50 Must-See WrestleMania Matches
4. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 14
In hindsight, Steve Austin’s victory at WrestleMania 14 was a foregone conclusion – Shawn Michaels’ recent back injury would force him into retirement for four years, and Stone Cold was riding an insane wave of popularity at the time. But the emotion and drama of this match still was off the charts, with HBK as the defiant champ and Austin the renegade redneck.
Despite Michaels’ injuries, the two still managed to string together a great match, capped off with Austin finally winning the title that had eluded him for well over a year. At that point, Austin was the biggest star in the company and was helping turn the tide in the Monday Night Wars with WCW. His victory officially kicked off the Austin Era, and his battles with owner Vince McMahon would propel WWF to even greater heights.
Oh, and Mike Tyson was there as a special guest enforcer. Just in case you needed to make it any bigger, Tyson’s presence gave this match a great deal of mainstream media coverage, which also helped launch WWF into the public conscience even more.