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"WrestleMania X8 Review"

Here's my first event review for a while, so please read as much as you can before your eyes go out or just skim it, and the just gimme a quick reply on what you though, as I thought it'd be nice if I could do reasonably regular reviews for new events and DVD's etc. Anyway, here goes nothing - my WrestleMania X8 review! Enjoy...or not :0)

WWF Wrestlemania X8 Review
by Shaneo

The event opened with Saliva performing 'Superstar', the Wrestlemania theme.

We then see a video package, building up tonight's matches and flashing back to various other Wrestlemania events.

The fireworks explode and Wrestlemania gets underway from the Toronto Skydome, where 68, 237 strong look on in avid anticipation of the World Title Main Event between reigning Champion Chris Jericho and challenger, Triple H.

'One Of A Kind' hit and Rob Van Damn entered the Skydome to a great ovation from the crowd. William Regal received a much less desirable reception, in boos.

Intercontinental Championship
William Regal .vs. DDP

RVD begins with some a hard punch and a flip, trying to psyche out Regal that way. Punches and kicks do the job well, but after a while he had to stray from that, swinging Regal and blasting him with an Elbow. After some more kicks, RVD bested him with a Flying Kick and climbed the turnbuckle for the Five Star Frog Splash. He flew off the buckle and Regal moved, causing RVD to smash his body on the mat. Regal capitalized by pinning him three consecutive times, each of which he kicked out of. RVD fought back with a Cross Body Pin, but it wasn't good enough. It seemed as though RVD was beginning to lose his psychological edge, with Regal getting more and more moves in, such as a Drop Toe Hold, which allows him to score a strong 2 count. Regal hits a Suplex and tries again pinning him, but to no avail. Regal punches RVD, and this is replied to with a swing, kick and a flurry of punches. Regal still keeps his fight though, hitting a Neckbreaker and pinning him yet again and yet again RVD kicks out. Frustrated, Regal applies a Chinlock, but RVD escapes, gets Regal down and goes for the Rolling Thunder. Regal moves, but RVD gets up quickly and delivers some stiff kicks to Regal. Regal fends these off with a Powerbomb and a pin, once again mustering just a 2-count. RVD reverses it into a pin of his own, but Regal punches RVD. RVD doesn't take this lying down and rams him into the corner post and hits him with some kicks and punches. He swings Regal and nails a Dropkick, followed by a Monkey Flip and some more punches. He rams Regal once again, but Regal replies with a German Suplex. RVD fights back with a Flying Kick and climbs the buckle again for the Five Star Frog Splash. He nails it and pins Regal for the win and the Intercontinental Title.

Winner: Rob Van Damn (6:18)

We cut backstage, where Christian is interviewed about DDP, and he parodies DDP, talking in the fashion that DDP normally does.

Christian makes his way out to the normal heel reaction, and DDP gets no better, with just a average reaction.

European Championship
Diamond Dallas Page .vs. Christian

DDP gets started quickly, kicking Christian and blasting him with a Gutbuster and a Clothesline, before going outside and ramming him into the railing. DDP takes the action back in the ring and delivers several punches, before Christian fights back by dropping DDP’s neck onto the turnbuckle and then dumps him on the ropes. Christian leaves the ring yet again, and after a short beat down, enters the ring again, throwing kicks and punches at DDP. DDP fights back with some punches of his own and slides out of the ring smoothly. Christian throws him into the ring post and throws him back into the ring, before applying an Abdominal Stretch and a Dragon Sleeper. He follows up with a choke, but is fended off by a throw off the turnbuckle, taking him out. DDP blasts him with a Clothesline and a Powerbomb, but Christian yet again comes back with a Knee and a Reverse Back Suplex. It’s still not enough though, as DDP rolls him up for a 2-count and nails him with the Diamond Cutter for the 3-count.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page (6:08)

The Coach interviews The Rock, and after a little talk about Hogan, Rock forces Coach to say his prayers, which results in a very funny segment with which Coach greets God with “What Up G!?”. Rock sends him on his way and continues on about Hogan, and how he will beat him later tonight.

In a bonus match on the card, Goldust made his way out to a decent crowd reaction. He went under the ring and picked out some of his trademark gold weapons, before he is interrupted by Maven, who receives a far better following than his opponent.

Hardcore Championship
Maven .vs. Goldust

Goldust begins by punching away at Maven and throwing him outside onto the railing. Goldust climbs the apron and dives off onto Maven, before picking up a cooking sheet and plastering Maven with it. He then trip scoops him and hits a Slingshot, but Maven fights fire with fire, blasting Goldust with a Dropkick, unsuccessful pin and a roll up, which was also to no avail. Goldust replied with a Neckbreaker, another unsuccessful pin and a Front Slam. He then positioned a shovel under Maven’s stomach and stood on it, catapulting it onto Maven’s chest. He then nails Maven with a trash can and throws him into the buckle, before punching him and swinging him to the other buckle, where he pinned him on the rebound, but in vein yet again. They both pick up a trash can lid and manage to hit each other, sending them both to the floor in an equal state of consciousness and pain. Suddenly Spike Dudley bolts down the ring and pins Goldust, winning the Hardcore Title. He leaves as quickly as he enters, with Crash Holly and Goldust on his tail.

Winner: Spike Dudley (3:17)

Spike Dudley is holding his Hardcore Title, when Hurricane Helms swoops on a wire and knocks down Spike, pinning him for the title and the win.

We see some promos, before Drowning Pool perform their latest single, ‘Tearing Away’, which really got the crowd into the event.

The commentators comment about various things like the Hardcore Title situation, before we move on with the next match

Kurt Angle made his way out to a mass of boos, insulting Canada about their sporting achievements etc and how he’d never live here.

He was interrupted by hellfire and brimstone, as Kane made his way to the ring to a great reaction.

Kane .vs. Kurt Angle

Angle begins early, attacking Kane from behind and punching him, but Kane has none of it, punching Angle back. Angle replies harshly with a German Suplex and stick kicks to the ribs. Kane punches Angle and Elbow’s him to the face, before kicking him and swinging him to the buckle. He then chokes Angle and throws him down to the floor, before blatantly choking him. He gets in a last punch before Angle hits a Belly To Belly Suplex, followed by a Clothesline and various kicks. A knee choke and various punches contribute to Kane’s current downfall, before Kane delivers some of his own. Angle cuts him back down though, swinging him to the buckle and nails a Back Suplex, followed by a pin attempt and rather lengthy Front Facelock. Kane utilizes the strength factor with some hard punches, powering out, but not for long, as Angle is soon back on the attack with kicks and punches. Kane replies with a Sidewalk Slam, but Angle manages to blast him with three German Suplexes, followed by a failed pin attempt. Angle nails a Flying Clothesline, but tries again and fails. A slug out ensues between the two, with both men punching each other. Kane hits a Big Boot and throws Angle across the ring. He follows up with an Avalanche into the corner and a Tilt-a-whirl Slam. Angle slips in an Elbow, but Kane handles it by plastering him with a Chokeslam and a pin attempt in vein. After some careful maneuvering, Angle hits Kane with an Angle Slam and a pin, which he gets a 2-count with. He then applies the Angle Lock, but Kane manages to just power out of it. Angle clamps it on again, but Kane gets to the ropes, pulls himself up and blasts Angle hard around the head with an Enziguri. Kane goes to climb the turnbuckle, but Angle leaps up and hits a Belly To Belly Suplex off of the top rope! Angle then pins Kane for the victory.

Winner: Kurt Angle (10:46)

We see Hardcore Champion Hurricane Helms snooping around, evidently concerned about his safety and the length of his title reign.

A promo for the next match airs.

