Here's my breakdown of the cards:
WM X-Seven
Jericho/Regal: Okay opener, pretty forgettable tho other than the video package of Jericho pissing in Regal's tea. Felt like a really basic match that wouldn't have even been talked about if it was on Raw since it only got 7 minutes, but the had a lot of show to get through in a lot shorter time than they do nowadays so I can forgive it.
6-man: Yeah this def should have been cut, thankfully it was kept so short but APA been lazy af by this point and RTC sucked trying to wrestle in that terrible ring gear. Tazz tried at least, but the best thing I can say about this is it didn't even get 4 minutes thank god
HC Title: Oh man I thought they did way too much for this, felt way too choreographed BUT it was hilarious and such a fun ride that I can't even hate on it, plus that ending and Kane winning always gets a pop out of me.
Eddie/Test: Probably best match of the night up until this point, but it's kinda the same with Regal/Jericho that it felt like just a regular old Raw match and not even one that would have stood out. I've never been high on Test either, felt like he can't even be carried by greats like Eddie and it shows here. I'm thankful this one was kept short where I wish Jericho/Regal got more time. Love the finish tho.
Angle/Benoit: FUCK YEAH card really starts here, great match all around, can't say enough about it bc I fucking love it and it would have been the best match on a lot of other 'Mania cards.
Chyna/Ivory: Too long and it didn't even get 3 minutes, Chyna looked fucking lost in the ring you'd never think she had decent matches with guys in the past and Ivory once again can't move properly bc of the fucking RTC ring attire so this fucking sucks, but so short you can forget it so it doesn't really hurt the show.
Shane/Vince: One of my favorite non-wrestler (sorry Shane) matches, they just fucking killed each other. Got a little overbooked at the end with Trish/Steph catfighting but the Linda reveal was hilarious and I love the finish, kudos to Shane and Vince for this one for sure.
TLC II: Fucking amazing even if it's kind of a spotfest, but it felt like they really figured out everything they needed to do in one of these trainwrecks to keep it action packed all throughout. I could see people complaining about Lita, Spike, and Rhyno getting involved but I fucking loved it, they all took their shots as well. Only thing I wasn't too high on was the ending but shit I feel like most ladder matches never end too well compared to the rest of the match, a select few have had really fun endings so I won't hold that against this one.
Gimmick Battle Royal: LOL love the concept but the entrances were easily better than the "match" that followed
half those guys couldn't even walk anymore but this is too much fun to shit on plus Brain and Mean Gene calling it
Taker/HHH: Oh boy they tried to do WAY too much here
but it covered up how shitty 'Taker was in 01 and he actually didn't look as lazy in this match. It was absurd all the way through with the high spot and the sledgehammer but oh man this was a fun time so fuck it it rules, but their later 'Mania matches are def better.
Rock/Austin: Definitely one of the best 'Mania main events, don't think it's quite the best tho, but I love pretty much everything about this. Also my favorite Rock/Austin match pretty easily. The action was great and then the swerve at the end was even better, the way the crowd starts realizing what was happening was perfect and JR's commentary is on another level. Only knock I'd say is finishing with just a lot of chair shots to the back fell a little flat to me, thought they could have ended it with a Stunner or at least that last chair shot to the head but Austin just fucking killing Rock out of frustration before getting the cover was also pretty fun so that's the most minor of nitpicks from me.
WMXIX
Hardy/Rey: Solid opener, I'd put it about even with Jericho/Regal and Eddie/Test. Wish it had a little more time since these two had better matches on SmackDown that year. Definitely not memorable whatsoever.
Taker handicap match: Pretty bad, tho not even close to 'Taker's worst 'Mania match. Thankfully it's early in the show so it doesn't break up anything good and I will actually give Big Show some props here bc he was such ass during this time period but he actually did good in this match, maybe it was just bc he was compared to A-Train. This got 10 minutes but it def feels longer, wish it got even shorter.
Women's 3-way: Solid stuff, not spectacular by any means but it's def the best women's 'Mania match up until this point in history easily and way better than the 3-way they had at X8 the year before. This is a forgettable match overall but for a women's match at the time it definitely wasn't.
WWE Tag Titles: Fun match, I wish Benoit got a better match at this 'Mania but it's whatever bc he was good here. Everyone got all their shit in for this to have been pretty short, nothing special here at all tho, just a solid match on a great card like those early WM X-Seven matches, but I'd rank this a little higher than those
Michaels/Jericho: Fucking awesome, also I'm kinda realizing how easy it is to compare XIX and X-Seven here bc this one kinda mirrors Angle/Benoit and I couldn't say which one was better honestly, I'm leaning this one just bc they got more time to tell their story but IDK bc I really love Angle/Benoit as well. Either way this was a great fucking match that I love to rewatch.
Pillow fight: lol fuck this, probably better than Chyna/Ivory tho but it's easily the worst part of this card
HHH/Booker: Solid stuff, not great or anything so definitely the right choice not letting this main event. I think it went a little long bc their styles didn't really mesh up too well...well HHH doesn't really mesh with many people unless it's a brawl anyway but that's another conversation. Still good stuff, but it doesn't really bring up the card, just maintains the consistency.
Hogan/McMahon: Fucking had no business being as fun as it was ngl, this is probably Vince's best 'Mania match for sure (sorry Shane again)...but oh boy did it not need 20 minutes, cut about 3 and this would have been even better.
Rock/Austin: Fucking awesome match again, if it's not my second favorite Rock/Austin match it's as close as possible (IDK love Backlash '99 still) but it's amazing still, especially looking at how it's Austin's last match and was one of his best. Can't say anything bad about this one at all, great way to end their series with each other and hindsight makes it even better knowing about Austin but even without that, the match is great.
Angle/Lesnar: Another great main event even tho Brock gets fucking concussed
Just another great match to round out this great card. If we're comparing main events I don't think it's quite as good as Rock/Austin but it's damn close plus I love the Angle/Lesnar feud so much. I'd say this is the best match of the night for sure which is always fun to end the PPV on a high note like that, Michaels/Jericho is pretty close tho, wouldn't disagree with anyone saying that match is better too.
This is def the closest vote for me so far even tho I doubt it will be for many of you, and breaking down the cards didn't even help bc I never realized how similar the cards were set up from top to bottom, maybe that's why they're always top two. That being said, I'm still going with 19, but just barely and mostly for consistency bc I definitely think X-Seven's high points are better, but both shows did a great job of the low points barely getting any time so the high points are what's remembered more than anything for each of these shows and that's why they're easily two of the best 'Manias ever.
I'm all for a good upset
