammed Vader's head into the stairs a total of six times, bloodying the "Mastadon". Cactus then sent a table into the ring. Cactus looked to superplex Vader through it. However, Vader reversed their positions and threw him into the table, almost breaking it. Vader tried to do the Vadersault on to Jack but it missed and the Mastadon fully went through the table. Cactus then capitalized and hit the double-arm DDT, for the victory. JR said it was the wildest WWF match in pay-per-view history. Owen Hart cut a promo about how he would be the Hart to beat Steve Austin. Backstage, Vince McMahon said that he wouldn't lower himself to getting involved in the WWF World Title matchup. Owen Hart defeated WWF Champion Steve Austin (20:38) by disqualification. **** Early on, the match revolved around Owen targeting Steve Austin's injured neck. Austin brawled but Owen seemed to have had his number by wounding the Rattlesnake with DDTs and neckbreakers. Austin continually reversed the piledriver that Owen wanted until Owen damaged his back (with backbreakers, of course) to the point that Austin wasn't strong enough to reverse the piledriver. Owen hit a piledriver that left the announcers speechless. Austin kicked out at what may have been 2.9999 seconds. Owen went for another one but this time, Austin was near enough to the ropes that he could grab them and rely on them to back body drop Owen. Austin then tripped Owen into the second rope and Owen was out cold while Austin took a breather. After a Lou Thesz Press, Austin hit all his signature brawling moves (stomps, clotheslines, punches and kicks) until he was in complete control. Unfortunately for him, Owen ducked a clothesline that sent him into the referee. Vince McMahon then tried to interfere in the match. While the referee was laying on the mat after being accidentally clotheslined, McMahon attempted to hit Steve Austin in the head with a steel chair. However, Austin was able to move just in time and Owen was nailed instead. The referee came to just as Owen was hit over the head with the chair shot and immediately called for the bell…and thus disqualifying the champion. After the match, Stone Cold delivered “Stone Cold Stunners” to the referee, Owen Hart & WWF owner Vince McMahon. JR said Vince McMahon deserved this one for sure. He said that Steve Austin was still the champion and that Vince was a "no-good liar" (while Lawler was silent) to end the show.

I just wanted everyone to know that CM Funk will no longer be able to write the Raw reults. Other things have come up and he just doesn't have the free time to do them anymore. I think that everyone who reads this thread should thank him for all the hard work and effort he put into those shows. He really added something to this thread. He will definately be missed. He will, however, by helping add more detail to the PPV shows. This may start with Unforgiven or maybe the show after that. It just depends on his schedule at this point. Myself and JMA will be taking over writing the Raw results at this point. They may not be as detailed as before, but we will try to do our best. I hope this will be a permanant thing, at least until we can find someone else to help out with them. However, we may not be able to keep doing the results. I guess time will tell. If, for some reason, we are no longer able to keep posting them, the PPV results will still continue. There will just a bit of a format change. I want to thank everyone who vicits this thread daily and reads our work. I hope that you all have enjoyed the work that we've done in the past and continue to enjoy the work that we post here. Finally, if there is anyone who would interested in helping us out with the Raw results, or would like to suggest any ideas, you can post in here or you can PM either myself or JMA. Thanks again everyone.

WWF Raw Long Island, NY April 20, 1998 Vince McMahon came out to the ring. He said that Owen Hart interfering in Vince McMahon's title match the previous week was unplanned and uncalled for. Therefore, Owen Hart would be fined $5000 pay. JR said the price was a little steep and that it wasn't the first time anybody interfered in a WWF Title match. However, it was announced that Owen Hart's victory over the Undertaker last week just happened to be for the #1 Contendership, making Owen Hart the new #1 contender to Austin's WWF Title. It will be Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart at Unforgiven. Lawler said neither Owen or Austin were at the arena yet, but later tonight, in this very ring fans would get the match they wanted to see. Steve Austin and a mystery tag team partner would face Owen Hart and his tag team partner.. Vince McMahon. Vince then made his way backstage. JR talked about events from Shotgun Saturday Night. Jeff Jarrett and the Godwinns did a beat down on Goldust and now he's ticked. Also, Taka Michinoku won the #1 Contendership to the Light heavyweight Title. Tonight, however, it would be tag team heaven- The Rock 'n' Roll Express get a Tag Team Title shot against The Road Warriors. Also, a match made right after Raw last week: Undertaker and Cactus Jack versus Vader and Kane-- the winning team gets to choose their own stipulations for their match at Unforgiven (Undertaker vs. Kane Pt. II, Cactus Jack vs. Vader for the last time this year). Outside the arena, two attractive females distracted the Rock 'n' Roll Express before their tag titles match against The Road Warriors. The R'n'R Express ended up leaving the building with them while Jim Cornette laughed in the background. Taka Michinoku and 2 Cold Scorpio defeated WWF Light heavyweight Champion Great Sasuke and Scott Taylor (with Brian Christopher) after Michinoku pinned Sasuke with a roll-up. (4:49) After