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The granddaddy of them all, WrestleMania is just about a month away. The anticipation for the extravaganza is sky high among the WWE Universe. And since the pay-per-view is richer than Richie rich when it comes to history, we have decided to take a look back at some of the best WrestleMania matches with this latest series.Every professional wrestling fan will have a lot of stories to tell and the match between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker at WrestleMania 26 gave them a new addition to the list.Following up their showdown that happened in WrestleMania 25 was next to impossible but despite the pressure, the legends gave out yet another stand out performance in the University of Phoenix Stadium. Here is a look at how Michaels and Taker stole the show once again at Mania.
#1 The Buildup
At the 2009 Slammy awards, the Michaels vs. Undertaker bout at WrestleMania 25 was chosen as the best math of the year and during the acceptance speech, Michaels challenger Taker into a rematch.
Taker was the reigning World Heavyweight champion back then and refused to let Michaels have a rematch. What followed as some sheer brilliance from the creative team. Michaels became desperate to get a rematch and he did everything he could to lure in the Phenom.
Michaels had two chances to get a title shot at Mania at Royal Rumble and Elimination chamber qualifiers respectively but he failed in both of them, which then led to an outburst against referees and SmackDown GM Teddy Long.
After seeing his last hope slipping away, Michaels did the unthinkable. Michaels sneaked into the Elimination chamber match and cost Undertaker his title. This forced the Phenom to change his decision and he accepted the rematch offer. But Taker had one demand.
If Michaels wanted a rematch, he had to put his career on the line. Michaels accepted and a Career vs. Streak match was booked for WrestleMania 26.
#2 The Match
The heart of the match was its stipulation. No one expected Michaels to retire at that point and no one saw Undertaker’s streak coming to an end as well. The anticipation was at its epitome and once it was made the main event of the pay-per-view, the stakes couldn’t have been any higher.
All those train of thoughts were broken with the opening bell and we were off to a pacey start. Both men knew each other so well that they were just flowing through the entire match rather than having to pause to decide what to do next.
The submission moves were in plenty and so were the counters. Taker delivered a vicious Tombstone to Michaels and Michaels on the other hand delivered a great moonsault onto the announce table.
After Taker’s second Tombstone, the fans thought that the match was over but Michaels kicked out at two. The face of Undertaker, which is known to scare the hell out of most of the fans, was painted with utter disbelief.
Michaels barely made it into his feet and slapped Taker. The slap angered Taker further and he proceeded to give a jumping tombstone to Michaels. One, two, three, and it was curtains on one of the greatest wrestling careers.
#3 The Fallout
On the night that followed WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels came out on Raw to deliver a farewell speech. He thanked everyone for the support and Undertaker also appeared to show his respect to the showstopper.
Though a lot of wrestlers out there are not known for keeping their word when it comes to retirement, Michaels proved to be different. It’s been nearly five years since he hung up his boots and despite all the requests from the fans; he decided to stay away from in ring competition.
As for Undertaker, he took a long break from the business and when he returned, he went directly into a feud with Michaels’ best friend Triple H. The two then clashed at Mania next year in another classic.
