Cena Hits Rock Bottom.
For the twenty-eighth year, World Wrestling Entertainment presents the grandest and most epic event in all of sports and entertainment has finally arrived as WrestleMania XXVIII came to you, live, from the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL. In a match more than a year in the making, legendary Superstar-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would return to his hometown of Miami to go to war with his iconic rival, John Cena, in the epic “Once in a Lifetime” Match that the world will be watching.
Three iconic Superstars, two parallel careers, and one demonic structure will bring forth the “End of an Era” as “The Game” Triple H will square off with “The Phenom” The Undertaker, who puts his undefeated WrestleMania streak on the line like never before, inside Hell in a Cell with Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels in the middle of it all as the Special Referee.
After transforming a match about who is the true “best in the world” into something much more personal, the world would see if Chris Jericho’s mind games would pay off as Jericho challenges an irate CM Punk for the WWE Championship.
By hook or crook, Daniel Bryan has survived the last three months with his World Heavyweight Title intact, Bryan would face his toughest challenge to date as he defends the World Heavyweight Championship against the winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble Match, “The Great White” Sheamus on the grandest stage of them all.
After weeks of embarrassing Big Show over Show’s less-than-stellar performances at past WrestleMania events, Cody Rhodes faced the wrath of an angry giant with his gold on the line as Rhodes defends the Intercontinental Championship against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show.
Last year, Kane lost to Randy Orton in a Street Fight and, after the match, Kane actually shook the hand of Orton, but a lot has changed since then and “The Big Red Monster” has been resurrected and has targeted Randy Orton as the man responsible for making him experience a moment of humanity and now these two unbalanced Superstars face off as “The Big Red Monster” Kane goes one-on-one with “The Viper” Randy Orton.
Over the last couple of months, the Interim General Manager of RAW John Laurinaitis has been on a personal quest to gain control of both RAW and SmackDown, but SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long wants the exact same thing and, now, the two General Managers will pit their two teams against each other as Laurinaitis has selected his personal lawyer, David Otunga, as the captain of Team Johnny, to be joined by “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler, “The All-American American” Jack Swagger, former WWE Champion The Miz, and former Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre to go to war against Long and Team Teddy, who is captained by United States Champion Santino Marella, who will be joined by R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, “The Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder, “The Punjabi Giant” The Great Khali, and six-time World Champion Booker T as Team Johnny faces Team Teddy in a 12-Man Tag Match with the winning team earning complete control of both RAW and SmackDown for their team’s namesake.
Also, after barging in during an interview with Kelly Kelly on EXTRA, Eve and Divas Champion Beth Phoenix would face Kelly Kelly and her tag team partner, the host of EXTRA, Maria Menounos.
In addition to all these extraordinary matches, WWE.com and YouTube would present a half-hour WrestleMania pre-show featuring the WWE Tag Team Titles being defended as Primo & Epico would defend the titles against Jimmy & Jey Uso and the newly formed team of Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel in a Triple Threat Tag Match.
Match Results
- WWE Tag Team Championship: Triple Threat Tag Match (Pre-Show): Primo & Epico (c) def. Jimmy & Jey Uso and Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel by Primo (c) pinning Justin Gabriel following the BackStabber to retain.
- World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan (c) by pin following the Brogue Kick to win the World Heavyweight Title.
- Kane def. Randy Orton by pin following a super chokeslam.
- Intercontinental Championship: Big Show def. Cody Rhodes (c) by pin following the W.M.D. to win the Intercontinental Title.
- Maria Menounos & Kelly Kelly def. Eve & Beth Phoenix by Maria Menounos rolling up Beth Phoenix.
- “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell Match: Special Referee- Shawn Michaels: The Undertaker def. Triple H by pin following the Tombstone Piledriver to increase his undefeated WrestleMania streak to 20-0.
- 12-Man Tag Match: Team Johnny- David Otunga (Captain), Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, & The Miz (with John Laurinaitis, Eve, and Vickie Guerrero) def. Team Teddy- Santino Marella (Captain), R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali, & Booker T (with Theodore Long, Hornswoggle, and Aksana) by The Miz pinning Zack Ryder following the Skull Crushing Finale. As a result, John Laurinaitis gets total control of both RAW and SmackDown.
- WWE Championship: Title Changes Hands on a DQ: CM Punk (c) def. Chris Jericho by submission to the Anaconda Vise to retain.
- “Once in a Lifetime” Match: The Rock def. John Cena by pin following the Rock Bottom.
Detailed Results
Before WrestleMania XXVIII went live on pay-per-view, WWE.com and YouTube hosted a special half-hour WrestleMania pre-show featuring the WWE Tag Team Titles being defended as Primo & Epico, with Rosa Mendes in their corner, defended the gold against Jimmy & Jey Uso and the new team of Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel in a Triple Threat Tag Match. In the end, it was Jimmy Uso hitting the Superfly Splash on Justin Gabriel, but Primo pulls Jimmy Uso off of the pin attempt, hitting the BackStabber on Uso en route to picking up the win for himself and Epico, successfully retaining the WWE Tag Team Titles in a high-flying pre-show match.
