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WrestleMania 30 saw WWE in a bit of a state of flux. It was clear enough that the stars of eras past were losing ground as John Cena stepped back from the main event picture and fans rejected the returning Batista.
Of course, in the most significant shift of all - at least symbolically, WrestleMania 30 would see the end of The Undertaker’s two-decades long undefeated streak at the Showcase of the Immortals.
WrestleMania 30 was generally quite well received, including a terrific opening hour between the fun promo Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock delivered, and the match of the year candidate between Daniel Bryan and Triple H.
It wasn’t a perfect show, though. This article takes a look at the best and worst moments of WrestleMania 30.
Best Moment: Daniel Bryan wins
From summer 2013 to WrestleMania season, Daniel Bryan was the clear choice fans wanted to see featured at the top of the card. He was performing incredibly in the ring, and his genuine personality shone through to make him one of the best underdog heroes in company history.
The fact that Batista won the Royal Rumble seemed to suggest WWE didn’t see Bryan as a ‘Mania headliner. It has never been entirely clear how much WWE planned, and how much WWE changed based on a nuclear fan reaction. Nonetheless, Bryan fought his way into a match with Triple H at WrestleMania 30 and won that to gain entry to the Triple Threat WWE Championship match.
The main event was a very good one fueled by multiple false finishes and the looming possibility that WWE had contrived enough odds against Bryan that he really might lose.
However, he won in the end, poetically making Batista tap out to assert Bryan’s place as not only the people’s champion but the WWE Champion. The sight of confetti raining down as Bryan celebrated with family was the cherry on top of an all-time great feel-good story.
Worst Moment: The Undertaker’s streak ends
The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania took on a life of its own. From its humble beginnings, in which WWE didn’t intend for it to happen, or even realize it was taking shape, to The Phenom settling into part-time status and it becoming a defining element of his character, the streak became a core part of WrestleMania for over a decade.
While Brock Lesnar had the real-life credentials to be a more than credible threat to the streak, the way he’d been used and the program leading up to this match suggested he’d be just another guy to fall to the Dead Man.
There’s a way of looking at Lesnar pinning The Undertaker as a great moment, given the legitimately shocking nature of the finish, and given the heated feud between the two over the summer of 2015.
However, the truth remains that this undefeated streak was one that most fans never really wanted to see ended, not to mention that Lesnar didn’t need this win to elevate his stature.
Perhaps the worst element of all? It wasn’t even a good match.
The Undertaker reportedly suffered a concussion early in the match to account for his lackluster performance.
Regardless, it’s a tough pill to swallow that something so surprising, historically important, and quite arguably disappointing would happen without even having a good match, let alone an epic battle to remember it by.
