411’s Countdown to WrestleMania 24: The Turning Points

WrestleMania is the Granddaddy of ‘Em All. It is the Showcase of the Immortals. It is, quite simply, the most important annual professional wrestling show in the world. Each year, WrestleMania serves as the culmination of a year’s worth of WWE storylines and jump starts the action for the year to come. The matches featured at WrestleMania become the stuff of legends. Matches such as Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, and Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels have become so deeply engrained in the fabric of professional wrestling that it is almost impossible to imagine the history of the industry without them.

Each WrestleMania is special. Each one is memorable. But a few select WrestleManias shine a bit more brightly than the others. They are the beacons that mark true turning points in the history of WWE and therefore in the history of professional wrestling. The WrestleManias discussed here are not meant to be a collection of the greatest WrestleManias, nor are they intended to represent an assemblage of my personal favorite WrestleManias. These are simply the events that, given the perspective of time, can be seen to have marked the dawning of a new day in WWE. Like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Battle of Fort Sumter, and the fall of the Berlin Wall, these are the events that serve as touchstones to help us define the end of one era and the start of the next. For those of us who love professional wrestling and all of its rich, fascinating history, these are the turning points.

WrestleMania I
March 31, 1985

Each year WWE promotes WrestleMania as the Granddaddy of ‘Em All, but WrestleMania I truly was the Granddaddy of ‘Em All. While WrestleMania I was one of the most important professional wrestling shows in history, there were also a number of things that it was not. WrestleMania I certainly was not the first supercard in the history of the industry. The Showdown at Shea, The Last Tangle in Tampa, Starrcade, and The First Annual David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions had proven that wrestling events could be not just entertaining but also significant to the history of the industry. Events such as these in the early 1980’s demonstrated that a wrestling promotion could successfully stage supershows featuring the culmination of a number of high profile feuds, and it was this model that Vince McMahon would adopt for WrestleMania. WrestleMania I was also not the first pay-per-view event in wrestling history. In fact, that distinction would go to WWF Wrestling Classic later in 1985. WrestleMania I thus stands as the only WrestleMania not to be shown on pay-per-view. Finally, WrestleMania I was not the dawn of Hulkamania. Hulk Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik to win the WWF Championship at Madison Square Garden on January 23, 1984. Hulkamania had been running wild for more than a year before WrestleMania I.

So why then is WrestleMania I so seminally important? It wasn’t the first supercard in the history of the industry. It was the first pay-per-view in the history of the industry. And it wasn’t the dawn of Hulkamania. But it was the first full-scale demonstration of Vince McMahon’s vision for the transformation of professional wrestling into sports entertainment. McMahon took the existing supercard model and raised it to the next level by bringing in an unprecedented level of celebrity involvement. From Cyndi Lauper to Mr. T to Muhammad Ali, WrestleMania was the template for professional wrestling as not just a sporting event but also a pop culture extravaganza. Some have decried Vince McMahon’s focus on entertainment over sport, but what cannot be denied is that WrestleMania I laid the foundation for the last two and a half decades of success that have been enjoyed by WWE. WrestleMania I also took Hulkamania to a whole new level and made Hulk Hogan into the biggest star the industry had ever seen at the time. But even Hulkamania couldn’t last forever, and eventually the WWE would need a new generation of stars to emerge…

WrestleMania X
March 20, 1994

The WWF was at a turning point when WrestleMania X took place on March 20, 1994. One year earlier, WrestleMania IX had proven to be the weakest offering in the ten year history of the event, and the year that followed had not been kind to the WWF. Hulk Hogan, the biggest star in the history of the company, had left the promotion and left a gaping hole in his absence. Hogan had been the preeminent star in the WWF for ten consecutive years, and for many it had become impossible to imagine the WWF thriving without him. WrestleMania X would be the first WrestleMania without Hogan, the man who had headlined eight of the previous nine WrestleManias. And so it would be WrestleMania X that would show the world whether or not the WWF could find a way to move forward after the end of the Hogan Era.

