10 Times WWE Sacrificed WrestleMania For The Greater Good
7. The Undertaker's Fake Retirement (WrestleMania 33)
If nothing else, WrestleMania 33's main event was sad.
The Undertaker and Roman Reigns established their beef in the 2017 Royal Rumble, with 'The Big Dog' lobbing 'Taker out of the ring and staring him down afterwards. No belt was on the line at 'Mania, but this was still a clear attempt at "crowning" Reigns at 'Mania, with 'The Deadman' putting Roman over in what was likely intended as some kind of passing of the torch.
Undertaker's performance was where the "sad" came in. Never before had he looked so mortal as he slopped his way around the ring in slow motion, his advanced years and failing body rendering the 23-minute runtime untenable. Reigns worked really, really hard to get something out of him, but he couldn't. The match stunk.
A desperate attempt at saving the show from going off the air to mass boos saw 'Taker hold what looked like a retirement ceremony. He folded his coat, took off his gloves, and laid them in the ring with his head, departing the squared circle seemingly for the last time. A sombre mood took hold of the arena. This was it: the Undertaker's last ride.
It was over.
Except it wasn't. Undertaker returned to WWE nine months later, proving the whole was a stunt.