-
Welcome to "The New" Wrestling Smarks Forum!
I see that you are not currently registered on our forum. It only takes a second, and you can even login with your Facebook! If you would like to register now, pease click here: Register
Once registered please introduce yourself in our introduction thread which can be found here: Introduction Board
Right then this has been one of my favourite threads of the year here so only right I drop some thoughts on the biggest show you’ve done yet.
Also congrats on actually getting to WrestleMania it’s a hell of an achievement to be as consistent as you have been in this thread. Anyway on with the show:
On the free for all Mike Awesome makes complete sense as the battle royal winner and some of the names in there really made me chuckle. The Pug and TL Hopper never really stood a chance. Also the pre show felt very authentic with a lot of great videos/segments building Mania up.
The opener for the European title was great and a match that should’ve been on this Mania in real life. Enjoyable finish and Hart snapping in the post match, feels like both a definitive end of one chapter of this story as well as an exciting start to the next one.
Had to have LOD grab the win in their hometown in a hard hitting match, also think keeping this match relatively short is to its benefit. Again similar to the last match you’re already setting up the next chapter of Vader/Mankind which is great booking.
Shawn Michaels on a computer segment also popped me
The six man tag was solid enough and with the angle afterwards I would’ve like to see Ahmed in the nation for a bit before quitting but we’ll see where that goes.
Mero win makes sense given the long term story going on here and I’m glad you made a big deal of the first WWF triple threat match - also correct decision to pin Goldust so there’s more to explore with Helmsley and Mero.
Awesome fight between Shamrock and Austin and obviously you’re never going to top what Stone Cold was actually doing on this show but the UFC vs wrestling storyline was fun and this match was a hoot.
Running Sid vs Taker on this show given how bad it was in real life is a bold move but the match turned out much better in this BTB. Sid was still very strong here but you can’t break Taker’s streak without a very good reason for me.
Side note - the formatting for this is still awesome and the best on this forum
Seeing all these ECW guys on a Mania is such a thrill and RVD a great reveal. You’re headline after the match was train wreck which sums it up in the best of way possible.
I think a ladder match was the only way to top the Ironman main event of last year. This had a big fight feel of course and was a great read. And of course it all comes together here with the backstage segment from earlier, the hart foundation have secured the WWF Championship and hold nearly all the gold in the company. Great finish, sets up a whole lot and Bret needed his win back after Mania 12
Overall a great show and I’m looking forward to where you are heading next!
Also congrats on actually getting to WrestleMania it’s a hell of an achievement to be as consistent as you have been in this thread. Anyway on with the show:
On the free for all Mike Awesome makes complete sense as the battle royal winner and some of the names in there really made me chuckle. The Pug and TL Hopper never really stood a chance. Also the pre show felt very authentic with a lot of great videos/segments building Mania up.
The opener for the European title was great and a match that should’ve been on this Mania in real life. Enjoyable finish and Hart snapping in the post match, feels like both a definitive end of one chapter of this story as well as an exciting start to the next one.
Had to have LOD grab the win in their hometown in a hard hitting match, also think keeping this match relatively short is to its benefit. Again similar to the last match you’re already setting up the next chapter of Vader/Mankind which is great booking.
Shawn Michaels on a computer segment also popped me
The six man tag was solid enough and with the angle afterwards I would’ve like to see Ahmed in the nation for a bit before quitting but we’ll see where that goes.
Mero win makes sense given the long term story going on here and I’m glad you made a big deal of the first WWF triple threat match - also correct decision to pin Goldust so there’s more to explore with Helmsley and Mero.
Awesome fight between Shamrock and Austin and obviously you’re never going to top what Stone Cold was actually doing on this show but the UFC vs wrestling storyline was fun and this match was a hoot.
Running Sid vs Taker on this show given how bad it was in real life is a bold move but the match turned out much better in this BTB. Sid was still very strong here but you can’t break Taker’s streak without a very good reason for me.
Side note - the formatting for this is still awesome and the best on this forum
Seeing all these ECW guys on a Mania is such a thrill and RVD a great reveal. You’re headline after the match was train wreck which sums it up in the best of way possible.
I think a ladder match was the only way to top the Ironman main event of last year. This had a big fight feel of course and was a great read. And of course it all comes together here with the backstage segment from earlier, the hart foundation have secured the WWF Championship and hold nearly all the gold in the company. Great finish, sets up a whole lot and Bret needed his win back after Mania 12
Overall a great show and I’m looking forward to where you are heading next!
I have a slight booking qualm to start things off with the Free For All Battle Royal. I know it’s more of a traditional Battle Royal, and not the staggered entrance approach, but I just wish this stuck to 15-20 people. Feel like 30 entrants is just to Royal Rumble like, and should be saved for that event and that event only. That out of the way, in terms of the booking of the match, perfect. Can’t argue with a final two of Flash and Awesome, but of course, Awesome had to win this. Guy is being built super well and just HAD to win to not undo your hard work. Great call. Just want to comment on the fact that I noticed The New Rockers Honkey Tonk Man stuff, and The Sultan further angering his managers all being further played out during the match, as well as The Gunn’s stuff I guess. So overall, I don’t like the match type for what it was, but I think you still executed well and had this match do everything it needed to for individual characters.
Love the way you include stuff like the Westin Hotel stuff. You really take the reader right into the era you’re booking which is awesome. I think I’ve mentioned this before when it comes to your weekly news and notes post, but I enjoy it with this type of stuff in the actual shows to.
Austin promo hyping his match with Shamrock later was solid enough. I’ll provide more thoughts on this one later on.
Similar to above, promo from Ahmed, D’Lo and Rocky provided adequate hype for later tonight.
Eh, I’m not huge on WrestleMania kicking off with a backstage interview. Understand this was relatively short and sharp, and everything the Bulldog said was okay, but would much prefer we just get straight into the action with the hot crowd.
I do think opening the show with Bulldog/Owen was the right call, and it seemed like the two put on a good match. I do want to take a moment to compliment you on the booking of this one. Following through with this feud, unlike in real life, but also keeping them as champs as tensions begin to grow has been a fascinating read. Considering the build for the match, I thought Owen hesitating and thinking about whether to use the bell was an awesome way to basically cost him the match. I think you made the right call in Bulldog going over as well. Really good stuff here.
In terms of the aftermath, I’m a little more split. Owen finally snapping and cracking because now he’s the loser works well. His turn here on Bulldog probably has more impact if he leaves Bulldog laying, so wasn’t the biggest fan of Bulldog getting the better of him again. What I am really intrigued about is how you move forward with them, considering they’re still the tag champs.
Promo from Bearer, Mankind and Vader was solid, with all three men getting over their points well regarding the LOD. Admittedly, the comment Bearer made about LOD being in hiding for years because they aren’t the most dominant team was a bit of a weird one to make considering Mankind/Vader haven’t been teaming very long. This still did what it needed to though.
Thought the booking of LOD vs. Mankind and Vader was very good, and the match did what it needed to. Based on the way the teams were going in the build up, this match did exactly what it needed to. LOD win their first big match back, and Mankind and Vader split, as they’ve been having issues for a while. I like the way you built issues throughout the match before Vader finally decided to abandon Mankind, and I marked for the Hawk no sell spot as well. Good stuff.
Okay, so it seems like maybe you’ll be pulling the plug on an Owen/Bulldog feud, and going down The Hart Foundation path? At least that’s what I gather from this segment with Bret trying to talk down the Bulldog.
Shamrock promo was solid enough to hype his match with Austin.
Lol at Shawn Michaels squinting at the screen. Nice touch for sure.
Six man was pretty solid, and I really enjoyed the use of PG 13 throughout. Obviously Ahmed had some really big moments in here with some spots to which was good. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ending of this one, which is a good thing. Faarooq getting the win in the end thanks to Clarence Mason is fine. Ahmed joining The Nation in real life was awful, but I have faith you can put your spin on it and make it work. Ahmed being defiant and deciding to lay out The Nation and then quit is definitely an interesting start. You’ve got me more interested in this then I was when I thought about Ahmed joining The Nation before WrestleMania, so good job.
Nice little promo from Perfect and Triple H to hype the IC Title match. Chyna not speaking is smart because it keeps her mysterious. Not actual feedback but I did cringe a little at Perfect using the term ‘learning tree’, and I think most would understand why lol.
Triple Threat match for the IC Title was some nice chaos. Plenty of involvement from each competitor’s managers or bodyguards as expected. I think the booking here is quite good, with this coming full circle, and I’ve no issues with Mero getting the win back. As Sable continues to blow up, it made sense for her to look ballsy against Chyna here as well. Good stuff, and nice to see Mero FINALLY get his revenge.
