4 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 29

2. Dead & Deader

Article lead image
wwe

Two WrestleMania legacies collapsed at 2013's 'Show Of Shows', but not a single fan from the 80,676 in attendance that night could have possibly predicted what The Undertaker and CM Punk would be up to just one year later after assembling a banger that appeared to position them both still in career form.

Though the Streak-ending tension from the prior four years was understandably absent and Punk later noted how f*cked off he was to be in this match instead of the last one, the pair wrestled as if they both secretly knew no more classic moments on the 'Grandest Stage' remained.

Abandoning the divisive build-up (Punk and Paul Heyman played head games with 'The Deadman' over the recently-deceased Paul Bearer), the pair went to war, with the 'Voice Of The Voiceless' no longer the frightened rabbit waiting to be squashed by a WWE juggernaut as he had been in prior years.

He had become a headliner and a showstopper, but unlike Undertaker's iconic foe Shawn Michaels, Punk was never destined to make the main event. Or, as a result, the very next WrestleMania.

Advertisement
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