The biggest event of the year kicks off with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line as Daniel Bryan, with A.J. in his corner, defended the World Heavyweight Title against the winner of the 2012 Royal Rumble Match, “The Great White” Sheamus. After the bell rings, Daniel Bryan kisses A.J., but this gives Sheamus the opportunity to blast Daniel Bryan with the Brogue Kick en route to pinning Bryan and winning the World Heavyweight Championship in a mere eighteen seconds!
After vowing to make Randy Orton pay for making him experience a small measure of humanity, “The Big Red Monster” Kane went one-on-one with “The Viper” Randy Orton. During the match, Randy Orton went for the career-threatening punt to the skull, but Kane recovers, drilling Orton with a chokeslam, but Orton manages to kick out! Shortly after this, Randy Orton meets Kane on the top rope with sinister intentions, but Kane grabs Orton by the throat, hitting a chokeslam from the second rope on Orton en route to picking up the win!
The Intercontinental Championship was then up for grabs at WrestleMania as Cody Rhodes defends the Intercontinental Title against the man he has called a “WrestleMania choke artist” for his low success rate at WrestleMania, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show. In the end, it was Big Show leveling Cody Rhodes with the W.M.D. en route to picking up the win and winning the Intercontinental Title for the first time in his legendary career!
The Divas were represented at WrestleMania as EXTRA host Maria Menounos enlists the help of Kelly Kelly to combat Eve and Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. In the end, it was Maria Menounos, with the assistance of Kelly Kelly, rolling Beth Phoenix up en route to picking up the win for herself and Kelly Kelly.
With Hall of Famer Jim Ross taking a familiar seat at ringside, it was then time for the “End of an Era” as “The Game” Triple H would go to war with “The Phenom” The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell with Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels being the man with the power as the Special Referee. During the course of the match, The Undertaker would bring the bottom half of the steel steps into the ring, but Undertaker would pay for it as Triple H plants Undertaker with a spinebuster on the steel! Triple H then closes in on Undertaker, but Undertaker catches Triple H in Hell’s Gate, but Triple H counters with a thunderous, modified powerbomb! Shortly after this, Triple H would absolutely wear Undertaker out with countless steel chair shots to the point of Shawn Michaels stepping in and knocking the chair out of Triple H’s hands, pleading with his friend to just pin Undertaker and end it. However, the sadistic side of Triple H shows through as “The Game” grabs another steel chair, shoving Shawn Michaels out of the way before going back to work on Undertaker with the steel chair. When is stopped by Michaels again, Triple H shouts at Michaels to end the match or he will. However, The Undertaker repeatedly demands that Michaels does not end the match, leading to Triple H retrieving his trusty sledgehammer from underneath the ring. When Shawn Michaels tries to prevent Undertaker’s destruction by pleading with Triple H, Triple H tells Michaels to end it or he will, but the same cycle repeats itself as Undertaker tells Michaels not to end the match. Triple H then drills The Undertaker with a sledgehammer shot to the skull, but Undertaker manages to kick out! Triple H then raises the sledgehammer up, ready to deal the final blow to The Undertaker, but Shawn Michaels makes a desperation dive for the weapon, taking it from Triple H’s grasp and tossing it the outside of the ring. With The Undertaker nearly irresponsive and Triple H ordering him to end the match, Shawn Michaels nearly calls for the bell, but when Michaels goes to check on Undertaker, Undertaker grabs hold of the Special Referee, locking Michaels in the Hell’s Gate, leaving Undertaker open for another sledgehammer shot to the skull by Triple H! Triple H then raises the sledgehammer up again, but Undertaker counters with a low blow and, with Michaels down, Undertaker locks in the Hell’s Gate on Triple H, rendering “The Game” unconscious!
