Wranking WrestleMania – Worst to First
With all the downtime I’ve had lately, I decided to sit down and rank each WrestleMania from worst to first. I can guarantee everyone won’t agree with my list as some shows that have a special place with me won’t for others. But it was fun to go over each one and remember what I like and dislike about them. I included the anthem singer for each show that had one as the big anthem renditions are 1 of my favourite parts of WrestleMania. We have seen a who’s who of the music industry lend their talents to WM from Ray Charles to Aretha Franklin to Little Richard to Keri Hilson to Gladys Night to John Legend. Each crushing their performance with their own style. So here we go hopefully you all enjoy this look back at 35 WrestleMania events…
35. WrestleMania XXXIV
Mercedes-Benz Superdome; New Orleans – 78,133
Anthem Singer – Chloe x Halle
Hands down worst WM of all time. Others have had bad matches but none ruined as many things as this show did. The potential star power of Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura ruined by inexplicable losses in their respective title matches. The main event star potential for Braun Stroman taken off the rails by teaming him with a 10 year old kid. No slight on Nicholas, he did a great job for a 10 year old with his reaction to everything and didn’t make The Bar look bad. Whoever made that decision deserves all criticism, Braun’s Dad would have been much better if they insisted on not giving Braun a legit tag partner. Tarnished the legacy of The Bar as a great Tag Team. Ruined the ‘Rusev Day’ momentum by having Rusev lose in the US Title match. Ruined any worth beating John Cena had with an embarrassing squash by the Undertaker. And maybe worst of all, ruined ‘The Guy’ potential for Roman Reigns with the insanity of losing to Brock Lesnar. We had to sit through 4 years of another ‘superman’ push for Reigns, Undertakers Streak was sacrificed to build to Roman beating Brock and they don’t pull the trigger. Reigns even had his Stone Cold moment. End of the match with his face covered in blood Roman roars in Brock’s face and then hits the ropes to deliver the Spear. Awesome visual that would have been iconic and finally put Roman on the level of Brock, Cena, Taker. But for some insane reason, Roman loses. Just unfuckingbelievably stupid. It did have some redeeming qualities like Ronda Rousey’s debut in the great mixed tag match, Nia Jax/Alexa Bliss was a good match, Daniel Bryan’s return Tag Match was great but even that was overbooked. Opener with Rollins/Miz/Balor was really good too and I’m happy Matt Hardy won The Andre but none of those could come close to balancing out the awful decisions I talked about. WM 34 has more good matches than other bad Mania’s but none killed careers/momentum like this show did. No desire to ever watch it again.
34. WrestleMania II
Nassau Coliseum; Uniondale, New York – 16,585
Rosemont Horizon; Chicago – 9,000
Los Angeles Sports Arena; Los Angeles – 14,500
Anthem singer – Ray Charles
An ambitious concept going live from three different locations that the company deserves credit for pulling off but this show is a chore to get through. Highlite might be Ray Charles crushing America The Beautiful, always loved that a legend like Ray Charles has a connection to wrestling. Nothing even close to a classic on this show and I don’t even think any match would hit a 4 star rating. The LA card was def the best with 3 of the 4 matches being good. Randy Savage/George Steele match was the only good match on the first 3rd, Mr. T/Piper is only worth watching to see how gassed T looks for 90% of the “fight.” Battle Royal was fun with a good ending. Bulldogs/Dream Team was the best match on the show. Steamboat/Hercules and the Funks/JYD/Tito Santana were ok. Hogan/Bundy cage match was a good main event, great nostalgia with the blue bar cage. I really have this tied w WM 9 as the 2nd worst but had to put 1 last and even as a kid I thought this show was really boring so I gave it the nod.
33. WrestleMania IX
Caesars Palace; Las Vegas -16,891
Anthem singer – Diahann Carroll
Disappointing is the best word I can use to describe this show. Another WM that doesn’t have anything close to a classic match on it but I think overall the matches are better than on the WM 2 card. As a kid I was really disappointed that Tatanka didn’t win the Intercontinental Title, perfect opportunity not sure why they didn’t pull the trigger. Steiners/Headshrinkers was the best match on the show, Scott Steiner’s insane bump needs to be seen. Doink/Crush is a fun match but the finish is awesome with the 2 Doinks. Matt Borne’s Doink had serious potential as a heel. I HATED Bob Backlund as a kid and always wanted Razor to turn face so I enjoyed Razor’s win. This match would be the start of that turn to face for Razor Ramon completed with the IC Title win over Rick Martel. Show goes downhill fast after Hogan/Beefcake don’t win the Tag Titles vs Money Inc. Really disappointed me as a kid. Luger/Perfect and Taker/Giant Gonzales are not good. Yoko/Bret was Yokozuna’s best match but still not that good, should have been better if Yoko hadn’t short changed Bret’s comeback. Pissed me off that Bret’s title reign was de-railed by Yoko. Can you imagine if it had been Bret Hart vs Randy Savage in the Main Event? Damn they would have torn the house down and delivered what prob would have been the best match of all time. Yoko/Hogan would have been looked at in a much better light if it had led to Bret over Hogan at SummerSlam but Hogan pulled the ego card and refused to work with Bret so Hogan dropped it to Yoko. Def an exciting moment tho. The Caesar’s Palace theme is def a cool visual so that put it over the top of WM 2.
32. WrestleMania XXVII
Georgia Dome; Atlanta – 71,617
Anthem singer – Keri Hilson
This is a tough one to sit through as there is maybe 3 matches that are good. Starts off bad right from the opening match as Edge beats Alberto Del Rio days before Edge would announce his retirement. Totally killed any star potential and credibility ADR had(and at the time he had a lot) as he had been talking for months about winning the Title at WM being his destiny. How you book the guy that won a 40 Man Royal Rumble to lose at WM to guy that knew he was having neck problems is beyond me. The less said about the atrocious Michael Cole/Lawler match the better. Miz/Cena never got going and ended up not being very good but props to Miz for gutting out the rest of the match after a bad concussion. The all-time great video package for Miz was better than the match lol Rhodes/Mysterio and Punk/Orton were the only other good matches. Taker/HHH was your classic match and the best of their series I think. The moment where HHH had Taker in the Tombstone and started talking almost like HBK to Flair at WM 24 had me thinking the Streak might be over. Such a hard hitting match that Taker couldn’t even walk out, had to be carted out which was a sight to see. Great match that stole and saved the show.
31. WrestleMania XXXII
AT& T Stadium; Arlington, Texas – 101,763
Anthem singer – Fifth Harmony
The women saved this show. WWE was able to jam pack a new record crowd into AT& T Stadium as 101, 763 people showed up to watch this one. The first of what should have been 3 big wins in the Main Event for Roman Reigns but ended up only being two. It’s hard to judge the quality of a match when you really didn’t want to see it happen. It was ok for a Main Event and good overall but Ambrose/HHH had a much better match at Roadblock and this one never approached that quality. The push of Reigns was bungled from the beginning so this one didn’t have much of a chance. Zack Ryder’s big surprise IC Title win in the Ladder match is a truly great WM moment given the bullshit Ryder has had to fight through, crowd went crazy for it which looked great on TV. Jericho/Styles was in the convo for Match of the Night but I have to give it to the Womens Title Triple Threat. Wanted Sasha Banks to win but all 3 did a great job of delivering under pressure. Lesnar/Ambrose could have been great but the story goes that Brock wasn’t interested in any of the ideas Ambrose had for the match and pretty much phoned it in. Made for a very disappointing match. Taker/Shane HIAC was too long and all about the big leap at the end, which was def cool but not a great match. League of Nations were only created to get Roman over and basically done after this so it was very frustrating seeing the New Day lose.
30. WrestleMania XI
Hartford Civic Center; Hartford, Connecticut – 16,305
Anthem singer – Special Olympian Kathy Huey
The herculean effort of Bam Bam Bigelow to drag an actual good match out of Lawrence Taylor keeps this WM out of the bottom 5. But there really wasn’t anything close to great on this card. Worst match of Bret Hart’s career vs Bob Backlund and the only bad match he ever had. What a waste. HBK/Diesel fell flat and just never got going. I HATED Jeff Jarrett with a fiery passion so Razor not winning the title was a huge disappointment. Also didn’t like the Smoking Gunns so I was happy to see Owen/Yoko win the Tag Titles. The Opening match with Luger/Bulldog vs Blu Brothers was the only other good match. Bam Bam/LT isn’t going on any best ever lists but all things considered Bam Bam carried LT to a damn good match. 1995 was a shitty year for the WWF and this WM shows that.
29. WrestleMania XV
First Union Center; Philadelphia – 19,514
Anthem singer – Boyz II Men
Oof talk about your 1 match show. Austin/Rock is the only great match on the show but watching Bart Gunn almost get decapitated by a Butterbean KO punch is worth watching. This show sucks but the first Austin/Rock match is significant and good enough to keep this Mania out of the bottom 5. Shane/XPac was good, Sable/Tori was ok. Taker/BossMan is one of those awful matches you wish you could wipe from your memory, esp the end with BossMan hanging. None of the others were too bad but nothing that hits a quality worthy of WrestleMania.
