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Why not Austin vs McMahon at mania 15

Since it had been the biggest story all year, why not have the match on your biggest show instead of doing it when they did? 

You can either do Austin winning the belt at St Valentine's day massacre or you keep the mankind vs rock match with Rock winning thanks to a debuting Big show. This sets up Mankind vs Show at mania, Austin vs McMahon, and say Rock vs Taker.

Really though all that fantasy booking aside, what was the reason for not doing Austin vs Mcmahon at mania?

​Because that would be a colossal waste of Steve Austin at Wrestlemania.  No one buys Vince as having a chance against Austin without the deck being ridiculously stacked, and Rock acting as Vince's avatar was good enough to draw a giant buyrate anyway.  Doing Vince v. Austin as a real match was fine for a throwaway show in February, but for the biggest of the year?  No chance.  ​

Comments

  1. To be honest I always thought they were going to blow off Austin/Vince at WM. They could have easily done a bunch of gimmicks where the odds are stacked in Vince's favor. When the Austin/McMahon match was first announced at Valentine's Day I wasn't excited for it because I honestly thought they were going to bait and switch us.

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  2. It all just worked out too perfectly. Everyone knew Austin would earn that Mania spot sonehow. McMahon winning the Rumble forced you to get that February PPV to see an actual match between the two. Then you use the match to debut Big Show.

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  3. That Austin/Vince cage match is one of the best sports entertainment matches of the company, not ***** classic, but a fun match where Austin finally got his hands on Vince.

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  4. I think it worked out fine. Not every single booking decision needs to be changed

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  5. They did just fine. Austin-Vince at SVDM was fun and didn't overshadow an actual wrestler, The Rock, who deserved the Mania main event. They did Austin vs. Vince/Shane at KOTR anyway.

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  6. The perfect blowoff for the Austin/Vince should've been at Backlash, Rock gets one more chance, loses. Then The Corporation end, period.

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  7. Yeah, I think they could have had a stipulation where Austin gives Rock his re-match *ONLY* if Austin gets Vince one-on-one if he wins. Austin beats Rock, destroys Vince to take him off TV. Next night, Shane (who left his dad for dead) builds a new Corporation, or just takes control in his dad's absence. Rock turns face.

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  8. I don't like wrestler vs non wrestler matches because Its like saying anyone can walk off the street and compete with these guys.

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  9. Shane taking over creating a new Corporation would be cool, he would be different than his father.

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  10. Shane with a Corporation centered around Big Show and maybe HHH.

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  11. HHH is a better choice.

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  12. I wasn't a smart fan yet, but I felt the same for the Cage Match. When it actually went down, I was genuinely shocked by the non-swerve.

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  13. I think the original plan was to always do Austin/Vince for WM, but they probably never expected Rock to blow up the way he did.

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  14. This email can't be serious.

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  15. Dude, celebrities rarely ever job in wrestling matches. I think that's a much bigger problem than McMahon vs. Austin at WM 15 would have been.

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  16. No doubt. Vince always got his ass kicked and Shane as well. I can even buy a football player or a legit athlete like Lawrence Taylor winning but the Jay Leno types fighting I can't stand.

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  17. I just realized WWF could have done something cool if Tyson never turned face at WM14, have Austin/Tyson do a staredown at the end of the show then by WM15 Vince would hire Tyson again to help him in his war with Austin.

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  18. That was such a weird show.

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  19. A horrible show, but McMahon took money showers because of it.

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  20. Yeah ... if Survivor Series was Russo at his best, this was at his worst. Only two matches had any heat - Austin/Rock and Shane/X-Pac.

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  21. Awful. Goes to show that the "hot" periods aren't directly related to quality. The whole show was incoherent, outside of the main event.

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  22. Sure. Vince proof-read it twice before he sent it

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  23. What people consider as Russo's masterpiece, SS 98?

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  24. I remember liking it at the time but it aged really badly. Too many nonsensical swerves and matches that meant nothing in the long run. The Rock vs Austin match was decent though. Of course the would blow it out of the water at WM 17

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  25. I remember thinking it was terrible at the time, but I had just attended SuperBrawl 9 live the month before, so I was pretty down on PPVs at the time

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  26. It was like a Wrestlecrap special...only that was the actual card.

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  27. I just remember watching it and waiting for something to happen. Nothing made sense. Switching Road Dogg and Billy Gunn in the IC and Hardcore main events, the Kennel in a Cell, Big Show and Mankind getting like 5 minutes, the bizarre tag team match, a boring HHH-Kane match - none of it made sense. In fact, 1999 was a really boring year for WWF.

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  28. The two swerves at Survivor Series 1998.

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  29. WCW missed out on '99 for sure because the WWF was not good.

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  30. Yeah, Test & D-Lo as a tag team. Hanging Boss Man. Show-Mankind. The DX double turn stuff. Nonsense. The only thing that actually paid off was the main event, which oddly enough was the one thing they let just be "two guys fighting for the title"

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  31. Shane Betraying Austin, Rock joining The Corporation. Classic stuff.

