by Adam King

March 28, 1999
Live from the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Earlier on Sunday Night Heat: Jacquelyn defeated Ivory, and D'Lo Brown & Test co-won a battle royal to earn a Tag Team Title shot during the pay-per-view.

Wrestlemania comes on the air with Boyz II Men singing a pretty good rendition of "America the Beautiful". After that Classy Freddie Blassie narrates an intro video talking about the Superstars and that this is their night to shine. Following that Michael Cole welcomes us the show along with Jerry "The King" Lawler.

WWF Hardcore Title – Billy Gunn © vs. Al Snow (w/Head) vs. Hardcore Holly
In true Vince Russo fashion, we have the wrong New Age Outlaw in this match. This was originally scheduled to be Road Dogg taking on Holly and Snow since he was the one feuding with them over the Hardcore Title, while Billy was chasing the Intercontinental Title. However two weeks before this show on Raw, Billy ended up beating Holly for the Hardcore Title and thus took Road Dogg's spot in this match (more on this later). All three men go at it to start. Holly and Billy whip Snow into the ropes for a double elbow, but then Holly pops Billy and kicks him into a corner. Holly whips Billy into the ropes for a clothesline. Snow pops Holly and lays the boots to both men. Snow brings Holly out of the ring and rams him into the Spanish announcers' table, then whips Holly in the back with a TV cable. Billy goes out and attempts a whip but Snow reverses and sends Billy into the ring steps. Holly rams Snow into the barricade and suplexes him onto the floor. Billy goes out and starts stomping both men before ramming Snow into the steps. Billy sets Holly up for a piledriver but Snow clubs him in the back. Snow then pulls out a hockey stick from under the ring and hits both men repeatedly with it, prompting a "Let's go Flyers!" chant. Snow next pulls out a tub of Gatorade and spills it on Holly. Billy snatches the stick and smack Snow in the head then breaks it on Holly's back. Billy and Holly head back into the ring and Billy jabs Holly with the broken stick. Snow brings a broom into the ring and hits a low blow on Billy before breaking the broom over his back. Snow hammers both his opponents with the broomstick. Snow whips Holly into the ropes and clotheslines him with the stick. Billy brings a chair into the ring but Snow beats him down with the stick. Snow jabs both men in the corners with the chair, then sets it up in the middle of the ring and launches himself off it into an Air Sabu on Billy. Snow goes for an Air Sabu on Holly but Holly avoids it. Billy throws Holly over the ropes to the floor, then goes out and drops him onto the barricade. Billy rolls Holly back into the ring but Snow clocks both men with Head. Snow then goes out and slides a table into the ring. Snow props it up in a corner, then tries to whip Holly into it but Holly reverses him into a corner and hits a clothesline. Billy waffles Holly with the chair then flips Snow through the table. Billy drills Snow with a Rocker Dropper onto the chair. Billy covers but Holly nails him with the chair. Holly then covers Snow and gets the three count to become the first two-time Hardcore champion.

Winner and NEW Hardcore Champion: Hardcore Holly (7:05)

As Holly celebrates regaining his title, Billy argues with the referee who tells him he's out of luck.

Comments: This was an okay hardcore match and it had its moments, but for the most part it didn't seem to have any real flow as all three men just seemed to just go from spot to spot. Billy Gunn also looked really out of place in this match; they really should have went with the original plan of having Road Dogg here. Passable opener, but not much else. [Score: 6/10]

WWF World Tag Team Titles – Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett © (w/Debra) vs. D'Lo Brown & Test (w/Ivory)
As I mentioned above, this match was made on Sunday Night Heat when D'Lo and Test won a battle royal. So Owen and Jeff are defending their titles against two men who aren't even a real tag team. At least D'Lo has some history with the champs, as they injured his partner Mark Henry at the last pay-per-view and put him on the shelf. D'Lo and Test come out first and start exchanging heated words before the champions make their way to the ring. D'Lo and Test work over Owen and Jarrett to start and Test whips Owen into the ropes for a big boot. Test clotheslines Owen, who rolls out of the ring. D'Lo goes for a whip on Jarrett but Jarrett hits a shoulderblock. Jarrett comes off the ropes but runs into a hiptoss. D'Lo followed up with a clothesline, then whips Jarrett into a forearm. D'Lo goes for a whip, Jarrett reverses him into a corner but eats an elbow. Test and Owen tags in and Owen ducks a clothesline and lands some chops. Owen comes off the ropes but Test kicks him into a powerbomb for a two count. Test goes for the pump-handle slam but Owen floats over and hits an enzuigiri. Owen applies the Sharpshooter but D'Lo comes in and breaks it up. Test tags D'Lo in while yelling at him to get in there. D'Lo slams Owen and follows up with the legdrop. D'Lo applies a headlock, Owen shoves him into the ropes and Jarrett kicks him from the apron. D'Lo pops Jarrett off the apron but turns into a spinning heel kick from Owen. Owen hits a gutwrench suplex before tagging in Jarrett. Both men whip D'Lo into a double-clothesline then make a wish. Jarrett straddles D'Lo on the middle rope then tags Owen back in. They whip D'Lo and go for another double-clothesline but this time D'Lo ducks it and clotheslines both men. D'Lo slams both men and hits a heel kick on Owen. D'Lo goes for a whip, Jarrett reverse but D'Lo catches him into a Sky High for a two count after Owen makes the save. Test comes in and knocks Owen through the ropes the floor while Ivory pulls Debra off the apron and begins arguing with her. Owen walks by them and Test attempts to play peacemaker as Terri and Jacqueline come out. In the ring Jarrett whips D'Lo and tries to lift him up but D'Lo floats over. D'Lo sets Jarrett up for a powerbomb but Owen connects with a missile dropkick off the top and Jarrett flops over into a bridge pin for the three count.

