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WrestleMania is known as the show where WWE leaves no stone unturned and amps up the quality of the event tenfold. It's no surprise that fans get to see some of the best matches of the year on a WrestleMania card.
For years, The Undertaker was known to be the one who would give us a 5-star match at the show of shows, as he gave us instant classics with the likes of Edge, Michaels, CM Punk and Triple H in consecutive WrestleManias.
On some occasions, the very first match on the card ends up being the very best bout on the entire show. Let's take a look at some of the instances when a WrestleMania opener stole the show.
#4 Daniel Bryan vs Triple H, WrestleMania XXX
After a months-long buildup that saw the "Yes" movement gain mainstream attention and made Daniel Bryan an absolute fan favourite, The Game was hell-bent on destroying Bryan's dream to main event WrestleMania and win the top prize.
The match turned out to be the best one on the entire card and nothing came close to topping it in terms of match quality. Triple H's ruthless strikes on an injured Bryan, who made good use of his incredible speed and lethal kicks, made for a spectacle to marvel.
Bryan won the bout and went on to have his fairytale ending at the grandest stage of them all.
#3 Money in the Bank Ladder Match, WrestleMania 23
Quite possibly the most star-studded MITB match until that point, this was a visual treat from start to finish. Pitting the likes of Hardy Boyz, Edge-Orton, King Booker, Finlay, CM Punk, and Mr Kennedy, the match was the perfect opener to fire up the sea of 80,000 fans inside the arena.
At one point, Booker was almost on the verge of grabbing the briefcase, but was forced to come down by Matt Hardy who threatened to hit a "Twist of Fate" on Sharmell. Jeff did his usual high flying shtick in the match, resulting in himself and Edge leaving the ring on stretchers. Mr Kennedy won the match, but would go on to lose it to Edge on Raw.
#2 AJ Styles vs Shane McMahon, WrestleMania 33
Ever since Shane McMahon came back to WWE, he has been having marquee matches at the grandest stage of them all. His first outing was with The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32, and the match became famous for Shane's leap off the top of the cell, which unfortunately didn't connect.
The next year, Shane got into a program with The Phenomenal AJ Styles, with AJ being the dastardly heel to Shane's babyface. The match opened the show and the company didn't regret this decision one bit.
Shane and AJ's wrestling styles complimented each other to the T, as they went on to have a fast paced, high flying encounter. AJ won the match, but not before Shane had given him a run for his money, and proved that he was able to hang with the absolute best on the show of shows.
#1 Bret Hart vs Owen Hart, WrestleMania X
The Hart brothers' feud began when a misunderstanding resulted in Owen Hart being eliminated in a traditional Survivor Series match. Owen snapped and demanded a match against his brother, which Bret Hart declined.
The two faced off against The Quebecers at the Royal Rumble PPV, where Owen finally turned on his brother and attacked him after the match.
WrestleMania kicked off with the brothers going at it. The match was nothing short of perfection, with the duo presenting an absolute clinic in the middle of the ring. To everyone's surprise, Owen managed to pull off an upset on his brother, and left the ring with a hard-earned victory.
The WrestleMania opener was Bret's first match of the night, followed by the final match where Bret defeated Yokozuna to become the WWE champion. As Bret celebrated in the ring, a visibly upset Owen stared at him with disgust to end the show of shows.
