5 WrestleMania's that should have had a different main event

A better placement would have improved these WrestleMania's.
A better placement would have improved these WrestleMania's.

WrestleMania is less than two months away and it is time to get excited. The road to the Show of Shows is always a fun one, but this year could be even better.

So far, the one match that has been confirmed is Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. It has to be the main event, simply because it is possibly the most exciting thing to take place on the show.

Hopefully, WWE makes the right decision and does not change the headliner from Lesnar vs McIntyre to its likely Universal Title counterpart, in Roman Reigns vs The Fiend. Placement is key for this year's WrestleMania.

Unfortunately, WWE has made some errors in the placement of matches at previous WrestleManias. More specifically, the placement of the top matches on the card. Had a few matches been switched around, or altered, each of these 'Manias would have been much better to look back on.

In these cases, the main event of the show was, either not the biggest match on the card, unable to follow an earlier match, or simply poorly booked.

Here are five WrestleMania's that should have had a different main event.


#5 WrestleMania 11

WrestleMania should always be headlined by actual wrestlers.
WrestleMania should always be headlined by actual wrestlers.

What Was The Main Event: Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor

What Should Have Main Evented: Diesel vs Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship

Ten years after the first-ever WrestleMania, where Mr. T was part of the main event, WWE decided to put another celebrity in the headline act of their biggest show of the year.

Former American football player, Lawrence Taylor, took on Bam Bam Bigelow in the closing match of WrestleMania XI. While it was decent, it should not have main-evented the show.

At least when Mr. T wrestled, it was alongside the WWF Champion, Hulk Hogan. Also, WrestleMania had evolved over the years into more and more of a wrestling event.

Diesel defended the world title against Shawn Michaels earlier in the night, but this should have taken place after everything else on the card, including Lawrence Taylor's big performance.

It is simply bizarre to see a 'Mania main event where one-half of the competitors is a non-wrestler.

#4 WrestleMania 16

It could have been so much simpler.
It could have been so much simpler.

What Was The Main Event: Triple H vs The Rock vs Mick Foley vs The Big Show for the WWF Championship

What Should Have Main Evented: Triple H vs The Rock for the WWF Championship

WrestleMania 2000 got really complicated when it really did not have to. The story was simple. The Rock won the Royal Rumble match, although his feet touched the ground, and should have seamlessly moved into a one-on-one program with Triple H.

However, WWE changed it up instead. They added the Big Show and Mick Foley to the match, after their feuds with Rock and Triple H respectively coming to a head. And you thought that WrestleMania 35 was really frustrating and complicated!

Wait, it gets more convoluted. All four competitors had a member of the McMahon family in their corner, further raising the overbooked and dramatic nature of the storyline. Vince, Stephanie, Shane, and Linda all made their way to the main event of WrestleMania.

In the end, Vince turned his back on The Rock to align with Triple H and Stephanie. This could have been achieved even in a singles match between the Great One and the then-WWF Champion.

There was no need for the 'McMahon in Every Corner' theme, which took away from the quality and excitement of a WrestleMania which took place during one of WWE's best-ever years.

#3 WrestleMania 18

Ah, the annual Triple H epic at WrestleMania.
Ah, the annual Triple H epic at WrestleMania.

What Was The Main Event: Chris Jericho vs Triple H for the Undisputed Championship

What Should Have Main Evented: Hulk Hogan vs The Rock

Another WrestleMania, another disappointing main event angle involving Triple H. For somebody who has had tremendous success on the 'Grandest Stage of Them All', the Game sure has had a number of duds as well.

In 2002, his WWF Undisputed Championship storyline with Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon played second fiddle to The Rock vs Hulk Hogan. But to be fair, pretty much any match at WrestleMania would have played second fiddle to Rock vs Hogan.

That is why that generational clash should have main-evented the show. Nothing else could follow it, including Triple H vs Jericho. The Toronto Skydome lost their minds for Hogan. Never was a wrestling match so vastly enhanced by the crowd.

After the match was over, he quickly turned babyface when his nWo team-mates, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, attacked him. The Rock and Hogan stood tall at the end and that seemed like the perfect end to WrestleMania X8.

Not every 'Mania has to end with a WWE Championship match, as we will see once more shortly.

#2 WrestleMania 8

This should have led to the biggest match in WrestleMania history, back in 1992.
This should have led to the biggest match in WrestleMania history, back in 1992.

What Was The Main Event: Hulk Hogan vs Sid Justice

What Should Have Main Evented: Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship

While non-title matches could headline WrestleMania in the right circumstances, the biggest match WWE could have put on in 1992 was for the title. After Ric Flair left WCW to join WWF, he was the perfect WrestleMania opponent for Hulk Hogan.

It even seemed like that was the direction they were heading to, with Flair contributing in Hogan's WWF Title defeat to The Undertaker at Survivor Series. The Nature Boy even won the belt by winning the 1992 Royal Rumble match, after coming in at number 3.

He looked all set to defend the top prize against Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania 8. But somewhere along the line, plans changed and Hogan's final match ended up being against Sid Justice. Pretty underwhelming, yeah.

That match ended in a disqualification, making it the only WrestleMania main event not to have a proper finish. Meanwhile, Flair lost his title to Randy Savage in a great match. That also would have been a better main event, in hindsight.

But WrestleMania 8 will forever be linked to the biggest WrestleMania match that we never got to see, Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship. It just made too much sense.

#1 WrestleMania 25

Just an incredible match.
Just an incredible match.

What Was The Main Event: Triple H vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship

What Should Have Main Evented: The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels

Speaking of non-title matches that should have main-evented WrestleMania, let us speak about the greatest match in 'Mania history. The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels was a barnburner and a half, taking place two matches from the top, at WrestleMania 25.

The main event of the involved, you guessed it, Triple H. He defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. This ending WrestleMania 25 seemed appropriate after all the crazy things that happened during the build-up involving Orton attacking the McMahons and Triple H invading his rival's house.

But on the night, all we got was a 25-minute snoozefest that seemed more like a placeholder house show main event than the culmination of the most heated rivalry in the world. Some of it could possibly boil down to the Game and the Viper having the impossible task of following the epic Undertaker vs Michaels match.

Honestly, the latter should have just gone on last. There was no way anything else would have been able to follow such a tremendous match and the WWE Title bout failed miserably. Even the world title triple threat between Edge, John Cena, and the Big Show did a better job than the headliner.

Had Triple H vs Randy Orton ended up being a more intense brawl or better, gone on second-to-last in favor of Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker, WrestleMania 25 would have been much more fondly remembered in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

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