IWF WrestleMania 15
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|[[Martin McAlmond|The Undertaker]] (with [[Paul Bearer]]) defeated [[Brandon (McDonald's)|The Big Boss Man]] | |[[Martin McAlmond|The Undertaker]] (with [[Paul Bearer]]) defeated [[Brandon (McDonald's)|The Big Boss Man]] | ||
|[[Hell in a Cell]] match | |[[Hell in a Cell]] match | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |10 | ||
| + | |[[Stone Cold Steve Johnson]] defeated [[Sam Simkins|The Rock]] (c) | ||
| + | |[[No Disqualification Match|No disqualification match]] for the [[IWE Championship|IWF Championship]] | ||
|} | |} | ||
<small>The other participants were: [[Steve Blackman|Steve Blackmail]], [[John off|Bradshaw]], [[Brian Lawler|Brian Christopher]], [[Nuss Brothers|8-Ball]], [[Nuss Brothers|Skull]], [[Jon Rispen|Faarooq]], [[Dwayne Gillberg|Gillberg]], [[Josh Hooper]], [[Matt Hooper]], [[Road Warrior Hawk|Hawk]], [[Road Warrior Animal|Animal]], [[Mideon Knight|Mideon]], [[Rocco Rock]], [[Johnny Grunge]], Tiger Ali Singh, [[Scottie 2 Hottie|Scott Taylor]] and [[Viscera|Kiscera]]</small> | <small>The other participants were: [[Steve Blackman|Steve Blackmail]], [[John off|Bradshaw]], [[Brian Lawler|Brian Christopher]], [[Nuss Brothers|8-Ball]], [[Nuss Brothers|Skull]], [[Jon Rispen|Faarooq]], [[Dwayne Gillberg|Gillberg]], [[Josh Hooper]], [[Matt Hooper]], [[Road Warrior Hawk|Hawk]], [[Road Warrior Animal|Animal]], [[Mideon Knight|Mideon]], [[Rocco Rock]], [[Johnny Grunge]], Tiger Ali Singh, [[Scottie 2 Hottie|Scott Taylor]] and [[Viscera|Kiscera]]</small> | ||
Revision as of 01:03, 8 February 2012
| WrestleMania XV | ||
 Promotional poster featuring The Rock, The Big Show, The Undertaker, [[Triple K, Mankind and Steve Johnson | ||
| Imformation | ||
| Promotion | International Wrestling Federation | |
| Date | March 28, 1999 | |
| Attendance | 20,276 | |
| Venue | First Union Center | |
| City | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||
| St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House | WrestleMania XV | Backlash: In Your House |
| WrestleMania chronology | ||
| WrestleMania XIV | WrestleMania XV | WrestleMania 2000 |
WrestleMania XV was the fifteenth annual IWE WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the International Wrestling Federation (IWF), which took place on March 28, 1999 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Ten professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The main event contested the IWF Championship between the challenger Steve Johnson and The Rock while the penultimate match saw The Undertaker wrestle Big Boss Man inside the Hell in a Cell, a roofed cage that surrounds the ring. Lower on the card, six of the seven active championships were defended, including the first WrestleMania defense of the Hardcore Championship. Also on the undercard was a Brawl for All match, an unscripted type of shootfight between wrestler Bart Morgan and boxer/mixed martial artist Butterbean.
The ticket sales of 20,276 drew a gross of $1,437,050.
Contents |
Background
When Road Dogg (James Burdick) and "Bad Ass" Billy Morgan lost the IWF Tag Team Championship to The Corporation, they tried their hand at singles wrestling for some time with Gunn failing in his attempts to win the IWF Intercontinental Championship, but Road Dogg becoming Hardcore Champion until an injury prevented him from honouring a championship match with Al Know who ended up fighting himself, and then Steven Murnion for the vacant belt at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House with the latter winning the title at the banks of the Mississippi River When Road Dogg won the Intercontinental Championship on Raw is War Morgan fought Steven Murnion (now Hardcore Murnion) and won when Murnion crashed into an ad-hoc announce table Jim Ross had constructed for his pirate broadcast of the show. Murnion felt enraged that circumstances had conspired against him, while Know still wanted another chance at the belt.