Really good promo from the Extremists to promote their match later. I thought the call made by Heyman on Candido wanting to keep an eye on what Sunny is doing was good. Promo took a massive step up once Funk got speaking. Really good, passionate stuff. Easily the most enjoyable promo of the night so far.
The Austin/Shamrock stuff has just hasn’t quite hit the mark for me, to be honest. I just feel like Shamrock wasn’t a big enough name in 1997 like say Tyson was in 1998, so it just doesn’t feel as big of a deal as it should. It feels more like we’re trying to force this into being a big deal when it’s not. In turn, because of this, the idea of Austin winning the crowd over during the match doesn’t feel the same as it did with Hart in real life, because there’s not really a reason for the crowd to be overly invested in Shamrock to begin with. I appreciate you tried to take a similar path with a different opponent, but for me personally, it felt like a bit of a miss. The one thing I did appreciate were the moments Austin caught Shamrock off guard by performing stuff that wouldn’t happen in the UFC. That was a nice touch for sure. I definitely think you made the right decision in Austin getting the win though, because he’s certainly still one of your hottest characters in here, if not the hottest.
I wasn’t overly big on the handshake here either. Felt very un Austin like, especially at this time when he’s still very much a full blown heel.
Solid promo from Sid, although surprised there was no random yelling to go with the under the breath whispering.
The booking of Undertaker/Sid has been solid enough, although similar to in real life, I don’t know if it’s had that ‘big time’ ‘Mania feud feel. I don’t have a lot to say about this match in all honesty. Nothing wrong with the writing, the match seemed solid enough and I’ve no issues with The Undertaker winning. Completely solid stuff.
RVD as the third man for Team WWF was an inspired choice for sure, love that. I also like that you gave these guys the street fight gimmick, instead of The Nation match, the right decision for sure considering they are ECW and all. A little surprised to see ECW get the win at WrestleMania of all freaking places but I’m okay with.
Whilst I kind of made some comments about the booking and the matches not feeling as big for the last few matches, I need to reverse that and give you credit for the main event. The booking of Michaels/Hart has been great and has truly felt worthy of a ‘Mania main event, 12 months on from their last one. I’m not completely sold on the ladder match stipulation though. These two have really put over their hatred for each other recently, so it feels like No DQ, Street Fight, steel cage, something where they can let out some real aggression would be better than having to climb up a ladder and retrieve a belt. Just doesn’t quite match the feud for me.
With that out of the way, I LOVE what you’ve done here. Awesome booking. I admittedly was a little disturbed earlier with the fact that it seemed Bulldog/Owen would just end, and we’d get The Hart Foundation like we did in real life. And whilst that might still happen, the way you’ve executed here has turned it around. These two costing Shawn the match, cementing Bret’s heel turn completely on the biggest stage of them all is awesome. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that Austin has basically just been forced face to, for a readymade title feud. Surely Michaels isn’t going to be happy either so really intrigued to see how this will all shape up, but this was a such a big turn, on the biggest match, on the biggest show of the year, a really strong finish.
I’d say this was a good PPV, and maybe a solid at best WrestleMania, until the main event. Show became super memorable in that moment alone, and you likely created a highlight that will be shown forever. I was critical of a few things, but I haven’t commented in a while, so was kind of commenting on a lot of stuff regarding build up, and not necessarily just this show. Don’t want any comments to take away the gloss of how much of an achievement it is to actually reach and write a WrestleMania, fantastic effort there, and this remains an enjoyable project with some interesting avenues to take, especially in the main event scene, post ‘Mania. Well done.
Love the way you include stuff like the Westin Hotel stuff. You really take the reader right into the era you’re booking which is awesome. I think I’ve mentioned this before when it comes to your weekly news and notes post, but I enjoy it with this type of stuff in the actual shows to.
Austin promo hyping his match with Shamrock later was solid enough. I’ll provide more thoughts on this one later on.
Similar to above, promo from Ahmed, D’Lo and Rocky provided adequate hype for later tonight.
Eh, I’m not huge on WrestleMania kicking off with a backstage interview. Understand this was relatively short and sharp, and everything the Bulldog said was okay, but would much prefer we just get straight into the action with the hot crowd.
