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John Cena vs. The Rock (Sun Life Stadium, Miami)
Sun Life Stadium, the temporary home of the Miami Marlins in Florida, would see an iconic battle billed as a “Once in a Lifetime” match, take place at WrestleMania 28 on April 1, 2012. John Cena and The Rock would face each other individually for the first time in their respective careers, in the first one-on-one match “The Great One” would appear in in seven years.
This bout would become legendary for several reasons. For starters, it was recognized as a generation vs. generation match between two icons of the sport. In an unprecedented move, not seen prior to or since, the matchup was announced a full 14 months in advance during a Monday Night Raw episode on April 4, 2011, with Cena challenging The Rock to a match at WrestleMania the following year.
The buildup over the course of the year involved incredible promo battles due to the genuine tension between the two, which raised the stakes even higher.
The crowd’s energy for this matchup was electric, and kept pace with the intensity that took place within the ring. Despite Cena dominating for the first 10 minutes, The Rock emerged victorious in front of his home crowd after delivering a Rock Bottom. Although the bout was one of the most commercially successful to date, it would lose some of its legendary status when Cena and The Rock would face each other just a year later at WrestleMania 29.