the match, Sasuke roughed up Taylor and demanded that Michinoku get back in the ring for a singles match. JR said that it wouldn't be for the title, that match was this weekend. WWF Light heavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke defeated Taka Michinoku in a non-title impromptu match after an undetected low blow and a moonsault. (3:21) Sasuke taunted Michinoku after the match. Backstage, with the help of a translator, Taka Michinoku said he honored and respected his opponents, unlike Sasuke. Sasuke is a dirty fighter and does not love the fans like Taka does. Taka Michinoku said that he didn't just want to beat Sasuke once this weekend, he wanted to beat him twice. He demanded a 2/3 Falls Match. He said that he will win the Light heavyweight Title back at Unforgiven for all his WWF fans. Earlier tonight, D-Generation X was riling up the fans outside the arena as they waited in line. However, The Road Warriors came out and cut a promo on D-X while they just stood there. The Road Warriors asked D-X about their challenge the previous week. Helmsley accepted the match. Eventually, he got a good portion of the fans to give the crotch-chop to the Road Warriors. The New Age Outlaws then came out and issued a challenge of their own. Billy Gunn said that since The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express were apparently “busy” with something else why don’t they defend their titles against them instead. The Road Warriors quickly agreed. In a pre-taped promo, Cactus Jack said that he thought long and hard about it, but if he wins his match tonight, he'd like to fight Vader in a "Amputation" match, where the fight can only end when someone has lost a limb. He said he knew Vader would like that one. JR then said on commentary that WWF officials would not allow that to happen and that Cactus' stipulation had been changed to a "Cage match". JR also mentioned that the WWF board of directors would have a meeting next week to determine whether or not the Federation can "handle" Cactus Jack. The New Age Outlaws defeated WWF tag team Champions The Road Warriors to regain the titles. Late in the match, it appeared that the Warriors were about to retain their championship when Triple H came down to the ring to distract them. As the referee was trying to get Triple H to leave the ringside area, Shawn Michaels made his return to Raw and delivered the “Sweet Chin Music” to a distracted Hawk. Billy Gunn made the cover as the referee turned around and captured the tag titles for a 2nd time. After the match, Shawn Michaels, Triple H & The New Age Outlaws delivered a beat down to the fallen Road Warriors. Shawn Michaels then got on the mic. He first announced that the New Age Outlaws were apart of DX. He then announced that at Unforgiven it would be The Road Warriors taking on Shawn Michaels & Triple H. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express were shown getting out of a car with 2 women when they were attacked by Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon. Jim Cornette hit both guys over the head with his tennis rack. He then said that this would be their fate at Unforgiven when they take on Furnas & LaFon…The Can-am Express. Sable was interviewed backstage while she wore a skimpy top. Michael Cole was eventually distracted by her chest. She blushed, but wasn't offended. Marc Mero walked in, said "he saw Cole on the monitor" and threw him into a bunch of boxes. Mero said that he "paid for those" and grabbed Sable and dragged her off again. Owen Hart arrived at the arena and found Vince McMahon. He said that he heard about being named the #1 contender and thought it was a great idea. He then asked Vince what that "other thing was".Vince then said Owen had two choices- he could either pay a $5000 fine for his misdeeds the previous week or be Vince's tag partner for some retribution against Steve Austin later on in the evening. Owen seemed very angry for a second or two. Owen then reluctantly took the match. Vince then told him that they could go train in another room for their match later tonight. Undertaker came out to the ring and got on the mic, something he rarely does. Last week, Kane decided to continue their feud. He knew he was the one who attacked him when the lights went out because he "could smell the scent" when Kane used the urn containing their parents' ashes to hit him over the head. Undertaker told Kane to Undertaker said he wished that they would move on, but if it means that he had to beat Kane one more time, he'd do it. He said that his choice stipulation for Unforgiven was a Casket Match. Kane would get a dose of his own medicine and Rest--in-- Undertaker was interrupted by the TitanTron shot of a hearse pulling into the arena. Kane and Vader got out of the hearse with Vader carrying Kane's urn that was stolen from The Undertaker. Their tag match is up next. When Raw came back, JR said that Vader and Kane hadn't picked their stipulations for the PPV, should they win. Vader and Kane defeated Mick Foley and Undertaker in a No Disqualification match when Vader dented Undertaker's urn on Cactus Jack's head while Undertaker was tied up in the ropes. (7:38) After the match, the urn was severely damaged after two weeks of abuse so Kane somewhat reluctantly allowed Vader to shove what seemed to be the ashes of his and The Undertaker's parents in the Dead Man's mouth (he spit them out, however). Vader then tossed the urn away, destroying the Undertaker's prized possession forever. JR said this was the most sick and depraved act in WWF history. He said Kane and Vader were going to Hell. A replay was shown of the ending to the previous match. Afterwards, Mick Foley was going to be stretchered out but attacked