With WrestleMania being WWE's premier pay-per-view, in theory, it should be the best event WWE produces each year. Of course, that has been far from the case more often than not, over the past 30-plus years.
Every WrestleMania is hyped up to be big, but fans have had higher hopes for some instalments as compared to others. Whether it was because of their build or star-studded card, those heavily-touted WrestleMania events had the potential to be the greatest of all-time.
Ultimately, these five WrestleMania events didn't deliver as WWE promised they would. Please keep in mind while reading that this will not cover the worst WrestleManias ever but rather those simply didn't meet the fans’ lofty expectations.
#5 WrestleMania 6
Admittedly, a handful of those early instalments of WrestleMania were difficult to sit through. Surely, they have glimmers of greatness, but by and large, most of the undercard consists of cringeworthy contests and forgettable segments.
That said, WrestleMania 6, in particular, was hyped up to be the biggest 'Mania up to that point. Headlined by a Champion vs. Champion match between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, fans were psyched to see what the rest of the card would feature.
The main event was indeed epic, and the Canadian crowd provided an electric atmosphere, but the undercard left a lot to be desired, especially considering there were 14 matches in total and only one of them was noteworthy. What should have been a major landmark in 'Mania history ended up being an underwhelming offering, instead.
#4 WrestleMania 32
The latest WrestleMania cracks the top four because of how grand it could have been but ultimately wasn't. It should be noted that several stars were out injured including Seth Rollins, John Cena and Randy Orton, but WWE made excellent use of who they had remaining on the roster.
The evening was surely filled with memorable moments, but that's all they were – moments. In no way, shape or form did this WrestleMania do anything to focus on the future with the exception of the amazing ladies match that marked the official dawning of a new era in women's wrestling.
Sure, Stone Cold Steve Austin delivering Stunners was a sweet sight, as was The Rock mixing it up with Bray Wyatt, but none of it truly served a purpose. Not to mention that Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Championship in the main event in predictable fashion left a sour taste in the mouths of fans when the evening ended.
#3 WrestleMania 25
WWE has delivered some sensational anniversary shows throughout WrestleMania's illustrious history, but WrestleMania 25 was not among them. In the months preceding the pay-per-view, there were rumblings that John Cena vs. Batista would face off in a rematch, Hulk Hogan would compete, and Christian would return to meet Jeff Hardy one-on-one.
However, none of that happened.
Granted, Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker was absolutely incredible and is arguably the greatest 'Mania match of all-time, but that doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the card was equally entertaining.
What we received instead were two mediocre main event title matches, an extremely brief Intercontinental Championship match, Chris Jericho taking on three legends past their prime, a throwaway women's match, and a tame Money in the Bank Ladder match. Hardly a WrestleMania worthy of the 25th-anniversary tag.
#2 WrestleMania 27
Once The Rock returned to WWE following a seven-year hiatus to host WrestleMania 27, fans automatically expected the Show of Shows to be extraordinary, or at least more than it had been in years past. WWE even touted it as such with a pretty promising card from top to bottom.
Sadly, the execution was awful with the World Heavyweight Championship match kicking off the evening for some strange reason while the train wreck that was Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole took up too much time.
Triple H vs. The Undertaker was the match of the night by far, though John Cena vs. The Miz will forever be remembered as one of the worst WrestleMania main events ever. This 'Mania was merely designed to set the stage for what would be a much better WrestleMania 28 the next year.
#1 WrestleMania 2000
There is little question that 2000 very well might have been the best all round year in WWE for in-ring action. Almost every one of their events that year was outstanding and featured fantastic matches, yet WrestleMania 2000 was a total disappointment.
Firstly, it didn't help that there wasn't a single one-on-one match on the entire card (and no, the Cat Fight between Terri Runnels and The Cat didn't count). A gimmick match here and there is fine, but when a WrestleMania consists of nothing but gimmick matches, they become a bit ridiculous.
Similar to WrestleMania 25, the sole saving grace of the event was the Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder match, which was the real main event of the evening. The actual main event, a Fatal 4-Way Elimination match for the WWE Championship, failed miserably and the sickening amount of focus on the McMahons detracted from it.
The first 'Mania of the new millennium was not a good representation of how tremendous that year actually was for WWE.
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