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List Price: $69.95 | | Label: World Wrestling
Salesrank: 25139
Released: November 1, 2005 |
| Our Price: $33.49 |
| Used Price: $29.52 |
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MPAA Rating:
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The "Attitude" Era of WWE explodes onto the scene as the 20th Century comes to a close. Relive the night NFL legend Lawrence Taylor got in the ring with Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI. Who can forget Shawn Michael’s classic Iron Man Match with Bret "Hit Man" Hart at WrestleMania XII? Or the night Stone Cold Steve Austin began his ascent to WWE immortality at WrestleMania 13? Witness Mike Tyson, the greatest heavyweight boxer since Muhammad Ali, crossing paths with Michaels and Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Witness the action as Stone Cold collides with "The Great One" himself, The Rock, at WrestleMania XV. The late 1990’s was the era that redefined the WWE. Get ready to relive its most dynamic WrestleMania moments
WWE WrestleMania - The Complete Anthology, Vol. 3 - 1995-1999 (WrestleMania XI-XV) Reviews:
WWE WrestleMania 1995-1999 
2009-10-13 - This item was purchased for my son, the only thing that I can stay is that as usual, the items arrive very quickly. Thank you for the fast service.
Good, but the editing makes it nearly unwatchable 
2009-04-27 - In the first Wrestlemania, nearly every entrance is removed. Later on down the road, there are blurs EVERYWHERE. They go even so far as to blur out the WWF Championship because it has the WWF logo on it. I wanted these for nostalgic reasons and, really, all we get is a WWE version of WWF's history.
wrestlemaina anthology 3
2009-03-09 - the product was well wraped, shiped quickly, and well documented. I am vary happy with this purchase.
See WrestleMania's "New Generation" & "Attitude" era's right here!
2009-02-22 - If Jim Crockett's Starrcade was "The Granddaddy Of Them All", then WrestleMania has to be considered "The Big Daddy Of Them All." Indeed, it is now the Granddaddy as Starrcade is no longer held.
This volume covers WM's XI-XV. I will go do the pain staking task of going through the majority of the matches. Also, because they were still The World Wrestling Federation at this time, I will refer to all titles with WWF and not WWE. Here we go:
WRESTLEMANIA XI
This WrestleMania was decent but it had one of the most overhyped main events ever in history! I'll get to that later!
The Allied Powers (Lex Luger/Davey Boy Smith) Vs. Jacob & Eli Blu - The opener of this WrestleMania introduced the short-lived tag team of Lex Luger and The British Bulldog against the future Harris Boys in the old WCW. Not much here but a good way to open up the card letting Luger and DBS get the win (especially after that good performance of the American National Anthem from that Special Olympics woman which was very touching).
Razor Ramon w/1-2-3 Kid Vs. Jeff Jarrett w/The Roadie (WWF Intercontinental Championship) - This was a rematch of their Royal Rumble encounter where Jarrett beat Ramon for the I-C strap. Of the matches I've ever seen with Ramon(Scott Hall) and Jarrett, I don't think I've ever seen a bad one. These two seemed to work together pretty well. Adding the Kid (Sean Waltman) to the mix didn't hurt things either. I don't recall how Razor won but I do know it was by either DQ or countout, allowing Jarrett to retain the title. Good match to watch other than the screwjob ending.
King Kong Bundy Vs. The Undertaker - While still a cult favorite among long time fans, did anyone think that KKB was going to beat UT at WrestleMania!? Of all the challengers to "the streak", KKB was the least likely! Not that he didn't give it a shot though as he had his moments but this was mostly a squash for UT. Ends when "The Dead Man" gives Bundy a bodyslam followed by his flying clothesline off the ropes for the pin! Weak ending but consider this isn't the submission style UT we see today, its forgivable. The streak continues!
Owen Hart/Yokozuna Vs. The Smokin' Gunns (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - In a surprise move, the late great Owen Hart got the also late Yokozuna to be his partner against Billy (TNA's Kip James) & Bart Gunn. This actually was a pretty good match. What's often lost to history is that The Gunns were actually a pretty good team and it shows in this match. Still, this was Owen Hart's night as he captured his first WWF/WWE gold after Yoko used his "Banzi Drop" on Billy for the win! Not a classic match but watchable. Look for some good double team moves from the Gunns on Owen and Yoko's squashing of Billy!