Winners and still Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett (3:47)

Test is still arguing with Ivory, not even aware the match is over. Before long the furious D'Lo starts yelling at him for abandoning him, and the two start brawling, ending that short partnership.

Comments: Not surprisingly this match didn't work. Despite being thrown together just before the show, all four men tried, and with enough time this could have at least been a decent contest. So naturally just when then match was starting to get good, it's over after just four minutes. Also the ending didn't make any sense; how does Ivory's arguing with Debra distract Test when he had no connection with either woman, and why did PMS come out as all since they didn't actually do anything? As a result this whole match comes off as simply filler, not the way a title match should look on the biggest show of the year. [Score: 5/10]

Bart Gunn vs. Butterbean – Brawl For All
Bart Gunn, the 1998 Brawl of All champion, returned to the WWF prior to this show from a tour of Japan and was signed to face Toughman champion Butterbean in this shoot fight. The referee for this bout is Vinny Pazienza and the judges are Kevin Rooney, Chuck Wepner, and Gorilla Monsoon, making his last public appearance before his death in October. Pazienza gives the instructions and both men touch gloves to start.

Round 1 begins and Butterbean dominates with a series of punches. Suddenly Butterbean hits a stiff jab to the face that rocks Bart, then follows up with a right hook and knocks Bart down. Bart gets back up by the count of 8, but Butterbean connects with a massive right hook to the head that knocks Bart down and out. Pazienza calls the fight right there and Butterbean wins in less than a minute.

Winner: Butterbean by KO (0:46 of 1st Round)

Butterbean celebrates his quick win while Bart has to be helped out of the ring. Suddenly the San Diego Chicken runs out and spars with Pazienza for a few minutes.

Comments: Not much I can say about this match; the only real highlight was Butterbean's mean hook that looked like it killed Gunn. Since this match was a shoot that unexpectedly went less than a full minute, I'm going to pass on a grade. The sad part is after this match Bart Gunn was never seen in the WWF again. [Score: NR]

Backstage Kevin Kelly interviews Mankind about his match with The Big Show and his desire to be involved in the main event. Mankind says he's done everything that was asked of him, but Vince McMahon keeps putting more obstacles in his path. Mankind tells the Big Show he's going to see a very angry young man and dares him to try and have a nice day.

Mankind vs. "The Big Show" Paul Wight – Winner referees the main event
The winner of this match becomes the referee for the WWF Championship match later. This is the Big Show's first PPV match after he made his WWF debut during the cage match at the last pay-per-view and also helped The Rock win the title from Mankind the following night. Show was originally named special referee by Vince McMahon but Mankind, wanting to participate in the Wrestlemania main event somehow, petitioned Commissioner Shawn Michaels to be the referee, so we have this match to settle the issue. Mankind starts off with a series of right hands then comes off the ropes with a forearm, but can't get Wight down. Mankind comes off the ropes with a clothesline but Wight still stays on his feet. Mankind comes off the ropes a third time but runs into a big boot. Wight headbutts Mankind through the ropes to the floor. Wight goes out and exchanges punches with Mankind. Mankind rams Wight into the steel steps repeatedly then sets him up for the double-arm DDT but Wight shoves him into the steps. Wight hits another headbutt before throwing Mankind back into the ring. Wight pummels Mankind in a corner then elbows him in the back of the head. Wight hits a knee to the face and follows up with a Russian leg sweep. Wight sets Mankind by the ropes and rears back but misses a right hand and tumbles out of the ring. As Wight tries to come back in, Mankind pulls out Mr. Socko. Mankind locks in the Mandible Claw but Wight headbutts out of it. Mankind applies the Claw again but Wight again counters, this time with a right hand. Mankind applies the Claw a third time and hits a low blow to help cinch it in. Wight begins to fade and drops to one knee as Mankind climbs on Wight's back for extra leverage. The referee checks the arm and it drops once, but Wight gets to his feet with Mankind still on his back and throws himself backward, crushing Mankind under his weight! With Mankind reeling, Wight stomps him through the ropes to the floor. Wight goes out and grabs a chair which he uses to jab Mankind in the chest before waffling him in the back. Wight throws the chair into the ring along with a second chair. Wight rolls Mankind back into the ring, then sets both chairs up in the center of the ring and chokeslams Mankind through both of them. However this causes the referee to call for the disqualification, which means Mankind wins and will be the referee for the WWF Title match.