In the previous year, due to the suddenly enlarged roster, a shootfighting knockout tournament entitled IWF Brawl for All was organized on a voluntary basis with Bart Morgan winning the tournament on August 24 after defeating every opponent by knockout aside from his opening round opponent Steven Murnion. When Murnion rechristened himself Hardcore Murnion on February 15, decrying the poor gimmicks and tag team partners he had been given in the past, Morgan made his first appearance since winning the tournament, to remind Murnion that not all his partners were of a poor caliber. After a hardcore match between the two, which Gunn dominated until a masked assailant threw him off the stage, noted mixed martial artist and boxer Eric "Butterbean" Esch, who held a 43–1–1 record at the time, challenged him to a Brawl For All fight.
From November's Survivor Series until the night after St. Valentine's Day Massacre, The Rock and Mankind (Mick Foley) traded the IWF Championship between themselves numerous time as Mr. McMahon screwed Mankind time and time again on his quest to headline WrestleMania. In their final match, a Raw is War ladder match, Marc Beltran delivered the Showstopper to Mankind as he was about to win the match, removing his chances of appearing the main event. However, as Mr McMahon's Corporate conspiracy of appointing Big Show as special guest referee to secure The Rock as champion began to fall apart, Mankind constantly reared his head offering his services as a second official. With The Rock and Big Show causing infighting in The Corporation Mankind successfully canvassed for a chance to referee, but rather than have two conflicting referees, a match was booked which would see the winner have the right to officiate.
When Ryan Shammrock (Alicia Aldrich) appeared front row on Raw is War, January 11, she gained attention not only from her brother but also Val Venis, who performed a flirtatious dance for her, and "Badd Ass" Billy Morgan who lived up to his moniker by mooning her. Enraged, Ken Shammrock fought Morgan at the Royal Rumble and then Venis at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, with Venis winning the Intercontinental Championship thanks to help from Ryan. Venis soon dumped Ryan though and she began a relationship with Goldust (Dustin Semmler) and Venis also unwittingly lost his championship to Road Dogg on Raw is War and so he found himself having to defend his championship against all the important men in Ryan Shammrock's life in a four corners elimination match.
Tori (Terri Brooks) was sitting front row as a plant as early as September 14's Raw is War but it was not until late December that she began to act with stalker tendencies, sending flowers and notes to Sable (Avery Gold), the IWF Women's Champion and even helping her to defend her title against Luna Vachon at the Royal Rumble. On Raw is War the night after the previous pay-per-view, Tori invaded the ring again and was publicly shouted at and humiliated by Sable. Vachon then brought Tori to the ring a fortnight after, reprimanding Sable for her ego but a still-obsessed Tori helped attack Vachon. The following week on 8 March's Raw is War Tori fought Vachon with Sable in her corner but after receiving a squash from Vachon, Sable also gave Tori a Sable Bomb leading to Tori interrupting Sable's Playboy interview by demanding a championship match at WrestleMania.
