Best: The Rock vs Steve Austin (WWE Championship Match; WrestleMania X-7)
The Rock and Steve Austin were the preeminent stars of the Attitude Era. It was a rivalry against which all others were compared, and it was only fitting that their issues bookended the Attitude Era, closing out WrestleMania X-7. It was the biggest match featuring the two biggest stars of the era. Two babyfaces are going to battle with the crowd, ping-ponging their support along the way.
As expected, this match was fantastic. It included some great wrestling, but even better brawling as The Rock and Stone-Cold tore one another apart. Everything great about the Attitude Era was included in this match, with two icons doing whatever they could to win the WWE Championship.
We felt their desperation as they stooped to whatever level they could to get the victory. The ultimate finish was a risky one, but Steve Austin’s heel turn was the shock ending that this match needed.
Worst: Triple H vs The Rock vs Mick Foley vs The Big Show (WWE Championship Match; WrestleMania 2000)
The biggest argument for WrestleMania 2000’s failure was the massive overbooking of every match. The need to make every match a multi-man ruined the importance of every match, with the main event being the best example. It was a match featuring four men when, in essence, it should have been a one-on-one affair between Triple H and The Rock.
Adding The Big Show and Mick Foley to the match made little sense, and their inclusion didn’t make the match more exciting. They were the first two men eliminated and added nothing to the action. The audience was waiting for the two men to get out of the way so The Rock and Triple H could give them the show that they wanted.
It was a muddled mess with a terrible finish that saw Vince McMahon turn on The Rock to help Triple H retain the WWE Championship. No one wanted this match to start, or end, like this.
