[1998-02-09-WWF-Raw] Wrestlemania XIV Press Conference

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[soup23]

The press conference takes place at the All Star Cafe in NYC. SHawn at least plays up his part and wears his suit and looks like a champ. Hey, guess what HHH is there to hang out too with a suit. Vince makes the announcement that Tyson will be the enforcer but tries to distant that role as far from a referee position as possible. Austin gives a great promo talking about how great HBK is as a wrestler but shitty he is as a person. HBK doesn't lay down for anybody. Tyson says that WWF is his life as of now. Tyson says he was attracted to the WWF through Bruno and the Valiant brothers. HBK jumps in and says he will try Tyson any day of the week. Austin and Tyson have some great chemistry but I am impressed with how dynamic they have made all three of these personalities feel. Great PR piece for the WWF and it feels far removed from where they were at heading into WM 13.

[stomperspc]

Really well done in terms effectively getting mainstream publicity and hyping a match for the existing wrestling fans. I get that being a public company, WWE is probably (and rightfully so) leery of mixing angles into real press conferences, but they could really use more stuff like this today. Tyson was great in this piece and in the entire angle. He came off 100% authentic. Austin did as well which is a large reason why the angle was such a success, I think.

[Loss]

Great package that really shows that the WWF comeback was now in full swing. I have to give credit to everyone involved in this - Austin, Tyson, DX and Vince. It's interesting that of all the things that went into turning the WWF around, I think they ran with the stuff long-term that just happened to be part of that time instead of specifically what led to it. This all feels like real people with real issues heightened by the presence of a celebrity who fits in with where they are going creatively. For all the talk about how WWE is still stuck in 1998, I watch this segment and wish that was more true than it is.

[PeteF3]

People had to be holding their breath all throughout this hoping Tyson wouldn't fuck things up, but he doesn't. He would later go on to be quite a talented comedic performer, but the WWF deserves a huge amount of credit for getting a guy who probably needed a LOT of guidance and downright hand-holding at this point to get through this whole saga unscathed. I can only imagine how badly WCW would mess things up if they'd gotten him instead. Tyson accuses Austin of being uncouth and not being able to get along with people in a funny moment. Austin and HBK have a pull-apart, and Tyson establishes himself as the enforcer in holding the two apart. Great segment all around. This really feels like the biggest WM main event since Hogan-Andre.

[tim]

Really great package. Cole's voice-over with his more mainstream media background gives this a feeling of legitimacy. The three way jabber between Austin, Tyson and Michaels is all really good. Tyson calls Austin an "uncouth imbecile" and implores him to try love instead of hate. This feels like we're going into one of the biggest matches ever.

[TravJ1979]

Agree with everything already said. Great package. Austin on fire, Tyson, Michaels and Vince pay it perfect as well. Tyson telling Austin to try loving somebody was amazing.