With Wrestlemania this weekend, and an even 40 in the books, it seemed like a good time to do a ranking.
Main Event: "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Two words: TOO LONG. This show is centered around a tournament for the vacant world title, and they included waaaay too many matches. A lot of the matches involve lower-card guys who most people have never heard of, fan-favorites Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant double-eliminate each other in Round 1, and the show is just a slog in general to get through. Macho Man winning the world title for the first time was pretty cool, and defeating slimy heel Ted DiBiase to do it was a great moment. However, this great moment followed four hours that I doubt anybody would want to sit through today. Macho vs DiBiase was also, sorry to say, a big step down after the ascending bigness of the first three WM main events.
Main Event: Roman Reigns vs Triple H (C)
The second of what was almost an interminable ten-peat of Roman Reigns main events, this show was actually pretty dire. It had a huge, impressive crowd, but it was lit with this dull baby blue light for the entire thing so nothing about it really felt dynamic or exciting. Some of the matches were good, but nothing really jumped out as "must see". Roman was incredibly miscast as the conquering hero and the main event was bizarro world with the dastardly HHH getting cheered the entire time. Roman finally wins the title at Mania, going over debatably WWE's top guy in the process, and it just got dumped on. Match was also dull as hell and went on way too long. At least we got Zack Ryder winning the IC title (that really went nowhere).
Crowd Size Tangent: This show was held in front of a purported all-time largest crowd of 102,000 (in reality they sold around 81,000 tickets). It's too bad they inflated the number because it might have actually had the largest Wrestlemania crowd ever, for real, regardless. AEW All In 2023 had almost 82,000 tickets sold and depending on who you ask, is the highest-selling wrestling event of all time, but only around 74,000 people showed up (it being an overseas show, large dropoff is to be expected from people who can't make it). WM32 on the other hand had around 80,000 show up with very minimal dropoff. So people can argue about who won between the two shows all day (and do, because we lack concrete numbers from WWE) but it appears to me that All In 2023 might have sold the most tickets while WM32 might have had the largest actual crowd show up.
Main Event: Hulk Hogan (C) vs King Kong Bundy
A show that suffers from sequelitis, in the shadow of the much more prominent WM1 and the much bigger WM3. This one weirdly took place from 3 different arenas that each had different matches while showing the others on a big screen. Not sure what the point of that particular element was. Very little from this show is the least bit memorable, and there's this strange subdued feeling about the whole thing. Like it doesn't have the excitement that the WMs around it have, it just sort of "emanates" very matter off factly like it's just another episode of TV.
I'll give it a point for Hogan vs Bundy being a decent "Hogan slays a giant monster" match, of the sort that was common back then. Really should have been Hogan vs Roddy Piper, though. Speaking of Roddy, in the sub-main he faces Mr. T in a boxing match that I REALLY want to like, but it's just kinda...meh, like everything else on this show, outside of liking the two guys involved.
Main Event: Drew McIntyre vs Brock Lesnar (C)
This one is noteworthy for being the first WM to transpire over two nights instead of one. It's also the only WM without a crowd, consisting of a lot of "cinematic matches" and the painfully-dystopian "Thunderdome" wall of screens which was straight out of a Black Mirror episode. It's a real shame that after his many, many years of work to get to this point, that Drew's huge title win would transpire in what was effectively an empty room. This is one that I just have zero desire to ever revisit, much like most shows from 2020. The one cool thing about this show was the "Boneyard" match between Undertaker and AJ Styles. It's memorable and fun and at least gives us something here.
Main Event: Bret Hart (C) vs Yokozuna / Hulk Hogan vs Yokozuna (C)
Probably the smallest Wrestlemania arena, but at least this one has people. The whole "Roman" look of this show is fun, and it being in an outdoor arena adds a TON of atmosphere to the proceedings. It's a wonder that it took them like twenty years to have another fully-outdoor WM. Unfortunately, most of the matches here were terrible, and the main event schmozz seemed designed to not actually make anyone happy. Bret Hart defends his title against Yokozuna, loses via cheating, then Hulk Hogan comes out to avenge his little buddy Bret and defeats Yoko in seconds. End result, Hogan wins yet another world title at a point in time when he was on his way out and fans had outgrown his character, Bret loses his title, and Yoko gets jobbed out. All of that said, I have a soft spot for this one, partly because of the look of the show and partly because the main event is actually a bit of a rollercoaster.
