This past Sunday was Wrestlemania in Dallas, Texas. Thousands of wrestling fans piled into Cowboys Stadium to watch "The Showcase of The Immortals," while millions watched online via WWE Network. But Vince McMahon's dream took a long time to turn into the megashow it is today. And with now 32 shows under his belt, that means there have been at least 32 matches that have been declared the greatest matches of "The Show of Shows." Note, at the time of this writing, WrestleMania 32 had not occurred yet, so there is no match from then as I cannot properly critique the event.
1. March 31 1985. New York, New York. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper & "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndoff (with "Cowboy" Bob Orton) vs Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (with Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka)
WrestleMania was a very flashy show. Held in the World's Most Famous Arena, the first WrestleMania was viewed on closed circuit television by over 1 Million people, making it the most viewed television show of all time at the time. Celebrities also appeared, such as Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, and the earlier mentioned Mr. T, who wrestled in the main event with Hulk Hogan. Other great matches include Andre The Giant vs Big John Studd in the $15,000 Bodyslam Challenge, and Wendi Richter vs Leilani Kai in the WWF Women's Championship Match.
2. April 7 1986. Long Island, NY. Chicago, IL. Los Angeles, CA. Best Match: Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy (Steel Cage Match for the WWF Championship)
WrestleMania II was an interesting show with an interesting concept. With the tagline "Too Big For One Arena," WrestleMania II was held in three different cities in three different arenas, each having four matches and a main event. Between matches, fans would watch the other matches on the screens in the arenas. Like most sequels, Mania II was not as good as the first, it had some solid matches, including the only Steel Cage Match in WrestleMania history between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy. Other great matches include Mr.T vs "Rowdy" Roddy Piper in a Boxing Match, and a 20 Man Battle Royal between WWF Superstars vs NFL Superstars.
3. March 29 1987. Detroit, MI. Best Match: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship
WrestleMania III is the largest attended WrestleMania of all time. 93,173 people saw one of the greatest WrestleMania's of all time. While the show did have Andre The Giant put his 12 year undefeated streak on the line against Hulk Hogan's eight year title streak in the main event, WrestleMania III did feature Steamboat vs Savage in what many people have called the greatest WrestleMania match of all time. Another fantastic match is The Honky Tonk Man vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
4. March 27 1988. Atlantic City, NJ. Best Match: The WWF World Championship Tournament
Before WrestleMania IV, Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant met on Saturday Night Main Event in a WWF Title Match. After discovering that Andre's manager Ted DiBiase had paid off the referee of the match, costing Hogan the title, WWF president Jack Tunney vacated the title and declared that WrestleMania IV would host a one night tournament to declare a new champion. All of the tournament matches are fantastic, and the main event between Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase is a great match. Another great match is for the WWF Tag Titles between Demolition and the team of Rick Martel and Tito Santana known as Strikeforce.
5. April 2 1989. Atlantic City, NJ. Best Match: Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage for the WWF Championship)
WrestleMania V held the tagline "The Mega Powers Explode" as the main event featured former friends and tag team champions Hulk Hogan fighting Randy Savage for the WWF Title. This show would also see the breakup of Randy Savage and his manager/wife Miss Elizabeth. Other great matches include Rick Rude vs Ultimate Warrior for the Intercontinental Title and The Hart Foundation vs Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine.
6. April 1 1990. Toronto, ON. Best Match: Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan for the Intercontinental and WWF World Championships
WrestleMania VI was not only the first Mania to be held outside the United States, but was also the first time the WWF and Intercontinental Championships were defended in the same match. In attendance at this match was future WWE Hall of Famer Edge who says this match convinced him to wrestle. Other great matches include Ted DiBiase vs Jake Roberts and Brutus Beefcake vs Mr. Perfect.
