Original subtitles

We welcome you to WrestleMania.

WrestleMania is WWE's Super Bowl.

Year after year, superstars look to up the ante

at the show of shows.

Oh my gosh.

Bringing nonstop excitement again and again.

Oh.

Damn, and Mayweather wins the match.

Oh.

And audiences were certainly not prepared

for the breathtaking moments WWE would deliver

as they entered the new millennium.

Oh, my God.

Today we look back at some of the greatest

WrestleMania matches of the 2000s.

I cannot believe what we've just seen.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

If you smell-

Oh, my God.

What the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone,

to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole, and on this edition,

we're looking back at WrestleMania matches

from one of the most consequential decades

in WWE history, the 2000s.

As WWE was heading into the new

millennium, two of its grandest stars would lead the charge.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock.

I got one reason and one reason only to go inside

that ring, and that is to beat "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

It's just that simple.

I need to beat you, Rock.

I need it more than anything that you can ever imagine.

Over 67,000 passionate fans would fill

the Houston Astrodome at WrestleMania 17

to witness this iconic matchup.

There can be only one.

This, JR, is the main event.

The atmosphere in the arena

at WrestleMania 17 was through the roof.

It was important to me that I was the one

leading the pack, and Steve Austin sure as hell

didn't want to be second.

There was no stare-down.

There was no trash-talking.

These two just got it on in the most personal of title matches

that I have ever witnessed.

And it was the two biggest and best

colliding again.

The people hanging on every single move,

waiting to see who was gonna win this match

because it was damn near 50-50 throughout the whole thing.

Stunner.

What the hell's this about?

He handed the chair

to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

What the hell is this?

It's a new champion.

God Almighty.

And not only do you become World Champion,

now you align yourself with the company's top heel.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin has sold his soul.

When you perform to the highest level

and you deliver, it's a great feeling.

What a contest.

In March of 2004, WWE celebrated the 20-year

anniversary of WrestleMania, and what better way

to cap it off than with a WWE Championship match

for the ages.

Newly crowned WWE Champion "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero,

and the Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.

Two of the greatest in-ring competitors at that time.

I am the WWE Champion.

And I'll be proud to take it from you.

So, ladies and gentlemen, for the 20th time,

the WWE title is being defended at WrestleMania.

WrestleMania XX, I got to wrestle Kurt Angle.

What an honor.

Oh, shoulder knocked down by the champion.

Oh, and another one.

Eddie Guerrero at his prime was the greatest

wrestler of my time, period.

Eddie Guerrero.

Oh.

Frog Splash connects.

It's over, baby.

He's got it.

He's got it.

Oh.

When I did wrestle Eddie,

the matches were five-star.

He was so polished.

Oh.

Top rope.

Eddie and I, we connected.

We understood each other.

Eddie was the most passionate guy I've ever been

in the ring with.

Tap out, Eddie.

Just-

To the ankle lock.

Just tap-

Wait a minute.

The boot went flying.

The boot came off.

Look at this.

Small package.

One, two--

Eddie wins.

Eddie wins.

But wait a minute.

Eddie wins.

But that's not-

Eddie wins.

But he cheated.

It's a special moment

that I'm gonna hold in my life,

because you never know when it's going to happen again.

Eddie Guerrero outsmarted Kurt Angle.

Tremendous matchup.

In the early 2000s,

Trish Stratus was on top of the wrestling world,

but awaiting her was a rivalry

unlike anything the WWE Universe had ever seen before.

Hi.

Oh, my God, I'm Mickie James.

Hey.

I'm Raw's newest diva.

Newly debuting superstar, Mickie James,

was a self-proclaimed Trish Stratus superfan,

but her obsession became too much

for the queen of Stratusfaction to handle.

You and I, we just-

we just need some time apart.

All right?

Mickie's a little overzealous sometimes

with her passion.

When her idol rejected her,

James was absolutely furious.

Do you love me now?

And her rage fueled a confrontation between

them that culminated in the show of shows, WrestleMania 22.

The following contest is for

the WWE Women's Championship.

Superfan that becomes the worst enemy,

and at WrestleMania, it came to fruition.

Trish has been in the ring with the greatest

competitors in the WWE, but no one as unpredictable-

Man.

as Mickie James.

It was real emotion.

People really felt one way or the other, to the point where

some people were cheering me, which was,

"What is happening here?"

A lot of these fans are actually

identifying with Mickie James.

That's the only reason I bought

that Mania that year.

As a young boy, wanting to see the-the culmination

of this wrestling story between these two women,

I feel like that's a great thing in the evolution

of women's wrestling.

Oh.

Mickie James may be the new champ.

Will it be enough?

What?

Yes, it is.

Wait a minute.

We've got a new champion.

To have a WrestleMania moment,

to have a WrestleMania match, we were pretty much

at the highest point we've been for the women in our company.

It's one of those matches that you look at,

and you go, "Wow, like, let's go."

