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This contest is scheduled for one fall,
and it is for the WWE Championship!
(ARE YOU READY? PLAYING)
Introducing the challenger,
from San Antonio, Texas,
he is one-half of the World Tag Team Champion
and D-Generation X member,
the Heartbreak Kid,
Shawn Michaels!
JR: DX's Shawn Michaels with a golden opportunity
to once again make history in the WWE.
King, in 30 years that I've been around this business,
I don't think I've ever seen a better big-match wrestler than Shawn Michaels.
JERRY: Well he's certainly superkicked his way
right into this WWE Championship match tonight.
JR: Shawn Michaels delivering Sweet Chin Music to his tag-team partner, John Cena.
Let's not forget that John Cena and Michaels are the World Tag Team Champions.
JERRY: Well, Shawn Michaels told us, and he even told John Cena,
that he would never see it coming, and quite frankly,
I didn't see it coming, nor did John Cena.
But it came, the superkick from HBK.
But tonight, John Cena may see it coming because he knows it's coming.
JR: With 80,103, setting a new Ford Field record here in Detroit,
surpassing Super Bowl XL, Shawn Michaels
has the opportunity, as I mentioned, to make history.
It has been nine years, King, since HBK was WWE Champion.
Here is a man that left the WWE due to a back injury for four years
and returned to become the World Heavyweight Champion,
the same title the Undertaker won here tonight.
JERRY: Well this is indeed a history-making night.
We saw the Undertaker win World Championship gold,
first time in 10 years, and now we see
Mr. McMahon get his head shaved bald. What would cap off this historic night
more than Shawn Michaels once again being the WWE Champion?
JR: Michaels loves the spotlight, loves the main event,
and we've got nothing but great main event treatment here in Detroit this week.
(CAR REVVING)
The folks here at Ford Field...
Well, that's a Ford right there, by the way.
JERRY: Ford Mustang! What the...
What is this, JR, The Fast and the Furious? Look out!
JR: I'm not sure, King.
Well, we're in here. We're underway.
JERRY: It's here, whatever or whoever it is.
My God...
Hey, it's like... Look out!
(TIRES SQUEALING)
JR: Oh, my God.
That Ford Mustang went right through the WrestleMania glass.
(THE TIME IS NOW PLAYING)
JR: The Champ is here!
JERRY: What a driver!
LILIAN: And from West Newbury, Massachusetts,
weighing in at 248 pounds,
he is one-half of the World Tag Team Champion,
and the WWE Champion,
John Cena!
JERRY: Okay, that's what I call making an entrance!
JR: Remind me to not ride shotgun with John Cena.
Shawn Michaels nonplussed by John Cena's arrival.
And by the steel-blue eyes of Shawn Michaels, he has one thing on his mind,
and that's to become the WWE Champion here in the magnificent Ford Field,
where the hospitality this week has been absolutely overwhelming.
JERRY: Well, I don't know... The Ford hospitality's good,
but after that little driving experience by John Cena,
the Detroit police might issue him a season ticket.
JR: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what it's all about,
the WWE Title.
It has been defended 22 times at WrestleMania.
It has changed hands 15 times at WrestleMania.
You do the math, you can compute the odds that John Cena,
who has never lost at WrestleMania,
appearing on his third straight WrestleMania main event.
Does all that math stack up for a Cena win or a Cena loss?
JERRY: Well, when Cena's against the Showstopper,
you can throw all the statistics out the window, JR,
because Shawn Michaels is a man with tremendous passion, a man with tremendous heart,
and he is capable of just about anything in big-match situations.
JR: That's certainly not discounting John Cena's heart, his determination.
Cena has dominated the WWE in the last couple of years,
specifically, as Cena has been the WWE Champion 20 of the last 24 months.
That's what I call dominating.
Michaels knows all about the WWE Title.
He's going for his fifth title reign,
in Michaels' sure-to-be, Hall of Fame career.
JERRY: Well both of these Superstars, Shawn Michaels, John Cena,
tremendous fan-favorites, but tonight,
these over 80,000 fans, they're gonna have to choose.