Main Event: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar (C)
The second WM headlined by Roman and Brock, and the second where Roman falls short, despite slaying both HHH and Undertaker in the meantime. This is kind of a weird show, because it didn't follow any of the normal WM traditions. The good guy lost (while continuing to be miscast), there was a lot of filler, and very little of it was memorable. There's also this bizarre John Cena vs Undertaker match that wasn't advertised beforehand and is basically a squash match with a guy who was ostensibly retired squashing a guy who was semi-retired but still considered a big deal.
The main event should have been a great match on paper, except that the audience booed everything they did and desperately wanted Roman to sod off. This is the show where Brock Lesnar infamously threw the world title at Vince McMahon the minute he walked backstage after the match, after dealing with the wholesale rejection of the audience.
Given that this was the (groan) 4th straight WM main event for Roman despite the audience not wanting to see it, it's no wonder things fell apart. Probably the first Wrestlemania I ever watched that I largely forgot about afterwards. The only real fun thing here was the mixed tag where Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey defeated Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. That match was so fun that it saves this one from being a flop.
Main Event: The Miz (C) vs John Cena (featuring The Rock)
Too damn long, and a bit of a snoozefest overall, this show has an odd main event that was overshadowed by the night's guest host The Rock and mostly just served to set up Rock vs Cena the following year. The Miz retaining the world title over Cena should have done a LOT for him, but...no, not really. One thing that did stand out on this show was HHH vs Undertaker; it was clear HHH wanted to try his hand at following the Michaels/Undertaker duology. The match was overly drawn-out and not as good as their WM17 encounter (to be expected after ten years of aging and a considerably less-hot fanbase), but it was still solid and a good go at ending the now-iconic streak. Unfortunately most of this show just...wasn't great. Also, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler "wrestled" for THIRTY MINUTES.
Main Event: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock (C)
Considering that 1998-2001 is Peak WWF popularity-wise and a creative apex, only the last Wrestlemania of the Attitude Era - WM17 - was actually a peak Wrestlemania. WM14 was solid, at least, as an opening salvo that WWF was back. And then you've got two very meh Wrestlemanias in-between. This show was ALL about Stone Cold and The Rock meeting for the world title for the first time. That one match? Probably the best in-ring Wrestlemania main event of all time up to this point. Austin and Rock were tremendously entertaining as opponents.
However, the rest of the show was barely above your average RAW at the time, with nothing else even coming close to the main event. The booking of Stone Cold at WM14 through WM15 is probably my favorite single year of any wrestler ever, as he went through HBK, Mick Foley, Kane, and Undertaker. Meanwhile, his archnemesis and real final boss The Rock was rapidly ascending in the background to be his last foe of the year. All with the nefarious Mr. McMahon pulling the strings.
Main Event: Triple H (C) vs The Rock vs Big Show vs Mick Foley
WWF's most financially and creatively successful year ever, where nearly every PPV had buyrates on par with a normal year's Wrestlemania at the time...somehow had one of the worse WM events. I'd go so far as to say this might be the worst overall PPV of the year for the WWF. The main event, and the buildup to it, were convoluted and really should have just been HHH vs The Rock (add in Mick and have him get eliminated early, if necessary). Big Show's inclusion (and quick elimination) was weird, and the "McMahon in every corner" thing was a big part of why the event was so convoluted.
The undercard was more or less an above-average episode of RAW in most regards, though we did get an excellent TLC match for the tag titles that basically saved the show from falling even lower down the list. It's noteworthy for being the first Wrestlemania ever where a heel champion walked out with the title, and also noteworthy for being the only one without any one-on-one matches (at least for the men). It's a weird show and almost just feels like a pit stop on the way to the real culminating event for the year (and era), WM17.
Main Event: Hulk Hogan vs. Sergeant Slaughter (C)
Mid show here, and the poor ticket sales reflect that. Hogan vs Slaughter wasn't that compelling of a match and capitalized on the 1991 Iraq War (by making Sergeant Slaughter a nefarious turncoat and Saddam Hussein ally). However, the war was already over by the time this event came around. By that point it was just Hogan defeating another heel menace. Most likely this was just a way to get the title from Warrior back to Hogan without the two of them having a rematch. Which begs the question of why WM7 wasn't just Hogan/Warrior II? Would have worked out a lot better, both financially and creatively, with Hogan/Flair on the way for WM8. I'm sure the audience of the time would have loved to see a rematch after their first match was a near-draw (Hogan kicked out at 3.1 against Warrior at WM6).
