Vince and Shane McMahon had asked questions of their staff following such a spectacular showcase in their own match, but six young wrestlers themselves (and three game sidekicks) took the responsibility of reheating the crowd after such an absorbing war.
TLC2 was in fact the third time Edge & Christian, The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz had collectively sent their bodies to the slaughterhouse for the good of the cause. Like just everything else at WrestleMania, this was the best version of itself.
The Ladder Match has been reduced to a stunt-and-bump show in recent times, but the art of an exciting one required build akin to a typical contest. Big spots were to be built to - the addition the eponymous tables, ladders and chairs, none as famous as Edge's iconic spear on Jeff as he hung from the prize. The pair had soft-launched it on a September 2000 Raw, but there was no finer moment or match to upgrade it - and themselves - into WrestleMania lore.
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