Winner by disqualification: Mankind (6:49)

As Wight chases the referee out of the ring, Vince McMahon comes out to the ring, not happy that his plan may have been ruined. Vince starts yelling at Wight for getting himself disqualified, saying that he was counting on him to be the referee, then starts pointing his finger at him and calling him a nobody. Eventually Wight gets tired of the yelling and grabs Vince by the throat for a chokeslam but instead sets him down gently. Vince continues to chew out Wight and even slaps him, prompting Wight to knock him out with a right hand (which he actually whiffs). Wight then storms out of the arena while Mankind is carried out on a stretcher by the EMTs, putting his involvement in the main event in doubt.

Comments: Another sluggish match that only served to advance the angle for the main event. Granted it had a couple of interesting moments, those being the two big bumps by Mankind, and it's funny seeing Vince sell a punch that missed him by six inches, but other than that nothing to see here. [Score: 4/10]

As Mankind is stretchered out, Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson help Vince to the back. They ask him what he's going to do about the main event, and Vince doesn't know. Vince does order his stooges to call the cops and have Wight arrested for assault.

WWF Intercontinental Title – Road Dogg © vs. Ken Shamrock vs. Val Venis vs. Goldust (w/Ryan Shamrock & Blue Meanie) – Four Corners Elimination Match
Here's the other half of the Outlaws mix up. As I mentioned earlier Billy Gunn was feuding with all three of these men for the IC Title and was involved in the storyline with Shamrock's "sister" Ryan, who now has Goldust as a boyfriend much to the Blue Meanie's dismay. But on the same night Billy won the Hardcore Title, Road Dogg ended up beating Val for the IC Title and thus replaced him in this contest. After Road Dogg and Val do their usual intros, Shamrock and Goldust come out and all four men go at it to start, with Goldust pairing off with Shamrock while Val brawls with Road Dogg. Goldust goes for a whip but Shamrock reverses and hits an elbow. Shamrock comes off the ropes and hits a huricanrana on Goldust. Shamrock turns his attention toward Val and Road Dogg helps double-team him. Shamrock and Road Dogg whip Val into a double-clothesline, but Shamrock clotheslines Road Dogg. Shamrock rams Road Dogg into a turnbuckle and hammers him with kicks. Shamrock whips Road Dogg hard into the opposite corner and clubs him in the back before whipping him hard the other way. Shamrock goes for a whip but lowers the head and Road Dogg kicks him in the face. Road Dogg connects with a dropkick before tagging in Goldust. Goldust ducks a right hand and plants Shamrock with a spinebuster. Goldust pummels Shamrock then whips him into the ropes and hits a flying forearm. Val tags himself in and stomps away at Shamrock before turning toward Goldust, who hits a suplex for a two count. Goldust sets Val up for the Curtain Call but Val floats over and shoves Goldust into a spinebuster for a two count. Val goes for a whip but lowers the head and Goldust hits a jawbreaker with his knees followed by a clothesline for a two count. Goldust sets Val on the top rope then goes up for a superplex but Val blocks it and hits a top-rope bulldog for a two count. Val hits a Fisherman's Suplex for another two count. Val goes for a whip, Goldust reverses him into a corner and the two collide, with Val accidentally headbutting Goldust below the belt. Shamrock comes on and hits a DDT on Goldust, and while the referee tries to get him out of the ring, Road Dogg comes in and DDTs Val.