What saves this show is the sub-main event between Macho Man and Ultimate Warrior. The two top non-Hogan guys in the WWF facing off for the one and only time that I know of. Macho Man had been a bad guy for a bit before this, and after suffering defeat at the hands of Warrior, he'd turn good again and reunite with Miss Elizabeth. Great stuff, emotional for the fans at the time, and went on to be a fond memory for many people as the decades went on.
Main Events: Ronda Rousey (C) vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair (C) (women's title unification), Brock Lesnar (C) vs Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan (C)
WM35 is an interesting one, because the two men's world titles are relegated to midcard while the women's world titles get unified in the main event. Meanwhile the two world titles also got presented as a huge deal, so it's more or less a triple main event. The main thing that the fans were invested in here was Kofimania, the quest of a guy who worked his ass off for over a decade to win a world title. Putting aside how that story ended, we got a great moment here. Overall, this one was alright for the time. Key words for the time. 2018-2020 were pretty dire years for WWE.
Main Event: Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart (C)
One I feel is pretty overrated based on who is in the main event. The Iron Man match isn't very fun to revisit (nothing happens for 90% of it) and it doesn't really play to either guy's strengths. A normal match between them would have functioned better, while being less memorable I suppose. The last few minutes are great, with Shawn winning his first world title. Most of the remainder of the card consists of matches that just sort of flailed in the wind. There IS a great confrontation between Undertaker and Diesel in the sub main event spot, which was both Undertaker's best WM match to this point AND one of the best matches Diesel ever had in the WWF. Kevin Nash really turned in some bangers for his last couple of WWF PPVs. Other than that, there isn't much to this one.
Main Event: Hulk Hogan (C) and Mr. T vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff
The first of its kind, and a show that HAD to be a success. Taking place in Madison Square Garden, this show has a great aura and a lot of memorable celebrity cameos. However, outside of the main event, there aren't really any great matches on this show. Just a lot of very average at best bouts between the big hosses of the era. That main event was a fun time, though. Hogan and Mr. T teaming up to take on the two top heels at the time was great stuff and tied into the movie Rocky III. Given that Piper was far and away the biggest bad guy in the WWF in this era, how did Hogan and Piper never square off one-on-one in a WM main event? It was the obvious choice for WM2. No wonder WCW milked that matchup to death in 1996/1997. Fun Fact: Hogan was using "Eye of the Tiger" for his theme music at some events around this time, another nod to Rocky III.
Main Events: Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice, "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs Ric Flair (C)
This show was originally supposed to be Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan, a match that was HUGE at the time due to both of them being the top superstar in two separate companies. For whatever reason, it didn't come together (not in the WWF, anyway) and the two of them got split off into co main events with different opponents. Most of the rest of the show is pretty forgettable and barely worth a mention, outside of how it took place in a stadium for the first time since WM6 (and last time until WM17!)
The standout here is Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart, which ended up being Piper's last WWF match for a long time and passed the torch to Bret about as well as you could hope for anybody to do. The two main events are the only other thing here worth seeing, and for very different reasons. Hogan/Sid, while a good matchup on paper, generally fell flat, and the ending was botched due to Papa "Godfather" Shango being backstage toking a doobie with some ladies of the night or something. That match being in the main event slot really hurts the show on these rankings, and it'd be rated a lot higher if it had closed out with Macho vs Flair. That match was technically very solid and had a good storyline behind it, with two clashing personalities that were larger than life.
Main Event: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor
Real Main Event: Kevin "Diesel" Nash (C) vs Shawn Michaels
For a long time, this one was ranked really low for me. Like bottom 5, along with 2, 4, and 9. Nowadays I'm really not sure why I didn't like it. Despite taking place at a weird between-eras space of time (where the company had jumped off of the Hogan train and hadn't found a new true top guy yet) and being kind of pointless due to Michaels' story ending in a failure to unseat Diesel... this is actually an imminently enjoyable show to watch. The world title match is super entertaining and the celebrity involvement actually worked decently well. It shouldn't have been the main event, but LT vs Bam Bam was way better than it had any right to be for a match involving a football player.
