10 Most Overrated WWE WrestleMania Moments

2. The Rock Wins "Clean" - WrestleMania XXVIII

Cena WrestleMania XXVIII
WWE.com

WWE lore has it that The Rock returned to singles action at WrestleMania XXVIII and defeated John Cena after a thirty minute epic, clean in the middle of the ring.

Many fans revelled in the booking. It didn't matter that a part-time star was the one to dent Cena's invincible armour - it was cathartic enough that his armour had been dented at all. John Cena Wins LOL was the meme. The Rock's win was therapeutic, even more so because it didn't rely on some groan-inducing chicanery. The Cena character was protected to such an extent that it once wheeled out Ted Dibiase Jr's brother to spare him from losing cleanly at SummerSlam 2009.

WrestleMania XXVIII apparently broke the streak - only that wasn't really the case. The Rock didn't so much win as John Cena lost as a result of his own hubris. Cena looked thoroughly unlikeable as he imitated Rock's People's Elbow theatrics. When Rock kipped up to floor Cena with the match-winning Rock Bottom, he hardly resembled a true victor. He rolled over onto his front when the referee struck three, sucking air, soaked in sweat.

His poor cardiovascular conditioning only added to the sense that it was all a fluke - a manipulative method to promote an wanted sequel to what was promoted as a one-off dream scenario.

In this post: 
John Cena
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!