7. March 24 1991. Los Angeles, CA. Best Match: Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage (Career vs Career Match)
WrestleMania VII is known as the WrestleMania that never was. The event was supposed to be held at the Los Angeles Colisieum but was moved to the LA Sports Arena due to surprisingly low ticket sales. The event is also known for the unfortunate storyline given to Sargeant Slaughter as an Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War. However, Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage in a Career vs Career Match ending with Miss Elizabeth reuniting with the Macho Man is so great. Other great matches are Sargeant Slaughter vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship and The Nasty Boys vs The Hart Foundation for the WWF Tag Team Championships.
8. April 5 1992. Indianapolis, IN. Best Match: Randy Savage vs Ric Flair for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania VIII is known for not featuring the dream match everyone wanted in Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair. Instead WWF opted to have two main events. While Hogan vs Sid Justice is best known for a botched run in by Papa Shango, Ric Flair vs a suddenly unretired Randy Savage was a fantastic match. Other great matches include Undertaker vs Jake Roberts and Bret Hart vs Roddy Piper for the Intercontinental Title.
9. April 4 1993. Las Vegas, NV. Best Match: Tatanka vs Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship.
WrestleMania IX has been dubbed the worst WrestleMania of all time by the fans. While the show did give us the debut of Jim Ross on commentary, the show also featured announcers in togas, The Undertaker's worst match ever against Giant Gonzalez, and see Yokozuna beat Bret Hart for the WWF Title only to lose it 45 seconds later to Hulk Hogan. Shawn Michaels' first WrestleMania Match is the one bright spot on this terrible show.
10. March 20 1994. New York, NY. Best Match: Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels (Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship)
WrestleMania X was one of the first WrestleMania's to feature multiple storylines instead of random matches thrown together. While Bret Hart winning back the WWF title from Yokozuna after Lex Luger failed was interesting, Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels is the most memorable as it was the first televised Ladder Match in WWF and established The Heartbreak Kid as Mr.WrestleMania. Another great match pitted brother vs brother as Owen and Bret Hart squared off earlier in the evening.
11. April 2 1995. Hartford, CT. Best Match: Shawn Michaels vs Diesel for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania XI is not really remembered for being a fantastic or memorable show in WWE history. The show did feature Undertaker beat King Kong Bundy in his first tough WrestleMania match, and a classic title match between Shawn Michaels and his former bodyguard Diesel, who were also accompined to the ring by Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy. Other great matches include Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund in an I Quit Match and NFL Star Lawrence Taylor vs Bam Bam Bigelow.
12. March 31 1996. Anaheim, CA. Best Match: Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels (60 Minute Iron Man Match for the WWF Title)
WrestleMania XII is known for the beginning of the greatest wrestling rivalries of all time between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Both wrestlers hated each other in the ring and in real life, further highlighted after this match ended in overtime and Shawn Michaels told Bret Hart to "Get the hell out of here, this is my ring!" Other great matches include Roddy Piper vs Goldust in a Hollywood Backlot Brawl and Undertaker vs Diesel.
13. March 23 1997. Chicago, IL. Best Match: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs Bret Hart (Submission Match)
This is the first and only WrestleMania to not sell out, as only 16,400 of the 18,000 tickets were sold. However, those 1,600 fans missed out on the amazing match between Steve Austin and Bret Hart. Having former UFC Champion Ken Shamrock as referee, The Rattlesnake and The Hitman put on a show and helped put into motion what has become known now as The Attitude Era. Other great matches include Undertaker vs Sycho Sid for the WWF Championship and The Legion of Doom & Ahmed Johnson vs The Nation of Domination in a Chicago Street Fight.
14. March 29 1998. Boston, MA. Best Match: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship
This WrestleMania had Shawn Michaels last match until 2002 and helped launch the Attitude Era and cemenented Austin as the face of WWF. Who can forget the sound of Jim Ross screaming "The Austin Era has begun?" Other great matches include Triple H vs Owen Hart for the European Championship and Undertaker vs Kane.
