WrestleMania XXVIII

WrestleMania XXVIII (28)

Promotion	WWE
Date	April 1, 2012
Venue	Sun Life Stadium
City	Miami Gardens, Florida
Attendance	78,363
Last Event	Elimination Chamber
Next Event	Extreme Rules

WrestleMania XXVIII was the twenty-eighth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It is the highest grossing PPV event in professional wrestling history.

Event Summary[]

Primo & Epico vs Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd vs The Usos[]

MIAMI - On the Grandest Stage of Them All, the WWE Tag Team Champions stood tall against their challengers when Primo & Epico defied the odds to defeat The Usos and Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match with their titles on the line.

Primo & Epico looked as sharp and well-coached (kudos to Rosa Mendes, who clearly has her clients operating at peak level) in a match they didn’t even know was coming until a couple of days ago. Only a few years after Primo (as part of the Colons) unified the Tag Titles against The Miz and John Morrison at The Show of Shows, he and Epico operated as efficiently as the WWE Universe has ever seen. Relatives of the great Carlos Colon, the team used its quick speed and devastating strikes to stave off the wild offense of The Usos and the daredevil strikes of Kidd & Gabriel.

Primo was a workhorse to start the match, tossing his opposition over the ropes to keep the contest 1-on-1 and keep himself from being overwhelmed by the odds.

Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel became partners in the final days leading up to WrestleMania. These men have each held Tag Team gold before, though never with each other. However, they looked liked they’d been pairing together for years. Kidd in particular hit a heart-stopping powerbomb off the top rope as Primo was preparing to suplex Jey Uso off the top rope, leaving his opponents strewn in a heap acrossthe canvas.

The Usos, two of the toughest workhorses in the WWE Tag Team Division, came up regrettably short in the match only 24 hours after they helped induct their uncle Yokozuna into the WWE Hall of Fame. The twosome have long been staples in the Tag Team Title race, receiving multiple championship opportunities over the last year and turning in hard-nosed efforts in all of them. Tonight was no exception, as Jimmy and Jey constantly kept the other teams at bay. In one of the match’s highlights, the two joined forces and dropped Gabriel with a joint move, and a cross-body splash from Jey Uso left the champions splayed out across the outside of the ring.

In the end, however, Primo & Epico proved their mettle as champions when Epico administered a last bit of cunning offense by blocking Gabriel’s 450 Splash and administering the crippling Backstabber to Jey Uso when he tried to seize his opportunity. The conniving strategy was enough to put an end to the competition and retain the titles for the wily champions. Clearly, they will not be robbed of their mantles so easily, at this Showcase or any other.

Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus[]

WrestleMania XXVIII started with an earth-shattering bang as Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds to capture his first World Heavyweight Championship – setting a new record for the quickest World Heavyweight Title change in the history of The Showcase of the Immortals.

As Bryan went to kiss his girlfriend AJ, he ignored the fact that the bell had already rung to start the match. Knowing all too well that a Superstar needs to take any advantage he can to find success at The Show of Shows, The Great White didn’t hesitate to capitalize on his opponent’s blunder – Brogue Kicking him for the huge victory.

Since cashing in his Money in the Bank title opportunity at WWE TLC to capture the World Title, Bryan has found a way to retain his title in the most controversial of circumstances. During that time, he has taken on a much more conceited, braggadocios personality that has turned both the WWE Universe and the majority of the locker room against him.

Sheamus promised to teach his adversary humility in their WrestleMania clash. And if beating the champion in 18 seconds is the measuring stick, the WWE Universe is sure to agree that he accomplished both his goals on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

With his history-making feat, Sheamus becomes a three-time World Champion, while Daniel Bryan leaves WrestleMania with egg on his face. How will the submission specialist react to falling to the Irish Superstar in such a hasty fashion? Find out Friday on SmackDown on Syfy at 8/7 CT.

Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs Beth Phoenix & Eve Torres[]

The uneasy alliance of Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve may have entered the Divas Tag Team Match at WrestleMania XXVIII with experience on their side. However, Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos hoped to clinch a better result through chemistry as the dynamic Divas duo joined forces on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Kelly Kelly found herself embroiled in this battle due to her disapproval of Eve’s self-serving actions toward Zack Ryder in recent months. Their rivalry became heated as Eve and The Glamazon grew jealous of Kelly Kelly’s appearance on NBC’s “Extra.” That envy led Phoenix and Eve to direct their ire at Menounos, the co-host of “Extra,” in the middle of a broadcast and triggered a WrestleMania challenge that Kelly Kelly and Menounos accepted.

Eve and Kelly Kelly grappled to a standstill at the bout’s outset until the blonde battler’s early tag to Menounos sent the momentum in the direction of their opponents. The Glamazon continued the barrage on the “Extra” host, but Eve’s showboating allowed Menounos to bring Kelly Kelly back into action.

The momentum shifted away from Phoenix and Eve as Kelly Kelly’s high-flying antics kept her side in the match, which included an impressive counter of the Divas Champion’s signature Glam Slam. Menounos capitalized on the ensuing scrum to sneak up on Phoenix with a roll-up pin to seize her first WrestleMania victory before a Sun Life Stadium record crowd of 78,363.

With the victory, Kelly Kelly and Menounos each accomplished individual achievements as well. Kelly Kelly can now boast her first-ever WrestleMania win following her appearances in Divas tag team action at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and WrestleMania XXVI. Menounos, who will now resume training for ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” remains undefeated in WWE competition after also finding success in a Six-Diva Tag Team Match on Raw in 2009.

Team Teddy vs Team Johnny[]

In a battle for total control over both brands on The Grandest Stage of Them All, it was Team Johnny (Team captain David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Drew McIntyre and The Miz) that emerged victorious over Team Teddy, making John Laurinaitis the General Manager of Raw and SmackDown. The match was not without controversy, as a distraction by Eve gave The Miz an opening to take out Zack Ryder with the Skull-Crushing Finale and end Theodore Long’s term in office on Friday night.

Eve, still reeling from her tag team loss to Kelly Kelly and “Extra’s” Maria Menounos, decided to come to ringside to cheer on her “friend” Zack Ryder. Long Island Iced-Z and partners Booker T, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, The Great Khali and United States Champion Santino Marella, seemed to have things under control until Eve climbed into the ring as Ryder prepared to deliver a Broski Boot. Ryder was distracted by the referee trying to get the vivacious vixen back on the stadium floor, which gave The Awesome One the opening to pick up victory. If things weren't bad enough for Long Island Iced-Z, Eve broke his heart once again, hitting him below the belt after the match.

Miz’s pinfall ends a months-long journey to get back to The Show of Shows. The Awesome One said he had been in a bit of a downward spiral since last year’s WrestleMania, where he was in the main event. He had been on a bit of a losing streak in recent weeks, but now has seemingly redeemed himself on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Team Teddy’s loss brings Long’s term as General Manager of SmackDown to an unfortunate end, while Laurinaitis has succeeded in taking over both brands. What does this mean for Teddy Long? His fate now rests in the hands of John Laurinaitis. A new day has dawned, as Laurinaitis will reign over Monday and Friday nights. The Era of Excitement has begun. What will it have in store for WWE?

Results[]

Triple threat tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Primo and Epico (c) (with Rosa Mendes) defeated Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd and The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso)
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan (c) (with AJ Lee)
Tag team match: Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres
Twelve-man tag team match to determine the general manager of both the Raw and SmackDown brands: Team Johnny (David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and The Miz) (with Brie Bella, John Laurinaitis and Vickie Guerrero) defeated Team Teddy (Booker T, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, R-Truth, Santino Marella and Zack Ryder) (with Aksana, Eve Torres, Hornswoggle, Nikki Bella and Theodore Long)