officials who tried to help him. He then checked on the Undertaker, who was visibly upset with what happened. JR said that if that doesn't make the Undertaker/Kane match more heated, nothing will. WWF World Heavyweight Champion Steve Austin made his way to the ring. He said that he wasn't an "idiot", he knew there was a conspiracy between McMahon and Owen but he said that didn't matter, he'd still kick both of their asses. He also said that he didn't know who or what his tag team partner would be later tonight, but hell, he didn't need him. Austin said that he'd run over Owen Hart at the pay-per-view just like he did all those other times. And if Vinnie Mac wanted to interfere in Stone Cold's business, he'd find himself on the receiving end of another stunner. That's the Bottom Line, 'cause Stone Cold said so. Backstage, Vader and Kane talked to a somewhat startled Vince McMahon in his office. Kane said he liked the last match so much, he wanted it again- Undertaker vs. Kane in a No Disqualification match at Unforgiven. This time, Kane could do ANYTHING to win. Vader's choice was a little bit more on the wild side- he demanded Cactus Jack in a "Texas Death" match. The Mastodon said he'd make Cactus Jack bleed until it wasn't legal anymore. Vince was very reluctant at first until Vader began to inch closer to him. He agreed to both stipulations for Unforgiven. As they left, Vince said that if Kane and Vader wanted to get on his "good side", they'd find it very benefiting. The duo didn't respond. A video package of the Shamrock/Rock feud was shown, updated for last week. Backstage, The Rock cut a short promo about how Shamrock was a "thief" but Ron Simmons had a foolproof plan to get back his Intercontinental Title later tonight. Vince McMahon hinted at Austin's partner to Kevin Kelly, saying he was a former "wrestling champion" and a true legend of the business. Ken Shamrock (carrying the Intercontinental Title) and Steve Blackman defeated Mark Henry and Ron Simmons when Simmons tapped out to Shamrock's ankle lock. (4:53) The Rock was on commentary during the match, he said that Shamrock's "magic trick" the previous week was not funny at all. However, win or lose, Ron Simmons would get his WWF Intercontinental Title back during the match tonight "guaranteed" and be accepted back into the Nation. The Intercontinental Title was only feet away from The Rock at ringside (with the timekeeper). Lawler asked Rock why he didn't just steal it back from Shamrock now. He said that this was a test of Ron Simmons. Simmons wasn't able to do it during or after the match due to the punishment he took. However, as soon as the bell rung the Rock bolted over to the timekeeper's table, stole his belt back and took off. Shamrock really didn't seem to care. After the match, he delivered a belly-to-belly to the 400-pound Henry. After the commercial break, WWF Intercontinental Champion The Rock said (with the rest of the Nation, minus Simmons) that Ron Simmons had once again failed the Nation and was hereby exiled from the group. The Rock warned Simmons not to mess with them or he might find himself on the end of an ass-kicking. Goldust cut a promo on Jeff Jarrett. He said that his father always told him, "never trust a Jarrett". He found that out the hard way on Shotgun Saturday Night when they beat him down when he wasn't looking. However, Goldust said he would gain some retribution tonight. Goldust and Tom Brandi defeated The Godwinns (with Jeff Jarrett) when Goldust delivered the Curtain Call to Henry O. (2:38) After the match, Jarrett smashed a guitar over the head of Brandi to send a message to Goldust. Owen talked to Michael Cole backstage. He was asked his thoughts on tagging with Vince later in the evening. He said that he was ticked, but he would take any opportunity to take the title from the man his brother couldn't beat, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Owen said there was no conspiracy between him and McMahon. He said that he only had a vendetta against Austin. He said that the match this weekend will settle their rivalry, once and for all. Owen said he worked eight years to get this match and he wasn't going to blow it. Owen said that the WWF Owner would have to step aside for the King of Harts. JR hyped the Unforgiven card. Just announced, The Rock 'n' Roll Express vs. the Can-Am Express The Undertaker vs. Kane in a No-DQ Match Big Van Vader vs. Cactus Jack in a "Texas Death Match" Goldust vs. Jeff Jarrett The Great Sasuke vs. Taka Michinoku in a 2/3 Falls match for the WWF Light heavyweight title (Sasuke accepted the stipulation) The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock for the WWF Intercontinental title The Road Warriors v. WWF Television Champion Triple & Shawn Michaels Owen Hart vs. Steve Austin. For the WWF World title Owen Hart and Vince McMahon defeated Steve Austin and Gerald Brisco when Austin was rolled up by Owen while he was distracted by McMahon. (8:26) After Austin made his entrance, Gerald Brisco (Vince McMahon's lackey) was brought out to the ring as his "wrestling legend" partner. From that point on the match was pretty much Owen vs. Austin (Austin refused to let Brisco in) with McMahon making distractions and taking no damage. After the match, Vince McMahon got on the mic and bragged about how he now had a victory over the WWF Champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin. He said that Owen was a formidable tag partner and said that his chances of winning at Unforgiven were "great". Vince said he'd watch it all go down from his ringside seat this Sunday at the pay-per-view. An angry Austin then found Gerald Brisco on the outside of the ring and suplexed him through an announce table to end the show.

