| WrestleMania XXVII | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringRey Mysterio,John Cena,The Undertaker,The Miz,Triple H,Randy Orton and hostThe Rock | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
| Date | April 3, 2011 | ||
| City | Atlanta, Georgia | ||
| Venue | Georgia Dome | ||
| Attendance | 71,617[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 1,124,000[2] | ||
| Tagline | "The Biggest WrestleMania Ever" | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| WrestleMania chronology | |||
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WrestleMania XXVII was a 2011professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 27th annualWrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2011, at theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta, Georgia, held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDownbrand divisions. This was the first WrestleMania held in theU.S. state ofGeorgia and the second to be held inSoutheastern United States, afterWrestleMania XXIV in 2008 inFlorida. It was also the final WrestleMania held during the first brand extension, which ended in August, but was reinstated in July 2016. This was also the company's final event to be promoted under the full name of World Wrestling Entertainment, as immediately following this event, the company strictly began to refer to itself solely by the WWE abbreviation.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson served as the host of the event.
The event'scard consisted of eight matches, including three main matches. The final match of the event was the main match from Raw, whereThe Miz defeatedJohn Cena to retain theWWE Championship thanks to help from The Rock, setting up the main event ofWrestleMania XXVIII between Rock and Cena. SmackDown's main match sawEdge defeatAlberto Del Rio to retain theWorld Heavyweight Championship—this would be Edge's final match until 2020. In the other marquee match,The Undertaker defeatedTriple H in aNo Holds Barred match to extend hisundefeated WrestleMania streak to 19–0. This is the first and so far only WrestleMania in which no championships changed hands.[3]
Tickets for the event commenced sale to the public on November 13, 2010.[4] According to WWE's second-quarter earnings report, WrestleMania XXVII generated 1,059,000 PPV buys,[5] up roughly 30% domestically and 15% internationally fromthe previous year. The eventgrossedUS$6.6 million in revenue with 71,617 in attendance, making it the third highest grossing event in WWE behindWrestleMania 25 and the next year's eventWrestleMania XXVIII.[6] It generated $62.1 million in economic impact for Atlanta, a $17 million increase from the previous WrestleMania event, and also generated approximately $7.8 million in local, state and county taxes.[7]
Critically, the event received a mixed reception. Praise went towards the World Heavyweight Championship match, Mysterio vs. Rhodes, Punk vs. Orton, and Triple H vs. The Undertaker. Criticism went towards the tag matches, the main event, and Lawler vs. Cole, the latter of which has been named one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history.
WrestleMania is consideredWorld Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) flagshipprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) event, having first been held in1985. It has become the longest-running professional wrestling event in history and is held annually between mid-March to mid-April.[8] It was the first of WWE's original four pay-per-views, which includesRoyal Rumble,SummerSlam, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".[9] WrestleMania XXVII was scheduled to be held on April 3, 2011, at theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta, Georgia. It featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDownbrands.[10][11][12]
In September 2009, it was reported that the city of Atlanta was seeking to host WrestleMania XXVII at the Georgia Dome.[13] Atlanta's main rival bid came from the city ofMiami, Florida, which proposed to host the event atSun Life Stadium along withWrestleMania Axxess at theMiami Beach Convention Center and theWWE Hall of Fame ceremony at theAmerican Airlines Arena.[14][15] Miami would eventually become the host forWrestleMania XXVIII.[16] Atlanta was formally announced as the site at a press conference on February 1, 2010.[10] According to WWE's senior vice president of special events, John Saboor, Atlanta was ultimately chosen for, among other reasons, "their track record of success with large events, rich in its tradition with the WWE, and great infrastructure."[14] The event marked the first time WrestleMania was held in the state ofGeorgia.[10]
Along with WrestleMania XXVII, a series of events grouped as "WrestleMania Week" was held in the week preceding the event including WrestleMania's annualWrestleMania Axxessfan convention, the 2011 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, the fourth annualWrestleMania Art exhibition and auction, and a Celebrity Pro-Am Golf tournament.WrestleMania Axxess was held at theGeorgia World Congress Center, while the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony took place at thePhilips Arena.[17][18] It was the first pay-per-view event under WWE's promotional rights deal withKmart. Under the deal, Kmart will be the official sponsor for all of WWE's live events in the United States for the rest of 2011.[19] As another part of the promotion for the event,WWE Magazine released a "Guide to WrestleMania XXVII" app for theiPhone,iPod Touch andiPad, offering information about the upcoming event as well as trivia from past events.[20]
"Written in the Stars" byTinie Tempah was thetheme song for the event.[21] "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)" byShinedown served as the secondary theme song, while R&B singerKeri Hilson performed "America the Beautiful" at the start of the show.[22] Celebrities and former wrestlers that appeared in WrestleMania XXVII segments includeSnoop Dogg,Pee Wee Herman,Gene Okerlund,Mae Young, andRoddy Piper. In addition, theWWE Hall of Fame Class of 2011 inductees made a one-night appearance, including the headlinerShawn Michaels,Jim Duggan,The Road Warriors,Sunny,Bob Armstrong,Abdullah the Butcher and celebrityDrew Carey.