I do think opening the show with Bulldog/Owen was the right call, and it seemed like the two put on a good match. I do want to take a moment to compliment you on the booking of this one. Following through with this feud, unlike in real life, but also keeping them as champs as tensions begin to grow has been a fascinating read. Considering the build for the match, I thought Owen hesitating and thinking about whether to use the bell was an awesome way to basically cost him the match. I think you made the right call in Bulldog going over as well. Really good stuff here.
In terms of the aftermath, I’m a little more split. Owen finally snapping and cracking because now he’s the loser works well. His turn here on Bulldog probably has more impact if he leaves Bulldog laying, so wasn’t the biggest fan of Bulldog getting the better of him again. What I am really intrigued about is how you move forward with them, considering they’re still the tag champs.
Promo from Bearer, Mankind and Vader was solid, with all three men getting over their points well regarding the LOD. Admittedly, the comment Bearer made about LOD being in hiding for years because they aren’t the most dominant team was a bit of a weird one to make considering Mankind/Vader haven’t been teaming very long. This still did what it needed to though.
Thought the booking of LOD vs. Mankind and Vader was very good, and the match did what it needed to. Based on the way the teams were going in the build up, this match did exactly what it needed to. LOD win their first big match back, and Mankind and Vader split, as they’ve been having issues for a while. I like the way you built issues throughout the match before Vader finally decided to abandon Mankind, and I marked for the Hawk no sell spot as well. Good stuff.
Okay, so it seems like maybe you’ll be pulling the plug on an Owen/Bulldog feud, and going down The Hart Foundation path? At least that’s what I gather from this segment with Bret trying to talk down the Bulldog.
Shamrock promo was solid enough to hype his match with Austin.
Lol at Shawn Michaels squinting at the screen. Nice touch for sure.
Six man was pretty solid, and I really enjoyed the use of PG 13 throughout. Obviously Ahmed had some really big moments in here with some spots to which was good. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the ending of this one, which is a good thing. Faarooq getting the win in the end thanks to Clarence Mason is fine. Ahmed joining The Nation in real life was awful, but I have faith you can put your spin on it and make it work. Ahmed being defiant and deciding to lay out The Nation and then quit is definitely an interesting start. You’ve got me more interested in this then I was when I thought about Ahmed joining The Nation before WrestleMania, so good job.
Nice little promo from Perfect and Triple H to hype the IC Title match. Chyna not speaking is smart because it keeps her mysterious. Not actual feedback but I did cringe a little at Perfect using the term ‘learning tree’, and I think most would understand why lol.
Triple Threat match for the IC Title was some nice chaos. Plenty of involvement from each competitor’s managers or bodyguards as expected. I think the booking here is quite good, with this coming full circle, and I’ve no issues with Mero getting the win back. As Sable continues to blow up, it made sense for her to look ballsy against Chyna here as well. Good stuff, and nice to see Mero FINALLY get his revenge.
Really good promo from the Extremists to promote their match later. I thought the call made by Heyman on Candido wanting to keep an eye on what Sunny is doing was good. Promo took a massive step up once Funk got speaking. Really good, passionate stuff. Easily the most enjoyable promo of the night so far.
The Austin/Shamrock stuff has just hasn’t quite hit the mark for me, to be honest. I just feel like Shamrock wasn’t a big enough name in 1997 like say Tyson was in 1998, so it just doesn’t feel as big of a deal as it should. It feels more like we’re trying to force this into being a big deal when it’s not. In turn, because of this, the idea of Austin winning the crowd over during the match doesn’t feel the same as it did with Hart in real life, because there’s not really a reason for the crowd to be overly invested in Shamrock to begin with. I appreciate you tried to take a similar path with a different opponent, but for me personally, it felt like a bit of a miss. The one thing I did appreciate were the moments Austin caught Shamrock off guard by performing stuff that wouldn’t happen in the UFC. That was a nice touch for sure. I definitely think you made the right decision in Austin getting the win though, because he’s certainly still one of your hottest characters in here, if not the hottest.
I wasn’t overly big on the handshake here either. Felt very un Austin like, especially at this time when he’s still very much a full blown heel.
Solid promo from Sid, although surprised there was no random yelling to go with the under the breath whispering.
The booking of Undertaker/Sid has been solid enough, although similar to in real life, I don’t know if it’s had that ‘big time’ ‘Mania feud feel. I don’t have a lot to say about this match in all honesty. Nothing wrong with the writing, the match seemed solid enough and I’ve no issues with The Undertaker winning. Completely solid stuff.