With both men down, Goldust crawls over and covers Val for a two count. Shamrock argues with the referee about the count while Road Dogg pops Goldust. Road Dogg takes over on Val and chops him in a corner. Road Dogg goes for a whip but Val reverses him into a corner and hits a clothesline. Val whips Road Dogg into the opposite corner for another clothesline. Val grabs Road Dogg with a waist lock but Road Dogg fights out of it. Val misses a right hand and Road Dogg hits the juke 'n' jive punches. Road Dogg draws Goldust in and lays him out with the juke 'n' jive. Shamrock comes in but Road Dogg comes off the ropes with a forearm to the head. Road Dogg hits the Shake, Rattle 'n' kneedrop. Road Dogg poses for the crowd on the turnbuckles, but Val nails him from behind and suplexes him to the mat for a two count. Road Dogg hits the pump-handle slam on Val but Shamrock nails him from behind to tag himself in. Shamrock charges at Val in a corner but eats a boot. Val comes out but Shamrock trips him and applies the Anklelock. Val manages to reach the bottom rope, prompting the referee to force a break. Shamrock charges at Val but gets backdropped over the ropes to the floor. Ryan takes a moment to have words with Shamrock, allowing Val to connect with a baseball slide. Val goes out and the two start fighting in the aisle as the referee begins the count. Shamrock tries to run back into the ring before the 10 but is too late; the referee calls for the bell and both Shamrock and Val end up getting counted out, leaving Road Dogg and Goldust as the last two men.

As Road Dogg and Goldust go at it, Shamrock argues with the referee about being counted out. Eventually Shamrock snaps and lays out both Val and Road Dogg with belly-to-belly suplexes before he's ordered out of the ring. Goldust manages to crawl over and covers Road Dogg but only gets two. Goldust goes for a whip, Road Dogg reverses and Ryan accidentally trips Goldust from the outside, thinking it was Road Dogg. Road Dogg charges at Goldust who catches him for a powerslam but Road Dogg reverses it into a rollup that gets the three for the win.

Winner and still Intercontinental Champion: Road Dogg (9:45)

As Road Dogg leaves the area with the IC Title in hand, Ryan tries to apologize for her mistake but Goldust kicks her to the curb. Ryan then storms off crying while Meanie and Goldust reconcile their friendship.

Comments: Okay match that didn't seem to flow very well but still had some decent action. However this match was hurt from only going 10 minutes and by having two men counted out at once, making the stipulation meaningless, plus the ending just seemed anticlimactic. Don't celebrate for Road Dogg too much, since Goldust ends up beating him for the IC Title the next night on Raw anyway. [Score: 6/10]

Outside we get a shot of Paul Wight being loaded into a police car as he trades vocal jabs with the cops.

Triple H vs. Kane
This is the continuation of the Triple H/Chyna/Kane storyline. Three weeks before the pay-per-view on Raw Kane tried to shoot Triple H with a fireball but accidentally hit Chyna in the eye, putting her out of action, and two weeks after that Kane was set to face Goldust but Triple H came to the ring disguised as his opponent and blasted him in the face with a flamethrower. Before the match as Kane makes his entrance, the San Diego Chicken comes out and jumps him. Kane backs the Chicken into the ring apron and pulls off the mask to reveal Pete Rose, looking for revenge for being Tombstoned at last year's Wrestlemania. Instead Kane rolls Pete into the ring and drills him with another Tombstone Piledriver, denying him his vengeance. After Pete gets helped out of the ring by several referees Kane turns toward the entranceway and awaits his opponent as the D-Generation X theme starts playing. However Triple H runs into the ring through the crowd and hits a low blow to start the match.

Triple H hammers Kane into a corner then goes up for the count-along punches, but Kane shoves him to the mat. Triple H goes up for the count-along punches again and again Kane shoves him away. Triple H charges a third time but eats a boot. Kane comes out of the corner but Triple H backdrops him over the ropes to the floor. Kane lands on his feet and pulls Triple H out to the floor and pops him. Kane goes for a right hand but misses and hits the ringpost. Triple H rams Kane into the post then whips him into the ring steps. Triple H rolls back into the ring and when Kane tries to come back in, Triple H knocks him back out with a high knee. Triple H connects with a baseball slide and rams him into the announcers' table before rolling him back into the ring. Triple H goes for a whip, Kane reverses into a big boot. Kane throws Triple H over the ropes to the outside. Triple H trips Kane from the floor but Kane kicks him away. Kane goes out but Triple H rams him into the barricade. Triple H climbs up the steps when Kane grabs him by the throat and crotches him on the barricade before punching him into the crowd. Triple H gets thrown back to ringside and Kane rams his back repeatedly into the ringpost. Kane throws Triple H back into the ring and pops him with an uppercut. Kane whips Triple H hard into the corner and beats him down. Kane chokes Triple H then whips him into the opposite corner, and Triple H staggers out into a right hand. Kane follows up with a legdrop for a two count. Kane goes for a whip but lowers the head, Triple H kicks him in the face but Kane answers back with a clothesline. Kane rams Triple H into a turnbuckle then whips him into a corner. Kane charges but eats a boot. Triple H starts to fight back but Kane regains control and tosses him to the floor. Kane then slings himself over the top rope for a pescado on Triple H. Kane throws Triple H back into the ring then climbs to the top rope, but Triple H cuts him off and pulls him off to the mat.