Bob Backlund Vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart ("I Quit" Submission Match) - For this bout, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper was the referee for what reason I can't figure! Wouldn't Tully Blanchard or Magnum T.A. be a better choice?! LOL!
Anyway, Bret in his career didn't have too many sub-par bouts but this was one of them! No disrespect meant to him or Backlund but I've seen better out of both men. Ends when Bret, after failing to trap Bob in the sharpshooter, reverses Bob's crossface chicken-wing move and put one of his own on Backlund! Backlund, by the way, never actually said "I Quit" but Piper called it when asked does he give up and Backlund said "yes." In terms of these style of matches, I've seen a lot better and if you want to see a good Bret Hart/Bob Backlund match, get Survivor Series 1994. Worth one look.
Shawn Michaels w/Sycho Sid Vs. Diesel (Kevin Nash)(WWF World Title Match) - While part of this story surrounded who then-Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson was going to escourt to the ring, the match itself (thankfully) overshadowed that! LOL! By the way, as a side note, Shawn (from what I understand) did date Ms. Anderson for a time! I know Shawn Thanks God that didn't work out! LOL!
Anyway, the match itself was great. Surprisingly, no interference from Sid though he did tease it a few times. Ends with a sloppy Jacknife Powerbomb from Diesel, probably the only bad move of the match. Great title match and SHOULD'VE been the main event here!
Lawrence Taylor Vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - With NFL members like Chris Spelman, future Horseman Steve McMichael and the late Reggie White in his corner, Lawrence Taylor made his first and only in-ring debut against the late Bam Bam Bigelow who had Ted Dibiase's "Million Dollar Corporation" in his corner.
I'll be honest, the match wasn't really that bad. Hey, at least Lawrence was a real athlete and not an actor (a la Mr. T) and could probably do a few things. Still, the wrong man won here as Taylor got the win over Bigelow. So sad. While not a bad match, it SHOULD NOT HAVE been the main event.
I would rank this WM as okay. Not that great but at least it wasn't WM 2 or WM 9.
WRESTLEMANIA XII
This one proves the old adage that smaller is sometimes better! This card was one of the smallest WrestleMania's. In fact, the next three WM's were among the smallest cards in this event's history but the quality of those three ranged from okay to excellent! In short, they were worth viewing. Now, let's get to this one.
Yokozuna, Ahmed Johnson & Jake "The Snake" Roberts Vs. Owen Hart, The British Bulldog & Vader w/Jim Cornette - The stipulation in this match was that if Cornette's team lost, then Yokozuna would get 5 minutes alone with Cornette himself! All six men gave a good effort and it was Jake's first WM appearance in 4 years. It would also be his last appearance at a WM to date. Ends when Jake actually has Cornette in position for the DDT but Vader saves his manager and gives him his "Vader bomb" splash to save his manager from facing Yoko. This would also be Yokozuna's final WM appearance as well as he would die a few years later from heart failure.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper Vs. Goldust ("Hollywood" Backlot Brawl) - This was basically a street fight match that did start in a Hollywood backlot. It was surprisingly vicious and foreshadowed the "Attitude" era as Goldust took some stiff shots from Piper! Seeing the fight go badly, Goldust makes his way back to the arena where he and Piper finish the "match" in the ring (that part takes place later in the card but I am discussing it now for review purposes). Ends when Piper disrobes Goldust and makes him run away after some low blow shots! Though there was never a referee for the match, Piper is pretty much the winnner!
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin w/Ted Dibiase Vs. Savio Vega - This one is a MUST VIEW to me because we all know about Austin but Vega was very underrated as a worker in his own right. These two had a tremendous match together here and even the screwjob ending didn't take away from it at all. Austin wins and begins his start to the status he enjoys now.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley w/Sable Vs. The Ultimate Warrior - This was HHH's first appearance at a WrestleMania. It was also the first WWF/WWE appearance of Sable and the first WM appearance of UW since WrestleMania VIII in 1992!
