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The WWE Championship and Universal Championship matches are often the headline attractions of WWE pay-per-view events. The desire to be a World Champion is something that every WWE Superstar has.
However, there are certain instances and rivalries that are far bigger than any championship. They do not even require a title to elevate the issue between the two WWE Superstars.
This can lead to a situation where a match between these two WWE Superstars overshadows a World Championship match or main event on a pay-per-view. This can be for a variety of reasons, such as the match being a historic first time ever clash or the quality of the match surpassing anything else presented on the card.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at five times non-title matches overshadowed championship matches on WWE pay-per-view.
#5. John Cena vs. The Rock (WWE WrestleMania 28)
WWE WrestleMania XXVIII was built entirely around the first time ever meeting of The Rock and John Cena inside of a WWE ring.
The match holds the distinction of being the first ever WrestleMania main event announced one full year in advance of the event.
The Rock cost John Cena the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXVII. It was announced the next night on RAW that The Great One would square off against The Leader of The Cenation at the showcase of the immortals the following year.
Billed as 'Once in a Lifetime', The Rock vs John Cena overshadowed everything else on the WrestleMania XXVIII card. Due to the historic meeting between two of the biggest WWE Superstars in history, everything else paled in comparison.
This included the featured WWE Championship match between Chris Jericho and defending champ CM Punk. The Second City Savior defeated Jericho in an excellent match to retain the WWE Championship. However, the event is better remembered for the historic first meeting of The Rock and John Cena.
#4. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules match (WWE Extreme Rules 2012)
The WWE Universe was stunned when former WWE and UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar made his return to the company after an eight-year absence in 2012.
Lesnar attacked John Cena on the post-WrestleMania XXVIII edition of Monday Night RAW, much to the delight of the crowd in attendance in Miami, Florida.
This led to an Extreme Rules match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view later that month. The match marked Lesnar's first WWE match since WrestleMania XX where he was defeated by Goldberg.
Despite losing to John Cena in the main event, the match was heralded as one of the best matches of 2012 due to its gritty, violent and bloody presentation.
The match marked Brock Lesnar's return to WWE in-ring competition for the first time in eight years. Therefore, it completely overshadowed the WWE Championship match on the show.
CM Punk successfully defended the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho in a Chicago Street Fight. The match was excellent but paled in comparison to the enormity of the Lesnar vs. Cena main event.
#3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE WrestleMania 25)
The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels' encounter at WrestleMania XXV is considered by many to be the greatest WrestleMania match of all time.
The match between the two WWE icons was the first time the two had met inside of a WWE ring in years. The most recent clash before this was their infamous casket match at the 1998 Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Centered around 'The Light vs. The Dark', the match saw Mr. WrestleMania attempt to break The Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania undefeated streak.
The match saw numerous incredible nearfalls that saw The Streak nearly broken on several occasions. Ultimately The Undertaker left victorious with his undefeated streak in tact.
The match easily stole the show and overshadowed every match that followed it. This included the WWE Championship main event between Triple H and Randy Orton.
Despite Triple H and Orton having an excellent build to WrestleMania, the crowd was largely flat and silent. They were still coming down from the incredible match they had seen earlier between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.
#2. The Rock vs Hulk Hogan (WWE WrestleMania X-8)
WWE often cites The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X-8 as one of the greatest matches in company history.
The match was billed as 'Icon vs. Icon' and saw a clash of generations. The centerpiece of WWE's Cartoon Era met one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era.
The crowd inside the Skydome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was electric and surprisingly in favor of the heel Hollywood Hulk Hogan over the babyface Rock.
The crowd's electricity made for an all-time spectacle that is widely seen as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time.
Hogan vs. The Rock completely stole the show at WrestleMania X-8 and overshadowed the WWE Undisputed Championship main event between Triple H and Chris Jericho.
Despite Triple H capturing the WWE Undisputed Championship after recovering from a career-threatening quadricep injury, all anyone could talk about was The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan.
#1. The Undertaker vs. Mankind - Hell in a Cell match (WWE King of The Ring 1998)
The Undertaker and Mankind's Hell in a Cell match at the King of the Ring pay-per-view is one of the most infamous and talked about matches in WWE history.
The match saw Mankind (Mick Foley) famously thrown from the top of the cell, crashing through an announcers' table at ringside. The spot is one of the most crazy and death-defying moments in professional wrestling history.
Despite his obvious injuries, Mick Foley continued through the match. This included being chokeslammed through the top of the cell to the ring below and being slammed into thumbtacks.
The shocking nature of the bout was all that anybody could talk about coming out of the event, completely overshadowing everything else on the card.
This included a WWE Championship First Blood match main event between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kane. The Big Red Machine shockingly won the match and his first WWE Championship during this event.
However, it's often overlooked due to the incredible Mankind and Undertaker Hell in a Cell match that's still spoken about to this very day.