Kane gets to his feet and goes for a splash in the corner but Triple H sidesteps him. Triple H lands a series of punches and goes for a whip, Kane reverses but Triple H ducks several clotheslines and hits the facebuster. Kane is still on his feet so Triple H hits a high knee that takes Kane down. At that point Chyna starts making her way to ringside as Triple H glares at her. Kane scoops Triple H up for a Tombstone but Triple H floats over. Triple H attempts a Pedigree but Kane overpowers him and drops an elbow. While both men are down, Chyna slides part of the ring steps into the ring. Kane grabs the steps and goes to use them but Triple H kicks them into Kane's face. Kane charges but Triple H trips him into the steps and Kane is down. The referee gets the steps out of the ring as Kane sits up. Triple H clotheslines Kane over the top rope then goes out and rams Kane into the barricade. Triple H sets Kane up for a Pedigree on the sets but Kane counters with a backdrop to the floor. Kane throws Triple H back into the ring and hits the chokeslam. Chyna then comes into the ring with a chair in hand and asks Kane to let her finish Triple H off. Kane accepts, meaning one of two things will happen. Kane turns back toward Triple H when Chyna readies the chair but instead hits Kane with it, prompting the referee to call for the bell.

Winner by disqualification: Kane (11:31)

Kane no-sells the chair shot and angrily turns toward Chyna so Triple H clobbers Kane with the chair twice then Pedigrees him into the chair. Triple H and Chyna then embrace, showing they're back together. The reunited DX'ers then leave together while Kane storms out of the ring, having been betrayed by someone he trusted.

Comments: The string of so-so matches on this show continues. These two just mainly brawled around the ring at a snail's pace with none of the intensity there should have been with the setup, plus we didn't even get a real finish to this contest, or even a real ending to this feud. The crowd was happy to see Triple H and Chyna back together, but the story isn't quite finished yet. [Score: 5/10]

Kevin Kelly reports from backstage on the referee situation, reporting that The Big Show is in jail while the rightful referee, Mankind, is in the hospital. Vince McMahon then walks up and helps Kevin out by announcing that he'll be the guest referee.

WWF Women's Title – Sable © vs. Tori
This was shortly after Sable began her run as an arrogant heel, as well as her infamous ego trip behind the scenes. Tori (not to be confused with future diva Torrie Wilson) was an admirer of Sable who was constantly rejected by her idol so she's challenging for the belt. Sable comes out first and does the Grind before Tori makes her way to the ring. Tori hesitates to get in the ring at first, and once she does, Sable kicks her back out. Tori eventually gets in and Sable rams her into the ropes and slings her off. Sable lands a pair of kicks before throwing Tori through the ropes to the floor. Tori pulls Sable out of the ring and rams her into the apron. Tori lands a chop and goes for a whip but Sable reverses her into the barricade. Sable knees her in the chest then leaps off the apron for a crossbody. Sable throws Tori back into the ring and kicks her in the chest. Tori comes back with a clothesline then hammers her on the mat. Tori whips Sable into a clothesline fort a clothesline, then whips her into the opposite corner for another clothesline. Tori goes for another whip but Sable reverses her into a corner. Sable charges but Tori lifts herself over her and manages to counter with a Sunset Flip for a two count. Sable rolls Tori up but Tori bridges up into a backslide for a near fall. Tori ducks a pair of kicks and comes off the ropes for a crossbody but misses Sable and accidentally takes out the referee. Sable sets Tori up for the powerbomb but Tori slips out and belts her in the chest. Tori tries to powerbomb Sable when a large freakish woman named Nicole Bass runs into the ring and pulls Tori off before press slamming her. Sable is a little surprised as Bass tells her to pin Tori, but Sable hits the powerbomb and gets the academic three.

Winner and still Women's Champion: Sable (4:27)

Comments: Truly a wretched match. Normally both ladies have some in-ring ability but they both seemed to struggle through this contest. They also don't explain why Nicole Bass helped Sable until later on down the line. It wouldn't matter in a few months away since Sable's ego would get so out of control that she would lose the title in unusual fashion and be run out of the WWF by the end of May. [Score: 2/10]

After a video package Kevin Kelly is in the back with X-Pac and the rest of DX talking about his match with Shane McMahon, saying his chances of regaining the European Title may have increased since Chyna is back in the fold. Triple H proudly proclaims that DX is whole and stronger than ever.