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  32. There are lots of things you can rebook in 1999, and you choose to rebook Austin vs Rock, which you can make an argument for being the most successful overall feud of all time. What the hell is wrong with you? Rock was on fire in early 1999 and absolutely belonged in the main event.

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  33. work-rate wise it wasn't good, but the entire show was like one big story and the turn at the end was masterful. Austin was screwed, Mankind was played like a fool, and Rock won his first world title. The Shane middle-finger mid-three count was especially great.


    "Here comes big John Wayne and little John Wayne." Ross in all his glory.

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  34. Yep. Literally EVERY other thing on the Wrestlemania 15 card is worthy of rebooking, but here we are discussing the validity of Rock vs. Austin as a main event?

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  35. Summerslam 98 was my favorite Russo Era show. Over the Edge 98 main event was perfectly booked but the rest of the show was forgettable.

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  36. YankeesHoganTripleHFanJanuary 1, 2015 at 11:51 AM

    I think it should have been a Austin/Rock/Foley 3 way. Austin pins Foley to win the title, then the Rock can play the "you didn't pin me for the title" card for their rematch at backlash, (and as an added bonus, you can hype the Austin vs Rock match at WM 17 as the first time they have met one one one at Wrestlemania.)

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  37. Yeah, they had every opportunity to emphasize their far-superior in-ring product and shift from the old dogs in every main event. In early '99 I was still decidedly WCW4Life only because they had the better wrestlers. They ruined all that good will in short order though

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  38. I loved Shane/X-Pac too. Shane got in there and got his ass kicked by Waltman, the turn was pretty good. But I enjoyed the match.

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  39. Yeah, they delivered a pretty good match for sure

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  40. A horrible show in our eyes, but it served its purpose. Non wrestling fans loved this russoriffic show, and it through big bucks as a result.

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  41. Foley/Austin was the best match of the Attitude Era, imo. The introductions at the beginning almost make the match before it starts.

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  42. The introduction make that match already fun, I prefer the subtle Vince than the coked up version he became.

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  43. Yeah, SummerSlam had a near-Wrestlemania level feel to it. The "Highway to Hell" videos, the Austin-Taker build, the ladder match, Outlawz vs. Kane/Mankind, Jarrett vs. X-Pac. The Sable-Mero pay-off. It felt like a big deal

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  44. The story carries the show, Rocky becoming The corporate champion was the perfect choice.

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  45. Big Show vs. Undertaker as semi-main?

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  46. you could see how weak the WWF was in the midcard. Guys like D'Lo, Val Venis, Shamrock were just not getting it done. I liked Jarrett, but I know he's not for everyone. Getting the Radicals, Kurt, Jericho, and even Taz (Rikishi, too) really is what finally put WWF over the top

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  47. Southern Justice was a great idea.

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  48. over the years we all got burned out on Vince and Shane and all that stuff but back in 98, when it was fresh ... man, nothing better. Shane was such a great dick heel.

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  49. yeah, that mini-stable was good stuff. Didn't get much mileage, but it was good mid-card stuff.

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  50. Didn't Foley really try and push for that. Someone recently (Ross?) said that.

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  51. YankeesHoganTripleHFanJanuary 1, 2015 at 11:57 AM

    Sure why not? If nothing else it would have had a big match feel to it.

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  52. Vince was a fresh heel until 2001. He had his moments here and there but from 1997-2001 he was the greatest villain in wrestling.

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  53. Survivor Series delivered exactly what the late 1998 audience wanted. Bad Wrestling, but excellent swerves and storytelling. I would agree on it being his masterpiece.

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  54. I think it was more relevant at WM 15 than it was for the 4-way at 16. Mick earned it in 1998/99 for sure

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  55. I just never got why Shane would reinstate Austin just to screw him. Vince had gotten his wish, but he and Shane evidently conspired to re-hire him because...?
    I mean, it worked at the time, so more power to them. But that non-firing of Austin was objectively as bad or worse than all the non-followups on stipulations that Cena has been involved in (Nexus, Authority, etc.)

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  56. Because Austin was his biggest money maker, the whole dillema was that Vince could not fire him because he was making a ton of money out of it.

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  57. Shane vs. Angle at KOTR is legit one of my most hated matches ever. I don't care if it was Angle's 3rd match or his 300th that night, he had no business selling and being outwrestled(!!) by fucking Shane.

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  58. Austin A-A-A-A-A-A Austin there is no chance in Hell of you winning the Royal Rumble.

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  59. WHO wrote this Email???

    To hell with the match itself, the Beer Truck promo is still hands down one of the greatest segments ever.

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  60. and the bad wrestling was like 5-8 minutes long. So it was minimal.

