WrestleMania X-Seven

WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and presented by Snickers Cruncher. It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas. A record-breaking attendance for the Reliant Astrodome of 67,925 grossed US$3.5 million.
The main event was a No Disqualification match between Steve Austin and The Rock for the WWF Championship. The main matches on the undercard featured Triple H versus The Undertaker, the second Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Vince McMahon versus Shane McMahon in a Street Fight. With WWE's acquisition of long-time competitor WCW and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin joining forces with storied rival Mr. McMahon, it is often cited as the conclusion of The Attitude Era.
==Background==
The main feud leading into WrestleMania X-Seven consisted of Steve Austin challenging The Rock for the WWF Championship. This event marked the second time that the WrestleMania main event featured The Rock and Steve Austin for the WWF Championship, the first one being WrestleMania XV. In April 1999 at Backlash, The Rock and Steve Austin fought in a WrestleMania XV rematch with Steve Austin retaining the Championship. The Backlash event was originally the last time the two men would wrestle for the WWF Championship until this event. Steve Austin earned his opportunity to compete for the WWF Championship in the main event at WrestleMania by winning the 2001 Royal Rumble match when he last eliminated Kane, while The Rock became the first ever six-time WWF Champion when he defeated Kurt Angle at No Way Out. During their feud, Austin's wife Debra, who was trying to get back into managing, was ordered by WWF chairman, Vince McMahon, to be The Rock's manager against her wishes as well as both Rock and Austin's. As a result, Austin would hold The Rock and McMahon responsible if any harm came to her. On the March 12 episode of Raw is War, The Rock was placed in an overlong Ankle Lock hold during his rematch with Kurt Angle. When Debra went to check on The Rock, Angle also placed her into an Ankle Lock hold. Austin soon ran in to save her and knocked Angle out of the ring. Keeping to his word, he immediately gave The Rock a Stone Cold Stunner as punishment. The following week on Raw is War, during a handicap tag team match involving The Rock, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, and William Regal, Austin made his way down to the ring and ended up getting a Rock Bottom from The Rock as a result of the stunner the previous week. On the March 29 episode of SmackDown!, Debra was relieved from her managerial role by Mr. McMahon after failing to prevent a brawl between Rock and Austin.
The secondary feud leading into the event pitted the Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane) against Triple H and The Big Show. After defeating Steve Austin in a Three Stages of Hell match at No Way Out, Triple H felt that he deserved to be in the WrestleMania main event having defeated everyone in the WWF, including The Rock and Austin. The Undertaker took exception to that and told him that Triple H had never defeated him. Before WrestleMania X-Seven, the two had never faced each other in a one-on-one match on a pay-per-view event. During his entrance for a Hardcore Championship match against The Big Show, Triple H ambushed Undertaker. Kane ran in and saved the Undertaker from a further attack but was met with his own ambush by The Big Show. On the following episode of SmackDown!, Undertaker tried to break into the limousine of Triple H and his wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, on arrival but ended up being arrested by the police. As a result, Kane requested a match against Triple H later that night but lost when The Big Show interfered on behalf of Triple H. In retaliation, Kane interfered in The Big Show's Hardcore Championship match against Raven on Raw is War, helping Raven pin Big Show to become the new Hardcore Champion. Undertaker's arrest led to a restraining order from Stephanie. To circumvent this, the Brothers of Destruction interfered in Triple H's match against Test, with Kane ordered to run after Stephanie. With Stephanie held at ransom on a balcony in the arena, WWF commissioner William Regal gave Undertaker and Kane matches at WrestleMania against Triple H and The Big Show respectively. After being attacked during a Hardcore Championship title defense, Regal would later include Raven into Kane and Big Show's match, making it a Triple Threat Hardcore match for the Hardcore Championship.
