The Undertaker and Triple H are two of the all-time greats in WWE history, and two men who are synonymous with the Hell in a Cell match.
No one has competed in more matches than The Deadman (14) and The Game (9) with Taker starring in the first ever Cell match with Shawn Michaels in 1997 and in its most infamous with Mick Foley a year later.
So, it seemed only appropriate that their so-called “End of an Era†match took place inside the demonic structure at WrestleMania 28 with HBK as the special guest referee.
The match was the culmination of a four-part WrestleMania saga
The Phenom had retired Michaels two years prior at WrestleMania 26 in the second of their epic back-to-back encounters. The storyline then continued with Shawn’s best friend stepping up to both seek vengeance and end the streak himself, proving that he was the better member of D-Generation X.
The Undertaker
The Undertaker had defeated Triple H at the previous ‘Mania but he was one who could not walk out of the arena, leaving on a stretcher. This set the stage for a rematch with some added elements to make it even more iconic than the year before. It would also be the third time the two icons had met on “The Grandest Stage of Them All†having fought in 2001 at WrestleMania 17. Timeless.
The three men’s entrances were epic as always, but it was the pre-match stare down as the Cell lowered that really captured the imagination and made your spine tingle with the gladiatorial feel of it all.
A clip shared on Twitter by @Dee_Cee95x serves as a reminder of how good it was. Take a look for yourself below.
VIDEO: The Undertaker and Triple H share a spine-tingling moment at WrestleMania 28
The shots captured throughout are incredible, from the smoke in the ring to the Cell lowering, and of course the two titans squaring off with Michaels looking increasingly worried about what is set to unfold. The Memory Remains by Metallica also perfectly sets the stage and was likely chosen by the two combatants, both of whom are big rock and metal fans.
Fan comments reflect this sentiment
The Undertaker vs Triple H
The Undertaker vs Triple H
The Undertaker vs Triple H
It was the last of the true Attitude Era rivalries to end
The match lived up to the hype, with The Deadman’s streak extending to 20-0 despite HBK hitting him with some sweet chin music as he sided with his DX brother.
It would be the last Hell in a Cell match for The Game, while Taker would have two more – a second with Brock Lesnar and a WrestleMania 32 clash with Shane McMahon (obviously?).
The “End of an Era†match signalled the end of The Undertaker, Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ four-part WrestleMania saga and the true end of Attitude Era rivalries, outside of some wobbly encounters years later in Saudi Arabia, which you can read about here.