The road to WrestleMania 31 is well underway and throughout the years the biggest event on the WWE calendar has shaped careers, provided memories that will last a lifetime and has been a showcase for the greatest matches in the history of the organization.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania 13
Over the next month, Sports World News will delve into each of the first 30 WrestleMania events and reflect on the best moments in each edition of the historic marquee WWE event.
With "Stone Cold" Steve Austin climbing to the top of the mountain at WrestleMania XIV, the WWE was on fire in the following year, creating compelling storylines and cementing new household names as top Superstars in the midst of the famed "Attitude Era."
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania XIV (14)
As WrestleMania XV rolled around, two of the biggest Superstars in the company were about to clash as Austin and The Rock were set to go head-to-head. This event took place on March 28, 1999 at the First Union Center in Philadelphia in front of 20,276 fans and had the tagline "The Ragin' Climax."
Here are our three best moments from WWE WrestleMania XV:
3) Hardcore Heaven: The show opened up with a highly entertaining Hardcore Championship Triple Threat Match pitting title-holder Billy Gunn against Al Snow and Hardcore Holly.
This marked the first time in the history of the event that the Hardcore Championship was defended and all three men used many weapons throughout the encounter, including a hockey stick in the home of the Philadelphia Flyers and a bowling ball.
In the end, Holly stole Gunn's pinfall on Snow, winning his second Hardcore title and ending an entertaining match that spanned over seven minutes.
2) HHHeel Turn: D-Generation X was revamped following the four-year hiatus of Shawn Michaels from in-ring competition and Triple H and Chyna aligned themselves with X-Pac, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn as to form a new version of the faction.
Tensions were running high in 1999 when Chyna left the group for Vince McMahon's Corporation stable, but a rollercoaster of storylines was about to begin at WrestleMania XV.
Triple H took on Kane that night in Philadelphia and the ending saw Chyna double cross the Corporate demon and seemingly reunite with Triple H and DX during the match.
Two bouts later, X-Pac defended his European Championship against Shane McMahon and just when it looked like everything was going right, a swerve was in the works.
With the referee occupied, Triple H came in the ring and delivered a shocking Pedigree to his friend X-Pac, helping McMahon win the European Championship.
The previous reunion between Chyna and DX proved to be a ruse as Triple H defected to the Corporation in one of the most shocking and successful heel turns in wrestling history.
1) Austin vs. Rock I: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had a series of WrestleMania matches through the years, but it all started in 1999.
After Austin climbed to the top of the WWE by defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV, the wheels were in motion for one of the most legendary boss vs. employee feuds as Mr. McMahon was hell-bent on getting the gold off of Austin.
With the title vacant and a tournament set up for Survivor Series 1998 to crown a new champion, it appeared as though McMahon was backing Mankind, but it was all a mind game as The Rock turned heel and became the new Corporate Champion with help from the boss.
McMahon then won the Royal Rumble in 1999 to ensure Austin wouldn't get a title shot at WrestleMania, however he lost to Austin in a highly entertaining Steel Cage Match at St. Valentine's Day Massacre in February to set up an epic clash between Austin and Rock at WrestleMania XV.
The bout pitted the top face against the top heel in the company and had plenty of drama around it as the "Texas Rattlesnake" vowed to once again become the WWE Champion.
The match, which had a no DQ stipulation, was an epic seesaw affair that saw the two use weapons throughout it and try to put each other away with one another's signature moves and gain near-fall after near-fall.
It was the first of many battles the two would have over the years and in the end, Austin hit a Stone Cold Stunner -- complete with classic Rock oversell -- to put The Rock away and once again capture the WWE Championship.
Looking Ahead: The WWE would continue to grow and surpass WCW with each passing year, but with the new Millennium came a different concept as a Fatal 4 Way main event was set for WrestleMania 2000. We'll take a look at that on Saturday.
Rank-O-Mania: As we go through each year, we will rank each WrestleMania as it comes along. WrestleMania XV had a fantastic main event and some good matches on the midcard, but it also suffered from some odd booking and a few bad matches -- including The Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man in an anticlimactic Hell in a Cell bout. WrestleMania XV finds its place between WrestleManias V and XII in our rankings.
1) WrestleMania X
2) WrestleMania VI
3) WrestleMania III
4) WrestleMania XIV
5) WrestleMania VIII
6) WrestleMania VII
7) WrestleMania V
8) WrestleMania XV
9) WrestleMania XII
10) WrestleMania IV
11) WrestleMania 13
12) WrestleMania I
13) WrestleMania XI
14) WrestleMania IX
15) WrestleMania 2
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