Kane and The Undertaker sadly never topped this maiden offering - the type of big man battle Vince McMahon must have salivated over after months of patiently waiting to pay off his latest sibling struggle.
When it came to 'The Big Red Machine', everything from concept to execution was inch-perfect. What happened in the years that followed undermine how utterly sublime the first several months were for the complex character at play and the violence he sought for a lifetime of vindication.
It's evident here even in how the pair work - there's believable beef between the "brothers" in a way that felt totally forced thanks to the constant recycling of their love-hate-love-murder relationship over the decades. WrestleMania XIV is the feud at its most fertile and the match at its most magnificent.
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
