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The Best of Wrestlemania: which rank as the best of all time?
The Best of Wrestlemania: which rank as the best of all time?
The first Wrestlemania took place on 31 March, 1985 and was the brainchild of Vincent McMahon. He wanted to create a PPV (Pay Per View) to rival the successful Starrcade PPV run by Jim Crockett Promotions, his main competitor in the wrestling industry at that time. Over 1 million people watched the event on closed circuit television and was performed in front of 19,121 fans at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Since its inception, Wrestlemania has continued to grow in size and popularity. Annually “The Showcase of the Immortals” is attended by tens of thousands of fans and watched by millions around the world. Wrestlemania 36 was the first time that event was performed over 2 different nights, so all the matches could be included, and this trend looks set to continue. “Wrestlemania Season” starts at January’s annual Royal Rumble PPV event, where the winner of the Royal Rumble match gets a title opportunity in the main event at that years Wrestlemania. “The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment” is the culmination of months of storylines and often features match-of-the-year calibre matches. There is also a tradition of including celebrities in matches in order to draw more attention to the event. As with any annual event, some years are stronger and more memorable than others.
We will now take a look back at ten of the best ever Wrestlemania events to take place since its inception.
Wrestlemania 8 – Results
This show had several high profile matches (aka marquee matches) and saw the beginning of a new generation of talent emerge. It was the start of Shawn Michaels’ push as the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ and he defeated Tito Santana in the first match. In an interview prior to the match, HBK had promised to challenge the winner of the Piper/Hart match for the Intercontinental Championship, which took place later that night. The Undertaker took his fledgling Wrestlemania streak to 2-0 with a commanding victory over Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts. Bret Hart then showed the world that he was ready for big matches, by having a great back-and-forth battle with Roddy Piper. It was probably one of Piper’s best matches for many years and was seen by many as a ‘passing of the torch’ moment, as Piper relinquished the belt to Hart. The following 8 man tag match was a bit of a mess and pretty forgettable.
We were then treated to the first of the co-main event matches when Randy Savage had an absolute classic with Ric Flair. This match has the storyline revolving around Miss Elizabeth and Flair hinting that he had “relations” with Savage’s real life wife. Sadly, this was Miss Elizabeth’s last ever WWF PPV appearance and she split from Savage later that year. The match was a real rollercoaster and Flair losing to Savage with a handful of tights was incredibly satisfying and emotional.
The next three matches were all pretty unremarkable, so we’ll move on to the second main event of the PPV, Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice. In the run up to the match the producers had done a great job in portraying Justice as a psychotic, unhinged character and Hogan, of course, as usual was the All-American babyface. The match was pretty bad, with Sid kicking out of Hogan’s leg drop,followed by his manager Harvey Wippleman causing the DQ by arguing with the referee. Then Papa Shango came down to the ring to beat down Hogan. This was followed by the return of the Ultimate Warrior, in what was possibly the loudest reaction of the night. The Warrior came to Hogan’s aid and magnitude of his return mind of made up for the below par match that preceded it.
#IfICouldBeAnybody I would be Randy “Macho Man” Savage pre-mortem, of course. I just cannot generate his level of commitment to my work. pic.twitter.com/iOIJ8IlJ31
— JamieKadriel (@JamieKadriel) July 21, 2021
Wrestlemania 18 – Results
RVD began the action by defeating Steven Regal for the Intercontinental Title. It was a good example of how good RVD could be and even though the match was short it was well paced and set the tone for the rest of the night. Next we saw Christian challenge for Diamond Dallas Page’s European Title. This match was a standard TV quality match, with DDP winning with his ‘Diamond Cutter’ finish to retain the belt. There were a number of Hardcore title changes inside and outside of the ring next (and throughout the rest of the night), but they were merely filling time before the next match, Kurt Angle vs Kane. This match had great potential, but Kane couldn’t quite match Kurt’s athleticism during the match. It started slowly, but the second half was more engaging for the audience, with Kurt eventually pinning Kane with his foot on the ropes. Kurt got a good match out of Kane and they told a pretty good story during their encounter.