The real question going into WrestleMania X was whether a new star would emerge to take Hogan’s place in the WWF, and that question was answered not once, but twice. Because it was at WrestleMania X that both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels broke from the pack and staked their claim to being the top stars in the WWF. Ironically, the star-making performances put forth by Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels both came in losing efforts. Hart had lost the opening match of the card to his brother Owen, and later in the evening Michaels would lose the Intercontinental Championship to Razor Ramon in a Ladder Match. And while the rise of Hart and Michaels to replace Hogan could be seen as the start of a new era, it was the manner in which they became stars that truly defined a new era in the history of the WWF. Because Hart and Michaels did not become stars at WrestleMania X by winning big matches. Rather, they became stars by putting forth absolutely legendary performances. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X are both bona fide classics, and those two matches marked the dawn of a new era of in-ring action for the WWF. Dave Meltzer has only awarded a five-start match rating to four matches in WWE history, and all four of those matches would take place within the next four years. The Hogan Era may have favored style over substance, but that all began to change at WrestleMania X.

Those next four years would also play a key role in developing the stars of the future and preparing the WWF for its next era of greatness. Triple H would debut as The Connecticut Blueblood, Hunter Hearst Helmsley in April 1995, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin would debut as The Ringmaster later in the year. Mick Foley would make his first appearance in the WWF as Mankind in April 1996, and The Rock would be introduced as Rocky Maivia that November at Survivor Series. These four men, along with the Undertaker, would form the foundation of the next era in WWF history. But who among them would define that era? The answer would come at WrestleMania XIV…

WrestleMania XIV
March 29, 1998

“The Austin Era has begun!” Those were the words uttered by Jim Ross at the close of WrestleMania XIV after “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had defeated Shawn Michaels to win the WWE Championship. It was that victory by Austin and that call by Ross that heralded the dawn of the next era in WWF history. This brave new era in WWF history is most commonly referred to as the “Attitude Era,” and I’ll admit that you could argue that the Attitude Era started before WrestleMania XIV. It would be exceedingly difficult to make a case for the Attitude Era beginning any early that WrestleMania XIII, and it would be similarly difficult to argue that it began any later than WrestleMania XIV. That leaves a one year window in which this most fondly remembered phase in WWF history may have dawned, and in my mind there were three key matches during that year that ushered in the Attitude Era. Those three matches focused on saying good-bye to the two men that had defined the WWF since WrestleMania X while simultaneously building the next great star in WWF history.

The first of the three matches in my Road to the Attitude Era was Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin in an I Quit Match at WrestleMania XIII. This match was monumentally important in turning Steve Austin into a face and beginning his ascent to super stardom. Bret Hart, along with Shawn Michaels, had carried the WWF for the past three years, but in this match Austin proved that he was the toughest son of a bitch in the company. Sure, Austin technically lost the match, but he beat Hart in the only way that really mattered – he came out of that match looking like the better man. Hell, the image of Austin’s blood-drenched face from the end of that match had often been called the single most defining image of the Attitude Era, and that statement implicitly argues that WrestleMania XIII was part of the Attitude Era. I still believe that the single most defining image of the Attitude Era is the Undertaker throwing Mick Foley off of the Hell in a Cell at King of the Ring 1998, but I do understand the visceral impact of Austin’s crimson mask. The effect that this match had on Austin’s career, and the effect that Austin’s career had on the WWF, does make it possible to argue that WrestleMania XIII was the dawn of the Attitude Era. But as I said, in my mind, this was only the first step on the Road to the Attitude Era.

The next match on my Road to the Attitude Era was Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship from Survivor Series 1997. I’ve already explained that WrestleMania XIII was important because it established Steve Austin as the top face in the company, but this match at Survivor Series 1997 was damn near just as important because it planted the seeds for the establishment of Austin’s greatest enemy: Mr. McMahon. I’ve argued that the period between WrestleMania X and WrestleMania XIV was defined by the feud between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, and by the same token I have to argue that the Attitude Era was defined by the feud between Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon. And thus the transformation of Vince McMahon from mild-mannered play-by-play announcer to evil billionaire tyrant was critically important in building the foundation of the Attitude Era. This match also marked the end of Bret Hart’s career in the WWF. One of the company’s biggest stars was gone, and its next great antagonist had just been created. The pieces were all set to fall into place at WrestleMania XIV.

