WWE’s WrestleMania 17 pay-per-view event, which went down on April 1st, 2001, is the greatest wrestling event of all time. It’s also the last hurrah for WWE’s iconic Attitude Era, a time older fans still look back on fondly.
The main event of the show was Stone Cold Steve Austin versus The Rock. The Rock’s WWE Championship was on the line in a “No DQ” match. Arguably the two biggest stars in the history of wrestling, the showdown made it easy for WWE to sell out the Houston Astrodome.
Remembering Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock at WrestleMania 17
Prior to their match, a video package played recapping Austin and Rock’s legendary feud. The package was set to Limp Bizkit’s “My Way.” The song was the fourth single from their hit album Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water.
WWE is well known for its ability to produce iconic video packages. These promos help build hype for matches, performers, and shows. But it’s been 23 years since fans first saw the “My Way” promo package and it still hasn’t been topped.
WWE WrestleMania 17 Was Almost a Colossal Failure
WWE WrestleMania 17 is still rewatched yearly by fans on Peacock. However, during one of the first matches on the show, things almost took a turn for the worst—literally.
With his Hardcore Championship on the line, Raven battled both Kane and The Big Show all over the Astrodome. During the match, there was a “golf cart chase” backstage that almost ended in catastrophe. Raven spoke about the moment in an interview with Fightful in 2018.
“We were supposed to be driving and Big Show’s choking me while I was driving. I was supposed to drive all around the building with Kane driving behind us in hot pursuit,” Raven explained. “What happened was there was a fence that looked like a wall fence. I thought if I drove into it and bounced off, it would look cool because I was getting choked by a 400-pound guy.”
“I hit the fence, didn’t get back anything and I just fell off the curb. But the best part is that I came within millimeters of turning off the power in the entire building,” he continued. “One of the crew members came to me after and said, ‘Do you have any idea how close you came? You were within millimeters of running over the cables that supplied power to the entire building.'”
It’s safe to say that, had that happened, WrestleMania 17 would be just as remembered, but for a totally different reason.
