10 Most Underrated WWE WrestleMania Matches Ever
2. Shawn Michaels vs John Cena - WrestleMania 23
Were it not for Michaels’ embarrassment of riches on the WrestleMania stage, this match would likely get a lot more love. As it is, with HBK’s solid claim on at least two of the 10 greatest ‘Mania matches of all time, this bout tends to be thought of warmly rather than held up there as a top tier main event.
This really ought to be rectified, as it’s a perfectly paced and mapped out, psychologically rich encounter between two men with terrific chemistry that wasn’t overused. Cena sits atop the card as a portion of the crowd starts to lose interest in him, and against a figure as beloved as HBK, the anti-Cena contingent are all the more willing to boo him.
As ever, this only encourages Big Match John, and much of the match sees him proving that he can wrestle like few others. It employs the always-effective structure of a respectful wrestling match turned all out fight; the chain grappling eventually gives way to piledrivers onto steel steps.
It’s a shame it ends with Cena’s STFU, one of the worst looking holds in the business, but no one can milk a submission spot like HBK. It’s firmly in the upper echelons of WrestleMania main events; crazier still, they did it all over again on Raw a few weeks later, arguably even better.