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The Rock, Triple H, Big Show and Mick Foley, headlined a four corner elimination match for the WWE Title, in Wrestlemania 16. All four superstars were, at some point in the preceding year, involved in the WWE title picture. The Rock was feuding with the Big Show, who had questioned The Rock's legitimacy as the winner of the Royal Rumble. Mick Foley on the other hand, had been retired by Triple H earlier that year in the Hell at the Cell pay-per-view, and came out of retirement to work the match at Wrestlemania.The bad blood between the wrestlers was complimented by the divisive tendencies that had sprung forth in the McMahon family ranks. Leading to the match at Wrestlemania, each wrestler had a McMahon backing him. The Rock was backed by Vince, while it was a natural angle for the rebellious Stephanie to take her husband Triple H's side. Shane Mcmahon was in the corner of the Big Show, while Linda McMahon had brought back Mick Foley/Cactus Jack from retirement to compete in the match.
#1 The Build-up
The Rock had won the 30 man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble event in controversial circumstances earlier that year, by virtue of bundling the Big Show over the top rope while getting back into the ring himself. The Big Show however, disputed The Rock’s victory as he claimed that The Rock’s feet had touched the ground first. This accentuated the feud between the two wrestlers, leading up to a match at the No Way Out pay-per-view that the Big Show won, hence replacing The Rock as WWE Champion Triple H’s opponent at Wrestlemania. The Rock retorted with a re-match victory over the Big Show at Monday Night Raw, and the main event at Wrestlemania 16 was changed to a triple threat match.
Mick Foley, who had lost to Triple H in a grueling title v.s career match for the WWF Title at Hell in a Cell, was recalled from retirement by Linda McMahon to represent her, thus making the main event at Wrestlemania 16 a four-way elimination match. On the road to Wrestlemania 16, Vince and Shane McMahon would customarily get involved in matches involving The Rock and the Big Show, thus making the main event as much an in-fight between the McMahon family, as it was a war between the wrestlers.
#2 The Match
The four men face off, with the ensuing chaos leading to an unlikely tripartite alliance between The Rock, Triple H and Mick Foley, who briefly work together to eliminate the biggest threat, Big Show. Once Big Show exits with Shane McMahon, the brawl continued, often times without any real momentum or tempo to it. The potential tempo of the match was damaged by Mick Foley, who, by that time, was already over the cliff. An unlikely temporary partnership, reminiscent of The Rock and Sock connection, then formed between The Rock and Mick Foley , and Triple H was at the receiving end of some punishment. Then, Mick Foley turned on The Rock and co-existed with Triple H for a time, with the story telling clearly reflecting that both Triple H and Mick Foley wanted to eliminate The Rock, so as so settle the match and their feud once and for all. Mick Foley came off the top turnbuckle, aiming an elbow at The Rock who had been positioned on the announcer’s table by Triple H, but barely made the distance with his leap. The botch was so obvious, that Triple H had to try again twice in order to succesfully put The Rock through the table.
However, the story of the match changed again, and Triple H and Mick Foley started brawling in the ring. This time however, it was to be Mick Foley’s last contribution to the match, as Triple H successfully pinned him after a pedigree on a steel chair. Foley was not done yet though, and returned to the ring for one last pop, and parting shot to Triple H, before leaving with Linda McMahon. Once the match came down to Triple H and The Rock, the McMahon’s got their hands dirty. Shane McMahon came back to the ring, and attacked Vince McMahon, busting his head open with a chair shot. Vince McMahon was then escorted from the ring by the medical staff to get treatment.
As the match reached its conclusion, Shane McMahon tries to take out The Rock with a chair, only for Vince McMahon to come out and make the save. Vince then executes a heel turn, by hitting The Rock twice on his head with the steel chair, to give Triple H the victory.
#3 The Fallout
Overall, Wrestlemania 16 was not one of the better Wrestlemanias that the WWE had put together. The audience were ‘burned out’ by the time they got to the main event, and the lack of life in the crowd hurt the match immensely. The presence of the McMahons at ringside, initially took away attention from the match itself. The match struggled with its tempo all through its 45 minute duration, notwithstanding the botches that further dampened any effort to make the match more engaging. Though Vince McMahon garnered heat from the crowd with his heel turn, it made the match itself look less important than the McMahon family politics that took centre-stage.
After Wrestlemania 16, The Rock continued his feud with Triple H and the McMahon-Helmsley faction despite often being outnumbered and ‘screwed’ out of victory. Mick Foley meanwhile, returned to the WWE as “The Commissioner” of Monday Night Raw, and aided in the fight against the McMahon-Helmsley Faction. The rivalry between The Rock and Triple H finally culminated in a match at Backlash, with Shane McMahon as the special referee as well as Vince and Stephanie at ringside. Despite the strong odds yet again stacked against him, The Rock emerged victorious with the WWF Title when Stone Cold Steve Austin made his return, with Linda McMahon, and attacked the McMahon-Helmsley Faction.
