7 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE WrestleMania XIX

3. The Architects

On arguably the most loaded WrestleMania card in company history, Vince McMahon made this match the marquee, quite possibly because he completely bought into the story he'd scripted between himself and 'The Hulkster'.

Rooted in loose truths, it was fairly straightforward for hardcore fans to bite on even if it alienated a section of the mainstream that never really gave a sh*t - just who was responsible for the success of WrestleMania, and by proxy, WWE? McMahon had used the 1980s expansion and 1990s rebirth to present himself as a mogul and marvel, but Hulk Hogan's 2002 return served as a reminder to many of why they fell for the charms of his offering in the first place. Their bitter dealings throughout 1994's steroid trial and Hulk's 1996 heel turn were dredged for content - the two biggest carnies of the lot were asking us to buy into reality.

And then the bell rang.

Hogan and McMahon went full batsh*t banter with a blinding brawl. Taking every single shortcut but exploiting them as few others could, the duo cycled through their greatest hits in front of a rabid, rapturous crowd. Blood, wood and Roddy Piper were all deployed as the two milked every moment and delivered so much sizzle than a steak wasn't required.

At WrestleManias X-Seven and X8, they'd respectively (and unexpectedly) captured the imagination of the masses against wildly different opponents. Here, rather fittingly, they found a sweet spot with each other.