And thus we return to Steve Austin’s victory over Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XIV. Bret Hart had been gone from the WWF for months, and this would be Shawn Michaels’ last match with the company… at least for the foreseeable future. And so with the two men who had carried the company since the departure of Hulk Hogan now gone themselves, it would fall to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to shoulder the burden. Needless to say, he was more that up to the task. As I’ve explained, there are at least three matches that could be used to mark the beginning of the Attitude Era. But in my mind, the Attitude Era is synonymous with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and thus it only makes sense to mark the beginning of the Attitude Era by the beginning of the Austin Era. And as Jim Ross so eloquently stated, that moment took place at WrestleMania XIV. But just as the Attitude Era began with the dawn of the Austin Era, it would end when Austin did the one thing that no one expected…

WrestleMania X-7
April 1, 2001

The Attitude Era was a time of great prosperity for the WWF, but it was also a time when competition flourished in the professional wrestling industry. WCW and ECW had both risen to national prominence during that time, and at one point WWF, WCW, and ECW all had national television deals. But eventually WCW collapsed under the weight of its own booking, and ECW became buried under a mountain of financial debt. Both companies were bought by Vince McMahon, and for a moment the WWF had a virtual monopoly on North American professional wrestling. WCW and ECW were gone. TNA and ROH were a year away from their creation. The WWF was able to stand back, marvel at its glorious victory, and throw one hell of a part. That party was WrestleMania X-7.

There will always be arguments among fans of professional wrestling over the greatest wrestler, greatest match, and greatest show of all time. That’s part of what makes being a fan of professional wrestling so much fun. But it’s hard for me to image anyone ever convincing me that WrestleMania X-7 isn’t the greatest show of all time. It was an absolutely phenomenal card top-to-bottom, and we can only hope to ever see another WrestleMania with so many great matches. But there were two distinct features of WrestleMania X-7 that also lead me to believe it was the end of the Attitude Era. As I’ve stated, one of the most important aspects of the Attitude Era was the competition between WWF, WCW, and ECW that lead to such unprecedented creativity and innovation. But by WrestleMania X-7, that competition was gone. You hear it in every match; Paul Heyman, the driving force behind ECW, was doing color commentary in place of the momentary displaced Jerry Lawler. We had seen Paul Heyman and ECW on Raw in the past, but it would have been impossible to imaging Paul Heyman calling WrestleMania so long as there was a hint of life left in ECW. And then, as if Heyman’s commentary wasn’t enough of a reminder of Vince McMahon’s victory, McMahon’s purchase of WCW was played out, in fictionalized form, in a match between McMahon and his son Shane. ECW’s main man was stuck on the sidelines calling the action, and WCW had become nothing more than a plot device. But the true end of the Attitude Era would come during the closing moments of the show.

You’ll remember that I’ve said that, in my mind, the Attitude Era is synonymous with the Austin Era. I believe that they began at the same moment, and I believe that they ended at the same moment. The Austin Era was defined by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s rebellious defiance of Vince McMahon. The underlying thread that ran throughout the Austin Era was the feud between Austin and McMahon, and it was the metaphorical battle between the people, as represented by Austin, and the authority, as represented by Vince McMahon, that resonated so deeply with the WWF fans. For three years, Steve Austin had fought Vince McMahon. For three years, Steve Austin has represented the people. For three years, Steve Austin had carried his fans’ hopes and dreams with him every time he stepped into the ring. But then, at the end of WrestleMania X-7, the unthinkable happened. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin sold his soul to the Devil and aligned himself with Vince McMahon.

And just like that, the Austin Era was over, and the Attitude Era ended with it. The changes began almost instantly and continued for the next few years. The most obvious change was in Austin’s character. The ass-kicking, beer-swilling, bionic redneck soon became a kinder, more loving man, no longer a persona capable of leading a promotion. Austin would walk out on the promotion a year later. The Rock departed for Hollywood soon after WrestleMania X-7. He would return in time for Summerslam, but his sabbaticals would continue to become more frequent and more prolonged as time progressed. WCW and ECW would be used as plot devices for the disastrous Invasion in which many, but certainly not all, of the former WCW and ECW stars would be brought into the company. The roster would eventually be split between Raw and Smackdown, and stars such as Triple H, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker would lead the company. Shawn Michaels, the Prodigal Son, returned to the company for one night only to finish his career on his terms… but thankfully, “his terms” have spanned the last six years and included too many phenomenal matches to list. But WWE, as the company was now known, faced one major problem. As had occurred after the departure of Hulk Hogan, no new star had truly emerged to fill the void left by Steve Austin. Triple H, Michaels, Angle, and the Undertaker were certainly capable of carrying the company as Michaels and Bret Hart had done a decade earlier, but they were not era-defining stars. WWE would once again have to build the next generation…

WrestleMania 21
April 3, 2005

The next generation of WWE stars would be brought into the company in 2002. Trained in WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling developmental territory, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Batista, and John Cena would all debut on WWE television between March and June 2002. Those four men were seemingly destined to usher in the next great era in WWE history, but the identity of the era-defining star amongst them would not be determined for more almost three years. Brock Lesnar was the first to receive a major push and won the WWE Championship from The Rock at Summerslam 2002. Lesnar easily could have been the man to define the next era in WWE history; his given nickname, “The Next Big Thing,” presumed as much. But Lesnar never seemed to fit in the business. He headlined WrestleMania XIX along with Kurt Angle, but for many that match is remembered mainly for Lesnar’s botched Shooting Star Press. Lesnar would leave the company after WrestleMania XX when he and Goldberg were damn near literally booed out of Madison Square Garden. The search for WWE’s next big thing would have to continue.