Main Event: Triple H (C) vs Randy Orton
Real Main Event: Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker
This is a one-match show, with Michaels and Undertaker tearing the house down in a way I'm not sure people expected in 2009. It was such a good match that they did it again the following year (and made it the main event). I watched this with a bunch of people in a sports bar and we were all jumping out of our seats during that Michaels/Undertaker match. Goddamn. Unfortunately, the rest of the show also exists, and it was mostly bad to medium. HHH vs Orton in the main event was a complete drag and really shouldn't have been the main event. Talk about plodding.
Main Event: Roman Reigns (C) vs Edge and Daniel Bryan
The return of full crowds in 2021, this show was refreshing for that reason alone. It's also the beginning of WWE's modern reboot which has led to a lot of success. Daniel Bryan finally got a second WM main event, though again in a multi-man. Eventually he'd get to actually win a one-on-one main event of an arguably WM-level show with All In 2024, so things worked out in the end. This, on the other hand, was just another opportunity for Roman to main event and crush somebody, with Edge and Bryan working well as "expendable main eventers who still had heat" if you will. Well hey, it made Roman look strong, I guess. Outside of that, the rest of the show was pretty decent, and mostly carried by the crowd just being thrilled to be there. Also, noted music sensation Bad Bunny showed up and put in one of the best performances of any celebrity guest in WWE history, so that was surprising.
Main Event: John Cena (C) vs Triple H
A show that I like more than most people did, this one had John Cena ending his first year as world champion by facing a guy who was, at the time, a ten-time world champion. Cena was presented as the underdog throughout this feud and it was certainly his biggest challenge to date. The problem is that the audience was already rejecting Cena at this point, and the crowd reactions were inverse to the story being told in the ring. That said, it's still a good match, and the rest of the show is pretty decent too. It loses some points for Royal Rumble winner Rey Mysterio beating Kurt Angle for the other world title and then going on to have one of the worst title reigns of the modern era.
Main Event: Undertaker vs Psycho Sid (C)
Real Main Event: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart
The least-bought Wrestlemania in history, this is a PPV with a convoluted build that I still can't fully wrap my head around today. Funny thing is, the convoluted build was largely due to Shawn Michaels not wanting to lose the obvious rematch with Bret Hart from the previous year. Somehow Psycho Sid ended up with the world title and lost it to Undertaker at this show. The rest of the show is just sort of there, outside of Stone Cold vs Bret Hart which is one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all time. One of those matches that pulls new fans in because they caught lightning in a bottle. That match is single-handedly responsible for WM13 placing as high as it does here. If it had been in the main event and for the world title, it would have elevated this show even more.
Main Event: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (C) vs Hulk Hogan
Another show that only places as high as it does because of the main event. Macho Man's one year world title reign comes to an end here as his best friend is forced to put an end to it. The storyline leading up to this was probably the best thing WWF did for the first five Wrestlemanias, with Macho becoming more and more paranoid and jealous that Hogan wasn't actually his friend and might just be after his title and his girlfriend. When they finally fought, it was something Hogan wanted to avoid, but Macho was out for blood. It's a bit like Gokou and Majin Vegeta, actually.
The match quality of the main event is super good for 1980's WWF, and EASILY the best main event of the first five WMs. It isn't even close. However, the rest of the show is pretty mid, at best, with the only even memorable thing being Warrior taking his first loss in the WWF due to extensive cheating by Rick Rude.
Main Events: Roman Reigns vs Undertaker, Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg (C)
An outdoor Mania that looked pretty incredible a lot of the time. I'd go so far as to say this one might have the best set / entranceway / look out of all of them. The show itself is vast improvement over WM32 to say the least, and has some great matches. Wrong main event though. Roman was on his third WM main event in a row here, and if it was actually Undertaker's final match (as it was sort of purported at the time) then I can understand going on last. Brock and Goldberg put on a banger that avenged their WM20 debacle, though, and should have been in the top spot. This one served the purpose of further cementing Roman and Brock as the top guys (as the only ones to have beaten Undertaker at Wrestlemania), setting them up for WM34 and beyond. However, for a "setup Mania" this one is a pretty damn good watch.
