3 Underrated WrestleMania main events you should watch

This was close to a year in the making.
This was close to a year in the making.

We're now exactly two weeks away from WrestleMania 35 and while it doesn't look like the most endearing card on paper, there's always the potential that it might punch above its weight class. Some WrestleManias are underrated.

With the Show of Shows so close at hand, there's no better time to delve into the history of some of these underrated spectacles. Here, we'll take a look at three WrestleMania main events that often get overlooked in the lore of WWE's biggest show, but are well worth the watch for new and old fans alike.


#1 Edge vs. The Undertaker (WrestleMania 24)

At last, the showdown.
At last, the showdown.

The Edge vs. Undertaker feud is underrated as a whole. It actually stands strong as one of the best pieces of long term storytelling in WWE's post-Attitude Era history.

Shortly after Undertaker won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 23, he was bitten by the injury bug. WWE didn't want to put the title right back on Batista, so after a gruelling steel cage match between the two that ended in a draw, Undertaker was attacked by Mark Henry.

Edge then sneaked his way through the backdoor and cashed in his newly-won Money in the Bank contract to become champion. Edge too would be bitten by the injury bug, but the resentment lingered.

Both men returned late in the year, where Edge would once again trick Undertaker out of the title in his Hell in a Cell match with Batista at Survivor Series. Edge then won the title a month later at Armageddon.

Believing that he had triumphed over both Batista and Undertaker, Edge was riding high, but the Deadman never lost sight of his goal. He punched his ticket to WrestleMania by winning the Elimination Chamber match that year.

Edge avoided combat with his opponent until then, but couldn't at WrestleMania, and none of his other tricks worked there either. In a fine match, Undertaker went to 16-0 and finally recaptured the title.

This match is also notable for the best referee dash of all time.

youtube-cover

#2 The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 15)

Round 1.
Round 1.

Their first encounter on the big stage was naturally overshadowed by their subsequent two. After all, the second match defined an era, and the third was Austin's last round in the ring. Nevertheless, this was a fine main event from an otherwise disappointing WrestleMania.

The Rock was rapidly rising in popularity, and it looked like he had turned to the good side as 1998 was drawing to a close, but it wasn't to be, as he became the corporate champion. Stone Cold Steve Austin, still embroiled in his feud with Vince McMahon, wanted his title back, and the three came together to create some magic in the angle as the grandest stage drew closer.

Despite shenanigans, Stone Cold beat The Rock in their first round and at last regained the title. Let us also not forget that the build to this match included the beer truck, which was ranked last year as the greatest segment in the history of Raw.

#3 John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 23)

Cena gets another torch.
Cena gets another torch.

This match is overlooked because it was overshadowed by their iron man match shortly thereafter. It was also controversial at the time because people were already getting tired of the "Super Cena" act.

This was still a very good WrestleMania main event nonetheless. John Cena was underrated in the ring amidst the constant "you can't wrestle" chants he got at the time. Shawn Michaels was brilliant in the ring as always.

The two came together to deliver a match that wasn't an all-time classic like the matches HBK would have in the three years to close his WrestleMania career, but it was still a finely-worked affair that accomplished what it set out to do.

John Cena beat HBK and got another rub as his run as face of the company still had many years left in it. In an odd way, this era is almost nostalgic now.

Quick Links