50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE WrestleMania
20. “Once In A Lifetime” Was Always A Lie
People called this at the time.
There was no way WWE could book one solitary match between The Rock and John Cena then move on. The promotion knew they had a box office smash hit on their hands, so a rematch was always going to occur. Being blunt, WWE blatantly lied to our faces and smiled as they did it. "Once In A Lifetime'. This is your only chance to see the Hollywood star square off with our poster boy. No, really. Ahem.
WrestleMania XXVIII's first match was decent but didn't blow anyone away. To be honest, neither did the rematch, although no-one knew for sure initially if they'd plough ahead with plans to run that at 'Mania 29 (on/off roman numerals be damned) or not. Everybody could see it coming eventually. Going back to back on the match after branding XXVIII “Once In A Lifetime” was almost laughable. Understandable for business reasons, but laughable given how hard WWE’s announcers pounded that drum.
It's hard to ignore the "Once In A Lifetime" stuff when watching this era back, 'cause it was everywhere you looked. Thank God the writers didn't try this with Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes at 'Mania 39 then instantly regret it before booking the same bout at 40. Hype is important, but that Rock vs. Cena business is a cruel reminder that it can also be detrimental if you're full of it and going to load a second round anyway.
This was WWE's very own version of, 'Just one more game and then I'll go to bed'.