10 best acts of sportsmanship in the WWE we have seen till date
Professional wrestling is all about the spectacle, the passion, emotion, theatrics, characters and so much more.
On that note—and this is something most detractors of pro-wrestling choose to wag an accusatory finger at time and again—the sport is oft derided as fake or scripted. So, for all the rocket scientists out there—yes, our sport is scripted!
How then does one accord it the respect that one does to non-scripted sporting competition—those in which the outcomes, the winners and losers aren’t pre-determined?
Well, for starters, competing as a professional wrestler, or ‘performer’ as most industry insiders and fans like to call it today, isn’t child’s play. The business takes a toll on one’s body and mind, forcing its players to push it to the limit and well beyond. Injuries, clashes, upheavals, revolutions are all part of this wonderful game.
One of the key factors that serve to further accentuate the sporting aspect of professional wrestling are rare but beautiful displays of sportsmanship amongst the performers. Respect and the invaluable virtue of sportsmanship are commonplace in the business, particularly behind the scenes, given the heel-face dynamics at play inside the ring, so to speak.
With that in mind, the industry isn’t bereft of said virtue even within the ring in front of the fans, irrespective of heel-face restrictions. And when it comes to one of its biggest companies, the WWE, such instances of sportsmanship act as instruments for etching the names of the enactors into the history books in letters of gold. Today we set forth on a brief journey, back in time, to reminisce about a few such excellent displays of sportsmanship in WWE history—
#10 Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels — Wrestlemania XXVI
The 26th edition of the showcase of the immortals was a pivotal one, in many ways. Two legends were set to face-off in a Streak vs Career matchup, as the Deadman took on Mr Wrestlemania.
The Undertaker beat Shawn Michaels in the 25th edition of Mania and faced him again the following year. In one of the greatest pro-wrestling matches of all time, both Superstars put a beat-down on each other — Sweet Chin Music and Tombstones galore.
In the end, the Phenom would prevail after delivering a flying Tombstone Piledriver to HBK. Both competitors showed respect toward one another by shaking hands and embracing; ending the night on a high note.