100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
67. The Rock Beats John Cena (WrestleMania XXVIII)
WWE sullied a bit of the magic attached to their own "Once In A Lifetime" branding by running The Rock vs. John Cena twice across two consecutive years. The hype heading into WrestleMania XVIII looked silly by the time 29 (which dispensed with the Roman numerals just to confuse things further) landed in 2013. Which match was better in-ring is a matter of personal preference, really.
Those who didn't like either might consider them two cheeks of the same behind.
This was company history regardless of individual taste. Cena and Rock were two of the biggest stars from their respective generations, so it was monumental to see them colliding amidst such marketing mojo. It was even better that WWE took their time by actually setting up the first bout 24 hours after 'Mania XXVII. That gave them a full year to build towards the first match and Rocky enough time to make sure he didn't pick up any extra film projects that'd threaten to derail plans.
Later, The Rock revealed that he'd suffered some nasty injuries whilst the match was still in progress. He tore his hamstring during the hubbub, which had to be...fun. Incredibly, that'd only be scratching the surface once the sequel came around 12 months later. Injuries would blight that bout too.
No amount of physical pain or WWE going back on their word can change the fact that this was monster business in the end. Cena vs. Rock was a Hollywood worthy box office smasher, and even those who have come to dislike both clashes now should appreciate how much casual/mainstream interest they garnered.