Mickie James has won the women's title.

The Dudleys, the Hardys, and Edge and Christian

never disappointed the WWE Universe

when pitted against each other,

and when the stakes were raised, so was the energy.

What the heck?

As these six superstars were set

to compete in a triangle ladder match.

With the tag team championships hanging high above the ring,

the three hottest tag teams of the era would step foot

on the grandest stage of them all.

What followed would alter the landscape of WWE forever.

This should be an amazing offensive display.

You can expect some high-risk maneuvers

like we've never seen before.

It's competitive.

Everybody's pushing each other to have the best match

of the night.

"Okay, we better tear it up."

This is some unbelievable innovation

with these three ladders now in the ring.

The Hardys and Edge and Christian

had already done the ladder match,

so we wanted to introduce the other aspects using the tables.

Dualing tables.

Double carnage.

We went out and beat the hell out of each other.

All that stuff is so memorable

because we were the first ones to do it.

You've made it to WrestleMania,

you gotta try to ride that wave wherever it takes you.

Oh, for God's sakes, don't do it, Jeff.

It's a very insane, uh, risk versus reward scenario,

but for the most part, there was no hesitation.

Swanton Bomb, top of the ladder to the floor.

We just continued to elevate the standards for,

like, what that match could be.

And I think our legacy will have a lot to do

with the ladder match.

Matt Hardy, it's all--

Oh.

Oh, no.

Edge pushed Matt right through the table.

Edge and Christian.

Edge and Christian have won it.

Man, the six of us just killed it.

We crushed that.

And then that, to me, was the first instance of understanding

like, "Okay, we are all a part of something that is important

to the product now."

Edge and Christian are the new Tag Team Champions.

For over a decade and a half,

The Undertaker was a dominant force.

He had achieved nearly everything

a WWE superstar could ever dream of.

2007, The Deadman would win his first Royal Rumble match.

Undertaker is going to WrestleMania.

It didn't take long for The Phenom to defiantly choose

a shot at Batista's WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Batista, at WrestleMania,

your reign as champion will rest in peace.

This match is for the World Heavyweight

Championship.

WrestleMania always means a lot, so to go in such a

huge match, it ended up being really special

because it's a world title match.

We are about to see something that might get ugly,

but we're about to watch one hell of a fight.

There's a lot of pressure

that comes with WrestleMania.

It's big time.

Man, it is.

Undertaker measuring the champion,

flying through the air.

And the 300-pounder.

That is what WrestleMania's all about.

I felt like I was doing things instinctively

and without thought.

I felt like I held my own with Undertaker.

We gave the crowd the match of the night.

Two great warriors going for all the gold

is what it's all about.

Undertaker.

Look at this.

Tombstone Piledriver.

Wow.

There's two.

We have a new world champion.

You have two guys that respect each other.

They're at the top of their games.

You can't ask for more than that.

15-0 at WrestleMania.

It was clear from day one

that Randy Orton was a special talent.

Transforming from an eager rookie into a brash superstar,

Orton quickly made a name for himself by targeting WWE

legends, including "The Deadman" The Undertaker.

At WrestleMania 21,

the legend of The Undertaker will become a myth.

Randy Orton will rest in peace.

It is the legend versus

"The Legend Killer".

Randy Orton "The Legend Killer" being in the ring

with The Undertaker, that's huge.

He's young, he's brash, he's arrogant,

and he is good.

Here I have this young guy

who obviously is a huge star already.

Oh, my.

Orton is going for a ride.

Into an RKO.

Oh, man.

He stepped up and delivered

on the grandest stage of all.

Here it is.

Here's the cover.

Oh.

And Undertaker kicked out.

He's going for the Tombstone.

Uh-oh.

Oh, no.

What the hell?

And Undertaker reversed it.

13-0-

What a match.

for The Undertaker.

An amazing match right there.

That was awesome.

2006 saw Rey Mysterio overcome every odd

and win the Royal Rumble from the number two spot.

Oh.

Rey Mysterio is going to WrestleMania.

Mysterio knew he only had one thing left to do.

Win the whole darn thing.

I hope I make you even more proud when I go out

to WrestleMania and win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Rey was determined to win

the world title in memory of his best friend, Eddie Guerrero,

who passed away a few months prior.

And to do so, the legendary luchador was faced

with a near-impossible task.

Taking on both Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a triple threat

match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

It is one of the most emotional matches

I've ever had the honor of calling.

The following contest is a triple threat match

scheduled for one fall and it is for the World Heavyweight

Championship.

WrestleMania 22 was the peak of my career,

and a tribute to Eddie.

He saw me from the heavens.

Oh, my God.

There's the dropkick, working on the smaller man.

Double German Suplex.

Oh, my God.

Randy Orton whipped.

Any fan that watches knows

that he can beat you at any moment.

He has that, "I can overcome that."

Mysterio.

Watch out.

Seated Senton.

Look at this guy.