28. WrestleMania XVI
Arrowhead Pond; Anaheim – 18,742
Anthem singer – Lillian Garcia
This WrestleMania killed off a lot of my friends interest in watching wrestling. We had a full house at my buddies place to watch the Rock win the title but when HHH won everybody was rolling their eyes and laughing at how dumb it was. Never saw PPV’s more than half full after that, half were done and even the Rock winning at Backlash next month couldn’t bring them back. So yeah the Main Event sucked. The match this show is remembered for is the Triangle Ladder match feat The Hardyz, Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian. Awesome all time great match with tons of crazy spots that stole and saved this show. I remember thinking it was a lock for the Hardyz to win so I was shocked when E&C won the match. The Euro/IC Title Triple Threat with Angle/Benoit/Jericho was the only other good match but it was damn good. The Hardcore Title battle royal was fun for what it was. My other lasting memory of this show is Ice-T saying “Pimpin ain’t, Pimpin ain’t easy man” about 1000 times lol the Attitude Era gets a lot of love but the WrestleMania’s in it were mostly trash.
27. WrestleMania
Madison Square Garden; New York – 19,121
Anthem singer – ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund
This match was all about the spectacle of the Main Event and showcasing the Rock n Wrestling connection. Putting on great matches wasn’t the goal and they succeeded lol but there isn’t anything that’s too bad on the card and the Main Event is a lot of fun. Andre vs Big John Studd is interesting knowing that Andre did not like Studd, Bobby Heenan shines at the end being smart enough to grab the money from Andre. Shocking finish as Shiek/Volkoff win the Tag Titles from Windham/Rotunda. As I said, the Main Event is fun and a pretty good match that delivers on the expectations under tremendous pressure. The nostalgia and history knowing this was the event that started it all makes it worth watching.
26. WrestleMania XIV
FleetCenter; Boston – 19,028
Anthem singer – Chris Warren & the DX Band
The Austin Era has begun! Very historical show as this was the official coronation of Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Guy that would carry the ball for the next few years. HBK had a serious back injury so he couldn’t deliver his usual performance but the match was still good. Just not on the level you would expect out of Austin/HBK. No great matches on the show but nothing really bad either as most of it was good. LOD 2000 didn’t have much legs but it was a cool moment for them to show up with Sunny and win the Battle Royal. Cactus/Chainsaw vs New Age Outlaws was prob the best match on the show, really fun brawl. TAKA Michinoku/Aguila was the best cruiser match the WWF had put on to that point. First Undertake/Kane match didn’t blow the roof off but was a good spectacle. Seeing Kane Tombstone Pete Rose was so random but became 1 of the classic WM moments. Mixed Tag match was better than anyone expected and Sable really shined in it which was the goal. Overall it’s not 1 of the best WM shows but solid top to bottom and worth watching.
25. WrestleMania XXIX
MetLife Stadium; East Rutherford, New Jersey – 80,676
Anthem singer – none
Famous for having the rematch of the “Once in a Lifetime” Cena/Rock match lol nothing really bad on this show but it was tough to get excited for some of the big matches. Everyone knew that Taker was beating Punk despite a pretty awesome build so I found it tough to get into their match but it was def a great one. Everyone knew that Cena was getting his win back so once again it was kinda hard to get into the match but it was also a great one. Some head scratching finishes with Mark Henry over Ryback and HHH over Brock Lesnar. This loss is one of the reasons they needed Brock to break the Streak to build him back up. Match was good but the finish hurts it. Ryback is def an example of squandered potential bc at one point he was over af, no reason to have him lose here. Fandango winning was the right call but unfortunately the match wasn’t very good, not the way you want to start a push. One of the highlites is The Shield getting another big win to establish them. Solid WM that holds up as an entertaining show.
24. WrestleMania XXVI
University of Phoenix Stadium; Glendale, Arizona – 72,219
Anthem singer – Fantasia Barrino
Not a 1 match show but nothing else comes close to touching HBK/Taker. Not as good as their WM 25 match which might be the best pro wrestling match of all time but it’s right up there as an all time great match. I knew HBK was losing and selfishly I didn’t want him to retire so it was hard to get really invested in it. This show was also the return of Bret Hart to the ring in a match vs Vince McMahon. A lot of fans cry about this match saying it sucked but as a Bret hart fan, I could watch Bret tattoo Vince with that chair all day long lol I loved it. Orton beating Cody/Ted was a ridiculous decision and killed their momentum/potential. Money in the Bank Ladder Match was a fun spectacle with a shocking finish of Swagger winning. Cena/Batista had a really good match coming off an awesome feud. HHH/Sheamus was a good showcase for Sheamus despite the loss. Jericho/Edge was really good, I def did not expect Jericho to retain. Overall it’s a good show that holds up over time with an all time great match.
23. WrestleMania IV
Trump Plaza; Atlantic City, New Jersey – 19,199
Anthem singer – Gladys Knight
The night that Macho Man Randy Savage became a Main Event player on the level of Hulk Hogan. No great matches on the show but it’s more than worth watching to see Macho Man wrestle four good matches in one night. Also the night that Demolitions legendary Tag Title run started and Strike Force ended. Hogan/Andre ending in a double DQ was a huge shock but opened the door for the Macho Man. This night was all about making Randy Savage and it absolutely accomplished that. Kinda disappointing we didn’t get a WM 3 rematch of Savage/Steamboat but as we heard on Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, they didn’t want a match with 2 faces and risk the fans cheering Steamboat over Savage. Gotta say that’s the right call despite the great match we potentially missed out on. The finals of Savage/Dibiase was the best match on the show as it should have been, don’t want to short change Dibiase as he also had a great night. Not a WM you’re gonna watch frequently but def worth checking out every few years. Ohhhh Yeeeeaaahhhh!!
22. WrestleMania XVIII
Skydome; Toronto – 68,237
Anthem singer – none
The WrestleMania where we finally started to get the dream matches everyone wanted during the “Invasion.” But this ended up being a pretty lacklustre card saved by the amazing Hogan/Rock match. Gotta believe Steve Austin turning down working with Hulk Hogan is 1 of his biggest regrets but it did open the door for the Rock. Hogan/Rock isn’t a technical masterpiece but the crowd engagement is off the charts and turned this into a classic match. Right from the start when Hogan powers the Rock into the turnbuckles and the crowd just loses their shit, you knew this was gonna be special. The sequence of Hogan kicking out of the Rock Bottom to Rock kicking out of the Big Legdrop is the greatest 60 seconds in wrestling history. Hulkamania will truly live forever. The torch was passed but The Rock wouldn’t be around for much longer. Undertaker/Flair is a personal favourite match of mine as I loved it. Flair taking a superplex from the top was a crazy bump considering his back issues and I loved Taker counting to 10 on his fingers when it was over. Jericho/HHH was def overshadowed by Hogan/Rock but it wasn’t a bad match at all. It was actually pretty damn good with loud crowd reactions. The biggest problem with the match was the dogshit build that led up to it. Everyone knew HHH was winning but they didn’t even try to make Jericho a threat, if anything they tried to make him look like a chump. Steve Austin/Scott Hall was really disappointing and I know people love Hall’s sell of the stunner but I am not one of those. Nice to see DDP get a win at WM that would be his WWF career highlite. Nothing else was that bad but just kinda there. WM 18 was a good show but the legacy of it is def Hogan/Rock.
21. WrestleMania XXVIII
Sun Life Stadium; Miami – 78,363
Anthem singer – Lillian Garcia
This is where the rise of Daniel Bryan and YES! officially started. At the time I was so pissed that they squashed Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds but now that we have seen it all play out, it was the best thing that could have happened to him. The 18 second loss lit a fire under the fans to support DB. The fans were hot chanting YES! right from the start, the first time that had been a big chant. It continued the next night to the point of John Cena acknowledging it in his promo. Watching it now I actually think it is a cool WrestleMania moment. The “Once in a Lifetime” main event that was a year in the making, Rock vs Cena def lived up to the hype putting on a great match with a shocking finish. Cena was the Guy in WWE so I fully expected Rock to do the job to pass the torch to Cena as it had been passed to him by Hogan. But I guess they wanted to send the fans in Miami home happy and they did as the win got a huge pop. As good as Cena/Rock was, Taker/HHH stole the show in their Hell in a Cell match with HBK as the ref. Awesome match and the Superkick into a Pedigree spot had me thinking the Streak might be over. They def beat the shit out of each other in this match. Iconic shot of all three at the top of the ramp. Jericho/Punk had a really good match in the unenviable spot of coming after Taker/HHH and right before Cena/Rock. But like 2 of the best in the world they are they delivered. Team Johnny vs Team Teddy was there to get guys on the card but largely a waste of time. Pretty solid card with a few great matches and fun atmosphere outside in Miami.