WWF Raw Syracuse, NY April 6, 1998 Vince McMahon came to the ring to open the show and tried to justify his actions the previous week to the crowd. He said that after he personally had Austin released, the Rattlesnake had learned his lesson..the hard way. Nobody bought it, but he said that tonight, the fans would see a new and improved Steve Austin. Tonight's main event, a huge match, The Rock vs. The Undertaker. JR said Terry Funk would return to do battle with Owen Hart, while Cactus Jack gets a rematch with Big Van Vader, and this time, it's falls count anywhere, and it is next. Big Van Vader defeated Cactus Jack in a Falls-Count-Anywhere match when Kane interfered to help him make the cover. (11:05) Cactus seemingly had it won when he hit an elbowdrop off the stage onto Vader that broke a table. However, Kane interfered and dragged Vader on top of Cactus for the cover. JR was confused as to why Kane would help the Mastadon. However, he said that Cactus still couldn't beat Vader. Backstage, Kane told Big Van Vader that they both wanted to get to the top of the WWF by destroying everything in sight. Kane asked Vader to form an alliance with him, and once they got to the top of the mountain, they could settle it between themselves. Kane extended his hand and Vader shook it. The Rock 'n' Roll Express partied with ladies backstage. Triple H, Chyna and X-Pac came to the ring to the D-X music. Helmsley did his "let's get ready to suck it" line for the first time. Triple H did a speech about how D-X would revolutionize everything and talked about the DX army before the Road Warriors made their way to the stage. The Road Warriors reminded them that they still wanted revenge while X-Pac and Helmsley pretended to be scared. The Warriors told them that maybe soon, they'll put THEM through the announce tables. At this point JR said "no, no thanks". D-X then "apologized" to the WWF Tag Team Champions before returning to themselves and putting D-X over more before the segment ended. The Quebecers defeated The Rock 'n' Roll Express when the referee didn't detect Jim Cornette interfering to hit Ricky Morton over the head with a tennis racket. (4:34) After the match, Cornette, Furnas and LaFon laughed at the Express as they made their way up the ramp. A vignette for Val Venis aired. In it, he said he was going to explode once he entered the World Wrestling Federation and shook it to its core. WWF Lightheavyweight Champion The Great Sasuke and Taka Michinoku defeated Aguila and Pantera after double moonsaults. (7:36) After the match, Sasuke seemingly argued with Taka over why he had to cover Pantera as well even though he wasn't the legal man. Taka blew him off and tried to walk away, but Sasuke gave him an enziguri to the back of the head. Sasuke rubbed the Lightheavyweight Championship belt in his face. Backstage, a translator for Sasuke said that while Sasuke is the Lightheavyweight Champion, he is enraged that the lightheavyweight division is still being built around Taka Michinoku. Sasuke said that all he wanted was the fans' approval. In the back, Vince McMahon addressed a bunch of photographers on how he wanted the pictures taken for later that night. The New Age Outlaws defeated Skull and 8-Ball when Billy Gunn pinned Skull after a DDT. (3:47) Afterwards, Jim Ross said that this victory might put the Outlaws back in tag title contention. Backstage, Triple H and X-Pac broke into the Road Warriors' locker room and urinated all over their shoulderpads. Jerry Lawler loved it. Goldust pinned Marc Mero with the Curtain Call after Mero was distracted after he accidentally bumped Sable off the apron. (4:46) After the match, Goldust carried the unconscious Sable to the back while Mero stood there furious. Backstage, Jeff Jarrett played "Dueling Banjos" on his guitar while his newfound buddies, the Godwinns, danced to the music. Backstage, Vince was telling other members of the board of directors on how Steve Austin was going to represent the WWF well in the future. He said that his limo would be here soon. The Road Warriors went into their locker rooms and commented on how it "smelled like piss". Jeff Jarrett (with the Godwinns) defeated 2 Cold Scorpio when he submitted to the Figure-Four leglock. (3:03) After the match, Jarrett's efforts were applauded by his pals. The Rock came out to the ring with the NOD (minus Ron Simmons). He addressed Ron Simmons, saying he wasn't "at the level he needed to be". He then publicly