10 Best Non-Title, Non-Stipulation Singles Matches in WrestleMania History

With less than a day left for the 35th Edition of WrestleMania, the excitement among the wrestling fans is at an all time high. With a mammoth card of 16 matches, WWE has gone all in with an aim to produce one of the greatest shows in professional wrestling history.

Headlined by a trifecta of World Title matches, including a Women's Title main event, WrestleMania 35 indeed has all the ingredients to be a show that fans could talk about for years.

Apart with World Title matches, WWE has a long history of booking grudge, non title matches between prominent Superstars at WrestleMania. These matches, with no stipulation and nothing up for grabs, often end up stealing the show from under the nose of other high profile matches.

This year, WWE has set two such encounters for Mania, with the likes of AJ Styles and Roman Reigns looking to settle their issues with Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre respectively. While we wait for Sunday to see how these two matches end up being, here are the 10 best non-title, non-stipulation matches in Mania history.

Note:- This list is only made up of what is called a Singles Match. Hence, matches like Retirement matches, Career threatening matches, #1 Contender matches and other stipulation matches are not included in this list.

Honourable Mentions:

Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania X-Seven)

Chris Jericho vs Christian (WrestleMania XX)

Undertaker vs Randy Orton (WrestleMania 21)

Randy Orton vs CM Punk (WrestleMania XXVII)

Randy Orton vs Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)

#10 AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon (WrestleMania 33)

Styles and Shane tore the house down in Orlando

This match had no right to be any good, let alone be the phenomenal encounter that this actually was.

While one can argue that it was a match that featured AJ Styles at the peak of his WWE run, the fact that his opponent was Shane McMahon, a 47-year old year non-wrestler, in a match that didn't have any stipulation meant that fans had very little expectations with the quality of the match.

However, fans were treated with a delightful, submission style wrestling match at the start of Mania 33. Despite not being a regular in-ring performer, Shane went toe-to-toe with the greatest performer of this generation for over 20 minutes, hitting moves that he rarely performs, including a sick shooting star press.

Styles, as always, was at his best inside the ring and carried Shane like a true veteran. With the crowd literally on their feet, Styles pinned McMahon after a Phenomenal Forearm and stole the show at WrestleMania for the first time in his career.

#9 The Rock vs Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X-8)

The end of the Invasion angle in 2001 brought in a huge bunch of Superstars to WWE, and gave the organization the opportunity to bring together Superstars for a program that would have not been possible otherwise. One such program was between The Rock and Hulk Hogan, and WWE wasted no time in bringing those two together for Mania X-8.

Billed as an Icon v Icon clash, it was a dream match for every wrestling fan as it featured the biggest superstars of two completely different generations. The grand return of Hulk Hogan to the WWE after the a gap of 9 years that had raised the hype to such a level that even the Undisputed Title match felt like an afterthought.

Despite being the third to last match on the card, this match felt like the true main event of the show, with a raucous Toronto crowd cheering the heel Hogan over The Rock. While it was not the best bout from in-ring perspective, it was the atmosphere for those 20 odd minutes that turned this match, which The Rock won, into an all time classic.

#8 The Rock vs John Cena (WrestleMania XXVIII)

Hogan vs The Rock might have been the biggest encounter at that time, but John Cena vs The Rock took that title from it 10 years later. While both of them were highly anticipated cross-generational matches, the fact that Rock was making an in-ring return after 8 years, one also in his home town, made this a bigger match than anyone had ever seen.

Announced one year in advance, this match had the most interesting buildup, with both Cena and The Great One not only targeting each other with tremendous promos, but teaming together as well against The Miz and R-Truth. However, it would be safe to say that the two saved their best for the gargantuan 'Once in a Lifetime' match at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Despite being the main event of a show that featured 'End of and Era' Hell in a Cell match and a dream WWE Championship match, it was this match that hogged all the spotlight. With the Miami crowd cheering the hometown hero, The Rock, not showing any signs of ring rust, wrestled a 30 minute classic that had the crowd on their feet throughout the match. Despite Cena's best efforts, it was the Great One who emerged victorious from this match.

#7 Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania X-Seven)

A Technical Masterpiece between two of the best in the history

Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle was a very, very unique encounter for a card like WrestleMania X-Seven. With matches like Steve Austin v The Rock, The Undertaker vs Triple H, and Vince McMahon vs Shane McMahon hogging the spotlight during the build of the show, there was less hype for this rivalry that was focused on whose submission move was superior.

However, given the talent and technical profess that these two shared, fans knew that they would be treated with an old style mat-wrestling match. Yet, there was still fear of this match getting lost in the shuffle with all the other big matches on the card. In the end though, it was the former that eventually turned out to be true with this magical pairing.

Slotted right in the middle of the card before all the marquee bouts, this encounter was a complete treat to the eyes. With a perfect blend of WWE style and orthodox mat wrestling, this match brought the life back into the crowd in Houston. Even though it was Angle who prevailed after a 14-minute fight, it was the fans who were the real winners as they witnessed one of the best presentation of mat-wrestling in WWF.

#6 Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho (WrestleMania XIX)

A Stunning Return by HBK to the Grandest Stage

Often regarded as one of the greatest WrestleManias of all time, Mania XIX in Seattle was a treat for every wrestling fan. From top to the bottom, the card was stacked with matches that delivered big time and, barring some minor setbacks, was a perfect show. What made this show even more important that it featured the return of Shawn Michaels to WrestleMania.

After making a monumental in-ring return in the summer of 2002 and holding the World Heavyweight Title as well, Michaels needed a worthy opponent for the Grandest Stage of Them All, and who better than Y2J to do the honors? A feud revolving around jealousy and envy, WrestleMania was the best place to bring it all and wrestle a show stopping match.

