5 WrestleMania main events that WWE also gave away on free TV

WrestleMania 36 is almost upon us and features several much-awaited matches on a jam-packed card. The WWE Championship will be contested between Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre, while the Universal Champion Goldberg will take on Roman Reigns. The general consensus is that these two matches are going to headline their respective nights.

WrestleMania first came into being in 1985, with the first event taking place at Madison Square Garden. Since then, we have witnessed 35 WrestleMania events, headlined by some of the most memorable and iconic main events in history.

Interestingly, there have been a bunch of WrestleMania headliners that WWE also gave away on free TV. Let's check out five of these matches in the following list.

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#5 Triple H vs Chris Jericho, WrestleMania 18

Jericho ad Triple H

Triple H won the 2002 Royal Rumble by last eliminating Kurt Angle and secured his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania 18. The Game had returned from an injury and was more determined than he had ever been. At The Show of Shows, Triple H defeated Chris Jericho to become WWE Champion. Triple H didn't hold the belt for long though, and dropped it to Hulk Hogan at Backlash 2002.

These two had already faced each other several times on free TV before squaring off at WrestleMania. The most notable bout of them all took place on the April 17, 2000, episode of WWE RAW. The match saw Jericho beating Triple H to win the WWE title in one of the most shocking moments in RAW history.

The decision was soon reversed by official Earl Hebner after being coerced to do so by Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H. Jericho cut a quick promo on the entrance ramp. belittling Triple H and proceeded to drop the belt and leave. The Game remained Champion when all was said and done.

#4 John Cena vs The Miz, WrestleMania 27

Cena and The Miz

John Cena failed to win the 2011 Royal Rumble match, courtesy interference by The Miz and Alex Riley. The two Superstars faced off in the main event of WrestleMania 27 - an event that was hosted by none other than The Rock, who had come back to WWE after seven long years.

The match was built around the animosity between Cena and The Miz plus The Rock's disdain towards the two. At WrestleMania, The Miz managed to retain his WWE title after The Rock interfered and cost Cena the match.

Cena and The Miz had already squared off in the ring several times before and wrestled on TV on a few occasions after their WrestleMania encounter. They faced off in a RAW match in 2009 in a "Beat The Clock" Challenge.

A couple of years ago, Cena and Miz wrestled on RAW, with the loser scheduled to enter the Elimination Chamber first. Cena won the match but failed to come out victorious at Elimination Chamber. He went on to face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34.

#3 Triple H vs Randy Orton, WrestleMania 25

Triple H and Randy Orton

The 25th anniversary of WrestleMania saw two former Evolution members, Triple H and Randy Orton facing off in the main event. The match was the culmination of a long rivalry built up over several months, that stemmed from Orton hitting a Punt on Mr. McMahon and attacking Triple H's wife Stephanie. The Game exacted revenge on Orton by defeating him at WrestleMania 25, retaining his title in the process.

Orton and Triple H had faced each other on RAW before their epic 'Mania encounter. The two Superstars faced each other in a WWE title match on the April 28, 2008, edition of WWE RAW.

Two years before this bout, the two veterans wrestled on the October 30, 2006, episode of RAW. This was a short while after Triple H and Shawn Michaels had reformed D-Generation X and were feuding with Randy Orton & Edge.

This rivalry has turned into one of the greatest of all time, with Orton transforming himself from a clueless rookie to one of the most vicious villains in WWE history.

#2 Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle, WrestleMania 19

Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar won his very first Royal Rumble match in 2003 and won the opportunity to face Kurt Angle in the main event of WrestleMania 19. Lesnar and Angle had faced each other before on SmackDown and went on to wrestle again in a 60-minute Iron Man match months later. The bout is regarded by many as one of the greatest matches in the history of SmackDown. Lesnar defeated Angle to win the match, as well as the WWE title.

Interestingly, the Road to WrestleMania 19 saw these two Superstars engaging in a battle on the Blue brand, with the WWE title on the line. This was a rare instance in which the WrestleMania main event was given on free TV, days before the actual show.

Angle tricked Lesnar by involving his brother in the match, which resulted in Lesnar losing the title. Things didn't turn out in favor of Angle at WrestleMania though, as Lesnar defeated him in the main event to win his 2nd WWE title.

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock, WrestleManias 15, 17, 19

Austin and The Rock

Two of the greatest Superstars in the history of professional wrestling, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin have wrestled each other several times. The rivalry was so engaging that WWE managed to have these two face off at WrestleMania on three separate occasions.

The Rock and Austin first wrestled at WrestleMania 15, with the WWE title on the one. Two years later, they headlined WrestleMania again, with Austin winning this fight as well. The Rock won their third WrestleMania encounter, with the trilogy coming to an end.

This match turned out to be Austin's final match, soon after which he announced his retirement due to a neck injury.

In addition to these three epic matches, Austin and The Rock have faced off on weekly TV. The two were featured in a WWE title match on the post-Survivor Series 1998 episode of RAW. Additionally, they locked horns on free TV before turning into main event Superstars, with the duo fighting for the Intercontinental title.