For the last 30 years, WWE WrestleMania has set the stage for some of the most breathtaking moments and memorable matches in the history of sports entertainment.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania XXVI (26)
With WrestleMania 31 launching in just three days live from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., Sports World News' month-long look into the history of the "Showcase of the Immortals" is winding down.
In 2012, the WWE went outside for WrestleMania XXVIII as two legends were set to go toe-to-toe to end an era and "The People's Champion" was making a return to the squared circle.
Countdown to WrestleMania 31: 3 Best Moments From WrestleMania XXVII (27)
WrestleMania XXVIII emanated live from Sun Life Stadium in Miami as 78,363 fans gathered to witness the event which was dubbed as "Once in a Lifetime" on April 1, 2012.
Here are our three best moments from WWE WrestleMania XXVIII:
3) The Best in the World: Chris Jericho returned to the WWE prior to WrestleMania XXVIII and the man who once called himself the "King of the World" took issue with WWE Champion CM Punk, who referred to himself as "The Best in the World."
After the match was officially set up, both men set out to prove which one of them was truly the best wrestler in the WWE in a clash at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
Jericho, playing a heel, took shots at Punk's straightedge lifestyle and brought up his family members being addicted to drugs and alcohol while trying to draw the ire of his adversary.
Punk held his own on the microphone as well, blasting Jericho right back, but with all the silly storylines put aside, it was refreshing to see two men feud based on trying to prove they are the better man and the best at what they do.
Wrestling is often overshadowed by the entertainment side, but seeing two competitors want to out-do each other is something the product misses from time-to-time.
The match itself was a fun back-and-forth encounter with Jericho playing up the stipulation that if Punk got disqualified he'd lose the belt by trying to goad the "Best in the World" into breaking the rules to lose his title.
Punk avoided temptation and in the end, he reversed the Walls of Jericho into the Anaconda Vice, forcing Jericho to tap out, leading to Punk retaining the WWE Championship.
It was the closest Punk would ever come to main eventing a WrestleMania as the match didn't go on last despite being for the richest prize in the game, and Punk would never wrestle the final encounter at the biggest show of the year prior to quitting in 2014.
2) 'The Great One' Returns: The Rock returned to the WWE to host WrestleMania XXVII and cost John Cena his WWE Championship bout against The Miz that night in Atlanta. The next evening on RAW, Cena was out for vengeance and challenged "The People's Champion" to a match.
The Rock accepted, stating that he would face Cena a year later at WrestleMania XXVIII marking the only time the WWE started the build up to a main event match at WrestleMania a year in advance.
The match had a great parallel as The Rock had competed in eight WrestleMania matches from WrestleManias 13-XX and his final match at the WWE's marquee show took place at Cena's debut in the cornerstone event in 2004.
Cena went on to compete at WrestleManias XX-27 meaning both men were facing each other in their ninth match at the WWE's grandest spectacle.
The encounter had that classic big-match feel as the WWE's past (The Rock) met its present and future (John Cena) in a dream match of sorts that most fans thought they'd never get to witness.
The Rock, who hails from Miami, had the crowd in his corner as he made his return to the ring.
Both men threw everything they had at one another in the seesaw affair, with The Rock kicking out of two Attitude Adjustments and Cena managing to make the count after a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow.
The ending saw the "Cenation" leader attempt to mock the "Brahma Bull" by hitting his own People's Elbow only to have The Rock pop up and land another Rock Bottom to win the match after over a half hour.
The win was big because it marked the only time in WrestleMania history that The Rock closed out the biggest show of the year standing tall after a victory. The Rock was in the midcard at WrestleManias 13 and 14, lost to Steve Austin at 15, was screwed at WrestleManias 2000 and X-7 and was in the middle of the card in WrestleManias X-8, XIX and XX.
Though it was billed as "Once in a Lifetime," these two would cross paths again.
1) The End of an Era: Triple H came close to ending The Streak of The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII and though the "Deadman" stood tall, he had to get carried out of the ring after their clash in Georgia and couldn't walk after the bout.
"The Game" used this as motivation for a rematch with The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVIII and the two engaged in a bout that was contested in a Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels -- who fell to 'Taker at WrestleManias XXV and XXVI -- serving as the special guest referee in a clash billed as the "End of an Era."
The match was a brutal war with sledgehammers, steel chairs and other weapons being used inside the cell. The Undertaker kicked out of multiple Pedigrees while Triple H powered out after being hit by the Tombstone and was able to escape the Hell's Gate during the match.
The match had many dramatic moments, none more so then when Shawn Michaels hit the Sweet Chin Music and Triple H hit the Pedigree consecutively on The Undertaker for the closest near-fall of the match.
The Undertaker, as usual at WrestleMania, kicked out and narrowly escaped losing The Streak, but the drama and circumstance that led to the moment was breath-taking.
Finally, after over 30 minutes of unbelievable action, The Undertaker delivered one final Tombstone on Triple H to win the match and improve to 20-0 at WrestleMania.
Following the bout, all three men embraced on the entrance way to signal the End of an Era.
Looking Ahead: The WWE would return to the New York/New Jersey area for WrestleMania 29 in 2013 as the "Best in the World" tried to end The Streak, "The Beast" returned to WrestleMania and Once in a Lifetime became Twice in a Lifetime. We'll look at that on Friday.
Rank-O-Mania: As we go through each year, we will rank each WrestleMania as it comes along. WrestleMania XXVIII had some great moments with Triple H-'Taker, The Rock's return and solid match with Cena and Punk vs. Jericho. Like always, there was some filler and Sheamus' 18-second squash of Daniel Bryan in the World Heavyweight Championship match was an abomination. Still, it's a mostly good WrestleMania that finds itself in 12th place between WrestleManias 22 and XXVI.
1) WrestleMania X-7
2) WrestleMania XIX
3) WrestleMania X
4) WrestleMania VI
5) WrestleMania III
6) WrestleMania 21
7) WrestleMania XIV
8) WrestleMania VIII
9) WrestleMania XXIV
10) WrestleMania XX
11) WrestleMania 22
12) WrestleMania XXVIII
13) WrestleMania XXVI
14) WrestleMania VII
15) WrestleMania X-8
16) WrestleMania XXV
17) WrestleMania 23
18) WrestleMania V
19) WrestleMania XV
20) WrestleMania 2000
21) WrestleMania XII
22) WrestleMania IV
23) WrestleMania XXVII
24) WrestleMania 13
25) WrestleMania I
26) WrestleMania XI
27) WrestleMania IX
28) WrestleMania 2
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