And this is exactly what they did. As the first of the five marquee matches of the show, HBK and Y2J displayed a stunning chemistry and wrestled a barn-burner of a match. For almost 23 full minutes these two competitors beat the hell out of each other before Michaels sneaked in with a roll-up victory. However, Y2J had the last laugh as he hit Michaels between the legs to bring an end to this feud.

#5 The Rock vs 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIX)

The last chapter of this storied rivalry

Michaels and Jericho might have wrestled one hell of a match at Mania XIX, but Steve Austin and The Rock went one step up in what turned out to be the last chapter of their storied rivalry. Even though it was the only time these two didn't wrestle each other in the main event of WrestleMania and didn't have a title to fight for, it was still as important a match as their previous two encounters.

With Austin's in-ring career nearing an end due to neck injury, WWE went all in with this feud that easily had the best build for any match on the card. The Rock, who was now a big Hollywood star, was portrayed as the perfect heel opponent for Steve Austin as The Brahma Bull was vying to defeat The Rattlesnake at the big stage after losing to him in the first two encounters.

A slug-fest from the opening bell, both Superstars wrestled like they had something to prove to their opponent. Despite following the brutal McMahon-Hogan Street Fight, the two legends had the crowd on their feet as they hit each other with their and their opponents finishing maneuvers. In the end, it was The Rock who finally succeeded in defeating the Rattlesnake, who bade adieu to his wrestling career at the end of this match.

#4 The Undertaker vs CM Punk (WrestleMania 29)

The last instant classic WrestleMania match in either man's career

Popular or Unpopular opinion it might be, but CM Punk deserved to be in the main event of WrestleMania 29. While it made perfect sense to have John Cena and The Rock in the main event at WrestleMania XXVIII, given the hype surrounding their 'Once in a Lifetime' bout, they certainly didn't deserve it at Mania 29. Despite holding and elevating the prestige of the WWE Title throughout 2012, Punk was shunted from a WrestleMania main event slot.

However, he got what is considered to be on-par with a Mania main event - a match with The Undertaker. By 2013, The Undertaker's Mania Streak had become so sacred that, despite the weird build up to this rivalry that surrounded around Paul Bearer's real life death, fans knew they would be treated with a classic match between these two, and this is exactly what they got.

With both Superstars at the peak of their WrestleMania form, Punk and Taker tore the house down in New Orleans with their show stealing encounter. Featuring the perfect heel-face dynamics and a plethora of OMG moments, this match felt like the real main event of the show, despite being the third to last match on the card,and ended up affecting the matches that it preceded. Sadly, this match ended up being the last classic WrestleMania encounter of either man's career.

#3 Owen Hart vs Bret Hart (WrestleMania X)

The best opening match in WrestleMania history

Long before show stealing marquee singles matches became a common sight for the bloated Mania cards, it was a duo of real life brothers that started this trend back in 1994. The rivalry between the Hart Brothers, Owen and Bret, was the primary storyline in the WWE throughout the 1994, and gave us two of the best matches in WWE history.

Just like most of the matches that preceded this match on this list, the base of this rivalry was jealousy and envy between the two brothers. Owen was hellbent on proving to his elder brother that he was better than him between the ropes, and wanted to prove it to him at the greatest stage - WrestleMania X. Slotted at the top of the card, this match was so good that became the bar for judging all the future opening matches in Mania history.

With so much animosity and chemistry between the two brothers, the two wrestled a gem that showcased the profess of their technical skill. While they couldn't win the honor of the match of the night, thanks to one infamous ladder match, they did give us the best opening match in Mania history. Owen's victory over his brother catapulted him to main event status, and gave us another show stealing match between the two at Summerslam 1994.

#2 Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21)

A dream match that surpassed all the expectations

What do you get when you put two Superstars, at the very peak of their respective career, in a heated program during the WrestleMania season? The answer, an all-time classic encounter. By 2005, Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle had faced almost every main event star there was in the WWE at that time, yet, despite being the two most all-rounded performers, they had never crossed paths.

When Michaels eliminated Angle from the 2005 Royal Rumble match, fans knew they were about to see something huge. Angle retaliated by eliminating Michaels and, with that, the seeds were sown for a gargantuan rivalry. Despite being on different brands, the two constantly attacked each other both verbally and physically during the build of the match, keeping the hype for the match.

And when the time for the match came, these two just blew the roof off of the Staples Centre. Slotted between two filler matches, Shawn and Angle took all the time to wrestle a match that can easily be considered among the best of either man's career. After what is still the longest submission move period in Mania history, Angle finally made Michaels tap out to prove that he was better than Michaels inside the ring.

#1 The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXV)

Were you expecting some other match on #1? Because if you were, you haven't seen this magical encounter from WrestleMania XXV.

By 2009, barring the two face-offs at Royal Rumble in 2007 and 2008, it had been over a decade since The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels had faced each other in a one-on-one match. However, with The Undertaker's Mania streak becoming more and more sacred with every passing year and both nearing the twilight of their careers, WWE took the decision to finally bring them together for a program at Mania XXV. And boy, did they deliver.

While the pre-match expectations from this match were not very high, considering their ages, the two shattered all the expectations and wrestled a match that would be used as a prototype for a number of future Mania matches. With more than half a dozen of false pinfalls, the excitement and craziness from the crowd for this match was at a level that was never seen before in the WWE.

For more than 30 minutes, The Phenom and Mr. WrestleMania countered each other's moves and hit each other with everything that they had before The Undertaker somehow managed to catch Michaels mid-air, hit him with a second Tombstone Piledriver and pinned him to bring an end to what still is not only the best WrestleMania match, but arguably the best match inside a WWE ring.