I mean, I don't think many of these fans are gonna sit here and just be complacent,
not really care who wins this match.
JR: Michaels will have great advantage in experience.
And that, in a big-match environment, at an event...
Well there's no event like WrestleMania.
WrestleMania is the most unique sports entertainment extravaganza
that has ever been created.
And Michaels inviting Cena to step in and Cena did step toward Michaels.
That could backfire on John Cena, being so reactive to Michaels' commands.
JERRY: I can't tell if Shawn Michaels wanted to shake hands to start the...
Uh-oh! No, there'll be no handshaking!
JR: And Michaels...
Striking first!
Insulting Cena with a slap, avoiding the big bombs of Cena's right hand.
And now a DX...
Crotch chop there, King.
JERRY: Well you're right, that's Shawn Michaels' attitude, JR.
And John Cena, you can tell from the look on his face that,
well, I would imagine right now he feels like he just got punked.
JR: Cena's gotta regroup mentally.
Obviously physically, both these men are in magnificent shape,
both coming into this match, as far as I know, at 100%.
No physical ailments. It should be an amazing match-up.
Main event here at WrestleMania. Michaels...
Nice chain wrestle maneuver to the side headlock, changes arms.
JERRY: Both Shawn Michaels and John Cena wrestling
in front of the largest group of fans,
the biggest crowd that they have ever competed in front of.
JR: And Michaels, again Cena can't connect, but Michaels does.
Michaels beating Cena to the punch, literally and figuratively,
in this one-fall match for the WWE Championship.
JERRY: And its deja vu all over again for John Cena, right there.
Shawn Michaels not only beating John Cena to the punch,
but also laying a little trash talk on The Champ.
JR: Shawn Michaels can talk smack with the best of them.
Again, Michaels has rattled Cena's cage.
There's no doubt about it. Cena's spending more time looking down at his shoes.
Now Shawn saying his chest is a little red. No kidding.
From those Ric Flair-like knife edge chops of Shawn Michaels.
John Cena, his pectoral region very red.
And now Michaels again out-wrestling Cena, gaining the advantage
here in the exchange, and Michaels using his shoulder as a block,
blocking that shoulder of John Cena.
Michaels affecting the shoulder joint of John Cena, the powerhouse John Cena.
JERRY: Well, JR, when you're competing in the main event at WrestleMania,
you gotta prepare for this match. You gotta think this match out in your head
probably a hundred, maybe a thousand times.
I can assure you The Champ, this is not what he thought would be happening
at this point in that match,
driving that big Ford Mustang through the streets of Detroit,
crashing it through that glass wall, getting in the ring,
and pretty much being embarrassed so far by HBK.
JR: Michaels out-wrestling John Cena
here in the early-going. Another nice takedown.
Michaels in control, controlling the upper body of John Cena.
Cena's strength lies in his upper body.
Michaels attacking the strength of the reigning WWE Champion,
and got the shoulder on the canvas
that referee Mike Chioda got a one-count out of.
Cena's arm trapped by Shawn Michaels,
Michaels using his body and leg strength to get Cena in a pinning predicament.
The more pinning predicaments you can force your opponent in,
the more apt they're gonna make a mistake.
JR: It's pressure, King.
JERRY: And the longer Shawn Michaels maintains control of this match,
the more that's gonna play on the mind of Cena.
JR: Cena missed twice, but not the third time,
and that big arm of John Cena
(CROWD BOOING)
hammered Michaels with a clothesline.
JERRY: Listen, JR, listen to this big crowd react.
JR: Michaels certainly needs to be wary of being overconfident.
Cena, now, I think is refocused
after not the most auspicious of starts,
with Michaels outwrestling John Cena.
Ahhh!
(CROWD BOOING)
JR: Michaels with a Thesz Press.
And Michaels, with clenched fists, hammering away at John Cena.
And, whoa, Cena sidestepping Shawn Michaels.
And Cena being hung up on the top rope
by his challenger for the WWE Title.
Referee Mike Chioda instructing Michaels to get Cena back in the ring.