No Disqualification
Ric Flair .vs. Undertaker

Flair begins by punching Taker and hitting him with a Clothesline, and then punching him some more. Taker punches Flair, but Flair replies with another punch of his own. Taker hits an Elbow, but Flair nails yet another Punch! Taker takes it outside, ramming him into the steel ring post, before driving Flair’s head into the steel ring steps. Flair continues punching him, but Taker Chokes him, before punching him about the head. He Headbutts Flair, and by now Taker is bleeding on the cheek. Taker throws Flair into the buckle and punches him to the head, followed by another throw-to-buckle attempt, which Flair foils. However, Flair still receives a Big Boot, a large flurry of punches and is rolled back into the ring. Taker kicks him to the head, throws him to the buckle, when he is interrupted by Flair with a flurry of Chops, allowing Flair to show that he is not scared of his much larger opponent. Taker replies with a Clothesline, a combination of kicks and punches and another Clothesline. A punch and a Headbutt daze Flair, and another punch and a harsh Superplex take Flair out. At this point, his face is covered with blood, leaving both competitors bloodied, Flair more so than Taker vastly. Taker pins him and rakes his back several times, before kicking him, kneeing him to the head and choking him, all before leaving the ring. He elbows Flair to the head, Legdrop’s him and then takes him back into the ring, where he pins him, and after failing, punches him. He misses a second Legdrop attempt, and Flair takes advantage by hitting him with some punches and chops. It’s still not enough for Flair to gain a full vertical base, as Taker blasts him with a Sidewalk Slam, pins him in vein and botches a Big Boot on the ropes. Flair takes advantage of Taker’s precarious position by chopping him, raking him and grabbing a lead pipe from Taker’s bike, which he uses as a weapon to hit Taker over the head and ribs with. Taker rams Flair to the outside, punches him and rams him into the railings. Flair fights back better still, hitting Taker with an arena sign, punching him back in the ring, hitting him with a field goal kick between the legs and applying a Figure Four Leg Lock. Taker escapes by choking Flair and then besting him to the punch with a Chokeslam and then failing yet another pin. He punches Flair, pins him and fails yet again, and takes out the referee. Flair kicks him and chops him also, until Arn Anderson runs down and plasters Taker with the biggest Spinebuster you’ve ever seen! Anderson runs out but stays at ringside, and Taker approaches him, before punching him, booting him and choking him. Flair nails Taker with a chair, saving his best friend, but throwing away a winning opportunity. Taker boots him, Tombstone’s him and pins him, gaining the win.

Winner: Undertaker (18:46)

An advert for ‘Before They Were Superstars’ on the Fanatix series range is shown.

Michael Cole then interviews Booker T, and says that he was offended when Edge called him stupid. Clad in glasses, Booker says that he claims to know the Theory of Relatives, or Theory of Relativity, as Cole corrected him.

Booker made his way out to red pyros and flashing lights, to a chorus of boos.

Edge then entered the arena to Rob Zombie’s blasting theme to a decent reaction, but one of which I was expecting more.

Edge .vs. Booker T

The two lockup in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, with Edge getting the better of it, able to hit a Dropkick, Diamond Cutter, pin attempt and flurry of punches. However, Booker fights back, dumping Edge on the ropes and then kicking him promptly. He follows up with a pin, but fails to score the win, and then Clothesline’s Edge over the top rope and follows him, jumping over. He then enters the ring again and hits a Flying Dropkick on Edge, taking him back down, and if I can coin a phrase, ‘back to school’ so to speak (although the term shouldn’t be used literally if at all in this match). He punches, chops and kicks Edge, and Edge replies with some punches of his own and a stiff chop. Booker manages to nail a Spinebuster, but when he climbs the turnbuckle, Edge trips him, stoking him on the ring post/turnbuckle. Edge punches him on the buckle and nails a sloppy Hurricanrana. Booker punches him, but he is no match for Edge at this point in the match, who blasts him with a Spinning Wheel Kick and a Clothesline. Booker stands strong and knees Edge to the chest, but Edge catches him and hits the Edge-O-Matic, followed by a pin. He bests Booker with a Top Rope Spinning Wheel Kick and pins him, but when this fails, Booker tries one of his own, also in vein. Edge trips him and nails a Slingshot, followed by a Spear attempt, which Booker sidesteps, causing Edge to go head-first into the steel ring post. Booker hits a Front Kick on the rebound and connects with a Scissors Kick, earning him a 2-count. Edge fights back again with a Hiptoss and this time he hits the Spear, allowing Edge to pin Booker, but he only gets a 2-count once again. Edge hits the Edgecution and pins Booker for the win.

Winner: Edge

Note: You may notice during the match that someone is holding up a sign reading: ‘These guys are fighting over shampoo’, which I found quite funny.

We next see Hurricane Helms being interviewed by Lillian Garcia, with the returning Molly Holly at his side. When they go to leave, Molly blasts Helms over the head with a frying pan and pins him, grabbing a referee, collecting the Hardcore Title. She then makes her ‘escape’.

We then see a promo for the next match.

Stone Cold makes his way out to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd.

However, he is soon enough interrupted by the black and white, as Scott Hall makes his way to the ring. He signals back, and sure enough, out comes Kevin Nash to offer him some assistance.

Stone Cold .vs. Scott Hall

Austin begins early, kicking at Hall, hitting with an Elbow and ramming him into one of the corner posts. Austin then chops at Hall, but Hall replies by punching him, but Austin stands strong with a Lou Thesz Press and an Elbow Drop, followed by another ram into the corner. This prompts Hall to exit the ring and catch his breath, but this leaves Austin to roam freely, and he does so, attacking Nash on the outside. He then chops Hall, knees him, throws him into the steps and gets back into the ring. Hall kicks him to the face and hits a Clothesline, earning him a 2-count. Hall kicks him and chops him, but Austin punches him, fighting back avidly. Hall swings him to the buckle and puts the boots to his back. Nash then attacks Austin, allowing Hall to take the match outside again, where he punches Austin down, re-enters the ring and continues his assault, kicking away. He avalanches Austin and hits his trademark Fallaway Slam, earning him a close 2-count. When Austin gets up, he is struck back down with a Clothesline, and yet another failed pin attempt. He knees Austin to the neck, choking him, and then Nash punches Austin. Austin fights back with a Spinebuster, but Hall punches him. Austin fends it off with a Stunner, getting a very close 2-count, thanks to Nash, who pulls the referee out and punches Austin. However, Austin continues to fight back, kicking Hall and blasting him with another Stunner. Nash runs in and receives the same treatment. Austin pins Hall, but Nash’s distraction made sure that he didn’t pick up that pin. Nash Elbow’s the ref, and Austin Clothesline’s him out of the ring. Hall tries to catch him off guard but is Back Body Dropped out of the ring. Austin leaves the ring, punches Hall, brings him back in and hits a Stunner and a pin, getting yet another 2-count! Hall is then pushed to the buckle, and on the rebound receives a Stunner and a pin, collecting the win for Austin.

Winner: Stone Cold (9:53)

We see some clips from the fan Access, with a strange clip of a girl crying because she met the Undertaker, her favorite wrestler for ‘a long time’. He took one look at her state and said “Well you ain’t gotta cry about it!”. That was funny, and really shows the emotion of the WWF and it’s fans.

‘Death From Above’ blasts over the speakers and enter the Hardy Boys, without Lita, who is conspicuous by her absence.

We then switch to Saliva performing the Dudley Boys’ theme as they come out. D-Von and Bubba begin moshing, as Stacey Keibler dances with the lead singer.

The Acolytes come out next, ready to cause some hell.

We are then interrupted by ‘You were so good to me’, as Chuck and Billy come out, Tag Titles and all. They stop half way and run to the ring, signaling the start of the match.

