WWE WrestleMania 32: Most Exciting Swerves in Event's History
If there's one thing WWE's WrestleMania pay-per-view is famous for, it is drama.
The company loves nothing more than providing fans with swerves each and every year, in order to make the show go off with a bang and give it the marquee status it deserves.
Looking back through the history of the show, the company's most notable WrestleMania moments have come from swerves, most of them involving heel or babyface turns. But occasionally there have been swerves which have involved other circumstances such as shock title wins and more.
Here's a look at the five biggest swerves we've seen in the 31-year history of WrestleMania, ahead of the 32nd edition of the show on April 3 in Arlington, Texas.
The Title Changes Hands Twice (WrestleMania IX)
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Title changes at WrestleMania happen more often than you think, but to have the company's biggest asset switch hands twice in one night is certainly unprecedented.
WrestleMania IX was the era before the Money in the Bank briefcase, of course, which made those kinds of situations even more unlikely.
However, after Yokozuna's incredible run of momentum guided him to a controversial victory against Bret Hart, it looked like the newly crowned heel WWE Champion would leave with the title around his waist. But when Hulk Hogan stormed down to check on Bret, Yokozuna decided he would lay his title on the line in another match.
Mr. Fuji had cost Hart victory by throwing salt in his eyes, but there would be no repeat here as Hogan evaded a similar fate, pinning the champion and ensuring a second title change in a matter of minutes.
The Double Turn (WrestleMania 13)
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The beauty of the double turn is a fine art to execute correctly, but WWE managed it brilliantly at WrestleMania 13.
Steve Austin was very much supposed to be a heel in the run-up to his match with Bret Hart at the event, but as 'Mania neared, fans were starting to warm to Austin.
His ruthless edge had endeared him to millions of wrestling fans, and his never-say-die attitude was one that everyone loved. It was only a matter of time before Austin cemented himself at the top of his company.
But instead of just turning Austin babyface, WWE went bold with its plans and turned Hart heel in the process.
It was a WrestleMania classic, their Submission match being one of the most brutal in the history of the event. Austin was bloodied and battered when locked in the Sharpshooter late on, but true to form, he refused to submit.
He would pass out and, in support of their man, WWE fans booed Hart after he refused to break the hold. That could have been enough to secure Hart's heel turn, but when Ken Shamrock hit him to force him off Austin, it made things even better.
The double turn was complete, and the rest is history.
Stone Cold Joins the Dark Side (WrestleMania X-Seven)
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Four years on from his dramatic babyface turn at WrestleMania, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin provided an arguably bigger swerve at the biggest pay-per-view of the year in front of millions of fans.
Austin vs. The Rock was a match the whole world had been waiting to see for years, and it proved to have a shocking and dramatic finale for those in attendance.
With over 67,000 fans watching at ringside, Austin tried everything to put The Rock away, but it was only when Vince McMahon emerged that things began to swing in The Rattlesnake's favor. McMahon helped Austin beat down The Rock enough to secure victory, and when Austin shook hands with Vince and made his deal with the devil, the swerve was complete.
Suddenly, the guy everyone adored had turned heel in dramatic fashion. As it turned out, the turn was a bit of a flop in truth, but it did prove to be one of the most noteworthy moments in WrestleMania history, if nothing else.
The Streak Ends (WrestleMania 30)
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Nobody could have predicted the events of WrestleMania 30. One of the more enjoyable and ultimately successful 'Mania shows in recent years ended in fitting fashion with Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but what happened before that was simply shocking.
The Undertaker had looked close to seeing his streak end on numerous occasions in the past, but he constantly fought back from the brink to keep it alive and kicking.
Many thought the same would happen against Brock Lesnar, but when Lesnar hit The Deadman with F-5 after F-5, the damage finally took its toll.
In a moment that produced stunned silence, Lesnar pinned Taker in the middle of the ring and ended professional wrestling's most famous streak of all time.
Taker recovered to beat Bray Wyatt the following year, but to this day, questions still remain over why and when WWE chose to end Taker's streak the way it did.
Seth Rollins Cashes In (WrestleMania 31)
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There have been plenty of instances where a Superstar has cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase over recent years, but Seth Rollins broke new ground at last year's WrestleMania.
The road to the main event between Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns was littered with fears that Reigns was going to win and become an uninspiring WWE World Heavyweight Championship winner. Ironically, those fears persist ahead of this year's event.
But Rollins shocked the world when, with the main event firmly in the balance and both men down on the floor, he joined the fray, cashed in his briefcase and turned the bout into a Triple Threat contest.
He would eventually get the winning pinfall, with 'Mania closing with scenes of Rollins standing with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the top of the ramp.
It was one of the more enjoyable swerves in recent years, and one that left everyone in a real buzz about what lay ahead for the company. And as it turned out, only Rollins' injury would end the title reign that began at WrestleMania 31.
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