WrestleMania 28 Daniel Bryan v Sheamus < br > As he ’ s done repeatedly over the course of his World Heavyweight Championship reign , Daniel Bryan once again found a way to walk out of a WWE arena with his title in hand Sunday night at WWE Elimination Chamber . In a sadistic stipulation where the odds of winning are 6 - to - 1 for each of the competitors involved and only get worse if competitors enter the Elimination Chamber sooner , the submission specialist overcame The Great Khali , Cody Rhodes , Wade Barrett , Big Show and Santino Marella to retain his title and send him on a collision course with Royal Rumble winner Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII . After the brutal Elimination Chamber Match ended , Sheamus — who is guaranteed the title opportunity of his choosing at The Show of Shows thanks to his Royal Rumble Match victory — arrived and delivered an emphatic message to Daniel Bryan . With a punishing maneuver that slammed the champion to the mat , Sheamus ended all speculation as to what title he has in his sights come WrestleMania . And following the events of Feb . 17 ’ s explosive SmackDown where the World Heavyweight Champion spit directly in The Great White ’ s face , a Sheamus - Bryan title match on The Grandest Stage of Them All possesses special intrigue . But this rivalry has deeply seeded roots , as just one year ago The Celtic Warrior defeated Bryan to win the United States Championship . That bout proved crucial in Sheamus ’ career , as not only did he claim the U . S . Title for the first time , but the win snapped a losing streak that dated back to King of the Ring months earlier . Further , before entering the match , Sheamus vowed that if he didn ’ t defeat the submission specialist , he would quit WWE . That didn ’ t happen , and these days the two - time WWE Champion seems almost invincible and is focused once again on Daniel Bryan and a prize that has eluded him thus far in his career — the World Heavyweight Championship . The events of the Feb . 17 episode of SmackDown played a crucial part in setting all this into motion . That night , Bryan ’ s forfeit “ victory ” over Randy Orton — who was unable to compete due to a concussion — led to a surprise announcement . After Bryan demanded ring announcer Lilian Garcia to proclaim him the winner of the non - match against WWE ’ s Apex Predator , SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long entered the arena . To the great delight of the WWE Universe , Long scheduled Bryan to compete that night against none other than The Great White Sheamus . A despondent Bryan did his best to avoid the Celtic Warrior , but when Bryan tried to escape the ring , satisfied with a count - out victory , Sheamus was there to thwart the champion ’ s oft - played tactic . Back inside the ring , however , Bryan dug deep into his bag of tricks , playing mind games on his opponent and exploiting The Great White ’ s white - hot temper . When literally backed into the corner , Bryan slapped Sheamus , clearly riling his opponent . What happened next proved to be one of Bryan ’ s vilest moves to date . While seated on the top rope , Bryan spit in the face of The Great White , inciting Sheamus ’ fury and leading to The Celtic Warrior ’ s disqualification . Officially , Bryan was able to add yet another victory to an already impressive list . While a number of those victories have been controversial , Bryan ’ s record since cashing in Money in the Bank cannot be argued . He continually finds ways to win , successfully defending his title against all challengers over the course of his championship reign . But will Sheamus , one of the hottest Superstars on the roster and already possessing a big victory against Bryan , finally end that reign ? Last year , the scheduled U . S . Title rematch between Sheamus and Bryan was bumped from the WrestleMania pay - per - view and was witnessed only by the WWE Universe in attendance and those who purchased the home video . This year , the two will share the main event spotlight with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line . Find out who walks out of Miami as the champion April 1 at WrestleMania XXVIII , only on pay - per - view !