WrestleMania turns 30 years old this Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, and while there have been some great moments and some awful moments throughout its history, we've spent this month ranking the WrestleManias and will close it out with this installment of the Top 10 WrestleManias of all-time.
Greatest WrestleMania moments from 'Manias XXVI-XXIX (26-29)
WrestleMania is the marquee event within the WWE every year and has created some of the greatest moments in the squared circle by offering classic matches, memorable title changes and mixing the celebrity world with the superstars of the WWE.
We've already looked at the Top 9 worst WrestleManias and last time we checked out the Top 10 middle of the pack 'Manias. Now we'll close this series out by looking at the Top 10 WrestleManias of all-time. Now as always, these are up for debate and your input is encouraged in the comments below or on Twitter @SportsWN.
Rumored finishes/results for WrestleMania XXX
We will go in descending order, starting with No. 10 and working our way down to No. 1 and the best 'Mania of all-time.
Quick recap of the order so far from least to greatest: (2, IX, XI, XXV, XXVII, 13, 2000, I, XII, XXIX, 23, IV, 22, XV, XXVIII, XXV, V, VII, XX).
Greatest WrestleManias of all-time:
No. 10) WrestleMania X-8 from The SkyDome in Toronto (3/17/02): 'The One and Only':
This WrestleMania is under rated, but it would have ranked higher had the WWE done a few things a little better. The Canadian stars weren't booked great considering that this one took place in Toronto. Christian was a heel so he had to be billed from Florida and he ended up losing to Diamond Dallas Page in a match for the European Championship and throwing a tantrum, Edge was booked in a dumb feud with Booker T in the infamous shampoo commercial storyline and Trish Stratus --from Toronto -- inexplicably didn't walk out with the WWE Women's Championship. Still, the showdown between The Rock and Hulk Hogan and the subsequent Hogan face turn on the nWo has to go down as one of the best moments in the history of WrestleMania. The return of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to 'Mania was also a site to see, though it led to Stone Cold getting frustrated and eventually walking out. The WWE should have put Hogan/Rock on last and had a better opponent for Kurt Angle than Kane. The Triple H/Chris Jericho match would be remembered more fondly if it didn't have to follow Hogan/Rock. Still, this is a pretty solid show despite some questionable decisions.
No. 9) WrestleMania XIV from Boston FleetCenter in Massachusetts (3/29/98): 'dX-rated':
This is a prime example of a show that was great at the time but like most 'Attitude' Era shows it doesn't hold up as well years later. Still, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin notched his first WWE Championship at this event and Shawn Michaels put on a show despite his back hanging on by a thread in his final match for over four years in the WWE. Austin/Michaels had that "big match" main event feel as Michaels passed the torch to Austin. The under card was mostly forgettable aside from a decent clash between Owen Hart and Triple H for the European Championship and a dumpster match between Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie and the New Age Outlaws for the WWE Tag Team Championships. The Legion of Doom returned at this event and The Undertaker and Kane had their first of many clashes, culminating six months' worth of storyline into their first meeting. While the match was mundane, it was the storyline that shined that night. It was also the first of three running gags involving Pete Rose and Kane. Mostly for the main event and Stone Cold winning his first WWE Championship, this is a historic WrestleMania.
No. 8) WrestleMania XXIV from the Citrus Bowl in Florida (3/30/08): 'The Largest WrestleMania Under the Sun':
The WWE took WrestleMania outdoors for the first time since WrestleMania IX, and unlike the 1993 event, this one was solid. A memorable main event saw Edge lose his World Heavyweight Championship to The Undertaker while Shawn Michaels defeated Ric Flair in what was meant to be Ric Flair's retirement match. Michaels said, "I'm sorry, I love you" as he geared up to deliver Sweet Chin Music and end Flair's career in a memorable WrestleMania moment. Flair would go on to wrestle again, but hasn't since for the WWE. Also on the card, Randy Orton surprisingly retained his WWE Championship against John Cena and Triple H in a good booking move. Things that weigh the card down consist of an awful boxer vs. wrestler match with Big Show and Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Kane squashing Chavo Guerrero in eight seconds for the ECW Championship along with a terrible Divas tag match. Still, this is one of the better 'Manias that is also highlighted by an awesome Money in the Bank ladder match.
