4. Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon - WrestleMania X-Seven
One cannot underestimate the effect the McMahon family had on WWE programming during the Attitude Era. It is easy for fans to look back and claim that they were overexposed, that they made the shows about themselves more than the wrestlers, but the fact of the matter is that they were characters absolutely integral to the success of the show. Like Dallas and Dynasty, their family drama was a major draw for fans. As 2000 came to an end, patriarch Vince was engaged in a steamy and torrid affair with Trish Stratus, something that drove a wedge between him and daughter Stephanie. At the same time, he was treating his wife as less than human, increasing her medication to the point that she was a living, breathing vegetable. Disgusted by his father's actions, Shane McMahon returned to avenge his family, sticking it to his father by buying WCW right out from under him just days before their scheduled Street Fight at WrestleMania X-Seven in April 2001. With Stephanie and her father reunited, and Trish shown her place as almost sub-serviant to the father-daughter combo, the table was set for one of the most wildly entertaining matches in WWE history. Trish betrayed Vince and Stephanie, tired of the humiliation she was forced to endure at their hands. Special referee Mick Foley pummeled Vince and wife Linda stood up and delivered the most satisfying low blow ever witnessed on WWE television. The moment she rose from her wheelchair, revealing that she was not as heavily medicated as believed, is accompanied by a thunderous ovation that still sends chills down the spine of this writer. And then, to top it all off, Shane leaps through the air, delivering a coast-to-coast Van Terminator the likes of which fans of WWE had never seen before. It was the perfect exclamation point on a match that ranks as one of the greatest examples of sports entertainment done right ever witnessed.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
