WrestleMania season is always an exciting time for a fan. Not only do you get to experience the once – in – a – lifetime opportunity of watching some of the biggest names collide in the ring, but future stars are born in front of our very eyes. The showcase of the immortals has always been the biggest event of the calendar year in the world of professional wrestling, and has produced moments that have become folklores; tales which are passed down generations, as fathers narrate stories of Hulk Hogan body slamming Andre “The Giant” and recently, Lesnar defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania.Every year during the WrestleMania season, there is that one match that gets the fans excited. Whether you talk about the recent Punk – Undertaker or Cena – Rock, WrestleMania has always delivered a dream match that has captivated the fans, giving them their monies worth. In this article, we take a look at the top 10 matches from the previous editions, as we count down the days leading to this year’s extravaganza.Honorable Mention: Ric Flair vs. Shawn MichaelsRic is arguably the greatest performer the business has ever seen, while Shawn is arguably the greatest WWE superstar in the history of the company. Shawn has always looked up to Ric as his mentor, while Flair always held Shawn in high regards.With Vince asking Flair to retire at WrestleMania (non – kayfabe), it led to a storyline with Ric asking Shawn to wrestle him at the granddaddy of sports entertainment. Shawn and Ric always had a special chemistry in the ring, and their encounter left the fans in tears, as the final moments of Flair’s career played out in front of the thousands of fans present in the arena. With tears in his eyes, Flair bid adieu to the wrestling fans, and this match would have easily made it to the top 10 list, but with Flair coming out of retirement almost immediately for TNA and Hogan’s tour, it can only be included as an honorable mention.
#10 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock
During WrestleMania 17, the two biggest names in professional wrestling at that time squared off in a dream match, as Steve Austin took on The Rock. WWE, now becoming the undisputed leader in sports entertainment put on a great card, which was headlined by the two icons for the WWE championship. The match would also see the unholy alliance between Steve Austin and his arch nemesis, Vince McMahon.
A lot of blood, back and forth finishers and even mimicking each other’s finishers – the match had everything that one could imagine. In the end, the crowd was left speechless as Steve Austin shook the hands of, in J.R’s words, the devil himself – Mr. McMahon.
#9 Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
While some fans consider the classic encounter between the two legends at WrestleMania 12 as one of the greatest matches of all time, the reason why I decided to give it the number 9th spot is because of the way the whole match panned out. While the technicality and storytelling of the match itself was almost perfect, it rather felt dragged out and exhausting, with both men scoring no falls in the one hour Iron – Man match.
Although Shawn would ultimately win the match, becoming the new WWE champion in the process, the match went into sudden death, with neither of the superstars being able to pin the other even once during the one hour period. Nonetheless, Shawn Michaels finally won “the big one”, and both the superstars created history on that night.
#8 Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz in a TLC match
At WrestleMania 17, six men walked to the ring and ultimately created one of the greatest moments in the history of professional wrestling. Three teams, with the desire to become the greatest tag team the world has ever seen, put everything on the line for the WWE Tag Team championships.
The Dudleys, Hardys and Edge & Christian made it clear that they would do anything to win the titles, and on that night, the fans witnessed history being created, as Edge speared Jeff in mid – air while Jeff was hanging on to the titles. In the end, all three teams are hailed as three of the best tag teams the world of professional wrestling has ever seen, and one can argue that this match played a huge role in elevating their careers.
#7 Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble in 2004, but Shawn still had some unfinished business with his former best friend and the then World Heavyweight champion, Triple H. It all culminated at WrestleMania 20, with Triple H putting his title on the line against Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit.
This match is considered to be the greatest triple threat match in WrestleMania history, and for the World Heavyweight title, and very few would argue with that claim. The story the three men told during the match was amazing, with Triple H and Shawn looking into each other’s eyes before suplexing Benoit through the announcers table, and Triple H then turning back to Shawn and telling him to bring it.
In the end, 20 years of hard work and dedication finally paid off for Benoit, who trapped a bloodied Triple H in the crossface, as a hapless Triple H had no other option but to tap out. The tears in the eyes of Benoit post – match and his celebration with his best friend Eddie Guerrero while both men shed tears of joy highlighted what the business means to the performers, with the WWE champion and World Heavyweight champion celebrating their victories to close the show.
#6 Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
The student took on his mentor in an instant classic at WrestleMania 19, as two of the most coveted superstars in WWE history locked horns at WrestleMania. Jericho, in an attempt to get out of Shawn’s shadow wanted to prove to the one superstar he looked up to that he was indeed the better performer, while Shawn wanted to redeem himself in Jericho’s eyes.
After an amazing in – ring contest, Shawn finally got the better of Jericho, but not before both men kicked out of each other’s finisher and escaped the submission attempts. As the crowd stood up to cheer for both the superstars, both men embraced in the middle of the ring, only for Jericho to deliver a low blow to Shawn Michaels. Their feud continued over the years, resulting in yet another amazing match for the World Heavyweight title years down the line, but the fans will always remember their encounter at WrestleMania.
#5 CM Punk vs. The Undertaker
At WrestleMania 29, the WWE wanted to go for a rematch between John Cena and The Rock for the WWE championship, and as a result, Punk had to settle for a match which wasn’t going to close the show. However, Punk was given the opportunity to steal the show yet again, as he faced the greatest superstar in WrestleMania history, The Undertaker.
In the weeks leading to WrestleMania, Punk succeeded in getting inside Taker’s head, and at WrestleMania, the two put on an amazing match, and the image of Punk flying in the air and putting Taker through the Spanish announce table will linger in the minds of the fans for a long time to come. With the main event to follow, people backstage called their match the real main event, as Punk and Undertaker stole the show at WrestleMania 29.
#4 Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon
The one match that is talked about more than any other ladder match at WrestleMania was the first ever ladder match on WWE TV, between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 10. Shawn, who was the WWE Intercontinental champion, was stripped off the title and Razor then won the strap, but when Shawn returned, he claimed to be the real WWE IC champion, and they settled their differences at WrestleMania to find the undisputed IC champion.
Shawn captured the imagination of the fans with his innovative abilities, and Razor matched Shawn move for move. Shawn diving off the ladder for a splash on Razor has been played over and over, and in the end, Razor managed to get the better of HBK, winning the match and becoming the undisputed IC champion. Shawn also proved himself by putting on a classic, and soon became the WWE champion.
#3 Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker 1
With Shawn and The Undertaker, everyone expected a classic at WrestleMania 25, but the two legends exceeded the expectations by putting on one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time. It wasn’t the first time that they squared off inside the ring, and it wasn’t going to be the last time either. At WrestleMania 25, Michaels wanted to add one more accomplishment, but The Undertaker wasn’t just going to lie down for the show stopper.
Shawn and Taker threw everything they had at each other, and at one point, everyone thought that Taker broke his neck when he landed on his head during a top rope plancha. With the crowd on the edge of their seats, The Undertaker finally put Michaels down for good, but both men had already accomplished what they set out to do. The wrestling fans in attendance watched in amazement, as the fans around the world witnessed a true classic, and their match at WrestleMania 25 makes it to the top 3 in our list.
#2 Ricky Steamboat vs. Macho Man Randy Savage
Steamboat was always known as a great worker, and so was Randy Savage. At WrestleMania 3, the hype surrounded the larger than life confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, but in the end, the fans left the building talking about Steamboat’s win over Savage to retain the WWE Intercontinental title.
The match in itself is hailed to be one of the best technically worked matches in WrestleMania history, and it is also said that both men worked tirelessly in the days prior to their match, carefully planning the entirety of the bout. The manner in which both men worked at a constant fast pace, and the storytelling during the match earned praises from fans and critics alike. It was also reported that Vince McMahon was furious with the fans talking about Savage – Steamboat rather than Hogan – Andre, although no one can actually confirm it.
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart
Attitude Era was spearheaded by Steve Austin, who is also considered as the greatest WWE superstar in the company’s history by the fans. But without Bret Hart, Steve’s meteoric rise in the company wouldn’t have happened, as Bret served as the catalyst to Austin’s rise in popularity among the WWE fans.
What started as a good guy versus the bad guy saw the roles being reversed. Bret Hart represented honesty and integrity while Austin was the reckless redneck, who would do anything to win. During their match at WrestleMania 13, a bloodied Austin was locked in the sharpshooter, but the tenacious rattlesnake wouldn’t give up. History was being written at that very moment, with Steve passing out instead of giving up, and Bret bending Austin’s back while holding him in the sharpshooter.
After the double switch, Bret became a heel while Austin was the new hero for the fans. This not only helped Austin in developing his redneck gimmick, but also elevated Austin, resulting in him becoming the face of the company, and the rest as they say is history.
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