The Greatest WrestleMania
WrestleMania, The Showcase of the Immortals, turns 38 in 2022. The one-off, pro wrestling Pay-Per-View at Madison Square Garden has evolved into a two night sports entertainment showcase on NBC’s streaming platform at the largest NFL stadium, AT&T Stadium.
Each and every WrestleMania has offered at least one good match or segment. So here’s the best WrestleMania based on previous WrestleMania matches and segments.
Before we begin, a few rules.
Wrestlers can only be in one match/Mania. The list can’t just be every Stone Cold vs. Rock match, every Hogan match, every Undertaker match, every ladder match, etc. While we are playing with time, we are not playing with multiple versions of the same person.
We’re limiting this to four hours. Sorry, Bret vs. Shawn at Mania XII.
We’re limiting this to one match per belt. When it comes to matches with unified belts, we’re only claiming one.
With all that in mind, here is the greatest WrestleMania made from existing WrestleMania matches.
Pre Show
The following matches are all deserving of a spot on WrestleMania. But no WrestleMania needs to be longer than four hours.
Singles Match
Randy Orton defeats Seth Rollins (with Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury) at WrestleMania 31 (13:15)
The best RKO Outta Nowhere. Great way to begin the night.
United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens defeats Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 33 (16:20)
The US Belt doesn’t have the best history at Mania. This isn’t that great of a match, but it is a very good conclusion to pro wrestling’s best storyline of 2016-2017, the best friendship between Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho. If this was for the Universal Championship, as originally scheduled, maybe it could have gone on later in the night and actually catapulted Owens to permanent main event status.
Also considered
John Cena defeats Rusev (with Lana) at WrestleMania 31
John Cena defeats Big Show at WrestleMania 20
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeat The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) at WrestleMania 36 (15:05)
This was way better than it should have been. Technically the first match of WrestleMania 36, the crowdless Mania, was given enough time for every wrestler to get in some good stuff.
Also considered
The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) defeat The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks), Nia Jax & Tamina, and Beth Phoenix & Natalya by pinfall at WrestleMania 35
WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Mickie James defeats Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 22 (8:48)
Wait, did she just do what we think she did? That should get some people to tune in.
Also considered
Charlotte (with Ric Flair) defeats Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks by submission at WrestleMania 32
Main Card
Here we go! Four hours of the perfect WrestleMania. Obviously intros don’t count against our time. If they did we’d only have time for two Undertaker matches and two Triple H matches.
WWE SmackDown’s Women’s Championship
Bianca Belair defeats Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 (17:15)
The Belair hair whip! Wow! What a great night 1 main event! These two could have feuded for a year and we would have been happy. But they did not. Belair didn’t have the title past SummerSlam. We’re using it to kick off the greatest Mania. Kind of. It’s actually going to be our second match of the main card. Scroll to the bottom for more.
WWF/E Tag Team Championship Match
Edge and Christian defeat The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boys in a ladder match at WrestleMania 17 (23:20)
Ladders! So many ladders!
Also considered
The Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy) defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Cesaro and Sheamus, and Enzo Amore and Big Cass at WrestleMania 33
Hardy Edge and Christian defeat The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boys in a ladder match at WrestleMania 16
Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie defeat The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) at WrestleMania 14
Celebrity Match
Bad Bunny and Damien Priest defeats The Miz and John Morrison at WrestleMania 37 (15:05)
How was this so good! Even the intro was good! WWE needs Bad Bunny way more than Bad Bunny needs WWE. We, as professional wrestling fans, should be grateful one of the biggest musicians in the world grew up loving the Attitude Era.
Also considered
Lawrence Taylor (with Carl Banks, Rickey Jackson, Steve McMichael, Ken Norton Jr., Chris Spielman, and Reggie White) defeats Bam Bam Bigelow (with King Kong Bundy, Ted DiBiase, Kama, Irwin R. Schyster, Tatanka, and Nikolai Volkoff) by pinfall at WrestleMania 11
Attitude Era Match
Bret Hart defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 (22:05)
The real start of the Attitude Era.
Also considered
The Rock defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 19
Intercontinental Match
Ricky Steamboat (with George Steele) defeats Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) at WrestleMania 3 (14:35)
The perfect match for the belt that’s delivered the best matches in WrestleMania history.
Also considered
Seth Rollins defeats The Miz and Finn Bálor by pinfall at WrestleMania 34
Zack Ryder defeats Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Sami Zayn, Sin Cara, and Stardust at WrestleMania 32
Daniel Bryan defeats Bad News Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and Stardust at WrestleMania 31
Shawn Michaels defeats Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 10
Bret Hart defeats Rowdy Roddy Piper at WrestleMania 8
Mr. WrestleMania Match
Shawn Michaels defeats Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24 (20:34)
“I’m sorry. I love you.”
Also considered
The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26
The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25
The Undertaker Match
The Undertaker defeats CM Punk from WrestleMania 29 (22:07)
The last great Undertaker match. The last Punk WrestleMania match. Nods to the recently deceased Paul Bearer via a very much alive Paul Heyman. Living Colour playing Punk’s theme. This is when the streak should have ended.
Also considered
The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26
The Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25
The Undertaker defeats Big Boss Man at WrestleMania 15
Cinematic Match
The Fiend Bray Wyatt defeats John Cena at WrestleMania 36 (13:00)
The greatest cinematic match in wrestling history. If Bray Wyatt is wrestling’s David Lynch, John Cena is wrestling’s Kyle MacLauchlan.
Hulk Hogan Match
Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeats Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper from WrestleMania 1 (13:34)
Where it all begins. With special guests Billy Martin, Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Muhammad Ali, and Liberace accompanied by The Rockettes. Note: Piper didn’t eat the pin. If Piper ate the pin, this would not have made the list.
Also considered
The Rock defeats Hollywood Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18
WWE Championship
Eddie Guerroro defeats Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 20 (21:30)
Perfect*!
*If you turn the show off as soon as the match is over and never watch wrestling again. Or read about wrestling. Or listen to podcasts about wrestling. Or podcasts about true crime.
Also considered
Brock Lesnar defeats Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 19
WWE Heavyweight Championship/Universal Championship
Daniel Bryan defeats Triple H (25:58) and Daniel Bryan defeats Randy Orton and Batista (23:30) at WrestleMania 30
We’re starting and ending the greatest Mania the same way Mania 30 began and ended.
Is this worth over 45 minutes of a four hour show? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Also considered
Chris Benoit defeats Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 20
Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats The Rock at WrestleMania 17
Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats The Rock at WrestleMania 15
Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) defeats Ted DiBiase (with André the Giant) at WrestleMania 4
Hulk Hogan defeats André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan) at WrestleMania 3
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