8) Brock Lesnar Vs Kurt Angle – Wrestlemania XIX
Brock Lesnar hadn’t even been in the WWE a year when he main evented Wrestlemania 19 and gave us one of the best Mania main events of all time.
Angle was at the peak of his abilities here and Lesnar was, as he still is, one of the most phenomenal athletes the company has ever had. The chemistry between the two was nothing short of outstanding and from first bell, to last this was a wrestling masterclass. It’s even more impressive when you consider that Angle was carrying a neck injury at the time as well.
The end saw Lesnar beat Angle to become a two-time champion, with most fans remembering Lesnar’s now infamous botched shooting star press in the closing moments.
7) John Cena Vs The Rock – Wrestlemania XXVIII
If there were ever a Mania main event that showcased how special the show can be, it’s this one.
Announcing the match a year earlier, the night after Wrestlemania XXVII, John Cena’s match with The Rock had one of the best builds in Wrestlemania history and when the two finally met in the ring, the atmosphere was one of the best I’ve ever witnessed.
The match itself is a fairly average encounter, but the whole thing is elevated by the crowd, the occasion and an incredible build. It’s a great example of what Wrestlemania is all about. It truly felt like history in the making and a match that could only take place on that occasion. The ending saw The Rock going over Cena, though as well know Cena was to get his revenge a year later at Wrestlemania 29.
6) Stone Cold Vs Shawn Michaels – Wrestlemania XIV
1997 is one of the most important periods in the history of the WWE and in the eyes of many fans Wrestlemania XIV was the unofficial start of the period in history that would become known as The Attitude Era.
Stone Cold Steve Austin was red hot at this point in his career and this was his crowning moment. Michaels, having had an awesome match with The Undertaker at The Royal Rumble was preparing to leave the company due to complications with his back. This was the very definition of a passing of the torch moment. Chuck in the presence of Mike Tyson at ring side and you’ve got a recipe for success.
The two put on a great show and Shawn, despite his injuries is still at the top of his game here. The ending sees Austin hit a stunner and Tyson slide into the ring to count the quickest 3 count in the history of Wrestlemania, screwing over DX in the process. Post match Austin and Tyson celebrate, Tyson knocks out Shawn Michaels, rips off his DX shirt and replaces it with a Stone Cold 3:16 one. It’s a great Mania moment and a great match, it is also arguably one of the most important in the company’s history.
5) Bret Hart Vs Shawn Michaels – Wrestlemania XII
One of the finest displays of professional wrestling in the history of the WWE, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, one hour long iron-man match at Wrestlemania XII is a bonafide classic.
Putting together two of the greatest wrestlers of all time, on the grandest stage of all, for an hour, is always going to be a delight and the match continues to be analysed by fans and fellow professionals to this day.
If the match has one flaw though then it is the same one that comes with all one hour iron man matches – it can be an endurance test to sit through, and the drama is difficult to keep up, especially in the middle stretches of the bout.
The match ends in extra time with Michaels defeating Hart and finally realising his boyhood dream – giving us one of the most iconic lines in wrestling history in the process.
Originally published March 24, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
