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The Grandest Stage of Them All, WrestleMania, is just 23 days away. The 35th anniversary will emanate from Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. WrestleMania has annually set the stage for the most iconic moments in the history of the professional wrestling business.
In order to honor 35 years of the Grandest Stage of Them All, I will be counting down the 20 most memorable moments in WrestleMania history up to this point.
The first part of the list has already been published and can be viewed here: 20 greatest moments in Wrestlemania history (#20-16).
As I mentioned in my first slideshow, this list will be in four parts, so without further ado, let's continue the countdown with number 15.
#15 The Rock defeats John Cena, WrestleMania 28
Heading into WrestleMania 28, CM Punk was right in the middle of what would be a 434-day reign as the WWE Champion. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t good enough to close this show, and that’s something that burns him up to this day.
This WrestleMania was all about The Rock finally facing John Cena in what was billed as “Once in a Lifetime.” WWE had spent over a year building this up so fans could finally see who was better.
The match was happening in The Rock’s hometown of Miami, Florida, and WWE wound up giving “The People’s Champion” the victory. John Cena hated the fact that he lost this match. Cena’s anger and disappointment over the decision was completely a shoot.
He wanted to win this match, but as we all saw, it ended differently, and we eventually saw the “Once in a Lifetime” match twice.
#14 TLC II match, WrestleMania X-Seven
Just a year before this at WrestleMania 2000, Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz in a triangle ladder match was a fun match. At WrestleMania X-seven, they got a chance to outdo it, and they did with this TLC match.
This was actually the second TLC match between them, but all three teams seemed to bring a little something extra to TLC II at WrestleMania 17.
There is a particular point in this match where Rhyno and Spike Dudley try to get involved, and Jeff Hardy provides an unforgettable moment when he hits a Swanton Bomb onto them off a ladder at ringside.
This was a wildly chaotic encounter that also involved interference from Lita and wrapped up one of the greatest eras for tag team wrestling in WWE history.
If you are looking for a classic match in WrestleMania history to see again, this is an excellent choice.
#13 The Undertaker and HBK tear the house down
The Undertaker was 16-0 at WrestleMania and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels was known as Mr. WrestleMania. Both men were the elder statesmen of the WWE roster and the last of their era.
The main selling point of this match was HBK needing to end the streak, and he threatened it in a way that nobody ever had before. Aside from this easily being the best match of the Undertaker’s career, this may be the greatest match in WrestleMania history.
One of the best parts of this match was the voice of Jim Ross being able to lead the commentary. I think Ross helped tell the story just as much, and I think he should be recognized for his amazing work for this match.
Just seeing these two icons get in the ring with each other was truly mesmerizing. The Undertaker represented darkness and HBK represented the light. Everything about the match, including the entrances, made it great.
#12 The "Deadman'" Returns, WrestleMania 20
This was a special moment in WrestleMania history, as The Undertaker made his return to WWE television at the 20th anniversary after being off television for nearly 5 months.
The last time The Undertaker was seen on WWE television, he was wrestling under his “Big Evil” biker look, and we had seen him evolve from a hokey “zombie” gimmick into a man with a bad attitude.
While it may have been the right move to evolve initially, The Undertaker was beginning to show a vulnerability that his character had never shown before and he wasn’t the creature of the night he once was.
At Survivor Series 2003, The Undertaker was buried alive in a match against Vince McMahon when an unmasked Kane helped McMahon get the job done. Kane declared on television that the Undertaker was dead, and would never be seen again.
Eventually, the old mind games began, and The Undertaker vs. Kane was made for WrestleMania XX. Unlike their previous encounter at WrestleMania 14, this one was different. It was time for Taker to come full circle and that’s exactly what he did by returning as the “Deadman” character in Madison Square Garden.
The entrance with Paul Bearer was epic in itself, and this was the beginning of the Undertaker’s character regaining the mystique that had been missing over the past few years.
#11 Mike Tyson knocks out HBK as the Austin Era begins, WrestleMania XIV
We were in the heart of the Monday Night Wars in early 1998, and WCW was kicking WWE's ass badly. They had a red-hot angle going on between Sting and Hulk Hogan, the NWO was the coolest thing going on in professional wrestling, and 5-time WWE Champion, Bret “The Hitman” Hart had just jumped ship over to WCW.
WWE knew they needed something big to turn the momentum back in their favor and they decided to do so by bringing in “The Baddest Man on the Planet” Mike Tyson for WrestleMania 14.
Tyson was only a few months removed from a controversial fight with Evander Holyfield where he bit Holyfield’s ear clear off his head. As a result of his actions during the fight, he had his boxing license abrogated.
WWE brought in Mike Tyson to Raw in January 1998 to announce his involvement in the WrestleMania 14 pay-per-view, but the ceremony was interrupted and ruined by “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
The two were in a scuffle, and it was soon announced that Tyson would be the Special Guest Enforcer for the main event involving Steve Austin and WWE Champion, Shawn Michaels.
In the weeks leading up to the event, Tyson aligned himself with Michaels, and the D-Generation X faction, so it appeared to everyone that Austin would have tremendous odds against him in the main event.
Mike Tyson’s involvement in the product brought a tremendous amount of media attention, and when WrestleMania rolled around, Tyson shockingly double-crossed Shawn Michaels and scored the quick pinfall to crown Steve Austin the new WWE Champion.
After the match, Shawn Michaels went at Mike Tyson, and Tyson knocked him out in the middle of the ring for a huge response.
This remains one of the best WrestleMania moments involving a celebrity.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