Undertaker next was attempting to stretch his Wrestlemania streak to 10-0 as he faced off against Ric Flair. The match involved weapons, blood, outside interference and ref bumps and was pretty entertaining. Edge’s match with Booker T was pretty run of the mill, so we’ll move on to the following match-up between ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Scott Hall. Austin got his usual big reaction from the crowd, but this didn’t really have “a big match” feel to it. The returning NWO storyline was really gripping at the time, but Hall wasn’t able to work at the same level as Austin and that was probably why Kevin Nash was in his corner. Austin won after a succession of ‘Stunners’ but he would leave the WWE after Wrestlemania 19…but more about that later!
Following another filler match it was time for what was the events most memorable match. The Icon vs Icon match was a dream match-up that pitted superstars from two different eras against each other for the the very first time. The Rock was the babyface going into the match, with NWO’s Hollywood Hulk Hogan being the supposed heel. Everything changed during the match and you could hear that even during the ring entrances that audience felt conflicted about which man to cheer for. The Rock did well to carry an ageing Hogan and the audience’s reactions made this match an amazing spectacle. Ultimately the Rock won with a ‘People’s Elbow’ but the respect shown towards each other post match was awesome and this is one match that everyone should check out.
It was hard for anyone to follow that match, but Jazz defeated Trish Stratus and Lita in a pretty solid match. The audience were still recovering from the previous match, so it was a tough spot for them to perform. The final match of the evening was the main event for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship, between holder Chris Jericho and Triple H. Again, this was a good match, but following the emotional toll that the Rock/Hogan match had on the crowd meant that the reaction it received wasn’t reflective of the quality match that they produced. During the match Triple H hit ‘The Pedigree’ on his wife Stephanie, after she has twice interfered in the match, and he ended up pinning Jericho after hitting his finisher to become the undisputed champ.
Time stood still on this day in 2002. #Raw @TheRock @HulkHogan #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/NteKddprbF
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) February 18, 2020
Wrestlemania 31 – Results
The main show kicked off with a highly entertaining 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Going into the match Daniel Bryan was the smart choice to win, but others were also enjoying pushes at the time and anyone from Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler or Wade Barrett could have realistically won, with R-Truth, Stardust and Luke Harper being long-shots. The match was well-paced with each wrestler being given the opportunity to look strong, with several high-spots. It didn’t run for too long and started Wrestlemania 31 the same way Wrestlemania 30 ended – with a chorus of “Yes” chants, as Daniel Bryan celebrated with the crowd.
Seth Rollins clashed with Randy Orton next and the match lived up to expectations, plus it had an awesome finish. Rollins was accompanied by Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble and naturally they provided plenty of interference during the match. After they both exchanged finishers, Orton won with a spectacular RKO counter to Rollins’ Curb Stomp. The match was followed by Sting’s long await WWE debut against Triple H in a No-Disqualification match. During the match both D-X and the NWO got involved, which added a nice touch of nostalgia and seeing the two stables in the same ring was memorable. The result of the match itself was a surprise, with Triple H winning, which raised the question – why bring Sting to the WWE to have him loose?
Paige & AJ Lee took on the Bella twins in a solid tag match, but by this time the crowd had dipped in energy and you can tell they weren’t too excited by the match. John Cena took on Rusev for the United States Title next and this is worth a watch just to see Rusev’s entrance on a tank! Up to this point Rusev had never been pinned and was booked like a monster, so to have John Cena win and stop all of Rusev’s momentum was a strange decision. Rusev never really regained any of the momentum during his WWE run and Cena didn’t really need the win at that point.