RVD as the third man for Team WWF was an inspired choice for sure, love that. I also like that you gave these guys the street fight gimmick, instead of The Nation match, the right decision for sure considering they are ECW and all. A little surprised to see ECW get the win at WrestleMania of all freaking places but I’m okay with.
Whilst I kind of made some comments about the booking and the matches not feeling as big for the last few matches, I need to reverse that and give you credit for the main event. The booking of Michaels/Hart has been great and has truly felt worthy of a ‘Mania main event, 12 months on from their last one. I’m not completely sold on the ladder match stipulation though. These two have really put over their hatred for each other recently, so it feels like No DQ, Street Fight, steel cage, something where they can let out some real aggression would be better than having to climb up a ladder and retrieve a belt. Just doesn’t quite match the feud for me.
With that out of the way, I LOVE what you’ve done here. Awesome booking. I admittedly was a little disturbed earlier with the fact that it seemed Bulldog/Owen would just end, and we’d get The Hart Foundation like we did in real life. And whilst that might still happen, the way you’ve executed here has turned it around. These two costing Shawn the match, cementing Bret’s heel turn completely on the biggest stage of them all is awesome. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that Austin has basically just been forced face to, for a readymade title feud. Surely Michaels isn’t going to be happy either so really intrigued to see how this will all shape up, but this was a such a big turn, on the biggest match, on the biggest show of the year, a really strong finish.
I’d say this was a good PPV, and maybe a solid at best WrestleMania, until the main event. Show became super memorable in that moment alone, and you likely created a highlight that will be shown forever. I was critical of a few things, but I haven’t commented in a while, so was kind of commenting on a lot of stuff regarding build up, and not necessarily just this show. Don’t want any comments to take away the gloss of how much of an achievement it is to actually reach and write a WrestleMania, fantastic effort there, and this remains an enjoyable project with some interesting avenues to take, especially in the main event scene, post ‘Mania. Well done.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2019
- Messages
- 7,031
- Reaction score
- 4,091
- Points
- 113
- Age
- 32
Pre-show battle royale was quite fun and right winner with Mike Awesome building as a midcard heel. Really curious to see where he goes from here as he feels like someone who will become an IC Champion soon
Loved the Owen vs Bulldog match and Owen actually trying not to cheat but being too much of a slimeball to avoid it and Bulldog won due to it. Curious wat this means for the tag team titles now after the tag team match
LOD winning makes sense as the established and functional team. Vader abandoning Mankind likely leading to a feud sounds cool considering their history outside WWE.
Bret Hart talking with Bulldog is intriguing
Deffo expected a heel turn for Rocky here to give the Nation the win. Ahmed quitting is an intriguing angle and wonder when he will return.
Mero winning is a nice way to wrap up the story, feels like he won’t hold it long with Mike Awesome looming in the background. Wonder where HHH goes from here
Fantastic match here and glad you did not recreate the spot with sharpshooter spot with Shamrock instead of having Austin becoming a face in a different fashion and a good debut for Shamrock
Taker winning as he should against Sid
Fun cool down match before the main event and a nice spot with Heyman lamping the king
Main event being a ladder match with both men’s history with the match and the twist of the art Foundation forming, well set up earlier in the night plus a nice mirror to real life.
Great show and a fun read
Loved the Owen vs Bulldog match and Owen actually trying not to cheat but being too much of a slimeball to avoid it and Bulldog won due to it. Curious wat this means for the tag team titles now after the tag team match
LOD winning makes sense as the established and functional team. Vader abandoning Mankind likely leading to a feud sounds cool considering their history outside WWE.
Bret Hart talking with Bulldog is intriguing
Deffo expected a heel turn for Rocky here to give the Nation the win. Ahmed quitting is an intriguing angle and wonder when he will return.
Mero winning is a nice way to wrap up the story, feels like he won’t hold it long with Mike Awesome looming in the background. Wonder where HHH goes from here
Fantastic match here and glad you did not recreate the spot with sharpshooter spot with Shamrock instead of having Austin becoming a face in a different fashion and a good debut for Shamrock
Taker winning as he should against Sid
Fun cool down match before the main event and a nice spot with Heyman lamping the king
Main event being a ladder match with both men’s history with the match and the twist of the art Foundation forming, well set up earlier in the night plus a nice mirror to real life.
