One Week Later: Top 10 Lasting Images from WrestleMania 27
The dust has settled, the smoke has cleared, and we are one week removed from the "Grand Daddy of Them All," WrestleMania 27.
Whatever your opinion of WrestleMania 27 is, chances are you have had a few days now to digest everything that happened and reflect on the results of the event.
Many people try to determine the "WrestleMania Moment" each year at the event; the moment that everyone will be talking about for years to come.
This led me to creating this list of the top 10 images from WrestleMania 27.
The parameters I used for this list are that I had to be able to remember the match/segment/spot without re-watching the event or re-reading the results—truly meaning that it was a lasting image.
Secondly, it had to be something specific. We all know that the Undertaker vs Triple H was the best match at WrestleMania 27, but breaking it down further, there were multiple spots from that match alone that I remembered specifically (which we will see later).
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 10 specific moments from WrestleMania 27 one week later.
10. Zack Ryder Does His Best Rebecca Black Impression
1 of 10As most of you know, Zack Ryder has built quite the following in the IWC and if you haven't seen his Z! True Long Island Story videos on YouTube, you are really missing out on some hilarious stuff.
I'm usually not a big fan of the celebrity promo segments during WrestleMania, but having Snoop Dogg judge Ryder while he sang Rebecca Black's "Friday" was hysterical. For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, it has been widely panned as "the downfall of music" and the worst song of all time.
Rowdy Roddy Piper smashing Ryder in the head with a coconut was hilarious, and it got the largest laugh out of the crowd that didn't involve some guy named the Rock (whoever he is).
Overall, while Zack Ryder wasn't on the card, he was able to make the best out of his time, and hopefully with the almost certain disappearance of the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker, and the cross-promotion of Smackdown superstars all from Raw, Ryder will finally get a chance to showcase his individual talents on the main stage.
Quick side note: I saw Scott Sanford, who hosts the pre-shows for the PPVs and appears in Ryder's YouTube videos, walking into the Georgia Dome a few hours before WrestleMania. I told him that I am a proud member of the Zack Pack and threw up the "L I." Sanford was so excited, it was like he was a little kid on Christmas. It was pretty aweeeeesome (wait that's the wrong guy).
Anyway, take care and spike your hair. Woo Woo Woo You Know It bro.
9. Edge Revisits His Epic TLC Days
2 of 10
Virtually no one gave Edge a chance to win this match.
I never thought in a million years that Edge would beat Alberto Del Rio given the spotlight ADR has been given since his debut.
But Edge had other ideas, as he channeled his inner TLC superstar and put on one hell of a match.
The spot that I will always remember is when Edge got a running start and flipped over the top ropes onto Del Rio.
Edge looked like he was doing his best Rey Mysterio impression with this move. It's not like Edge is a small guy either, which made it all the more impressive.
With that being said, I wonder if Vince McMahon will make Edge pay for the damage to the car he destroyed, given the very public financial troubles WWE has had in the past year.
8. Triple H Taken to Hell and Back
3 of 10
The first of many appearances on this list for the epic contest between the Undertaker and Triple H.
Triple H did what very few before him were able to do: he made us believe that the Undertaker was going to lose at WrestleMania.
That all went away though when Taker locked in the Triangle Choke.
Triple H appeared at times to be able to escape the hold or that he was going to lift the Undertaker up and break it.
After minutes of struggling, Triple H finally tapped out, but showed to the world that he didn't have to win to put on a spectacular match at WrestleMania.
7. Vintage Undertaker Flies over the Top Rope
4 of 10None of us knew what to expect from the Undertaker at WrestleMania.
He had appeared only a few times on TV in the past six months, none of which involved a match.
Much had been made, as well, about his health issues and rising age.
But the Undertaker proved his doubters wrong when he dove over the top rope like it was 1998 all over again.
I give the Undertaker all of the credit in the world for attempting this move, but if the stretcher he was taken out on at the end of the match was any indication, it may have cost him even more time in the ring.
Nonetheless, the Undertaker's courageous efforts gave us one of the most memorable moments from WrestleMania 27.
6. The Viper Strikes Again on CM Punk
5 of 10As I wrote earlier this week, this match had so much potential, yet didn't live up to it.
I believed that this could have been the Bret Hart - Stone Cold match from WrestleMania 13, but due to time constraints, it didn't fit the mold.
Rumors have surfaced that Randy Orton was very pissed off after the match that his encounter with CM Punk was cut short. Nevertheless, it still gave us a memorable finish with the RKO off the top rope.