Bray Wyatt’s match with the Undertaker was next and again, both of their entrances were awesome. ‘Taker was returning to Wrestlemania for the first time since losing his unbeaten streak to Brock Lesnar, so it made sense to give him the win and take his streak to 22-1. This match was pretty ordinary, but the crowd were really into it. The PPV finished with the main event match up between WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. The champion gave Reigns a good beating, suplexing the challenger around the ring and dishing out some powerful, devastating offence. Reigns managed to get some offence of his own towards the end of the match but when Lesnar retaliated with an F-5 we got a real surprise! Seth Rollins came down to the ring and cashed in his Money in the Back briefcase. With both Reigns and Lesnar exhausted, Rollins won by pinning his Shield partner Reigns for the win and the WWE Championship.
Rusev – “Pride of Bulgaria”
(WrestleMania 31)You thought Ivan Drago’s entrance in Rocky IV was lit? Here’s Rusev riding into the Levi’s Stadium for WrestleMania on a tank. ON A GODDAMN TANK. pic.twitter.com/buCmV9kz7w
— ????? ???? ???ℎ (@NotoriousVIC007) March 30, 2021
Wrestlemania 21 – Results
Wrestlemania went Hollywood for this year’s edition and as usual it contained some great matches. Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero in one of the best opening matches at any Wrestlemania. Both men showed their respective move-sets, but Rey got the win with an exciting final exchange. Sadly this was Guerrero’s last Wrestlemania, as he would die later in the year. The match was followed up by a brutal Money In The Bank Ladder Match between; Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Edge and Kane. This match was amazing with so many high spots and career-shortening bumps taken by all participants. This match combined tremendous athleticism with gritty brutality and was definitely a contender for the match of the night. Eventually Edge climbed the ladder to claim the briefcase and would go on to cash it in and beat John Cena for the title at New Year’s Revolution in 2006.
Randy Orton’s match with the Undertaker next was Orton’s chance to show that he deserved to work with the top guys in the company and the match delivered. The cocky, arrogant youngster thought he the measure of the veteran. After a number of near falls and some outside interference from ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton, Undertaker took the victory and moved to 13-0 after a tremendous final flurry of offensive moves and counters, resulting in Orton’s ‘Tombstone’ attempt being reversed by ‘Taker into his own for the 1-2-3. The excitement of this match was followed by a quick 5 minute match in which Trish Stratus defeated Christy Hemme in a pretty forgettable encounter.
On paper the match up between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels looks amazing, but in reality it was even better! This match had incredible wrestling, hard-hitting offence, limb-twisting submissions with an unforgettable finish. HBK ended up tapping out after enduring the ‘Ankle Lock‘ for over 2 minutes in what was a piece of classic in-ring storytelling drama. The match was epic and one of Wrestlemania’s all time classic matches, definitely worth a watch! Unfortunately that instant classic match was followed by the worse match of the night – a sumo match between Big Show and Akebono. The nicest thing to say about this match is that it didn’t go on very long and was clearly nothing more than a gimmick match.
The show ends with two title matches. The first was for the WWE Championship between John Cena and champion, JBL. The match was full of clotheslines and was not one of Cena’s better Wrestlemania matches. JBL had quite a limited move-set and this showed during the match, which again, was quite short at around 11 minutes. Cena hit the ‘F-U‘ after JBL missed the ‘Clothesline From Hell‘ for the pin and celebrated his title win the crowd. The World Heavyweight Championship match that followed was far more of the type of show-closing match that we have come to expect. Batista challenged Triple H for the gold and the match was booked really well, with Batista looking strong and dominant. This match was much more exciting than the previous title match as it had near falls, outside interference, ref bumps and an exciting final flurry in which concluded in Batista reversing a ‘Pedigree‘ into a ‘Batista Bomb‘ for the win and his first world title.