WWF European Title – Shane McMahon © (w/Test) vs. X-Pac
Shane won the title the night after St. Valentine's Day Massacre by pinning X-Pac in a tag match, so this is the rematch. This feud also introduced us to Shane's buddies, the Mean Street Posse, who are sitting at ringside to support their pal. After Shane comes out with Test in his corner, X-Pac makes his entrance and gets ambushed in the aisle by Gerald Brisco and Pat Paterson but easily fights them off. X-Pac then charges into the ring and Shane bails out, getting some encouragement from Test. Shane hesitates getting back in the ring but eventually does and mocks X-Pac with a kung-fu pose, prompting X-Pac to chase him around the ring. Once both men are back in X-Pac comes off the ropes, Shane leapfrogs over him but X-Pac catches him with a spinkick. X-Pac beats Shane down in a corner and goes for the Bronco Buster but Test pulls Shane out of the ring. Shane starts to walk out of the match but X-Pac cuts off his escape and throws him back into the ring. However Test nails X-Pac from behind and crotches him into the ringpost, earning some high-fives from the Posse. X-Pac tries to recover and makes it back into the ring just before getting counted out. Shane hammers X-Pac in a corner and caps off with a slap to the face. Shane slams X-Pac to the mat and attempts the Rock's People's Elbow but misses. Test hops on the apron and distracts the referee, allowing Shane to hit a low-blow. Shane then takes Test's belt and whips X-Pac repeatedly with it. Shane goes for one more belt shot but X-Pac backdrops him over the ropes to the floor. X-Pac then slings himself over the ropes for a pescado. The Posse grab at X-Pac but X-Pac is able to fight them off. X-Pac then throws Shane back into the ring but Test clotheslines him before rolling him back in as well.

In the ring Shane drops an elbow, then hops to the middle rope for another elbowdrop. Shane climbs to the top but X-Pac catches him with a dropkick, causing him to fall onto the turnbuckle. X-Pac goes up and hits a superplex then goes for the cover but Test pulls X-Pac out of the ring and shoves him toward the steps. Test charges at X-Pac but misses and hits the steps. X-Pac rolls back into the ring and grabs the belt, then starts whipping Shane with it. X-Pac kicks Shane down in a corner and this time hits the Bronco Buster. However the referee is occupied with Shane while Test comes in and clocks X-Pac with the European Title belt. Shane manages to crawl over and cover X-Pac and the referee counts 1…2…but X-Pac kicks out! Shane chokes X-Pac down in a corner and goes for his own Bronco Buster but X-Pac avoids it and Shane straddles the turnbuckles. Test comes in but X-Pac takes him down with the spinkick and follows up with another Bronco Buster. At that point Triple H and Chyna makes their way to ringside and pull Test out. X-Pac hits the X-Factor on Shane and covers him, however Chyna is distracting the referee to prevent the count. Suddenly Triple H comes in and hits the Pedigree on X-Pac! Triple H then drapes Shane over the fallen X-Pac and the referee makes the three count to give Shane the win.

Winner and still European Champion: X-Pac (8:41)

Chyna helps Shane to safety while Triple H helps Test beat down X-Pac, showing that he and Chyna have reunited not as members of DX, but as members of the Corporation. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn run out to the ring but Triple H helps Test beat them down as well. The fight gets broken up when Kane comes out looking for revenge and chases the DX traitors to the back. As the Outlaws tend to X-Pac, Lawler starts proclaiming the death of DX, but Road Dogg promises that DX isn't finished; Triple H is.

Comments: Surprisingly this was actually a pretty fun match, the first good match of the night. Granted there was quite a bit of interference throughout the contest, but for the most part X-Pac did a good job carrying Shane, who actually showed some nice in-ring ability. Of course the match would be overshadowed by the shocking double-swerve with Triple H and Chyna that didn't make a whole lot of sense at the time but still lead to Triple H becoming one of the top heels of the WWF over the next few years. [Score: 8/10]