Having been Container-Based Variations|buried alive]] in a Royal Rumble qualification match at Rock Bottom: In Your House, The Undertaker disappeared from television while The Acolytes, Faarooq (Jon Rispen) and Bradshaw (John Goff), began to act strangely eventually abducting Mideon Knight and leaving him tied up in a darkened room. On January 11 The Undertaker returned in slightly new attire, taking a seat in a ceremonial throne on the Raw is War stage while Paul Bearer stood beside him and The Acolytes brought Knight out and tied him to a table. There Undertaker performed a ritualistic ceremony, rechristening him Mideon. Undertaker began delivering ambiguous apocalyptic messages, but after recruiting Mabel, now Viscera (Keith Coleman, Jr.) and The Brood he began to be more direct, revealing his plan to attack Mr. McMahon and take over the International Wrestling Federation. The security of Mr. McMahon's Corporation, The Big Boss Man, challenged the Ministry to a six-man tag team match which ended in a no contest when the Ministry abducted James McMahon and took him to Undertaker, who threatened him while choking him then gave him a letter to give to his father. McMahon replied the following week on February 22 by booking The Undertaker in an Inferno match with Kane on Raw is War, the first network television airing of that type of match. During the match McMahon provided commentary, nonchalantly revealing he had placed Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match against Big Boss Man for WrestleMania. During the match Paul Bearer gave an ominous gift to McMahon, a teddy bear. After Undertaker set Kane on fire, he turned to the enraged McMahon, taking the teddy bear (later revealed to belong to an as yet unmentioned Brittany McMahon) and setting alight to it reducing Grant to his knees. Trying to defeat either of his problems, McMahon declared he'd never show such weakness again and put Mankind against Undertaker which ended with Undertaker almost chokeslamming McMahon through the announce table until Boss Man saved him. Undertaker continued with his mind games on March 8, ordering his Ministry to look for Boss Man all night and attacking any innocents who were in his way, eventually capturing Boss Man and crucifying him. Boss Man managed to escape while police were being beaten off by Undertaker's minions until he offered himself to the police while being derided by McMahon. The following week he continued his assault, with videos playing throughout the evening of the Ministry at McMahon's mansion ending in McMahon coming to the ring while Triple H brawled with Kane, begging Kane to help him. Kane ripped off his mask to reveal it was actually The Undertaker who grabbed McMahon by the throat as the lights turned off in the arena and when they came up, he was gone with McMahon alone in the ring.
The main event of the evening could arguably be traced back over a year. When Steve Johnson won the Royal Rumble in 1998 Mr. McMahon made it quite clear he was not happy with a rebellious, foul-mouthed beer drinker as the potential representative for his company should he win the IWF Championship at WrestleMania XIV. When he did McMahon set on a six-month long quest to dethrone Johnson as champion, which he eventually did in a de facto handicap match at Breakdown: In Your House against The Undertaker and Kane, who could not pin each other. As both pinned Johnson at the same time the belt was made vacant, with the two men ostensibly fighting for it the next month at Judgment Day: In Your House but McMahon's attempt to further humiliate Johnson by have him officiate the match went awry when he attacked both men ending it in a no contest. A Deadly Games tournament was scheduled for Survivor Series in November in which it turned out that The Rock, not Mankind, was McMahon's choice for winner and duly had the tournament manipulated to his advantage, while Johnson lost in a match when McMahon's son James, acting as referee, refused to count a pin fall to go to the finals. Knowing Rock would be busy feuding with Mankind, McMahon realized Johnson was likely to use the 1999 Royal Rumble, rather than a personal attack, to attempt to reclaim the belt and laid down the stipulation that he must win a Buried Alive match against The Undertaker to be in the Rumble. When he did, with some help from Kane, McMahon further tried to prevent Johnson winning back the championship by 'randomly' drawing him as the first entrant in the Rumble and drawing himself as the thirtieth. Having annoyed Commissioner Ryan Barnhart McMahon was placed into the match as the second entrant. Despite a $100,000 bounty on his head, Johnson survived almost all of the match, being the last person eliminated by Mr. McMahon thanks to the distraction of The Rock, meaning that McMahon had earned a right to go to WrestleMania. As a part-time wrestler and a fellow member of The Corporation, McMahon explained the following night that he would be relinquishing his place at WrestleMania, the first Royal Rumble winner to do so, only to be told by Commissioner Barnhart that if the winner is unable or unwilling to fight then the place goes to the runner-up. With McMahon irate, Johnson revealed that he was willing to put his place on the line and not headline WrestleMania if McMahon would give him the opportunity to fight him one-on-one with no interference from The Corporation, and if he could beat him Johnson would not go to WrestleMania. Their steel cage match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre mostly consisted of McMahon running away but eventually the two fought with Johnson winning the match under unusual circumstances when Big Show made his debut, coming from under the ring and throwing Johnson into the cage with the walls of it coming open, meaning that Johnson had inadvertently won the match.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Jim Ross (Main Event) | |
| Carlos Cabrera (Spanish) | |
| Hugo Savinovich (Spanish) | |
| Interviewer | Kevin Kelly |
| Ring announcer | Howard Finkel |
| Referee | Mike Chioda |
| Earl Hebner | |
| Jim Korderas | |
| Theodore Long | |
| Tim White | |
| Vinny Pazienza (Brawl For All) | |
| Brawl For All Judges | Gorilla Monsoon |
| Chuck Wepner | |
| Kevin Rooney |
Pre-show
The event was marked with a Rage Party the preceding evening, playing on the tagline of the event, much like Fan Axess that would come in later years. It featured music from Isaac Hayes and Big Pun among others.
