WrestleMania 23 Main Event: John Cena v Shawn Michaels (WWE Championship Match)
Triple H going down with an injury forced WWE to pivot to his D-Generation X running mate, getting the call for WrestleMania 23’s main event. It was a respectable build with the babyfaces running the old rivals’ being partners program. It was an easy story for both men to tell, and it did lead to a fantastic match to close out WrestleMania 23. The biggest issue, though, was that no one expected HBK to walk out of Detroit with the WWE Championship.
It was very clear that Cena’s reign was going to continue past WrestleMania, and we were deprived of a crowning moment to end the evening. A hard sell when a match earlier on in the card contained everything that would have made a WrestleMania main event epic.
Should Have Main Evented: Batista v The Undertaker (World Heavyweight Championship Match)
The WWE Universe had grown tired of John Cena by the time WrestleMania 23 rolled around. He had his main event chances, and this would have been the perfect time to slot the World Heavyweight Championship match into that spot. The Undertaker and Batista were a big-time program between the two biggest stars on SmackDown. WWE still had the drawing power of The Undertaker for its main event, and their match was the best on the card.
It was so much more than a hoss battle, featuring some of the best wrestling in the past few ‘Manias. Seeing The Undertaker triumphantly raise the World Championship would have given WrestleMania 23 a perfect ending.
