Part-timers have become progressively more important to the WrestleMania booking in recent years.
The perceived success brought on by increased exposure, and the star power these occasional performers are determined to bring, has cost regular Superstars a shot at cementing their own legacy.
Of course, just because they are part-timers taking up valuable real estate on the year’s biggest card, it does not mean that they have not produced good matches or at least sizeable buzz to sell the event before and after.
Here are the top 10 matches in WrestleMania history that have included part-timers.
#10 Undertaker vs Shane O’Mac
This is a hard one to argue for to kick things off.
WrestleMania ‘Dallas Cowboys Star’ last year looked like a catastrophe waiting to happen with all the injuries the big guns had suffered. The only truly big storyline involved the by-the-book rise of a big babyface against the evil corporate boss, or at least that was how the WWE wanted the fans to see it.
There was just no apparent reason to pick up the network and check out the company’s largest ever show. Sensing this looming disaster, they pulled out the mother of all trump cards left in their pack, and the prodigal son came spinning into the picture.
The reason why Shane McMahon felt the need to return after his six-year absence to wrestle again is still a mystery, to be honest. The decision for his old man to put him against the Undertaker in Hell in a Cell made even less sense, but boy did we buy in.
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Dangling the ultimate carrot that is the banish-McMahon gimmick (ironically prompted by another McMahon) was enough to fill the stadium and build the show around a potential final brawl-for-it-all that would send the Undertaker and Vince off into the sunset in grand style. This is not what they delivered.
Rather than offering a shocking result and/or spot-heavy match to close the show, ushering in a new direction to their weekly programming, they gave us a shocking drop and not much else.
If it did not take 30 minutes to see the end of this boring match, Shane diving off the top of the Cell and crashing into the table below might have resonated more.
The buzz was created but died out almost immediately, and with Shane getting on TV regularly post-Mania, the result and match ended up being largely meaningless. Still, it was a sick bump and at least drew the eyeballs in long enough to realise that they’re pushing Roman Reigns and that’s the end of that.
#9 Floyd Mayweather vs Big Show
Hate me if you want, but I give more credit to freak shows that legitimately drew in some of the audience over truly pointless clashes like Lesnar vs Ambrose or most of Triple H’s part-time bouts that end storylines abruptly.
Floyd Mayweather actually put on a show that was not dreadful like most celebrity matches, and Big Show actually served a purpose as someone who emerged from obscurity to become an attraction again (for the last time).
A lot of fans did not buy into Mayweather without his heel persona, to which I counter: who was dumb enough to believe this was an actual Mayweather fight!? The match was stupid but it was fun and is exactly what pro wrestling needs to balance out any show. Meltzer rated it 3 stars and that’s quite a high figure. The Taker-Shane match was given a 2.25 rating while Taker vs. Lesnar got a dismal 1.5.
The fact that it was between two all-time matches in HBK vs Flair and Undertaker vs Edge, makes it an excellent precursor to the main event and worth its spot on the card.
The WWE title triple threat at the same event (as well as the reshuffled main events the next year) did nothing to suggest that there was a better alternative that should have been in that spot instead.
Sometimes it is just a matter of making the most out of the smallest tools, which the WWE did as well as ever here.
#8 Hulk Hogan vs Mr. McMahon
This list is a rather complicated one to assemble due to the definition of part-time. Neither Hogan nor McMahon were wrestling all that much in 2003, yet they were the prime focus for weeks, if not months, on every SmackDown.
This is Hogan’s final Mania match, though, and contributed greatly to one of the best events ever.
Their Street Fight at XIX was epic, despite some limitations from both men. It was so good in fact, that I wish they had saved it for Madison Square Garden to highlight the landmark edition.
Amongst Rock-Austin III, HBK Y2J, Angle-Lesnar in the closer, this match does not always get the notoriety it deserves, but it is perhaps this quality that makes it so good.
It is very difficult to think of any match that did more with less, especially when it holds up with the calibre of performers in the other matches. The trend so far with this list is clearly what these matches provided for the excitement and structure of the events.
Occasionally it is better for part-timers to play supporting roles that lift up the rest of the card, but importantly, they should not overshadow the efforts of the weekly competitors in their matches.
Hogan-McMahon ticks off a dream clash from the list and is a very well done match, given the circumstances.
#7 Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar
The Streak that came to an end at more of a whimper than a roar, the moment remains memorable but is still hard to understand.
Even with three F-5’s and the cumulative weight of 23 years of matches on the biggest stage visible on the Undertaker’s body, it just did not seem real that the run had come to an end.
Except, the Deadman’s run at WrestleMania continues even three years later, and fans are now asking why it did not end a long time ago.
Credit must be given for the sheer nerve it took to break the Streak, and Lesnar was probably the best option simply because no one was clearly outraged, but to keep going with both as part-timers is not helping.
This was a landmark moment that does not appear to have a lasting impact.
The Undertaker trots on as though his record was still intact and is not exactly giving anyone a rub as he continues to put on slower matches as he gradually breaks down even more.
The handling of Lesnar has also been far from stellar since his defining moment in pro wrestling.
It is just frustrating because this match did not exactly deliver the compelling match up or receive the hype beforehand that would merit the shocking result. It remains to be seen what Lesnar is able to do to justify this, but that moment alone makes it stand out in a weak category.
#6 Seth Rollins cashing in during Lesnar vs Reigns
Maybe the one thing the WWE has been able to accomplish with Lesnar is to get two former Shield members more over than they were before. The first of Reigns’ inevitable many main events saw him play the role of a rag doll as Suplex City became a thing.