20. WrestleMania XXIII
Ford Field; Detroit – 80,109
Anthem singer – Aretha Franklin
This show got WrestleMania back into big stadiums and they haven’t gone back to any small venues since. Really solid show top to bottom, nothing really bad outside of Kane/Khali and everything was good to great. A dream match in the Main Event with Cena vs HBK stealing the show. This was during the ‘Super Cena’ era and a lot of fans wanted HBK to win but that wasn’t happening. Cena always drew a lot of “You Can’t Wrestle” chants but a match like this proves that is bullshit. This wasn’t HBK carrying a lesser guy to a great match, this was 2 great wrestlers battling it out on the biggest stage. Awesome Money in the Bank Ladder Match won by Mr. Kennedy. Kennedy was hot around this time and a guy everyone predicted would rise to the top of the card. Unfortunately injuries and mistakes derailed that potential but on this night he was the right guy to win it. Taker/Batista had a really good match that was in the convo for match of the night. The Battle of the Billionaires with Lashley vs Umaga was a fun spectacle, Umaga was a good wrestler that almost always had entertaining matches. Vince getting his head shaved and trump eating a stunner are great WrestleMania moments. Happy to see the ECW Originals Dreamer, RVD, Sandman and Sabu get a WrestleMania moment as those guys were the heart and soul of ECW. Great way for ECW to head into the sunset. This is a fun show with some great matches all over the card.
19. WrestleMania V
trump Plaza; Atlantic City – 20,369
Anthem singer – Rockin Robin
The Mega Powers explode! I have a soft spot in my heart for these early big card WrestleManias so I prob have this ranked higher than other people do. The Main Event had been building for a year and ended up being one of the best built matches in wrestling history. Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage, 2 of the most larger than life wrestling personalities as a team was awesome and even better as enemies. Despite Savage having to gut through a serious staph infection, they pulled off a great match that lived up to the hype they created. Rick Rude/Ultimate Warrior for the IC Title was a really good match with a shocking finish. Rude worked his ass off to get Warrior over so I was always happy he at least got this big win. Bobby Heenan proving he is the Greatest Manager of all time holding Warriors leg down so he couldn’t kick out. Brilliant. Twin Towers/Rockers was an awesome Tag Team match that gets forgotten when great Tag matches are talked about. Iconic Piper’s Pit segment with Morton Downey Jr and Brother Love. I had no idea who Morton Downey Jr was but he did a good job being obnoxious enough to get Piper to react. I love when Piper unleashes the fire extinguisher lol he gets him good to the point of MDJ going after Piper. Wish Mr Perfect/Blue Blazer(Owen Hart) got more time as they could have stole the show. I enjoyed Demolition/Powers of Pain as it was nice to see Demolition as faces. Nothing really bad on this show, everything was good building to a great main event.
18. WrestleMania XIII
Rosemont Horizon; Chicago – 18,211
Anthem singer – none
This is def a one match show but that one match isn’t just great, it’s in the convo for best match of all time and it’s the match I would show someone that has never watched wrestling bc Bret Hart vs Steve Austin is as real as it gets. And I really feel this match elevates the rest of the show. This WM gets a lot of shit but I don’t think it’s near as bad as some people think. Opening Tag match was good and fun, I loved the Headbangers so I was happy to see them win. Rocky Maivia lol def a blast from the past seeing the Rock like this but it was an important step in his development. Going out there with the Sultan(Rikishi) at WrestleMania and having a good match must have been a big confidence builder. The post match angle getting to stand side by side with his Dad and kick ass is a great WM moment. HHH/Goldust is prob the worst match on the show but still good. Owen/Bulldog vs Vader/Mankind is ruined by the crap finish but it’s also a good one. I really enjoyed the Chicago Street Fight with LOD VS The Nation, fun brawl that had the tough task of following Hart/Austin but they did a great job. Taker/Sid main event was pretty boring, you could argue this match is the worst but Taker winning the title is a historic moment. ‘The Hitman’ Bret Hart vs ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is a match executed to perfection, nothing to change about this match. The odds were against them considering this was a submission match. Bret Hart’s worst match ever was the Submission match vs Bob Backlund at WM 11 and Steve Austin did not have a submission finish so they had their work cut out for them. And not only did they put on an all time great classic but they perfectly executed a double turn of Bret Hart to heel and Steve Austin to face. The finish of the match gave us the iconic image that would define the Attitude Era of Steve Austin trying to break the Sharpshooter with blood pouring down his face. It’s easy to suspend disbelief for this match bc every punch, every move, every hold looked like it was actually connecting for real. This is the defining moment in both men’s career that establishes them as 2 of the greatest of all time. You look at this match vs the match they had at Survivor Series 1996, two 5 star classics yet completely different. Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan are the most popular wrestlers of all time, Bret Hart and Ric Flair are the greatest wrestlers of all time.
17. WrestleMania XXXIII
Citrus Bowl; Orlando - 75,245
Anthem singer – Tinashe
I remember feeling a lot of good energy around this WrestleMania, the colorful rollercoaster theme with the outdoor show made for a great atmosphere. Started with a bang as AJ Stlyes/Shane McMahon seriously exceeded expectations and delivered a 5 star match. AJ Styles 450 into a triangle was a crazy spot and we got our patented Shane O Mac elbow through the announce table. AJ countering an armbar into Styles Clash was awesome. A match nobody as really asking for ended up being a WM classic. Shame that KO/Jericho was disappointing as the build to this, specifically the Festival of Friendship shocker was as good as it gets. I’m a huge Bayley mark so seeing her walk into WM as Champ, have a good match and then walk out as Champ was a great moment. But the moment that stole the show, the Hardyz returning to a fcking enormous pop is what WrestleMania was made for. A moment in time that I could watch over and over. You thought for sure the New Day were going to enter the match and then that familiar music hits and the place loses their shit lol can’t properly express how great it was. The actual match is kind of forgotten but it was really good. Another relationship taken down by the wrestling curse but the mixed tag was fun and Cena proposing to Nikki is still a good moment. Rollins/HHH was really good but came at a time when the crowd needed to take a breath so the heat wasn’t at the level it should have been. Orton/Wyatt was really disappointing esp with the stupid projections on the mat. Lesnar/Goldberg was awesome, maybe the best under 5 min match ever. Great to see Naomi’s hard work pay off with a victory at WrestleMania in her hometown. Main event of Taker/Reigns completed the triple threat of disappointing matches as it was pretty bad. Was getting really awkward watching them botch spot after spot. Giving Taker his 2nd loss at WM should have been a big moment for Reigns but the quality of the match really hurt it. The post-match scene of Taker leaving his hat, gloves and coat in the ring was the end of the Undertaker. Everything Taker has done since he has been a shell of his former self. He should transition to the American Badass to end his career. Overall this was a really fun show with some great matches and moments.
16. WrestleMania XXI
STAPLES Center; Los Angeles – 20,193
Anthem singer – Lillian Garcia
You can’t watch this WrestleMania without watching the amazing WWE themed movie trailers as they are glorious. This show was built around the coronation of John Cena and Batista, 2 guys WWE was counting on to become big stars and they absolutely did. Mysterio/Guerrero could never top their classic at Halloween Havoc 97 but they got this show started on a high note with a good match. Unfortunately the last WM match for Eddie. Viva La Raza. First ever Money in the Bank was awesome with Edge snagging the briefcase. I love the story about Edge complaining about being in the match to which Jericho responds, “shut up dummy you’re gonna win it.” Ended up being the best thing that ever happened to Edge’s career. Taker/Orton was really good and helped establish Orton as a Main Event player going forward despite the loss. Trish/Hemme was good for a short match. We got a dream match that lived up to the hype with Kurt Angle defeating HBK. I thought there was room for them to have a better match but this one was still great. Akebono/Big Show hit the brakes hard on the quality of this show, Big Show deserved much better. Cena/JBL was ok but did the job of establishing John Cena as the next Guy. Batista/HHH was a really good match, I just wanted the belt off of HHH but ended up being a Batista fan happy to see him get his big moment. Can’t forget to mention Piper’s Pit with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Great interaction between 2 legends, those slaps were legit lol wish they could have had a match/feud together bc it would have been off the charts good. Only way to end it with Piper eating a stunner. Really fun show that holds up over time.
15. WrestleMania XII
Arrowhead Pond; Anaheim, California – 18,853
Anthem singer – Vic Damone
Another 1 match show but once again I feel that one match is so good it elevates the rest it. One of my biggest pet peeves in wrestling is when people cry about this match being boring yet will salivate all day over a Flair 60 min draw. The Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels Iron Man Match is a wrestling clinic and if you love wrestling you love this match. I think the match would be better received if it was 1-1 going down the stretch but as they get under 10 min left and you realize the next fall will win it, the match gets really intense. I was so into I got grounded after for mouthing off lol HBK finally makes the big mistake with under a minute left and gets caught in the Sharpshooter. Time expires but it can’t end like that so we go to OT where HBK wins it with 2 superkicks. A fcking masterpiece and 1 of the greatest matches of all time. I used to feel the rage at Shawn telling Hebner to “get him the fuck out of my ring’ until Bret revealed it was planned. Oops lol the Hollywood Backlot Brawl was fcking great as Piper/Goldust legit beat the shit out of eachother. The OJ chase footage was kind of corny but the action was top quality. 6 man tag was fun with a shock finish considering 5 min with Cornette was on the line for the faces. I was pumped to see the Ultimate Warrior back in the WWF so I loved him squashing HHH. Austin/Savio Vega had a good match but would have a great one a few months later. Taker/Diesel was slow but good, nice win for Taker as Diesel would head to WCW to change the business a few months later. Solid card overall with one of the greatest matches of all time in the Main Event.
