8. Triple H vs. The Undertaker - WrestleMania XXVIII
When Undertaker was unable to walk out of Mania 27 in Atlanta under his own power, speculation immediately began that Triple H would get a rematch with The Deadman the following year in Miami. Yet, he seemingly had no desire. In his mind, he lost the match, but won the war. As a newly crowned WWE Executive, he had too much invested in the Taker brand to finish what he started at Mania 28. Of course, Trips was eventually goaded into a rematch. In an interesting twist, The Phenom was the aggressor. Shawn Michaels was added to the situation and Hell in a Cell was added as the stipulation. In essence, to fully appreciate the entire scope of the End of an Era match, you have to go back several years. You could just go back and re-watch the Mania 27 bout, as it helps put the Mania 28 follow-up in better perspective. The fact of the matter was, though, that the awesomeness of the story told is best shaped by watching the Mania 28 match as the final chapter in an epic that began back in 2009 with HBK vs. Taker. All of it Mania 25, 26, and 27 - made possible the amazing spectacle that earned almost unanimous praise as WWE Match of the Year in 2012. It was basically a match four years in the making. There was one particular near fall that was the culmination of the three Manias that preceded it. When HBK awoke from his Hells Gate-induced slumber and connected with the super kick that sent Taker right into the Pedigree, The Streak had never been in greater jeopardy in twenty previous years. That was the single greatest false finish of the entire Streak. Contextually, it was the near fall that gave Triple H arguably the best match in his career and the Undertaker his second five-star caliber Mania performance in four Manias. It was a legacy-enhancer for both of them and also a notch in the belt of The Showstopper, whose role as the guest referee cannot be understated. Storytelling was the theme of the night for the last three hours of Wrestlemania 28 and arguably no greater story was told than The Game desperately trying to end The Deadman. The closing shot of the three of them at the top of the ramp together was an enduring moment.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