Tag Team Title Four Team Elimination Match
Chuck Palumbo/Billy Gunn .vs. Hardy Boys .vs. Dudley Boys .vs. Acolytes

The action gets started with a Fallaway Slam from Bradshaw and a flurry of punches to Chuck and Billy. He then hits a Back Suplex, and lays on some more kicks and punches. He then tags out to Faarooq, who punches away and throws his opponent into the turnbuckle. They finally manage to fight back with a Clothesline, punch and double-team kicks. The brawling continues, with a punch and a choke, before kicking Faarooq around. They swing Faarooq, but he reverses it and thrills them with a Powerslam. He then tags out back to Bradshaw, who Clothesline’s their opponents, hits a Big Boot, DDT and a pin, getting a 2-count. Chuck and Billy then tag the Dudleys in, but they receive the same treatment as their ‘predecessors’, getting a Big Boot square in the face. They tag back to Chuck and Billy, who punchy away and swing Acolytes to the buckle. Bradshaw hits a Clothesline, and then they tag back to the Dudleys, who run in and blast Faarooq with the 3D and a pin, eliminating the Acolytes. Acolytes then tag out to the Hardys, who run in and hit a Double Elbow, and a pin attempt. Matt punches away, and then both Hardys hit Double DDT, followed by a Double Takeout. Some kicks take Dudleys down, and Jeff then leaps up onto the ropes and hits a Corkscrew on Bubba on the rebound. Stacey Keibler taunts Jeff, who slaps her behind and kisses her, making her fall off of the apron. Dudleys hit a Doomsday Device and then Bubba hits a Bubba Bomb. He chokes away at Jeff and pushes him into the turnbuckle, where he chops and punches. He then throws him into the buckle and punches away yet again. Jeff kicks him to the face, but Bubba replies with a Back Body Drop, kick and failed pin attempt. He continues his assault, choking away, and he then tags to D-Von. D-Von nails a Clothesline and pins him in vein. D-Von kicks away, hits a Suplex, and pins yet again! He tags to Bubba, who kicks away and hangs Jeff in the tree of woe. He kicks him there, chokes him and tags back to D-Von, who chokes away. He then nails a Flying Elbow, but his opponents fight back with an Unprettier, and a tag out to Matt, whilst D-Von tags to Bubba. Like a house on fire, Matt hits a Clothesline on Bubba, kicks away, throws him down and continues kicking away. Bubba goes for another Bubba Drop, but Matt replies with a Leg Drop and a pin. Bubba hits a Slam and D-Von goes for Wassup, but Billy pushes him off, sending him through a table at ringside. Matt hits a Twist of Fate, whilst Jeff climbs the turnbuckle and hits a Swanton Bomb, followed by a pin. D-Von kicks away and pins Matt. Matt hits a Legdrop and an Arm Rake, before they hit Poetry In Motion, a Slap, and yet another Poetry In Motion. Matt blasts the opponents with another Twist of Fate, and Jeff hits another Swanton Bomb. However, Billy Gunn tags in and hits a Fameasser, whilst Jeff Clothesline’s Chuck out of the ring. Billy goes for a pin, but fails thanks to interference from Jeff, so Chuck grabs a Tag Title and blasts both opponents with it, allowing Billy to make the winning pinfall.

Winners: Chuck Palumbo and Billy Gunn (13:51)

We cut backstage to the NWO, who are talking about Nash and Hall interfering. Hogan says that he wants to do it on his own so that Rock can have no excuses when he loses. Hogan walks off and Nash says that they’re still going to go out to help Hogan if he needs it.

Now we see Molly Holly snooping around backstage, when a door is slammed in her face, and we see someone standing behind the door. They reveal themselves to be none other than Christian, who peers around, grabs a referee and pins her, becoming the Hardcore Champion.

A promo airs for the next match.

Hulk Hogan makes his way out to the crowd, who loves him and gives him a great reception, much to the surprise of many fans.

The Rock’s theme then hits and the fans also cheer, but nowhere near as much as the reception for Hogan, and he makes his way to the ring. The two men stare down for well over a minute, before the bell rings and the action begins.

Hulk Hogan .vs. The Rock

Hogan gets a pre-emptive strike, locking up and throwing Rock away, and then locking up with him again. He locks in a Headlock, but Rock powers out, only to be knocked down, as the crowd pledge their allegiance to Hogan, cheering him on, much to the shock of Rocky. Hogan punches him and knocks him down with a Running Clothesline, followed by another punch. Rock fights back with a Flying Clothesline, but Hogan pushes him. Rock pushes him back and punches away at him. Hogan leaves the ring, and Rock soon follows. Rock Clothesline’s him, rolls Hogan into the ring, enters himself and continues the kick and punch assault on his fellow icon. Hogan is knocked to the mat with a Clothesline, but Hogan soon gains an edge by punching him and hitting him with a hard Elbow, a foot to the face and several more punches. He swings Rock to the buckle, punches him, and swings him to the opposite corner, where Rock escapes and nails a Spear, followed by a flurry of punches. Hogan fights back with a Back Suplex and a pin, getting a 2-count. He then applies an Abdominal Stretch, and another failed pin attempt. He rakes Rock to the back, punches him and then bites his head! Rock fends them off quickly with some Chops, but Hogan stays on the assault, swinging Rock into a buckle, hitting a Chokeslam and choking him. He then throws Rock to outside, leaves the ring himself and puts the boots to him. He takes his head and slams it on the steel ring steps, before dropping him across a railing. Rock fights back with punches, then throws the lid of the table off and slams Hogan’s head onto it. Hogan Clothesline’s him and enters the ring, followed by Rock, who runs at Hogan, but Hogan throws him into the ref, sending him and the ref to the ground. Hogan punches away, but Rock is able to score a Spinebuster, a trip scoot and a Sharpshooter. Hogan gets in a Low Blow on Rock after escaping, and hits a Rockbottom, mocking Rock totally. He follows up with a pin attempt, pulls out his trouser belt and whips Rock with it. However, Rock hits him with a DDP and unleashes some whipping of his own, before hitting a Rockbottom and another pin attempt, which also fails. Rock tries to power Hogan down with punches, but Hogan begins his infamous ‘Hulking Up’ phase and punches Rock back, to the surprise and appease of just about everyone in the arena. Hogan hits him with a Big Boot, followed by a Leg Drop, then pins him in vein. He hits yet another Big Boot and goes for another Leg Drop, but is unsuccessful this time. Rock takes advantage, hitting the Rockbottom twice in a row, nailing a People’s Elbow and pinning him for the win.

Winner: The Rock (16:23)

Following the match, a hurt Hogan walks over to Rock and extends his hand as a mark of respect. Rock hesitantly shakes it and Rock celebrates his win. As he leaves the ring, Hall and Nash make their way down to the ring and approach Hogan. Hall throws a toothpick in his face and the two beat down Hogan. It’s not long before Rock comes back, and as a team, Hogan and Rock take care of Nash and Hall, once again shaking hands, and as Hogan goes to leave, Rock stops him and basically forces him to do his Hogan taunts. They go backstage as friends, and at the end of the ramp, Hogan raises Rocks arm, a sign that he has passed the torch on to Rock.

We see a promo for Forcible Entry, the new WWF album, released on March 26th.

We cut to WWF New York, where the fans are chilling out with the Big Show, who has a girl on his shoulder.

Howard Finkel then reads out the official attendance, which is a record: 68, 237.

A promo airs for the next match.

Jazz makes her way to the ring, with her Women’s Title slung around her shoulder.

Without the Hardy Boys to guide her and some new theme music, Lita runs out, as the crowd cheers her.

