WWE WrestleMania 15 Fantasy Booking - 9 Matches To Make It Better

7. Gauntlet Match - The Big Show vs. The Ministry Of Darkness & The Corporation (Mideon, Steve Blackman, Bradshaw, Big Boss Man, Test and Faarooq)

The Big Show memorably debuted at February's St. Valentine's Day Massacre PPV in the main event between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. After being a Giant (quite literally) in WCW, McMahon felt he had scooped the next big thing in bringing Paul Wight to the World Wrestling Federation. Debuting him at the top of the card at Massacre, you could argue that Big Show spent the best part of the following few years going all downhill from there. But that wasn't originally the plan. In debuting Show during the main event of St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Big Show was being setup for the WrestleMania 2000 main event which at that point was going to be Steve Austin vs Big Show... an Attitude Era modern re-imagining of the Andre The Giant vs Hulk Hogan match from WrestleMania 3. Problems with Big Show's weight, attitude, desire, drawing power and in-ring work ironically STILL led to Show STILL main eventing WrestleMania 2000 a year later but with Steve Austin gone through injury and The Rock and Triple H having a stellar year, he wasn't really a focus of it. Back to 1999 and in my fantasy rebooking, he debuts the same way; as a hired McMahon heel who inadvertently throws Austin through the cage in the match with Mr. McMahon and sends the Rattlesnake to WrestleMania. The difference this time being that on the following night on RAW... McMahon berates his latest signing for f*cking up. He is relentless in his shouting of Show; "You've ruined it dammit. You big goof" which leads to Show getting redder and redder and angrier and angrier before ultimately chokeslamming Vince, and then Shane McMahon who runs out. One night after debuting as a Heel, Show instantly becomes a HUGE baby face before he's even had a match.

His first match then should be at Mania. As punishment for turning on the Boss, Vince books a Gauntlet match where Big Show must wrestle several members of the Ministry and the Corporation. In the way this match is booked, Big Show starts in the ring with an opponent and then every 2 minutes thereafter, like a Royal Rumble, another opponent must come down to the ring. However all of the opponents are opponents of The Big Show. He must pin, make them submit or chuck them over the top rope to eliminate them and be the last man standing. We are going to book the Big Show like the monster he should be. Big Show vs Mideon starts off the contest. Show doesn't need the 2 minutes allocated to eliminate him. He's waiting for his next opponent which is Steve Blackman (in my universe, Blackman is as another hired gun who takes out anyone the Corporation needs him too), however he doesn't last much longer either. Show has defeated two opponents and hasn't lost any sweat. Next is Viscera. Due to his size and weight Big Show struggles to eliminate him and he needs more than his two minutes. He can't eliminate him quickly enough before Bradshaw of The Acolytes comes down and makes things more difficult. Viscera and Bradshaw are still being given more of a beating than they are giving out but it's going to get worse for Big Show as his next opponent is ready and it's Big Boss Man. What should be clear to have been built up in the weeks before Mania is that Boss Man has a problem with Test and wants him kicked out of the corporation. WWF, as they did in real life, were starting to turn Test into a baby face leading-in to his on-air relationship with Stephanie McMahon. Bossman should have been bullying Test in the weeks before the show so when Big Show is looking completely vulnerable with Boss Man about to pick up the victory against him, out comes the next number Test. This takes Bossman's attention and they stare each other down as Test walks to the ring. Test is starting to get a big pop as he goes at it with Boss Man.

As this is happening, Show is starting to recover against Bradshaw and Viscera. Test eliminates Boss Man with the Test Drive (the referee, unsure to count at first as everyone is supposed to be against Big Show, ultimately does and tells Boss Man to go to the back. This is important as Boss Man can claim the next night on RAW he was the survivor of the match and shouldn't have been eliminated as Test wasn't supposed to be on the Big Show's side... leading to a Bossman vs Test match at Backash) and Show chokeslams Bradshaw and puts him out of commission whilst he helps Test chuck Viscera out of the ring. Whilst this is going on Faarooq runs through the crowd as the last opponent in the match before his allocated time slot and chucks Test out of the ring from behind, eliminating him. Big Show then chokeslams Faarooq out of the ring before Bradshaw groggily gets up and he ends up being power bombed by Show, who wins by standing on his chest for the pinfall. A complicated match to book but one that should achieve Big Show being a huge face and a monster in his first ever WWF match but also building momentum for Test and his big face turn. This match is far better usage of the Big Show than his sub-par and awkward match with Mankind and should have seen Show on the journey to become one of the most dominant athletes in the company's history. The next match on the card is something much more lighthearted...