Pretty much a squash for Warrior and we know how that story ended afterwards! Meanwhile, HHH would go on to be a member of DX and become "The Game" in later years. Sable would go on to be a big star during 1998-99 before her diva attitude pretty much got her booted from WWF/WWE not once, but twice!
Diesel Vs. The Undertaker - In one of his harder WM bouts, UT faced an opponent that you could believe might stop "the streak." For a few moments, it appeared that way as Diesel (Kevin Nash) had UT beat for a few pinfalls but arrogantly wouldn't make a cover. That would come back to haunt him as UT put Diesel away with his Tombstone Piledriver for the win!
Bret "Hitman" Hart Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF World Title Match/60 Minute Iron-Man rules) - This one was classic in my view. While slow in some spots, I personally liked that because it made you wonder what was going to happen next. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Not because Shawn won but they should've put in the overtime clause BEFORE the match began to avoid controversy.
Still, the quality of the match can't be question. Watch this in portions if you can't watch it straight but whatever you do....WATCH THIS MATCH!
Overall, a good WrestleMania card.
WRESTLEMANIA XIII
This one had to be one of the darker themed WM's ever. By that, you really didn't know who was the good guy or bad guy as men like Bret Hart were being booed and men like Steve Austin were being cheered! Like fellow reviewer R.A. McKenzie, I was wondering at the time "what's wrong the people! Why are you cheering Austin?!" It was a bizzare time indeed.
The New Blackjacks (JBL/Barry Windham) Vs. The Godwins Vs. The Headbangers Vs. Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon - In this four corners tag team match, the winner would get a shot at then-champions Owen Hart & The British Bulldog at a later date. An okay opener but nothing to remember.
Rocky Maivia Vs. The Sultan (Rikishi)(WWF Intercontinental Title Match) - A very forgettable match. In fact, the best part was when Rocky Johnson unexpectedly showed up to save his son from an post-match beating from The Sultan and his managers Bob Backlund & The Iron Sheik. Watch once to see a very babyface Rock who was practically booed out of the building despite being a face.
HHH w/Chyna Vs. Goldust w/Marlena - In a much better encounter than their Royal Rumble match a few months earlier, this match saw Chyna assault Marlena by swinging her around like a doll! Meanwhile, this distraction caused Goldust to fall prey to The Pedigree for a HHH victory.
Vader & Mankind w/Paul Bearer Vs. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog (WWF World Tag Team Title Match) - The former enemies in WCW (Vader/Mankind in his Cactus Jack persona) teamed up to take a crack at the WWF Tag Team straps. Also being sold in this match was the building tension between Owen and The Bulldog which did come to ahead briefly before the formation of The Hart Foundation later that year.
An okay match but I've seen better out of all four of these men. Ends with Owen and Bulldog retaining.
Bret "The Hitman" Hart Vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (Submission Match) - As I stated earlier, the most amazing thing here was that while Bret got his share of cheers, Austin was rooted for almost if not more than "The Hitman!" Add that former UFC Superfight Champion Ken Shamrock was the referee and you had a classic match on your hands.
I don't think I need to tell you what most already know. Austin lost the match due to being unable to continue but Austin would become a major player after this. As for Bret, he would turn heel and form The Hart Foundation and they would be the hottest group for months until Survivor Series 1997. That's for another review.
The Legion Of Doom/Ahmed Johnson Vs. The Nation Of Domination (Chicago Street Fight) - Offically, it was NOD members Faarooq, Savio Vega and Crush in this match against Chicago's own LOD and Ahmed but you do see run-ins from PG-13 members J.C. Ice & Wolfie D. and the future D-Lo Brown! It was a wild mess with some hard spots! I think Faarooq actually suffered a legit injury during the match and left before it was over. Anyway, LOD and Ahmed got the duke.
The Undertaker Vs. Sycho Sid (WWF World Title Match) - This match wasn't one of UT's best though certainly not his worst. Wearing his classic outfit from his early UT days, he took the strap from Sid here for his second World Championship. Worth viewing only to see UT win it for the first time at a WM.
Overall, this one was a mixed bag but this event foreshadowed what was to become The Attitude Era.