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. The Big Bossman – Hell in a Cell
This is the continuation of the Ministry vs. Corporation feud as the Undertaker was still out to take control of the WWF. This time the Undertaker was targeting Vince McMahon's family and even began stalking his daughter Stephanie, so the Bossman has again stepped forward to defend Vince's honor in this match. Once both men are locked in the cell Taker misses a right hand to start and Bossman pummels him in a corner. Taker grabs Bossman by the throat and throws Bossman into the corner for his own punches. Taker whips Bossman into the opposite corner and charges but eats an elbow. Bossman comes out but runs into a clothesline for a two count. Taker goes for a whip but lowers the head and Bossman hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Bossman boots Taker in the head and Taker sits up. Taker blocks a kick and takes Bossman down for some kidney shots. Bossman rolls out of the ring then trips Taker from the floor but gets kicked into the cell. Taker goes out and rams Bossman into the cell repeatedly. Bossman goes for a whip, Taker reverses but Bossman reverses back and sends Taker into the cell. Bossman then pulls out some handcuffs and pops Taker in the face with them before cuffing him to the cell wall. Bossman grabs his nightstick and starts beating Taker with it, but Taker falls down and ends up breaking the cuffs. Bossman continues to assault Taker in the head with the nightstick, busting him open. Bossman goes for one more shot when Taker grabs him by the throat and throws him into the cell. Taker whips Bossman into the cell then pulls a chair out from under the ring and waffles Bossman in the back with it. Taker goes in and out of the ring then scoops Bossman up and rams him into the cell like a javelin. The Bossman is also busted open as Taker throws him back into the ring. Bossman jabs the eyes and goes for a whip but Taker comes off the ropes with a flying clothesline for a two count. Taker grabs the arm and walks the top rope but Bossman kicks Taker in the leg, causing him to crotch the top rope before Bossman knocks him into the cell. Bossman rolls Taker back into the ring and starts exchanging punches with him. Bossman gets the advantage but Taker counters with a low blow. Taker scoops Bossman up for the Tombstone but Bossman floats over and shoves Taker into a corner. Bossman whips Taker into the opposite corner but misses a right hand and Taker is able to hit the Tombstone for the win and a perfect 8-0 record at Wrestlemania.

Winner: The Undertaker (9:46)

As Taker starts looking up toward the ceiling, Edge, Christian and Gangrel repel down from above to the top of the cell and break a hole through the roof. They then lower a noose into the cell and climb back up to the ceiling. Taker slips the noose around the Bossman's neck and Paul Bearer raises the cell up, hanging the Bossman from the cell.

Comments: Awful, awful match that ranks as the worst Cell match ever. Both men just weakly brawled around the ring from start to finish and very little else happened throughout the contest that wasn't sleep-inducing. They didn’t even use the cell itself except for the handcuff spot which was blown, plus the crowd didn't care since it was heel vs. heel. The post-match antics were interesting to say the least, but in true Russo fashion the Bossman would soon show up on Raw unharmed, rendering the whole thing pointless. It's no wonder the WWF just buried this match afterward and never mentions it again. [Score: 1/10]

Clips from the previous night's Wrestlemania Rage Party is shown. After that Michael Cole is in the ring and brings out Jim Ross, who's returning from his Bell's Palsy to do the announcing for the main event and gets a nice ovation from the crowd.

WWF World Heavyweight Title – The Rock © vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – No DQ Match
Before either man comes out, Vince McMahon makes his way to the ring to act as special referee for this match. However he's not in the ring long before WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels makes a surprise appearance. After posing for the crowd, Michaels gets down to business and tells Vince he should have read the WWF rulebook, which says that there's only one person that can appoint an official for a Wrestlemania title match: the WWF Commissioner. Thus Michaels removes Vince from the match and tells him to hit the bricks, while also banning the Corporation from ringside. Vince isn't happy about this development as he and Michaels argue their way to the back. Mike Chioda is then left as the appointed referee, since the rightful referee, Mankind, is still in the hospital.

Eventually Austin and Rock come out to begin the match in earnest, with Rock constantly getting in Austin's face with some trash talk. Both men exchange punches to start and Austin gets the advantage but Rock backdrops him over the ropes to the floor. Rock rams Austin into the Spanish announcers' table and chokes him with his shirt. Both men roll back into the ring and Rock lays the boots to Austin. Austin starts to fight back but Rock jabs the eyes. Rock goes for a whip, Austin reverses and throws Rock over and out of the ring. Austin goes out and brawls with Rock through the crowd before bringing him back to ringside and throwing him over the barricade on the other side. Austin continues to battle Rock in the crowd but Rock clotheslines Austin back over the barricade. Rock chokes Austin with a cable then brings him over to near the entrance. Rock goes for a whip but Austin reverses him into the side of the bleachers, and Rock staggers into a clothesline. Austin sets Rock up for a piledriver but Rock counters and backdrops Austin onto the floor, with his knee hitting the lighting rig. Rock stomps at Austin's injured knee and the two start exchanging punches. Austin sends Rock into a crane and the two collide. Austin stomps Rock below the belt and chokes him with another cable. Rock rakes the eyes and goes for a whip but Austin reverses him into the giant Wrestlemania XV sign. Austin brings Rock back to ringside and attempts a suplex but Rock counters with his own suplex. Rock kicks away at Austin and rams him into the ring steps. Rock grabs a water bottle and spits it into Austin's face. Austin drops Rock onto the barricade and drapes him onto the Spanish table, then climbs up the barricade and drops an elbow onto Rock. The table doesn't break so Austin places Rock back onto the table and drops another elbow from the barricade, this time driving Rock through the table. Austin spits water in Rock's face before rolling him back into the ring. Rock rolls back out the other side and trips Austin before wrapping his knee around the ringpost. Austin kicks Rock away then goes out and whips him into the steps. Austin throws Rock back into the ring, then goes back in when Rock surprises him with a Rock Bottom! Rock covers but Austin kicks out.

