Nostalgia seems to be in-style in WWE. Now it's 2011, and as I look at the card for Wrestlemania XVII, I can't help but take a look back to a decade ago, to April 1, 2001, and Wrestlemania X-Seven.
If you need a refreshing of your memory, here's the card from that event:
WWF CHAMPIONSHIP
No Disqualification Match
WWF Champion The Rock vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
No Holds Barred Match
Triple H vs. The Undertaker
Gimmick Battle Royal
The Iron Sheik, Luke Williams, Butch Miller, Duke Droese, Doink the Clown, Nikolai Volkoff, Tugboat, The Goon, Earthquake, Gobbledy Gooker, Brother Love, Michael Hayes, One Man Gang, Kamala, Kim Chee, Jim Cornette, Repo Man, Hillbilly Jim and Sgt. Slaughter
WWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match
WWF World Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian
Street Fight
Special Guest Referee Mick Foley
Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon w/ Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
WWF WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
WWF Women's Champion Ivory vs. Chyna
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
WWF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
WWF European Champion Test vs. Eddie Guerrero w/ Perry Saturn
WWF HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP
Triple Threat Match
WWF Hardcore Champion Raven vs. Kane vs. Big Show
Six-Man Tag Team Match
Tazz and the APA w/ Jacqueline vs. Right to Censor w/ Steven Richards
WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
WWF Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. William Regal
It's also worth noting, that on this edition of Sunday Night Heat, X-Factor's Justin Credible & X-Pac w/ Albert defeated Steve Blackman & Grand Master Sexay.
Now, fast forward ten years. Here is the card for Wrestlemania XXVII
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
WWE Champion The Miz vs. John Cena
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio
No Holds Barred Match
Triple H vs. The Undertaker
Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
Special Guest Referee "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/ Jack Swagger
Six-Person Tag Team Match
John Morrison, Trish Stratus, & Snooki vs. Dolph Ziggler & Lay-Cool w/ Vickie Guerrero
WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
WWE United States Champion Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Special Guest Host of Wrestlemania
The Rock
And while it hasn't been officially added to the card (at least according to WWE.com), I assume the following match will also happen:
WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
WWE Tag Team Champions The Corre (Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel) vs. Kane & The Big Show
The first thing that jumps out at me is the Triple H vs. The Undertaker match. Not because it is an encounter of epic proportions, but because this is the exact same match that we saw just ten years ago, right down to the match type. It's one thing to have a rematch. Heck, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker battled two years in a row with the exact same result. Though those particular matches may be considered special cases (they are, after all, regarded by many as two of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history), WWE programming has never once mentioned that these two men have battled before on "The Grandest Stage of Them All". The only reference made to their Wrestlemania X-Seven encounter is on the Match Preview on WWE.com. The brief paragraph addressing their previous bout reads as follows:
Precisely 10 years ago, the two respected and feared Superstars squared off on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania X-Seven. During that contest, the action spilled outside the ring in a memorable display of power and determination. In the end, The Demon of Death Valley prevailed by pinfall.
Of course, WWE is not going to tell us much about their Wrestlemania X-Seven match, because that would water-down the anticipation for this year's match. However, at the end of the day, I just don't get the same goosebumps from this angle that I did from the Shawn Michaels/The Undertaker match just a year ago.
The build up to HBK's match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25 was expertly done. They went so far as to acknowledge that these two had fought numerous times before, but that Shawn had never had the opportunity to face The Phenom on his "home turf", at Wrestlemania. At Wrestlemania 26, the idea was that Shawn had come so close to beating The Deadman the previous year, that he knew he could beat him if he had just one more chance, this time putting his career on the line. Those two matches weren't about two epic Superstars clashing on a huge stage, but about two legends and in-ring artists putting on a terrific show and one man's quest to do what no man had ever done. HBK, like many of the challengers before him, played many head-games with The Undertaker, whereas Triple H has done nothing but talk. There have been no smoke and mirrors on either side. There have been no ominous messages, no supernatural occurrences; simply a lot of talk.
Unfortunately for Triple H, he ever had, nor will he ever have, the charisma that HBK brings to the big dance. Yet what The Game lacks in charisma, he makes up for in intensity, but for some reason, this makes him a little less human as he seems to possess this invulnerability about him. No matter what happens, he never falters, never cracks. He's not intimidated by The Undertaker, whereas Michaels had to noticeably don a facade simply to counter The Undertaker's head games. Is this really an epic and highly-anticipated encounter? Or is this simply a case of Triple H riding the coat-tails of HBK's 5-star matches with The Undertaker?
There is one element to this match that is bone-chilling, though subtle. Following his return, The Undertaker has repeatedly been called "The Last Outlaw". This is perhaps the one aspect of the match that proves to be its saving grace.