Great show and a fun read
WM13
Awesome winning the battle royal was a layup. Love the use of him so far, I always wondered how he would do in AE WWF but thought maybe he was a step too violent or dominant for an ecosystem that already has Austin and Undertaker types all over the place. I know Shawn wouldn’t play nice with him irl lol
Owen being too cowardly to fully turn on Bulldog fits with how much of a weasel he was at the time, would’ve been one of the better matches on the card too. Great choice for an opener and great result
Can’t complain about the LOD match because of how over they were at the time, despite the fact that part of me wants to hate Cactus and Vader’s Mania spot being used for an internal tension angle
Echo the above sentiment that I thought this would be the moment for Rocky’s big turn, but maybe you’re going to try and make babyface Rocky work, which intrigues me. Ahmed walking out is certainly an interesting place to take the angle, and Faarooq is treated far more seriously here than he ever was by the actual WWF.
Cool moment for Mero and maybe I’m still tainted by memories of his actual WWF run but I just can’t get too excited for him to get a babyface IC Title run. Not sure how long he’ll have it for though. Have to think HHH moves on to bigger and better things, especially considering what happens in the main event…
Liked the Shamrock vs Austin match, but it did suffer for me from knowing what actually happened in the Austin/Bret match. That’s unfair on my part, but it could never realistically live up to what actually happened and the Austin face turn coming with a handshake just didn’t quite hit for me.
Taker and Sid went as it always was going to, not sure where or if Sid fits in moving forward but he’s a personal favorite so using him to boost Taker’s status makes a lot of sense.
As big an ECW mark as I am, love the card placement and the chaos of the match as described. RVD on Team WWF felt a bit clunky though, as well as losing in his first on-screen action. Assuming he’s sticking around, not sure this would be the spot I debuted him in.
I’m into the ladder match main event, pretty boundary pushing for the idea of a WM main event in 97, and even now honestly. Love the finish as it ties up a show-long angle which I’m a sucker for. Bret with the belt at his most bitter and desperate should be fantastic. I’m not the biggest Bret fan, but his last 9 or so months in the fed are easily his best work to me. And now Shawn needs some friends if the Hart Foundation is back at full strength…
Really enjoyable show, think on the whole it was definitely better than WM13’s irl offering. Looking forward to what comes next!
Awesome winning the battle royal was a layup. Love the use of him so far, I always wondered how he would do in AE WWF but thought maybe he was a step too violent or dominant for an ecosystem that already has Austin and Undertaker types all over the place. I know Shawn wouldn’t play nice with him irl lol
Owen being too cowardly to fully turn on Bulldog fits with how much of a weasel he was at the time, would’ve been one of the better matches on the card too. Great choice for an opener and great result
Can’t complain about the LOD match because of how over they were at the time, despite the fact that part of me wants to hate Cactus and Vader’s Mania spot being used for an internal tension angle
Echo the above sentiment that I thought this would be the moment for Rocky’s big turn, but maybe you’re going to try and make babyface Rocky work, which intrigues me. Ahmed walking out is certainly an interesting place to take the angle, and Faarooq is treated far more seriously here than he ever was by the actual WWF.
Cool moment for Mero and maybe I’m still tainted by memories of his actual WWF run but I just can’t get too excited for him to get a babyface IC Title run. Not sure how long he’ll have it for though. Have to think HHH moves on to bigger and better things, especially considering what happens in the main event…
Liked the Shamrock vs Austin match, but it did suffer for me from knowing what actually happened in the Austin/Bret match. That’s unfair on my part, but it could never realistically live up to what actually happened and the Austin face turn coming with a handshake just didn’t quite hit for me.
Taker and Sid went as it always was going to, not sure where or if Sid fits in moving forward but he’s a personal favorite so using him to boost Taker’s status makes a lot of sense.
As big an ECW mark as I am, love the card placement and the chaos of the match as described. RVD on Team WWF felt a bit clunky though, as well as losing in his first on-screen action. Assuming he’s sticking around, not sure this would be the spot I debuted him in.
I’m into the ladder match main event, pretty boundary pushing for the idea of a WM main event in 97, and even now honestly. Love the finish as it ties up a show-long angle which I’m a sucker for. Bret with the belt at his most bitter and desperate should be fantastic. I’m not the biggest Bret fan, but his last 9 or so months in the fed are easily his best work to me. And now Shawn needs some friends if the Hart Foundation is back at full strength…
Really enjoyable show, think on the whole it was definitely better than WM13’s irl offering. Looking forward to what comes next!