14. WrestleMania III
Pontiac Silverdome; Detroit – 93,173
Anthem singer – Aretha Franklin
I love those mini- ring carts lol A one match show coming that turned into a 2 match show in the aftermath. A then record crowd of 93,173 people came out to see if Hulk Hogan could bodyslam and defeat Andre The Giant. The match def wasn’t a technical classic but for what it was it was truly great. The build of the match leading up to Hogan’s bodyslam was perfect. The early spot when Hogan collapsed backwards during a bodyslam attempt and barely kicked out def had the nerves going throughout Hulkamania. The roar of 93,000+ when Hogan finally bodyslammed Andre was deafening but surpassed moments later when the ref counted 3 for Hogan’s victory. This turned Hulk Hogan from a superstar into a mega star woven into the fabric of Americana. Andre deserves all the respect in the world for gutting through this match as he was in rough shape coming into it. Obviously the money was nice but I know he saw what he could do for Hulk and decided Hulk was worth the risk. Def paid off for everybody. As big as the Hogan/Andre match was, it was almost overshadowed by the unbelievable match between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat. Must have been at least 50 nearfalls in that match. The feud was hot coming in after Savage came off the top with the ring bell with Steamboat on the guardrail crushing his throat. For a long, long time this was considered the best WM match of all time and you won’t get any argument from me. Legend goes Savage meticulously planned the match out move by move which could have hurt the flow of it but they executed the plan to perfection when the lights were on. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands and got a great reaction for the finish. 1 of my all time favourite moments is Roddy Piper saying Fck your cart and running down the aisle for what at the time was his last match. Had a good match vs Adrian Adonis that gave birth to the Barber character for Brutus Beefcake. Wish we could have had a straight up Hart Foundation/British Bulldogs match but the 6 man tag worked. Everything on this card was good, the scene of 93k made a great atmosphere for every match. Card flowed perfectly to build to the 2 big matches. This show is now 33 years old but still holds up as one of the best.
13. WrestleMania VII
Los Angeles Sports Arena; Los Angeles – 16,158
Anthem singer – Willie Nelson
Really fun show with a wide variety of matches on the card. Rockers/Haku & Barbarian was an awesome opener, crazy spot when 1 of the Rockers is on Haku’s shoulders as the Barbarian grabs their head and clotheslines them on the top rope. Happy that Kerry Von Erich got to have a WrestleMania moment. Bulldog/Warlord had about 10,000 matches and looking at them you wouldn’t think this was good but it actually was. Loved seeing Bulldog break the full nelson. Hart Foundation/Nasty Boys is a damn good match but fuck was I pissed as a kid at the finish, I would have strangled Jimmy Hart with my bare hands lol I was almost frustrated to the point of tears that the ref didn’t see the helmet shot and Jimmy prevented Bret from breaking the pinfall. Really wanted the Hart Foundation to win. The Jake Roberts/Rick Martel Blindfold match was a really fun spectacle, Jake pointing around the ring and waiting for the crowd to respond was brilliant. So satisfying when Jake finally catches Martel and hits the DDT. Great feud with a fun finish. The WrestleMania debut and start of The Streak for the Undertaker vs Snuka and they pulled off a good, short match. I personally hate the Savage/Warrior match bc I’m a big Macho Man mark, I mean Warrior kicking out of 5 elbows and pinning Savage with one foot is bullshit. But I can turn it off and still enjoy the match for what it is. The post match scene is the best part though as Miss Elizabeth returns to stop Sherri from beating on the Macho Man and they embrace in the middle if the ring. Still brings tears to my eyes when I watch it. Like Kerry Von Erich I’m happy Tenryu got a WM match even if it wasn’t very good but Demolition was done at this point. Another frustrating finish as Bossman defeats Mr Perfect by DQ so he doesn’t win the IC Title. Too bad as I think Bossman would have crushed it as IC Champ. LOD getting the last big win of their prime was a cool moment. I loved the storyline of Virgil finally standing up to Ted Dibiase so him getting a win of Dibiase here was great stuff. The alliance with Piper really helped Virgil and made this thing very entertaining. I’ll go to my grave saying the the Main Event should have been Hogan/Warrior II and if it was they would have filled the LA Coliseum like they originally planned. But instead we got Hogan/Slaughter which was still a really good match but the whole feud just leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Like I said at the start, the wide variety of matches makes this a really fun show to watch. Some matches that weren’t very good but overall it’s a good WM.
12. WrestleMania XX
Madison Square Garden; New York – 18,500
Anthem singer – Boys Choir of Harlem
This show was the ‘smart marks” dream. No bad matches on the show and an ending you could only dream of before this night with Benoit & Eddie standing tall as Champions. Started off great with Cena winning the US Title from the Big Show back when everyone still liked Cena lol Christian beating Jericho was a shock but also a good match. Post match scene making out with Trish was def not expected. Evolution vs Rock n Sock was a fun match with one of the first and biggest RKO outta nowhere to win the match. All the money was on Rock n Sock to pick up the win but putting Orton on the map as a big time player was the right call. Goldberg/Lesnar is worth watching to see the crowd fcking all over them the entire match. Should have been a dream match with great crowd reaction but everyone knew they were leaving so it had no chance to be good. I’ll enjoy a Torrie/Sable/Jackie/Stacy Playboy Evening Gown match any day all day lol both tag team title matches were good. Didn’t expect Chavo to walk out with the Title but the Cruisers put on a good show. Molly Holly sacrificed her hair to make sure she was on the show to get her WrestleMania moment vs Victoria and they delivered a match worthy of WM. Taker/Kane might have been the worst match on the show which is saying something as it wasn’t really bad and gave us the return of the Deadman. Eddie/Angle was really good with an awesome finish as Eddie loosened his boot so he could slip out of the Ankle Lock and then rolled up Kurt for the 3. Benoit is always someone fans wanted elevated to the Main Event and they finally gave him his shot winning the 2004 Royal Rumble. This was in the middle of HHH’s reign of terror so as much as you thought Benoit would win, a HHH victory was always possible. Add in HBK 1 of the greatest of all time and I was nervous af for this match. When it was showtime they delivered an all time classic and the right finish as Benoit tapped HHH to the crossface. Man I was pumped seeing Benoit finally get the respect he deserved becoming World Champion. Brought tears to my eyes then and still does now when Eddie joins him in the ring and they hug. Maybe the tears come for different reasons now but no matter what that moment will always have a place in my heart. WM 20 was a monumental event and the last WM in MSG but this card def met and exceeded the expectations.
11. WrestleMania VIII
Hoosier Dome; Indianapolis – 62,167
Anthem singer – Reba McIntyre
A fun show that delivered 2 all time great matches in Bret/Piper and Savage/Flair. Really good opener as HBK put himself on the map with a victory over Tito Santana. I believe it was here that Bobby Heenan first called Shawn Michaels the wrestler of the 90’s. 2nd WrestleMania appearance for the Undertaker vs Jake the Snake and they had a damn good match. Taker sitting up after the DDT and getting the win was a significant moment that did a lot for Takers career. Bret Hart vs Roddy Piper put on 1 of the best matches in WM history. Bret was a wrestler that could brawl and Piper was a brawler that could wrestle, perfect combination of styles. Their pre-match interview is a classic too. Innovative finish with Bret kicking off the turnbuckle to turn the sleeper into a 3 count for the Hitman. Iconic moment with Piper standing over a bloody Bret contemplating nailing him with the ringbell. Great match. 8 man tag was fun and provided a needed break between the 2 great matches. Flair/Savage was such a hot feud you just couldn’t wait for Savage to kick the crap out of Flair. Both guys did a tremendous job leading up to the match and the match more than delivered. Perfect played his manager role to perfection, pun intended lol made you think Flair would walk out with the gold but Savage was able to roll him up for the 3 and the title. Different match than Bret/Piper but just as great. To this day it’s impossible to watch Tatanka/Martel without becoming completely distracted by Heenan/Monsoon’s commentary. Bobby losing his shit saying “You’re not gonna get me upset” LOL a masterpiece and probably the greatest night for Heenan/Gorilla on commentary. They were flawless and at their best all show. Natural Disasters/Money Inc was def the worst match but it should have been LOD if not for Hawk’s suspension. Too bad. For a match under 2 min I enjoyed Owen/Skinner and was pumped Owen got a win at WM. Main Event of Hogan/Sid wasn’t much better than the tag match and had a screwed up finish where Papa Shango was late so Sid had to kick out of the Big Legdrop. Didn’t sit well with me as a kid. But that was forgotten when the Ultimate Warrior made his shocking return to save Hogan. I don’t care what anyone says that was an awesome moment. In a perfect world, this Main Event would have been Hogan/Warrior III to settle it once and for all. You could also argue it should have been Hogan/Flair which was apparently the plan until house show matches didn’t set the world on fire. However the house show matches went, it’s a no brainer to know that Hogan/Flair would have delivered a great match when the lights were brightest. This is a good show with 2 great matches that more than hold up today.