15 years ago March 22 2005 John Cena and JBL have the hilarious funniest quotes on sining the contract. ????#WWE #Smackdown #JohnCena #JBL pic.twitter.com/0rADqZ2gaC
— Speedy Myers ?? (@speedy102501) March 23, 2020
Wrestlemania 30 – Results
The opening match of the night had the unusual stipulation that the winner would be added the main event later in the evening for a title shot. Daniel Bryan went into his match with Triple H as a massive babyface and the support he received was unbelievable. The majority of fans wanted Bryan to win, but there were times in the match that it didn’t look possible. Ultimately, having Bryan win this match was a smart choice as his connection with the crowd was so authentic and it would make for a true Wrestlemania-moment later in the show. The match was followed by the Shield comfortably beating The New Age Outlaws and Kane, in a match that was designed to push the members of the Shield and make them look like future title contenders.
The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal was next and there was a reason that it has since been moved to a pre-show spot, as it is simply a match created to include as many other wrestlers who are not involved in other matches on the main card. Cesaro won by throwing Big Show over the top rope to claim the trophy. The booking of John Cena beating Bray Wyatt in the next match upset a lot of people because Wyatt has a unique character and was gaining momentum. At the time he would have benefitted from the win far more, but Cena won with the ‘Attitude Adjustment‘.
The next match was one of the most memorable Wrestlemania moments, as Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker, inflicting his first ever defeat at Wrestlemania in what was seen at the time as a shock result. The streak was ended in a brutal fashion as Lesnar man-handled his opponent and in doing so gave the Undertaker several genuine injuries, including a severe concussion. The shock on Paul Heyman’s face at ringside mirrored those of many of the fans as they watched on in disbelief at what they just witnessed. It was most definitely created a moment in Wrestlemania history and showed Lesnar was truly a ‘Beast’ in the ring.
What ever match happened to follow that match would struggle and that was true for the Vickie Guerrero Invitational Battle Royal. The winner would claim the Divas Title and the match involved 14 wrestlers and they tried hard, but the crowd were still reeling from the previous match. AJ Lee won by submitting Naomi using her ‘Black Widow‘ submission, but it didn’t really get much reaction from the crowd, which was unfortunate for the everyone involved.
Then we finally come to the main event, the WWE Championship match between Randy Orton, Batista and Daniel Bryan. The crowd came back to life as soon as Bryan came down to the ring, clearly nursing his injured shoulder. Everyone executed their role in this match and it told an amazing story, taking the audience along with it every step of the way. The image of Daniel Bryan applying the ‘Yes Lock‘ to Batista in the centre of the ring and watching their battle of wills as Batista finally submits was the climax to one of the best matches in Wrestlemania history. Bryan’s celebrations with the crowd afterward created a genuine feel-good moment that will long be remembered.
Brock Lesnar Ends the Streak!!! pic.twitter.com/VAo79OSh8I
— WWE BEST MOMENTS (@30SecondWWE) May 31, 2016
Wrestlemania 3 – Results
Historically speaking, this was the one of the most important Wrestlemanias. It set a long held attendance record with an alleged 93,173 spectators and that record was untouched until Wrestlemania 32 in Texas broke it with over 100,000 fans attending the event. This was also the event that saw Vince McMahon promote the event on a scale that had not been seen before.
The opening match was a fun, short way of starting the evening off, with the Can-Am Connection (Rick Martell & Tom Zenk) defeating the Magnificent Muraco and “Cowboy” Bob Orton. The crowd reacted very well to this match and were a big part of the show all night. The next match involved 2 big, beefy men, as Billy Jack Haynes locked up with Hercules in a slow match that included a lot of power moves. It wasn’t ever too exciting and ended with a double count-out, but post match was more memorable as Hercules bust Haynes wide open by using his chains. We will pass over the following match, as it included a group of midgets, King Kong Bundy and Hillbilly Jim in what was easily the worst match on the card.
In some of the other less high profile matches on the card Harley Race beat Junk Yard Dog, with the stipulation being that JYD had to bow down to Race after he won. Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis with a sleeper hold in a Hair vs Hair match, resulting in Brutus Beefcake cutting Adonis’ hair post match. This was followed by The Hart Foundation with Danny Davis beating the team of the British Bulldogs and Tito Santana in a high paced, fun tag team match which ended with Davis knocking out Davey Boy Smith with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone.