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  61. WWE is going to spin the high 3rd hour ratings on Rollins and Cena and the Authority instead of Bryan of course.

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  62. Indeed.


    inb4 Bonzai says she has a busted face or some other really stupid shit.

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  63. Shane had done just enough as a wrestler to believe that he wouldn't get completely squashed IMO. X-Pac, Test, Big Show and Blackmon matches were all pretty good.

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  64. Yeah. It would be easier to get Vince to admit he was responsible for the Benoit murders than to get him to concede that 3rd hour bump is for the Bryan announcement.

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  65. MikeyMike, JuggernautJanuary 1, 2015 at 12:13 PM

    She's hot as hell.

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  66. She's definitely a bombshell type. I think her face is fine. I tend to think her body will start to go as she gets older. She's like 22 right now.

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  67. The only way Reigns belongs in the main event at WM, is if he's the heel challenger for bryan to overcome. They are insane if they think a Philly audience is not gonna boo Reigns out of the building if wins the Royal Rumble. Im not saying Reigns is the wrong guy to win at RR. But if he wins, it better come with a heel turn, and WWE is fucking themselves over again.

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  68. I heard she doesn't exercise at all. That could come back to haunt her in the future.

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  69. Daily reminder that the lowest rated episode of Raw ever was in late 1996 and headlined by Shawn Michaels Vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

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  70. FYI they are insane.

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  71. I think when she started she didn't, but supposedly it's changed now that she's a pro model/star.


    I rate her as a hot, so I rather fuck her than like marry her.


    Like Amy Adams is a marry, Kate Upton is a fuck.

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  72. Nah brah, they listen to the fans. Vince told us so.

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  73. If they're not working us with that leak, they're fucking insane. And that's all I have to say about that, lol.

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  74. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©January 1, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    "As of this past week the plan was still for Reigns to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania."
    Get the popcorn ready, it's going to be another entertaining 3 months.

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  75. Ricochet is in Lucha Underground as Prince Puma, but he's not exclusive. He can still wrestle for DGUSA, PWG, and NJPW.

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  76. MikeyMike, JuggernautJanuary 1, 2015 at 12:18 PM

    That's fair enough. I just never get why guys can only have "types." I think it's just an excuse. I think AJ Lee is super hot but I feel that Kate Upton is a smoke show as well just in a different way.

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  77. It's like...are they going to be surprised when the car GPS is set to go to Philadelphia for the Rumble, or...

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  78. Well said. The whole "types" thing never made sense to me, either. Like, you can't be attracted to different "types" of women?

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  79. That reaction was Goddamned nuts. I know I went crazy.

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  80. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©January 1, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    I would love if they changed the venue to someplace South at the last minute.

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  81. Upvote for the phrase smoke show lol.

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  82. Last I knew, Ricochet tried out for the WWE and they got all upset because all the students were acting like he was a major star. I don't know if he turned them down or if they turned him down. I know Adam Cole and the Young Bucks both turned down the WWE lately.

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  83. I'm not even against it necessarily, but WWE does this type of nonsense all the time and it doesn't work. Like Orton's 1st reign with Evolution.

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  84. 520k is my guess

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  85. The Rumble is definitely getting hijacked if Bryan doesn't win. They're in the worst city in the United States outside of Bryan's "hometown" Seattle crowd to pull that shit and it's like they don't even know they're going to be there.

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  86. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsLWH8Eozqw



    Almost makes soccer watchable.

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  87. Those fans were silent for Reigns vs. Rollins on Monday.

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  88. More like get ready for endless blog discussions about Bryan and Reigns for the next 3 months!!!

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  89. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©January 1, 2015 at 12:23 PM

    Yeah, I'm not completely against the Reigns push, but when you have Bryan and possibly Dolph in the same Rumble.....

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  90. * plans on writing anything I can think of besides that topic until Mania *

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  91. This is the first time I've heard this reminder. You've done a poor job of reminding me of it on a daily basis.

    Also, that's crazy! Future Mania Main event is lowest drawing RAW ever.

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  92. "Heh heh...but all you fans with previously purchased tickets will be honored, provided you're dedicated enough members of the Universe to get to Mobile, Alabama! $9.99!"

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  93. I'm guessing they stay almost flat.

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  94. When you get a guy who just connects with the crowd as well as Austin does, he's going to make it. You would need to really, actively, consciously remove him from the public eye to prevent it. You can't just be a tad oblivious.

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  95. I always saw E&C as the stars of the group with Duds and Hardy's on a lower tier.

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  96. He was the main event of the Free For All.

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  97. They faced each other on the 4/29/04 Smackdown, and the match was average. Not great, but not horrible.

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  98. Who's quad does he tear?

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  99. You see, I'd contest this. It's not a great show, of course, and Hart/Austin is so fantastic it pushes up the watchability overall, but the only truly horrible thing on it is Rock/Sultan. I'd argue that WM 27 is a lot worse - as are 12 and 15.

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