WWE WrestleMania 37 that will be aired on April 10 and 11 will witness something that hasn’t been seen in more than three decades. The latest edition of WrestleMania will be the first since 1988 that will not have any in-match participation from any of the big three – The Undertaker, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels.
It was in 1989 that Shawn Michaels made his WrestleMania debut as part of ‘The Rockers’ – a tag team consisting of him and Marty Jannetty. The Undertaker made his WrestleMania debut in 1991 with a short-duration match against Jimmy ‘The Superfly’ Snuka. Triple H, on the other hand, was the last one on the scene, making his first WrestleMania appearance in 1996, against The Ultimate Warrior.
The three have been among the biggest draws in WWE’s biggest annual event and have often been part of the main event. The WrestleMania 28 main event featured all three superstars in one match – a Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Triple H with Shawn Michaels as the Guest Referee.
That match was billed as the ‘End of an Era’ and all three superstars stood together at the stage after the match as the curtains came down on the event. Despite the billing, both Triple H and The Undertaker continued to participate in WrestleManias.
Michaels retired from wrestling after losing at WrestleMania 26 in a Career vs Streak match to Undertaker. Undertaker didn’t compete at WrestleMaina 35 – his first miss since WrestleMania XVI in 2000. He came back to compete in 2020 in a pre-recorded ‘Boneyard Match’ against AJ Styles.
Triple H missed last year’s WrestleMania as a wrestler. He has changed his on-screen persona from that of a wrestler to an authority figure. His last match was against Batista at WrestleMania 35.
With the ‘Deadman’ and the ‘Heart Break Kid’ already retired, Triple H was the last man standing. He hasn’t announced his retirement yet and may come back to compete next year.