But neither of them had a better ovation than Trish Stratus, who entered the arena clad in a Canadian outfit. She went to the ring and the match got underway.

Women’s Title Triple Threat Match
Jazz .vs. Lita .vs. Trish Stratus

Jazz punches to begin with, but Trish soon takes controlling, implementing hair pulling into the mix, then teaming with Lita to kick away and chop Jazz as a team. Jazz does some of her own kicks, and then applies the Boston Crab, followed by a kick and a Half Chicken Wing. She hits a slam, gets a 2-count, and nails a Suplex and another kick. Lita hits her with a Monkey Flip, Flying Headscissors and a swing to the buckle. On the rebound, she slams her and gets a 2-count. Jazz uses the ropes as weapons, dropping one of her opponents onto the ropes, before Lita kicks her yet again! Trish then rolls her up, failing again. Lita hits a Crossbody, a Jawbreaker and a Clothesline, but Trish kicks her and blasts her with Stratusfaction. Jazz kicks again and gets a 2-count from it. She hits a Back Suplex, another pin attempt and another kick. Trish nails a Sleeper Slam, a pin in vein, and then teams up with Lita again to beat down the Champion with punches. Lita delivers some single punches of her own, as does Trish. Lita hits a Back Body Drop, Twist of Fate, Slam and goes for a Moonsault on both opponents. On the way down, Trish gets her knees up, botching the move. Trish pins her and when she fails to win, chops away. Lita hits a swing to the buckle, but Trish intervenes and pins. Jazz hits a Clothesline, but Lita throws one of her opponents to the outside. Trish goes for another Stratusfaction, but botches it. Jazz is pushed off the buckle, but when she tries a Top Rope Fisherman’s Suplex off the top on Lita, she is successful, and manages to retain her title.

Winner: Jazz (6:17)

Christian is clearly happy about his Hardcore Title win. He loads the title into the boot of the taxi he ordered, when suddenly, Maven appears from behind with a referee and attacks him. He pins Christian, takes the title and Christian’s taxi. Christian throws a temper tantrum as Maven leaves the arena in the taxi with the Hardcore Title.

An advert is shown for Tough Enough 2.

Drowning Pool get back on the mic and perform their version of Motorhead’s ‘The Game’, as Triple H makes his way down to the ring, with a bandage around his leg, which is clearly hurting.

The counter counts down on the Titantron to 0 and Chris Jericho makes his way out, accompanied by Stephanie McMahon and with the World Title slung over his shoulder.

World Title Match
Chris Jericho .vs. Triple H

The two begin, locking up, and HHH pushes Jericho into the buckle, but Jericho reverses it. HHH punches him, then hits a Back Body Drop, followed by a Clothesline. Jericho fights back slightly, kicking him and chopping him. However, HHH hits a High Knee, taking Jericho down, but it appears as though he forgot himself, because his leg then cut out for a second, and he was holding the bandage. This gives Jericho the opportunity to capitalize, and he does so, Back Body Dropping HHH over the ropes. Jericho is surprised, by being dropped on the railing by HHH. HHH then leaves the ring and Suplexes Jericho on the floor. Jericho replies back with a kick, before HHH enters the ring again. Jericho begins to use strategic thinking, trying to take out The Game’s leg by clipping it, and then kicking it. HHH has enough of it and spears Jericho down to the ground. He then Elbow’s Jericho and kicks him to the leg. Jericho rakes him to the eyes, but Triple H Knees him and then applies the Figure Four Leglock. Stephanie digs her nails into HHH’s eyes, breaking the hold. HHH then grabs Steph, and rams Jericho into her. He rolls her into the ring and is about to hit her with the Pedigree, when Jericho hits a Missile Dropkick, breaking it all up. Jericho smashes his leg into the post, and Steph kicks him. Jericho kicks him also, then punches him, applies a Leg Submission, slams his leg onto the mat from a great height and smashes his leg into the steel ring post twice. Steph then slaps HHH, and Jericho clamps on a Figure Four Leglock around the post. HHH escapes and punches away, but Jericho hits a Drop Toe Hold, Leg Submission and another kick to the leg. HHH grabs Jericho, throws him into the ring post and blasts him with a Neckbreaker. Jericho replies with a kick to the leg, but HHH manages to pin him. Jericho kicks out and punches at HHH, but HHH knees him to the head, throws Jericho to the mat, Spinebuster’s him and then goes for another pin attempt, but Jericho kicks out. The Game punches away at him, but Jericho manages to muster up the strength to throw his opponent out of the ring. HHH has none of it, kicking a now outside Jericho to the face. However, Jericho Backdrop’s Game through a table and then rolls him back into the ring, before entering the ring himself and administering more punishment with a Lionsault and a pin. HHH kicks out and Jericho pins him yet again, failing again. HHH kicks him to the head, then kicks him in the stomach, but Jericho reverses the kick and applies the Walls of Jericho. HHH manages to power out after a while and kicks Jericho to the face. Stephanie pushes the ref over, and HHH has none of it, nailing her with a Pedigree, much to the appease of the fans. Jericho bashes HHH with a chair and pins him, but HHH kicks out and kicks Jericho. He then hits a Slingshot, a kick and a Pedigree. He then slowly but surely pins Jericho, the referee recovers and counts the fall, 1…2…3!

Winner: Triple H (18:42)

Triple H takes the title and walks back, as the crowd is cheering him and everyone is in a buzz.

We then cut to a highlight reel of the evening, with Saliva’s live performance of ‘Superstar’ from the beginning of the event as the backing track.

RVD .vs. Regal was far too short, as was Christian .vs. DDP, but they were both matches of reasonable quality. Goldust .vs. Maven was an utter stinker, but I think that this was because they made it very short for the comical value. I enjoyed the Hardcore Title skit, but thought that in-between matches, we were seeing nothing but that damn title changing, and it became predictable. I enjoyedm the performances from Saliva and Drowning Pool though, very good. Taker .vs. Flair was my favourite match of the night, Booker .vs. Edge was an utter stinker, as was Stone Cold .vs. Hall. When you put into account how long the match was (a feeble 9 minutes), it was good, but it should have been far longer, at least 5 minutes longer, at LEAST! Tag Team 4 Way was hectic, but Ok, nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. Hogan .vs. Rock was also brilliant, coming joint in first place for my 'Match of the night' award. I loved the boos that Rock recieved and the cheers that Hogan got - it was like a twilight zone, and when he began hulking up when Rock punched him, it was amazing, and it's moments like that which make me proud to be a WWF fan. I was angry to see Rock lose, because Hogan is a far bigger icon than Rock, and in my opinion, we are just seeing Rock winning every match he's in, and it's boring. I was pleased to see the sportsmanship at the end with Hogan though. Weird, because if someone drove a large truck into me, I wouldn't shake their hand in a hurry. Anyone else smell an NWO trick? The Women's Title was fast paced and decent, and the fact that Trish wore a nice little Canada outfit doesn't influence me one bit :0) Finally, I thought that the Main Event was terrible. Full of Stephanie screaming, HHH clutching his leg and referees getting pushed over - not my idea of a decent match really. I was happy to see The Game win, but I think it would have been better if he won the title, but still went out on a stretcher, in a controversial finish, it would have ruled! This was an excellent event, and probably my favourite of all time (just beating WM17), but there are a lot of places where they can clean up.

Shaun.

Good review - you explianed everything clearly

well done!

I think the WWF made the right decision giving the Rock the win. I probably would have preferred it the other way round, but if the Rock had lost he would have been the loser in 4 straight Wrestlemania's (lost to Austin in WM-15, the fatal fourway in 2000 and Austin again in WM-X7). If he lost this match, the fourth, it would have been a really bad legacy for 'the people's champion'

Personaly, I thought the event was poor. There were no real classic matches (the gimmick of Hogan wrestling will get old soon, trust me), and some of the matches were terrible. The Tag Team match just goes to show how burnt out and tired the Dudleyz and Hardyz are.