JERRY: Oh, my God! Cena was the ring and Shawn Michaels outside.
JR: I meant Shawn Michaels.
And Michaels just hip tossed John Cena right to the outside,
from the ring, to the outside,
now they're lying right in front of us at our announce table.
JERRY: We've already had enough action out here at our announce tables.
(CROWD JEERS)
JR: Stinging knife edge chop by Shawn Michaels on John Cena.
Enzuigiri!
Michaels scores with the enzuigiri on the WWE Champion,
and I can see Cena's eyes, and they're blurry.
Wait, what's Michaels doing?
JERRY: It doesn't look good, JR. Get out of the way!
JERRY: Look out!
JR: Good Lord! Good God!
JR: Michaels with that springboard moonsault,
catching John Cena on our table.
CROWD: (CHANTING) HBK! HBK!
JERRY: Oh, my God.
JR: I'm not sure. Michaels might have hurt that knee,
but Cena took it flush. Look at this.
Michaels throwing every caution to the wind
in his quest, his journey, to be WWE Champion,
Michaels is doing anything he can.
Look at this again, springboard.
JERRY: Now, wait, wait, Shawn...
JR: Cena's back, Michaels is worse for wear as well.
Cena tossed in the ring,
and Shawn Michaels is gonna go for a cover quickly, sooner than later.
John Cena's eyes, King, you saw them as well as I did.
Cena wasn't there for a moment or two.
Michaels back in control, with the WWE Title on the line.
CHIODA: Come on, get him out of the corner.
JR: Michaels measuring, and no clenched fist. Forearm is legal.
Michaels measuring Cena, and Cena is on wobbly legs.
Cena's vertical base has been challenged,
as is Cena's WWE Championship reign.
JERRY: Forget Cena's vertical base, Cena himself has been challenged,
I mean, Cena has hit one, maybe two big moves in this match,
but other than that, it's been completely controlled and dominated by HBK.
Look at this!
JR: Michaels blocks Cena, and then right on that knee joint,
Michaels with a clubbing blow,
a very base offense by Shawn Michaels,
yet extremely effective.
Cena trying to create some distance. Michaels like a shark,
going right for that injured leg,
and Michaels, now, exploiting the left knee of John Cena.
JERRY: Well, it's like Shawn Michaels knew exactly
what Cena was planning to do,
and he's got a counter ready for everything that Cena's thrown at him.
JR: Remember, these men are tag-team partners.
JERRY: Wait a minute, not that knee!
JR: Right in the patela, the knee cap,
and that knee taken against the way it's supposed to bend.
The knee cap was the focal point.
Michaels has isolated that body part.
JERRY: Well, you're right, Shawn Michaels trying to...
Look at that, this is how this entire thing started,
with John Cena's leg, and then ended with
Michaels trying to hyper-extend the knee of John Cena.
If you don't have your legs, JR, you don't have any vertical base to talk about.
JR: And, King, certainly no legs means no FU for John Cena.
JERRY: And no championship.
JR: And Michaels with that chop block,
again, focusing on the left leg of John Cena.
I guarantee you, if you see Michaels go anywhere but the left leg,
as far as the rest of this match is concerned, it'll be a miracle.
JERRY: The referee is concerned.
I think he just asked John Cena
if Cena feels like he can continue.
JR: Couldn't make out what the referee was saying, but I can only assume that
the referee was asking John Cena if he wanted to continue.
And you know Cena's not gonna fold his tent for anybody.
Love him or hate him, John Cena has got lots of guts.
We're seeing that on display right now because
Cena's insistence on competing in this match on one leg.
You know the old cliche.
And Cena trying to turn away, but can't.
Michaels is relentless,
and Michaels utilizing the ropes.
Illegally, yes, but breaking before the count of five.
JERRY: Tell you something, JR, I did not expect this type of match.
Shawn Michaels basically just giving John Cena
a wrestling lesson, if you will,
beating him to every punch.
JR: He's got no legs, Cena's got no legs.
He couldn't strike, and Cena is a great striker, there's no doubt about that.