Main Event: Triple H (C) vs Chris Benoit vs Shawn Michaels
A great show because of how incredibly hot Trish Stratus' heel turn was. Also, other things happened. Notable for being the only arena show of the WM17-onward stadium era, this one transpired in Madison Square Garden and aimed to recapture the magic of WM10 by focusing on technical wrestling a bit more. The main thing that stands out to me about this show was the great closing moment (which would later become a tragic closing moment) of Benoit and Guerrero standing tall. Other than that, the PPV was pretty decent all around.
Brock vs Goldberg was the only real "bad" match on the show and it was mostly because it was so damn weird. Both guys were leaving, both guys got booed, both guys phoned it in and did a lot of "unstoppable force vs immovable object" physicality. If both guys hadn't been leaving, and this was a world title unification (as it appeared they were building towards just 4 months earlier when the two guys confronted each other at Survivor Series), I think it could have been a great match that got Brock to the next level of unstoppable. Well, eventually they'd have a real match and it'd be pretty good. If things hadn't gone the way they went in real life, I'd remember (and rank) this one a lot more highly.
Main Event: Triple H vs Chris Jericho (C)
Real Main Event: Hollywood Hogan vs The Rock
While WM19 was the first one I ever saw live as it aired, WM18 was the first one I ever saw, period. Because of that, I might be ranking this one a bit higher than it deserves. It lived in the shadow of the astronomically-good WM17 and in many ways had little brother syndrome, but it had some tremendous moments. Hogan vs Rock, and the crowd reaction to it, is one of the biggest things in Mania history to this point. Much like Cena vs Rock, it's a clash of two generations and deserved to take place in the Toronto Skydome. The rest of the show was decent, with Undertaker's streak being spotlighted for the first time against Ric Flair, and HHH returning from injury to dethrone noted paper champion Chris Jericho.
Main Event: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar (C) (with Seth Rollins cashing in MITB)
The Roman Era had begun, with Roman main eventing the first of many WMs. At the same time, Brock Lesnar had just posted a banner year by defeating Undertaker at Wrestlemania and then destroying John Cena for the title a few months later (which was probably supposed to be Daniel Bryan, had he not been injured, and before that, probably supposed to be Batista). Things were all set up to anoint Roman by having him take down the unstoppable Brock. Except...the crowd turned on him hard, so he didn't, and Seth Rollins had to be thrown in just to end the show on some sort of note people would like. The match was good, though, with Roman playing the "Cool Hand Luke" role of getting absolutely pummeled and coming back for more. Kicking out of four F5's at a time when most opponents were felled by one was certainly...something.
Overall, this was a great show, despite the ending coming off as weirdly inconclusive and convoluted. It's an outdoor Mania and LOOKS really nice, with some banger matches like Seth vs Orton and Bryan winning the IC title. Would be a lot higher if Roman were actually a crowd favorite and actually won, instead of the strange situation we got.
Main Event: Edge (C) vs Undertaker
A somewhat underrated Mania that a lot of people look back on fondly. This one had a terrific main event with Edge putting his world title up against Undertaker's streak (a match that apparently had a reasonably big chance of going Edge's way, but he was the one who refused to win). The two guys went absolutely all out here, and even though it's overshadowed by Undertaker's matches with HBK and HHH in the following years, this one deserves attention.
Also we have Ric Flair being retired* by Shawn Michaels, who would go on to be retired himself two years later by his nemesis the Undertaker. Lot of emotion behind this WM, and it's the last hurrah of the Ruthless Aggression Era before it fully transitions into white ropes PG era. Unfortunately there's quite a bit of pointless filler on here, and the baffling choice of having Kane beat Chavo Guerrero in one move to win the ECW title (thus burying Chavo and also making the ECW title seem like a bit of a joke).
Main Event: Hulk Hogan (C) vs Ultimate Warrior
A Wrestlemania with a particularly memorable VHS case (seen above) and a match that kids were so excited about that even I was hearing all about it as a non-fan. A case of unstoppable force versus immovable object, this match pitted two virtually-indestructible wrestlers against each other for the first time ever. It's a match that was way better than it had any right to be, and felt like the peak of the classic Hogan era. That double clothesline is the stuff of legends, considering neither guy could be taken off their feet by any of their prior opponents. At least not with the ease that both of these guys were able to level the other with their clotheslines. That moment, to me, exemplifies how evenly-matched this was.