Again, this is not the best match, but the moment when Rollins came running out and took away Roman’s comeback makes this one of the better matches involving a part-timer.
Lesnar’s title reign had a mixed reception when it lasted for more than half a year, during which time he was rarely seen on television.
However, this ‘passing of the torch’ feels like it could mean something in a few years when Rollins and Reigns are the biggest attractions left.
Say whatever about self-preservation against a fan backlash, it came across as a shrewd move however anticipated, and Reigns seemed a tad more prepared when he eventually won the title the following year.
Apologies to the Roman haters who do not see it that way, but again, it is a matter of making the best of a bad situation. For the record, there are no great matches from part-timers that do not appear on the rest of this list.
Everything up to the following is a mere assortment of efforts that were not terrible (overall) because they delivered some buzz, or moment, or potential that might have been beneficial. Now, onto the good stuff.
#5 Shane O’Mac vs Mr. McMahon
WrestleMania x-seven is the favourite of many fans and is a showcase of all things great from the Attitude Era. Amongst the oversold Stunners, sledgehammer Powerbombs and Spears off ladders, there is a match between two non-workers that had fans going nuts as much as anything else.
The father versus son brawl is not a wrestling match but was awesome nonetheless. Aside from the weak nod it was meant to be to WCW fans rooting against Vince, this was compelling from start to finish.
Shane missed his elbow, as usual, and the Mr McMahonisms were in full effect, the pop when Linda stood up and nailed Vince in the grapefruits was ridiculous, and the coast-to-coast off the Mandible Claw was the fitting conclusion.
This stands out as the best WrestleMania match that did not involve a full-time worker and did so on a stacked card of other great matches. The key was that it was not THE match on the card, and was just great on its own.
#4 The Rock vs John Cena I
Once more I ask for forgiveness, although it does not really matter because the XXVIII main event ultimately delivered on the promise and felt like a huge WrestleMania with these two squaring off.
The fact that The Rock actually beat the current face of the company, who had jobbed to the existing WWE champion twice in the proceeding year, makes it all the better.
Cena would ultimately get his just desserts, but the conclusion in Miami was enough to close a memorable show in shocking fashion and put a bit of doubt into the relentless Cena push of previous years.
Embarrassing as it is for those of us who believed it might have actually facilitated a heel turn, I’d argue that it was actually more shameful to run back ‘Once in a Lifetime’ and since then, accomplish nothing of note with your biggest star at Mania.
Besides Shawn Michaels, this is Cena’s best WrestleMania match. This might not be saying a lot, but is a testament to what he was able to get done with a Hollywood movie star and a lot of kicking out of finishers.
Sadly this started a run when part-timers have near-exclusively been a part of the closer, with only the 30th main event (consisting of 3 guys who actually did house shows) proving a better match than the first Rock-Cena clash.
#3 Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff
Mr. T may get a bad rap, depending on who you talk to about his pop culture influence of the 1980’s, but it is safe to say that he was a hugely important player in getting WrestleMania off the ground. Co-hosting SNL the night before the inaugural event in New York is just scratching the surface.
He was feuding with Piper and his cronies across entertainment platforms in the lead-up and teaming with the biggest star in Hogan offered the perfect setting to settle the score.
The squabble would, of course, continue onto their ‘boxing’ fight at Mania II, but the less said about that the better.
The first main event delivered in spades and the part-timers of today can thank T for their paychecks. Again, this is not the best technical match in the world but had enough happening to send the fans home happy and excited for more.
If they ever manage to utilise a celebrity better than this at WrestleMania, I will never criticise the WWE’s creative capacity again. I await eagerly to see what they can possibly come up with to break through as significantly as they did at the end of March in 1985.
#2 Edge vs Mick Foley
It’s funny to think that when Mick Foley got his main event spot 6 years earlier, in the McMahon 4-way elimination match, he was content to retire, having achieved his WrestleMania moment.
Little did he know at the time, that Mania 22 would see him return in a part-time role, and for a brief moment, the Hardcore legend would lay down his true mark as a competitor on the grandest stage.
Edge deserves enormous props for what he went through to give Foley this match.
It was not that Edge was not helped as well by his brilliance, its more that he had already hit big on some memorable high-risk spots on the stage and really was in the prime of his career as the Rated-R Superstar in 2006.
He would go on to main event himself (I’d imagine regardless of this match), but we are nonetheless grateful to see a match like this that is unique in the legacy.
Barbed wire, thumb tacks and burning tables are unlikely to emerge in the near future when the PG WWE is advertising the ‘Ultimate Thrill Ride’ rather than blood and guts brawls.
I must concede that I am happy that this is the case more often than not, but I guess there is always the chance to make something stand out and give a part-timer the best chance at doing what they do best.
#1 Undertaker vs Triple H (Hell in a Cell)
Back to Mania XXVIII and another match with a false tagline.
However annoyed I may be that this was not really the ‘End of an Era’, it does not take away from the final glorious heights of the Streak, and the emotional rollercoaster that lifted it to 20-0.
The cage was pretty pointless in honesty, but the three guys inside told a story that had hearts racing and nerves on edge throughout.
I personally doubt that I will ever again feel as invested into the pro wrestling product as I did when the Chin music-Pedigree combo did not get the three, and Undertaker capped off his run at the peak of his powers.
One last time, I will confess confusion as to what part-timer actually means if the two guys competing are both still at it five years later.
Nevertheless, for performers not in the weekly routine of getting reactions from crowds to pull off a match of the highest quality, is a testament to their veteran know-how and a clear No. 1 as the best match ever from guys who were not full-time anymore.
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