JERRY: Michaels has actually made John Cena look bad.
JR: Eye to eye, eye to eye.
JERRY: I can't make out what he's saying.
I do think I heard the word "partner," and that's all I could make out.
JR: I'm sure it was more mind games by Shawn Michaels,
or more verbiage to confuse, perhaps, John Cena.
Cena again being punished, and another knife edge,
but Cena comes back with a hard right hand,
a body shot that scores and bends Michaels over,
and the right hand of Michaels comes back with a knife edge,
and Cena strikes again.
The WWE Champion, using the rope to hold himself up.
JERRY: A lot of power behind those blows of John Cena when they do land.
(CROWD BOOING)
JR: And Michaels up, now, he's on unsteady legs himself, is Shawn Michaels.
Michaels backing Cena in a corner.
(CROWD EXCLAIMS)
JR: The hard knife edge, and then the big-time right hand,
the first huge right that Cena has landed,
takes Michaels down, but only for a moment,
as Michaels, with that rush of adrenaline,
buries his shoulder in Cena,
who is still using the ropes in that corner,
to hold Cena upright.
JERRY: Well, Shawn Michaels so far, in this match,
has made John Cena miss many times,
but Shawn Michaels does not want to get into a slugfest with The Champ,
I can assure you of that.
JR: Michaels, pugnacious,
and continuing to focus on the left leg of John Cena.
A one-legged man cannot be WWE Champion, in my estimation.
No offense to John Cena or any one-legged man,
that's just the way that it is when you're in the ring with someone like Shawn Michaels.
JERRY: John Cena trying to fight back here.
JR: Well, you know John Cena's not gonna lay down or roll over.
And he's not gonna make excuses either.
JERRY: I know he's not.
Shawn Michaels is doing his best to lay John Cena down.
JR: Michaels, Michaels' head...
I think Michaels' head hit the ring post.
While Cena fell out of the way,
Cena's leg gave away on him,
Michaels tried to deliver a shoulder and... Oh, yes.
JERRY: Oh, man.
JR: Michaels in a bad way, bleeding, after striking that ring post.
Let's get another look here.
JERRY: Let's see it one more time, Shawn Michaels charging,
charging at John Cena, Cena moving out of the way,
and Shawn Michaels hits his head.
JR: The second shot, a much better angle,
and it was clear that Michaels' head struck the ring post.
Michaels very unsteady now,
and rightfully so.
JERRY: Cena not too steady.
JR: Cena measured Michaels,
and Cena, now, mounting Michaels and smashing Michaels in the face
with those big right hands,
just like Michaels did Cena earlier.
The WWE Champion is retaliating.
JERRY: John Cena sees his opportunity and he seizes it.
JR: And now the power and intensity of John Cena coming to the front.
Now Cena with a shoulder block,
and Shawn Michaels' face a crimson mask.
Cena now starts to feel a noticeable advantage.
Momentum has changed.
JERRY: Momentum has changed, that is an understatement.
John Cena completely in control now,
Shawn Michaels bleeding, flat on his back.
JR: John Cena.
JERRY: You can't see me.
I think we're about to witness a little Five Knuckle Shuffle from The Champ.
JR: Michaels unable to protect himself,
Michaels receiving another big-time right hand,
and John Cena now, measuring his challenger,
in a bloody Shawn Michaels.
Again, Michaels and Cena are the World Tag Champions,
but they're not partners tonight.
JERRY: No, they are not.
JR: Michaels able to free himself, perhaps out of desperation.
And Michaels upside down in the corner from the velocity
of that Irish Whip.
The strength of Cena.
(CROWD EXCLAIMS)
Shawn Michaels' superkick,
his Sweet Chin Music,
was an errant one,
intended for Cena, Cena ducked,
and Shawn Michaels... Looked like he took the head of the referee.
JERRY: Check this out one more time, Cena ducks down, then,
Cena ducks the superkick, but it lands square in the face of the referee.
JR: The ref didn't get hit in the shoulder, that was right in the face.
And now John Cena,
(JERRY EXCLAIMS)
Michaels counters! Michaels countered with a DDT!
