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WrestleMania is just hours away and John Cena is competing in a title match but for the first time in ten years, it’s not for the WWE Championship. The 15-time World Champion will be facing Rusev for the United States Championship in a rematch from their brawl at Fastlane last month.
Rusev has become a marked man since becoming champion in November last year after defeating Sheamus. The Russian has since used the title to mock the US fans with his “Anti-American” gimmick and Cena is eager to bring the championship home.
“It’s the championship that defines the Unites States and those who watch the WWE know that I’m a true patriot and that’s not the wrestling guy talking, it’s not work, that’s who I am,” Cena said at the WrestleMania press conference in California.
Show all 10 1 /10WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 10. Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs Batista - Wrestlemania XXX Following the disbelief of Brock Lesnar conquering The Undertaker’s streak, the crowd were dead flat for most of the night that followed. The show needed an injection of life somehow and Daniel Bryan ensured that the fans got it. Earlier in the night Bryan had already battled with Triple H to qualify for the main event, which was a showcase by itself. This line up could have looked very different if WWE went with their initial plan of having Batista and Randy Orton lock arms while Bryan faced Sheamus, but they finally gave in to the “Yes Movement”, which ended with one of the greatest climaxes to a storyline that panned from Summerslam 2013. Bryan overcame the double team from Orton and Batista and celebrated with his faithful who were ecstatic at seeing their favourite underdog come out on top.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 9. Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXIV Ric Flair is your favourite wrestler’s favourite wrestler and his final final run was quite ironic in some ways. The veteran was 59 when his rivalry with Shawn Michaels got underway and it was time for WWE to push younger talent but Flair showed that he was still one of the most interesting talents on the roster with his Intercontinental Championship run. “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” was inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame the night before and the career vs. career angle made it quite evident that this would be his last match in a WWE ring. The bout itself was admirable with both wrestlers showing a huge amount of respect for each other with a series of technical counters. The finish of the match is one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history as Michaels paused and whispered “I’m Sorry, I Love you” before delivering a final Sweet Chin Music to the 16 time World Champion.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 8. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon - WrestleMania X This was the bout that set the standards for every Ladder Match that succeeded its kind as the “Heart Break Kid” battled with “The Bad Guy” for the Intercontinental Championship. The two close friends showed the world how much heart they had if they were given the opportunity. Razor had won Shawn’s vacated Intercontinental title but as the youngster returned from injury, he still claimed that he was the true champion. Michaels’ bodyguard Diesel was unable to stop Razor Ramon from winning as three of the members of the famous “Kliq” gelled to emphasise the heart of the WWE in a time they were losing a ratings raw with WCW. This format would become a staple at WrestleMania for years to come in the form of TLC & Money in the Bank matches. Michaels earned his nickname as the “Showstopper” with performances such as this and went on to become one of the most decorated men in Sports Entertainment.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 7. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian - WrestleMania XVII These three young teams used the staples of household appliances to keep each other down long enough so that they could climb the ladders and reach the hanging WWE Tag Team Championships. This match truly sent a farewell to the “Attitude” era in the most likely fashion with 20 minutes of violence and recklessness that is still talked about to this day. Edge’s spear from the 20 foot ladder onto a mid-air Jeff Hardy is continuously used in video package as with Bubba Ray Dudley falling out of a ladder to ringside and plummeting through four tables. Each team went on to be highly decorated with various championships and accomplishments before many members broke away to become individual legends. Their success can be traced back to the impact that each member made in this milestone match up.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 6. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan - WrestleMania XVIII Nobody could foresee the reaction Hogan that would get in Toronto, the last time he was in the SkyDome with the WWE he was passing the torch to Warrior at WM VI and he did it again here with The Rock. 2002 was a time where three generations of wrestling came together to create arguably the best roster in wrestling history. John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, The Undertaker and Steve Austin are just some of the names that were all actively wrestling at the same time. This “Icon vs. Icon” match was the most glorified non-main event ever as the two larger than life character’s chemistry sent electricity throughout Canada and gave every single fan goose bumps. After a series of finishers from both wrestlers, The Rock won with a final Rock Bottom. The sign of mutual respect following the match will be remembered forever by the fans as the two legends shook hands and received a standing ovation.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 5. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant - Wrestlemania III Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were the David and Goliath of its time with Andre has been unbeaten for 15 years. Both were cultural icons as Hogan had a cameo in Rocky III as ‘Thunderlips’ in 1982 which had offset the rise of “Hulkamania”, but Andre was still deemed the biggest star in the WWE when these two clashed at WM III. Over 93,000 people, which is still a WWE record to this day packed into the Pontiac Silverdome to witness Hulk Hogan lift the 520 pound Andre the Giant and Powerslam him. This feat of strength is iconic of the 80s wrestling boom, and a leg drop later Hogan propelled himself into being arguably the biggest name in the Sports and Entertainment in the world.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 4. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XII This match stands as one of the greatest matches ever wrestled with two of the most gifted wresters stepping into the ring creating the perfect in-ring chemistry despite their backstage grievances. This is the first Iron Man match in WWE history and transitioned a new era where the smaller athletes were given the chance to shine over the larger wresters. The 60 minutes ended in a deadlock so was ordered to go into sudden death where HBK delivered the Sweet Chin Music twice to cover “The Hitman” for his first ever WWE Championship. There are not many that can argue that this Iron Man match was “The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.”
