WWE WrestleMania 30 Retro Review: Daniel Bryan's Night and the End of The Streak
WrestleMania 30 took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. WWE announced the crowd as 75,167. It was the first WrestleMania on the WWE Network, which had launched six weeks earlier.
Twelve years on, it is remembered for two things that pulled in opposite directions. Daniel Bryan, the fan favourite WWE had kept away from the top all year, won twice in one night and ended the show as champion. And Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker's 21-0 WrestleMania streak, a result that left the building silent.
The build
- Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority: Bryan beat John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2013, and Triple H turned on him that same night so Randy Orton could cash in. For months, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon kept Bryan away from the title. When Batista won the 2014 Royal Rumble, fans in Pittsburgh booed the result because Bryan was not even in the match.
- Occupy Raw: in March, Bryan and a ring full of fans took over Raw until Triple H agreed to face him at WrestleMania. The deal: if Bryan won, he would be added to the main event, making Orton vs. Batista a triple threat.
- The Streak: Brock Lesnar challenged The Undertaker, who was 21-0 at WrestleMania. Almost nobody expected Lesnar to win.
- John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt: Wyatt spent weeks trying to turn Cena into a "monster", daring him to throw away the good-guy image.
- The rest: The Shield faced Kane and The New Age Outlaws, AJ Lee defended the Divas Championship against 13 other women, and 31 men entered the first André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
The opening segment
Hulk Hogan hosted, and he opened the show by calling the Superdome the "Silverdome" by mistake. Steve Austin then came out, followed by The Rock. The three traded catchphrases, shared beers and left. It was pure nostalgia, and it worked: it is one of the best WrestleMania openings WWE has done.
Match by match
Kickoff: The Usos (c) vs. Los Matadores vs. RybAxel vs. The Real Americans (WWE Tag Team Championship)
A fatal four-way elimination match that got better as it went on. Once it came down to The Usos and The Real Americans, Cesaro and Jack Swagger against Jimmy and Jey, it became a really good tag match. The Usos retained with superkicks and a double splash on Cesaro at 16:11.
It was a pre-show match, but it was good enough for the main card. Our rating: ★★★½
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (winner joins the main event)
This is the match people still bring up. Triple H took the bigger, slower approach and went after Bryan's injured left arm, and Bryan had to keep fighting back with kicks and dives. It never felt like a formality, even though the whole building wanted one result. Triple H worked as a villain at his best, and when he kicked out of things, the crowd really believed Bryan could lose.
Bryan countered a Pedigree and won with the running knee at 25:57. After the match, Stephanie McMahon slapped him and Triple H attacked his arm with a chair, so he went into the main event hurt.
What worked: the arm story, the pace and two people telling the same story for 26 minutes. Bleacher Report gave it an A+, and the Wrestling Observer rated it ****¼.
What didn't: honestly, very little. Our rating: ★★★★½
The Shield vs. Kane & The New Age Outlaws
This lasted 2:54. The Shield ran through Kane, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, Roman Reigns speared both Outlaws at once, and they finished with the triple powerbomb.
It made The Shield look great, but coming straight after a 26-minute classic, it barely registered. Our rating: ★★
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
31 men, plenty of nostalgia and a lot of quick eliminations. The finish is what people remember: Cesaro, who had already wrestled on the pre-show, came in as a surprise entrant and won by body-slamming Big Show over the top rope, a nod to Hulk Hogan slamming André.
As a match, it was a normal battle royal. As a moment, Cesaro's slam was one of the highlights of the night. Our rating: ★★★
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
Wyatt's entrance was one of the best of the night, and the story was clear: Wyatt wanted Cena to snap. At one point a children's choir appeared to sing to Cena, and Wyatt kept begging him to hit him with the steel steps. Cena refused, then hit Wyatt with an Attitude Adjustment and won at 22:24.
What worked: the psychology and Wyatt's character work. What didn't: the pace was slow, and Wyatt losing clean in his first big WrestleMania match took the edge off him. Bleacher Report gave it a B, and the Observer had it at *½. Our rating: ★★★**
Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker
This is the hardest match on the card to rate. The match itself was slow and careful, and The Undertaker suffered a concussion during the match and was taken to hospital after the show. It runs 25:10 and drags for long stretches.
Then Lesnar hit his third F-5, the referee counted three, and the screen showed "21-1". The silence in the Superdome is one of the most famous moments in WrestleMania history. Shawn Michaels later said the decision was made only a few hours before the show.
We are rating the match, not the moment. The moment is historic. The match, by most accounts, is not good, and the Observer gave it *½. Our rating: ★½
AJ Lee (c) vs. 13 women (Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational)
Fourteen women in one ring for 6:47, and it was as busy as that sounds. AJ Lee kept the title by forcing Naomi to tap to the Black Widow. It was the only time the Divas Championship was defended at a WrestleMania.
