WWE WrestleMania 28, formally billed as WrestleMania XXVIII, was a WWE professional wrestling pay-per-view event held on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The 28th annual WrestleMania featured performers from WWE’s Raw and SmackDown brands and was promoted around The Rock’s return to singles competition against John Cena.
The event comprised nine matches, including one pre-show contest. Its other major attractions were The Undertaker versus Triple H inside Hell in a Cell, CM Punk defending the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho, and Daniel Bryan defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus.
Production and promotion
WrestleMania XXVIII took place at Sun Life Stadium, the open-air home of the Miami Dolphins. Although WWE’s promotion emphasized Miami, the stadium itself is in Miami Gardens. The company announced a crowd of 78,363; that figure is also listed in The SmackDown Hotel’s compilation of WWE attendance records. As with many wrestling attendance announcements, it should be understood as WWE’s announced total rather than an independently audited turnstile count.
The event’s identity was shaped by the unusually long promotion of its main event. The Rock and John Cena had confronted one another at WrestleMania XXVII, where The Rock became involved in Cena’s WWE Championship match against The Miz. On the following night’s Raw, WWE announced Rock versus Cena for the next WrestleMania, giving the company nearly a full year to build the match. It was marketed as “Once in a Lifetime,” contrasting Cena, WWE’s leading full-time star of the period, with The Rock, who had become a major film actor after reducing his wrestling schedule.
WrestleMania 28 was distributed through traditional pay-per-view and supported by WWE’s customary week of media appearances and fan events. The presentation included an elaborate palm-tree-themed stage suited to the South Florida setting. According to the event overview at WrestleMania XXVIII, WWE reported an $8.9 million live gate, then a company record for a live event.
As part of WWE’s annual flagship series, WrestleMania 28 is included among WrestlingWiki’s broader archive of professional wrestling events.
Storylines
The matches were presented as conclusions or major chapters in scripted WWE storylines. Rock and Cena’s rivalry mixed their on-screen conflict with genuine differences in career trajectory. Cena criticized Rock for leaving WWE to pursue acting, while Rock questioned Cena’s public persona and standing with the audience. Their exchanges continued through recorded messages, promotional appearances and face-to-face segments before the two met in Rock’s home region of South Florida.
The Undertaker and Triple H entered WrestleMania 28 with a storyline rooted in their match at WrestleMania XXVII. Undertaker had won that encounter by submission but was carried away afterward, allowing Triple H to argue that he had inflicted the greater physical damage. Undertaker sought a rematch, which Triple H initially resisted. The match was eventually made a Hell in a Cell contest, with Shawn Michaels—Triple H’s longtime friend and Undertaker’s opponent at WrestleManias XXV and XXVI—appointed special guest referee. WWE promoted it as the “End of an Era,” tying together the three wrestlers’ shared history.
WWE Champion CM Punk defended against Chris Jericho in a feud based on both wrestlers’ claims to be the “best in the world.” On television, Jericho attempted to provoke Punk by referring to addiction and alcoholism in Punk’s family history. General manager John Laurinaitis added a stipulation under which Punk could lose the championship if he were disqualified, increasing the storyline risk that the champion’s anger would cost him the title.
World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was paired with Royal Rumble winner Sheamus. Bryan’s on-screen relationship with AJ Lee was also central to his presentation. Elsewhere, Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes repeatedly mocked Big Show’s history of embarrassing WrestleMania moments, leading to their title match. Randy Orton’s rivalry with Kane centered on Kane’s effort to reassert his monstrous identity after shaking Orton’s hand following an earlier defeat.
The struggle for control of Raw and SmackDown produced a 12-man tag-team match. John Laurinaitis and Theodore Long each selected six representatives, with the winning executive gaining authority over both programs. A celebrity match was also included: television personality Maria Menounos joined Kelly Kelly against Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres.
Event
Pre-show
The pre-show featured a triple-threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Primo and Epico retained against The Usos and the team of Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel. Because it occurred before the main pay-per-view broadcast, the match is sometimes separated from the eight-bout televised card, although it formed part of the overall WrestleMania program.
Opening matches
The pay-per-view opened with Daniel Bryan defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus. Bryan kissed AJ Lee immediately after the bell and then turned into a Brogue Kick. Sheamus pinned him in 18 seconds to win the championship. The abrupt result became one of the event’s most discussed moments and left Bryan without a sustained title defense on the show.