On August 13, 2011, a one-hour special including the opening segment, the Triple H vs. Undertaker match, and the post-WrestleMania confrontation between The Rock and John Cena was broadcast on NBC under the titleWrestleMania XXVII: The World Television Premiere.
The event included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands,[23][24] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows,Raw andSmackDown.[25]
The predominant rivalry for the Raw brand involvedDwayne "The Rock" Johnson,John Cena, and the reigningWWE Champion,The Miz. On the February 14 episode ofRaw, The Rock was announced as host for WrestleMania XXVII. In his first appearance in a WWE ring in seven years, The Rock publicly mocked both The Miz and Cena.[26] At the following week'sElimination Chamber event, Cena won the Raw brand's annualElimination Chamber match to earn himself a WWE Championship opportunity against The Miz.[27] One night later onRaw, both Cena and The Miz derided The Rock's previous comments, with Cena producing arap questioning The Rock's true commitment to WWE over his acting career.[28] Via satellite, The Rock responded to Cena's rap on the February 28 episode ofRaw, citing that he started a movie career to help open the door for other wrestlers to go to Hollywood, including The Miz and Cena himself.[29] On the March 28 episode, The Rock and Cena confronted each other face to face before WrestleMania, until The Miz came out. The Miz and his protégé, Alex Riley, attacked The Rock, who managed to fight back both men. After the assault, Cena performed an Attitude Adjustment on The Rock to end the show.[30]
Starting from the January 31 episode ofRaw, mysterious vignettes began promoting the return of a mysterious wrestler on "2.21.11".[31] On the February 21 episode,The Undertaker was revealed as the mysterious figure, who made his return after a four-month absence. However, The Undertaker's return was interrupted by a returningTriple H. The two men stared each other down and both peered at the WrestleMania sign, teasing a possible challenge at WrestleMania XXVII.[32] The match was confirmed four days later on WWE's official website. This match marks the second time the two would face each other at a WrestleMania, the first beingWrestleMania X-Seven ten years earlier.[33] Before their WrestleMania match, both men had a face to face encounter on the March 28 episode ofRaw, only to be interrupted byShawn Michaels, who criticized Triple H for believing that he could defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, something that Michaels wasn't able to do atthe previous years' event. After The Undertaker stated that Michaels was history, Michaels attempted to perform a Superkick on him, but The Undertaker retaliated with a Chokeslam that was stopped by Triple H, who then asked Michaels why he is going to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Michaels, however, left the ring, unable to give Triple H an answer, believing that Triple H couldn't defeat The Undertaker at the event.[30]
Since 1993, the winner of the annualRoyal Rumble match at the January event of the same name has won the opportunity to fight for aworld championship at WrestleMania.[34]Alberto Del Rio won the match in2011 and challengedEdge for theWorld Heavyweight Championship.[35][36] This led to a series of assaults from Del Rio to Edge in the following weeks. However, Edge was joined by the returningChristian, who aided Edge from Del Rio and his bodyguardBrodus Clay, and proceeded to be in Edge's corner at WrestleMania.
