Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock assembled an energetic effort in their first of three WrestleMania epics, but injuries and the era itself reduced the match to a relentless series of scintillating spots and boy-popping near falls as every f*cker took their moment alongside the two biggest stars in the industry that had been comprehensively reclaimed by a WWE now firmly shaped in their image.
The aforementioned announce booth return of Jim Ross kicked off the procession of pre and mid-match returns. Vince McMahon was out next to proclaim himself guest referee for the clash, only for Commissioner Shawn Michaels to turn up and boot him from the scene. Mick Foley was out later as McMahon tried and failed with every last trick to keep Austin away from the WWE Championship.
His plans - as they always ultimately did - failed. WrestleMania XV wasn't entirely a world worth returning to, but the days of authority figures actually losing was a nice reminder of how well the idea used to actually work.
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