There were a few nice moments, but it had the hard job of following the end of The Streak to a crowd that was still stunned. Our rating: ★
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
Bryan came in with his arm taped and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon still trying to stop him. Orton and Batista teamed up on him and put him through the Spanish announce table, and he was carted out on a stretcher. He came back, of course.
The finish came after Bryan knocked Triple H off the apron, hit the running knee on Batista and trapped him in the YES! Lock. Batista tapped at 23:19, and Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The show ended with Bryan holding both belts in the air while confetti fell and the whole stadium chanted "Yes!".
What worked: the drama, the near falls and an ending that paid off the whole year. Bleacher Report gave it an A, and the Observer rated it **½. What didn't: Batista never connected with the crowd as the Rumble winner, and he was mostly there to lose. Our rating: ★★★★½**
The verdict: does it hold up today?
Yes. It is one of the most satisfying WrestleManias to rewatch, because the main story had a perfect ending. Bryan's two wins carry the night, the Usos tag match is a hidden gem, and Cesaro's slam still looks great. Lesnar vs. Undertaker is not a good match, but it is a piece of history you have to see. Slam Wrestling gave the show 4.5 out of 5 at the time, and we agree.
- Best match: Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H
- Worst match: the Divas Championship Invitational
- Overall: 4.5 out of 5
Full results and our ratings
| Match | Result | Time | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tag Team Championship (Kickoff) | The Usos (c) def. Los Matadores, RybAxel and The Real Americans | 16:11 | ★★★½ |
| Winner joins the main event | Daniel Bryan def. Triple H | 25:57 | ★★★★½ |
| Six-man tag | The Shield def. Kane and The New Age Outlaws | 2:54 | ★★ |
| André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal | Cesaro won, last eliminating Big Show | 13:24 | ★★★ |
| Singles match | John Cena def. Bray Wyatt | 22:24 | ★★★ |
| Singles match | Brock Lesnar def. The Undertaker | 25:10 | ★½ |
| Divas Championship Invitational | AJ Lee (c) def. 13 other women | 6:47 | ★ |
| WWE World Heavyweight Championship | Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton (c) and Batista | 23:19 | ★★★★½ |
Times are as listed by the Internet Wrestling Database.
What happened next
- Bryan's reign was cut short. He needed neck surgery and had to give up the title in June 2014.
- Triple H, Orton and Batista reformed Evolution to feud with The Shield, who beat them at both Extreme Rules and Payback.
- Brock Lesnar beat John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2014.
- The Undertaker came back a year later at WrestleMania 31 and beat Bray Wyatt. Read our WrestleMania 31 retro review.
More retro reviews
Other classic shows we have revisited, rated out of 5:
- Survivor Series 2020: ★★★ (3 out of 5), The Undertaker's Final Farewell and Reigns vs. McIntyre in the ThunderDome
- Survivor Series 2021: ★★★ (3 out of 5), the last Raw vs. SmackDown Survivor Series, with Lynch vs. Flair and Reigns vs. Big E
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2022: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first WarGames Survivor Series and Sami Zayn's big night
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2023: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Randy Orton's return and CM Punk's comeback in Chicago
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2024: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Reigns and CM Punk on the same side in Vancouver
- Survivor Series: WarGames 2025: ★★★ (3 out of 5), the first stadium Survivor Series and John Cena's last PLE match
- WrestleMania XL: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5), two nights in Philadelphia, The Rock and the end of the Bloodline story
- WrestleMania 39: ★★★★½ (4.5 out of 5), two nights in Hollywood and Reigns vs. Rhodes, part one
- Crown Jewel 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ Styles in Perth
- SummerSlam 2025: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), the first two-night SummerSlam and John Cena's last one
- Money in the Bank 2016: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Cena vs. AJ, a great ladder match and Reigns vs. Rollins
- Crown Jewel 2021: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Hell in a Cell and a loaded card
- WrestleMania 41: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Cena's farewell year and a Heyman story in Las Vegas
- WrestlePalooza 2025: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), the first WWE show on ESPN, with Lesnar vs. Cena
- Crown Jewel 2022: ★★★½ (3.5 out of 5), Reigns vs. Logan Paul and a Last Woman Standing match
- Crown Jewel 2024: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), the first Crown Jewel Championships
- Crown Jewel 2023: ★★½ (2.5 out of 5), Rollins vs. McIntyre and Reigns vs. LA Knight
- Crown Jewel 2019: ★★ (2 out of 5), celebrities and the first women's match in Saudi Arabia
- Crown Jewel 2018: ★½ (1.5 out of 5), the first one, and the World Cup
- WrestleMania 31: ★★★★ (4 out of 5), Seth Rollins' heist and Sting's only WrestleMania match
See them all on our Retro Reviews page, and see every Royal Rumble winner and what they did at WrestleMania.
Sources: WWE.com WrestleMania 30 results, Bleacher Report grades, Wikipedia: WrestleMania XXX, Internet Wrestling Database.