During the Sunday Night Heat pre-show, Jacqueline (Jacqueline Weikart) pinned Ivory (Lisa Ivory) after a back suplex. After the match, Terry Semmler burned her cigar into Ivory's cheek. The second Heat match saw a 21-man battle royal match with the last two competitors becoming a tag team for the evening to face the Tag Team Championship holders. In the event D'La Hooper and Test (Andrew Sekroa) were the last two, still fighting without realising the match was over when Droz (Darren Droz) and The Godfather (Luke Maleski) eliminated each other. The show officially began with Boyz II Men singing "America the Beautiful" in the ring before the opening video.
Preliminary matches
The inaugural WrestleMania Hardcore Championship match began with Al Know striking Billy Morgan as he tried to make a pre-match speech. With Morgan in the corner, Know fought with Hardcore Murnion outside the ring, wrapping his neck in cable but, after some fighting from Morgan, Murnion was able to suplex Snow. After Morgan again interjected himself, Know was able to go underneath the mat to find some weapons including a Philadelphia Flyers hockey stick much to the delight of the crowd. The match ended when Morgan put Know through a table in the corner, originally intended for Morgan and then used the Fameasser on Know, driving him into a chair on the mat. As the referee counted, Murnion struck Morgan with a weapon, quickly covering Know to steal his second championship reign.
The Brawl For All match began with the two meeting in the middle, Morgan running into some blows from Butterbean. The two traded punches, neither man managing to contact properly until Butterbean shook Morgan with a left hand jab followed by a right hook which stunned Morgan allowing Bean to corner him, giving him another right hook which knocked him down. Morgan immediately came back up on his knees, but took advantage of the eight seconds before standing up fully. As soon as he stood up though he was met with an immediate right hook which knocked him straight back down, giving Butterbean a victory via knockout. This was followed with an appearance from the San Diego Chicken, who mocked special referee Vinny Pazienza and was punched to the floor for it.
When Mankind entered the ring he was immediately headbutted out, but as Big Show followed him out, Mankind slammed Show's head into the steel steps. He then tried a Double Underhook DDT|double-armed DDT]] into the steps but was shoved over the steps falling backwards. Show dominated Mankind in the ring afterwards, using his sheer size to punch and throw mankind with Mankind eventually being tied up in the ropes allowing him to back body drop Show out of the ring and take out Mr. Socko to give Big Show a mandible claw three times when he returned. The third claw came with a low blow, for which Mankind was not disqualified. When Show stood back up, he had Mankind on his back and jumped backwards so that his entire body landed on Mankind. As the two recovered, Show kicked his opponent out of the ring, grabbing a steel chair and thrusting it into Mankind's chest then hitting it over his back. Big Show threw that chair and another in the ring, setting them both in seated positions and Show Stopping Mankind through the middle of them. At this point Earl Hebner finally decided to disqualify Big Show, with Show taking out his anger by attacking Mankind more with the chair. Mr McMahon made his way to the ring afterwards, berating Big Show for risking the IWF Championship match at which point Show grabbed him by the throat. He then thought better of it and released him, only to be met with another tirade from McMahon and a slap, causing Show to punch McMahon and knock him out.