Kane defeated Randy Orton in the next match. After surviving Orton’s offense, Kane delivered a chokeslam from the second rope and secured the pinfall. Big Show then challenged Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship. Show countered Rhodes’s attempt to use the Disaster Kick and won with a knockout punch, capturing the title. Within WWE’s storyline, the victory also answered Rhodes’s campaign of showing footage from Big Show’s previous WrestleMania setbacks.
Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos defeated Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres when Menounos pinned Phoenix with a roll-up. Menounos competed despite entering the event with reported rib injuries, which were incorporated into the match’s story.
Hell in a Cell and control of Raw and SmackDown
The Undertaker defeated Triple H in the Hell in a Cell match, extending his on-screen WrestleMania winning streak to 20–0. Shawn Michaels’s role as referee repeatedly affected the contest: he considered stopping the match, became physically involved and delivered Sweet Chin Music to Undertaker before Triple H followed with a Pedigree. Undertaker survived the sequence and eventually won with a Tombstone Piledriver. Afterward, Undertaker and Michaels helped Triple H from the ring, and the three stood together on the entrance stage.
Team Johnny then defeated Team Teddy. Laurinaitis’s team consisted of David Otunga, Mark Henry, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler and The Miz, while Long’s side comprised Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder, The Great Khali and Booker T. Eve Torres distracted Ryder near the finish, allowing Miz to pin him after a Skull-Crushing Finale. Under the match stipulation, Laurinaitis gained control of both Raw and SmackDown.
WWE Championship and main event
CM Punk retained the WWE Championship against Chris Jericho by submission. Jericho repeatedly tried to provoke Punk into being disqualified, exploiting the special condition attached to the match. Punk maintained control of his temper and ultimately forced Jericho to submit to the Anaconda Vise. The rivalry continued after WrestleMania rather than ending with Punk’s successful defense.
The Rock defeated John Cena in the main event. The match was structured around each wrestler surviving the other’s signature offense. Near the finish, Cena attempted to imitate Rock’s People’s Elbow rather than immediately pursuing a conventional pin. Rock recovered, caught Cena with a Rock Bottom and scored the decisive fall. The result gave Rock his first WrestleMania victory since 2002 and closed the event in front of his home-state audience.
Results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Primo and Epico vs. The Usos vs. Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel | Primo and Epico retained the WWE Tag Team Championship |
| Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus | Sheamus won the World Heavyweight Championship |
| Randy Orton vs. Kane | Kane won |
| Cody Rhodes vs. Big Show | Big Show won the Intercontinental Championship |
| Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres vs. Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos | Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos won |
| The Undertaker vs. Triple H, Hell in a Cell | The Undertaker won |
| Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy | Team Johnny won |
| CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho | CM Punk retained the WWE Championship |
| The Rock vs. John Cena | The Rock won |
A contemporary match-card and results summary is available from The SmackDown Hotel’s WrestleMania 28 event record.
Reception and aftermath
Critical discussion generally centered on the three longest promoted matches: Rock versus Cena, Undertaker versus Triple H, and Punk versus Jericho. The Hell in a Cell match was frequently praised for its dramatic use of Michaels and for drawing on the participants’ WrestleMania history. Rock versus Cena attracted attention for its scale and atmosphere, while Punk versus Jericho was noted as a more technically focused championship match. The 18-second World Heavyweight Championship contest drew a more divided response because of its brevity; Bleacher Report’s event grading, for example, rated Bryan versus Sheamus particularly poorly.
The event established several immediate directions for WWE television. Laurinaitis assumed authority over both weekly brands, Punk and Jericho continued their WWE Championship rivalry, and Bryan’s loss contributed to a shift in his relationship with AJ Lee. Rock and Cena’s advertised one-time encounter ultimately did not remain unique: they met again one year later at WrestleMania 29, with the WWE Championship at stake.
Frequently asked questions
When and where was WWE WrestleMania 28 held?
WWE WrestleMania 28 was held on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Who won the main event of WWE WrestleMania 28?
The Rock defeated John Cena by pinfall after delivering a Rock Bottom.
Who won the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 28?
CM Punk retained the WWE Championship by making Chris Jericho submit to the Anaconda Vise.
How many matches took place at WrestleMania 28?
Nine matches took place, including one pre-show match and eight matches on the pay-per-view broadcast.