In December 2010,Raw color commentatorJerry Lawler began a feud with fellow announcerMichael Cole when theanonymous Raw General Manager gave Lawler a WWE Championship match in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match against defending champion The Miz. As Lawler started to climb the ladder to retrieve the belt, Cole interfered and prevented Lawler from winning the match.[37] On the February 21 edition ofRaw, Cole mocked Lawler for losing his rematch against The Miz at Elimination Chamber as well as his dreams of having a WrestleMania match, going as far as even mentioning Lawler's mother who died weeks earlier. Lawler responded by challenging Cole to a match at WrestleMania, which Cole denied before running through the crowd.[38][39] A week later, Cole accepted Lawler's challenge under two conditions – that his trainerJack Swagger would be in his corner, and that he could choose a special guest referee – which Lawler accepted.[29] The following week, Cole revealedJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) as the special guest referee. However,Steve Austin, who made his return that night, interfered in the contract signing by delivering aStone Cold Stunner to JBL and signing the contract himself, thereby becoming the special guest referee of their match. Cole continued to insult Lawler on the following weeks, even bringing Lawler's sonBrian Christopher, who insulted Lawler, and calling him a bad father, before slapping him in the face and leaving. After that, Jim Ross, Lawler's best friend, confronted Cole and called him a "rat bastard", for which Swagger attacked Ross, and later Lawler, who attempted to save Ross.
Another plot building up towards WrestleMania involvedCM Punk andRandy Orton. At the beginning of the year, Punk became the leader ofThe New Nexus.[40] At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Punk cost Orton hisWWE Championship match against defending champion The Miz. The following night onRaw, Orton retaliated by assaulting Punk's fellow New Nexus membersMichael McGillicutty andHusky Harris, resulting in Harris beingpunted in the head. On the February 7 episode ofRaw, Punk revealed that his actions were his revenge on Orton for punting him in the head atUnforgiven in September 2008, where Punk was unable to defend his World Heavyweight Championship due to Orton's attack and subsequently forced to vacate his title.[39][41] On February 28, theanonymous Raw general manager scheduled a match between Punk and Orton at WrestleMania. In addition, the General Manager announced that Orton would face one of the members of the New Nexus throughout the following weeks. If Orton lost, his opponents would be allowed to be in Punk's corner at WrestleMania; if he won, his opponent would be banned from attending the event.[29] Orton won all of his matches, soMichael McGillicutty,David Otunga, andMason Ryan were all banned from ringside at the event. After each victory, Orton would punt each member in the head in order to send a message to Punk. On the March 21 episode ofRaw, Punk distracted Orton during his "WrestleMania Rewind" match withRey Mysterio and used Orton's wife as bait to lure him to the parking lot, where he attacked Orton's knee with a wrench. The following week, on theRaw before WrestleMania, both men brawled with each other, which ended after Punk performed aGo To Sleep on Orton after taking advantage of his injured knee.
Another feud heading into WrestleMania was betweenRey Mysterio andCody Rhodes. On the January 21 episode ofSmackDown, Mysterio and Rhodes had a match in which Mysterio broke the nose of Rhodes with the619.[42] Rhodes, who underwent facial reconstruction surgery, later accused Mysterio of forcing him to miss the Royal Rumble match and the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, as well as ruining his 'dashing' gimmick. On the February 25 episode, Cody's father,Dusty Rhodes, came out to talk to Mysterio and asked Rhodes to apologize for his accusation, but it turned out to be a setup to allow Rhodes to attack and unmask Mysterio. The next week Rhodes challenged Mysterio to a match at WrestleMania, which was accepted by Mysterio. The following week, Rhodes attacked Mysterio again, during Mysterio's match against Drew McIntyre. However, Mysterio retailed the following week, attacking Rhodes, until Rhodes escaped the ring.
On the March 14 episode ofRaw,Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi appeared as a guest star and exchanged insults withVickie Guerrero backstage. Later that night, Vickie defeatedTrish Stratus with the help ofLayCool (Michelle McCool andLayla). After the match, Snooki, who observed the match at ringside, took down LayCool after being provoked by McCool. A brawl ensued between Snooki & Stratus and LayCool until LayCool retreated from the ring. Vickie then proposed a six-person mixed tag team match at WrestleMania between LayCool & her boyfriend,Dolph Ziggler, and Snooki, Stratus, andJohn Morrison which Snooki accepted. In the buildup to the match, a vignette aired, showing Snooki and Stratus in a bar, where Stratus said that they were training for their WrestleMania match. On the vignette, Snooki fought a man, and later Snooki and Stratus fought LayCool on the bar after LayCool started mocking Snooki and Stratus.
