Best match from every WWE WrestleMania event in history

WrestleMania XIV

Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin

Okay at WrestleMania XII we got Michaels and Hart, and at WrestleMania 13 we got Austin and Hart. That was followed up by the best match at WrestleMania XIV, Michaels and Austin. Makes sense, right? And while this wasn’t either man’s best WrestleMania match, it was still pretty entertaining and the best match on the card in Boston that night and it’s all the more impressive given the state of Michaels’ back that night. This would actually be his last match in WWE until SummerSlam in 2002.

Adding Mike Tyson to the mix certainly did what Vince wanted it to do as far as mainstream publicity is concerned and Michaels started the match by showing off some of his boxing skills but Austin turned that around with a clothesline and a big backdrop that sent Shawn over the top rope down into Triple H and Chyna, who were both ejected from ringside shortly after. There was a quick brawl by the band area that was set up for Triple H’s entrance a bit earlier but once things got back to the ring, Michaels took another big bump to his back in the corner off an Irish whip, one that still impresses me to this day knowing how much pain he was in and took more punishment when Austin knocked him off the apron into the announce table. Shawn finally did take control for a little while but you could tell that he just couldn’t do everything he really wanted to but he still went as strong as he possibly could and deserves a ton of credit for that. The pace went down for a few minutes there with a sleeper hold but that essentially served as the catalyst for the ref bump we all knew was coming with Tyson at ringside.

However, Iron Mike didn’t get in right away as Austin stomped on Michaels in the corner before eating a forearm and once again we got the Michaels kip up spot and it looked like it really hurt him to do it. But he was able to hang on for one final sequence as he went for Sweet Chin Music only to have Austin duck it. Stone Cold went for the Stunner but HBK knocked him away and went for another kick. Austin blocked it, spun him around and hit the Stunner as Tyson slid in to count the 1-2-3.

This really could have been an all-timer if Shawn had been healthy but it was good enough to be what it needed to be. It was a changing of the guard and while I still say that the Attitude Era began a year earlier, the Austin era started running at full speed on this night.