WWE’s 25 Greatest Pay-Per-Views of All Time
By Tim Sherry
credit: wwe.com
12. Wrestlemania 30
From the middle of 2013 until his unfortunate retirement, Daniel Bryan was not only the face of the WWE, but undoubtedly one of the most popular superstars of all time. His “Yes” Movement and underdog story was about as compelling as any story the company has ever told and the fans of the WWE were at the forefront. So with Bryan book-ending the beginning and end of Wrestlemania 30, there was a chance that it could be an all-time great Mania. And that it was. But more on Bryan’s performances in a minute.
The rest of Wrestlemania 30 was pretty good too. Between The Shield breaking out in a major way in their destruction of Kane and The New Age Outlaws, to the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, to the terrific and intense match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt, Wrestlemania that year was off to a great start. Then the moment happened that took the show up another level: the ending of The Streak. In one of the most surreal moments in wrestling history, Brock Lesnar, after hitting a third F-5, pinned The Undertaker Wrestlemania streak at 21 wins. A pin could be heard dropped in the Superdome in New Orleans as the over 75,000 in attendance were hushed as their hero was finally defeated on the stage that always made him so great.
But make no mistake, Wrestlemania 30 was all about Bryan. He opened the show against Triple H in what would be turn out to be a top 5 match in 2014. The win propelled him into the main event with Randy Orton and Batista which most likely saved a riot from the fans on hand. After 23 minutes and another scintillating match, Bryan finally came through victoriously. There were no excuses, no reason to strip him of the title again, and no shenanigans. Bryan was the world champ and he closed out the show with both belts and “Yes!” chant in full effect. Truly an iconic moment.