Now let’s focus on the more memorable and historically important moments in the show. The Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat victory against “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship stole the show. The match still hold up when you watch it today and the two wrestlers worked well together. Much has been made about Savage’s meticulously detailed preparations for this match, but it certainly paid off. This set the bar for all other matches for many years, a true five star classic! The other massive match on the card was Hulk Hogan taking on the indomitable Andre “The Giant” in the most hyped match ever seen at that time. The match itself was not very good and pretty slow, due largely to Andre’s severe back injury and size at this time. The unquestionable moment of the match, and possibly the whole show, was Hogan body-slamming Andre, in what wrestling fans call “The slam heard around the world.” It was a big-time finish to big-time Wrestlemania.
Wrestlemania 20 – Results
Clocking in at over four and a half hours, this was the longest ever PPV event. This Wrestlemania card had a dozen matches, some of which we won’t cover here because they were pretty dull, but we will look at the clashes that captured the audience’s attention. John Cena set the tone for a momentous evening by beating the Big Show in the opening bout. The match was always going to be slow with 500 lb giant involved, but Cena played the babyface well and did well the deliver an “F-U” to win the match and capture the gold.
The all-Canadian affair between Chris Jericho and Christian was a lot of fun and entertaining, with Trish Stratus adding the spectacle. Having Christian win here gave his singles run a push, but the match made both men look strong, so really there were no losers here. Evolution’s victory over The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection in their 3 on 2 match was another engaging match, with all participants contributing to make this so enjoyable. It was great seeing so much talent in and around the ring and the pace of the match was unrelenting and twenty minutes flew by, which is always the sign of a good match.
The final three matches of the night were some of the strongest on the card. Eddie Guerrero retaining his WWE title against Kurt Angle was a great match. So much thought and planning went into this match and the finish fed into to Eddie’s “Cheat To Win” mantra, as he untied his boot, so when Angle went for the ‘Ankle Lock’ he could kick his boot off and roll Kurt up for the pin. This match was followed by the Undertaker beating Kane, for the second time at a Wrestlemania, in quite a short match. ‘Taker was on top for most of the contest, with Kane not getting in much offence in this one. If the match was designed to make the Undertaker look strong, then mission completed!
The final match of the night was possibly the match of the night, as Triple H, Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels fought for the World Heavyweight title. This three way matches had a number of near falls, painful-looking bumps, blood and a submission finish. Benoit won his first world title after locking in his’ Crippler Crossface’ on Triple H. The drama and suspense that led up to this finish was intense and the finish was met with a huge pop from the crowd. The show ended with Benoit and Guerrero, good friends in real life, celebrating with their titles.
We could watch Eddie Guerrero lie, cheat and steal all day long.
OTD in 2005, however, @RealKurtAngle outmaneuvered the master on #SmackDown. pic.twitter.com/xnaHFbxobh
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) April 14, 2021
Wrestlemania 10 – Results
A decade after its inception, Wrestlemania 10 returned to the venue where it all began, Madison Square Garden, New York. To. be honest this card has 2 amazing matches that stand head and shoulders above the rest. We’ll start with some of the other matches before getting to those two special encounters.
This event included an interesting early attempt at a Falls Count Anywhere match, between ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and Crush. This was a starting point for future matches of this type, but it didn’t quite flow as well as later iterations of this match type would be. The finish was fun, with Crush taking a bad-looking bump as Savage reversed a pile-driver into a back drop to get the win.
Both of the WWF Championship matches featuring the champion, Yokozuna were disappointing. His first match against Lex Luger was a slow paced affair, almost as though Yokozuna knew he had to fight again later that night and was saving energy. The DQ finish caused by Luger pushing Mr Perfect was met with a chorus of boos as the crowd showed their displeasure at the outcome. In the last match of the night an injured Bret Hart challenged a clearly exhausted Yokozuna in another slow paced encounter, but the ending was somewhat memorable. As Yokozuna set up his opponent for his patented ‘Banzai Drop’ finish, but as he climbed to the second turnbuckle he lost his balance falling backwards and Bret got the pin to win the world title.