Good review that, I have not seen WM-18 yet but it sounded good, I would of hoped that RVD Vs Regal would be a longer match.

Here's my first event review for a while, so please read as much as you can before your eyes go out or just skim it, and the just gimme a quick reply on what you though, as I thought it'd be nice if I could do reasonably regular reviews for new events and DVD's etc. Anyway, here goes nothing - my WrestleMania X8 review! Enjoy...or not :0)

WWF Wrestlemania X8 Review
by Shaneo

The event opened with Saliva performing 'Superstar', the Wrestlemania theme.

We then see a video package, building up tonight's matches and flashing back to various other Wrestlemania events.

The fireworks explode and Wrestlemania gets underway from the Toronto Skydome, where 68, 237 strong look on in avid anticipation of the World Title Main Event between reigning Champion Chris Jericho and challenger, Triple H.

'One Of A Kind' hit and Rob Van Damn entered the Skydome to a great ovation from the crowd. William Regal received a much less desirable reception, in boos.

Intercontinental Championship
William Regal .vs. DDP

RVD begins with some a hard punch and a flip, trying to psyche out Regal that way. Punches and kicks do the job well, but after a while he had to stray from that, swinging Regal and blasting him with an Elbow. After some more kicks, RVD bested him with a Flying Kick and climbed the turnbuckle for the Five Star Frog Splash. He flew off the buckle and Regal moved, causing RVD to smash his body on the mat. Regal capitalized by pinning him three consecutive times, each of which he kicked out of. RVD fought back with a Cross Body Pin, but it wasn't good enough. It seemed as though RVD was beginning to lose his psychological edge, with Regal getting more and more moves in, such as a Drop Toe Hold, which allows him to score a strong 2 count. Regal hits a Suplex and tries again pinning him, but to no avail. Regal punches RVD, and this is replied to with a swing, kick and a flurry of punches. Regal still keeps his fight though, hitting a Neckbreaker and pinning him yet again and yet again RVD kicks out. Frustrated, Regal applies a Chinlock, but RVD escapes, gets Regal down and goes for the Rolling Thunder. Regal moves, but RVD gets up quickly and delivers some stiff kicks to Regal. Regal fends these off with a Powerbomb and a pin, once again mustering just a 2-count. RVD reverses it into a pin of his own, but Regal punches RVD. RVD doesn't take this lying down and rams him into the corner post and hits him with some kicks and punches. He swings Regal and nails a Dropkick, followed by a Monkey Flip and some more punches. He rams Regal once again, but Regal replies with a German Suplex. RVD fights back with a Flying Kick and climbs the buckle again for the Five Star Frog Splash. He nails it and pins Regal for the win and the Intercontinental Title.

Winner: Rob Van Damn (6:18)

We cut backstage, where Christian is interviewed about DDP, and he parodies DDP, talking in the fashion that DDP normally does.

Christian makes his way out to the normal heel reaction, and DDP gets no better, with just a average reaction.

European Championship
Diamond Dallas Page .vs. Christian

DDP gets started quickly, kicking Christian and blasting him with a Gutbuster and a Clothesline, before going outside and ramming him into the railing. DDP takes the action back in the ring and delivers several punches, before Christian fights back by dropping DDP’s neck onto the turnbuckle and then dumps him on the ropes. Christian leaves the ring yet again, and after a short beat down, enters the ring again, throwing kicks and punches at DDP. DDP fights back with some punches of his own and slides out of the ring smoothly. Christian throws him into the ring post and throws him back into the ring, before applying an Abdominal Stretch and a Dragon Sleeper. He follows up with a choke, but is fended off by a throw off the turnbuckle, taking him out. DDP blasts him with a Clothesline and a Powerbomb, but Christian yet again comes back with a Knee and a Reverse Back Suplex. It’s still not enough though, as DDP rolls him up for a 2-count and nails him with the Diamond Cutter for the 3-count.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page (6:08)

The Coach interviews The Rock, and after a little talk about Hogan, Rock forces Coach to say his prayers, which results in a very funny segment with which Coach greets God with “What Up G!?”. Rock sends him on his way and continues on about Hogan, and how he will beat him later tonight.

In a bonus match on the card, Goldust made his way out to a decent crowd reaction. He went under the ring and picked out some of his trademark gold weapons, before he is interrupted by Maven, who receives a far better following than his opponent.

Hardcore Championship
Maven .vs. Goldust

Goldust begins by punching away at Maven and throwing him outside onto the railing. Goldust climbs the apron and dives off onto Maven, before picking up a cooking sheet and plastering Maven with it. He then trip scoops him and hits a Slingshot, but Maven fights fire with fire, blasting Goldust with a Dropkick, unsuccessful pin and a roll up, which was also to no avail. Goldust replied with a Neckbreaker, another unsuccessful pin and a Front Slam. He then positioned a shovel under Maven’s stomach and stood on it, catapulting it onto Maven’s chest. He then nails Maven with a trash can and throws him into the buckle, before punching him and swinging him to the other buckle, where he pinned him on the rebound, but in vein yet again. They both pick up a trash can lid and manage to hit each other, sending them both to the floor in an equal state of consciousness and pain. Suddenly Spike Dudley bolts down the ring and pins Goldust, winning the Hardcore Title. He leaves as quickly as he enters, with Crash Holly and Goldust on his tail.

Winner: Spike Dudley (3:17)

Spike Dudley is holding his Hardcore Title, when Hurricane Helms swoops on a wire and knocks down Spike, pinning him for the title and the win.

We see some promos, before Drowning Pool perform their latest single, ‘Tearing Away’, which really got the crowd into the event.

The commentators comment about various things like the Hardcore Title situation, before we move on with the next match

Kurt Angle made his way out to a mass of boos, insulting Canada about their sporting achievements etc and how he’d never live here.

He was interrupted by hellfire and brimstone, as Kane made his way to the ring to a great reaction.

Kane .vs. Kurt Angle

Angle begins early, attacking Kane from behind and punching him, but Kane has none of it, punching Angle back. Angle replies harshly with a German Suplex and stick kicks to the ribs. Kane punches Angle and Elbow’s him to the face, before kicking him and swinging him to the buckle. He then chokes Angle and throws him down to the floor, before blatantly choking him. He gets in a last punch before Angle hits a Belly To Belly Suplex, followed by a Clothesline and various kicks. A knee choke and various punches contribute to Kane’s current downfall, before Kane delivers some of his own. Angle cuts him back down though, swinging him to the buckle and nails a Back Suplex, followed by a pin attempt and rather lengthy Front Facelock. Kane utilizes the strength factor with some hard punches, powering out, but not for long, as Angle is soon back on the attack with kicks and punches. Kane replies with a Sidewalk Slam, but Angle manages to blast him with three German Suplexes, followed by a failed pin attempt. Angle nails a Flying Clothesline, but tries again and fails. A slug out ensues between the two, with both men punching each other. Kane hits a Big Boot and throws Angle across the ring. He follows up with an Avalanche into the corner and a Tilt-a-whirl Slam. Angle slips in an Elbow, but Kane handles it by plastering him with a Chokeslam and a pin attempt in vein. After some careful maneuvering, Angle hits Kane with an Angle Slam and a pin, which he gets a 2-count with. He then applies the Angle Lock, but Kane manages to just power out of it. Angle clamps it on again, but Kane gets to the ropes, pulls himself up and blasts Angle hard around the head with an Enziguri. Kane goes to climb the turnbuckle, but Angle leaps up and hits a Belly To Belly Suplex off of the top rope! Angle then pins Kane for the victory.