Both men are down, champion and challenger.
JERRY: John Cena's eyes rolled back in his head, they're glazed over.
Check out this countermove.
Oh, man! HBK pulled one off.
JR: That was a brilliant counter by the magnificent Shawn Michaels,
the challenger for the WWE Title,
who made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania V.
Tonight he's in the main event at WrestleMania XXIII.
And a bloody Michaels can sense, in the spirit of competition,
the gamesmanship.
Shawn Michaels...
JERRY: Now what?
JR: We had a pretty fair fight going,
and Shawn Michaels navigating those steel steps around.
It's like a war zone out here at ringside tonight.
JERRY: The referee is down, and it looks like Shawn Michaels is gonna
throw that spirit of competition to the wind, JR.
JR: I think you're right, King.
Michaels positioning Cena, no referee here.
Referee Mike Chioda got superkicked, inadvertently.
And Michaels, what's he gonna do here?
JERRY: Oh, wait a minute!
JR: Piledriver! Piledriver!
JERRY: On the steel steps?
JR: Oh, God! A spike piledriver! Shawn Michaels spike-piledriving John Cena,
on the ring steps.
JERRY: He may have broken The Champ's neck.
Oh, man!
JR: Michaels is debilitating John Cena, the WWE Champion.
JERRY: Oh!
Cena's head smashing into the steel steps.
Michaels knows full well he cannot become WWE Champion by winning by count-out.
But the damage has been done,
the back of Cena's head has been gashed.
A serious, serious injury. There you see John Cena,
his head exposed, driven into the steel steps by Michaels' spike piledriver.
And John Cena will soon be lying in a pool of his own blood,
in his quest to remain WWE Champion.
JERRY: No referee, Shawn!
JR: This is a tense situation.
Cena bleeding, Michaels in control, obviously.
Perhaps the understatement of the night, Michaels is in complete control.
JERRY: Michaels called for another referee and here comes another ref.
JR: And the count!
Oh, oh, oh!
Referee Jack Doan got the longest two-count I can remember seeing.
I'd love to see that again. How close was that to being three?
JERRY: I cannot believe that John Cena was able to get his shoulder up.
Went to two and seven-eighths, like you said.
JR: The fact that John Cena was able to kick out,
is a testament to Cena's guts and determination.
JERRY: Now what has Shawn Michaels got in store for his tag-team partner?
JR: Cena reverses!
JR: And Michaels, vintage Shawn Michaels. Oh, the feeling here...
I wish, wherever you are, you could be at ringside with us, this is the feeling you get.
Look at the expression on Shawn Michaels' face.
This is a WrestleMania moment,
as Michaels can sense his fifth WWE title reign.
JERRY: I think I'm starting to sense it as well, JR.
Everything that John Cena tries to come up with,
somehow HBK blocks or stops it.
JR: Michaels contemplating, but not for long.
Going to the top rope. Shawn Michaels with a bloody face.
JERRY: Here he comes!
JR: A fighting spirit that may not have been matched in the WWE's history,
Shawn Michaels can sense, he can feel, he can taste
the WWE Championship here at WrestleMania XXIII.
JERRY: Shawn Michaels would do absolutely anything he can to win this title.
JR: Michaels is bleeding, Cena is bleeding, a referee has been knocked out.
A second referee in place, and the band is tuning up.
JERRY: Well, we first saw Shawn Michaels focus on Cena's knee,
his leg, then the piledriver in the stairs,
and now Shawn wants to finish this off, with this.
Oh! Oh, my God.
JR: Cena out of nowhere, and Michaels didn't see it coming.
Have we heard that before?
Michaels did not see the clothesline coming,
80,103 on their feet.
JR: Impact!
JR: Do you like the smash mouth?
That was a hell of a slobberknocker of a clothesline
that almost beheaded the challenger Shawn Michaels,
but Michaels is stirring, and so is John Cena.
JERRY: You gotta hand it to HBK. How do you get up?
That may have been a tooth that Shawn Michaels just spit out.
How do you get up after that clothesline?