The first truly memorable match of the night, and possibly the best of the entire show, was Owen Hart defeating Bret Hart in an absolute classic. Having Owen be victorious against his much more celebrated, older brother was seen as a shock by the casual fan. However, the victory was actually a way of pushing Owen Hart from being a mid-card talent to a possible title contender. The way he reversed the ‘Victory Roll‘ by simply sitting down, trapping Bret was simple, but brilliantly effective.
The other match of the night was the very first Ladder Match contested by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon. This was a very different match to the Hart v Hart match, as it was the first time we ever witnessed a match involving ladders. The level of creativity and imagination that went into planning this match was clear, as was the level of athleticism that was on display. The bumps taken by both wrestlers, especially Michaels, were brutal and bone-jarring. No one knew what to expect and everyone was amazed at the beating both men endured. The finish matched the quality of the bout, with Michaels getting his leg tied up in the ropes as Razor climbed the ladder to claim the belt and become the new Intercontinental Champion.
"Annnnd DOWN!"
Check out the destructive power of Yokozuna's Banzai Drop. ? ? pic.twitter.com/00lOpDO9mv
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 22, 2021
Wrestlemania 19 – Results
This event had several matches that were memorable for wrestlers who were either making their Wrestlemania debuts or returning from injury. This PPV is always high up the list when discussing the best ever Wrestlemanias. The card was pretty well stacked from top to bottom, with matches ranging from average to amazing. For this article we’re going to be focussing on the high points of the show.
The show kicked off with a high-paced Cruiserweight bout between the champion, Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio, who was making his Wrestlemania debut. It was a short match, but it was full of excitement and the crowd response was great. Hardy, the heel in the match, won with via pinfall while holding the second rope, which of course got a lot of heat from the crowd.
The next match is a real must see classic match-up between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. It was HBK’s first Wrestlemania since returning from a career-threatening back injury. This match highlighted how talented these wrestlers were as they told a fantastic story, showed great athleticism and showmanship. Running at almost half an hour this match also showed that HBK was still had great endurance and lived up to his name, “Mr Wrestlemania.” Both men kicked out of each other’s finishers, there were near falls and such an exciting climax, ending with an inside cradle by Michaels for the win. Simply an amazing bout and a match of the night contender for sure.
51 year old Shane McMahon going coast to coast off the top rope, 20 years after doing the same at WrestleMania 17 #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/wtSo8kEYgy
— Ryan Droste (@ryandroste) April 11, 2021
Triple H’s match with Booker T and Hulk Hogan’s Street Fight against Vince McMahon were both memorable for their build, rather than their respective matches. WWE are so good at promoting matches that sometimes the final product cannot live up to the hype. One match however that definitely lived up to the hype was Kurt Angle against Brock Lesnar. Even though this was the last match in an almost 4 hour long show, the crowd reaction was immense and deservedly so. It’s hard to remember the last time Lesnar went into any match as the babyface, but this was the case here. Brock missing a shooting star press by a long way is one of the enduring images of the match, a move which caused Lesnar a genuine concussion. After a titanic battle Lesnar hit a third F-5 on Angle and won the match and his first WWE World Championship.
The final iconic match on the card was the final instalment in the Rock/Austin trilogy. The Rock had failed to defeat “The Rattlesnake” twice previously, but this time the Rock finally got the better of Austin in another extremely high calibre match. Sadly this would be the last match that Stone Cold would ever wrestle. The promo package before the match promised a lot…and the match delivered! Two athletes at near the top of their game made for an enthralling seesaw bout with the crowd cheering for both men. The ending of the match was exhausting with a flurry of finishers, attempted finishers, combined with a number of near falls. It took three “Rock Bottoms” to eventually put Austin away and the Rock to finally gain a Wrestlemania victory over Stone Cold. The selling by both men made this encounter so enjoyable and the pacing took the spectators on an amazing rollercoaster. This probably should have closed the show, as it was such a tough act to follow.
