By Ciaran James@TheCiaranJames
It seems that many have forgotten about Wrestlemania 19, or that it doesn’t seem to rank very high on people’s lists. The card was stacked from top to bottom, HBK Vs Y2J, Rock Vs Stone Cold, McMahon Vs Hogan and Lesnar Vs Angle bolstered what was to me a very entertaining evening. Each match had a solid build as Mania approached, every contest had a reason to happen. Shawn & Jericho met in a match built on personal competitiveness and jealousy, it was played out beautifully on screen, the young lion trying to topple the grizzly veteran.
The Rock and Stone Cold met for the very last time in a match that defined a generation, it would also sadly be the last time we saw Steve Austin compete inside the squared circle for WWE. The match built to a fitting conclusion, the battle weary Stone Cold finally gave in to the most Electrifying Man in sports entertainment. Hogan and Vince was a battle for the ages, since 1985 this epic feud had been boiling away and as always Vince did what was best for business. The Street Fight was a fitting end to their troubled history on and off screen, like always Vince gave it everything and Hogan performed like a true superstar.
Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle met in what many saw as a dream match, the two amateur pro’s going one on one made sense, their match although a little anticlimactic ticked a lot of boxes. Laughably what most people do remember is Brock Lesnar’s terrifying Shooting Star Press which nearly paralysed him, however the event is one of my personal favourites and featured some truly memorable moments for a generation.
