5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania XV

The Ragin' Anti-Climax.

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The incredible conclusion to WrestleMania XIV was just another 1998 moment made perfect by one of Jim Ross' iconic calls. "The Austin Era has begun" was the sort of line 'Good Ol JR' was always excellent at deploying at exactly the right time. His storytelling did as much - sometimes more - as the wrestlers themselves when it came to getting over the chaos and carnage of the day.

It was for that reason Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock insisted upon his presence for their WrestleMania XV headliner. 'The Rattlesnake' knew his close friend would do much to flesh out the lashings of daftness that defined the time and at least make their brawl feel like the main event on a 'Show Of Shows' full-to-bursting with weirdly similar scraps.

The best of the rest of the Attitude Era were ready to cap off a tumultuous decade of WrestleMania's with the most barmy of the lot - even if it meant sacrificing in-ring quality almost entirely. Typically, it fell to one man to save the show on that front, but we'll get to his unenviable task a little later.

(Want more WrestleMania Ups & Downs? We got 'em: I, 2, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, 13, 14)

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett