WrestleMania. We say it every single year and it becomes a cliche, but it truly is the show of all shows. Every single time it comes around whether you're a casual or hardcore fan, the odds are that you'll be watching the showcase of the immortals.
There's just something that feels so special about the event that ensures you cannot take your eyes off the television screen for the four hours that it captures your attention.
Of course, we all know very well that not every year is a knockout success. Much like with the Super Bowl, the World Series and the NBA Finals you get occasions where things don't quite live up to expectations.
Unfortunately for the WWE, the promotion is put under a microscope much more so than the other events mentioned because they are in control of 95% of what happens on the night.
We as a wrestling community have come to expect a few disappointments here and there, with moments of brilliance intertwined that combine to form a show you'll be talking about for months. With that being said, when you look back on the recent history of Manias gone by you can certainly notice some differences between them all.
With WrestleMania 33 just around the corner, it's time to look back on the last 10 editions of Vince McMahon's brainchild and separate the worst from the best.
#10 WrestleMania 27
Unfortunately, we have to start off with the bad to get to the good. In terms of quality, WWE was seriously short here and even The Rock being the guest host of the night couldn't save the day in Atlanta.
In many ways, this felt like a prequel to the following year's main event, with the botched ending of The Miz vs John Cena for the WWE Championship being the cherry on top of the whole thing.
In terms of production and the set, it was actually pretty solid. There was a nice feel to the stadium and the atmosphere, but the matches in the ring didn't live up to that. Punk vs Orton didn't really match up to expectations, Edge vs. Del Rio was average and bouts like Cole vs. Lawler in addition to the intergender six person tag match just sum up the show as a whole.
If it wasn't for Triple H vs. The Undertaker, this may have even surpassed WrestleMania 9 as the worst edition of the spectacle in history. As it stands, though, it comes across as an occasion that could've been great had there been less focus on things that probably weren't going to be blown off for another twelve months.
Two years later, however, it seemed that WWE didn't really learn from their mistakes.
#9 WrestleMania 29
The expectations for WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were pretty high. The venue was spectacular, it was the first time Mania had been back to the area in nine years and the company built it up as a big deal. Unfortunately, the end product wasn't quite on the level that many fans and critics expected.
The rematch between The Rock and John Cena for the WWE Championship was decent, but the parade of finishers didn't make up for the fact that the fans weren't really that emotionally invested.
‘Taker saved the show from being something of a disaster once again with an impressive match against CM Punk, meanwhile, the other world title match between Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio was relatively dull.
There were some notable moments such as The Shield making their first appearance at WrestleMania, but the average nature of the card cancelled out a lot of the hype behind the event. The production seemed off throughout the night, the booking was illogical and the crowd didn't come across very well on TV. Overall, it was one to forget.
Next up is an event that also looked set to be a triumph, but failed to meet that promise.
#8 WrestleMania 25
WrestleMania 25 in Houston, which was wrongly billed as the 25th Anniversary of the namesake, crumbled under its own weight in many ways. It's certainly not as bad as some fans would have you believe, but given what a landmark this was, things weren't exactly handled in the correct manner.
The main event of Triple H vs. Randy Orton is highlighted as one of the big errors of the event, with the lacklustre finish only serving to nullify and annoy members of the WWE Universe who were expecting something a lot more dramatic. There was a lot of fun stuff on the card that doesn't get enough credit like Jeff vs. Matt and Jericho vs. The Legends, but the big stuff didn't really feel all that special.
Apart from, of course, the greatest match of all time. For the third consecutive entry in this list, The Deadman saved the day with a bout against Shawn Michaels that pretty much represents everything that is great about professional wrestling. If you take this away from WM25, the event drops like a stone in the rankings.
From one Triple H main event to another seven years later.
#7 WrestleMania 32
Poor old WWE really did suffer this time last year when it came to injuries. Cena, Orton, Rollins, Cesaro, Sting and more all missed WrestleMania 32 in Dallas which was set to break records in terms of attendance figures. Whilst it achieved that, the card as a whole was extremely confusing.
First off, including the pre-show, it went on for nearly seven hours. That's a whole lot of wrestling to digest and given that the main event was a snoozefest between Triple H and Roman Reigns, it's understandable that people were annoyed.
There's a whole lot of entertaining material on this show, though, with WWE rolling out the nostalgia in order to get a pop or two out of the AT&T Stadium.
Unfortunately, that didn't really hide the glaring mistakes that were made throughout the night, with so many of the booking decisions not making any sense. It felt like WWE was just trying to swerve fans for the sake of it, and the event as a whole just feels like something that should be swept under the rug for the time being.
Now let's go from the most recent event on this list to the oldest.
#6 WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania should always be about those grand moments, and the 23rd edition of the show in Detroit certainly achieved that goal. At this point on the list, the shows really are very strong throughout most of the card. With the main event of this one being John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship, you can't really go wrong.
This was WWE's return to the big time in terms of stadium shows, and boy did it deliver. There were certainly some questionable matches on the card like Kane vs. Khali, but even then it had a pop-inducing moment or two. Undertaker vs. Batista and the Battle of the Billionaires were both good fun, and the MITB Ladder Match was as entertaining as always.
In terms of its position on the list it really just comes down to overall quality. The remaining entries really are stellar and whilst this was a thoroughly enjoyable show, it didn't quite reach that next level. The undercard wasn't spectacular, which may be the catalyst to letting it down in terms of reaching the top five.
Onto another show that featured the main event presence of The Heartbreak Kid.
#5 WrestleMania 26
What an event. WrestleMania 26 falls into the category of forgotten classics, with the University of Phoenix Stadium putting on one hell of a show. The production values, the marketing and the card itself were all top notch and it featured some dream matches, as well as the debuts of upcoming stars. So really, it was all you ever could have asked for.
The main event featured Shawn Michaels once again facing The Undertaker, however, this time his legendary career was on the line. When you couple that together with John Cena vs. Batista, you've got two matches that were worth the admission fee right there.
It's so refreshing to see WWE pull off these kinds of matches out just twelve months on from the disappointment of WM25, too.
It's always exciting when the event is taken to a new location, and Phoenix did not disappoint when it comes to impressing the fans. Whilst a couple matches on the undercard didn't really live up to their potential, overall WM26 can only be considered a success.
Now onto the polar opposite in terms of expectations.
#4 WrestleMania 31
As far as everyone was concerned, WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara was going to be terrible. The build up was poor, it didn't feel like a grand occasion in comparison to past shows and there was generally a very negative vibe entering the show of shows. In a weird turn of events, WWE actually felt like the underdog going into the showcase at Levi's Stadium.
But the promotion proved once again that it has the ability to surprise the world as they put on a truly brilliant show. None of the matches went over 20 minutes, which made time fly by, allowing fans to get emotionally invested in every bout on the card in some shape or form.
The main event featuring Seth Rollins cashing in his MITB contract on Reigns & Lesnar was a fitting way to end such a crazy event.
Sting vs. HHH was fun despite the outcome, Cena vs. Rusev was acceptable and the IC Title ladder match came close to stealing the show. In terms of the booking, there were some very questionable decisions but in the grand scheme of things that didn't matter. What did matter was that WWE had beaten the odds on the grandest stage of them all.
Onto another sunny Mania, this time seven years prior.
#3 WrestleMania 24
WrestleMania 24 is one of the most underrated PPVs in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment. Whilst the weather didn't seem to live up to the expected beauty of Orlando, the event itself really did capture the imagination of wrestling fans all around the world in more ways than one.
The main event featured Edge finally getting his big WrestleMania moment against the Undertaker in a match that lived up to the hype. On the undercard, there was a fun triple threat match for the WWE Title, Mayweather vs. Big Show and Flair vs. Michaels in a match that probably should've gone on last, all things considered.
It's a shame that this event isn't given the acclaim it deserves, especially considering that the bad matches on the card are still pretty watchable. Alas, its place in wrestling history is there for all to see and hopefully, the company's return to the Citrus Bowl this year can live up to its predecessor.
Let's go four years into the future for another Florida edition of the grandaddy of them all.
#2 WrestleMania 28
Miami, Florida was the location. The Rock vs. John Cena for the first time ever was the main event. To be honest, that's all you really need to know when considering why WrestleMania 28 is so high up this list. When you think of a wrestling masterpiece, WM28 may not quite reach that level, but damn it gets close.
The SunLife Stadium was the perfect venue for a show that had been anticipated for twelve months. The clash between the two icons did not disappoint, with Taker vs. HHH inside Hell in a Cell also adding on to this fantastic show's legacy.
When you also take into consideration that this was the start of the Yes Movement as well as the home to a great Punk vs. Jericho match, you know you're on to something truly magnificent.
It's so very close between this and the overall winner, but regardless of that, you can't deny how much of an impact this show had on WWE as a whole. It changed the entire landscape of the company forever, and we'll likely be talking about it until we're grey and old.
Without further ado, it's time to unveil what many consider to be one of the best WrestleManias of all time.
#1 WrestleMania 30
It was always going to be this. WrestleMania 30 in New Orleans was an example of what happens when all the perfect elements for a PPV fall into place perfectly. Originally, it seemed as if the event may wind up being a huge letdown following the departure of CM Punk in addition to the rumoured main event between Randy Orton and Batista.
But then one little goat-faced man changed all that. This show was supposedly all about the rise of Daniel Bryan and it was a story that truly engrossed millions of fans around the world. However, WM30 will also go down in history for featuring the single most shocking moment in professional wrestling - the end of the streak.
When you combine these two moments in addition to Cesaro throwing Show over the top rope, the Shield dominating and a whole host of other entertaining matches, you really can't argue that this is the rightful number one in this list.
As WrestleMania continues to go from strength to strength, Vince McMahon should force the talent to watch this every single year in order to show them how high the bar has been set. So there's been good and there's been bad, but at the end of the day, we'll all continue to tune in year in and year out because that's what this crazy old business does to us.
There's nothing quite like WrestleMania, and we personally cannot wait for April 2nd.
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