WRESTLEMANIA XIV
By this WM, the Attitude era was in full swing! DX and "Stone Cold" was riding high while Bret Hart had gone to WCW. Rocky Maivia had become The Rock and joined The Nation Of Domination while Ken Shamrock had become a full time performer and introduced the world to the anklelock submission (long before Kurt Angle though Angle does it better). Needless to say, this was going to be a very different WM.
15 Team Battle Royal
This one saw the return of LOD with a new manager in Sunny! As for the Battle Royal itself, it wasn't a bad opener with LOD getting the win.
Taka Michinoku Vs. Agulia (WWF Light Heavyweight Title Match) - In their attempt to copy WCW's more successful Cruiserweight program, the WWF had their own champion in Taka Michinoku. While not a bad wrestler at all, they just didn't have the cruiserweight stars to make it work back then like WCW did.
As for the match itself, it wasn't bad but I've seen a lot better! Michinoku retains his strap.
HHH Vs. Owen Hart (WWF European Title Match) - The future "Game" and "The Rocket" got it on here as a residue from The Hart Foundation Vs. DX feud in late 1997. Hart and HHH had a very good match but in the end, it was Chyna (despite being handcuffed by Sgt. Slaughter) who made the difference as she low blowed Owen from outside of the ring, allowing HHH to get the Pedigree and retain his title. A year later, it would be Chyna and HHH (along with NOD members) that would give the most touching tributes to Owen the night after he died.
Marc Mero/Sable Vs. Goldust/Luna (Mixed Tag Team Match) - For only the third time in WM history to this point, a mixed tag team bout was part of the card. The then-husband/wife team of Marc Mero & Sable took on the bizzare team of Goldust & Luna. The irony here is that Goldust's father (Dusty Rhodes) was in the first ever mixed tag at WM VI and that Luna was part of the second one at WM X. As for Sable, while she didn't take bumps, she actually looked pretty good in the ring. She still shouldn't have squashed Luna like she did (a woman that used to take down the late "Sensational" Sherri in her prime), but she looked good. Meanwhile, the men didn't have a bad match either. Ends when Sable used her husband's finisher TKO on Luna for the victory.
Ken Shamrock Vs. The Rock (WWF Intercontinental Championship) - For the first and only time in WM history, a title changed hands BUT was changed back!
Let me explain, Ken Shamrock (who had dominated most of the bout), had already beaten The Rock by submission for the title but refused to break his anklelock hold. The referee, in a controversial decision, reversed Shamrock's win and DQ'ed him for not breaking the hold despite the fact that the match was over! The Rock retained his I-C title. Not a bad match at all but the ending kind of left a sour taste in my mouth. I mean, how many times have we've seen attacks after the bell in wrestling such as Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen? Flair was never stripped his World title for it?! Didn't make sense to me. That's all.
Cactus Jack/Chainsaw Charlie (Terry Funk) Vs. The New Age Outlaws (WWF World Tag Team Title Match/Dumpster Rules) - In this hardcore style bout, the only way to win was to dump both members of a team into a dumpster! This was a very physical bout that saw Cactus and Funk get the win but with a dumpster in the back of the arena! Jack and Funk kept the victory but the titles were later returned to The Outlaws. Good match regardless.
The Undertaker Vs. Kane - In their first and arguably best match together, UT and Kane had a classic big man match! One of the most memorable spots was UT doing a suicide dive onto Kane only to miss and hit the ringside announcers table! Ends when UT gets the pin after THREE Tombstone piledrivers on Kane!
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF World Title Match) - This match is probably the only match at that time that could've followed the previous bout! Add the fact that former great/disgraced boxer Mike Tyson was a special referee, there was all sorts of attention paid to this one!
This would also be Shawn's last in-ring appearance for four years as he had a serious back injury going into the bout and you can see him favoring it even before the match if you pay close attention. Still, he gutted it out for the sake of the show and did the honors for Austin as "Stone Cold" took his place on top of the sports entertainment world!
A good WrestleMania with great moments!
WRESTLEMANIA XV
To be honest, this one wasn't very good as it had only one great match and a few good moments. The first WM meeting of The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was a great match up and was the second best match of their trilogy (their WM X7 bout was the best in my view). In fact, I think they are the only guys to have an unofficial trilogy at WM!
