50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s
25. End Of An Era
The culmination of a four year story, Triple H and The Undertaker's WrestleMania XXVIII Hell In A Cell battle was fittingly subtitled as the above, as 'The Game' alongside guest referee Shawn Michaels put to bed their attempts to conquer The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak.
Shawn's matches with 'The Deadman' the prior two years were never going to be topped by Triple H (or anybody, really), but Hunter's gallant effort against The Undertaker at the 27th edition of the show drew praise for finding more new ways to convince audiences that he could actually lose.
With the Cell acting more as a gruesome background rather than a playground for the two icons, Triple H mercilessly decimated his opponent with a steel chair as referee Michaels mostly just begged for things to be over. In response, 'Taker had to trap Shawn in the move just to stop him calling the whole thing off. A Superkick/Pedigree combo triggered one of the most dramatic nearfalls this decade, with his kick out drawing apoplectic reactions from the audience and combatants alike. Undertaker ultimately recovered to hit Hunter with his own sledgehammer and a match-winning Tombstone before all three left the ring together, such was the significance of the bout.