The Rock is shocked that his Rock Bottom didn't finish Austin so he goes out and brings a chair into the ring. The Rock readies the chair but Austin kicks him to grab the chair. Austin takes a swing but Rock pulls Mike Chioda in the way and he takes the blow. With Chioda KO'ed the Rock hits a neckbreaker before grabbing the chair a second time. Austin stops him from using the chair and goes for the Stunner but Rock shoves him into the ropes and hits an elbow. Rock grabs the chair again and starts working over Austin's bad knee with it. Rock jabs Austin in the chest with the chair before clobbering him in the face. Rock goes for the cover as Tim White comes in to count but only gets two. Rock hits a clothesline for another two count then applies a chinlock. Austin fights out of it and goes for a whip but Rock reverses into a clothesline. Rock applies the chinlock again and Austin begins to fade. Tim White checks the arm and it drops once, twice, but Austin keeps it up a third time. Austin fights out of it and goes for a whip but Rock reverses and hits a Samoan Drop for a two count. Rock argues with White about the count before laying him out with a Rock Bottom. However Rock turns around into a Stunner! Austin goes for the cover but White is out and unable to count. Earl Hebner runs into the ring as the third referee and counts 1…2…but Rock kicks out!

Now Austin his shocked that his finisher failed as Vince McMahon makes his way back out to ringside. Austin grabs the chair but Vince gets his attention, prompting Austin to flip him off. Austin turns back toward Rock with the chair but Rock hits a low blow. As Rock starts stomping Austin in a corner, Vince climbs into the ring and decks Hebner. Rock and Vince start double-teaming Austin when Mankind suddenly appears, back from the hospital to take his rightful place as special referee. Mankind dispatches Vince with a right hand and Rock starts yelling at him, allowing Austin to roll him up for a two count. Austin whips Rock into the ropes and hits a Lou Thesz Press followed by the series of rights and the elbowdrop. Austin goes for another whip but lowers the head and Rock kicks him in the face followed by a clothesline. Rock hits the Rock Bottom, but instead of covering him, Rock decides to go for the People's Elbow. Rock comes off the ropes but Austin moves out of the way. Rock blocks a kick and sets Austin up for a third Rock Bottom but Austin fights out of it and (despite missing the kick) hits the Stunner! Mankind counts 1…2…3 and Austin is finally WWF Champion again!

Winner and NEW WWF Champion: Steve Austin (16:51)

Austin begins celebrating his third WWF Championship win while Vince watches from the outside, distraught that Austin is once again champion despite everything he threw at him. After receiving the belt from Mankind, Austin begins chugging a round of beers and even shares a beer with Earl Hebner. As Austin starts to leave, Vince yells at him demanding the belt. Austin responds by popping him in the face before throwing him in the ring and laying him out with a Stunner for good measure. Austin pours beer all over Vince McMahon before raising his hands in triumph to close out the show.

Comments: Very good match that serves as a great payoff to Austin's six-month quest. The outside brawling was decent but once both men got back in the ring the action really intensified to the conclusion and featured some good drama toward the end. Like all the other matches on the card it was overbooked a tad with the ref bumps and run-ins, which took away from it a little. Also while this match was good, I feel it ranks behind the other matches these two would have down the line, especially their epic at Wrestlemania X7. Still a good match in their series that helps Wrestlemania XV at least end on a high note. [Score: 8/10]

We wrap up the show with a highlights package of tonight's action at Wrestlemania.

CONCLUSION: Sadly this was a pretty poor card, especially for the biggest show of the year. Out of the 10 matches on this show only two of them (Austin/Rock and Shane/X-Pac) were any good; the rest of the show was pretty forgettable. Also there was too much emphasis on the various wacky storylines and angles, which is par for the course when Vince Russo is involved, and even then only a few of them had any long-term impact such as Triple H's heel turn. You'll also notice that there were only three babyface wins during the entire show, which is usually a Wrestlemania no-no. While Austin vs. Rock delivered and sent the fans home happy, this still ranks as one of the most disappointing Wrestlemanias ever. Definitely a thumbs down here.

FINAL GRADE: [ D+ ]