As for good moments, check out the opener for the Hardcore title as Bob Holly, Al Snow and Billy Gunn did put on a good match. The Brawl For It All is worth looking at to see Butterbean legitimately knock out Bart Gunn. Let's just say it is worthy of the famous Chris Tucker line from the "Friday" films "YOU GOT KNOCKED THE F**K OUT!"
Also, Mankind/Big Show is worth viewing if only to see the beating Foley took in that one. HHH/Kane is worth watching to see the reunion of HHH/Chyna only to see them turn on DX later during the X-Pac/Shane McMahon match! This WM also featured the only Hell In The Cell ever held at that event as The Undertaker took on The Big Bossman. This match is almost never mentioned and for good reason as it was one of the worst HITC bouts in history! Also, the ending was quite disturbing!
On that one, that's what I would view. The rest isn't MUST VIEW material.
On the whole, this volume is arguably the weakest of the four BUT it contains some historical matches and moments and it chronicals the change from "New Generation" to "Attitude." For that reason, I would still recommend getting this unless you have them already!
The Birth of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Attitude Era
2009-02-18 - This isn't one of my favorite sets from the Wrestlemania anthology collection. There is really only one Wrestlemania event here that is truly Wrestlemania quality. The other four Wrestlemania's are only average or were bad.
Wrestlemania XI - This Mania focused more on the entertainment value then actually trying to put on a good card. In my opinion the Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow match didn't do anything for me. Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel for the WWF Title is the only match worth seeing. The rest of the card is pretty much mediocre.
Wrestlemania XII - The Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels relationship continues at this Wrestlemania that intially started back when Hart was apart of the Hart Foundation and Michaels was apart of The Rockers. They have the first ever 60 Minute Ironman Match in the modern era which shows Shawn Michaels finally capturing his "Boy Hood Dream" and winning the WWF Title. Wrestlemania debuts for Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H. And also the returns of Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Ultimate Warrior. Other standout matches include Undertaker vs. Diesel and the Hollywood Back Lot Brawl between Roddy Piper and Goldust.
Wrestlemania 13 - Wrestlemania returns to Chicago after eleven years. We see the birth of Stone Cold Steve Austin here with his classic Submission Match against Bret Hart. The Legion of Doom returns to their hometown and teams up with Ahmed Johnson to take on the Nation of Domination in a Chicago Street Fight. We see the birth of The Rock soon turning heel with the Chicago crowd booing and chanting "DIE ROCKY DIE" in his match with the Sultan. Other standout matches include Triple H vs. Goldust and the WWF Title Match featuring Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid. Also the Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels rivalry continues here with it finally ending at the Survivor Series later that year.
Wrestlemania XIV - This is the best Wrestlemania from this set. There isn't a bad match on here but a few matches doesn't live up to the hype such as The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock. The Austin 3:16 era begins here with Stone Cold Steve Austin defeating Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title in Shawn's last inring match until Summerslam of '02. The launching of the Attitude Era. Undertaker battling his brother Kane in their first ever one on one encounter. Other standout matches include Triple H vs. Owen Hart for the European Title and the first ever dumpster match between Cactus Jack & Terry Funk vs. The New Age Outlaws for the Tag Team Titles.
Wrestlemania XV - Wrestlemania goes to the home of ECW in Philidelphia. A poorly card was thought up here. That includes Billy Gunn and The Road Dogg switching matches only 2 weeks beforehand. An unstructured Tag Team Title match where Test & D' Lo Brown teams up together after winning a pre-ppv battle royal to take on the team of Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett. Mick Foley being broked down after his series of matches with The Rock from the past 3 months. A Hell in a Cell Match between Undertaker and Big Bossman that is never again mentioned in future Hell in a Cell video promos. Triple H and Chyna turning on DX and going their own separate ways. The only good matches here are Shane McMahon vs. X-Pac for the European Title and the WWF Title Match between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Overall, in my opinion this is the worst of the Wrestlemania anthology volume sets. Really only one good Wrestlemania is apart of this set. But this set does include some good moments such as Undertaker winning his first championship gold at a Wrestlemania and Stone Cold Steve Austin turning into a main event player after his Submission match with Bret Hart. And the first Wrestlemania meeting between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