10. WrestleMania XXII
Allstate Arena; Chicago – 17,159
Anthem singer – Michelle Williams
Really good, fun show despite a couple disappointing finishes. They used Peter Gabriel’s ‘Big time’ as the theme and it fit perfectly, the closing montage is 1 of my favourites. RVD winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match was an exciting moment knowing that he finally had a title shot in his hands. They should have pulled the trigger on RVD around 2001 when he was white hot but better late than never. Crazy that Flair was in the match but he wasn’t just a passenger he took some serious bumps. JBL beating Benoit is one of the disappointing finishes but the match was good. The one thing missing from Mick Foley’s career was that great WM match and he got with his insane brawl vs Edge. They stole the show and put on a classic, finishing with the legendary moment of Edge spearing Foley through a flaming table. Awesome match. The Boogeyman beating Booker T is the other disappointing finish, worst match on the show. Mickie James/Trish Stratus had a really good match off of an awesome build but the moment everyone remembers is Mickie licking her hand after being close to Trish’s inner thigh. Great moment but pretty sure they edit it on replays now. Cowards lol Taker/Mark Henry exceeded expectations with a damn good casket match. Shawn Michaels/Vince McMahon would have stole the show if not for Foley/Edge, awesome match with the great finish of HBK coming off the Ladder to elbow Vince, who was inside a trash can, through a table. Rey Mysterio trying to honour Eddie Guerrero by winning the World Title at WM vs Angle/Orton and he succeeded in a great match. Could have stole the show if it was longer but they maximized the time they got. I’m down to watch Torrie do anything so I enjoyed her match vs Candice Michelle. John Cena cemented his place at the top as the Guy by beating HHH in a great match. Tough spot to follow Edge/Foley and HBK/McMahon but they were up to the task. Cena’s ‘gangster’ entrance was cool but also memorable bc Chicago’s own CM Punk was a part of it. Say what you will about him but 3 Mania’s in a row HHH did the job to try and get the next guy over. This is a great show with the second half firing on all cylinders.
9. WrestleMania XXIV
Citrus Bowl; Orlando, Florida – 74,635
Anthem singer – John Legend
Another outdoor WrestleMania that provided a great atmosphere. Only 1 bad match on the show and it was 11 seconds so no big deal. JBL and Finlay get it started with a fun Belfast Brawl, worth watching to see Hornswoggle get smoked with a trash can lol winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match was basically a guaranteed title win at this point so seeing CM Punk win it was an exciting surprise. Good match with some crazy spots. Batista/Umaga was a good, hard hitting match. In what has to be given Match of the Night, we said goodbye to Ric Flair as in-ring performer losing to HBK in an awesome match. The “I’m sorry. I love you” end to the match goes down as one of the most emotional WM moments. No better way to go out for Ric Flair one of the 2 greatest of all time. The Playboy Lumberjill match w Beth Phoenix/Melina/Ashley/Maria wasn’t match of the night but I’m not complaining. Orton/Cena/HHH triple threat was really good and saw Orton add another surprise win to his resume this time via the Punt not the RKO. Floyd Mayweather was undefeated in the Boxing ring but the squared circle is a different story esp when you are facing the Big Show. Wasn’t sure they would be able to pull off an entertaining match but they def did. Mayweather won after KOing Big Show with brass knucks, props to Show for doing the honours. Say what you will about Mayweather but his presence added a ‘big fight feel’ to the show and match. Another successful celebrity crossover at WM. Main Event of Edge vs Undertaker delivered a great match and must have been a dream come true for Edge to walk into the Main Event of Mania as champion. Posing with the title and having the pyro going crazy is what every wrestling fan dreams of. Taker made up for his previous Main Event stinker at WM 13 in a big way. The Hype around Floyd Mayweather and the outdoor theme provided a great atmosphere and the entire card delivered making this one of the best WM.
8. WrestleMania VI
Skydome; Toronto – 67,678
Anthem singer – Robert Goulet. Goulet!
This WM has a special place in my heart so I might have It ranked higher than most but I think it holds up as an awesome card. As a kid I was a HUGE Hulk Hogan fan so I was obsessed with renting the VHS copy any chance I could get. Despite the Hogan loss I thought it was a great match and really enjoyed the rest of the show. Rick Martel/Koko B Ware was a fun opener to get things started. Demolition/Colossal Connection was awesome for what was essentially a 2 on 1 match bc Andre was at the end of his in-ring days. Perfectly built match to the finish that got a huge pop. Loved the post-match shenanigans with Bobby Heenan slapping Andre who then went to town on both Heenan and Haku. Great way to ride off into the sunset for Andre with the crowd going crazy cheering him. I really enjoyed Earthquake vs Hercules. I’m a big mark for both Herc & Quake and hope they both get into the Hall of Fame in the next few years. In a huge upset, Brutus Beefcake ended Mr Perfect’s perfect record after Beefcake slingshotted Perfect into the post. Loved that spot. You could say someone higher on the card should have ended Perfects streak but Brutus was over af. Prob should have been IC Champ at some point. Then the worst match of the show, Roddy Piper vs Bad New Brown and my God is this boring. Only reason to watch is to see Piper painted half black lol only Hot Rod. I love that the boys ribbed Roddy by hiding the stuff to remove the paint so he had to walk around like that for days. Hart Foundation beat the Bolsheviks in what might be my favourite squash ever. Set up the Hart Foundation for the big SummerSlam title match vs Demolition. Another match I really enjoyed, Tito Santana vs the Barbarian but I esp loved the finish with Barbarian taking Tito’s head off with a top rope clothesline. Just beautiful. Really fun mixed tag match with Dusty/Sapphire w Miss Elizabeth vs Savage/Sherri. I enjoyed this match but as a kid I always wanted to see a legit one on one match between Savage and Dusty but I don’t think we ever got one on TV or PPV. Another shocking upset as the Orient Express beat the Rockers. Brilliant sequence to end it as Fuji distracts Marty Jannetty so Sato can sneak up behind him and throw salt in the eyes. Marty stumbles and actually goes over the barricade in a cool spot, always loved the salt in the eyes. Hacksaw Jim Duggan/Dino Bravo was thankfully kept short but I actually liked it esp with the 2×4 involved in the finish. Before we get to the Ted Dibiase/Jake Roberts match, Jake cuts his ‘Mock of Avarice’ promo that would go down as 1 of the greatest in wrestling history. Pure poetry. Sets up the match perfectly which was really good but damn was I frustrated that Jake didn’t win the Million $ Belt and only hit the DDT after the match. Really cool spot with Ted Dibiase hiding under the ring after the Jake match and jumping the Big Bossman before his match vs Akeem. Doesn’t even go 2 min when Bossman gets in there but I thought it was entertaining for being under 2 min. Rick Rude’s final WrestleMania match is short but a good one vs Jimmy Snuka. And finally we get to the Main Event, the Ultimate Challenge, Champion vs Champion, WWF Champion Hulk Hogan vs IC Champion the Ultimate Warrior. The promo’s both men cut before the match are legendary. I guarantee there were many critics ready to have a good laugh at how bad the match would be as the noise was always that Hogan was all Big Boot-Legdrop and Warrior had to be led around like a mule to have a good match. But those people were sorely disappointed as Hulk and Warrior delivered an absolute classic that goes down as 1 of the best in WM history. Most people thought Hogan would win for sure but Warrior avoided the Big Legdrop and hit the Big Splash for the 3. Great commentary from Gorilla and Jesse Ventura. This show was all about the Main Event and the card built up to it perfectly. Everyone was talking about the Main Event coming out of this match which is what you want. The post-match scene of Hogan handing his belt to Warrior to go out like a man and true champion still has an impact on me to this day. Perfect execution from the rest of the card to the build to the promo’s to the match to the aftermath. I love this WM, I can watch the entire thing over and over and truly believe it’s one of the best.
7. WrestleMania XXXV
Met Life Stadium; East Rutherford, New Jersey – 82,265
Anthem singer – Yolanda Adams
Kofi Mania! Helped deliver 1 of the best WrestleMania shows of all time. Coming in, most fans were holding onto hope that Kofi Kingston, Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins would prevail in their respective matches. Too often what the fans want is not delivered but that was not the case on this night. It was surprise to see the Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar Universal Title match open the show but it got things started on a high note. The match only last 2 and half minutes but there was action before the bell rang to give fans their moneys worth. For such a short match it was really good and seeing Seth Rollins win the title in convincing fashion was awesome. Orton/AJ Styles had high expectations for the quality of the match and they def delivered with AJ getting a big win. It was nice to see The Uso’s get a win on the biggest stage after be denied that opportunity for years despite being the best Tag Team of the 2010’s. Shane McMahon/The Miz had a fun Last Man Standing match with a crazy spot to end it. The Iiconics shocked the world by stealing a victory in the Womens Tag Team Titles match, after all the hard work they have put in over the years they certainly earned that win. 1 of the most unlikely WWE Title matches in history saw Kofi Kingston defeat Daniel Bryan in a great match. Kofi is a guy that had put in years of high quality work but seemed like he was destined to always be on the outside looking in. If Mustafa Ali doesn’t get hurt earlier in the year opening the door for Kofi to step up, this moment most likely doesn’t ever happen. But once Kofi stepped up, the fans made enough noise to make it clear to WWE that Kofi was the only choice for the WM match. The build leading up to Kofi Mania is one of the best but Daniel Bryan also deserves a lot of credit. DB proved the he is one of the greatest of all time by crushing the heel character he was playing. Daniel Bryan went from 1 of the most beloved good guys of all time to a despised heel 5 years later. Not many people can pull off both to the level that Daniel Bryan did. Thought it was such a great touch to have DB refer to Kofi as a ‘B+ player’ just as he was during his chase of the title. Awesome match that will go down as 1 of the best in WM history. Samoa Joe/Rey Mysterio lasted about a minute which was disappointing but I’m glad Joe got a big win on a WM card. Reigns/McIntyre was ok they were in a tough spot after the crowd went crazy for Kofi/DB. In a cool moment, The Dr. of Thuganomics John Cena made a surprise return to interrupt Elias. HHH/Batista was a great match and a fitting way to send Batista into retirement. They did not hold back and def beat the shit out of each other. Still some big matches left Batista could have but he wanted to go out on his terms and certainly earned the right. Baron Corbin ended Kurt Angle’s legendary career in a good match but it really should have been Angle vs Cena. For a match under 5 min, Lashley/Balor was really good with some hard hitting action. The Main Event of The Man vs The Baddest vs The Queen had big expectations considering they were the first ever Womens match in the main event but they delivered a really good one. There was room for the match to be better and seemed to end right as they were getting going towards a hot finish but it was still close to great. Great way to close out a legendary first year in WWE for Ronda Rousey and perfect result to cap off the Rise of The Man. Becky Lynch worked her ass off to build ‘The Man’ persona and get into this position, she absolutely earned this honour. ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch is one of the best stories and characters in WWE history. This prob should have been Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey one on one but Charlotte Flair added a lot to the build and match. Top to bottom there wasn’t anything close to a bad match on the show, everything was good to great and despite the 7.5 hour length, longest show ever, this will stand as one of the best WM.