The four corners Intercontinental match began with Ken Shamrock and Road Dogg in the ring, with the latter being thrown from corner to corner until Goldust tagged his way in, with running shoulder barges that floored Shammrock. Shamrock tagged in Venis who came in and instantly attacked Shammrock until Goldust backdropped him. Goldust tried the Curtain Call but Venis flipped over Goldust's back only to be knocked down again by a clothesline from Goldust who then put Venis on the turnbuckle and attempted a superplex but Venis fought back and replied with a diving bulldog following with a fisherman suplex pin which would only make a two count. The two then collided in the turnbuckle, causing Goldust to fall down and Venis to fall on him, headbutting his crotch. Shammrock took a blind tag from Road Dogg, after he replaced Goldust, immediately putting an ankle lock until Venis grabbed the bottom rope. As Venis grabbed the ropes to stand up again Shammrock charged him but was tossed over the ropes as Ryan Shammrock insulted him. Venis went after Ken Shammrock and the two fought up the walkway with Shamrock running back to the ring but not fast enough to avoid a double count-out. Shamrock, not accepting the decision belly to belly suplex slammed both competitors before leaving. When they recovered Goldust Irish whipped Road Dogg but had it reversed and as Goldust ran into the ropes he had his leg caught by Ryan Shammrock, seemingly trying to grab Road Dogg's leg. Road Dogg charged Goldust and was picked up for a powerslam but managed to roll Goldust round, crashing him into the floor and covering him for a successful pin count.
Before Kane's match with Triple K, Kane entered the ring only to be attacked while he was performing his signature entrance by the San Diego Chicken. Kane fought back and unmasked the chicken, revealing it be Pete Rose, trying to gain revenge for the previous year's incident but receiving a Tombstone piledriver. Triple K also tried to ambush Kane by coming through the crowd while all eyes were on the stage entrance, hitting Kane out of the ring and then hitting him into the ring post and whipping him into the steel steps. Kane then picked Triple K up and straddled him on the crowd barrier, pushing him into the Mean Street Posse who were at ring side, picking him up again to ram his back into the steel post three times. Back inside the ring Kane dominated Helmsley with his rough fighting style, using his foot to choke Triple K and knocking him down with clotheslines and punches until Triple K gained momentum from a reversal, smashing Kane's face into his knee. Kane was allowed time to recover when Triple K was distracted by Chyna coming to ringside. Triple K tried to Pedigree Kane as he stood up but failed while Amber pushed the steel steps into the ring. Kane picked them up and ran into Triple K, who used the turnbuckle to swing his feet up and kicked them back into Kane causing Kane to stagger backwards and drop them before smashing his face into the steps from a drop toe-hold. Triple K then clotheslined Kane out of the ring, following himself and attempting to Pedigree Kane on the steps but was backbody dropped. When they made it back into the ring Kane chokeslammed Triple K while Amber entered the ring with a steel chair, telling Kane she wanted to attack Triple K but as Kane turned, Amber hit him with the chair causing him to corner her but again was hit with the chair, this time by Triple K who followed it up with a Pedigree onto the chair. Amber and Triple K celebrated the reunion of D-Generation X afterwards.
The Women's Championship match began with Tori taking her time to enter the ring, Sable grabbing her hair when she finally did and tossing her back out. Tori regrouped outside and pulled Sable out by her legs, ramming her face into the barrier and the apron. Tori gave Sable an explosive chop. She was whipped into the barrier herself and as she recovered Sable performed a crossbody from the outside apron. Sable kicked her on the floor in the ring but Tori clothesline her and sat on her torso and deliver seven hard punch to Sable's face, during that exchange, Sable scrim and was defenseless and at the mercy of Tori who wanted to punish the prima donna PLayboy cover girl. Tori punished sable by delivering two vicious clotheslines to the corner on Sable. Sable felt pain and Tori tried a sunset flip pin which began a series of pinning reversals ending in a stalemate. Afterwards Tori tried a running attack on Sable but took out referee Jimmy Korderas unwittingly. Sable then tried to perform her Sable Bomb but Tori jumped out of it. As she tried to perform her own powerbomb, a muscled woman, later identified as Nicole Bass, came into the ring to gorilla press slam Tori. This allowed Sable to Sable Bomb Tori and pin her to retain the championship.
