The Complete A-Z Of WrestleMania

20. G - Gimmick Battle Royal

Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock
WWE

The measure of how sublime a show WrestleMania 17 is in how perfectly it tackled nostalgia with the much-loved Gimmick Battle Royal.

The Attitude Era had been ruthlessly cold to past superstars, as WWE brought in waves of new fans and felt no cause to expose them to some of the sillier or campy moments that had permeated through the product during the previous decade.

With WCW and ECW out of business and the company unintentionally bringing their golden era to a close on that very night, the 19-man over-the-top-rope scuffle was the ideal opportunity to trot out some fondly remembered characters that all collectively looked hundreds of years out of time when juxtaposed with the intense WWE product of the day.

With Atlanta refugees Mean Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan also returning to do commentary, the entire presentation was a masterful look back at a different era of the industry altogether and a nice payday for several former stars that still plied their trade on the independent scene.

Fittingly won by The Iron Sheik because he physically couldn't absorb the bump to the arena floor, the old-timers scrap is still fondly remembered, with a modern-day rehash long overdue.

Contributor
Contributor

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