Jackknife cover-

A new champion.

He got it.

Oh.

A kick out at two again.

You had no idea who was gonna win.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats

the whole entire time.

Springboard.

Wow.

One, two.

He got it.

He got him.

He got him.

Oh my.

Mysterio wins the title.

We're not here forever.

We have to make the best out of each and every moment

'cause you don't know if it's gonna come back again.

Eddie would have loved to have seen me as a champion.

Dreams will be indeed come true.

Rey Mysterio is the World Heavyweight Champion.

Arguably the greatest of all time,

Ric Flair had an in-ring career that spanned over 30 years.

In 2008, The Nature Boy was reaching the end of the line

as a WWE superstar.

The first match you lose, your career is over.

Flair was more resilient than ever,

issuing a challenge to Shawn Michaels.

It would be my honor to wrestle you

at WrestleMania.

One night, after being immortalized

in the WWE Hall of Fame-

Woo.

Flair was face-to-face

with Mr. WrestleMania.

The time has come for "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

to put his career on the line against Shawn Michaels.

The biggest moment in my wrestling career

was Shawn and me in my retirement.

Flair wanted to be in the ring with the best.

Oh, good grief.

Flair's gotta capitalize here early.

Michaels explodes with a forearm.

Oh.

Given all the amazing things he had done

in his career, it needed to be extra special.

God's sakes.

Flair's got the figure-four.

Michaels too close to the ropes.

The Showstopper.

Hits with the elbow.

Shawn was the perfect guy to do it.

It's the emotion that he puts into things.

Oh, my God, what a shot.

That was just me sort of telling Ric

I think the world of him.

Michaels, will it be?

Yes.

He said, "I love you."

It's a great moment in wrestling.

I don't care what anybody says.

The greatest to ever lace a pair of boots.

As the decades pass,

WWE sees new faces that capture the attention

of the WWE Universe and usher the company into new eras.

In the early 2000s, The Rock was just that face,

but The Brahma Bull wasn't the first to have

the WWE Universe in the palm of his hand.

That honor went to "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan.

The Hulkster had recently made his return to WWE

as part of the villainous New World Order.

How do you feel about headlining one more

WrestleMania with The Rock?

Yes.

And look at the flashbulbs.

This is a WrestleMania moment.

That stare down with The Rock was magic.

Once that happened, I knew-

I knew the match was gonna work.

60,000-plus fans at the SkyDome going crazy.

Oh.

Oh, the power of Hogan.

I don't know, JR, if this is nostalgia or what,

but it's amazing that-

Oh,

this crowd is so solidly behind-

Man.

Hulk.

I thought for sure they'd be booing me and throwing

stuff at me and trying to get at me and kill me.

These people love you more than you ever imagined they would.

The Rock Bottom.

My God, Hogan kicked out-

Look at this.

of the Rock Bottom.

Is he gonna Hulk Up, JR?

He is.

Oh, he got it.

The big Leg Drop.

The leg is hooked.

Oh, my God.

My God, The Rock kicked out.

People were really just engrossed in the match

like I've never seen before.

Rock with the People's Elbow on Hogan.

Oh.

And The Rock wins it.

What that meant to me, I'm grateful to Hulk.

This match lived up to the hype.

It didn't live up to it, it far surpassed it.

It's now time for our number one moment,

and it's the one that is widely considered the greatest

WrestleMania match of all time.

The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania was one

of the most impressive feats a superstar has ever achieved.

A man who's never lost at WrestleMania.

9 and 0.

You can't stop him.

12 and 0.

15 and 0.

The greatest streak alive.

At WrestleMania 25, The Deadman's challenger

was none other than Mr. WrestleMania himself,

Shawn Michaels.

You may be 16 and 0 at WrestleMania,

but I am Mr. WrestleMania.

HBK would attempt slaying the streak in a match

that literally saw heaven and hell colliding.

Can Michaels hand the first loss ever on

The Undertaker has been the question on everyone's mind.

And Michaels kicked out.

Oh.

Oh, God.

It was magical.

The stars aligned.

You just know when you're out there-

we are killin' this.

Oh, and a kick out again.

Impossible.

Storytelling is what we do.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my.

Oh, my God.

It was just amazing that it happened

on the grandest stage of all.

And Undertaker made it back.

He's back in the ring.

The streak's alive.

The end-all be-all of doing this job

is just creating a glimmer of doubt.

There it is.

Sweet Chin Music again.

Kiss the streak goodbye.

And again.

That's probably the greatest match

I've ever seen.

Michaels caught in mid air.

Tombstone.

He did it.

17 and 0.

What an absolutely unbelievable match.

WrestleMania has always been and always will be the biggest night

in Sports Entertainment, and the 2000s proved just that.

Providing some of the most memorable matches

the WWE Universe has ever seen.

Well, that'll do it for this edition

of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at some of the most iconic

WrestleMania matches in a pivotal era in professional

wrestling history, the 2000s.