In an eight-man tag team match,The Corre (Wade Barrett,Ezekiel Jackson,Justin Gabriel andHeath Slater) were originally scheduled to wrestleBig Show,Kane,Santino Marella andVladimir Kozlov at WrestleMania. The Corre had been going after Show onSmackDown, but Show and Kane joined forces to beat down The Corre on Raw two weeks before WrestleMania. Later, Kane and Show helped Kozlov & Marella fend off an attack by The Corre. On April 2, after a WrestleMania Axxess match between Kozlov andTyler Reks, The Corre attacked Kozlov, leaving his shoulder injured.Kofi Kingston, who recently lost theIntercontinental Championship to Barrett, was chosen as Kozlov's replacement.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Josh Mathews | |
| Jim Ross | |
| Booker T | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Todd Grisham |
| Matt Striker | |
| Host | The Rock |
| Ring announcers | Justin Roberts (Main Show) |
| Howard Finkel (Hall of Fame) | |
| Referees | Scott Armstrong |
| Steve Austin | |
| Mike Chioda | |
| John Cone | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Justin King | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Charles Robinson |
Before the event aired, twodark matches took place. The first match pittedSheamus againstDaniel Bryan in alumberjack match for theUnited States Championship. During the match, a brawl broke out between the lumberjacks outside the ring, resulting in the match ending in a no contest.SmackDown General ManagerTheodore Long then called for abattle royal to take place.The Great Khali won the match after last eliminating Sheamus.[43]
As the show went live on pay-per-view, R&B singerKeri Hilson performed "America the Beautiful". Soon after,The Rock, the guest host, walked to the ring and cut a promo, mockingJohn Cena as well as firing up the crowd for WrestleMania.[1]
In the first match,Edge (withChristian) defended theWorld Heavyweight Championship against the2011 Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio (withRicardo Rodriguez andBrodus Clay). Early in the match, Del Rio focused on Edge's injured arm and Christian fended off Clay and Rodriguez. After some back and forth action, the ending came when Edge applied theEdgecator while Del Rio applied theCross Armbreaker. When both men got up, Edge delivered theSpear for the win. After the match, Edge and Christian destroyed Del Rio's car.[1] This was Edge's last televised match, as he retired the next week onRaw due to a legitimate neck injury. Edge has since been medically cleared to wrestle again, returning to in-ring competition nearly 9 years later at the2020 Royal Rumble.[44]
The next match pittedCody Rhodes againstRey Mysterio, who came out dressed asCaptain America. Rhodes dominated most of the match, however, Mysterio managed to gain control later on. The ending saw Mysterio removed Rhodes' face mask and deliverheadbutts but Rhodes countered by removing Mysterio's knee brace. When Mysterio went for a dive, Rhodes knocked out Mysterio with the knee brace and executed theCross Rhodes for the win.[1]
In the next match,Kane,Big Show,Santino Marella, andKofi Kingston facedThe Corre (Wade Barrett,Ezekiel Jackson,Heath Slater, andJustin Gabriel) in an eight-man tag team match. The match lasted two minutes, ending with Slater receiving a Cobra from Santino and a WMD from Big Show. Big Show then pinned Slater to win.[1]
In the next match,Randy Orton facedCM Punk, with theNew Nexus banned from ringside. Punk spent most of the match focusing on Orton's injured knee until Orton gained control later in the match. Orton then attempted a punt kick, but his injured knee stopped him. Punk attempted theGTS, but Orton went for anRKO. Punk dodged and went for aSpringboard clothesline, but Orton delivered an RKO for the win.[1]
In the next match,Michael Cole (withJack Swagger) facedJerry Lawler, withStone Cold Steve Austin as the special guest referee. For this match,Booker T andJim Ross joinedJosh Mathews on commentary. The match began with Lawler trying to get Cole out of his "Cole Mine", a small glass box that Cole would announce from. After some time, he did so and started attacking him. Cole managed to counter and had the upper hand on Lawler for most of the match. Swagger tried to help Cole by throwing in the towel when Lawler began to take control but was denied and received aStone Cold Stunner. Lawler then forced Cole to submit with theankle lock while Austin mocked him. After the match, Austin shared a beer with Lawler and stunned Booker T, who came out to celebrate with Lawler. After Lawler had seemingly won, theAnonymous Raw General Managerreversed the decision in an email read by Mathews because Austin was a biased referee, making Cole the winner by disqualification. Stone Cold then proceeded to stun Mathews as well in retribution. Lawler then replaced Mathews and Booker T as the color commentator for the rest of the night, with Jim Ross doing the play-by-play.[1]
