2 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 28

by Michael Hamflett

1. End Of An Era

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WWE.com

The culmination of a stunning four-year tale, Triple H and The Undertaker's WrestleMania XXVIII Hell In A Cell battle was subtitled the 'End of an Era', as 'The Game' alongside guest referee Shawn Michaels put to bed their attempts to conquer The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak.

It, rather fatalistically, didn't go searching for the beginning of the next one.

Shawn's iconic encounters with 'The Deadman' at WrestleMania 25 and XXVI were never going to be topped by Triple H (or anybody else), but Hunter's gallant losing effort against The Undertaker in 2011 drew praise for finding surprising new ways to convince audiences that he could actually lose.

The Cell was more background than playground, and a Superkick/Pedigree combo almost put 'Taker down. His kick out drew an apoplectic reaction that reduced the crowd to a child-like state. His recovery and eventual win allowed them all to continue to believe in something approaching the fantastical.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett