10 Beautiful Moments Of Respect In Wrestling

6. End Of An Era

End of an Era WrestleMania XXVII The Undertaker Triple H Shawn Michaels
WWE

The four year story that spanned across WrestleMania 25 and XXVIII was magnificent - a wonder of continuity that, if not directly plotted from 2011 with the denouement in mind, was built towards it perfectly using the tone and themes set in Houston, Texas.

There, the Undertaker transformed from Phenom to mortal. He had never looked more like an ageing human being when Shawn Michaels kicked out of the Tombstone. His weary facial was so shockingly vulnerable that it did so much more than cast doubt over the finish; it cast doubt over his ability to hold onto the Streak in later years, informing the power of his matches with Triple H.

After 'Taker retired Shawn Michaels at 'Mania XXVI, HHH, in an inspired narrative approach, turned 'Taker from a weary figure into a downright lamentable one. "Stay down!" he roared after a brutal procession of weapon shots. 'Taker won, barely, but this was genius pretext for a sequel. Trips lost the match, but won a battle - 'Taker could not leave the stadium under his own, fading power - setting up the Hell In A Cell war at 'Mania XXVIII, which Michaels officiated.

A glorious advertisement for WWE's sports entertainment, at its outstanding conclusion, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Triple H performed a curtain call out of respect for one another and the audacious epic they had woven.

It was never the End Of An Era - when Triple H retires, we are most certainly going to know about it in advance - but it was, perhaps, the end of WWE's gravitas.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!