Sadly, the rest of the show is largely forgettable, outside of the show transpiring in the Toronto Skydome. Amazing-looking venue and the fans in attendance sounded like an earthquake throughout this show. Sort of a one-match show here, but it's a good show regardless and stands as one of the two peaks of classic (WM1-9) WWF along with WM3.
Main Events: Triple H (C) vs Batista, JBL (C) vs John Cena
The beginning of the Batista and John Cena eras (one of those lasted, one didn't), this one was so much fun from top to bottom. I still wax nostalgic about this one with people from time to time. It's the one where we got those movie scene vignettes with wrestlers in them, like Eddie Guerrero and Booker T in Pulp Fiction or Christian in Basic Instinct. The Batista/HHH build was stunningly well-done for the time and HHH's early-2000's reign of terror finally came to an end here. From top to bottom, everything on this show was fun and created some good memories for people who grew up with it.
Main Event: Roman Reigns (C) vs Cody Rhodes
Fun show here, with Cody taking on The Bloodline and falling short. If he hadn't succeeded the following year, this would be ranked a lot lower as a forgotten one-off. Instead, as part one of a two part saga, it's pretty decent. Roman plays a great heel champion here and Cody is the heroic babyface. Sometimes simple is totally fine. There was also a pretty rad tag team title match where Kevin Owen's and Sami Zayn got a moment in the sun as partners, which was good to see after all this time.
Main Event: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels (C)
The beginning of the Stone Cold era, this WM did what WM is best at: Cemented a new top guy. Shawn Michaels was falling apart by this point, and yet even falling apart Michaels is able to put on a tremendous match. Beyond that, the whole show had a lot of energy and felt like a statement that the company was turning a corner creatively. There's a reason why Austin from WM14 to WM15 is my favorite-booked wrestler of all time: He had a list of really strong challengers to go through, starting here with Shawn. We also got Undertaker vs Kane in a battle for the ages that managed to reinvent the "big hoss fight" of yesteryear into something a bit more fast-paced and contemporary.
Main Event: John Cena (C) vs Shawn Michaels
Real Main Event: Bobby Lashley (w/ Donald Trump) vs Umaga (w/ Vince McMahon)
Sort of the peak of the "Ruthless Aggression Era" before it dropped off into the John Cena PG Era, and a pretty damn good show. The first stadium show since WM19, after a 3 year return to arenas. It got the highest buyrate in modern wrestling history at the time - which would hold until WM28 - mostly off of the "Battle of the Billionaires". It's fitting that it was 20 years after WM3 because it takes place in the same city and went for the same theme of "huge spectacle".
The main event was a terrific world title match that cemented John Cena's place as top guy, and we also got Batista and Undertaker squaring off for the other title in an underrated match. Just a top quality show here and we got to see Vince McMahon get his comeuppance in a way he hadn't for a long time by getting beaten up by a future president, something that has been meme'd endlessly ever since. Also, Stone Cold gives Trump the stunner, for folks who don't like the guy. There's something for everyone here!
Main Event: John Cena vs The Rock
This one is deeply nostalgic for lots of folks, of all ages. The hero of the late 90's and early 00's returning to face the hero of the late 00's and early 10's. It seemed like everybody was talking about this or watching it, and really felt like Wrestlemania is supposed to feel. Unfortunately, all of that was mostly in the buildup, and the actual show had some significant problems. The squashing of crowd-favorite Daniel Bryan was a pretty egregious way to start the show and piss everyone off, though WWE fanboys would pass it off as "there's a plan don't worry" (there wasn't).
Eventually they'd cave and give Bryan the ball, at least for a short while, but we'll get to that. CM Punk was also denied the WM main event he'd worked hard for, with his world title defense relegated to the second-to-last spot. This was the best time for him to get that main event spot, and he never did afterwards (and no, I don't consider Night 1 main events to be "the main event" of WM).
So yeah, there were problems here with the treatment of certain fan favorites. But overall the show was really good, and the main event felt legitimately huge. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot... we got HHH/Undertaker again here, this time for all the marbles, with Shawn Michaels as special guest ref. And it was an absolute banger. Just a match for the ages, and the end of an era for the old guard.