No. 7) WrestleMania 21 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles (4/3/05): 'WrestleMania Goes Hollywood':
Nine years prior to this writing, the WWE put on a Hollywood themed WrestleMania in Los Angeles, having their Superstars make many spoofs of various movies leading up to the event. The event itself would have been a Top-5 'Mania had the main events delivered. The event saw Edge launch his main event career by winning the first Money in the Bank ladder match, Rey Mysterio defeat Eddie Guerrero in what proved to be Guerrero's final WrestleMania match, the Undertaker defend his streak successfully against Randy Orton in a memorable match and Kurt Angle defeat Shawn Michaels in a five-star classic and one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all-time. The event was weighed down by a dumb Sumo Match between The Big Show and Akebono and the main event snooze fests that saw John Cena defeat JBL for the WWE Championship and Batista defeat Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. While the main events were bad, they were notable as they jumpstarted Cena and Batista as main event players.
No. 6) WrestleMania VIII from the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis (4/5/92): 'The Macho Flair Affair':
This was initially supposed to feature Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair in a dream match for the WWE Championship, but the WWE called an audible and had Hogan face Sid in his "farewell retirement" match and "Macho Man" Randy Savage take on Ric Flair. This was the first card to feature fewer matches that were given more time instead of jamming 10 or more matches into three-to-four hours which enhanced some of the quality. The best match was between Macho Man and Flair, as Savage won his second and final WWE Championship in a fantastic match that was meticulously rehearsed beforehand but ended up being worth it. The Hogan and Sid match was horrid as was the botched ending where Papa Shango missed his cue to interfere and they had to improvise, however the Ultimate Warrior's return at the end of the show was an epic way to finish things. Still, the WWE Championship match should have went on last. The Intercontinental Championship bout between "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Bret "Hitman" Hart was also a highlight of this very memorable show.
No. 5) WrestleMania III from the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan (3/29/87): 'Bigger! Better! Badder!':
This was the first really great WrestleMania, taking place in front of an alleged crowd of 93,173 fans as the first huge stadium show the WWE pulled off for a WrestleMania. The reason that many people jammed into the Silverdome was to see Hulk Hogan defend the WWE Championship against the undefeated Andre the Giant. While the match wasn't a five-star bout thanks to Andre's limitations, it was the definition of a main event and put the WWE and WrestleMania on the map after Hogan slammed Andre the Giant in the WrestleMania Moment that spawned all WrestleMania moments. While that match got people in the building, the Intercontinental Championship match between Randy Savage and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat is one that people still talk about to this day as the two put on a classic match with near-fall after near-fall in one of the best WrestleMania matches of all-time that still ranks high atop the list of best 'Mania matches 27 years later. It was a true classic and a must-see for any wrestling fan. WrestleMania III is in many ways the most important WrestleMania the WWE ever had.
No. 4) WrestleMania VI from The SkyDome in Toronto (4/1/90): 'The Ultimate Challenge:'
While time hasn't been too kind to this WrestleMania due to the fact that it's basically a one-match show with a lot of filler, for nostalgia's sake it's one of the best 'Manias of all-time. At a time where the WWE was very good guy vs. bad guy oriented, the company decided to put two babyfaces together as The Ultimate Warrior clashed with Hulk Hogan. Not only were the two biggest stars in the company clashing, but the Warrior put his Intercontinental Championship up against Hulk Hogan's WWE Championship in a title-for-title winner-takes-all match where the winner would walk away with both belts for the first time ever. The match was probably the best match each man has ever had in front of a rabid and split crowd. In the end, the Warrior pinned Hogan for the first time at a WrestleMania and walked away with both belts in one of the most memorable main events of all-time. Other notable finishes saw Andre the Giant turn babyface after he and Haku lost the Tag Team Championships to Demolition and he attacked Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as well as Mr. Perfect losing his "perfect record" to Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.