Another major feud that was built up in the lead to WrestleMania was the one involving Vince McMahon and his son Shane McMahon. The feud started with Vince's disapproval of Mick Foley's job as then-WWF commissioner as well as Foley's decision of holding a six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon 2000, taking into consideration about the well-being of the wrestlers involved in the match. Despite his attempts Foley was given full support by Linda McMahon, Vince's wife and the WWF's CEO. Not pleased with this result, Vince immediately demanded a divorce from Linda. Shortly after Armageddon, secretly to Vince's delight, it was revealed Linda was rushed to hospital suffering with a nervous breakdown. With Linda hospitalized, the Board of Directors appointed Vince as the new CEO of the WWF, allowing him to fire Foley as commissioner. With Linda in a comatose-like state, Vince started to have a public affair with Trish Stratus. Vince's daughter, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, was at first far from pleased about the turn of events. At No Way Out, Stephanie and Trish squared off, with Stephanie scoring the victory after a in by William Regal. On the February 26th episode of Raw is War, however, during a match that placed Vince and Trish against Stephanie and William Regal, Stratus was turned on by the other participants in the match and had sewage dumped over her. In the following shows, Vince continued to demean Trish by having her do such actions as bark like a dog around the ring and stripping down to her lingerie. Despite this, Trish remained loyal to Vince and begged for his forgiveness. On the March 12 episode of Raw is War, Shane McMahon made his return to the WWF. Angry with his father's actions, Shane started to throw punches at Vince only to be stopped by William Regal. Shane explained his actions on the following episode of SmackDown! as a result of frustrations over the manipulation of his sister, his mother's state and Vince's treatment of Trish. On March 23, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. purchased their longtime rival promotion, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. With it, the purchase brought in an extra twist to the storyline. On the March 26 episode of Raw is War, Vince McMahon made a live speech that was also simulcast on the series finale of WCW Monday Nitro. In the speech, Vince announced that the signing was not final and that he wanted Ted Turner to come to WrestleMania to hand-deliver the contract for signing. He then promised that with the purchase he was going to bury his rival forever. However, Shane, who was at the venue for Nitro, interrupted the speech and made an announcement:
To make matters worse for Vince, Mick Foley appeared shortly afterwards that night and announced that prior to his firing, Linda had made multiple contracts for him to sign, one of them was for Foley to referee a match of his choice at WrestleMania. Foley then announced that Vince and Shane's match would be a street fight with himself as special guest referee.
==Results==
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*Sunday Night HEAT match: X-Factor (Justin Credible & X-Pac) defeated Steve Blackman & Grand Master Sexay (2:46)
*Chris Jericho (c) defeated William Regal to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship (7:08)
*Tazz and The APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq) (w/ Jacqueline) defeated Right to Censor (The Goodfather, Val Venis and Bull Buchanan) (w/ Steven Richards) (3:53)
*Kane defeated Raven (c) and The Big Show in a Triple Threat Hardcore Match to win the WWF Hardcore Championship (9:18)
*Eddie Guerrero (w/ Perry Saturn) defeated Test (c) to win the WWF European Championship (8:30)
*Kurt Angle defeated Chris Benoit (14:02)
*Chyna defeated Ivory (c) to win the WWF Women's Championship (2:39)
*Shane McMahon defeated Vince McMahon in a Street Fight (w/ Mick Foley as Special Guest Referee) (14:12)
*Edge and Christian defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) and The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match to win the WWF Tag Team Championship (15:42)
*Iron Sheik won a Gimmick Battle Royal featuring: Bushwhacker Luke, Bushwhacker Butch, Duke Droese, Doink the Clown, Nikolai Volkoff, Tugboat, The Goon, Earthquake, The Gobbledygooker, Hillbilly Jim, Brother Love, Michael P.S. Hayes, Kim Chee, One Man Gang, Kamala, Jim Cornette, Repo Man, and Sgt. Slaughter (3:05)
*The Undertaker defeated Triple H (18:17)
*Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated The Rock (c) in a No Disqualification match to win the WWF Championship (28:06)
==Notes==
*This event marked the second time that the WrestleMania main event featured The Rock and Steve Austin (the first was at WrestleMania XV. A third match would also take place at WrestleMania XIX).
*Motörhead performed "The Game" during Triple H's ring entrance. Motörhead would appear again at WrestleMania 21 to perform the same theme song for Triple H's ring entrance.
*This WrestleMania took place just over a week after the World Wrestling Federation announced the purchase of its long-time rival promotion, WCW.
*This is the only WrestleMania whose title included a Roman numeral and a number as a word in its title.
*WrestleMania X-Seven's logo was the first WrestleMania logo to make use of the font "Bodega Sans".
*Bobby "The Brain" Heenan called his first WrestleMania match in 8 years alongside "Mean" Gene Okerlund when the two called the Gimmick Battle Royal.
==Other on-screen talent==
;Commentators
*Bobby Heenan - Gimmick battle royal
*Paul Heyman
*Gene Okerlund - Gimmick battle royal
*Jim Ross
;Spanish commentators
*Carlos Cabrera
*Hugo Savinovich
;Interviewers
*Jonathan Coachman
*Michael Cole
*Kevin Kelly	
;Ring announcer
*Howard Finkel
;Referees
*Mike Chioda
*Jack Doan
*Earl Hebner
*Theodore Long
*Chad Patton
*Mike Sparks
*Tim White
==See also==
*List of WWE pay-per-view events
*WWE Event History
*WrestleMania
==DVD release==
* WrestleMania X-Seven on DVD
==External links==
* WrestleMania X-Seven Official website
* WrestleMania X-Seven on WWE Network
* WrestleMania X-Seven at CAGEMATCH.net
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Category:WrestleMania
Category:2001 pay-per-view events
Category:Events with No Disqualification matches
Category:Events with Street Fights
Category:Events with Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches
Category:Events with Guest Referees
Category:Events with Battle Royal matches