15. March 28 1999. Philadelphia, PA. Best Match: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs The Rock for the WWF Championship
While WrestleMania XV may be known for the first ever Hardcore Battle Royal, the end of DX, and the awfulness known as the Brawl for All, this year's Mania also featured the first ever meeting at WrestleMania between Steve Austin and The Rock, creating the Attitude Era's greatest rivalry. Other great matches include Shane McMahon vs X-Pac for the European Title and Kane vs Triple H.
16. April 2 2000. Anaheim, CA. Best Match: Mick Foley vs Triple H vs The Rock vs The Big Show for the WWF Championship
WrestleMania 2000 was the first ever WrestleMania that didn't have a single standard one on one match on the entire card. The main event of the show was a Fatal Four Way Match for the WWF title and feature a member of the McMahon family in every corner. This would also be Mick Foley's last match until WrestleMania 22. Other matches include Edge & Christian vs The Dudleyz vs The Hardy Boyz in a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles and Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Kurt Angle for the European and Intercontinental Titles.
17. April 1 2001. Houston, TX. Best Match: Edge & Christian vs The Dudleyz vs The Hardy Boyz in a TLC Match for the WWF Tag Team Championships
18. March 17 2002. Toronto, ON. Best Match: The Rock vs Hulk Hogan
WrestleMania X8 marked the return of WrestleMania to Canada, the last WrestleMania under the name WWF, and the return of Hulk Hogan to the WWF. His showdown with The Rock is an all time classic and shows how immortal The Hulkster is. Other matches include Triple H vs Chris Jericho for the WWF Undisputed Championship and Undertaker vs Ric Flair.
19. March 30 2003. Seattle, WA. Best Match: The Rock vs "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Many people call WrestleMania XIX the greatest WrestleMania of all time. It featured top matches from all the top superstars such as Hulk Hogan vs Mr. McMahon in a No Disqualification Match, Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho, Triple H vs Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship, and Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship. But this Mania is most remembered for the last meeting between The Rock and Steve Austin, and is seen as the official end to The Attitude Era.
20. March 14 2004. New York, NY. Best Match: Chris Benoit vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Title
This Mania unfortunately isn't as fondly remembered because of the tragedy of the Chris Benoit murder-suicide three years later, but the main event between the Rabid Wolverine, The Game, and HBK, along with the earlier match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship, helped create a fantastic WrestleMania moment when Guerrero and Benoit were able to congratulate each other in the ring. Other matches include Evolution vs Rock 'n' Sock Connection in a handicap match and Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg, which isn't a particualrly good match but the crowd reactions to both wrestlers is hilarious.
21. April 3 2005. Los Angeles, CA. Best Match: John Cena vs JBL for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 21, or "WrestleMania Goes Hollywood," as it was known, had one of the best marketing campaigns of all time, with superstars parodying popular movies such as "Forest Gump" and "Braveheart" and featured Edge winning the first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match. This show also began John Cena's rise to power as he would become the new face of the WWE. Other great matches include Batista vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship and Undertaker vs Randy Orton.
22. April 22 2006. Chicago, IL. Best Match: John Cena vs Triple H for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 22 is the last WrestleMania to be held in a traditional arena, as all Manias after this one have been held in domes or stadiums. This match is also famous for the first of John Cena and Undertaker having unique entrances at WrestleMania. This Mania also helped reunite Triple H and Shawn Michaels and form DX once again. Other matches include Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton vs Kurt Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship and Edge vs Mick Foley in a Hardcore Match.
23. April 1 2007. Detroit, MI. Best Match: John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania 23 set the all time attendance record at Ford Field with 80,103 people packing the arena. This WrestleMania also featured ECW on the card for the first time ever at WrestleMania as the ECW Originals took on The New Breed in a Hardcore Tag Match. Shawn Michaels also proved once again that he was Mr.WrestleMania and solidified John Cena as a WWE Legend. Other matches include Undertaker vs Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship and Donald Trump, represented by Bobby Lashley, vs Mr. McMahon, represented by Umaga, in a Hair vs Hair Match.