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 3. Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIII This submission match truly passed the torch between the leaders of two generations from ‘The New Generation” to “The Attitude Era”. The image of Stone Cold’s face covered in blood as he refused to give up while locked in the Sharpshooter is a landmark moment for “The Rattlesnake”. Hart went in the match as the face of the company and walked out as the villain while Austin walked out as a fully-fledged good guy, creating the perfect “double turn”. This match led to the first antihero of the WWE as the fans cheered a protagonist in the form of a beer swigging, finger flipper who refused to quit in a bloody state. This die hard display eventually led to Austin headlining the following WrestleMania to win his first WWE Championship.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 2. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XXV The 2009 match of the year is also seen as one of the matches of the decade as fans saw an emotional battle that was full of twists and turns that told a truly engaging story. Despite the age of the two veterans, Michaels and Undertaker put on an exciting show that many young talents could only dream of achieving. The build-up into the match was executed perfectly with the Born Again Christian of Michaels taking down the demonic phenomenon of the Undertaker in the seamless angel vs devil angle. The shock on the face of “The Phenom” after Michaels powers out of a Tombstone is one another one of WWE’s iconic images. This match is seen as a modern classic by many and was so respected that the two main evented the following WrestleMania over the WWE Championship spot.
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WrestleMania - top 10 greatest matches 1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock - WrestleMania XVII The two faces of WWE’s most prolific era reached boiling point ahead of arguably the greatest WrestleMania of all time. The WWE universe were split on whether to back the man that headlined each show during Austin’s absence or the recently returned superstar that was hungry to regain his place at the top of the company. Both Superstars undoubtedly proved why they deserved to be in the top spot as they constantly kicked out of each other’s finishers, which was one of the first times that this was done on the big stage. The finish came with one of the biggest twists in WWE history as Austin "sold out" and joined aligned with his long-time nemesis, Vince McMahon to repeatedly attacked Rock with a steel chair to win the WWE Championship. This move was one of the most controversial moments in WrestleMania’s running as it happened in front of Austin’s hometown crowd in Texas, there is not a more dramatic way to finish a spectacle.
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With Brock Lesnar as WWE Champion, the main event has lacked a consistently defended title over the last year and the leader of the “Cenation” sees a win as an opportunity to restore prestige to the US title that had fallen from the ranks since the glory days in WCW and mid 2000’s WWE.
“I want to be able to give the fans a viable and competitive championship that’s available at every live event, television event and every pay-per-view.
“It also gives me great pride as there’s a nostalgia factor as it’s the championship that I won at WrestleMania 20”
Rusev beat Cena at Fastlane (WWE.com) The US Championship had previously offered Cena a platform to show the world what he is capable of when he held the title three times in 2004. The gold has also added to Rusev’s increasing dominance in the WWE where he has been undefeated since his singles debut the day after WrestleMania last year.
Cena will be keen to put an end to Rusev’s run on Sunday night but the powerhouse will be looking to repeat his assertion of power over Cena for the second time in a row.
WrestleMania airs on Sky Sports Box Office and WWE Network on Sunday 29th March at midnight.
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