Opinion: Why the 'End Of An Era' story line will go down as the greatest in WWE history
It was April 1st 2012. The yet-undefeated, greatest Superstar to ever set foot at WrestleMania was about to deliver his customary Tombstone to claim yet another soul. But then, his opponent dodged it, and before anyone could realize, it happened.
Shawn Michaels (The Special Referee) delivered a thunderous Sweet Chin Music, Triple H caught The Undertaker mid-air and delivered a vicious pedigree, and The Phenom fell with a thud on the mat. Triple went for the cover. The referee counted to two, with his hand seamlessly close to the three.
A second later, over 70000 people at the Sun Life Stadium erupted out of sheer disbelief. The Undertaker had willed his shoulder up. Jim Ross went absolutely ballistic on air, screaming, "It's not over! It's not over. The Streak lives."
The Streak hung on by a thread. Michaels had played favorites for the first time in the match, and looked on in shock.
In my opinion, the ‘End Of an Era’ storyline will go down as the greatest in the history of the WWE, sure to remain etched in the minds of WWE fans for ages.
From The Undertaker challenging Triple H yet again for a match to avenge the beat down he had endured the previous year, The Game constantly refusing the offer, to The DeadMan taunting the Cerebral Assassin, claiming that Shawn Michaels was always better than him, Triple H taking out his suit and tie and stating that he would end ‘The Streak’ - the storyline woven around the match was gripping.
And of course, Shawn Michaels played a stellar role as well, fitting into the arc perfectly. He brought up the history the three of them shared, taunting The Undertaker, stating that he held ‘The Streak at the palm of his hand’, and turning to Triple H to say that all it took for The Game to accept the challenge was for someone to state that Michaels was better than him.
The in-ring action that these two men offered took this match to a whole new orbit. This legendary bout between these two gladiators must go down as the greatest in the history of the ‘Show of Shows’. Nerve wracking chair shots, vicious sledge hammer attacks, the sound of the steel steps on the human anatomy made this match an absolute roller coaster.
Ultimately, there came this beautiful moment in the match, where Triple H reached for his signature sledgehammer in desperation, only for The Phenom to put his foot on his opponent's hand with a wry smile on his face, as if telling him, “You cannot do it.”
The Undertaker then delivered another Tombstone Piledriver to go 20-0 at ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All.’ But that was not the end of the segment. Both The Undertaker and Michaels picked up the battered and bruised Triple H, and the three of them hugged each other before walking away into the background.
Yes. The Pro Wrestling world has seen several iconic story lines in its illustrious history, but none of them was as captivating, as bewitching and as ethereal as this one. It was indeed the ‘End of An Era’. An era that made many of our respective childhoods awesome, and most importantly, an era we will never return to.