6. WrestleMania XXV
Reliant Stadium; Houston – 72,744
Anthem singer – Nicole Scherzinger
The show that delivered the greatest pro wresting match of all time. Started off with a banger of a Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Nobody thought CM Punk was winning it last year and even less people thought he had a chance to repeat this year. But that’s exactly what he did winning back to back MITB contracts. Most fans knew that Punk was not the typical star they usually push making his victories that much sweeter. The Miss WrestleMania battle royal was an abomination from the Women not getting proper introductions to fcking Santino winning it. In a surprisingly awesome match, Chris Jericho defeated Snuka/Piper/Steamboat. But the biggest shock was how good Ricky Steamboat still was. Almost turned the clock back to WM 3 with his performance and Jericho was the perfect adversary for him and the other legends. Mickey Rourke KOing Jericho after the match was a cool moment. Nobody really wanted to see Matt and Jeff Hardy fight but they still put on a really good match beating the shit out of each other in the process. Big win for Matt. Mysterio beat JBL in 20 seconds to send him into retirement. Cena/Big Show/Edge was a fun triple threat with the insane spot of Cena putting both Big Show and Edge on his shoulders for the FU. Sucks that HHH/Orton Main Event was disappointing considering the build leading up to it was all time great. But they were handcuffed from the start with the stip that HHH couldn’t get DQ’d, should have been a No DQ match so HHH could beat the shit out of Orton for what he had done. The in-ring action didn’t match the intensity that the feud had built up. It also had to follow the best wrestling match ever so that def didn’t help things. It’s not a bad match and actually really good but they had set the table for an all time classic that just didn’t deliver. That leaves us with The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels. This match brought me back to WWE as my lack of access to cable and just being tired of garbage storylines/matches/pushes led to a few year break from watching the product regularly. But when I heard that HBK/Taker was happening at WM I was excited for the show like I hadn’t been in years. I was 100% sure this was the year that the Streak was going down. HBK was the perfect guy to do it as it wouldn’t hurt Taker or the legacy of the streak. The entrances were as legendary as the match with HBK descending for the Heavens and Taker ascending from Hell. Everything about this match was perfect, only part that wasn’t was the dive to the outside by Taker that almost ended the match before it really got started. JR and the King were at their best here and the crowd was into it all the way. When HBK kicked out of the Tombstone I jumped out of my chair lol I was sure the next Superkick would win but Taker fn kicked out. When I did sit back down I was on the edge of my seat hoping Taker would make 1 more mistake but it was HBK who did moonsaulting right into a Tombstone for the 3 count. Best pro wrestling match ever. No title on the line, just a straight up 1 on 1 match with 2 guys that wanted to beat each other on the biggest possible stage. A title adds a lot of drama to a match so for them to pull this off without a title is one of the big reasons I call it the best match ever. Nobody had a chance to follow the match on this night. HBK/Taker cements this show as 1 of the best WM.
5. WrestleMania X
Madison Square Garden; New York, 19,444
Anthem singer – Little Richard
When you have two 5 star all time classic matches on the card you hit the Top 5. The 10th anniversary of WrestleMania was historic for both the milestone and all the significant moments on the show. We got started with a serious bang after Bret Hart vs Owen Hart put on a match for the ages. Bret had already been WWF Champion and was established as a top guy but Owen was still trying to break into that rarified air. We got one of the best feuds/build ever coming into this match that set the table for a classic. Owen played the jealous, asshole little brother to perfection. He was so good in and out of the ring. The way Owen would scream at Bret and do things to piss him off was brilliant. The match was set up and paced perfectly. The brothers traded wrestling holds keeping the match fairly even until Bret landed hard on his knee on the outside. Owen worked the knee building to the spot where Bret tried a victory roll but Owen stopped it short dropping his knees onto Bret’s shoulders for the huge upset. Hilarious moment after the match when Owen walks over to a stunned Bret and gives him the finger lol unbelievably awesome match that more than holds up to this day. Next was a fun mixed tag featuring Bam Bam/Luna Vachon vs Doink/Dink. Disappointing that Bam Bam wasn’t in a bigger spot on the card but they made the most of this match. Happy that Bam Bam won. In the final WM appearance for Randy Savage he defeated Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere match. They had weird stipulations for this one but they made it work. Alundra Blayze/Lelani Kai had a short, good match that cemented Alundra as 1 of the best in the world. I hated the Quebecers so it was very frustrating that Men on a Mission won the match by countout but not the Titles. Next was a horrible, boring WWF Title match between Yokozuna and Lex Luger. Yoko was a great worker for a few months after his debut but quickly became boring and lazy and this match is the perfect example of that. The finish was frustrating as Mr Perfect basically screwed over Lex Luger DQing him for “touching an official” but I was just thankful it was over. Earthquake squashed Adam Bomb which always puzzled me as Adam Bomb had a great look and could work. After that we got the second 5 star all time classic with Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon IC Title Ladder Match. This one was so great bc not only did they beat the shit out of each other with the ladder but they had a great match around it. I always loved the finish of HBK getting tied up in the ropes and not being able to stop Razor from climbing the ladder. First his leg and then when he gets his leg out, his arm gets stuck lol great, great stuff. I was a big Razor fan so I was pumped to see him get the big win and make the iconic pose on top of the bladder with the belts. Sucks that 10 guys lost their WM moment bc this went long but can’t really argue with greatness. Loved that Burt Reynolds was the ring announcer for the Main Event and was so pumped for Bret after he won. Match was short and it always pissed me off that they had Bret win basically by fluke with Yoko falling off the ropes but all that matters is Bret won the title in the Main Event of WrestleMania. Legendary moment made that much sweeter by all the faces coming out to congratulate Bret and lifting him up on their shoulders. Great call to have Owen come out but not go to the ring, thought it was funny to see Owen mouth “what a bum” lol for Bret Hart to be considered the greatest of all time he needed a moment like this and he got it. Couple bad matches but with 2 all time great ones and the coronation of Bret Hart, this is absolutely a top 5 WM.
