10 Most Iconic WWE WrestleMania Images

3. The Brock Shockwave (WrestleMania 30)

You know wrestling fans have become complacent and jaded when Herculean Lesnar plants Undertaker with the third of three bone-crunching F5's, and their instinct is to wait for the 'inevitable' kickout. There's the danger in overdosing on wrestling: pattern-recognition ends up clouding any fun you might have.

So imagine the the surprise of everyone when Lesnar's third F5 keeps Undertaker down for the count, and ends the 23-year-old streak. Actually, you didn't have to imagine anything. Quick camera cuts to the horrified faces told the story better than the announcers could. Honestly, a tongueless man with no hands can tell a better story than any WWE announcer not named Mauro.

Images of widened eyes and slack jaws (none more memorable than that of superfan and terminally-good sport Ellis Mbeh, depicted here) were ideal visuals above a sound-bed of horrified boos and shrieks. For fans that see past kayfabe and now view the business as armchair-insiders, Lesnar warping reality had emphatically pulled everyone back to their 'it's still real to me' heritage.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.