fired Ron Simmons from the Nation (even though he's the leader) but said "no hard feelings". Just then, a Ken Shamrock vignette came on the screen. Shamrock said that they "weren't through" and next week, he'd be back for a piece of The Rock's ass. The Rock then cut a promo as if Shamrock were actually live and listening to him, eventually saying he could kiss The Rock's ass and die. The Undertaker defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion The Rock by disqualification in a non-title bout when the Nation of Domination interfered after Rock took a tombstone. (4:56) Afterwards, Ron Simmons ran out to the ring only to watch Undertaker destroy the Nation. Simmons chose not to get involved while The Rock yelled for his help. Afterwards, a pre-taped vignette from Paul Bearer was aired. Paul Bearer said on behalf of Kane that the war was not over. He also complained about his scarred face. Bearer said that Undertaker was going to pay. Undertaker ignored most of it while walking to the back. The limo that was sent for Steve Austin has arrived at the arena. Steve Austin got out of it, smiling and wearing a suit. He greeted Jack Brisco with a smile. Owen Hart defeated Terry Funk when he made him submit to the Sharpshooter. (5:33) Hart wouldn't let go of the move after the match. Once it was stopped, he celebrated like he had won the WWF Title. He looked into a camera and said "This is for you, Bret" before celebrating further. JR said that maybe Owen deserves a WWF Title shot. JR announced that the NWA Champion Dan Severn would soon be making his debut on Raw. Vince McMahon came out to the ring to introduce the reformed "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin came out wearing a suit and tie. A dozen photographers surrounded the ring. Vince asked the audience to clap for the new and improved Stone Cold. Vince asked Austin to tell the audience why he had changed (even though he had heard it before). Austin slowly said that while he was in prison, he came to the realization that he couldn't beat Vince McMahon. Austin then told the photographers to snap some photos of him and Vince. During the photographs, Austin told Vince to savor the photos, because that would be the last time he'd see him wearing those "stupid" clothes. Austin then took off his suit and dress pants until he was in his regular t-shirt and jean shorts. Vince whined about "promises" until Austin mentioned "DTA" and kicked him in the testicles again. Photographers snapped pictures of Vince's reaction as Austin left. While Vince was down on the mat, he said if Austin wanted to beat him so badly, they'll fight next week. He said that next week, it would be "Stone Cold" Austin vs. Vince McMahon. Austin began to smile as he went up the ramp.

I've decided to post the roster that is currently competing in the WWF. Roster as of March 30, 1998 Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWF World Champion The Rock - WWF Intercontinental Champion The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) - WWF World tag team Champions Triple H - WWF Television Champion The Great Sasuke - WWF Light Heavyweight Champion DeGeneration X Shawn Michaels, Triple H & X-Pac The Nation of Domination Ron Simmons, The Rock, D’Lo Brown, Mark Henry & Kama Mustafa Cactus Jack/Mankind Big Van Vader Owen Hart The Undertaker Kane Ken Shamrock Jeff Jarrett Goldust Marc Mero Steve Blackman The Patriot Dan Severn Bob Holly Bart Gunn Barry Windham Bradshaw Chainz 2 Cold Scorpio Taka Michinoku Brian Christopher Scott Taylor Aguila Pantera The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & The Road Dogg) The Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull & 8-Ball) The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon The Godwinns (Henry & Phinneas) Managers Sable Jim Cornette Paul Bearer Coming Soon Al Snow Val Venis Droz Jacqueline Edge Christian Gangrel Funaki Dick Togo Mens Toeh The Hardy Boys (Jeff & Matt Hardy) If there are any matchups, feuds or angles that you would like see happen please feel free to let us know.

What did everyone think of the WrestleMania XIV preview? We've been thinking of doing previews like that for the PPVs all of the time instead of doing the Raw results. What does everyone else think? Should we continue with the Raw results? Or should we just do the PPV previews from now on? I hope that all of our faithful readers enjoyed WrestleMania XIV. We feel that it was one of our best PPVs to date.