In the next match,The Undertaker facedTriple H in a No Holds Barred match. Triple H entered to "For Whom The Bell Tolls" byMetallica wearing a mask and suit, then removed it for his normal entrance theme. The Undertaker entered to "Ain't No Grave" byJohnny Cash wearing a hat and suit, although this is replaced with his original entrance music on theWWE Network. The match began with The Undertaker and Triple H brawling outside of the ring, destroying Michael Cole's "Cole Mine" in the process. Triple H delivered aspinebuster to The Undertaker through a broadcast table. The match went back and forth, as The Undertaker delivered aChokeslam and aLast Ride, but Triple H kicked out of both. After, Triple H performed aPedigree for a near-fall. The Undertaker then performed theTombstone Piledriver for a near-fall. Triple H then hit The Undertaker with a chair to the head and delivered a DDT on the chair. After more back and forth action, Triple H executed a secondPedigree for another near-fall. Triple H immediately delivered the third Pedigree for a near-fall. After many steel chair shots, and telling Undertaker to stay down, Triple H executed The Undertaker's Tombstone Piledriver for a near-fall. Triple H then grabbed a sledgehammer, but The Undertaker appliedHell's Gate on Triple H. Eventually, Triple H submitted, meaning The Undertaker'sWrestleMania streak continued to 19–0. The record was displayed on stadium screens. After the match, WWE Medical Staff had to help The Undertaker after he collapsed outside the ring and couldn't walk under his own power.[1] The Undertaker later revealed in an interview in 2021 that the ending of the match was scripted and that Vince McMahon hated this ending.[45]
The penultimate match was a six-person mixed tag team match, which sawJohn Morrison,Trish Stratus, andNicole "Snooki" Polizzi competing against a team consisting ofDolph Ziggler andLayCool (Michelle McCool andLayla). The match lasted a few minutes, with the ending coming when Morrison delivered Starship Pain on the outside of the ring to Ziggler and Snooki performed acartwheelsplash on McCool to get the win for her team.[1]
In the last match, The Miz (accompanied byAlex Riley) defended the WWE Championship against John Cena. During the match, Cena delivered theFive Knuckle Shuffle to The Miz. Cena attempted theAttitude Adjustment, but The Miz countered with aDDT. There was a lot of back and forth action until The Miz executed theSkull Crushing Finale and Cena executed an Attitude Adjustment on The Miz – both for near-falls. Both men fought outside of the ring, knocking each other out in the process, and were counted out.The Rock came out to intervene, when an email message from the Anonymous Raw General Manager arrived. The Rock went to read it, but then disregarded it and restarted the match under "no disqualifications, no count-outs, no time limits" stipulations. Cena dragged The Miz back inside the ring and attempted an Attitude Adjustment. The Rock stalked Cena from behind and performed aRock Bottom on him, in vengeance for the Attitude Adjustment from the episode ofRaw that aired six nights prior. Taking advantage, The Miz then pinned Cena for the win, retaining the WWE Championship, and became only the third heel to win in the main event of WrestleMania. After the match, The Rock had a staredown with The Miz until The Rock delivered a spinebuster and aPeople's Elbow. WrestleMania XXVII went off the air with The Rock posing on top of the turnbuckles for the fans.[1]
WrestleMania XXVII received mixed reviews from critics.Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section gave the entire event 6.5 out of 10. The World Heavyweight Championship match received an 8 out of 10, the Undertaker–Triple H match received an 8.5 out of 10, the WWE Championship match received a 5 out of 10 and the CM Punk–Randy Orton match received a 7 out of 10.[46]
The attendance record for WrestleMania XXVII was announced as 71,617. WWE's number was later confirmed by officials at the Georgia Dome.[47]
The match between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler is considered one of the worst WrestleMania matches of all time, as well as one of the worst in the WWE.Dave Meltzer gave the match 1 star out of 5.[48]Vince McMahon himself stated to Michael Cole after the match that it was "the worst thing [he'd] ever witnessed in 60 years."[49] The match was criticised by fans for being too long, involving a non-wrestler in Cole and for theAnonymous Raw General Manager's reversing of Lawler's initial victory.[50]
