Betrayal.It is a theme utilized in countless stories over the decades. From friends to siblings, wrestling is brimming with Superstars who disregarded the trust of another man or woman for a variety of reasons, including the advancement of their own careers, a personal disdain for the individual they are turning on or the allure of championship gold.WrestleMania is no stranger to such betrayal.The epic third incarnation of the event saw Dino Bravo and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine turn on Brutus Beefcake, abandoning him despite a victory over The Rougeau Brothers.The treachery exhibited by Valentine and Bravo brought about the end of former championship duoThe Dream Team and set Beefcake off to enjoy a solid career as one of the most over midcard babyfaces of the 1980s.Some 13 years later, Vince McMahon's shocking betrayal of The Rock led to his son-in-law, Triple H, becoming the first villain to successfully retain his WWE Championship in the main event of the show.One year later, the Attitude Era as fans had known and loved it came to a shocking conclusion as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin turned his back on his millions of fans and aligned himself with the same McMahon whose life he had made a living hell for the last three years.For the third consecutive year, fans watched as a major betrayal unfolded before their very eyes. Just seconds after an epic encounter with The Rock, one in which he lost, Hulk Hogan found himself at the wrong end of a beatdown by New World Order teammates Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.As WWE gears up for WrestleMania 33, live from Orlando's Camping World Stadium, betrayal is at the heart of the event, proving some things never change."You Stopped Listening to Me and Started Listening to Them."No match on the April 2 card has been building as long as the proposed, though officially unannounced, unsanctioned war between Triple H and Seth Rollins.In 2014, Rollins betrayed his former teammates in The Shield by blasting Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns with chairs and embracing the guidance and leadership of WWE COO Triple H. With the full support of The Authority behind him, The Architect won Money in the Bank.From there, he cashed it in on wrestling's grand stage in 2015 and captured the WWE Championship. With every major accomplishment achieved under the watchful eye of The Cerebral Assassin, Rollins' ego grew. Before fans could witness the organic growth and execution of his split with The Game, he suffered a severe injury that sidelined him for several months.When he returned, he found a different WWE than the one he left. Triple H and wife Stephanie McMahon were not waiting for him, ready to coddle him as they had previously. When he lost the Universal Championship match to Finn Balor at SummerSlam, making the power couple look bad in the process, the writing was on the wall.On the August 29, 2016, episode of Raw, Triple H shockingly severed his ties with Rollins when he dropped him with a Pedigree and assisted Kevin Owens in capturing the aforementioned title.From that moment, it was apparent WWE Creative and management were prepared to deliver the match between Rollins and Triple H.Fueled by frustration and anger directed at the man whom he entrusted his career to turning on him in the manner he did, Rollins enters The Showcase of the Immortals seeking revenge for every bit of heartache he has endured at the hands of The Cerebral Assassin.Rollins has been reinjured at the hands of Triple H's hired gun Samoa Joe and endured even more pain and agony at the hands of The Game himself. Resilient and hellbent on paying back his mentor for months of anguish, the self-proclaimed Kingslayer will seek to end his issues with The Game once and for all."You Were A Tool...Until You Became A Burden."Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens once appeared the best of friends. They were confidants and amigos, Owens the universal champion and Jericho his right-hand man. Every time Owens had a major title defense, Jericho would be right there, interjecting himself in match and altering the outcome in the heel's favor.As time passed and Jericho found himself on the receiving end of a powerbomb through a table by Roman Reigns or the recipient of a Pedigree by Rollins, it became apparent Owens may not have been so eager to assist Y2J.When Jericho allowed his eagerness and unabashed confidence in his friend to get the best of him in a moment that ended with him accepting a Universal Championship match against Goldberg on behalf of Owens, the truth came to light.During a grand Festival of Friendship in Las Vegas, Owens betrayed Jericho.He gifted Jericho a new list, prompting the confused all-time great to ask "why's my name on it'" Owens responded by powerbombing him on the ring apron and throwing him through glass, leaving the future Hall of Famer in need of medical assistance.Jericho would avenge the assault, costing Owens his title at Fastlane, where his reign as champion met its demise at the hand of Goldberg.Fans knew from the get-go that a betrayal was in the works. Rarely do two characters become best friends in WWE and one of them does not end up betraying the other. As we have discussed, it is a trademark of the pro wrestling industry.There was something about the execution of the angle, though, that captivated the audience and left them wholly sympathetic toward Jericho.Perhaps it was the prey's delivery of the "why's my name on it'" line. Maybe it was the rage and disgust painted across the face of Owens. Whatever the case may be, the betrayal was so expertly accomplished that the match is even hotter and more eagerly anticipated than it was previously."I Will Eliminate the Infidels...Beginning With You, Randy."Last October, a frustrated and defeated Randy Orton looked into the camera on SmackDown Live and said, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."From there, he became a member of The Wyatt Family, accepting former rival Bray Wyatt as his leader and mentor. Together, they captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. More importantly, their budding relationship threatened the longtime partnership Wyatt enjoyed with his enforcer, Luke Harper.The first betrayal in the layered storyline came when Wyatt chose Orton over his most loyal subject, delivering Sister Abigail's Kiss to Harper in a moment that proved a turning point in the lengthy program.Without the element of Harper to account for, Orton waited for his opportunity.After winning the Royal Rumble and appearing to sacrifice his WWE title opportunity against new champion Wyatt, The Viper struck.During an unforgettable vignette on SmackDown Live, Orton burned down The Wyatt Family Compound and revealed he never was, and never will be, one of Wyatt's subjects.It was a stunning betrayal that shook the brand to its core. In its wake, Wyatt has come back more vengeful and dangerous than ever. Claiming he has absorbed the spirit of Sister Abigail, the spawn of Satan, he has threatened to "eliminate the infidels from this earth, beginning with you, Randy."In a rare reversal of roles, the heel is the positioned as the aggressor, seeking payback for the betrayal he endured at the hands of his babyface rival. It is a unique telling of an age-old story that should serve as a much-needed change of pace come April 2.A Night of RevengeWrestleMania 33 is shaping up to be a night of revenge.There are so many different stories centered around, or the direct result of, betrayal that there is guaranteed to be more than one instance of a master manipulator getting his comeuppance. There will be triumphant babyfaces in some form or fashion, and in the case of Wyatt, potentially a moment where the heel gets the last laugh.The above three stories are not the only instances in which betrayal lies at the heart of the matter.Maryse claims Nikki Bella betrayed her trust, costing her money and an opportunity to be one of the original stars ofTotal Divas. The French-Canadian will look to settle her differences with Bella when they meet as part of an enormous Mixed Tag Team match also involving John Cena and The Miz.There is the strong possibility that the allure of Raw Women's Championship glory forces Sasha Banks to betray friend Bayley on the grand stage.SmackDown's AJ Styles feels as though his accomplishments and hard work were betrayed by management, who played favorites and awarded undeserved championship opportunities to others when he more-than deserved them.WrestleMania, the most significant night in sports entertainment, will be less of celebration of grandeur and instead a melting pot of furious anger and vengeful rage. There will be intense battles waged and the sense of fun and spectacle that has previously accompanied it will be sacrificed for retribution.All of which is the product of good, old-fashioned betrayal.
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