5 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania XV
Ups...
5. Knockout
Bart Gunn didn't deserve to be fed to actual boxer Butterbean as a "reward" for his Brawl For All victory the prior year, but after the tournament tanked many an episode of Raw in 1998, it was nice to see this kept relatively short a year later.
As a spectacle, it had all the ingredients required for making a legitimate WrestleMania moment. It fused old and new - the Attitude Era-esque carnage was watched by an aging Gorilla Monsoon making his final appearance at the 'Show Of Shows' before his sad passing later that year. It had celebrity involvement thanks not only to one of the combatants but referee Vinny Pazienza and guest judges Chuck Wepner and Kevin Rooney. Most important of all was the red hot finish - Gunn was looking at the lights but left seeing stars.
The sheer violence was exhilarating, even in spite of the rather cynical undercurrent.