WrestleMania XIV Boston, Massachusetts - March 29, 1998 (4 hours long) Free-For-All match The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express defeated Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon (w/Jim Cornette) (5:39) when Richard Morton pinned Furnas. ** Pay-Per-View matches: WWF Light Heavyweight Championship match Taka Michinoku v. The Great Sasuke Sasuke won the title from Taka (11:18) after executing a moonsault from the tope. **** ¼ The Disciples of Apocalypse (Chainz, Skull & 8-Ball) v. The Nation of Domination (Ron Simmons, D’Lo Brown & Kama Mustafa) The DOA win the match (7:32) when Chainz pins Simmons after Mark Henry “accidentally” hit him with a steel chair. * ¾ Ahmed Johnson v. Jeff Jarrett Jarrett pinned Ahmed (8:33) after using his guitar as a weapon. * ½ Goldust v. Marc Mero (w/Sable) “The Wild Man” scored the pinfall victory over Goldust (9:57) after delivering the TKO. *** “Boot Camp” match for the WWF Television Championship Triple H (w/Chyna) v. Sgt. Slaughter Helmsley scored the victory (12:49) after delivering the “Pedigree” to Slaughter. Throughout the match, Chyna interfered several times. ** WWF tag team Championship match The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & The Road Dogg) v. The Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal) The Road Warriors regained the titles (10:22) after delivering the “Doomsday Device” to Gunn. ** ¼ Cactus Jack v. Big Van Vader Vader get the pinfall victory over Cactus (16:08) after delivering a powerbomb and the executing a moonsault from the top rope. **** ¼ WWF Intercontinental Championship match The Rock v. Ken Shamrock The Rock retained the title over Shamrock (7:34) by reverse decision. Shamrock originally won the match, and the title, but he continued to assault Rock after the match. As several officials tried to stop him he attacked them as well. The referee the then reversed his original decision and awarded the match to the Rock by disqualification. *** Owen Hart v. Shawn Michaels Owen scored a pin fall victory over The Heartbreak Kid (20:53) by reversing a small package. **** The Undertaker v. Kane (w/Paul Bearer) Undertaker pinned Kane (13:28) after delivering 3 “Tombstone” pilerivers. After the match, Kane got a steel chair from ringside and hit Taker over the head with. He then delivered a “Tombstone” piledriver of his own on the chair. ** ½ WWF World Championship Match Bret “Hitman” Hart v. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Special referee: Mike Tyson Austin pinned Hart (28:13) after executing the “Stone Cold Stunner” to capture the WWF Championship. **** ¾

WrestleMania XIV Preview WWF World Heavyweight Title Bret "Hitman" Hart © vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin w/ special guest referee Mike Tyson In the main event of one of the most important WrestleMania’s ever, Bret Hart will defend his newly won WWF World Title against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Their storied rivalry goes all the way back to SummerSlam '96, when the then "King of the Ring" Austin lost a World Title match to Shawn Michaels after an altercation with special guest referee Bret Hart. Two months later at an In Your House PPV, Bret pinned Austin in their first match after he was able to reverse a sleeper hold. Austin would go on to beat Bret in tag matches, but he never could pin him with the Stunner. During 1997's Royal Rumble, Austin unfairly came back in and eliminated the "Hitman" before going on to win, something Hart took very personally. The next month, however, Bret caused the "Rattlesnake" to pass out from pain in a Submission match. Austin never tapped to the Sharpshooter but still lost the match. When that match was over, though, Bret left to jeers while Steve Austin had earned the respect of the WWF fans. Bret went on to form the Hart Foundation, and they ganged up on the Rattlesnake numerous times, even costing him the title at Cold Day in Hell. Bret and Austin's last in-ring PPV battle was at Canadian Stampede 1997, a tag match which Austin took the pinfall in. While Bret soon went on to win his third and fourth WWF Championships, Steve Austin captured and then vacated the Intercontinental belt before winning 1998's Royal Rumble to get the WrestleMania title shot. When it was announced that pro boxer Mike Tyson would be the referee for this huge fight, Stone Cold took it upon himself to get introduced. After an in-ring brawl, it is safe to say there is no love lost between the World's Baddest Man and the Texas Rattlesnake. Regardless of Tyson's affiliation, Austin is determined to win his first World Title at the PPV and become the new top star of the WWF. It may happen at WrestleMania XIV. Special note- As an added stipulation, neither champion or challenger is allowed to throw punches during the course of the match. This may tip the scales in favor of "The Hitman". Brother vs. Brother- The Undertaker vs. Kane Paul Bearer and the Undertaker have a storied history dating back to the Undertaker's debut. Bearer was Undertaker's manager and only friend from early on in his career to his shocking turn at SummerSlam 1996. After months of having his new protégés trumped by the Deadman, Bearer hit the jackpot while Undertaker reigned as WWF Champion. Bearer uncovered a secret he could use against the Undertaker- his brother Kane, once believed to be dead, was still alive! In fact, Kane had been waiting and training for 20 years to fight the Undertaker, the man he believed to have set the fire that claimed his parents. Bearer and Kane teamed up to get rid of the man they hated most. Upon discovering the existence of Kane, Bearer alluded to and even bragged about the return of his brother after Undertaker would defend the title. However, it wasn't until In Your House: Bad Blood, after the first Hell in a Cell match, that Kane would finally appear. He Tombstoned The Undertaker, and cost him a World Title shot. You'd think this would provoke The Undertaker to attack his brother, but he wouldn't. In fact, he completely ignored Kane for months, preferring to challenge for the WWF Title. While Kane and Bearer did everything they could to get under the Dead Man's skin, he wouldn't budge. However, when Kane finally did face off with the Undertaker in the ring, neither man wished to fight his own flesh and blood, or so it seemed. This began several weeks of The Undertaker forming an alliance with Kane, and it seemed like the two were on terms again, much to Paul Bearer's dismay. However, it was quickly revealed to be a ruse to get inside The Undertaker's head when Kane turned on his brother and violently attacked him with a sledgehammer while he was locked inside a casket. The Undertaker disappeared for weeks to think his life through, while Kane went on a path of destruction that devastated the entire Federation. When Undertaker came back though, it was clear that he now knew what he had to do- face up to his brother. Undertaker returned, scarring his former mentor Paul Bearer with a fireball and attacking Kane. Now that Undertaker is ready to fight, Kane promises to finish his brother off once and for all before he challenges the top of the WWF roster. Undertaker is looking for revenge, and may get it at WrestleMania XIV. Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels have both had illustrious WWF careers. Both have put on dazzling performances at pay-per-views and have gathered the hate of fans with their antics in recent years. However, both men seem to have a mutual dislike for one another that has lasted all this time. Michaels' constant disrespectful behavior has even provoked the "King of Harts" to cut a perverse, foul promo on HBK that almost got Raw thrown off television! Shawn Michaels has lost cleanly to both Owen and Bret Hart in the last month, including being pinned by Owen at No Way Out of Texas. In this battle of major egos, Shawn Michaels looks for a victory and tries to regain some of his dignity as Owen tries to make it 2-0 against the Showstopper. Regardless of the outcome, this could likely be the most technically sound wrestling match of Sunday's PPV. WWF Tag Team Titles The New Age Outlaws © vs. The Road Warriors In October of 1997, Jesse Jammes and Billy Gunn formed the team that would soon be known as the "New Age Outlaws" to absolutely no fanfare. Within two months, they were the new WWF Tag Team Champions and had taken the Road Warriors out of the promotion. Throughout the Outlaws' four month reign, they have committed some of the most dastardly and heinous acts ever witnessed on World Wrestling Federation television. They've put the Road Warriors through the announce tables, pushed hardcore legends Cactus Jack and Terry Funk off the stage in a dumpster, and cut profane and homophobic interviews that have offended and disgusted absolutely everyone. However, as of the No Way Out pay-per-view, The Road Warriors are back and better than ever! Undefeated since their return, the Road Warriors dominated the tag team rankings. After winning the tag team contenderships in a 10-team battle royal, the Warriors got the rematch they were looking for. Can the Road Warriors regain what is rightfully theirs or will the Outlaws shut down the famous duo and continue their run? We'll find out. WWF Intercontinental Title The Rock © vs. Ken Shamrock Ken Shamrock's pinfall victory on the WWF Intercontinental Champion at the No Way Out pay-per-view was enough to garner him a Intercontinental Title shot. However, the obnoxious Maivia refuses to fight as a champion should and has performed sneak attacks on Shamrock in recent weeks. After finding out of his title shot, Shamrock defeated a competitor in a quick submission victory. However, the Nation conducted a beat down after the match that left Shamrock with internal bruising and a damaged eye and retinal bone. One week later, after a NOD tag match, Shamrock appeared to get revenge on The Rock. After dominating a quick brawl, "The World's Most Dangerous Man" took a devastating elbow to the eye that may spell the end of his career. Two weeks later the courageous and valiant Ken Shamrock returned to fight in a tag match that he clearly wasn't ready for. However, even while partially blind, Shamrock delivered a belly-to-belly suplex to the "People's Champion" that, if done correctly at WrestleMania, will earn him the