Wrestlemania 29: Rekindling the spirit of the WWE

I’ve been a pro wrestling fan from a very young age. The head-to-head competition between WCW and WWF intrigued me, the ‘Attitude Era’ entertained me and the ‘Evolution Era’ inspired me. Tuning into Monday night RAW and Friday night SmackDown became a luxury I indulged in week after week.

My obsession with the WWE began at WrestleMania 19 held on March 30, 2003. The matches – Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon in a street fight, Shaun Michaels vs Chris Jericho, Triple H vs Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship, Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship and of course, The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin – got my curiosity, seized my attention and invaded my imagination.

I found myself sympathising with the superstars in times of adversity and distress, rejoicing in times of success and victory, and enjoying all the drama, glamour, glitz and violence that epitomizes the WWE.

WrestleMania 19 was the first time that The Undertaker‘s unbeaten streak was brought to my notice. As he took on Big Show and A-Train in a handicap match, I felt the streak would finally end; surely it would be too much for the “Phenom” to handle. But The Undertaker delivered his trademark Tombstone Piledriver and successfully pinned Train to keep the streak intact.

Triple H defeating Booker T, Shaun Michaels beating Chris Jericho in a gruelling contest; the two embracing afterward, and Hogan annihilating a hapless and bleeding McMahon paled in contrast to what the final match on the grandest stage of them all had to offer; WrestleMania reserved its best for the last.

Arguably the two most charismatic, controversial and colossal superstars the WWE has ever put on offer – The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin – went head-to-head in what is regarded as one of the greatest matches of all time.

At both WrestleMania 15 and WrestleMania 17, the Rock failed to beat his biggest nemesis, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Upon his return to the WWE, the Rock criticized Austin for being voted “Superstar of the Decade,” an accolade he believed belonged to himself. Needless to say, the feud began right where it was left off, and the match was made official.

The two men fought valiantly as they used each other’s signature moves and enthralled the WWE Universe, including the record-breaking 54, 097 fans in attendance. Stone Cold proved himself worthy of the title “Superstar of the decade” as he refused to stay down even after being hit by a People’s Elbow and two Rock Bottoms. The Rock, on the other hand, was in a class of his own as he successfully gained the support of the WWE Universe by donning Austin’s vest and imitating his taunts. Austin retaliated with a Rock Bottom on the “People’s Champion”.

The contest went back and forth between the two legends, each utilizing every fibre of their mortal being in an effort to gain the upper hand; Stone Cold Stunners and Rock Bottoms littered the contest, thereby enhancing its legendary status. Finally, the Rock hit a resounding third Rock Bottom in a row to keep the “Rattlesnake” down for good. An unprecedented contest offered a respectful climax as Austin left the ring with his theme music playing and the crowd chanting his name; a fitting end to a momentous career.

The WWE continued to fascinate me over the years as the times changed; the Rocks and Austins were replaced by the Cenas and the Ortons. Edge, Jericho, Triple H, Shaun Michaels, Kane, Jeff Hardy and Batista became my day-to-day heroes as they put their bodies on the line week-in and week-out. Clotheslines, Swanton Bombs, Pedigrees, Piledrivers and RKOs littered my thoughts and kept me entertained.

Drama has always been a major component of the WWE. Whether it was the dramatic declarations of one superstar’s dominance over the other or Vickie Guerrero’s insane antics revolving around Edge, The Undertaker and Big Show, the WWE always found a way to keep the fans intrigued.

However, between 2011 and 2013, I felt myself drift away from the WWE; the loss of my childhood heroes like Jeff Hardy, Batista and Shaun Michaels hit me hard. The rise of annoying gangs like Nexus and indifferent tag-teams saw my undying loyalty to the WWE waiver for the first time; tuning into RAW and Smackdown became a rarity.

Then along came WrestleMania 29; the ‘Show of Shows’; the ‘Showcase of the Immortals’; the show that rekindled my love for the WWE. The stage was set, the drama was coiled to strike, the intensity was unprecedented, and thankfully, the show did not fail to deliver.

All that the WWE and WrestleMania had stood for during the past decade or so – The Undertaker’s streak, The Rock vs John Cena, Triple H’s career and boyhood dreams becoming realities – were displayed to near perfection, forcing a smile upon even the most determined pessimist’s lips.

With his legendary streak and honor on the line, The Undertaker took on CM Punk in an enthralling contest. The “Dead Man” once again came out on top after delivering a bone-shattering Tombstone Piledriver to Punk, with the biased Paul Heyman clutching the late Paul Bearer’s urn and looking on.

Triple H took on Brock Lesnar with his momentous career and family honor on the line. With Shaun Michaels and Paul Heyman at ringside, the no-holds-barred contest witnessed both men pushing each other to the very limit, and beyond, in an effort to gain the upper hand. The “Game” resorted to the use of a low-blow and a sledgehammer to gain a hard-fought victory. His embrace with former partner and friend Michaels brought back bitter-sweet memories to the WWE Universe.

With all said and done, the match between John Cena and The Rock stole the show with ease. The rivalry between the two superstars saw the WWE Universe and the “Cenation” choose to support the “People’s Champion” at the expense of Cena. The pioneer of the “you can’t see me” chant sought to redeem his honor and the support of the “Cenation” by winning the much-anticipated contest.

The gruelling and emotionally-exhausting contest, just shy of 25 minutes, did not disappoint; each one’s use of the other’s signature moves brought back memories of the Rock-Stone Cold match at WrestleMania 19 and the Rock-Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 18.

The match came to an end with Cena reversing a Rock Bottom and delivering a devastating Attitude Adjustment, signifying the end of an era. What happened next wrapped up the show in a flawless package and sent it on its way into the glorious pages of history. The two champions exchanged encouraging words and embraced to tumultuous applause and satisfied smiles from the 80, 676 fans in attendance; my love for the WWE has been rekindled.