WWE WrestleMania XIX  

Whether WrestleMania XIX goes down as the best WrestleMania ever will be for historians to decide, but the 2003 battle in Seattle certainly was notable for two of the biggest grudge matches to hit the WWE in many a moon. Billed as "20 years in the making," WWE mogul Mr. McMahon tried to put an end to Hulkamania in a street fight against the legenday Hogan. Despite all the accolades, the championship belts, and the movie career, one thing the Rock had never done is beat prodigal son Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania, and he was ready to pull out all the stops--including an unprecedented three Rock Bottoms--to do it. For all the hype, however, don't ignore the other events of the evening. For example, there was the actual WWE Championship to be decided, and Kurt Angle tried to prove he doesn't suck by taking on Brock Lesnar, and the loser headed straight from the ring to the hospital. There was a surprise ending in the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Triple H and Booker T, and the technically superb Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match turned out to be the best of the night. Throw in Limp Bizkit, the Miller Lite catfight girls, and tons of bonus features, and you've got a six-hour extravaganza for the ages. --David Horiuchi

Billed as "20 years in the making," WWE mogul Mr. McMahon tried to put an end to Hulkamania in a street fight against the legenday Hogan. Despite all the accolades, the championship belts, and the movie career, one thing the Rock had never done is beat prodigal son Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania, and he was ready to pull out all the stops--including an unprecedented three Rock Bottoms--to do it. For all the hype, however, don't ignore the other events of the evening. For example, there was the actual WWE Championship to be decided, and Kurt Angle tried to prove he doesn't suck by taking on Brock Lesnar, and the loser headed straight from the ring to the hospital. There was a surprise ending in the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Triple H and Booker T, and the technically superb Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match turned out to be the best of the night. Throw in Limp Bizkit, the Miller Lite catfight girls, and tons of bonus features, and you've got a six-hour extravaganza for the ages. --David Horiuchi  (less)