8 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE WrestleMania XIV

The Baddest Men On The Planet.

by Michael Hamflett
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WWE

In reviewing WrestleManias retrospectively, it's often useful for the narrative to consider just how much can change over the 12 months separating 'Show Of Shows' spectaculars.

The company's comeback from the brink commenced in 1997 and concluded precisely four years later - but the years of celebration in between were all individually important for the future of the organisation. With this very show, WrestleMania returned to prominence in a way it hadn't since the original 1980s incarnations - only branded to perfection alongside the company's "Attitude" slogan. Pete Rose was a shunned baseball icon thanks to a penchant for gambling on his own games, Gennifer Flowers courted controversy thanks to an affair with Bill Clinton, whilst company crown jewel was literally labelled "The Baddest Man On The Planet".

Famous for crossing lines, the special guests satisfied a different style of celebrity years removed from WWE killing the gimmick in 1995. Vince McMahon's empire was alive again - he no longer needed to find fortune in fame.

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

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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