BigVanCrush

There's things about all three of the first TLC matches I liked. The original built upon the WM 2000 match and was absolutely nuts. TLC 2 added each team having an outside helper and cut down some of the set up time for the big spots. This one adds a fourth team, has even better pacing and I liked the story with Benoit being helped to the back only to come back later and win the match. Jeff's leap frog spot is nuts and will forever be burned into my memory. I think this is probably #2 behind TLC II, but all three of them are worthwhile viewing. ****1/2

I don't think this comes close to TLC II or III in terms of pacing, but Matt's backwards table bump off the ladder is probably the most batshit insane thing done in any of the three matches. This is a great stunt show, one of my favorites ever but my biggest issue is the setup time for the bigger spots. TLC II and III didn't really have that issue because there was always something going on whereas here the action would stop at points. Like I said, not as good as the first two sequels but still a goddamn great stunt show. ****1/4

Their match from two months earlier is far, far better. This one was lifeless because the outcome was never in question. KENTA wasn't going to win the belt from Nagata two weeks after Nagata won it and two months after he's beaten Nagata in their previous title match. Not a good match.

"The fact is you've got the WWF Championship and I want it" since you used my favorite quote from the video i decided to go with #2. This match rules a lot. The video package is maybe the single best one WWE has ever done and sets the stage well. I like that the first third of the match is what you'd expect from an AE main event, but then the second third goes for finisher trading and both guys digging deep into their arsenals before the final third, which is Austin and Vince putting the screws to Rocky. The heel turn is still a baffling thing to me now but I like what it adds to the story of the match. Austin, mere months after returning, goes so far in his quest to get the WWF title back that he's willing to align himself with Vince McMahon to get it back. My only real complaint is how long the last bit of the match is before Austin finally wins. It seems like Vince coming out should have caused them to immediately go to the finish but he's out there for what feels like 10 minutes before the match actually ends. Still, that's a small blemish to me on an otherwise tremendous match. JR and Heyman are pretty goddamn great here, I think this might be JR's single best performance. Him selling the Austin heel turn will forever be burned into my mind. This is probably the best WrestleMania ME ever. *****

I dig the comparison to OTE 1998, it really does work for this match. I think holding Austin off until the end of the match was a smart choice, it wouldn't have made any sense to have him out there right away. I'm usually not big on the McMahon family stuff, but everything here was good. Shane played his role well, Vince was effective in his and Stephanie was mostly off camera so we didn't have to put up with her godawful facial expressions. The match, as you noted, hums right along and is a pretty solid match. The double Rock Bottom is kind of where the match 'really' begins. Austin's run in might be my favorite part of the whole thing. He gets a gigantic fucking pop, kills the heels and bounces until the post match. The ending of the match is good and dear god did they go nuts when Rock won the belt...and then Austin comes out and toasts Rock to end the show which is a pretty killer ending. This might be my favorite pre WCW buyout WWF main event. Everything here, even the McMahon family bullshit, worked perfectly and set up another really great main event the following month. Just a goddamn great WWF style main event. ****1/2

I've always thought this match was way too long, bloated and didn't have anything particularly enjoyable to me outside of Foley's table jump. In terms of WrestleMania main events, this is probably near the bottom of the pile for me. The main event of the next PPV is the main event we should have gotten here. This is trash. *

There was a point where people buried All Japan for putting Suzuki in super long main events, among other things, but we'll focus on just that for right now. The criticism came from that fact that, frankly, he's not very good at super long matches and he also had opponents that weren't going to work within his style in a longer match without the whole thing falling apart. You would have thought, at some point, that someone would have figured out that 20-25 was the sweet spot for Suzuki in main events...but nope. Now onto this debacle. I thought this match sucked. It was a long, boring match where nothing mattered until Okada's comeback. When people bitch about Okada matches, this is the kind of shit they're talking about. He gets killed for the entire match and then flips the "OK I win now" switch in a way that's more infuriating than entertaining. Here we had Suzuki, certainly the most 'legit' guy that New Japan has access to right now, tore at Okada's legs for almost the entirety of the match and Okada shrugged it off like it was nothing. They just sat in leglocks, there was never a moment where I bought Okada was going to submit. I also didn't buy Okada doing bullshit like high jump dropkicks and flying elbows and tombstones after having his legs ripped at all match. This should have been 20 minutes shorter. Hell, chop 25 off of this and do something unique by having a main event that ends in under 20. As it stands, this was 40 minutes of bullshit that wasn't particularly compelling or good. *

Live, I was really grumpy and didn't enjoy the match because I knew Okada was going to win and I figured it'd come after 30+ minutes of New Japan wanting me to buy into some bullshit. On rewatch, with the grumpiness a non factor, I think this is the best IWGP Title match since maybe 2007. There's a lot about this match that I like. Shibata smashing Okada in exchanges when Okada tries to show Shibata he can hang is great. Shibata showing Okada that he can beat him on the mat because Okada is lost is great. The manjigatame was awesome. The rainmaker bitch slap from Shibata was great. The first Rainmaker failing to do max damage is fantastic. Shibata kicking the shit out of Okada's arm late in the match was awesome. Shibata cocking back a forearm as he gets hit with the final Rainmaker ruled. The outcome doesn't bother me as much as it did live because the destination to get to that outcome is so goddamn good. For as much as the Omega match was an athletic exhibition, this felt like a war for the heavyweight title. For as much as the Suzuki match frustrated me because they wanted me to buy that Okada could make his comeback after having his legs ripped apart by one of the most dangerous guys to ever set foot in a ring, this match was believable. For as much shit as I (and a lot of others) give Okada, he wasn't as annoying here as he usually is. His comeback wasn't the same cutesy bullcrap it always is. When he finally hits the Rainmaker to lead to the hand holding zoom in, it feels like he earned it instead of just flipping the 'it's my turn now' switch. At the end, this was the most 'complete' Okada match I can think of in a long time. Certainly his best since the Tanahashi matches in 2013. *****