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Everyone loves a good babyface story, even if some hardcore fans in the present day don’t want to admit that. Sure, it’s fun to cheer for the bad guys from time to time, but above that, one of the great luxuries of being a professional wrestling fan is seeing someone overcome the odds in order to reign supreme on the grandest stage of them all.
It’s storytelling brilliance at its finest, and as you’ll be able to tell by the variation of 'Manias featured in this list, it’s something that has been going on for decades now. Regardless of era changes or shifts in management perception, one thing has always remained the same – babyfaces win at WrestleMania more often than not.
Of course there’s evidence to dispute that theory in recent years, but for the most part, it tends to be the smart way to go.
With that being said, here are our list of ten greatest babyface WrestleMania victories.
#10 Ricky Steamboat – WrestleMania 3
Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat has always been held in the highest regard by those within the world of professional wrestling for years now, and it’s easy to see why. From his consistent babyface persona in the ring to his fantastic personality outside of it, Steamboat is an example of how a WWE icon should behave both during and after his days in the ring.
Perhaps his crowning moment came at WrestleMania 3 when he and Randy Savage put on one of the greatest matches in WWE history – and no, we aren’t kidding. It was a technical masterpiece which reaffirmed why the Intercontinental Championship is considered to be the ‘workhorse’ title, and it was also a win that truly put Steamboat on the map.
#9 The Hardy Boyz – WrestleMania 33
We’ll fast forward thirty years for the next entry, which features arguably two of the most popular high-flyers in the history of professional wrestling. Matt and Jeff Hardy had been rumoured to be returning to WWE for quite some time prior to WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, but nobody could’ve anticipated just how much of an impact they’d make on their very first night back.
The brothers entered the Raw Tag Team Championships ladder match in the middle of the card, and the rest, as they say, is history. It was a fantastic comeback story for two guys who had been through a great deal in the years prior, with both men suffering from their own demons.
Being able to see them back like this was an honour.
#8 Bret Hart – WrestleMania 10
We’re heading back into the past for this next entry, which features the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be – Bret Hart. The Hitman had come up short in his WWF Championship match twelve months prior to this show, when Yokozuna managed to defeat him for the strap before eventually losing it to Hulk Hogan.
The redemption of Bret Hart was a story that couldn’t be complete without a title win, though, as Hart managed to walk out of Madison Square Garden with his belt intact. The best part of it all was that it was Yokozuna himself who Bret managed to win the championship back from, with the reaction from the Madison Square Garden crowd being enough to tell you just how popular he was back in the day.
#7 Rey Mysterio – WrestleMania 22
During the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago, you could tell that something just wasn’t right. The bout was relatively short compared to 'Mania world title matches of years gone by, and the fans were actively booing Mysterio who was the only real legitimate babyface in the match.
It was an uphill battle for Rey who had booked his place at WrestleMania following his 2006 Royal Rumble victory, but in the end, he managed to win over the fans in addition to winning the championship. Mysterio had completed the ultimate underdog story which saw him cap his unlikely rise to prominence with a big-time win on the big stage.
#6 Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 17
This one may seem a little bit odd considering Shane wound up turning heel just a few months later, but at the time, this was one of the hottest angles in the entire company. Shane went up against his father Vince just six nights after announcing that he now owned WCW, and what followed was one of the most dramatic and crazy bouts in WrestleMania history.
From Trish Stratus to Mick Foley to Linda McMahon, there were all kinds of storyline anecdotes for fans to fawn over. The audience was hot for this match from start to finish, with Shane managing to hit the coast to coast before securing the pinfall on his dad.
Sure, wrestling is absolutely crazy sometimes, but this was a great moment no matter how you look at it.
#5 Stone Cold Steve Austin – WrestleMania 14
Twenty years ago, the Austin Era officially began at WrestleMania 14, and what a wild night it was. The Texas Rattlesnake squared off against the always unpredictable Shawn Michaels, with the one and only Mike Tyson serving as the special guest referee of sorts. So, to summarise, it was a pretty huge deal.
Stone Cold was clearly destined to be WWE’s next big superstar, even though the likes of HBK probably didn’t want to admit that at the time. Thankfully, despite Shawn’s noted back injuries, they managed to have a barnstormer of a match which ended with Tyson counting the one, two, three for Austin.
It may not have been a masterpiece, but it certainly confirmed Austin’s spot at the top of the card.
#4 Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 12
Speaking of Shawn Michaels, just 24 months prior to that night in Boston, he had his very own headline-making moment at WrestleMania 12. The location was Anaheim, California and the bout was an Ironman Match against Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart – and as you can imagine, it was one of the most memorable nights in the history of the company.
The famous call of “the boyhood dream has come true” was matched only by the actual finish of the contest, which saw HBK hit Bret with one final dose of Sweet Chin Music before collapsing on top of him for the pinfall. When you look back, it’s hard to stomach the fact that these two were rivals outside of the ring, but still, it was a special night.
#3 Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania 3
We began our list with a match from WrestleMania 3, and we’re going to throw another one in there for our bronze medal spot. The match saw Hulk Hogan defending his WWF Championship against Andre The Giant, and if you don’t know the story by now, then you may need to question your official position as a wrestling fan.
It was the ultimate David vs Goliath story and despite the fact that it came towards the back end of Andre’s legendary career, it was still one of the most memorable things we’ve ever seen. As you all probably know by now, Hogan lifted The Giant up for a bodyslam before nailing the leg drop – and the Hulkster reigned supreme.
#2 Chris Benoit – WrestleMania 20
If you take what happened with Chris Benoit out of your mind for just a minute, you’ll soon remember that he was one of the greatest technicians to ever step foot inside of a WWE ring. Everything he did was done to within an inch of perfection, and after years of trying to break into the main event scene, he finally managed it back in 2004.
Benoit main evented WrestleMania 20 in a triple threat match against Shawn Michaels and Triple H, with 99% of the fans inside Madison Square Garden cheering him on towards victory. In the end, Benoit forced The Game to tap out in the middle of the ring and following that he was joined by his best friend Eddie Guerrero as the two men celebrated with their world championships.
If this moment didn’t bring a tear to your eye, then nothing probably will.
#1 Daniel Bryan – WrestleMania 30
It was the Miracle on Bourbon Street.
After more than two years of fans chanting the ‘YES’, The American Dragon stunned the world by finally rising to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment. In one night he managed to defeat Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton on his way to becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Regardless of what has happened since then, nobody can ever take this night away from him, as Bryan was able to finally celebrate reaching the mountain top without anything else getting in his way. To this day many fans consider it to be their favourite moment of the last ten years in wrestling, and beyond that, it may just be the greatest babyface win since this industry began.
You may call that an overreaction, but it really was extraordinary.
