10 Best Gimmick WrestleMania Matches
4. The Undertaker Vs. Triple H (No Holds Barred Match) - WrestleMania XVII
In recent years, the No Holds Barred stipulation has become a cheap gimmick installed on a number of matches last minute in a flawed attempt to polish up something fans already know is going to be woeful. And, in a way, it makes things worse as it just results in endless chair-shots, ridiculously slow stunts and a lot of laying around - all in a not-so-inspired attempt to recreate the magic of this match right here.
The Undertaker and Triple H knew they weren't going to have the wrestling masterpieces that the former had with Shawn Michaels in the two previous years, so they installed a stipulation that would allow them to tear each other apart, but one that would also allow for moments of strong wrestling - and it all contributed to one expertly-paced narrative.
Was there an endless array of chair shots? Yes. Was there a lot of lying around? Yes. But what sets this match apart from the pale imitations that would follow (including the No DQ rematch between these two seven years later) is the story.
'The Game's quest to do what his buddy couldn't do seemed plausible because he wasn't a technical wrestler - he was a destroyer, unphased by the classic performances The Undertaker annually pulled off on the 'Grandest Stage of Them All' and sought to take him down once and for all. And he came oh-so-close to doing it, demolishing 'The Phenom' with everything in his arsenal as we bought into every last second of it.
Yes, it was that damn good, but it would be outdone the following year...