Winner: Kurt Angle (10:46)

We see Hardcore Champion Hurricane Helms snooping around, evidently concerned about his safety and the length of his title reign.

A promo for the next match airs.

No Disqualification
Ric Flair .vs. Undertaker

Flair begins by punching Taker and hitting him with a Clothesline, and then punching him some more. Taker punches Flair, but Flair replies with another punch of his own. Taker hits an Elbow, but Flair nails yet another Punch! Taker takes it outside, ramming him into the steel ring post, before driving Flair’s head into the steel ring steps. Flair continues punching him, but Taker Chokes him, before punching him about the head. He Headbutts Flair, and by now Taker is bleeding on the cheek. Taker throws Flair into the buckle and punches him to the head, followed by another throw-to-buckle attempt, which Flair foils. However, Flair still receives a Big Boot, a large flurry of punches and is rolled back into the ring. Taker kicks him to the head, throws him to the buckle, when he is interrupted by Flair with a flurry of Chops, allowing Flair to show that he is not scared of his much larger opponent. Taker replies with a Clothesline, a combination of kicks and punches and another Clothesline. A punch and a Headbutt daze Flair, and another punch and a harsh Superplex take Flair out. At this point, his face is covered with blood, leaving both competitors bloodied, Flair more so than Taker vastly. Taker pins him and rakes his back several times, before kicking him, kneeing him to the head and choking him, all before leaving the ring. He elbows Flair to the head, Legdrop’s him and then takes him back into the ring, where he pins him, and after failing, punches him. He misses a second Legdrop attempt, and Flair takes advantage by hitting him with some punches and chops. It’s still not enough for Flair to gain a full vertical base, as Taker blasts him with a Sidewalk Slam, pins him in vein and botches a Big Boot on the ropes. Flair takes advantage of Taker’s precarious position by chopping him, raking him and grabbing a lead pipe from Taker’s bike, which he uses as a weapon to hit Taker over the head and ribs with. Taker rams Flair to the outside, punches him and rams him into the railings. Flair fights back better still, hitting Taker with an arena sign, punching him back in the ring, hitting him with a field goal kick between the legs and applying a Figure Four Leg Lock. Taker escapes by choking Flair and then besting him to the punch with a Chokeslam and then failing yet another pin. He punches Flair, pins him and fails yet again, and takes out the referee. Flair kicks him and chops him also, until Arn Anderson runs down and plasters Taker with the biggest Spinebuster you’ve ever seen! Anderson runs out but stays at ringside, and Taker approaches him, before punching him, booting him and choking him. Flair nails Taker with a chair, saving his best friend, but throwing away a winning opportunity. Taker boots him, Tombstone’s him and pins him, gaining the win.

Winner: Undertaker (18:46)

An advert for ‘Before They Were Superstars’ on the Fanatix series range is shown.

Michael Cole then interviews Booker T, and says that he was offended when Edge called him stupid. Clad in glasses, Booker says that he claims to know the Theory of Relatives, or Theory of Relativity, as Cole corrected him.

Booker made his way out to red pyros and flashing lights, to a chorus of boos.

Edge then entered the arena to Rob Zombie’s blasting theme to a decent reaction, but one of which I was expecting more.

Edge .vs. Booker T

The two lockup in a collar-and-elbow tie-up, with Edge getting the better of it, able to hit a Dropkick, Diamond Cutter, pin attempt and flurry of punches. However, Booker fights back, dumping Edge on the ropes and then kicking him promptly. He follows up with a pin, but fails to score the win, and then Clothesline’s Edge over the top rope and follows him, jumping over. He then enters the ring again and hits a Flying Dropkick on Edge, taking him back down, and if I can coin a phrase, ‘back to school’ so to speak (although the term shouldn’t be used literally if at all in this match). He punches, chops and kicks Edge, and Edge replies with some punches of his own and a stiff chop. Booker manages to nail a Spinebuster, but when he climbs the turnbuckle, Edge trips him, stoking him on the ring post/turnbuckle. Edge punches him on the buckle and nails a sloppy Hurricanrana. Booker punches him, but he is no match for Edge at this point in the match, who blasts him with a Spinning Wheel Kick and a Clothesline. Booker stands strong and knees Edge to the chest, but Edge catches him and hits the Edge-O-Matic, followed by a pin. He bests Booker with a Top Rope Spinning Wheel Kick and pins him, but when this fails, Booker tries one of his own, also in vein. Edge trips him and nails a Slingshot, followed by a Spear attempt, which Booker sidesteps, causing Edge to go head-first into the steel ring post. Booker hits a Front Kick on the rebound and connects with a Scissors Kick, earning him a 2-count. Edge fights back again with a Hiptoss and this time he hits the Spear, allowing Edge to pin Booker, but he only gets a 2-count once again. Edge hits the Edgecution and pins Booker for the win.

Winner: Edge

Note: You may notice during the match that someone is holding up a sign reading: ‘These guys are fighting over shampoo’, which I found quite funny.

We next see Hurricane Helms being interviewed by Lillian Garcia, with the returning Molly Holly at his side. When they go to leave, Molly blasts Helms over the head with a frying pan and pins him, grabbing a referee, collecting the Hardcore Title. She then makes her ‘escape’.

We then see a promo for the next match.

Stone Cold makes his way out to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd.

However, he is soon enough interrupted by the black and white, as Scott Hall makes his way to the ring. He signals back, and sure enough, out comes Kevin Nash to offer him some assistance.

Stone Cold .vs. Scott Hall

Austin begins early, kicking at Hall, hitting with an Elbow and ramming him into one of the corner posts. Austin then chops at Hall, but Hall replies by punching him, but Austin stands strong with a Lou Thesz Press and an Elbow Drop, followed by another ram into the corner. This prompts Hall to exit the ring and catch his breath, but this leaves Austin to roam freely, and he does so, attacking Nash on the outside. He then chops Hall, knees him, throws him into the steps and gets back into the ring. Hall kicks him to the face and hits a Clothesline, earning him a 2-count. Hall kicks him and chops him, but Austin punches him, fighting back avidly. Hall swings him to the buckle and puts the boots to his back. Nash then attacks Austin, allowing Hall to take the match outside again, where he punches Austin down, re-enters the ring and continues his assault, kicking away. He avalanches Austin and hits his trademark Fallaway Slam, earning him a close 2-count. When Austin gets up, he is struck back down with a Clothesline, and yet another failed pin attempt. He knees Austin to the neck, choking him, and then Nash punches Austin. Austin fights back with a Spinebuster, but Hall punches him. Austin fends it off with a Stunner, getting a very close 2-count, thanks to Nash, who pulls the referee out and punches Austin. However, Austin continues to fight back, kicking Hall and blasting him with another Stunner. Nash runs in and receives the same treatment. Austin pins Hall, but Nash’s distraction made sure that he didn’t pick up that pin. Nash Elbow’s the ref, and Austin Clothesline’s him out of the ring. Hall tries to catch him off guard but is Back Body Dropped out of the ring. Austin leaves the ring, punches Hall, brings him back in and hits a Stunner and a pin, getting yet another 2-count! Hall is then pushed to the buckle, and on the rebound receives a Stunner and a pin, collecting the win for Austin.

Winner: Stone Cold (9:53)

We see some clips from the fan Access, with a strange clip of a girl crying because she met the Undertaker, her favorite wrestler for ‘a long time’. He took one look at her state and said “Well you ain’t gotta cry about it!”. That was funny, and really shows the emotion of the WWF and it’s fans.

‘Death From Above’ blasts over the speakers and enter the Hardy Boys, without Lita, who is conspicuous by her absence.

