WWE WrestleMania History: 20 greatest moments in the history of the PPV (#20-16)

In just 24 days from now, WrestleMania 35 will emanate from Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. WrestleMania has annually set the stage for the most iconic moments in the history of the professional wrestling business.

In order to honor 35 years of the Grandest Stage of Them All, I will be counting down the 20 most memorable moments in WrestleMania history up to this point.

This list will be four parts, so let's begin the countdown with number 20.

#20 The Rock passes the torch to John Cena

One of the greatest WrestleMania matches!

Just a year before, The Rock defeated John Cena in Miami, and it absolutely tore John Cena up inside. He needed his chance at retribution, and he got it a year later at WrestleMania 29 with the WWE Championship on the line.

Losing the big match wasn’t what John Cena was used to, and we certainly weren’t used to seeing it, but there were plenty of people that wouldn’t have minded seeing it happen again.

The Rock went in as the WWE Champion when he defeated CM Punk and ended his 434-day reign as champion at the 2013 Royal Rumble. In order to ensure a rematch with The Rock at WrestleMania, John Cena needed to win the Royal Rumble match that year, and he did so.

Just like that, John Cena marched into WrestleMania 29 and got his win over The Rock. After a few years of bad blood, The Rock and John Cena shook hands after the match in a moment that seemed to pass the torch to Cena.

Rock hasn’t wrestled in a featured match since and the fact is that it’s a very real possibility that this match may be the last memory we have of “The Great One” inside the ring.

#19 Rey Mysterio becomes World Champion, WrestleMania 22

This was a storyline that tore at the heartstrings of wrestling fans everywhere. The entire world of professional wrestling was shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of Eddie Guerrero in 2005.

Guerrero left behind a lot of good friends, with one of them being Rey Mysterio. Mysterio continued to honor his fallen friend for months to come and he promised to win the 2006 Royal Rumble match in honor of Eddie Guerrero. He did so by lasting 62 minutes to win the match and earn the opportunity to compete for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.

He went on to face Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion, Kurt Angle, in a triple-threat match. In a very cool moment, the ultimate underdog prevailed, and Rey Mysterio became World Heavyweight Champion. It’s moments like these that make WrestleMania the phenomenon it is today.

#18 The Ultimate Warrior saves Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania VIII

Prior to this moment happening, there was a lot going on behind the scenes between The Ultimate Warrior and WWE.

In July 1991, The Ultimate Warrior held up Vince McMahon for money and threatened to no-show at SummerSlam where he was advertised to compete in the main event. More specifically, he wanted US$550,000 for performing at WrestleMania 7 and sent McMahon a letter with several other demands.

Vince gave in at the time, and the Warrior worked SummerSlam that year, but he was suspended indefinitely right afterward. The Ultimate Warrior tried to formally send a letter of resignation to WWE later that year, but they refused to accept the letter due to the Ultimate Warrior owing them another year.

The Ultimate Warrior stayed off WWE television after SummerSlam 1991 and was not seen again until WrestleMania 8 in Indianapolis when he saved Hulk Hogan from a beatdown at the hands of Sid Justice and Papa Shango. Warrior and Hogan were two of the three biggest stars of that time and the image of the duo in alliance was truly iconic.

#17 Austin stuns Goldberg and Brock Lesnar

When you think of one of the most disappointing matches in WrestleMania history, this match has to rank among the top. With two stars of their magnitude, this should’ve been so much better, but the fans in Madison Square Garden decided that they were going to shower these two with hate even before they stepped into the ring.

Word spread among the fans that both Brock Lesnar and Goldberg were on their way out of the WWE and looking towards doing other things. For Lesnar, he was hoping to try-out for the Minnesota Vikings and fulfill a dream of playing in the NFL. As for Goldberg, he was simply fed up with working for WWE, and all of these factors together created this snooze-fest of a match.

The only saving grace in all of this was the special guest referee, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who would wind up giving the Stone Cold Stunner to Brock Lesnar and Goldberg after the match was over. In the end, while the crowd absolutely hated the match, Austin would wind up getting one of the biggest pops of the night.

#16 Edge Spears Mic Foley through a flaming table, WrestleMania 22

Edge was the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match winner at WrestleMania 21 and this guaranteed him a shot at the WWE Championship whenever he chose to. He spent the year working his way up the card as a villain, and in typical heel fashion, he chose to capitalize on that when the champion was in his most vulnerable state at the New Years Revolution pay-per-view in early 2006.

Unfortunately for him, this run with the WWE Championship only lasted three weeks as he dropped the title to John Cena at the Royal Rumble, but as we all know, Edge would be back in the hunt later.

With his dreams of headlining WrestleMania put on hold though, Edge looked for a big moment at the biggest stage as did “The Hardcore Legend” Mick Foley. While Foley had already accomplished so much in the business, he yearned for his one true WrestleMania moment.

He got it in his hardcore match with Edge.

Edge speared Foley through a flaming table, and Foley left the match with his moment, and Edge left the match with second-degree burns.