Intercontinental Title. That's a long shot though, as on last Monday night's Raw, Rocky savagely beat on Shamrock's skull with a chair, requiring urgent medical attention. We all know how tough "The World's Most Dangerous Man" really is, but if he chooses to go along with this match on Sunday, he may not just lose the match, but also lose an eye. That, we'll have to see. WWF Television Title Hunter Hearst Helmsley © vs. Sgt. Slaughter in a Boot Camp match For months now, Triple H has seemed to have some sort of grudge towards Sgt. Slaughter and all his booking decisions. No matter what situation he was put in, Triple H has always been complaining about "unfair treatment" from the WWF Commissioner. Slaughter was the one who gave Triple H the opportunity to win his WWF Television Title, but that gets no recognition from one-half of D-Generation X. In recent weeks though, the war between the commissioner and Helmsley has been escalating though, with Slaughter even being provoked the point of attacking the champion grappler. Helmsley also gave the Sarge a serious headache after he roughly kicked a door into the commissioner's face. However, Triple H crossed the line when he dedicated an entire segment to embarrassing and humiliating Slaughter. This provoked him to make an impromptu return to the ring, where he thought he was going to face former rival Pat Patterson in a "Boot Camp" match, his own specialty. Instead, this was a setup for Helmsley to conduct a beat down on the WWF official that was an attempt to completely ruin his legacy. The damage to Slaughter's mind and career were so great that Vince McMahon removed him from his commissioner duty. Having lost his respect, job and possibly his sanity, Slaughter went over the edge, throwing a barrel of waste at the exiting Helmsley on a recent edition of Raw. Slaughter is allowed to be a competitor on WWF television, but possibly needs a win at the PPV to keep his spot on the roster. Slaughter is battling for everything in this match while Helmsley wants to kill the legend of the American soldier. This may be one of the most passionate and intense battles at WrestleMania XIV. Grudge Match- Cactus Jack vs. Big Van Vader Vader's surprise attack on Cactus Jack at No Way Out sparked some controversy- and for good reason. Fans may remember Vader and Cactus' violent feud during the early 90's that ended with Mick Foley (Jack) losing three-quarters of his ear! Since then, the deranged Jack has been persistent in attacking Vader, even after Vader nearly broke his back with a brutal powerbomb on to the steel ramp! When Big Van Vader fights Cactus Jack at WrestleMania, we'll see which man is the toughest. Plus.. WWF LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT TITLE- Taka Michinoku vs. Great Sasuke At this year's Royal Rumble, Taka Michinoku defeated 2 Cold Scorpio in the finals of the Light heavyweight Championship tournament to become the first ever champion. Since then, he has defended it in spectacular matches, stunning fans and critics alike. Taka now faces his toughest opponent to date in The Great Sasuke. Like Michinoku, Sasuke is one of Japan's top light heavyweight stars and can dazzle the fans with amazing high-risk offense. Both men have a mutual respect for one another, however they will take each other to the limit in their WrestleMania match. Both challenger and champion have been carefully watching the other's recent matches to see how they can outdo the other. This upcoming match, which has already made Japanese sports media, may just steal the spotlight at WrestleMania XIV. Ahmed Johnson vs. Jeff Jarrett In 1996, when Jeff Jarrett was on his way out of the WWF, a young upstart named Ahmed Johnson was just making his debut. Now, almost two years later, Jeff Jarrett has made his return and has seemingly targeted Ahmed Johnson. Singing offensive country songs behind his back, Jarrett uses every opportunity to make fun of the talented wrestler-- unless it's in front of his face. As of late, the cowardly Jarrett has been avoiding a confrontation with the Pearl River Powerhouse, but this match will happen on the grandest stage of them all. Goldust vs. Marc Mero As of late, Goldust has come to the aid of women in distress. First saving Marlena from the rampage of Kane, now he's taken offense to Marc Mero's recent tirades against his wife Sable. Marc Mero then lost to Goldust on the next week's edition Shotgun Saturday Night but once again blamed his loss on Sable. Goldust tried to talk some sense into him, only to get Mero's finisher, the TKO. After a recent tag team match, Mero even went so far as to make Sable watch Goldust being thrown into a brick wall! This has gone on too far, and at WrestleMania, Goldust will attempt to knock some sense into Marc Mero. The Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Ron Simmons, D'Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa While the Disciples of Apocalypse have always had problems with the Nation, recently the NOD tipped over their bikes, prompting a violent parking lot brawl that made WWF TV. This outcome of this match will show which group has the most unity and strength. It's going to be a slobberknocker.