Matches
The Dudley Boyz, The Hardy Boyz, and Edge & Christian arrived at WrestleMania X-Seven after months of escalating battles that mixed ladders, tables, and chairs into one ongoing tag team arms race. The Dudleys were the defending WWF Tag Team Champions, The Hardys were the fearless high-flyers, and Edge & Christian were the smart thieves who looked for the perfect moment to steal the belts.
The match was TLC II, which meant the titles hung above the ring, and the only way to win was to climb a ladder and unhook them. No pinfalls, no submissions, and no disqualifications.
The chaos began right away as all three teams tried to clear space to climb, only to get cut off by chair shots and ladder attacks. The Hardys scored a big early statement when they trapped Christian between ladders and hit Event Omega, using two ladders to launch a leg drop and a splash.
The Dudleys answered with the loudest kind of violence, hitting the “Wassup?” on Edge and then crushing him on a table when Bubba Ray powerbombed Jeff Hardy down onto Edge for a brutal table break.
Allies for each team soon became part of the match. Spike Dudley jumped in to drop Edge and send Christian through a table, while Rhyno charged in with Gores that flattened Bubba Ray and put Matt Hardy through a table in the corner. Lita joined in and fought to keep the Hardys alive during key climbs, but she was stopped in dramatic fashion when The Dudleys hit her with a 3D to take her out.
Jeff Hardy then delivered one of the match’s biggest highlight spots when he climbed a tall ladder at ringside and hit a Swanton Bomb through two tables onto Spike and Rhyno.
Moments later came the image everyone remembers. Jeff climbed again and got his hands on the championships, but Bubba Ray yanked the ladder out from under him and left Jeff hanging from the straps. Edge climbed another ladder and blasted Jeff with a flying Spear mid-air, driving Jeff down to the mat in a violent fall that made the whole building pop.
In the closing scramble, Rhyno tipped a ladder and sent Bubba Ray and Matt Hardy crashing through stacked tables at ringside. From there, it came down to teamwork. Edge grabbed D-Von’s legs to stop his climb, while Christian climbed onto Rhyno’s shoulders, reached the belts, and unhooked them.
Edge & Christian left WrestleMania X-Seven as the new WWF Tag Team Champions, and TLC II became a landmark match that cemented all three teams as the era’s defining tag acts and created moments that wrestling fans still talk about to this day.
At WrestleMania X‑Seven on April 1, 2001, The Rock faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in a no‑disqualification match for the WWF Championship. Austin earned the title opportunity by winning the 2001 Royal Rumble, while The Rock had reclaimed the championship at No Way Out.
Their rivalry was already intense, but personal tension escalated when Vince McMahon forced Austin’s wife, Debra, into the Rock’s corner, with Austin vowing to hold both the Rock and McMahon responsible if she was harmed.
From the opening bell, the match exploded into chaos. The Rock and Austin unleashed a brutal brawl inside the ring and at ringside, using rings, chairs, monitors, and the ring bell as weapons. Both were busted open from brutal strikes with the bell, which heightened the intensity of the match and amped up the crowd.
The match saw both competitors trading signature holds and finishers. The Rock locked in a Sharpshooter, which Austin countered with one of his own. Austin then followed up with the Million Dollar Dream submission (a callback to his early persona as the Ringmaster). The Rock retaliated by stunning Austin with a Stone Cold Stunner, which drew a huge crowd reaction and a near fall.
The turning point came when Vince McMahon appeared ringside. After The Rock delivered a spinebuster and hit the People’s Elbow, he went for a pin, but McMahon slid into the ring and pulled The Rock off the cover just before the three-count.
Furious, The Rock chased McMahon around the ring and back inside, only to run into a Rock Bottom from Austin. Austin then hit a low blow and motions over to McMahon, who brings a steel chair into the ring.
With the Rock held in place by Austin, McMahon delivered a chair shot, revealing a shocking alliance between the longtime rivals. But even after all of that, The Rock manages to kick out, keeping the match alive.
With frustration mounting, Austin snaps. He unloads on The Rock with sixteen vicious chair shots, finally pinning The Rock to win the WWF Championship. The stunned crowd watched in disbelief as Austin shook hands with McMahon and celebrated with beers, confirming his heel turn.
This 28-minute main event is widely regarded as one of WrestleMania’s greatest. It combined raw emotion, violent action, and a historic character shift that altered WWE’s direction. Austin’s alignment with McMahon symbolized the end of the Attitude Era and remains a landmark moment in wrestling history. The match is still celebrated for its storytelling, intensity, and the lasting impact it had on the careers of both superstars.
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