We then switch to Saliva performing the Dudley Boys’ theme as they come out. D-Von and Bubba begin moshing, as Stacey Keibler dances with the lead singer.

The Acolytes come out next, ready to cause some hell.

We are then interrupted by ‘You were so good to me’, as Chuck and Billy come out, Tag Titles and all. They stop half way and run to the ring, signaling the start of the match.

Tag Team Title Four Team Elimination Match
Chuck Palumbo/Billy Gunn .vs. Hardy Boys .vs. Dudley Boys .vs. Acolytes

The action gets started with a Fallaway Slam from Bradshaw and a flurry of punches to Chuck and Billy. He then hits a Back Suplex, and lays on some more kicks and punches. He then tags out to Faarooq, who punches away and throws his opponent into the turnbuckle. They finally manage to fight back with a Clothesline, punch and double-team kicks. The brawling continues, with a punch and a choke, before kicking Faarooq around. They swing Faarooq, but he reverses it and thrills them with a Powerslam. He then tags out back to Bradshaw, who Clothesline’s their opponents, hits a Big Boot, DDT and a pin, getting a 2-count. Chuck and Billy then tag the Dudleys in, but they receive the same treatment as their ‘predecessors’, getting a Big Boot square in the face. They tag back to Chuck and Billy, who punchy away and swing Acolytes to the buckle. Bradshaw hits a Clothesline, and then they tag back to the Dudleys, who run in and blast Faarooq with the 3D and a pin, eliminating the Acolytes. Acolytes then tag out to the Hardys, who run in and hit a Double Elbow, and a pin attempt. Matt punches away, and then both Hardys hit Double DDT, followed by a Double Takeout. Some kicks take Dudleys down, and Jeff then leaps up onto the ropes and hits a Corkscrew on Bubba on the rebound. Stacey Keibler taunts Jeff, who slaps her behind and kisses her, making her fall off of the apron. Dudleys hit a Doomsday Device and then Bubba hits a Bubba Bomb. He chokes away at Jeff and pushes him into the turnbuckle, where he chops and punches. He then throws him into the buckle and punches away yet again. Jeff kicks him to the face, but Bubba replies with a Back Body Drop, kick and failed pin attempt. He continues his assault, choking away, and he then tags to D-Von. D-Von nails a Clothesline and pins him in vein. D-Von kicks away, hits a Suplex, and pins yet again! He tags to Bubba, who kicks away and hangs Jeff in the tree of woe. He kicks him there, chokes him and tags back to D-Von, who chokes away. He then nails a Flying Elbow, but his opponents fight back with an Unprettier, and a tag out to Matt, whilst D-Von tags to Bubba. Like a house on fire, Matt hits a Clothesline on Bubba, kicks away, throws him down and continues kicking away. Bubba goes for another Bubba Drop, but Matt replies with a Leg Drop and a pin. Bubba hits a Slam and D-Von goes for Wassup, but Billy pushes him off, sending him through a table at ringside. Matt hits a Twist of Fate, whilst Jeff climbs the turnbuckle and hits a Swanton Bomb, followed by a pin. D-Von kicks away and pins Matt. Matt hits a Legdrop and an Arm Rake, before they hit Poetry In Motion, a Slap, and yet another Poetry In Motion. Matt blasts the opponents with another Twist of Fate, and Jeff hits another Swanton Bomb. However, Billy Gunn tags in and hits a Fameasser, whilst Jeff Clothesline’s Chuck out of the ring. Billy goes for a pin, but fails thanks to interference from Jeff, so Chuck grabs a Tag Title and blasts both opponents with it, allowing Billy to make the winning pinfall.

Winners: Chuck Palumbo and Billy Gunn (13:51)

We cut backstage to the NWO, who are talking about Nash and Hall interfering. Hogan says that he wants to do it on his own so that Rock can have no excuses when he loses. Hogan walks off and Nash says that they’re still going to go out to help Hogan if he needs it.

Now we see Molly Holly snooping around backstage, when a door is slammed in her face, and we see someone standing behind the door. They reveal themselves to be none other than Christian, who peers around, grabs a referee and pins her, becoming the Hardcore Champion.

A promo airs for the next match.

Hulk Hogan makes his way out to the crowd, who loves him and gives him a great reception, much to the surprise of many fans.

The Rock’s theme then hits and the fans also cheer, but nowhere near as much as the reception for Hogan, and he makes his way to the ring. The two men stare down for well over a minute, before the bell rings and the action begins.

Hulk Hogan .vs. The Rock

Hogan gets a pre-emptive strike, locking up and throwing Rock away, and then locking up with him again. He locks in a Headlock, but Rock powers out, only to be knocked down, as the crowd pledge their allegiance to Hogan, cheering him on, much to the shock of Rocky. Hogan punches him and knocks him down with a Running Clothesline, followed by another punch. Rock fights back with a Flying Clothesline, but Hogan pushes him. Rock pushes him back and punches away at him. Hogan leaves the ring, and Rock soon follows. Rock Clothesline’s him, rolls Hogan into the ring, enters himself and continues the kick and punch assault on his fellow icon. Hogan is knocked to the mat with a Clothesline, but Hogan soon gains an edge by punching him and hitting him with a hard Elbow, a foot to the face and several more punches. He swings Rock to the buckle, punches him, and swings him to the opposite corner, where Rock escapes and nails a Spear, followed by a flurry of punches. Hogan fights back with a Back Suplex and a pin, getting a 2-count. He then applies an Abdominal Stretch, and another failed pin attempt. He rakes Rock to the back, punches him and then bites his head! Rock fends them off quickly with some Chops, but Hogan stays on the assault, swinging Rock into a buckle, hitting a Chokeslam and choking him. He then throws Rock to outside, leaves the ring himself and puts the boots to him. He takes his head and slams it on the steel ring steps, before dropping him across a railing. Rock fights back with punches, then throws the lid of the table off and slams Hogan’s head onto it. Hogan Clothesline’s him and enters the ring, followed by Rock, who runs at Hogan, but Hogan throws him into the ref, sending him and the ref to the ground. Hogan punches away, but Rock is able to score a Spinebuster, a trip scoot and a Sharpshooter. Hogan gets in a Low Blow on Rock after escaping, and hits a Rockbottom, mocking Rock totally. He follows up with a pin attempt, pulls out his trouser belt and whips Rock with it. However, Rock hits him with a DDP and unleashes some whipping of his own, before hitting a Rockbottom and another pin attempt, which also fails. Rock tries to power Hogan down with punches, but Hogan begins his infamous ‘Hulking Up’ phase and punches Rock back, to the surprise and appease of just about everyone in the arena. Hogan hits him with a Big Boot, followed by a Leg Drop, then pins him in vein. He hits yet another Big Boot and goes for another Leg Drop, but is unsuccessful this time. Rock takes advantage, hitting the Rockbottom twice in a row, nailing a People’s Elbow and pinning him for the win.

Winner: The Rock (16:23)

Following the match, a hurt Hogan walks over to Rock and extends his hand as a mark of respect. Rock hesitantly shakes it and Rock celebrates his win. As he leaves the ring, Hall and Nash make their way down to the ring and approach Hogan. Hall throws a toothpick in his face and the two beat down Hogan. It’s not long before Rock comes back, and as a team, Hogan and Rock take care of Nash and Hall, once again shaking hands, and as Hogan goes to leave, Rock stops him and basically forces him to do his Hogan taunts. They go backstage as friends, and at the end of the ramp, Hogan raises Rocks arm, a sign that he has passed the torch on to Rock.

We see a promo for Forcible Entry, the new WWF album, released on March 26th.

We cut to WWF New York, where the fans are chilling out with the Big Show, who has a girl on his shoulder.

