Best match from every WWE WrestleMania event in history
By Luke Norris
WrestleMania 23
John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
There were a couple of really bad matches on this card, most specifically The Great Khali vs. Kane and an actual title match between Melina and Ashley, but there were a few in Detroit that were pretty fun. The “Battle of the Billionaires” segment was entertaining enough and the Money in the Bank Ladder Match usually delivers but I had to choose between the two big title matches here. While I really did enjoy The Undertaker vs. Batista, I had to go with John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship.
While initially thought this match was going to be your typical power vs. speed kind of affair, and it was there at the start, this turned into a great match that really showed what kind of performer John Cena could be when motivated. He had put on a nice show against Triple H the year before and with all due respect to The Game, this was Shawn Michaels. This was the Showstopper. This was Mr. WrestleMania. How many times have we seen him on this list already? Cena had to bring his A-game and he did just that. Okay, maybe I have to call it an A-minus because he really didn’t sell that leg injury after Michaels worked on it for so long but I might be nitpicking there.
Cena also took a lot of nice bumps in this one, including that piledriver, which hadn’t been seen in forever even then, on the steel steps. That spot got a near fall after Jack Doan had to sprint down after poor Mike Chioda got himself knocked out again and we got a few other nice ones as the match progressed towards the finish. I really enjoyed both guys being too hurt to cover after hitting their finishers as it made for some nice drama. The final sequence was really nice as Michaels countered the FU …err, AA… but ended up in the STFU in the middle of the ring and tapped out to give Cena the biggest win of his career to date. The funny thing is that this match wasn’t even the best match between these two. That would come in a 60-minute classic just a few weeks later on RAW.