Main Event: John Cena vs The Rock (C)
Part two of the previous event, the Cena/Rock rematch involved the world title (probably for no other reason but to "justify" it being in the main event). For a long time I liked WM28 more than this one, but nowadays I'm going to skew towards 29. This one didn't just have Cena/Rock battling it out again, it had a number of other huge (and quality) battles like HHH vs Brock Lesnar and CM Punk vs Undertaker. They fired on all cylinders with this one and while I may have liked 28 more at the time, 29 has a lot less wrong with it.
Main Event: Hulk Hogan (C) vs Andre the Giant
Huge is the word for this one. Pontiac Silverdome, "93,000" fans (in actuality it was about 75,000 but whatever), Andre the Giant. This show is a total spectacle from start to end and the massive crowd went wild for everything (even things they really shouldn't have, lol). When it comes down to it, a lot of the matches on this show are actually kind of boring. The main event, Hogan vs Andre, might be the most overrated match in wrestling history. Both guys are bordering on immobile throughout the slog of a contest. And yet...everything about this show has a weird magic about it, like you can feel the excitement of millions of families in the 80's to see this spectacle. The sub-main, Macho Man vs Ricky Steamboat, is an outstanding match that might be the first truly great Wrestlemania match. That one saves this one in the technical department, while the sheer aura of everything and the spectacle of seeing Hogan pull off the bodyslam... yeah, this one lands a lot higher than it probably should, but By God, there it is.
Main Event: Roman Reigns (C) vs Brock Lesnar (C) (world title unification)
This is a huge show and heralds the turning point where WWE caught fire again. The third WM main evented by Roman and Brock, this match worked far better than their other two matches due to Roman's reinvigorated character, and Roman finally slayed the beast. The main event felt like the biggest match in WM history, and it probably was at that point. Other matches happened too, and everything had a new energy about it. Sort of like the WM14 of this era, there was the vibe of a corner-turning here. Also, Vince gets stunnered by Austin, perhaps for the last time, as this was the last Wrestlemania that Vince was in charge for. He'd still be around for WM39, but not running the show.
Oh yeah, we also got the shock WWE return of Cody Rhodes, an industry-shaking event that would have huge ramifications.
Main Event: Shawn Michaels vs Undertaker
Shawn and Taker got the main event this time and proceeded to put on another all-timer. The two Michaels/Undertaker matches from 09/10 are probably the two best matches of the entire 2001-2010 decade which is saying a lot. They're #1a and #1b. Hard to say which is better. The second had the better build by far, while I think the first was probably a slightly superior match. Though that might just be due to what a surprise it was. Ultimately, Michaels loses and gets retired (forever, Saudi shows don't count) in a moment that was emotional then and is still emotional now. Besides the incredible main event, this show also had a long-overdue and very solid Cena vs Batista match to determine who WWE's franchise player was. Unlike WM25, Michaels/Taker was accompanied by an actually-great rest of the show.
Main Event: Bret Hart vs Yokozuna (C)
The first Wrestlemania ever without Hulk Hogan being involved, this one had a hill to climb with fan interest. However, from top to bottom, the show was great. Madison Square Garden is super atmospheric (and cavernous) with the setup they used, and Bret Hart finally avenges his loss to Yokozuna at WM9. The show opens with Owen Hart vs Bret Hart in a bit of an all-timer mat wrestling classic, which Owen surprisingly wins to set him up as the obvious future challenger to Bret. We also got another all-timer with Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon in a match that elevated both guys to being real superstars while also inventing the ladder match. It might not have the pomp and flashiness of previous years but it's a great "rebuilding" Wrestlemania with no weak points.
Main Event: Roman Reigns (C) vs Cody Rhodes
The latest Wrestlemania was the followup to Cody falling short the previous year, and this time he had lots of backup. Night 1 concluded with Cody teaming up with frenemy Seth Rollins to take on Roman and The Rock, with the bad guys winning to put Cody at a disadvantage for Night 2. The Night 2 main event was something else, with a bunch of superstars of yesteryear showing up to counteract Roman's Bloodline allies. It makes sense because a big part of Cody's persona for a while now has been the respect he's garnered over the decades from his father's peers and students, and as such him getting help from people like Undertaker makes total sense.
Aside from the thrilling main event storyline, this show(s) had lots of fun matches and really felt like a "for the fans" Wrestlemania. At the end of the day though, the culmination of the Cody saga is what catapults this to a high spot on these rankings.
