Ranking Every WWE Title Match At WrestleMania Worst To Best

15. WrestleMania XIV - Shawn Michaels Vs. Steve Austin

Steve Austin Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania 14
WWE.com

WrestleMania XIV was one of the Showcase of the Immortals' famed passings of the proverbial torch, with Shawn Michaels doing the J-O-B for the white-hot 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin.

Famously, the Heartbreak Kid was battling a knackered back as well as his own personal demons, resulting in a major doubt whether Mr. WrestleMania would even turn up for, well, WrestleMania. And if he did make it, would Shawn actually be happy to do business.

Michaels would be forced into retirement after this match, spending four years on the shelf before returning with a bang. Regardless of that, this was absolutely Austin's time to be handed the ball. Thus, a decent bout was concluded with a Stone Cold Stunner, a three-count, and a celebration of beers and middle fingers.

Was it as great as it could've been? Sadly not. A healthy, happy Shawn Michaels would've taken this bout to another level, but this was still a more than fine way to usher in the Austin Era.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.