4) Daniel Bryan Vs Randy Orton Vs Batista – Wrestlemania XXX
WWE’s insistence on not listening to their fanbase has been damaging to the company in recent years. The company’s constant pushing of part time stars during Wrestlemania season has grated on fans and the Royal Rumble 2014 was the epitome of this.
Back in January 2014, Daniel Bryan was experiencing the kind of reactions that come along once in a generation. Not since the days of Stone Cold had fans, no matter where they were, react so positively to a superstar. There is over, then there is Daniel Bryan over.
Despite this, Vince and Co decided that what the fans wanted to see was Batista, a man we’d not seen for four years, win the Royal Rumble and headline Wrestlemania. This decision did not go down well with the fans, who booed Batista out of every building he was in and continued to scream ‘Yes’ at the top of their voices whenever Daniel Bryan was in the squared circle.
Eventually, WWE caved in, realising that they were going to have a huge embarrassment on their hands if Batista defeated the then WWE champion Randy Orton in the main event of Wrestlemania XXX. Daniel Bryan was added to the card to face Triple H in the first match, with the stipulation being that, if he could defeat The Game, he would join the main event and make it a triple threat.
It was a great night of story telling that finally saw D-Bry get his big moment, and the fans inside the arena erupted with pleasure when he finally got the victory.
The match itself was as great as you’d expect as well. The fans were on fire and so was Daniel Bryan, pulling one of the most impressive pieces of double duty in the company’s history.
3) Stone Cold Vs The Rock- Wrestlemania X-Seven
Ask most wrestling fans what the greatest Wrestlemania in history is and most of them will tell you Wrestlemania X-Seven. The event featured a quality card with many memorable matches, including TLC 2 and The Undertaker Vs Triple H. It is also famous for taking place just after WWE had won the Monday Night Wars and Vince McMahon had just bought out WCW.
Perhaps the most iconic moment of the night though is the main event. Following on from their Mania main event two years earlier The Rock and Stone Cold went toe to toe once again, giving us one of the finest Mania main events in history.
The two megastars went toe to toe for nearly half an hour in what many people see as the last real match of The Attitude Era. The ending saw Vince McMahon help Stone Cold pick up the victory over The Rock for the second time in his career, in what is undoubtedly the most shocking ending to a Wrestlemania in history.
2) Chris Benoit Vs Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels – Wrestlemania XX
Perhaps the most heartbreaking image in the history of Wrestlemania is seeing Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero celebrating their world title success at the end of Wrestlemania XX. The two had spent their whole careers fighting against the odds, to both finally achieve their dreams on the same night. Within a little over 3 years, both men would have passed away.
The match itself though is a stellar piece of wrestling from 3 of the greatest wrestlers on the planet at the time. The story line build to this match had been perfect, with Chris Benoit having won the Royal Rumble after entering at number 1, and Shawn Michaels having a legitimate claim to the title after a screwy finish at the Rumble himself.
All the pieces fell together expertly and the final product was nothing short of excellent. The crowd was red hot, the wrestlers were at the top of their game, and the occasion was the biggest of them all. This was a perfect end to what had been a rather weak Wrestlemania.
1) Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker – Wrestlemania XXVI.
Streak Vs Career, The Phenom Vs The Heart Break Kid, two of the greatest, if not the greatest, wrestlers in the history of the WWE squaring off with each other in the main event of the biggest show of the year.
Shawn Michaels Vs The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXVI is one of the greatest Mania matches in the company’s history. Many will argue over which is better, this match or their Wrestlemania XXV encounter but to me that’s like asking someone to choose between their children.
As a child Shawn Michaels was my hero and watching this match I was aware that he was probably going to lose, but that still didn’t stop it being one of the most exciting matches I have ever watched live. For the first, and only time, I genuinely began to believe that The Undertaker’s streak was going to come to an end here (I still didn’t believe it when the ref’s hand hit the 3 at Wrestlemania XXX).
The ending of the match was perfect as well. Taker telling Shawn to stay down and Shawn running his thumb across his throat and slapping Taker in the face was the perfect way to call time on one of the greatest careers in the history of the company. The fact that Shawn remains as one of the only superstars who has ever honoured his retirement also adds a lot to this match up.
How would you rank the Wrestlemania main events? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Liam Hoofe
Originally published March 24, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