(CROWD EXCLAIMS)
JR: Back with a chop. Cena with a right hand. Cena with a big-time right.
And now Michaels comes back with a right hand of his own.
The clenched fists are flying.
JERRY: And if you ask me, I'm just saying,
I don't think that this is a battle that Shawn Michaels can win.
JR: I think you're right. Cena's gonna win the ground war,
Cena's gonna win the fist fight.
(CROWD CHEERS)
JR: And that's no disrespect to Shawn Michaels.
Cena's bigger and he's stronger.
(CROWD CHEERS LOUDLY)
JERRY: Wait a minute.
JR: Michaels went out the back porch, down the back of John Cena.
Cradled Cena, got a near fall,
so even when it seems like Cena's in control,
Michaels has the ability to think and make the counter.
(CROWD CHEERS)
JR: Michaels shoots Cena off, not long in the headlock for Michaels.
Michaels trying to leapfrog John Cena.
This time will he... Yes!
Michaels' body was just...
JERRY: You gotta cover him, Cena. You gotta cover him.
JR: And now, John Cena...
JERRY: Cena's best opportunity of the night.
JR: We know how bad Cena's hurting.
But will it be enough?
Cena, got the cover, hook of the leg, and a three!
JERRY: No, no!
JR: John Cena's strength, just with this...
Right there. Shawn Michaels so resilient.
JERRY: John Cena catching Shawn Michaels in mid-air.
JR: Cena's strength, his guts, his desire,
has brought Cena back into contention,
for his own WWE Title,
in a match that started out all Shawn Michaels.
Momentum has changed on numerous occasions in this confrontation.
John Cena's struggling with the elbow, you see the elbow,
took three elbows right to the jaw,
and I think that first one really rattled John Cena.
JERRY: You're right, that could dislocate your jaw.
JR: That could cause some separation, to say the least.
Michaels' first elbow really connected with Cena,
and then Michaels followed up with two more.
Shawn Michaels, the Showstopper, the Main Event,
looking to win the main event.
JERRY: Here he comes! Oh!
Oh, my God!
JR: Good Lord, the strength of John Cena.
Rolling through to pick up Shawn Michaels!
JERRY: You gotta be kidding me!
No, look at Michaels!
Oh!
JR: And Cena, avoiding Sweet Chin Music...
Cena looking for the STF.
JERRY: Shawn trying his best to fight out of that!
You gotta... Look at that! Look at that! Look at that!
Oh, my God!
JR: Man, that's Cena's power. Came to...
Came to the dance again, Cena able power out of
a modified inside cradle.
Another brilliant counter by the challenger, Shawn Michaels.
JR: Cena refusing to stay down.
JERRY: What a series of moves and counters and near-misses that we saw there, JR.
JR: This match is emotionally draining,
as exciting as we've seen all night long.
Michaels misses with the enzuigiri. And there! Yes!
JERRY: Cena's got it locked in!
JR: The powerhouse, John Cena, torturing Shawn Michaels.
JERRY: Shawn Michaels' only hope now is to somehow make it to the ropes.
There's no way to break this.
JR: Cena's hands. Look at Cena's hands.
Michaels trying to turn on his side.
JERRY: And Cena trying to block that right arm of Shawn,
the only one that can probably reach the ropes.
JR: If Michaels does not reach the ropes,
JERRY: Oh, he did!
JR: And this crowd loves it,
because this match will continue!
JERRY: With the referee manhandling John Cena to break that hold.
JR: I call that good officiating.
Knock it off! I said knock it off! He's got the ropes, you break the hold!
Hey! Listen to me next time!
JERRY: I call that a little overzealous.
JR: Good Lord, there it is! That's it! That's it!
Sweet Chin Music!
Cena focused on the referee,
Michaels saw the whole scene,
took advantage, did Michaels, and delivers Sweet Chin Music.
There was no sympathy for Cena.
JERRY: Now, Shawn Michaels, you gotta cover John Cena.
This is your... This may be your only opportunity.
JR: Michaels keeps putting out the hits.