Main Event: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock (C)
Generally regarded as the best Wrestlemania of all time, and for me there are only 3 that are in consideration for that title. I could go either way, and the top 3 are essentially all tied, but right now I'm going with WM17 for the bronze medal. The show was formatted in a pyramid structure of multi-man matches where nearly everyone of note on the roster got featured in accordance with roster hierarchy, the last few matches were unreasonably good, and the crowd was absolutely nutso for all of it. The layout of the stadium (this was WM's return to stadiums after a 9 year layoff) was interesting with the color searchlights, something that they've never really done the same way since.
The cap-off of the Attitude Era, the Monday Night War, and a lot of people's fandom, this show made stars out of everyone on it. The only problem is the ending. Turning Stone Cold heel (in Texas no less) is something nobody really wanted, and it kinda ruined the ending of what was to that point an incredible match. Because of this I'd actually take WM15's main event over this, despite not being as good of a match. Endings are everything, and Austin's heel turn didn't exactly go anywhere or work out for very long.
Main Events, because there are five: Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (C), Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon, Booker T vs Triple H (C), Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
The first one I ever watched live as it happened, and what a banger. I'll try not to let nostalgia cloud my ranking too much. This show had not one, not two, not three, but FIVE matches that all could have potentially main evented the show. There are a couple of blemishes here: Brock's botched Shooting Star Press (which could and should have been an all-time highlight reel moment), and Triple H beating Booker T (which was just unnecessary, as was the H-man taking 30 seconds to pin his opponent). Undertaker vs A-Train and Big Show was pretty weird and not the best use of an Undertaker WM match, to say the least.
However, these things aren't enough to bring down what is otherwise a basically perfect show. Shawn Michaels returned from a 5 year Wrestlemania break to prove that he still had it, Brock Lesnar was cemented as the new "the guy" in the main event, Vince McMahon got some comeuppance (always good to see) against Hogan, and The Rock finally got a win over Stone Cold in the third and final match of their Wrestlemania trilogy.
Main Event: Randy Orton (C) vs Batista vs Daniel Bryan
Just As Noteworthy: Brock Lesnar defeats Undertaker to end his Wrestlemania win streak
They really turn things up for every 10th WM, don't they? After shortchanging the man for several years, WWE decided to run with the uber-popular (but unfortunately, short) Daniel Bryan by slotting him into the planned Orton vs Batista main event. We never got Orton/Batista one on one, or Brock/Batista (which was no doubt planned for Summerslam of this year), considering Vince's penchant for putting the "OVW Big Four" against each other (the other was Cena, who faced all three of his peers multiple times). In any case, this is a top to bottom all-time great Mania, with Daniel Bryan getting his moment to shine and wrestling not once, but twice over the course of the evening (filling in for CM Punk in a match against HHH earlier in the night, after Punk took his ball and went home).
Aside from Bryan wrestling twice, winning the world title, and getting crowd reactions not seen since the heyday of Stone Cold Steve Austin... there was lots of other stuff to like on this show, and the biggest moment was probably Undertaker's win streak coming to an end at the hands (well, more like large paws) of Brock Lesnar. Just as we minted WWE's new hero, so to did we mint WWE's new uber-villain. Unfortunately, the ball would be dropped quickly with Bryan (largely due to his own being injury-prone, but let's be honest, they wouldn't have gone hard in the paint for the guy either way) to make room for new hero - and roundly rejected one - Roman Reigns. However, for one shining moment in 2014, we got "Yes-tlemania" and it seemed like anything was possible going forward.
Side Note: Curious how WM10, 20, and 30 all involved coronating a fan-favorite technical wrestler for one WM only, while the WMs before and after would return to the normal big hosses main eventing. Almost like all three of these shows were specifically "fan appreciation nights" or something to that effect. Also curious how in all three cases, a planned main event was altered to accomodate the fan-favorite technical wrestler. WM10 was supposed to be Lex Luger vs Yokozuna, WM20 was supposed to be HHH vs Shawn Michaels, WM30 was supposed to be Batista vs Orton. While WM40 doesn't fall into the same category, it's funny how they tried to drum up a similar scenario by "planning" a Roman vs Rock main event so that the fans had to demand Cody Rhodes instead, giving them an opportunity to listen to the fans and "change" the main event to the fan-favorite like they did with WM10, 20, and 30.
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