The following night onRaw, John Cena and The Rock agreed to face each other in a match atWrestleMania XXVIII, marking the first time a match had been announced almost a year in advance for any WrestleMania.[51] Later on Cena won theWWE Championship in a Triple Threat Steel Cage match against The Miz andJohn Morrison atExtreme Rules.[52] TheRaw after Extreme Rules, Cena defended the WWE Championship against The Miz in a singles match after being restarted due to the referee noticing interference from Alex Riley after Miz winning, and again later on in an "I Quit" match atOver the Limit against Miz.[53] Later in a backstage segment Cena "congratulated" The Rock on his birthday, telling him to bring it on for WrestleMania while showing off the WWE Championship, implying that their match at WrestleMania XXVIII will be for the WWE Championship, continuing on with their feud.[53] However, Cena would go on to lose the WWE title three times that year, twice to CM Punk, and once to Alberto Del Rio.[54][55][56] In November, atSurvivor Series, Cena teamed with The Rock, which would be the latter's first match sinceWrestleMania XX in 2004 (which coincidentally was atMadison Square Garden inNew York City), and defeated the Miz and R-Truth, only for Rock giving aRock Bottom on Cena after the match.[57] The Rock defeated Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII,[58] and, in 2013, a rematch atWrestleMania 29 took place, with The Rock's WWE Championship on the line, which saw Cena emerging victorious.[59]
The Miz suffered a legitimate concussion in the main event, being knocked out when Cena tackled him to the concrete for the double-countout, and largely doesn't remember the match.[60] The concussion remains the worst of Miz's career, the only other time he was legitimately knocked out being by Kofi Kingston at Madison Square Garden in 2012.
On the April 11Raw, Edge retired due to a legitimate neck injury, marking his last match for the company against Del Rio at WrestleMania.[61] Edge vacated the World Heavyweight Championship on the April 15 episode ofSmackDown, therefore retiring as world champion and leaving WWE full-time to make part-time appearances for the company.[62] At Extreme Rules, Christian won the title for the first time in a ladder match against Del Rio,[52] only to lose the title to Randy Orton, on the May 6 episode ofSmackDown.[63] The next year Edge would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame. However after nine years and two neck surgeries, Edge returned as a surprise entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match at the2020 Royal Rumble, and then entered into a feud with Randy Orton,[44]2021 Royal Rumble, won by last eliminating Randy Orton in the Win.[64]
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler's feud continued as they appeared on that same night Edge had retired from WWE. Cole was locked in a glass box staying off contact with Lawler while Jim Ross made his return only for Jack Swagger to show up and made it as a singles match where Lawler defeated Swagger. Cole addresses Lawler that their rematch was the "Country Whipping match" in a form of Tag Team at Extreme Rules and Lawler accepted as he team up with Ross, but lost to Cole again. Finally, their last match to end their feud in Over The Limit was the "Kiss My Foot Match" as Lawler defeated Cole to end his heel turn and goes back to having friends with Lawler.[65]
Following their loss at WrestleMania (not to mention failing to regain theDivas Championship), tension rose in LayCool. After two weeks of couples therapy, a bitter Michelle McCool turned on Layla, dissolving their team.[66] Layla and McCool would face off in a match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view with nocount-outs, nodisqualifications, and theloser has to leave WWE. Layla went on to win the match, resulting in McCool's subsequent – andlegit – departure from WWE.[52]
As a consequence of using a chair shot to the head, Triple H and The Undertaker were legitimately fined by the WWE for violating the company's "concussion policy" at the event.[67] After a ten-month hiatus, The Undertaker returned on January 30, 2012, episode ofRaw to confront Triple H before challenging him to a rematch at WrestleMania XXVIII, having felt unsatisfied with having to leave victorious not under his own power.[68] After Triple H refused despite insistence fromShawn Michaels, The Undertaker mocked him by calling him a coward and knowing that Michaels was better than him. This angered Triple H to the point that he finally accepted The Undertaker's challenge, but under the stipulation that their match be aHell in a Cell match.[69] Soon after the match was made, Michaels confirmed he would officiate the match as special guest referee.[70] Undertaker defeated Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII with their match dubbed as an "End of an Era" and extended hisUndefeated WrestleMania Streak to 20–0.[71]
WrestleMania XXVII was the last WWE pay-per-view to be promoted under the promotion's full name of World Wrestling Entertainment, as just after the event on April 7, the company began to refer to itself solely as "WWE", with the abbreviation becoming anorphaned initialism.[72] It was also the last WrestleMania held under the first brand split, which ended in August,[73] although the brand split was reintroduced in July 2016.[74]
... WWE's flagship event lights up MetLife Stadium ... WrestleMania
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