Dr. K's Waiting Room

---

To celebrate the Undertaker’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

---

The Date: 1 April 2012
The Venue: Sun Life Stadium; Miami Gardens, Florida
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jim “J.R.” Ross
The Referee: Shawn Michaels (guest referee)
The Stakes: “End of an Era” Hell in a Cell match

The Build-Up:
Alongside his legendary WrestleMania streak, the Undertaker amassed an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented, and notorious, names. Over the years, the Undertaker crossed paths with “The Game” Triple H many times, clashing during the Ministry of Darkness days, opposing his attempt to dominate the main event scene, and supporting him as his backstage influence grew over time. After defeating Triple H in a hastily thrown together match at WrestleMania X-Seven, the Undertaker impressed with back-to-back WrestleMania bangers with Triple’s D-Generation X buddy, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Indeed, HBK’s doubts that his friend could succeed where he failed turned out to be true when Triple H lost a brutal, show-stealing match against the Undertaker at the otherwise lacklustre WrestleMania XVII that saw both competitors fined for an unprotected chair shot. When the Undertaker returned from a hiatus to demand a WrestleMania rematch, angered that he couldn’t leave the ring under his own power, Triple H initially disregarded HBK’s encouragement to take the match and refused, not wishing to tarnish the Undertaker’s legacy. However, when the Undertaker called Triple H a coward and accused him of living in Shawn’s shadow, the insulted Triple H was goaded into accepting, demanding to face the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. Shawn Michaels. whom the Undertaker had sensationally retired, was later revealed to be the special guest referee for this dramatically billed “End of an Era” match.

The Build-Up:
Living up to his nickname as “Mister WrestleMania,” Shawn Michaels sauntered to the ring first, sadly not rocking his special guest referee ring shorts. Compared to the previous year, Triple H’s entrance was far more lowkey, with him simply passing through a giant, skull-themed archway, while the Undertaker opted to emerge from behind the LED screens surrounded by the usual fog and darkness (though he was rocking an uncharacteristic, shaved head). Like before, the Undertaker and Triple H stood eye-to-eye, extended their staredown to watching the infamous Hell in a Cell lower (to Metallica’s “The Memory Remains”, no less). Once the cell was in place, the two started with a slugfest again; this time, the Undertaker dominated, though Triple H soon fought back after avoiding a corner splash. The Undertaker shut down Triple H’s flurry and tossed him outside, bashing him off the steel steps and tossing him into the mesh cage. A few hard-hitting headbutts and more tosses into the cell kept the Undertaker in control, though a bit of simply choking and whips into the ring steps didn’t hurt either. Although Triple H tried to fight back in the ring, the Undertaker shrugged off his signature knee smash and landed his trademark rope walk strike this time around. Back outside, the Undertaker bashed Triple H “right between the eyes” with the hefty ring steps, shoving them into the ring and continuing the assault as the Game lay prone across the ring apron. A desperation DDT bought Triple H time to regroup and he bashed the Deadman’s face off the steel steps, a trickle of blood on both men’s foreheads, though the Undertaker tossed Triple H off as he tried for a Pedigree on the ring steps.

After Triple H planted the Undertaker across the steps with a massive spinebuster, he got caught in the “Hell’s Gate” and, in desperation, muscled the Phenom into a powerbomb-like slam for the first near fall. Triple H then grabbed two steel chairs and immediately attacked, stunning the Deadman long enough to drive him into the ring steps set up in the corner. Triple H followed up with more chair strikes to the Undertaker’s spine and gut, attacking so relentlessly that HBK tried to intervene. Refusing to cover the Undertaker, Triple H demanded Shawn force a submission from the battered Undertaker, who refused to stop the match, enraging the Game. After another vile chair shot, Triple H grabbed his trusty sledgehammer, this time refusing to show compassion, and dropped the Phenom with a shot. When the Undertaker kicked out, Shawn took the sledgehammer from his friend to spare the Undertaker further harm but hesitated to “end it” by calling for the bell. To keep the match going, the Undertaker slapped the Hell’s Gate onto him, earning him another shot from the sledgehammer. When Triple H went for another shot, the Undertaker kicked him in the balls and applied Hell’s Gate again, repeating the end of their last match and causing Triple H to pass out. However, with Shawn still down and referee Charles Robinson struggling to enter the cell, the match continued, but the Game unexpectedly kicked out after being hit with a Chokeslam. Furious, the Undertaker took Robinson out with a Chokeslam and tried for the Tombstone Piledriver, only to be hit by HBK’s Sweet Chin Music, drilled with the Pedigree…and to kick out at two!! Like J.R, the King, and Michael Cole, the audience were at aghast and amazed at that, perhaps the greatest false finish in wrestling history, and Triple H tossed HBK from the ring in frustration.

Empowered by a sudden burst of energy, the Undertaker hit his patented Snake Eyes/Big Boot/Leg Drop combination and dropped Triple H with the Tombstone Piledriver. The crowd erupted once more when Triple H kicked out and even Shawn was an emotional wreck from the scintillating action. The Undertaker and Triple H exchanged blows as they struggled up, much to the delight of the captivated fans, though Triple H emerged victorious with a Pedigree…which the Undertaker again kicked out of! Exhausted, the Undertaker stumbled towards a steel chair as Triple H reclaimed his sledgehammer, smacking the chair into Triple H’s face and gut and across his spine. Ignoring HBK’s pleas, the Undertaker continued his assault, frustrated that Triple H continued to kick out, echoing Triple H last year by yelling at him to “Stay down!” Refusing to quit, Triple H taunted the Undertaker with a crotch chop and earned himself a shot to the face with his sledgehammer. Like HBK before him, the stubborn Triple H pulled himself up using the Undertaker’s tights only to be dropped and ultimately defeated with a horrendous Tombstone Pildedriver. Relieved to see the match end, Shawn Michaels helped the Undertaker up so he could celebrate his twentieth WrestleMania win. Out of respect for his tenacious foe, the Undertaker helped HBK get Triple H to his feet and the three embraced, basking in the adulation and respect of the crowd, as the “era” finally came to an end. Although the competitors didn’t use the Hell in a Cell as much as I’d like, this was a far better match than last year’s thanks to the added emotion offered by Shawn Michaels. I liked that many spots from their previous match were repeated with a twist, and Triple H’s increased ruthlessness really sold how desperate he was to win. That Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combo may be one of wrestling’s greatest moments and, in hindsight, this might’ve been better served as the final match for both competitors. While it’s maybe a touch too long, I liked how much more action-packed and emotionally charged the narrative was and would definitely recommend this one over the WrestleMania VII match.

The Aftermath:
Largely seen as one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, this match really was the “End of an Era” in many ways as both men went their separate ways after this. Triple H got into a heated and ultimately controversial feud with the returning Brock Lesnar while the Undertaker eventually returned to the ring for an emotionally charged WrestleMania showdown with the disrespectful CM Punk. Of course, this wouldn’t be the last time that the Undertaker shared the ring with Triple H as they tangled for the “Last Time Ever” at the 2018 Super Show-Down in a very poorly received match that saw the Game emerge victorious. As bad as that was, however, things got even worse when the Undertaker teamed with his psychotic brother, Kane, to fight Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a tag team match so infamous that even the Undertaker was embarrassed about it.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Do you think the third time was the charm for the Undertaker and Triple H? Were you also disappointed by how little the Hell in a Cell was used? Did you think the Streak was over after that Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combination? In hindsight, do you think this should’ve been the end of all three men’s in-ring careers? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this month? What dream match would you have liked to see him compete in? Share your thoughts below, check out my other reviews Undertaker matches, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest others for me to cover.