WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact

Columnist Corner

WrestleMania Recall, Match #27: Mr. McMahon vs. Shane McMahon, WrestleMania 17

3/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Here on WrestleMania Recall, I will be ranking my top 31 favorite matches in WWE WrestleMania history. A new installment will be posted every day in the month of March, culminating with my No. 1 favorite match on Thursday, March 31st, mere days before WrestleMania 32. Each article will offer an in-depth look at each match and an analysis of why it is among my favorites.

I might get some heat from fans for saying this, but of the many WrestleManias I plan on re-watching in the weeks leading up to WrestleMania 32, WrestleMania 17 will not be among them. Yes, I'm well-aware that it is regarded as the most epic installment of all-time and I'm not disputing that claim by any means. It is an extremely entertaining event, even for someone like me who hardly watches Attitude Era content on the WWE Network, but it isn't one of my favorites. That said, if there is any one match from that show that is worth watching again, it's the Street Fight between Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon.

The McMahon family drama was the focal point of WWE programming for the better part of the Attitude Era. Hell, it still is to this day! And as tiresome as it was at times, they still managed to make magic when it mattered most, i.e. at WrestleMania. Going into WrestleMania 17, Shane was ready to step up to his father and fight him in a one-on-one match, but not in any ordinary match. The stipulation was that there would be no count-outs and no disqualifications, and those were the matches that Shane tended to thrive in. Despite neither of them being technically trained wrestlers, they contested a match worthy of cracking my list of favorite WrestleMania matches simply because it was so damn fun.

This "match," however, was about much more than just the bad blood between Vince and Shane. And I put "match" in quotation marks because it'd be a stretch to call it such when in reality it was a beautifully constructed angle, storytelling at its finest. To some, it may have been an overbooked mess, but to me, it was a masterpiece. Remember, it was only days earlier that Shane bought World Championship Wrestling, but a brand vs. brand rivalry was the last thing on everyone's mind at that time. In fact, that was hardly even a factor in this contest.

Other than Shane attempting to emancipate himself from his father, you had Stephanie backing Vince as well as Trish Stratus, who Vince was cheating on the paralyzed Linda with. She was also present at ringside for this brutal battle. Meanwhile, Mick Foley served as the special guest referee, wanting to be unbiased in his family affair. Got all that? It's important to keep that in mind while watching this match unfold on the grand stage.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Shane McMahon match without Shane O'Mac taking an insane risk. The crowd came to their feet as he ascended to the top turnbuckle and prepared to hit a flying elbow to Vince through a commentary table at ringside, but in what could be described as an almost ironic poetic justice, Stephanie stood in his way. Shane said to hell with it and jumped anyway, but before he could make contact, Stephanie pulled her dad out of harm's way, leaving Shane to crash through the table and take himself out of the equation for the time being.

From there, Trish rolled Linda in her wheelchair down to ringside, but instead of aiding Vince, she slapped him across the face and brawled with Stephanie up the ramp. With them gone, Foley was en route to bringing Linda to the backstage area when Vince clobbered him from behind with a steel chair. It was then that an oh so evil idea popped into his head: why not punish his son while his wife looked on helplessly? He carried Linda's limp body into the ring, propped her in the corner on a chair and got ready to dish out the beating of a lifetime on Shane.

Out of nowhere, Linda rose to her feet, and the Astrodome came unglued. Vince turned around with a shocked look on his face, but before he could react, Linda delivered a well-deserved low blow to her husband, allowing Foley to take advantage with a few punches and kicks of his own. Shane finished him off with an aesthetically appealing Coast to Coast (with a garbage can, might I add) in the corner to secure the victory and vengeance. For a match that really wasn't a match at all, it essentially summed up what made the Attitude Era and its spectacular storytelling such a thrill.


SEE ALSO: "WrestleMania Recall, Match #28: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania 18"
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2023 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • WRR
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • About
    • Contact