10 Dumbest Ways WWE Promoted WrestleMania Matches
9. The Undertaker Vs. Triple H - WrestleMania XXVII
On the February 21, 2011 RAW, Triple H challenged the Undertaker in a famous, minimalist masterclass of a segment.
Aiming for a certain Hogan Vs. Rock gravitas - and achieving it, to their immense credit - Triple H and 'Taker, with their trademark crowd appeals loaded with the currency of legacy, promoted the money match of WrestleMania XXVII. And then, the following week:
"And when you look around that locker room in the back, Dead Man, I know you see the same thing that I do - there are no challenges left, really."
As clear as Triple H's explanatory promo was in its broad, damaging message, consider the subtext. We were asked to analyse that locker room through HHH's lens in order to accept him - at the expense of every f*cker else - as the most legitimate challenger. The only legitimate challenger.
Did he have a point? Let's see.
The Miz?
He's not really a headliner; if he was, we wouldn't need The Rock.
CM Punk?
Solid hand. Attitude problems. Not as good as he thinks he is.
Randy Orton?
He never made use of all that natural talent, did he?
John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler? Midcard, midcard.
This, of course, was a problem of WWE's doing - but this served a dual purpose; his mass grave granted him the WrestleMania match, and an inroad to the Head of Talent Relations job.