No. 3) WrestleMania X from Madison Square Garden in New York City (3/20/94): 'Ten Years in the Making':
WrestleMania X was hugely important for the WWE and Vince McMahon as it had to find a way to carry on without Hulk Hogan, who was the focal point of the prior nine WrestleManias. The WWE's "new generation" pulled through in spades, largely thanks to Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels. The Hart brothers kicked off the show in amazing fashion, putting on a 20-minute classic encounter that saw Owen defeat Bret with a roll-up after a back-and-forth five-star match that put Owen on the map as a legitimate main eventer. Later in the night, Bret Hart defeated Yokozuna to win the WWE Championship after Yokozuna successfully defended it against Lex Luger earlier on in the night, and all the babyfaces poured out of the locker room to hoist Hart up as the leader of the new generation with the torch of the WWE being passed to him. Owen looked on menacingly from the aisle way as if to say it should be him as champion since he beat Bret earlier in the night while his peers hoisted Bret Hart up setting up a great feud. Elsewhere, Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon fought in the first ever ladder match which was also a five-star match and innovative for the time. Despite all that has happened since, the match still holds up after two decades. This may be the first ever show to have two five-star matches on the card and is universally loved because of it. Owen and Bret put on the best opener of all-time while Ramon and Michaels changed the face of wrestling.
No. 2) WrestleMania XIX from Safeco Field in Seattle (3/30/03): 'Dare to Dream':
This is a personal favorite of mine and while it is under rated by many, I believe it's just a notch lower than the No.1 entrant overall. WrestleMania XIX is great because it just gets better as it goes along. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio open things in a terrific Cruiserweight Championship match. The Undertaker could have had better opponents than The Big Show and A-Train in a handicap match, but that was still a decent bout. In the midcard, there is a fantastic triangle Tag Team Championship match that saw Team Angle defeat Rhyno and Chris Benoit and Los Guerreros and a great triple threat Women's Championship match that saw Trish Stratus win the title against Jazz and Victoria. The five main event matches are where the card really elevates from good to great as Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho in a classic match, Triple H defeated Booker T in a good match that saw the wrong guy go over for the World Heavyweight Championship, Hulk Hogan defeated Vince McMahon in a memorable street fight that saw a surprise appearance from "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, The Rock defeated "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in what proved to be Austin's final match and Brock Lesnar won his first WWE Championship by defeating Kurt Angle. The Hogan/McMahon storyline was great because it brought in real life issues such as Hogan leaving for WCW and McMahon's steroid trials. The Austin/Rock story reached its apex as The Rock was hell-bent on beating Austin and finally did in a tremendous story that put an exclamation point on Austin's career. Lesnar and Angle had a great match that was bookended by the infamous botched Shooting Star Press by Lesnar that made it all the more memorable. All-in-all this is one of the greatest events in WWE history.
No. 1) WrestleMania X-7 from the Reliant Astrodome in Texas (4/1/01): 'Houston...We Have a Problem':
This is regarded by many as the greatest WrestleMania of all-time and for good reason as it is one of the most stacked cards in history and thus is tops on this list. This card truly had something for everyone as fans of hardcore matches would enjoy the Raven vs. Big Show vs. Kane match for the Hardcore Championship, fans of great wrestling would love the Kurt Angle vs. Benoit classic, fans of all-around craziness would love the bar-raising triangle TLC match between the Dudleyz, Hardyz and Edge and Christian and nostalgic fans would love the Gimmick Battle Royal. Nearly every match on this card delivered as Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon had a great street fight, The Undertaker and Triple H fought in an amazing match and The Rock and "Stone Cold' Steve Austin closed the show in an amazing blood bath of a match featuring two of the industry's biggest stars against each other in their prime for the WWE Championship. Austin turning heel and siding with Vince McMahon dampened the show a little bit, but with a stacked, nearly flawless card, it hardly matters 13 years later. WrestleMania X-7 from top-to-bottom was the best WrestleMania of all-time.
WWE WrestleMania XXX airs live from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans this Sunday, April 6 and it will be interesting to see where it lands on the all-time greats list.
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