Top 10 Best-Ever Endings to Wrestlemania
The Main Event of Wrestlemania is one of the biggest matches of the calendar year. Once the selling point of the show, the Main Event usually culminated a long-term story-line with a larger than life match. Over the years it has lost it's special aura and now Wrestlemania is usually sold on the entire card and special appearances.
But even if the Main Event is between some of the biggest stars ever, it is not destined to be perfect. Huge Wrestlemania Main Event matches have ended in disaster while some underwhelming matches are remembered as the greatest in history. But more than the match what matters is the ending to Wrestlemania. Consider the most recent edition, Wrestlemania 34. Everyone expected Roman Reigns to win the title off of Brock Lesnar to end the show but WWE shocked everyone by having Lesnar retain. The ending, however, was very poorly received by fans and critics alike.
Bret Hart's coronation was ruined by Hulk Hogan stealing the spotlight back at Wrestlemania 9 while Chris Benoit's celebration with Eddie Guerrero after his victory over Triple H and Shawn Michaels etched Wrestlemania 20 in history as one of the greatest of all time. So, let us have a look at the ten greatest endings to Wrestlemania history. Not the matches themselves, the events that aired during the final moments of the show.
But before that one honorable mention: The Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania VI.
10. John Cena's coronation - Wrestlemania 22.
By the time Wrestlemania 22 came along, Cena had already become the polarizing figure we know him to be. Fans had already begun to turn on him for his brand new babyface persona. But WWE was adamant about making Cena the biggest star in the company. Regardless of the opinions of the hardcore fans, Cena's push worked like magic and he became the biggest star of the Century. It can be said that his entire main event career began on this night.
Triple H entered with a Conan inspired attire where he played his King of Kings character to perfection. Cena's now iconic entrance involved a group of 40's themed Chicago Gangsters, one of whom was the then unknown CM Punk, armed with Tommy Guns. Their match was the usual run of the mill kind with rest holds, back and forth action and false finishes. Cena won the match after countering a Pedigree attempt from Triple H into his STF submission move to which The Game tapped out.
The show ended with Cena celebrating with his WWE Championship while the crowd serenaded him with a chorus of jeers. A scene we would see several times in the years to come. The ending cemented Cena's role as the face of the company and also created his legacy where half the crowd will hate him while the other half will love him.