Randy Orton was the next member of the Class of 2002 to receive a big time title push. He defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004 to win the World Heavyweight Championship after having spent the better part of the last year establishing himself as the Legend Killer by defeating such all-time greats as Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley. As the Legend Killer, Randy Orton might have found success as World Heavyweight Champion, but he would never be given that chance. Instead, Orton was forced to turn face the night after his title win, and Orton never seemed comfortable in the role of fan favorite. The fans could never truly rally behind a man who naturally exuded such a cocky egotism, and Orton’s tenure as World Heavyweight Champion was an unmitigated failure. He lost the title to Triple H less than a month later. The Class of 2002 was now zero for two.

But all of that would change at WrestleMania 21, and it would change in a big way. There were not one, not two, but three matches at WrestleMania 21 that propelled rising stars to the top of the company and thus ushered in the current era in WWE history. One of those matches was the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder Match in which Edge cemented himself as a singles star and began a quest that would lead him to win the WWE Championship at New Year’s Revolution 2006 (and thanks to those of you who cought my initial error in saying that it was Royal Rumble 2006; I remembered it being in January 2006 and have seemingly managed to forget the days when WWE ran two pay-per-views in January). Edge had been a tag team star during the Attitude Era but had struggled to establish himself as a singles competitor in the years since. However, it was Edge’s win in the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match, along with his subsequent feud with Matt Hardy, that transformed him into the Rated R Superstar who has been a fixture in the WWE and World Heavyweight title scenes ever since.

Another important match at WrestleMania 21 saw Batista defeat his former mentor Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship. After the demise of Brock Lesnar, it seemed as though Randy Orton and John Cena would be destined to inherit the top spots in the promotion. But Orton’s career suffered a major set-back after his ill-advised face turn, and in late 2004 and early 2005 Batista became a phenomenon almost overnight. The WWE fans had seen Triple H beat down challenger after challenger after challenger for years both in the ring and behind the scenes, and those same fans seemed more than eager to embrace a man like Batista who flat out refused to take shit from anyone, Triple H included. Batista’s win at WrestleMania 21 elevated the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H’s private ego belt to a second legitimate top tier title within the promotion, and Batista’s career has revolved around that title as both challenger and champion for the past three years.

And then, of course, there was the big one. The moment that, like Steve Austin’s win over Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, instantly usher in the dawn of a new era in WWE history. At WrestleMania 21, John Cena defeated John Bradshaw Layfield to win the WWE Championship and in so doing took his place alongside Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin as era-defining WWE Champions. As talented as they were, men like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, Triple H, and Kurt Angle could never define the WWE. They could carry the promotion, entertain the fans, and put on great matches, but they could never single-handedly be the face of the promotion. Only Hogan, Austin, and Cena have accomplished that feat during the WrestleMania era. I say “during the WrestleMania era,” because otherwise it would be unforgivable to omit Bruno Sammartino from that list. As far as I’m concerned, Sammartino, Hogan, Austin, and Cena are the four biggest stars in the history of the biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world. Each of those four men defined his respective era in the history of the company, the only difference between them being that Sammartino’s tenure was during a time when the promotion was still regional in nature. And so, as I said, the WrestleMania era is ultimately the story of Hogan, Austin, and Cena.

And so I’ve essentially broken down the last twenty-four years of WWE history into five distinct periods using five of the twenty-three WrestleManias as divisors. WrestleMania I through WrestleMania X was the Hogan Era. WrestleMania XIV through WrestleMania X-7 was the Austin Era. WrestleMania 21 through the present is the Cena Era. The two transition eras, WrestleMania X through WrestleMania XIV and WrestleMania X-7 through WrestleMania 21, were eras in which stars such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Kurt Angle carried the promotion while the next generation of stars developed. What emerges is a clear pattern in which a single Superstar defines an era, and the end of that SuperStar’s reign at the top is followed not by the immediate ascension of a new era-defining Superstar but rather by a multi-year period of transition.