4. WrestleMania XXXI
Levi’s Stadium; Santa Clara, California – 76,976
Anthem singer – Aloe Blacc
The Heist of the Century. Another outdoor WrestleMania but this one had the unique atmosphere of happening with the California sun still out which made for some cool visuals. I loved how the matches looked in the sun leading to the Main Event happening just after the sun went down. A lot of controversy surrounding this one and the push of Roman Reigns. Despite Daniel Bryan winning the Title at WM 30, the fans were still very much demanding that he be pushed in a Main Event position. One of the big reasons is they didn’t have DB win the Royal Rumble in 2014, I truly believe Reigns wouldn’t have had the problems winning over the crowd that he did if they would have completed Daniel Bryan’s journey properly. Then they bring DB back from injury to enter the 2015 Royal Rumble and everyone expected him to win. Except they dumped him out early in lacklustre fashion almost driving the fans to riot. The fans didn’t riot but they did mercilessly BOO Reigns the rest of the match and not even the Rock raising Roman’s hand after could change it. We open WrestleMania with the IC Title Ladder match and when Daniel Bryan enters first, you see just how over he was as the entire stadium is chanting YES! with him. Incredible scene that needs to be seen to be appreciated. The Ladder Match is awesome with some crazy spots including the end with DB and Ziggler headbutting each other over and over until Ziggler falls and DB grabs the belt. In hindsight after DB went out injured, this was a horrible decision by both men to do that. It’s not the World Title but DB gets another big moment winning the IC Title. Orton/Rollins was a really good match but the highlite is the amazing RKO they pulled off. Rollins goes for the Black Out but Orton springs him high into the air and nails the RKO as Seth is coming down. Fcking awesome spot and one of the best finishes in WM history. Cool story that they couldn’t hit it in practice so they weren’t gonna do it but just decided to go for it. Orton’s reaction after they hit it is funny when you know the context. Best RKO ever. HHH/Sting only happened so they could bury another WCW star but it was still a fun match. Sting was rivals with the nWo so having them come out to help Sting was beyond dumb and clearly designed just to give a rub to HHH’s buddies. Having said that, seeing nWo squaring off with DX was a surreal moment. With CM Punk gone you would’ve expected them to bury AJ Lee but they def did not giving her another win at WM in a good tag match with Paige vs the Bellas. Next we have Rusev coming out in a fcking tank! So fn awesome but it went the way it usually does. Oh you were excited about Rusev entering in a tank? LOLCENAWINS. Should have been Rusev man but they had a good match. In the first taste of action for Ronda Rousey, the Rock brings her into the ring to confront HHH/Stephanie McMahon after Steph slapped the fn taste out of the Rock’s mouth lol very cool moment that set the table for Ronda to compete in WWE. After the Streak ended at WM 30, Taker gets back on track with a win vs Bray Wyatt but Bray should have been given double the pay since he basically feuded with himself to build to this match as Taker was nowhere to be seen. Bray could have used a big win but it was a good match. Despite the fans objections to Reigns, this match was awesome and very hard hitting. I loved Reigns entrance where he did his punching the mat pose and held it as fireworks went off in succession around the top of the stadium and the camera slowly rotated around Reigns. Lesnar/Reigns beat the shit out of each other and were having a great match until Seth Rollins changed the questions cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to make it a Triple Threat. Rollins pinned Reigns after the Black Out to shock the world and leave WM 31 as champion. One of the most exciting, surprising finishes to a WrestleMania and a great swerve from the Reigns mega push fans were resisting. Iconic moment as Rollins swings the title around his head and raises it up as the pyro goes crazy. No bad matches on this show and a variety of great matches, surprises and moments. Add in the cool atmosphere that being out in the California sun gave the show and it goes down as one of the best WM.
3. WrestleMania XVII
Reliant Astrodome; Houston – 67,925
Anthem singer – none
The end of the Attitude Era. WM 17 is usually the consensus pick as best WM ever but that is from people that love the Main Event of Austin/Rock. It’s def a great match but the end totally ruins it for me. Jericho/Regal started the show with a good match. Right to Censor had the most annoying theme music ever so I was happy to see Taz/APA win so we didn’t have to hear it again. I thought the Kane/Raven/Big Show match was awesome for a Hardcore match with a bunch of crazy spots including Raven getting thrown through a glass window. Eddie Guerrero was able to Lie, Cheat and Steal his way to a win over Test for the European Title. Angle/Benoit had some classics vs each other over the years, this was not one of them but it was still really good. Chyna/Ivory was a dud but I’m happy Chyna got to bask in the WM spotlight. Next we got the best Father vs Son match of all time in Vince vs Shane. This match was way better than it had any right to be and ended up being a great match. They were not holding back at all in the shots they gave each other. The moment when Linda finally rises from her chair and kicks Vince in the cajones is great and got a huge pop. We saw the first ever Coast to Coast from Shane O Mac as he hammered the garbage can into Vince’s grill for the victory. Next we have the match that stole the show, TLC II. The punishment these 6 guys took to put on a classic like this is unreal, so many crazy bumps from start to finish. The spot with Matt and Bubba on the big ladder as it is tipped over and they crash through 4 tables on the outside was insane. But my fav moment and 1 of the most iconic in WWE history was Jeff Hardy hanging from the ring the belts were on and then being speared by Edge who jumped off a 20 foot ladder. Unfuckingbelievable. JR and the King had a great call for this match. Cameos by Rhino, Lita and Spike Dudley really added to the match. Edge & Christian win another big match at WM taking the victory here but everyone in this match was a winner. The Gimmick Battle Royal was a perfect way to follow that car wreck of a match to let the crowd take a breather before the final 2 big matches. I loved it, awesome to see so many of your old favourites and Bobby Heenan was his old self on commentary. Sheiky baby wins bc he couldn’t take a bump over the top rope lol fun stuff. This was the other time that I was sure the Streak would end but Taker prevailed over HHH in a really good match. Then we have the Main Event and it’s such a shame the chose to end the match the way they did. The use of the Limp Bizkit song ‘My Way’ in the build was perfection and added to the anticipation of the match. The match Rock/Austin put on was building to all time great potential they just needed a strong finish. The plans were to try and turn Austin heel going forward so they had Vince come out and help Austin win. But nobody wanted to see Austin as a heel and given the intensity of their feud that saved the WWF from losing to WCW, aligning him with Vince destroyed that foundation they had built. Fans invested for over 2 years only to watch Austin go back on everything he had said and done. Huge mistake and for me it ruins the match, I can’t enjoy it knowing where it is going. Bc of that I just can’t give it the title of best WM ever. But it is certainly one of the best with some unbelievably awesome action.
2. WrestleMania XIX
Safeco Field; Seattle – 54,097
Anthem singer – Ashanti
The end of an era as this WrestleMania see’s the last match in the great career of Stone Cold Steve Austin. 10 matches on the card with the last 5 being ridiculously stacked, no other WM had that much quality all in a row. Matt Hardy/Rey Mysterio had a good short match, the build to this was hilarious watching Matt Hardy try and get down to the Cruiserweight limit. Undertaker added to the Streak with a victory over Big Show/A-Train and it’s actually pretty good for a Handicap match. Trish/Victoria/Jazz had a really solid match that ended with a big win for Trish. As hard as Trish worked to improve she certainly earned that win. Team Angle prevailed in the triple threat for the Tag Titles vs Los Guerreros & Benoit/Rhyno. Good match but needed more time. The second half of the card kicks off with the match that stole the show Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels. This was such an awesome match and HBK’s first WM back after injury so the jury was out on how good it would be but they more than delivered. Jericho had modeled his early career after HBK so for him to get this match was a dream come true. The anticipation was as high as the expectations but their styles meshed together perfectly and they put on a classic. Back n forth exciting action until finally HBK executed the roll up with his feet under Jericho’s shoulders that Owen Hart made famous to get the win. Loved the spot where Jericho nailed HBK with his own version of Sweet Chin Music. The end was perfect and typical Jericho kicking HBK in the cajones after a hug of respect. HHH/Booker T was a great match ruined by the finish. The build to this was so awkward, no matter how anyone tries to spin it the racist innuendo they used was disgusting. Given all that you had to believe Booker was getting the big win and after Booker hit the awesome Harlem Hangover I thought that was it. Nope. HHH would come back to nail a Pedigree and considering he waited about 10 min to cover him I thought Book would kick out but it was not to be. Could have made a new star out of Booker T with a win but the HHH Reign of Terror struck again. I will say I loved HHH using the Indian Deathlock around this time, unique submission you don’t see much. Then we got a match that had been building since 1983, Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon. This had a great build up on TV that I really enjoyed, Vince cut some incredible promo’s including one of my favourite lines, “I wove you into the fabric of Americana.” So great. For 2 guys in their 50’s they put on an amazing performance including Vince hitting a leg drop off a ladder through the announcers table. The surprise appearance of Roddy Piper was perfect as he had big time issues with both guys. We get the iconic shot of a bloody Vince rising up over the apron with a crazed look on his face lol never get tired of seeing that. Hogan wasn’t gonna be satisfied with 1 Big Legdrop hitting Vince with 3 of em before getting the victory.
Rock/Austin up next. It’s a bittersweet moment as we get a great match but it is the last time we would see Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestle. This one is the best of the Rock/Austin WM matches and once again had a legendary build. The use of another Limp Bizkit song ‘Crack Addict’ was perfect for it but I didn’t enjoy it as much as ‘My Way’ bc this one was about being a fcking crack addict. But if you ignore that it’s awesome. The build with Rock Concerts and both of em trading stunners was great and had the anticipation high for the match. Nobody knew how hurt Austin was which makes it all the more incredible they were able to have a match of this quality. It took 3 Rock Bottoms but The Rock finally got his WM win over Steve Austin. We couldn’t have known this was Austin’s last match but in hindsight you can’t go out much better. A fitting end to the career of one of the 2 most popular wrestlers of all time. Main Event time and you would think they had no chance to steal the show considering all the quality that came before but Lesnar/Angle had such great chemistry they almost did it. If not for the botch on the Shooting Star Press I think they do steal it. It’s been said by multiple people that Brock trying the SSP was a mistake and not worth the risk but I disagree. All the hype amongst fans was that Brock would win it with the SSP a move most had not seen him perform but knew he could hit. Brock hitting the SSP in the Main Event of WM is a Sportscenter moment in that it would have been played all over mainstream TV. It would have made him 10x the star he was. You don’t get a chance like that often so you have to take it. I think he missed it bc he bounced 3 times on the ropes and then jumped and I think the 3rd little bounce took away from the spring he needed. Most guys would have been done after that but Brock is double tough and was able to recover enough to hit a 3rd F5 and win the match. Despite the botch it was still a great Main Event. I remember staying up really late waiting for news about Brock as I was def concerned. Thank God he would be fine and go on to have multiple classics with Angle and others. The quality of the 2nd half of this card is unmatched and one of the reasons that I rank this WM so high. The stadium in Seattle also provided a unique look for the show. Great matches and moments with One More Round for Steve Austin makes this an all time classic WM.