We will never not get goosebumps watching @steveaustinBSR’s entrance for his final ever match, against @TheRock, at #WrestleMania 19. @Alongside @JRsBBQ calling the shots, it’s absolute perfection #316Day pic.twitter.com/N4UztOhSQp
— Wrestling Travel (@WrestlingTravel) March 16, 2021
Wrestlemania X-7 – Results
Now for the show that comes top of our list of best ever Wrestlemanias!
Out of the ten matches on this card, at least seven of them are worth commenting on, as this was another show with an amazing card and the added plus of Paul Heyman on commentary for his first Wrestlemania. The 6 man tag match was a bit of a flop, as was the Gimmick Battle Royal, with the Women’s Championship match (which only lasted around two and a half minutes) also failing to really hit the mark.
The opening match was again a short but well paced encounter between Chris Jericho and William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship. It was an interesting clash of styles, but both men got some good offensive moves in before Jericho got the in with the “Lionsault.” It showed that Jericho was talented enough to adapt his style to compliment his opponent’s strengths and style. The Hardcore title match between Raven, Kane and the Big Show was equally as entertaining, with the participants all utilising a range of weapons and environments. It was a solid hardcore match that showed a lot of consideration of it’s pacing and having a solid finish.
Eddie Guerrero beat Test for the European title in a fun match that again highlighted how creative Eddie could be as a heel. Test had to compete with not only Guerrero, but also Perry Saturn who was in Eddie’s corner and at times it was almost a 2 on 1 match. Eddie got the win by hitting Test in the head with the belt that he was given by Dean Malenko who came down to ringside to provide extra muscle. Talking of muscle, Vince McMahon looked in tremendous condition in his match against his son, Shane. This match was never going to be a classic, but it went back and forth, Shane took an insane bump on the Spanish commentary table, Linda and Stephanie McMahon were involved, as was Trish Stratus. The finish introduced us to Shane’s “Coast to Coast” drop kick into a well place trash on top of Vince for the win.
Then we had the TLC match (Tables, Ladders and Chairs) for the Tag Team titles between the Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz. Similar to the first Ladder Match at Wrestlemania 10, the crowd didn’t quite know what to expect going into this one, but they certainly weren’t disappointed. The bumps taken by everyone were truly devastating, the combination of weapons that were used and the execution of their moves were exceptional. How everyone walked away from this match is a miracle, which reflected the level of skill these wrestlers possessed. There were so many high spots and “OMG” moments, it was a truly amazing match that still compares any similar match wrestled since.
Undertaker’s clash with Triple H was a solid affair, with the “Deadman” extending his streak with this win to 9-0. Their match at Wrestlemania 27 was better, but this was a lot of fun. This match included a classic sledgehammer segment from Triple H, as well as a massive ref bump, near falls and the Undertaker’s awesome “Last Ride” finisher finally put Triple H away. This was followed by a re-match of Stone Cold and The Rock from Wrestlemania 15. As always, these two had amazing in-ring chemistry and the match lived up to the hype. Even though it was probably the weakest of their three Wrestlemania matches, it still was so engrossing and entertaining. The Austin heel-turn at the end and siding with Vince McMahon still doesn’t sit well with a lot of fans, but the chaos and confusion it caused was sheer drama, it truly was a moment that no one saw coming! The crowd were so invested throughout the entire match and the heat that Austin received post-match was incredible.
Today is good day … to celebrate 20 YEARS of tables, ladders, and chairs! #TLCMatch pic.twitter.com/FbPG1jFqmc
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) August 27, 2020
We hope you enjoyed the article ‘The Best of Wrestlemania: which rank as the best of all time?’ That was our list of the the best ever Wrestlemanias. Which was your favourite Wrestlemania? Have me missed your favourite Wrestlemania from our list? Let us know your thoughts!
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