Howard Finkel then reads out the official attendance, which is a record: 68, 237.

A promo airs for the next match.

Jazz makes her way to the ring, with her Women’s Title slung around her shoulder.

Without the Hardy Boys to guide her and some new theme music, Lita runs out, as the crowd cheers her.

But neither of them had a better ovation than Trish Stratus, who entered the arena clad in a Canadian outfit. She went to the ring and the match got underway.

Women’s Title Triple Threat Match
Jazz .vs. Lita .vs. Trish Stratus

Jazz punches to begin with, but Trish soon takes controlling, implementing hair pulling into the mix, then teaming with Lita to kick away and chop Jazz as a team. Jazz does some of her own kicks, and then applies the Boston Crab, followed by a kick and a Half Chicken Wing. She hits a slam, gets a 2-count, and nails a Suplex and another kick. Lita hits her with a Monkey Flip, Flying Headscissors and a swing to the buckle. On the rebound, she slams her and gets a 2-count. Jazz uses the ropes as weapons, dropping one of her opponents onto the ropes, before Lita kicks her yet again! Trish then rolls her up, failing again. Lita hits a Crossbody, a Jawbreaker and a Clothesline, but Trish kicks her and blasts her with Stratusfaction. Jazz kicks again and gets a 2-count from it. She hits a Back Suplex, another pin attempt and another kick. Trish nails a Sleeper Slam, a pin in vein, and then teams up with Lita again to beat down the Champion with punches. Lita delivers some single punches of her own, as does Trish. Lita hits a Back Body Drop, Twist of Fate, Slam and goes for a Moonsault on both opponents. On the way down, Trish gets her knees up, botching the move. Trish pins her and when she fails to win, chops away. Lita hits a swing to the buckle, but Trish intervenes and pins. Jazz hits a Clothesline, but Lita throws one of her opponents to the outside. Trish goes for another Stratusfaction, but botches it. Jazz is pushed off the buckle, but when she tries a Top Rope Fisherman’s Suplex off the top on Lita, she is successful, and manages to retain her title.

Winner: Jazz (6:17)

Christian is clearly happy about his Hardcore Title win. He loads the title into the boot of the taxi he ordered, when suddenly, Maven appears from behind with a referee and attacks him. He pins Christian, takes the title and Christian’s taxi. Christian throws a temper tantrum as Maven leaves the arena in the taxi with the Hardcore Title.

An advert is shown for Tough Enough 2.

Drowning Pool get back on the mic and perform their version of Motorhead’s ‘The Game’, as Triple H makes his way down to the ring, with a bandage around his leg, which is clearly hurting.

The counter counts down on the Titantron to 0 and Chris Jericho makes his way out, accompanied by Stephanie McMahon and with the World Title slung over his shoulder.

World Title Match
Chris Jericho .vs. Triple H

The two begin, locking up, and HHH pushes Jericho into the buckle, but Jericho reverses it. HHH punches him, then hits a Back Body Drop, followed by a Clothesline. Jericho fights back slightly, kicking him and chopping him. However, HHH hits a High Knee, taking Jericho down, but it appears as though he forgot himself, because his leg then cut out for a second, and he was holding the bandage. This gives Jericho the opportunity to capitalize, and he does so, Back Body Dropping HHH over the ropes. Jericho is surprised, by being dropped on the railing by HHH. HHH then leaves the ring and Suplexes Jericho on the floor. Jericho replies back with a kick, before HHH enters the ring again. Jericho begins to use strategic thinking, trying to take out The Game’s leg by clipping it, and then kicking it. HHH has enough of it and spears Jericho down to the ground. He then Elbow’s Jericho and kicks him to the leg. Jericho rakes him to the eyes, but Triple H Knees him and then applies the Figure Four Leglock. Stephanie digs her nails into HHH’s eyes, breaking the hold. HHH then grabs Steph, and rams Jericho into her. He rolls her into the ring and is about to hit her with the Pedigree, when Jericho hits a Missile Dropkick, breaking it all up. Jericho smashes his leg into the post, and Steph kicks him. Jericho kicks him also, then punches him, applies a Leg Submission, slams his leg onto the mat from a great height and smashes his leg into the steel ring post twice. Steph then slaps HHH, and Jericho clamps on a Figure Four Leglock around the post. HHH escapes and punches away, but Jericho hits a Drop Toe Hold, Leg Submission and another kick to the leg. HHH grabs Jericho, throws him into the ring post and blasts him with a Neckbreaker. Jericho replies with a kick to the leg, but HHH manages to pin him. Jericho kicks out and punches at HHH, but HHH knees him to the head, throws Jericho to the mat, Spinebuster’s him and then goes for another pin attempt, but Jericho kicks out. The Game punches away at him, but Jericho manages to muster up the strength to throw his opponent out of the ring. HHH has none of it, kicking a now outside Jericho to the face. However, Jericho Backdrop’s Game through a table and then rolls him back into the ring, before entering the ring himself and administering more punishment with a Lionsault and a pin. HHH kicks out and Jericho pins him yet again, failing again. HHH kicks him to the head, then kicks him in the stomach, but Jericho reverses the kick and applies the Walls of Jericho. HHH manages to power out after a while and kicks Jericho to the face. Stephanie pushes the ref over, and HHH has none of it, nailing her with a Pedigree, much to the appease of the fans. Jericho bashes HHH with a chair and pins him, but HHH kicks out and kicks Jericho. He then hits a Slingshot, a kick and a Pedigree. He then slowly but surely pins Jericho, the referee recovers and counts the fall, 1…2…3!

Winner: Triple H (18:42)

Triple H takes the title and walks back, as the crowd is cheering him and everyone is in a buzz.

We then cut to a highlight reel of the evening, with Saliva’s live performance of ‘Superstar’ from the beginning of the event as the backing track.

RVD .vs. Regal was far too short, as was Christian .vs. DDP, but they were both matches of reasonable quality. Goldust .vs. Maven was an utter stinker, but I think that this was because they made it very short for the comical value. I enjoyed the Hardcore Title skit, but thought that in-between matches, we were seeing nothing but that damn title changing, and it became predictable. I enjoyedm the performances from Saliva and Drowning Pool though, very good. Taker .vs. Flair was my favourite match of the night, Booker .vs. Edge was an utter stinker, as was Stone Cold .vs. Hall. When you put into account how long the match was (a feeble 9 minutes), it was good, but it should have been far longer, at least 5 minutes longer, at LEAST! Tag Team 4 Way was hectic, but Ok, nothing amazing or out of the ordinary. Hogan .vs. Rock was also brilliant, coming joint in first place for my 'Match of the night' award. I loved the boos that Rock recieved and the cheers that Hogan got - it was like a twilight zone, and when he began hulking up when Rock punched him, it was amazing, and it's moments like that which make me proud to be a WWF fan. I was angry to see Rock lose, because Hogan is a far bigger icon than Rock, and in my opinion, we are just seeing Rock winning every match he's in, and it's boring. I was pleased to see the sportsmanship at the end with Hogan though. Weird, because if someone drove a large truck into me, I wouldn't shake their hand in a hurry. Anyone else smell an NWO trick? The Women's Title was fast paced and decent, and the fact that Trish wore a nice little Canada outfit doesn't influence me one bit :0) Finally, I thought that the Main Event was terrible. Full of Stephanie screaming, HHH clutching his leg and referees getting pushed over - not my idea of a decent match really. I was happy to see The Game win, but I think it would have been better if he won the title, but still went out on a stretcher, in a controversial finish, it would have ruled! This was an excellent event, and probably my favourite of all time (just beating WM17), but there are a lot of places where they can clean up.

Shaun.