- WrestleMania XXX
Mercedes-Benz Superdome; New Orleans – 75,167
Anthem singer – none
The Miracle on Bourbon Street! The WrestleMania brought to you by the fans. We have finally arrived at my pick for the best WrestleMania. This match was the culmination of the Rise of Daniel Bryan and the crowning achievement of the YES! movement. It started when DB won the Money in the Bank and everyone thought he would be the first to lose when he cashed in but he didn’t. As a heel he started doing the YES! chants trying to be obnoxious but the fans started getting behind him and doing it to support him. WM 28 was where the YES! chants really picked up steam, esp after his loss in 18 seconds. They continued through the Team Hell No run and when he finally went on a singles run there was no stopping them. DB won the title at SummerSlam 2014 vs John Cena in a shocking win but immediately lost it. Coming off that loss the plans clearly did not have DB overcoming the odds to win the title again but the fans would not take no for an answer. The crowd support got louder and more fierce as time progressed even through attempts to quiet them. DB joining the Wyatt Family was a blessing in disguise as fans hated that direction but it led to one of the greatest moments in WWE history when DB turned on the Wyatts and had literally the entire arena doing the YES! chant in perfect unison with him. Everyone thought DB was destined to win the 2014 Royal Rumble but he wasn’t even in it and then the fans got really mad even mercilessly booing a universally loved wrestler like Rey Mysterio just for being #30 instead of DB. Fans ruined WWE’s Orton/Cena championship ceremony by chanting ‘DANIEL BRYAN’ so loud they couldn’t ignore it and continue. Smart fans made plans to Hijack the show with chants and reactions forcing WWE to book a fan friendly show the fans wouldn’t react negatively too. Even with all that, DB in the World Title match prob doesn’t happen if CM Punk doesn’t leave forcing them to change plans. Original plans had Daniel Bryan facing Sheamus again, nowhere near the Main Event and that would have led to the fans ruining the show. But with CM Punk gone and the fans refusing to take no for an answer, WWE had no choice but to give DB his shot. The WWE version of Occupy RAW was a great moment as DB filled the ring with his fans and wouldn’t leave until he got a match with HHH at WM where the winner entered the Main Event with Orton/Batista. That brings us to WM 30. The show started with an awesome segment featuring Hulk Hogan/Steve Austin/The Rock, the 3 most popular wrestlers of all time. It was a lot of fun and got the show started on a high note. First match was the high stakes Daniel Bryan vs HHH match. HHH out first with his best entrance ever, a Game of Thrones type of theme with the skull crown face shield and epic music. So awesome. Daniel Bryan comes out to an unbelievable crowd reaction, the shot of DB on the top rope doing the YES! chant with 10’s of thousands along with him is legendary and iconic. It almost looked like a wave that would sweep HHH away. What a moment. The match itself was a 5 star classic and in the convo with Bret/Owen for best opening match of all time. 1 thing I loved is there was only 1 finisher kickout by the guy that won the match and it led to the finish of the match. My heart jumped into my throat when HHH hit the Pedigree but DB kicked out and won the match with his running Knee. So fn great. 1 down, 1 to go but not before HHH tried to seriously injure DB’s arm bringing the finish of the Main Event into serious doubt.
One of the best squash’s ever as The Shield absolutely destroy Kane and the New Age Outlaws. I wasn’t upset about it being short as I loved seeing the Shield establish more dominance as they were one of the best trio’s wrestling has seen. The first ever Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was won in epic fashion by Cesaro. The action was really good for a Battle Royal, nice moment for Fandango when he is dancing on the apron and the crowd is doing his dance behind him. Looked great. Big Show was the favourite to win but Cesaro was able to pick him up over his head and slam him over the top rope to win as the crowd goes fcking crazy. That theme music suited Cesaro perfectly and made this moment better so now that Swagger is in AEW they should give it back to Cesaro. Too bad they didn’t capitalize on the momentum Cesaro had built here and allowed Heyman to humiliate him by obsessing about Brock Lesnar and ignori9ng Cesaro while he was standing there in every fcking promo. Awful pairing but can’t take away this legendary moment from Cesaro. Cena/Wyatt had a damn good match but once again, Oh you were excited about Bray Wyatt? LOLCENAWINS. This started the trend of Wyatt losing pretty much every big match he ever had.
Then the moment we thought we would never see, the Red Wedding of WWE, The Undertaker losing at WrestleMania. The Brock/Taker match had piss poor build so everyone thought Brock would be another victim of the Streak but boy were we wrong. The match itself is pretty good but had almost no crowd heat bc the fans were sure this was just another WM victory for the Undertaker and were just waiting for the inevitable Tombstone so we could get onto Daniel Bryan’s victory in the Main Event. When Brock hit the 3rd F5 I thought to myself “Wow Taker is gonna kick out of 3 F5s” but the referee’s hand hit the mat for 3 and my jaw fucking dropped. 1 of the most shocking moments I’ve ever experienced. I thought for sure it was a mistake and the match would restart but it became clear this was no mistake, Taker really did lose. My reaction was similar to all the fans they showed. In the few seconds after, it is stunned silence but if you listen close there is a huge reaction 20-30 seconds after the pinfall when they put the 21-1 graphic up and everyone knows it is real. The reactions are cool to see and help hammer home the gravity of the situation but it also started the WWE obsession with fan shots so now we have to deal with the camera cutting away 500 times in every fn moment. 9.9 times out of 10 nobody gives a shit how the fans react but it’s gotten so bad they even missed Edge’s first spear after coming back from a career ending injury. I call Brock ending the Streak the “Red Wedding” of WWE bc the Game of Thrones Red Wedding is one of the most shocking moments in literary/TV history and the shock of the Streak ending is in that category. There will never be a more shocking moment in wrestling that involves a kayfabe storyline than this. You will always remember where you were and how you reacted to the Streak ending. I don’t know that it was the right call to end it there but they did it and it will go down as a legendary moment in time. Brock Lesnar is as real as it gets so if anyone was gonna end the Streak, he was a great choice. This win did elevate Brock immensely and they knew they were gonna be relying on Brock to drive business going forward so it’s hard to argue with the call. Tough to watch Taker struggle to get to his feet and walk out, esp knowing know that he was seriously concussed. No matter the loss, Taker’s legacy as a warrior and one of the greatest of all time is cemented as fact. Seeing the end of the Streak sucked the life out of the arena and put the monumental reaction Daniel Bryan was sure to get for his win in serious jeopardy. The Vickie Guerrero Invitational had the tough task of following the Streak ending but it was actually good considering they had 14 women involved. With Punk gone from the company I thought there was no way AJ Lee leaves as Champ but she shocked the world and retained.
And that brings us to the Main Event, Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Batista. Daniel Bryan shows why he is considered the best wrestler in the world and why fans love him by being in his 2nd 5 star match of the night. Batista/Orton were at their best on this night and really helped elevate this match to 5 star status. The crowd was still subdued from the shock of the Streak ending to start but HHH/Steph coming out started to wake them up. The fans really woke up after the Batista Bomb/RKO through the announce table and DB was being stretchered out bc they knew that could be an excuse for DB to lose and keep him strong without him actually losing. You can hear the roar after DB fights off the stretcher and re-enters the match. 2 crucial kickouts save the night for DB after Batista kicked out of an RKO and Orton kicked out of Bryan’s running knee when Batista tried to steal the pin. But destiny was on the side of Daniel Bryan as he locked in the YES! Lock on Batista and tapped him out to a HUGE reaction. Daniel Bryan had done the impossible, through the will of the fans he had fought his way into the Main Event of WrestleMania without a Royal Rumble win and won the title. Legendary and iconic scene as DB does the YES! chants with the titles as the crowd is going ape shit with confetti and pyro going crazy. This was the only time the fans dictated WWE to change directions from their original plans and go with a guy the fans refused to give up on. That’s why I settle on WM 30 as the greatest of all time, instead of being passengers the fans were driving the car. Nothing close to a bad match on the show, 2 5 star classics, the most shocking moment of all time and the fans becoming a huge part of the results. I doubt we ever see anything like it ever again as fan support/reactions becomes less and less relevant to how they book their shows. Since this day they have gone out of their way to do whatever they want regardless of if the fans like it or not. But on this night we got what we wanted and I truly believe that WrestleMania XXX will stand the test of time as the greatest night in the history of the Grandest Stage of them All.
And that is it. I know that not everyone will agree with me and that’s fine, were all influenced by our personal memories and experiences. A lot of these shows that have a special place in my heart that I have ranked higher might be shows some couldn’t care less about. It’s all good but I think I put together a pretty solid ranking list. I’m glad I did this as I forgot how much I enjoyed some of these WM cards and should be fun to go back and watch them again. In the end, just enjoy the shows you like and watch to your heart’s content. We’re all wrestling fans and there is nothing better than those moments where wrestling connects with you and brings out the emotions good or bad. WrestleMania will always be the biggest stage in wrestling and I pray WWE continues to strive to put the best version of the show out there every year. This year for WrestleMania XXXVI things will be quite different as it takes place over 2 days in front of no fans but I have faith there will be at least 1 match that brings out the reactions only WrestleMania can. Thanks for reading, Much Love and God Bless you all!
Truth & Consequences 