Flashback once again, to Wrestlemania X-Seven. It is considered by many to be the mark of the end of the "Attitude Era". While Austin, Rock, and Foley would stick around a few more years, the torch would soon be passed to Triple H to carry the company. Men like Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Jericho were quickly rising to the top.
By Wrestlemania XIX, Austin would have his last match. Rock and Foley would tag team against Evolution a year later. And by Wrestlemania 21, the only stars from the "Attitude Era" to be left in prominent, main-event spots were Triple H, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.
Sure, there was still Jericho, Edge, Christian, Kane, and others, but these three men were the last centerpieces of the company before the new generation would step in.
And now, with Michaels gone, Triple H and The Undertaker are the last representations of an era that captivated an entire generation of wrestling fans. From prominence in the World Wrestling Federation, through the Monday Night Wars, and through the rough transitions that followed, these two have remained permanent fixtures of the industry, and now, it would seem, are facing off one final time in a battle that will most likely put the nail in the coffin of that period. It's not so much about the intensity of either man, or even the infamous streak, it's about two veterans of a dying era, squaring off one final time: a swan song for "WWF Attitude".
In any case, what is most unnerving about this match-up is the fact that WWE continues to dig into its retro bag for answers to its general lack of star power.
So many stars from ten years ago are still the center of attention today.
Kane and the Big Show are a tag team, much like they were at Wrestlemania 22.
Edge is the World Heavyweight Champion.
The Undertaker and Triple H will square off yet again.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin will referee a match.
The Rock is the guest host.
Even Grand Master Sexay (Brian Christopher), a former WWE World Tag Team Champion, was brought back to hype the match between Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole along with Jim Ross.
There's certainly a lot more WWE could to do beef up this card and make it worth your $60. WWE has a slew of titles circulating right now, and only four of them are represented here. There is no match for the Diva's Championship (why they would retire the prestigious Women's Championship in favor of this butterfly belt is beyond me). There is no official match announced for the WWE Tag Team Championship (those belts that look like they were designed by a 4th grade fan of "Gladiator"), and of course, for the seventh time in the last eight years, the Intercontinental Championship, the most prestigious of all the mid-card titles, will not be contested at WWE's biggest event of the year. There is also no Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match this year, as that particular gimmick was given its own pay-per-view. Which begs the question of how Wrestlemania XXVII expects to fuel the WWE with any momentum going forward in 2011.
Let's face it: why are we going to buy Wrestlemania XXVII? Is it to see Daniel Bryan regain the United States Championship from Sheamus? Is it to see The Miz finally lose his coveted WWE title? Is it to see if Edge can hold on to his World Championship against the rising star of Alberto Del Rio?
Probably not.
There are three reasons people are going to buy Wrestlemania XXVII, and, depending on what kind of fan you are, you may fall into one or more of these instances.
1.) Triple H vs. The Undertaker - This is for the older demographic who remembers when these two men were in their prime. Their match at Wrestlemania X-Seven may not be the most memorable for either man, but it is memorable for fans who grew up before or during the "Attitude Era". We know this will be a great match, so we will pay to see it.
2.) Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Michael Cole w/ Jack Swagger and Special Guest Referee "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - This is for the casual fan. You hate Michael Cole's attitude and want to see him get his face rearranged by Lawler, Austin, or both. You are probably also a "Stone Cold" fan and can't wait to see The Rattlesnake back in the ring.
3.) John Cena vs. The Rock - Sure, technically this isn't a "real" match. There won't be a sanctioned confrontation, but most fans will want to see what happens when the two most popular Superstars from their respective eras collide. This is really what is selling Wrestlemania XXVII right now, and this is what the majority of viewers are paying for. The good news? The Rock's return after a seven year hiatus is raising a lot of eyebrows (forgive the pun) for entertainment news. Fans who may have left the product after the "Attitude Era" will return, however briefly, to see stars like The Rock and Austin back in the spotlight.
The bad news? WWE really isn't giving those fans any reason to stick around after 'Mania. Who will those fans of the "Attitude Era" latch onto at 'Mania that will make them want to tune in to Raw the next night? There are no new stars to take the place of the Austins or the Rocks. Daniel Bryan is a terrific performer, but he's lacking in charisma and character, as are most of the young stars coming in right now. Guys like Orton and Punk have had their time to shine and are now simply acting as filler for the card. John Cena's gimmick is getting stale even for casual fans. Cena has main-evented every Wrestlemania for the past six years (this will be his seventh). Who is going to make sure that those fans who return for Wrestlemania won't leave once the show is over?
In the next column I'll be taking a closer look at the Wrestlemania XXVII card and making my official predictions. But on paper, I just don't see that "legend in the making". When Austin won the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania XIV, it was a clear sign that he would be the next huge star. When Cena won that title from JJBL at Wrestlemania 21, it was to usher in a new era. But who will lead the new generation? Will we find out at Wrestlemania XXVII, or will we be forced to wait another year for a new legend to root for?