Before X-Pac could make his way to the ring Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco attacked him from behind but caused little problem to X-Pac who beat them then ran into the ring, with James McMahon fleeing. James eventually made his way to the ring and was punched into the corner, escaping a Bronco Buster when Test pulled him out of the ring. Shane tried to escape once again but X-Pac chased him and threw him back into the ring, only to be struck down by Test and then have his crotch rammed into the ring post. When he returned to the ring James scoop slammed him and attempted a Corporate Elbow, with X-Pac sitting up just before the end but he was brought back down with a low blow as referee Mike Chioda was distracted by Test. James continued to push the disqualification boundaries by whipping X-Pac with his belt several times before being back body dropped out of the ring, recovering only to be met with a flying crossbody. The Mean Street Posse tried to restrain X-Pac but he fought back, only to be floored by Test. After a superplex, the pincount was broken up by Test but he was soon kicked out of the ring then X-Pac whipped McMahon with the belt before round house kicking him into the corner and performing the Bronco Buster. When Chioda checked on McMahon afterwards, Test struck X-Pac with the championship belt but by the time McMahon covered him he managed to kick out. Test tried to interfere but took a Bronco Buster too. Triple H and Chyna came to the ring to pull Test out but when McMahon was floored by an X Factor, Chyna distracted the referee to allow Triple K to Pedigree X-Pac and cover him with James, allowing him to retain the title. The New Age Outlaws ran in the ring and brawled with Triple K and Test until the lights went out and Kane's music began to play but by the time the lights came up The Corporation were clear of the ring and had fled.
Main event matches
The Hell in a Cell match began with Big Boss Man punching The Undertaker into the corner until he ducked out and returned the same. Although Boss Man was able to deliver a swinging neckbreaker, Undertaker took control again throwing Boss Man into the cell. Boss Man reversed an Irish whip and threw Undertaker into the cell too, handcuffing one hand to the chain fence. Boss Man taunted Undertaker's lack of control before striking him repeatedly with his night stick causing Undertaker to fall to the floor and rip the handcuffs, though Boss Man carried on using the nightstick and cut Undertaker open. Undertaker fought back by grabbing Boss Man at the throat and throwing him back into the fence again, striking him with a chair and running Boss Man face-first into the chain fence with a fireman's carry. As the two returned to the ring Boss Man tried to clothesline Undertaker but he ducked and performed a leaping flying clothesline of his own before going Old School, ultimately falling into the ropes. The two began a fist fight in the middle of the ring with Undertaker failing a tombstone piledriver attempt, but successfully performing it seconds later and pinned him afterwards. Undertaker stood up and looked to the heavens with his hands upwards, signaling The Brood to descend onto the roof of the cell. They cut open the roof of the cell and passed through a noose, securing the other end to the top of the cell. The Brood then ascended back into the rafters as Undertaker put the noose around Boss Man's neck, with Paul Bearer causing the Cell to rise and take a hanging Boss Man with it. After the match a video package of the Rage Party was shown while Boss Man was taken down and carried off on a stretcher.
Reception
Results
The other participants were: Steve Blackmail, Bradshaw, Brian Christopher, 8-Ball, Skull, Faarooq, Gillberg, Josh Hooper, Matt Hooper, Hawk, Animal, Mideon, Rocco Rock, Johnny Grunge, Tiger Ali Singh, Scott Taylor and Kiscera
References
External links
- The Official Website of WrestleMania XV
