WrestleMania: Looking back on our favorite shows and matches

The history of WrestleMania is filled with its fair share of great shows, memorable moments, stellar matches, and some events that failed to deliver. Time will tell where WrestleMania 33 fits into all of that, but in anticipation of WWE’s biggest PPV of the year, some of our writers collaborated to look back on both their favorite WrestleMania show and match of all time.

Our contributors are —

Josh Nason —

My favorite WrestleMania match is one that will never be known for a high workrate or a six star rating. But for an 80s kid that grew up loving Hulk Hogan and saw his friendship with Andre the Giant disintegrate over the course of several weeks on Superstars of Wrestling, I have to go with Hogan vs. Andre at WrestleMania III.

You’ve heard enough about this match that I don’t need to rehash it, but it was two larger-than-life megastars doing battle in front of a massive crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome. I didn’t see the match live as we didn’t have cable, but I remember being ridiculously excited when the tape came into my local rental store.

As far as a favorite overall Mania, I’m going with Mania IV but only because of the tournament and because, well, it was two tapes instead of just one. That might sound ridiculous, but the whole tournament playing out in one night and the fact there was so much action that it couldn’t be contained on just ONE tape will always stick with me.

Chris Aiken —

WrestleMania X in 1994 is my favorite for purely nostalgic reasons. The show from MSG was a bright spot in a tumultuous time for the company. Titan Sports’ bottom line was suffering as overall popularity had plummeted amongst scandals and a looming federal trial. But all of that took a backseat for one night as the Federation presented their biggest show of the year.

Bret and Owen Hart opened the show putting on a clinic. Bret lost that match but went on to win the WWF title in the main event defeating Yokozuna. Also, Randy Savage had a memorable brawl with Crush (Brian Adams) in a falls count anywhere match during a time when Macho Man was more of an announcer than a wrestler. He proved on that night he could still go.

Stealing the show was Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) in their legendary ladder match. What may appear tame for a ladder match judging by today’s standards was at that time mindblowing. I read stories in magazines and saw pictures of the spectacle before finally getting to watch it. Obtaining a VHS copy of WrestleMania X was a top priority for fifth grade me.

Choosing a favorite WrestleMania match is a tough choice between two matches. Distinguishing between those two, one match is my favorite WrestleMania match to ever watch on TV. The other is my favorite to have ever seen live in attendance.

Bret Hart and Steve Austin had a submission match at WrestleMania 13 in 1997 that stands the test of time as an all time classic and was a masterpiece. Many years later in 2009, Houston was the site where Shawn Michaels and Undertaker had a mesmerizing classic that I witnessed live inside Reliant Stadium (now NRG Stadium). Looking out and seeing the crowd on fire and moving like an ocean caught up in a sea of emotion was something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Paul Fontaine —

Narrowing it down to one WrestleMania is really hard for me, but if I go by the premise of which one could I watch over and over and still be entertained, I’m probably going with WrestleMania X-Seven.

It was an amazing time in wrestling history. WWF had just won the Monday Night Wars six days prior. They then had the biggest event of their calendar year and they totally delivered. Most memorable for me was TLC II, featuring Edge & Christian, The Hardys, and The Dudleys. You also had a much better than expected Vince McMahon vs. Shane McMahon match, and of course the main event World title match featuring Steve Austin vs. The Rock.

Austin’s heel turn at the end of that match was not the smartest business move in WWF history, but it didn’t take away from how great the match, and the entire card, were.

As for favorite WrestleMania match, I go all the way back to WrestleMania X and no, I’m not picking the ladder match, although that was very good. My favorite WrestleMania match, and among my favorite matches ever, was Owen Hart beating his big brother Bret.

Owen was my favorite wrestler dating back to his days with Stampede Wrestling and seeing him pick up such a big win on such a big stage made me so happy. I was 22 at the time and definitely tended to favor the “bad guys” — but that’s not why I liked Owen. It’s hard to describe…he was just always my favorite and nothing he could ever do would change that.

Jeremy Peeples —

WrestleMania XIX remains the easiest WrestleMania card for me to rewatch in its entirety. Outside of a pillow fight and the nothing SmackDown tag title match, every match on the card is either quite good or a quick watch.

Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio got things off to a hot start, while Undertaker’s tag match turned into a handicap match defending the streak. It wasn’t much, but it did come off as a big deal thanks to the Limp Bizkit entrance. Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon was a fun spectacle that led to one of the company’s greatest camera shots with Vince coming up from the apron caked in blood.

This show also featured an excellent HBK vs. Chris Jericho match, a greatest hits version of The Rock vs. Steve Austin with a few new wrinkles thrown in for Austin’s final match, and a classic in Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar that was one of the most touch-and-go main events in WrestleMania history due to Angle’s neck.

It was one of the most dramatic matches to watch in real-time because his neck was in such bad shape, and it was an absolute miracle it wound up being as good as it was — even if it closed in a terrifying manner with the botched shooting star press knocking Lesnar loopy for the closing moments.

When it comes down to the greatest WrestleMania match, two spring to mind featuring The Undertaker. His WrestleMania XXV match against HBK is the easiest to point to, but his WrestleMania XXVII match with HHH remains my personal favorite when it comes to drama. They started things off perfectly with “For Whom the Bell Tolls” being used for HHH and setting the stage — tonight was the night it tolled for the Deadman, and the song starting just like Taker’s, with gongs signaling the end was flawless.

Their match wasn’t as highlight-filled as either Undertaker vs. HBK affair, but had a single moment that eclipsed any other in the streak — HHH hitting the tombstone, covering Undertaker with his own iconic arm cross, and Undertaker kicking out at the last possible second.

HHH was sent scurrying away in shock and fans both at home and in the arena were stunned. The streak went from something that seemed like a given to something that could very easily be taken away, and no false finish did more to sell that than the tombstone. Undertaker won that match with the Hell’s Gate, but had to be carted out later. He won the in-ring battle, but lost the war — and that set the stage for showing weakness in The Undertaker that would eventually be paid off when Lesnar ended the Streak at WrestleMania 30.

Joseph Currier —

The story of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30 is my favorite moment in WWE history. Everything came together in so many unlikely ways to create the perfect ending to the show.

After it not initially being the plan, the months of build accidentally built to the coronation of Bryan when no other option would’ve been accepted. The only disappointing thing looking back on it is that Bryan’s career (at least for now) ended when he had finally become a complete performer capable of matching his absurd in-ring ability with being the top babyface in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Bryan’s triple threat match against Batista and Randy Orton may not have been the best match in WrestleMania history. It may not even have been Bryan’s best match of the night. But it’s easily my favorite WrestleMania match of all time and capped my favorite WWE show ever.

Even without everything else delivering, how invested I was in Bryan would’ve probably still made it my favorite WrestleMania. But the show also had Brock Lesnar breaking The Undertaker’s streak, Cesaro getting a chance to shine in the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, and a great opening segment with Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock.