The 34 best WrestleMania matches ever

#4: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 17)

As good as the "end of an era" match at WrestleMania 28 was, the tagline was hyperbole. This was the real end of an era match. Its corpse made some twitches for a while, but everyone agrees that the body and soul of the Attitude Era died in this match. It picked a hell of a way to go out, though.

Capping off a WrestleMania that had probably already solidified its place as the greatest in history, this match was an all-out war that lasted nearly half an hour, and made the event essentially untouchable by any future WrestleMania. It was one of Austin's best matches and probably The Rock's best.

At stake was more than just the title. It was about who "the guy" truly was. Unlike their encounter two years earlier, where Austin was the undisputed ace of the company, it was now an open question as to which of them was truly on top. Feeling insecure, Austin uttered the signature line of the build to this encounter: "I need to beat you Rock, I need it more than anything you can imagine."

Try as he might, Austin just couldn't get the job done. The Stunner didn't work. Brutal weapons shots didn't work. He even brought back the Million Dollar Dream from his days as The Ringmaster, which still wasn't enough.

Ultimately, Austin had to make a deal with the devil. He turned heel, joined forces with his archenemy Vince McMahon, and beat The Rock by any means necessary. It brought the Attitude Era's beating heart to a sudden and completely unexpected stop. Leaving fans utterly confused, it was an infamous end to a WrestleMania war that will never be forgotten.