WrestleMania is a place where legends are made, stories are written, and it is a place where shocks are delivered. WWE usually goes out on a limb to create the most dramatic moments on its biggest stage. The spotlight shines bright, the opportunities are presented on a platter, and it is up to the hungriest of performers in WWE to grab it.
But how does one measure success? Is it the win-loss record? Is it the number of appearances? Or is it the everlasting impressions they leave behind? A difficult choice indeed, but we have squeezed out the essence of success for your benefit and presented them below.
Here is a list of few superstars who have carved their name on the canvass of WrestleMania with their immortal performances
The Rock
When it comes to electrifying a crowd, no one can do it better than this man. Dwayne Johnson – lovingly called by his wrestling name “The Rock – is a once in a lifetime performer. With his alpha male personality, the people’s champion dwarves any other superstar who would step in the ring with him.
Even his mere appearance (even if it is a non-wrestling one) makes headlines across the social media. The style and swagger he brings to the stage set it on fire like no one else can, and it is only apt to call him the most electrifying man in the history of sports entertainment.
His 60-minute iron man match with his longtime rival Triple H was one of the most spectacular matches fought on the grandest stage. It is only fitting that we would start with a performer like him.
Stone Cold
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the god of the Attitude Era. It was this man, who single-handedly lit the stage on fire in the wrestling industry with his memorable feud with the chairman of WWE Vince McMhaon.
The idea of a redneck who despises authority above anything else, coupled with a DTA attitude made him famous and he lived up to that fame with stellar performances in the Superdome.
His refusal to tap out to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 catapulted him to superstardom, spelling the beginning of the Attitude era in WWE. His subsequent heel turn at WrestleMania 17 shocked fans more than anything. Even now, the mere sound of glass shattering rouses crowd like nothing else does.
Jeff Hardy
If these two legends were making their mark at WrestleMania at one end, on the other end there was a superstar who had simply set out to steal the show. The enigmatic Jeff Hardy did not care whether he won or lost a match.
The only motto in his mind was to steal the show.
And he did it on more than one occasion. He was reckless in his endeavor to steal the show and the fans loved him for it; Be it taking a spear dangling 20 feet high in the air, or be a Swanton from a 25 feet ladder onto another ladder – the Charismatic Enigma never flinched away from it.
With all those memorable bumps he took, it is hard for one to forget his acrobatics on the grandest stage.
Triple H
For every hero to be made there must be a villain he could triumph over. Not any random villain, but a strong powerful, calculating, ruthless and merciless one. And no one can better fit this heel role than Triple H.
Next to the Deadman, Triple H has the most number of appearances on the grandest stage than anyone else. He delivered stellar performances, which all wrestling critics would call an A+ performance, year after year.
Whether it is putting over the new face of WWE or delivering memorable matches with the legends, or making a wrestler who has an average look like an A+ player, he had done it all.
And the fact that Triple H has more A+ matches in WrestleMania to his resume than any other superstar in this list is just a mere testament to that.
John Cena
For ten years after the fall of the Attitude Era, one person dominated the scene of wrestling like no one else had. Year in year out, he delivered stellar performances on the grandest stage without fail.
When the talent roster of WWE was depleted, this man took it upon himself to make the biggest show worthy of its name. And that person is none other than John Cena. John Cena’s moments of glory on the grandest stage are numerous, but the icing on the cake came his way when he defeated The Rock at WrestleMania 29.
The clash of these two titans in the wrestling industry left news waves in its wake and WWE made the wise choice in making it look like both of the superstars came out looking better out of their altercations.
Shawn Michaels
There are numerous other superstars who have carved their name on the canvas of WrestleMania with their memorable performances like Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Mick Foley, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Edge and Batista.
But, if there is one superstar who exemplifies the glitz and glam of WrestleMania, then it would be Shawn Michaels.
As a person who thrives in the spotlight, there is no stage that is better suited for The Showstopper than the grandest stage of them all. Leave it to Shawn Michaels to show off at the grandest stage, from making a grand entrance to becoming a pioneer and paving the way the way for future superstars of ladder matches he has done it all.
And when called upon to deliver a heartbreaking match, he delivered that too in a way that would bring tears to the eyes of even the most ‘ machoistic’ men on the planet. Be it controversies, be it showing off, be it delivering stellar performances, Shawn Michaels has done it all on the Showcase of Immortals.
His clash with The Deadman at WrestleMania XXV was a once in a lifetime performance. With all these accolades, it is only fitting to call him ‘Mr. WrestleMania’.
The Undertaker
Shawn Michaels may embolden the glitz and glam of WrestleMania, but it is the Deadman who portrays the grit and heart of the event. If there is one name that is synonymous with WrestleMania, then it would be ‘The UnderTaker’.
When it comes to WrestleMania, there is no one better than The Deadman in delivering stellar performances. His legendary winning streak is alone a proof of it. In his 23 appearances on the Superdome, he has just lost one match.
It is a testament to his capacity as a wrestler to be so victorious at the biggest event in sports entertainment history.
The entrances which raise goose bumps on our arms, the casual slow stride in which he walks down the ramp, the bone-chilling stare when that hat comes off, the thrilling mannerism in which he carries himself in the ring and most of all his will to be victorious on the grandest stage are a coupling mixture that sets him apart from any other superstar who would ever step foot in the ring.
There could be no doubt that ‘The Undertaker’ is the most successful superstar on the Showcase of Immortals.