24. March 30 2008. Orlando, FL. Best Match: Ric Flair vs Shawn Michaels in a Retirement Match
WrestleMania 24 features one of the best retirement matches of all time. Ric Flair put his career on the line against Shawn Michaels in the Citrus Bowl. Seeing HBK tell his mentor "I'm sorry...I love you" and then Ric Flair's final moment in the ring will leave you bawling like a baby. Other matches include Undertaker vs Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship and Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather in a No Disqualification Match.
25. April 5 2009. Houston, TX. Best Match: Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
Earlier in the countdown, I stated that Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat was the greatest WrestleMania match of all time. HBK vs Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 is a close second. Both Legends went back and forth and almost killed a cameraman in the process in one of the best matches of all time, and the first time at WrestleMania someone kicked out of an Undertaker Tombstone Piledriver. Other matches include John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship and Matt Hardy vs Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match.
26. March 28 2010. Glendale, AZ. Best Match: Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (No Disqualification Career vs Streak Match)
For the second straight year, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels put on the best match at WrestleMania. This time however, it was Shawn Michaels' career against the Deadman's 17-0 WrestleMania record. Both men showed why they belong in the WWE Hall of Fame, and the emotional moments of Undertaker telling Shawn "stay down and die" and HBK getting a heartfelt send off from the crowd make this match great. Other great matches include Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk and Edge vs Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship.
27. April 3 2011. Atlanta, GA. Best Match: Undertaker vs Triple H.
Despite setting a Georgia Dome attendance record, WrestleMania XXVII is known by some as the second worst WrestleMania of all time. However, this Mania did give us what would be Edge's final match against Alberto Del Rio and The Rock would begin his WWE return at the event. The best match of the card is arguably Triple H vs Undertaker as The Game looked to get revenge for his friend Shawn Michaels. Other great matches include Randy Orton vs CM Punk and John Cena vs The Miz for the WWE Championship.
28. April 1 2012. Miami, FL. Best Match: The Rock vs John Cena.
"Once in a lifetime." That was the phrase used to describe this year's WrestleMania as the main event saw the return of The Rock to take on John Cena. Dwayne Johnson's hometown crowd saw one of the best WrestleMania matches of all time, and also saw the end of an era as Undertaker fought Triple H inside the structure known as Hell in a Cell. Another great match is the WWE Championship match between CM Punk and Chris Jericho.
29. April 7 2013. East Rutherford, NJ. Best Match: Undertaker vs CM Punk
The sequel isn't as good as the first. This WrestleMania had the third largest attendance in WWE history and delivered The Rock vs John Cena for the WWE Championship in a rematch from last year. Cena and Rock had a solid match, but many will argue that CM Punk vs The Undertaker was the best match of the night. The two tore each other apart and the reaction to CM Punk kicking out of the Tombstone Piledriver is amazing. Other great matches include Triple H vs Brock Lesnar in a No Holds Barred Street Fight and The Shield vs Randy Orton, Sheamus, and The Big Show.
30. April 6 2014. New Orleans, LA. Best Match: Daniel Bryan vs Triple H and Daniel Bryan vs Batista vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship
WrestleMania XXX is best known for two things; Hulk Hogan forgetting the name of the arena, and Brock Lesnar being the man to end Undertaker's undefeated record at WrestleMania. This Mania is also called YEStleMania as the crowd in the SuperDome would witness the rise of Daniel Bryan as the young man would knock off three giants in one night and secure his place in WrestleMania history. Another great match is John Cena vs Bray Wyatt.
31. March 29 2015. San Francisco, CA. Best Match: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship
The road to WrestleMania 31 was a bumpy one, as the crowd at Royal Rumble 2015 mercilessly booed winner Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan was almost not even on the show. However, the event delivered as many people have called WrestleMania 31 one of the greatest Manias ever. The main event match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns was interrupted by Seth Rollins, who used his Money In The Bank contract to steal the title and create WrestleMania history. Other great matches include Daniel Bryan winning the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match and John Cena vs Rusev for the United States Championship.
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