Will a bullet, with Sweet Chin Music. Will it be enough?
These men have given everything they've got here tonight. The arm over.
Will it be... No, no!
Cena will not die.
JERRY: Oh, my God! Check this out one more time.
Cena turns right into the superkick from the Showstopper.
JR: Unfortunately for Michaels, he was unable
to capitalize after the Sweet Chin Music,
much like Cena earlier.
These men are spent.
They have given us every ounce of their being here tonight
in this wonderful main event for the WWE Title.
JERRY: Looks like it took every ounce of strength that Shawn Michaels had
just to crawl over and drape one arm
across the chest of Cena, but that didn't get the job done.
JR: The referee up to the count of six.
This would be a crime
for this match to end on a count-out.
An absolute crime,
here live tonight at WrestleMania XXIII.
JERRY: He's up to eight! He's up to eight!
REFEREE: Nine!
JR: The referee said they'll continue.
The referee got to a nine-count.
There's a hunk of meat out of Cena's head.
Michaels has been busted open as well.
And both men are trying to get at their feet, everything they can.
Every bit of spirit and competition.
JERRY: They're actually balancing against one another.
I think if either one fell, the other would fall as well!
JR: Is there anything left that these two men have not left in the ring tonight?
And Cena again, no! Michaels counters!
Cena counters! Cena counters!
JERRY: He's got it!
JR: Michaels has lost the blood!
Michaels has done everything he can!
But Cena's got the STF!
Michaels...
Will Michaels tap?
Will the great Shawn Michaels, who's been bringing it here tonight...
He's caught! He's caught! And Cena wins!
(BELL DINGING)
(THE TIME IS NOW PLAYING)
Good God Almighty, what a match!
What a wrestling match!
LILIAN: Your winner by submission,
and still the WWE Champion,
John Cena!
JERRY: Shawn Michaels taps out at the hands of John Cena,
and John Cena is still the champ!
JR: What an amazing,
amazing WrestleMania main event
for the WWE Title.
And that man, John Cena,
is still the WWE Champion,
battling through the brilliance of Shawn Michaels' game plan here tonight.
King, you know that better than I,
Michaels had a great game plan.
JERRY: Oh, absolutely.
Shawn Michaels... The first three-quarters of this match,
Shawn Michaels had it well in hand.
I'm sure he was feeling good about it.
But somewhere that momentum turned.
And it turned in favor of The Champ.
JR: And the mark of a great champion,
is to take any challenger,
their best shot, and John Cena
took Shawn Michaels' best shot here tonight.
I have the utmost respect for the WWE Champion.
And for Shawn Michaels.
This is the moment that we all work for.
This is a part of our life's journey
in sports entertainment, to be a part of a wrestling match
like we've just witnessed.
JERRY: Like a night we've just witnessed.
So many great athletes here tonight put it all on the line.
What a night this has been. Look at that. John Cena!
Still the champ!
JR: This record-setting Ford Field crowd on their feet
as we celebrate an epic WrestleMania.
JERRY: I think John Cena just said that
this win was for his father.
JR: John Cena Sr.
An emotional moment for the WWE Champion.
And I'll tell you what,
if you told me before the match that Shawn Michaels was gonna wrestle
a near-perfect match and lose,
I'd have tried to take some of your money.
JERRY: I'll tell you, absolutely amazing.
The moves, the counters, the back and forth momentum we saw tonight.
There was one of the last FU's delivered by John Cena.
Thought he had it, but somehow,
somehow HBK kicked out of that.
Well, Shawn Michaels thought that he had things well in hand,
but finally that vaunted superkick found its mark.
JR: And to John Cena's credit,
Cena refusing to lose!
And when's the last time you saw somebody kick out of Sweet Chin Music?
JERRY: Uh-oh, wait a minute.
JR: Cena, I think,
was trying to do what he perceived to be the right thing,
but a competitive Shawn Michaels in an emotional state.
NARRATOR: After competing with WWE's young franchise star,
Shawn turned his attention to an entirely different endeavor for WrestleMania XXIV,
an extremely emotional battle with his childhood hero.