Ranking the 10 greatest Championship defenses in WrestleMania history

#2 John Cena Vs. Shawn Michaels - Singles match for the WWE Championship, WrestleMania 23

The night John Cena proved he belonged at the very top

Whilst legions in the WWE Universe used to detest John Cena that time for his superheroic antics, his stellar title defense against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 23 proved everyone wrong.

This WrestleMania clash is one of John Cena's most acclaimed outings at the Grandest Stage of Them All.

With Shawn Michaels failing to win the Men's Royal Rumble match in 2007 after being thrown over the top rope by The Undertaker in the concluding stages of the bout, HBK fought his way by defeating Edge and Randy Orton to earn the No. 1 contender's spot for the WWE Championship.

Though the two performers heading into a collision course were basically babyfaces, the creative team had to give the fans something special that night, to even make this work.

And to be honest, this match had it all. This was the last time the Showstopper fought for a Championship at the Grandest Stage of Them All and still managed to give John Cena one of the greatest matches of his career.

Despite most of the heat Cena received for his in-ring style, the Cenation Leader took his chances, took Michaels to his absolute limits, and proved why he deserves to be in the position he is.

Coming back to HBK on this, there's absolutely nothing Michaels cannot do when he's out there to prove a point and have a fantastic wrestling match. This 30-minute belter ended with Big match John coercing the Showstopper to submit to a stellar STFU, retaining the most-coveted prize in sports entertainment in the process.

This may not be the greatest title defense in WrestleMania history, but it's still up there with the very best.