The Austin vs. Hart match was awesome!

The card starts with (unfortunately) Vince McMahon as ringside analyst (again) so there's _that_ to deal with. However, the opening match was a four-way tag-team match for a shot at the tag team championship. The match consisted of four teams: The Godwinns vs The Headbangers vs The New Blackjacks (consisting of Barry Windham and John Bradshaw Layfield) vs Doug Furnas/Phillipe LaFonde. It was an interesting entry-card match; not dull, not a snooze-fest, just nothing earth-shattering or story-development. But it wound up being an interesting match. Next up was a "special appearance" by "The HonkyTonk Man" (Wayne Ferris) and I have to say, he made it worth watching just listening to him. He was undoubtedly one of my favorite characters to "hate" back in his heyday, and it was fun listening to him rant and rave and strut and boast all over again. (Still love watching his shoots on YouTube about his time in the business.) Ferris sat alongside Jim Ross, Vince McMahon, and Jerry Lawler as a "guest analyst" during the match between "young Rocky Maivia" (known these days as "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson) and he was hilarious. The match between Rocky Maivia vs "The Sultan" wasn't the greatest - in terms of "entertainment" - but it had a great ending to the match. Give him time and "young Rocky Maivia" will emerge as one of the greatest entertainers the WWF/WWE ever had. Next up was "Hunter Hearst Helmsley" and the actual WWF introduction of "Chyna" (Joan Laurer). And for the life of me, I can't figure how in the world she ever got an invitation to appear in _Playboy_ . Any guy who would find her attractive obviously has a few too many Y chromosomes or something; not only is the poor girl just unattractive (with a jawline to make Jay Leno jealous) but her physique looks more "manly" than most guys. Sorry, but that is NOT appealing. (As you can tell, I was never a fan of the "Chyna" character, nor of Joan Laurer, although her death is tragically sad.) The match ended in what was probably one of the most difficult scripts to watch in WWE history: when that Amazonian Chyna "shook" the 5-foot Marlena like a ragdoll. Yes, it was all scripted but wow, that was hard to watch even knowing it was planned and rehearsed. (Various web sites even comment about the notable size difference between the two and how hard it was to watch that scene.) Following this was another tag-team match that was hard to watch, simply because it was between two "teams" that I care absolutely nothing about: Leon White as "Pig-Faced Fatty"...er, I mean "Vader" and Mick Foley as "Mankind" vs British Bulldog/Owen Hart. Like other matches, this one couldn't end fast enough. I've (usually) enjoyed Mick Foley but the Mankind character was just too weird to really get behind; he (Foley) was much more enjoyable as "Cactus Jack". Again, I've just never cared for any of these guys with the exception of maybe the British Bulldog, early in his career. He doesn't do well as a 'heel' though, so it's hard to root against him even. Now we come to the match everyone wants to see: the "Anything Goes" match between Bret 'Hitman' Hart and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This was an unbelievable match with an ending that won't soon - if ever - be forgotten. You have to give these guys major props: This was an absolutely amazing match and they put everything on the line to sell this...and sell it they did. Wow.... this was absolutely brilliant. I have to also give kudos to "special guest referee" Ken Shamrock (of the UFC): he was jacked and looked in prime condition but he did NOT try to insert himself into the match or the air-time between Hart and Austin. (The last "I Quit" match was "guest referee'd" by Roddy Piper and he had as much air time in that match as either of the wrestlers; it was extremely annoying.) In almost any other case, the next match would have been near-main event status - a "Chicago Street Fight" between Ahmed Johnson with the Legion of Doom (Road Warriors) vs The Nation of Domination (Farooq, Crush, and Savio Vega) but unfortunately, it followed that aforementioned match between Bret Hart vs Steve Austin...anything after that match was bound to be at least somewhat anticlimactic. It could have - and _should have_ been - a good match but it was too helter-skelter to follow anything...except the fire extinguisher which kept getting sprayed until the ringside commentators were coughing into their mics. LOL That was the best part of that whole ...well, no, actually the conclusion of the match was pretty good. Now we come to the main event (although, to be honest, there's still no topping that match between Bret Hart vs Steve Austin) and it's become pretty clear that we're transitioning into the "Attitude Era" of the WWF/WWE; the language has become coarser (and I don't say that as a prude or a Quaker; it's just an observation) and things are starting to take shape that would never have happened or been allowed during the children's "Rock 'n' Wrestling" cartoon era. The main event starts between The Undertaker vs "Psycho" Sid Vicious but before the two can even hook up, Bret Hart interjects himself into the match, thereby earning the wrath of Psycho Sid. Unfortunately, Michael Hickenbottom had to show up and sit with Vince McMahon as a "guest commentator" and make everything about himself. (I did think it was **hilarious** when Bret Hart told him _"Go take that pussyfoot fake injury and go 'find your smile' somewhere else..."_ ROFL That was great!) The showdown between The Undertaker and Psycho Sid was a decent match but of course there was a question mark inserted, so you know the storyline will continue to evolve. All in all, this was a decent Wrestlemania with some very good matches, but that match between Bret Hart vs Steve Austin will be the talk of pro wrestling probably for years. Wow, that was amazing...