I would have liked to see Orton sell his injury a little bit more after hitting the RKO to prolong the match, and then possibly counter the GTS into an RKO as the finish (as one reader suggested).
Too bad for Orton and Punk, and us for that matter, that Michael Cole and Jerry the King Lawler were given nearly twice as much time (including entrances, promos, and Stunners) as two of the top stars in WWE today.
5. Cody Rhodes Becomes a Star
6 of 10
In my opinion, no one benefited more from WrestleMania than Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes and Rey Mysterio had a spectacular match, highlighted by the delayed suplex from the second rope.
Rhodes held the suplex for so long that fans in the crowd were certain that Mysterio was going to counter it.
WWE Creative deserves a lot of credit for:
A) Allowing Rhodes and Mysterio enough time to provide an extremely entertaining match (I ranked it number two behind Taker/HHH)
B) Doing the right thing, and putting Cody Rhodes over.
Everyone knows that Rey Mysterio's career is winding down, even though he is one of the biggest faces in WWE.
What better way to develop a young heel than by allowing him to defeat Mysterio on the grandest stage of them all?
4. The Rock Gets Revenge on Cena (within 10 Seconds of Restarting the Match)
7 of 10If you need any evidence that the Miz-Cena WWE Championship match was rushed, go back and see how quickly they got in the ring after it was restarted.
Furthermore, the Rock hit the Rock Bottom within 3.4 seconds of the match being restarted. You could have blinked after his announcement to restart the match, and missed it.
It's a damn shame that everything else took up so much time, resulting in a rushed finish to what was the most important match on the card (yes, more important the Taker/HHH, it's for the WWE Championship).
Needless to say, we all knew that the Rock would be involved in the main event somehow, which is why this is not higher on the list.
Still, to see the Rock come out and Rock Bottom John Cena, while costing him the WWE Title was aweeeesome (close enough).
And it developed into possibly the biggest WrestleMania main event ever at WrestleMania 28 between the Rock and John Cena.
3. You Can Hate Me Now: The Miz's Journey
8 of 10This is the best promo video WWE has put out in recent years, and was my favorite moment of WrestleMania.
If you take a step back for a second, and remove yourself from being a fan, look at how far the Miz has come as a professional wrestler.
He went from a kid with a dream on the Real World, to a competitor on Tough Enough, to the host of the Diva's Search and Smackdown.
Most people would have quit, but the Miz continued to scratch and claw his way to the top.
Obviously, he has not risen up through the ranks like a traditional wrestler, but why should that matter?
His struggle is something we can all relate to; being told that you aren't good enough to succeed or being consistently told that you will fail.
And that is exactly what this video depicts. Combine that with the unbelievable song choice of Nas's "Hate Me Now," and all of the historical references in the video, you are left with one of the greatest promo videos in wrestling history.
2. Finally the Rock Has Come Back...Face to Face with the Rattlesnake
9 of 10
"Whoever walks around that corner next..."
Forgive us for not paying as much attention when Mae Young entered the picture, but the Rock meeting face to face with Stone Cold easily generated the biggest pop of the night.
Even though few words were exchanged, the moment left a lasting impact on everyone watching.
When I was walking out of the Georgia Dome, fans were abuzz at the fact that Austin and the Rock met on screen eight years after their final epic encounter at WrestleMania XIX.
While I'm not a huge proponent of continuing to bring back wrestlers from the Attitude Era, you will never hear me complain about the Rock and Austin being on the same screen.
It reminds me what it's like to be 10 years old again.
1. The Streak Is Over...Or Is It?
10 of 10After Triple H put the ass-whooping of a lifetime on the Undertaker, the only logical way to finish him off was with the Taker's signature move: the Tombstone.
I became nervous for the first time in years (related to wrestling) when I thought that the Undertaker was actually going to lose.
I personally didn't care if the streak ended or was extended, but I will admit it would be cool to say that I was in attendance when the Undertaker went 18-1.
If you look at Triple H's facial expressions, he really sold that this was the end of the streak, which made it that much more special of a moment when the Undertaker kicked out.
Triple H nailed every part, right down to the throat slash, the tongue sticking out, and the folded arms on the pin.
All signs pointed to Triple H being forever known as the man that ended the streak.
But then, the Undertaker kicked out and the arena went ballistic.
We all knew from that point on that there was no way that the Undertaker would lose the match.
The crowd broke out in a "This is Awesome" chant, the only one of the night.
The crowd had spoken. As a result, this will forever be known as the "WrestleMania 27 Moment."
Agree or disagree, feel free to comment below with your thoughts. As the newest WWE Featured Columnist, follow me on Twitter for all tweets sports and wrestling related @BFlow82.
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