5 Greatest opening matches in WrestleMania history

WrestleMania is invariably performed in front of a hot crowd that is chomping at the bit to see some exciting wrestling action. The first few matches on the card are used to warm up the audience and get them ready for an epic night of action.

Opening matches have become more and more important in WWE in recent years. The fans have sometimes sat through a two-hour pre-show and are looking for something more substantial when the show officially kicks-off.

WWE does not necessarily use matches to ignite the crowd, they occasionally begin the show with a promo segment after the opening pyro display and traditional national anthem has ended. The most memorable of these segments would have to be the iconic opening of WrestleMania 30 with Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock all sharing the ring at the same time.

Even some opening matches have been more of a segment than a contest, most notably Sheamus defeating Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania 28. More recently, Seth Rollins shocked Brock Lesnar in the opening bout of last year’s show.

However, there have been numerous classic battles that opened the Showcase Of The Immortals. Here are five of the best.

Disclaimer: The opinions expreesed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.

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#5 Money In The Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 25)

SwoggleMania

The Money In The Bank match was a popular element of the WrestleMania card before it became its stand-alone Pay-Per-View. By the time the fifth installment of this match arrived at WrestleMania 25, it had already become one of the most anticipated parts of the show.

Therefore, when it kicked off the show in 2009, the fans were expecting to see a memorable match. The line-up for the ‘Mania 25 match had an almost perfect mix of performers.

There were big, monstrous Superstars in Kane and Mark Henry with fellow veterans like Christian and Finlay. As well as a collection of young, hungry talents in MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, and CM Punk, all looking to make their mark on the Grandest Stage Of Them All.

The pacing of the match was excellent too with every spot crazier than the last. Kofi Kingston was able to show off some innovative offense, which he has gone on to be known for, and Shelton Benjamin had arguably the most iconic moment of the match with his insane dive from a ladder on the entrance ramp.

It all culminated with an unpredictable battle between Punk, Kane and Christian fighting for victory atop the ladders in the ring. CM Punk surprisingly won the match, becoming the first person to win the Money In The Bank briefcase twice, in back-to-back years.

#4 Shane McMahon vs. AJ Styles (WrestleMania 33)

AJ hits a 'Styles Clash' on Shane McMahon

AJ Styles was on somewhat of a downward spiral heading into WrestleMania 33. After losing the title, The Phenomenal One was never granted a one-on-one rematch and instead had to compete in the Elimination Chamber and multi-man matches to reclaim his title.

Styles came up short and put the blame on the SmackDown Live commissioner at the time, Shane McMahon. Eventually snapping and Styles proceeded to attack Shane O'Mac, smashing his head through a car window in a backstage assault. This attack lead Shane challenging the former WWE Champion to a match at WrestleMania.

During the match, Styles was determined to embarrass his opponent, but Shane O'Mac matched him at every turn. McMahon even kicked out of a ‘Styles Clash’, before escaping Styles' attempt at a ‘Coast-to-Coast’ only to successfully hit one of his own. A now confident Shane upped the ante and was willing to take more risks.

This was ultimately his downfall as a missed diving elbow drop through the commentators table and an unsuccessful attempt at a ‘Shooting Star Press’ allowed Styles to take advantage and hit a ‘Phenomenal Forearm’ for the victory.

If you ignore the fact that Shane was 47 years old at the time and somehow able to hang in the ring with AJ Styles, then this match was a fun match that did it’s job in getting the fans invested and warming them up before a night of wrestling action.

#3 Owen Hart vs. Brey Hart (WrestleMania 10)

The Hart brothers do battle at WrestleMania X

The first-ever Brother vs. Brother match took place at WrestleMania 10 between Owen and Bret Hart. Tension had built between the siblings in the previous months and lead to Owen’s heel turn at Royal Rumble 1994 when he blamed Bret for the pair losing in their WWF Tag Team Championship match.

Owen played the cocky, yet insecure, brother perfectly and was determined to prove that he was just as good, if not better, than Bret Hart.

The match was as slick and smooth as you’d expect from these two in-ring technicians. But as the match went on, Owen became more and more vicious; looking to at the very least harm Bret’s chances in his WWF Championship match later in the night.

Owen continuously worked over Bret’s knee, but The Hitman showed great babyface fire to fight through the pain and come within inches of defeating his younger brother. However, Owen was able to block an attempted victory roll and reverse it into a pin of his own to pick up the win.

Despite the victory, Bret went on to have the last laugh as he defeated Yokozuna to capture the WWF Championship in the main event. Bret celebrated in the ring as Owen watched on from the entrance ramp, still living in his brother’s shadow.

#2 Intercontinental Title Ladder Match (WrestleMania 32)

Owens & Zayn - Destined to fight forever

Kevin Owens went into WrestleMania 32 as the reigning Intercontinental Champion. In the weeks leading up to the show, he attempted to avoid defending his title against the likes of Sami Zayn, The Miz, and Dolph Ziggler. It was eventually decided that he would defend his title against all of them, as well as Stardust, Zack Ryder and Sin Cara in a Ladder match.

The main thread of the match was the epic rivalry between Owens and Zayn. The two men had many storied battles over the years, dating back to before they arrived in WWE. Now they were on the grandest stage of them all, both appearing at their first WrestleMania.

That’s not to say the others didn’t get their chance to shine. They all had their moments, such as Stardust paying homage to Dusty Rhodes with a polka dot covered ladder. Even Sin Cara had a couple of memorable moments, including a springboard dive to the outside and a giant leap from a ladder through Stardust, who was lying across another ladder.

In the end, it came down to The Miz, who thought he had the match won and gloated while atop the ladder, only to be shoved off by Zack Ryder who went on to claim a shock victory.

This was an excellent opener to ‘Mania 32, full of crowd-popping moments to kick off the show.

#1 Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania 30)

HHH attempts to kill the 'Yes Movement'

WrestleMania 30 will always be remembered for Daniel Bryan’s crowning moment at the end of the show, but not enough credit goes to the match he had with Triple H at the start of the night.

Triple H was Bryan’s main adversary on his journey to WrestleMania, costing him the WWE Championship right after he won it at SummerSlam 2013, allowing Orton to cash in his Money In The Bank contract to steal it from him.

Triple H was also the face of The Authority, who continuously tried to hold Bryan down despite the overwhelming fan support, citing him as nothing more than a ‘B+ Player’.

Strictly storyline, of course, WWE had always planned for Bryan to main event WrestleMania 30. The Batista storyline was just a red herring.

All of this made for an all-time great WWE promo package that aired before the match. It highlighted the amazing journey Bryan had been on from an undersized rookie, who was told he would never make it, all the way to becoming the biggest star in the entire industry at the time.

Regardless of how they got there, the match between Bryan and HHH was a long, intense battle and was the first chapter in one of the best one-night stories WWE has ever told.