Wrestlemania: The streak that was and the champion that is.
The authority was conquered, justice was served, good triumphed over evil, and the greatest streak in sports entertainment came to an abrupt end.
The Superbowl of professional wrestling took place in the Super Dome of New Orleans on Sunday, as the superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment went to war on the grandest stage of them all, Wrestlemania.
This year's showcase of immortals was highlighted by some of WWE's main event talent such as Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, as well as the more household names of Brock Lesnar, Batista, and John Cena.
The first WWE pay-per-view to stream on the newly launched WWE network, stormed through its opening segment and did not disappoint as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan delivered a nearly flawless opening segment in which the only blemish came when Hogan mispronounced "Super dome" in favor of the "Silver dome."
While the presence of arguably the three most iconic names in sports entertainment together in the same ring was history in itself, it paled in comparison to the moment that tore down the wall of professional wrestling and left the 75,000 fans in attendance in complete and utter silence.
The 21-0 Wrestlemania reign of the Undertaker, possibly the most respected wrestler in WWE history, came crashing to a halt as Brock Lesnar toppled the Deadman in a match that was rather slow and bland as the aging Undertaker could not keep up with the physicality of the beast incarnate.
Still, the quality of the match could not erase the significance of such an earth trembling result. The Undertaker's streak was arguably the most known and respected in all of sports entertainment as well as the most anticipated match of each Wrestlemania, as fans would eagerly ponder throughout the year who the next challenger to the streak would be.
As Lesnar slammed the Undertaker down to the mat with a third F-5 and covered him for the pin, most fans expected the deadman's shoulder rise once again.
On this night however, the referee's hand counted to three as the night took one of the most emotional turns ever witnessed in a wrestling arena. The fans were left speechless and the shock felt around the wrestling world was unparalleled.
The streak was over and the night carried on.
The end of the streak may have been the biggest moment of the night, rivaled only by the story of an underdog who for the previous six months, had been screwed, beaten, and battered out of WWE's top prize, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
In the opening match, Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H in a solid match that featured several enticing moments, such as Bryan kicking out of Triple H's Pedigree, as well as Triple H succumbing to Bryan's flying knee maneuver. The stipulation for the match allowed Bryan to be inserted into the main event world title match between Randy Orton and Batista, adding to the drama of the night.
A post match attack on Bryan from Triple H added to the drama as it was unknown whether Bryan would be ready for the main event.
In between the commotion, there were several other notable matches during the show.
The Shield made mince meat of the Authority's Kane and the New Age Outlaws, in a match that was more like a sparring session for the hounds of justice.
The night also featured Cesaro lifting the 500 pound Big Show over the top ring rope to win the newly added Andre the Giant Battle Royal. The battle royal was better than most fans expected and delivered some exciting spots, highlighted by Kofi Kingston's brilliantly executed near-elimination.
As he was thrown over the rope, Kingston managed to keep both of his feet atop the steel ring steps, preventing his feet from actually hitting the floor, keeping him in the match.
The match between Bray Wyatt and John Cena left some to be desired as the match was built upon Cena finally giving in to the monster that he is, but had only teases of Cena's dark side as he would quickly return to his traditional "superman" style of wrestling.
The match itself was a solid display of the power within the two men, featuring a few good spots such as Cena spearing Luke Harper through the barricade as well as the Attitude Adjustment move that put Wyatt away.
Just before the main event, while fans were still lifting their jaws off the floor from the Lesnar and Undertaker finale, AJ Lee defeated 13 other divas to retain her divas championship in the first ever divas invitational at Wrestlemania.
The night's main event between Orton, Batista, and Bryan saw the leader of the YES movement finally capture the top prize in the business after months of torture.
It was a great match filled with with plenty of drama including Bryan clocking an interfering Triple H with a sledgehammer, only to be carried off on a stretcher after a Batista bomb/ RKO through the announcers table, and still coming back into the match to force Batista to tap out to the YES lock, thereby winning the WWE world heavyweight championship.
The show had some of, if not the most dramatic moments in Wrestlemania history topped off with very solid wrestling. It proved that their is no limit to the tricks WWE will pull to shock its fans. The streak is over, but Bryan finally capturing the big one was enough for fans to leave on a high note.
For those who missed the event, the WWE network will continue to stream it online for all to witness the history that was Wrestlemania 30.