5 times WWE got the WrestleMania main event wrong

There is simply no bigger event in professional wrestling industry than Wrestlemania. For 33 years, the annual spectacle has been the premier pay per view event for WWE and has been the home of some of the most memorable encounters in the history of wrestling. If we look at the history of the Show of Shows, one thing becomes very clear - WWE usually keeps the most important matches and storylines reserved especially for the WrestleMania season.

However, over the years, there have been a few showdowns that were last on the card but didn't deserve to end the spectacle that night due to various reasons.

As a little throwback to the history, we take a look at the times WWE chose the wrong match to close Wrestlemania.

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#5 Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice (WrestleMania 7)

Surely a main event of WrestleMania should not end in a disqualification

By 1991, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were the two most prominent wrestlers in North America, but the two had not yet crossed paths with each other. So when Flair arrived in WWF, with the Big Gold Belt up on his shoulder, the whole wrestling fraternity went into a frenzy.

With WrestleMania VIII fast approaching, every single wrestling fan in the world could finally see their dream match develop into reality. The perfect timing, the perfect opportunity, and the perfect stage, yet the match stayed a fantasy for the WWE fans for more years.

WrestleMania VIII did feature both Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan in marquee matches, in fact, it is the only WrestleMania that officially had two main events. Instead of having Flair vs Hogan as the main event, the fans were treated with a sloppy, drooling match up between Hogan and Sid Justice. Flair, on the other hand, faced Randy Savage in a clinical match for the WWF Championship that had the fans on the edge of their seats.

Not only did WWE blow off a chance of having the biggest match close their biggest show, they made the matters worse by having fans sit through a plodding main event. Flair should have been given a chance to show why he was called the greatest wrestler of all time and having him close the Show of Shows was the best way of doing that.

#4 Psycho Sid (c) vs The Undertaker for the WWF Title (WrestleMania 13)

The match that ushered a new era in WWF

Back in 1996, Sid was in the midst of a humongous push as he defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWF Title at Survivor Series, but no one expected him to stay the champion until WrestleMania.

When Michaels regained the championship from Sid at Royal Rumble, fans could see a rematch between Michaels and Bret Hart at WrestleMania for the WWF Championship. Hart had been embroiled in a heated rivalry with Steve Austin, who had slowly developed into WWF's top heel and, with the WWF Title vacant following Shawn Michaels' injury, it was the perfect time to put the title on Hart and have him defend him against Austin at Wrestlemania to finally put an end to their long feud.

Instead, Psycho Sid was chosen as the guy who would walk into Wrestlemania with the Title. Oh, what a waste of opportunity. Even the presence of someone like The Undertaker, who won the title from Sid, in the main event could not prevent the match from turning into a disaster.

Hart and Austin were part of the greatest match in WWE history that night. During the time when WWF was going through its roughest phase, they closed their premier show with a boring match instead of a match that is now regarded to have ushered the Attitude Era. Austin vs Hart should have closed Wrestlemania 13. Who knows, had they been in the main event, maybe they could have had more impact on the near future of the WWE.

#3 Chris Jericho (c) vs Triple H for the Undisputed WWF Title (WrestleMania 18)

Surely not the main event people were waiting for

Donning black and whites instead of his the red and yellow from his first stint, Hollywood Hogan brought the nWo to the WWF at No Way Out 2002 to what can be easily regarded as one of the greatest reaction from the crowd.

With WrestleMania in sight, it was the perfect opportunity to have Hogan face off against either of the two cornerstones of the company- The Rock and Steve Austin, and WWE did exactly that. Billed as 'Icon v Icon', Hogan v Rock was booked for WrestleMania.

In a parallel storyline, however, Triple H returned from a year-long layoff to a monstrous reaction from the crowd. His Rumble victory booked him a ticket against the Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho at WrestleMania. But all the buzz around Triple H's return slowly fazed away due to woeful booking, which revolved around Triple H and Stephanie instead of Jericho.

Hogan v Rock came in third to last. Hogan's return to SkyDome was so well received that the fans cheered for him throughout the match and booed The Rock, leading to an unexpected face turn for the Hulkster at WrestleMania.

The crowd in Toronto gave all that they had to turn the match into one of the greatest matches of all time. And that is what came to bite Triple H's ego that night. The crowd was so drained out after the secondary main event that they decided to just let the main event pass. Fans had to sit through an 18-minute predictable main event, something that prevented Wrestlemania X8 from becoming a super success.

Had WWE decided to go with Rock v Hogan at the last instead of HHH v Jericho, the fans in SkyDome could have helped in making both the matches a success.

#2 Triple H (c) vs Randy Orton for the WWE Title (WrestleMania 25)

Another Triple H ego trip that brought Wrestlemania down

Randy Orton was enjoying his best run as the sadistic 'Viper' in the WWE in late 2008. His attacks on the McMahon family all but confirmed that he was on course to a clash with Triple H at WrestleMania.

Everyone was expecting a brutal no disqualification match between the two at WrestleMania. However, WWE once again dropped a bomb on the match, adding a stipulation where Triple H would lose the title if he is disqualified. On the other hand, WWE was finally planning a showdown between two legends.

Slotted at 6th on the main card, The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels was a contest filled with emotion and pride. For over 30 minutes, the two legends treated the fans with a clinical masterpiece full of close calls and finishing moves and memorable moments.

So engrossed was the crowd in Houston into the match that they just started chanting 'This is Awesome' just for the match. The fans were so drained out after the match that subsequent matches fell victim to the decreased fan involvement.

The main event was now just another match on the long show. All the exceptional build-up went into a pile of waste as Triple H and Orton wrestled a match with 0% brutality. Although WWE corrected its mistake by having 'Taker' and Michaels main event the subsequent WrestleMania, a missed opportunity in 2009 led to one of the most disappointing main events in WWE history.

#1 The Rock(c) vs John Cena for WWE Title (Wrestlemania 29)

Clearly, there was no need for a rematch

In 2011, CM Punk made a very impressive jump to the top of WWE ladder. Already a charismatic superstar both in and outside the ring, CM Punk's WWE Title reign turned him into a red-hot commodity.

Despite being the WWE champion at Wrestlemania XXVIII, he wasn't in the main event. This time though, the road was clear for him to finally headline the Grand Spectacle, but WWE did something that actually ended CM Punk's brief spell as WWE's top superstar.

With Cena winning the Rumble and The Rock winning the WWE Title, the dreams of fans of watching Punk main event WrestleMania were again shattered. WWE made a fool out of their own statement of 'Once in a Lifetime' by having Cena v Rock II at WrestleMania, with the buzz around this match not even in comparison to the hype of the previous year's clash.

CM Punk, on the other hand, had an exceptional bout, inarguably the bout of the match, against The Undertaker. The match came almost an hour before the end of the show, but the crowd was so into the Punk character that they let all of their enthusiasm and zest out on his match.

Just because they had to follow the infamous 50-50 formula and let The Rock eat the pinfall to even the scores with John Cena after a disappointing affair, WWE let the biggest opportunity to have Punk main event WrestleMania slip out of their hand.

WWE made a mess of their own booking at Wrestlemania 29, which not only gave us one of the most disappointing main events of all time but also started the beginning of the end of CM Punk's wrestling career