10 Best Wrestling PPV Cliffhanger Endings
5. The Undertaker's Farewell? (WrestleMania 33)
WrestleMania 33's ill-received Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns main event fell flat. A disinterested, fatigued crowd saw through WWE's latest attempt at getting their 'Big Dog' over as 'The Guy,' and rather than the star-making moment it was intended to be received as, the inevitability of the divisive former Shield star triumphing over an all-time great created a funeral-like atmosphere.
Reigns celebrated to muted jeers as fans started pouring out of the arena, ready to head home. Something stopped them. It was 'The Deadman,' rising, it seemed, for the last time. Defeated and deflated, the broken legend clambered to his feet, pulled off his gloves, and left them, his coat, and hat in a neat pile in the middle of the ring.
A rare kayfabe-shattering moment saw the most old school of old school wrestlers kiss his wife, Michelle McCool, at ringside, then walk away. Halfway up the ramp, 'Taker raised his fist in the air. A moving platform took him from sight, his gong sounded thrice, and that was that: the end of 'The Deadman.'
There was ambiguity in the air, but it felt very much like a "farewell." 'Mania 33 would've been a fitting retirement ceremony had it stuck.