A referee then rushes down, unlocking the Cell and taking over as the referee for the match as Undertaker drills Triple H with a chokeslam, but when Triple H manages to kick out, Undertaker takes it out on the referee, drilling the referee with a chokeslam! Undertaker then goes for the Tombstone Piledriver, but Triple H fights out of it, shoving Undertaker right into Sweet Chin Music by Shawn Michaels! The dazed Undertaker then turns around into the Pedigree by Triple H, but Undertaker still manages to kick out! A conflicted Michaels then steps in between Triple H and The Undertaker, trying to protect a seemingly helpless Undertaker, but Triple H tosses Michaels to the outside of the ring. However, when Triple H approaches The Undertaker, “The Phenom” sits up before taking the fight to Triple H in an inhuman display of resolve, spiking Triple H in the center of the ring with the Tombstone Piledriver, but Triple H kicks out! As an emotionally ravaged Shawn Michaels looks on, Triple H and The Undertaker fight back to their feet as both men trade blows before Triple H catches Undertaker with the Pedigree, but Undertaker kicks out again! Both men then grasp their weapons of choice, a steel chair for Undertaker and a sledgehammer for Triple H with Undertaker getting to his feet first as Undertaker pays Triple H back for the earlier chair shots with several vicious shots of his own to the skull, back, and mid-section before Undertaker tries to pin Triple H, but Triple H kicks out as Michaels pleads with both men to stop. Triple H then manages to get his sledgehammer, but Undertaker blocks the shot, taking the weapon from “The Game”. However, Triple H then shoves Undertaker back, daring Undertaker to finish him, giving Undertaker the signature crotch chop. Then, as Michaels turns his back, Undertaker blasts Triple H in the skull with a sledgehammer shot! The Undertaker would then spike Triple H with the Tombstone Piledriver, truly bringing an end to an era as Undertaker finally puts Triple H down for the three count, increasing his undefeated WrestleMania streak to 20-0! After the epic match, Shawn Michaels actually helps The Undertaker to his feet as the two embrace before Michaels tends to his fallen friend, Triple H. Undertaker then joins Michaels at Triple H’s side as both men help Triple H to his feet and assist “The Game” from the ring, all three men leave the horrors of the Hell in a Cell behind them.
With Team Johnny supporter, Brie Bella, introducing the team, The Miz, Mark Henry, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and team captain David Otunga make their way to the ring before Team Johnny is joined by their team’s namesake, Interim RAW General Manager John Laurinaitis, and the official flag bearer for Team Johnny, Vickie Guerrero. Team Teddy supporter, Nikki Bella, then introduces Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, with Eve in his corner, Booker T, and team captain Santino Marella then make their way to the ring as Team Teddy mascot, Hornswoggle, comes out, followed by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long and his girlfriend, Aksana, as Team Teddy and Team Johnny go head-to-head in a 12-Man Tag Match with the winners earning their respective GM complete control of both RAW and SmackDown. During the match, the majority of the Superstars in the match were down on the outside of the ring before Aksana and Vickie Guerrero get into an argument, which leads to Aksana tackling Vickie, pummeling Vickie until The Bella Twins break it up. Shortly after this, Zack Ryder looked to have things in control as only he and The Miz remained in the ring, but when Eve enters the ring, Ryder becomes distracted long enough for Miz to take advantage, hitting the Skull Crushing Finale on Ryder en route to picking up the win for Team Johnny, earning John Laurinaitis total control of both RAW and SmackDown! After the match, Eve would appear sympathetic for Zack Ryder, but would deliver a low blow, in more ways than one, to Ryder! How will the landscapes of both RAW and SmackDown change now that John Laurinaitis has total control of both shows?
Moments before he is set to defend the WWE Title against Chris Jericho, WWE Champion CM Punk is confronted by the new General Manager of both RAW and SmackDown, John Laurinaitis, who informs the champion that, if Punk gets disqualified in his match, then he will lose the WWE Title to Chris Jericho!
After making their championship match personal over the last few weeks, Chris Jericho would challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship and, per the orders of RAW and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis, if Punk gets disqualified, he loses the WWE Title. Knowing full well what the stipulation of the match is, Chris Jericho repeatedly tries to get CM Punk to lose his cool and get himself disqualified, almost driving Punk to use a steel chair on Jericho, but Punk manages to barely maintain his composure. At the end of a stellar match befitting the “best in the world”, it was CM Punk locking in the Anaconda Vise on Chris Jericho, making sure to position himself out of the way of Jericho’s knees, forcing Jericho to tap out to pick up the win and successfully retain the WWE Title.
To bring forth an iconic main event, an iconic name in hip hop and pop culture, Sean “Diddy” Combs introduces MGK and Ester Dean as they perform “Invincible”, playing John Cena to the ring. Not to be outdone, multiplatinum performer and Miami’s own Flo Rida would perform two hit songs, “Good Feeling” and “Wild Ones”, playing The Rock to the ring!
After a year of waiting and anticipation, it was finally time for the clashing of generations, the colliding of two icons, the “Once in a Lifetime” Match as ten-time former WWE Champion John Cena goes one-on-one with “The Great One” The Rock! During the textbook back-and-forth match, John Cena hits the Attitude Adjustment on The Rock, but The Rock kicks out. Rock then responds by planting Cena with the Rock Bottom, but Cena kicks out! After trying everything in his arsenal to try and defeat The Rock with no success, John Cena would take a page out of The Rock’s playbook, trying to go for the People’s Elbow, but Rock pops up, catching Cena with the Rock Bottom en route to picking up the win!
What did you think of WrestleMania XXVIII? Post your comments in the box below.
