10 Hot WrestleMania Openers That Blew The Main Event Away
7. Sheamus Vs Bryan - WrestleMania XXVIII
Vince McMahon was so keen to get John Cena and The Rock in a bout against each other at WrestleMania XXVIII that their eventual one-on-one was booked a year in advance. The match itself, despite being the endless string of signature moves that you’d expect out of the two, was moderately well received.
Meanwhile, fans took to Twitter and Reddit to complain about the mistreatment of indie darling Daniel Bryan who had lost his World Heavyweight title to Sheamus in the show’s opener in a stunning 18 seconds.
However this online chatter differed greatly from the in-person perspective who, despite him being a heel, were equally hot for Bryan’s entrance as the shock of his sudden loss.
More importantly, this entry more so works in retrospect. Whilst the main event was billed as “once in a lifetime”, it infamously happened again just a calendar year later. It was more of the same, which dilutes them both. Cena versus Rock is hardly as memorable as Rock versus Hogan, as clearly intended.
Daniel Bryan’s humiliating loss, on the other hand, can be argued as the beginning of his rise. This was the lowest point that he would eventually springboard from and, in two years time, be closing the Show of Shows with the WWE title in his hands.
As such, these 18 seconds have a place in history which makes it the most memorable match on the card.