Ranking Every WrestleMania Ever
What’s the greatest WrestleMania?
For over three decades, the world has gathered once a year to appreciate pro wrestling. People who don’t follow the storylines will gather with friends and family to watch WWE’s version of the Super Bowl. Sometimes, it flopped, and other times it fulfilled your hopes. Occasionally, it was pure magic. Ranking WrestleMania is a fun job…let the binging begin!
38. WrestleMania IX
Even nostalgia doesn’t reflect kindly on this one. The first 40 minutes are fun: we’re introduced to the Caesar’s Palace environment, everybody wears togas, The Brain comes out on a camel and there’s a couple of good matches. By the time Crush faces Doink, we’re circling the drain. Lackluster action and ridiculous finishes culminate in the biggest mistake in WrestleMania history, as the old red and yellow glory hound bumps the rising Bret Hart out of the spotlight to beat the unstoppable Yokozuna in mere seconds.
37. WrestleMania V
The Mega Powers exploding was box office gold, but the finish to the match was the same cookie cutter Hogan fare. Kicking out of the flying elbow is understandable, but punch-boot-leg drop to beat his ultimate arch rival is disappointing. Aside from the main event, WrestleMania V sucks. It’s close to four hours with only a handful of solid matches and too much fluff like Run DMC and that never-ending Piper’s Pit.
36. WrestleMania XI
Contrary to WrestleMania IX, this one only gets good toward the end of the night. Besieged by celebrities and NFL players, WrestleMania XI illustrated Vince McMahon’s total lack of faith in his roster to draw money. His booking deserves half the blame, though, as Bret Hart is trapped in an I Quit match with Bob Backlund, Paul Bearer loses the urn again and Lex Luger and British Bulldog are wasted in the opener with Ron and Don Harris. The only highlights are Owen’s surprise partner, Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow carrying Lawrence Taylor to the best celebrity match without bells and whistles.
35. WrestleMania XXVII
If you thought SmackDown was The Rock’s show, you need to see WrestleMania XXVII. Returning to WWE after seven years in Hollywood, Vinnie Mac rolled out the red carpet for The Great One and gave him the keys to the kingdom. The Rock opened the show with a lengthy promo, appeared in a couple backstage segments and screwed John Cena in the main event (laying out WWE Champion The Miz, too). Basically, this show set the stage for next year’s Mania. A trio of good bouts (Undertaker/Triple H, Cody/Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton/CM Punk) keep this out of the gutter. However, Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler remains the worst match ever.
34. WrestleMania XV
Swing and a miss for Vince Russo. Despite the enormous success of WWE during the Attitude Era, it failed to deliver for its biggest show of the year. Aside from Stone Cold and The Rock kicking off their WrestleMania rivalry as Austin finally won back the WWE Championship, the rest of the evening is hot garbage. “Workrate” wasn’t a priority of crash TV, so you’ve got nearly three hours of mediocre matches sprinkled with mind-numbing swerves. Offensive at the time, in retrospect, Bossman being hung from the ceiling is absolutely sickening.
33. WrestleMania 36
Unlike every other WrestleMania, this one was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Held over two nights without fans inside the WWE Performance Center, this was the strangest of situations. Charlotte vs. Rhea Ripley was the best regular match of the weekend, followed by the nonsensical triple threat ladder for the Tag Team Titles. In terms of experimenting, the Boneyard Match surpassed all expectations and possibly extended Undertaker’s career, as well as the careers of other legends.
32. WrestleMania IV
Nostalgia is kinder to this one. The first four-hour WrestleMania seemed like a chore to sit through at the time, but in the current age of eight-hour Mania marathons, it ain’t that bad. Plus, it’s a 14-man tournament filled with your favorite characters from the 1980s, as well as Demolition starting their legendary Tag Team Title reign. “Macho Man” Randy Savage is the star of the show, competing in four bouts to win his first world championship and more impressively, changing outfits with Miss Elizabeth for each one.
31. WrestleMania 29
The most predictable Mania ever. I won tickets for this one and still wasn’t looking forward to it. You knew John Cena was getting his win back from The Rock. You knew Triple H was getting his win back from Brock Lesnar. You knew Undertaker was maintaining The Streak against CM Punk (at least they tore the house down). And you didn’t care about the rest.
30. WrestleMania 32
Being a part of the largest crowd in WrestleMania history was cool, so I don’t consider this the trainwreck that most folks do. Zack Ryder winning the Intercontinental Championship was a fun surprise, the Women’s Championship triple threat was really good and hearing Stone Cold’s pop in Texas was ear-shattering. That being said, the Hell in a Cell was boring and Triple H working Roman Reigns’ arm five hours into the show was just stupid.
29. WrestleMania 37
It was the first WWE event in front of an audience since the COVID-19 pandemic began, so The Fiend could’ve taken a dump in the middle of the ring and it still would’ve drawn a pop. (He did just that to kick off Night 2.) The undercards of both nights were pedestrian, but the main events delivered. Roman Reigns conquering Edge and Daniel Bryan in a hellacious triple threat after Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks had the greatest women’s match in WrestleMania history the night before.
28. WrestleMania 13
The definition of a one-match show. Thank God it’s one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history. If you take out Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart, you might enjoy the Chicago Street Fight between the Nation of Domination and LOD/Ahmed Johnson. But that’s it. Everything else is a steaming heap of manure.
27. WrestleMania 35
Is it over yet? By the time Charlotte flew above MetLife Stadium in a helicopter, Brock Lesnar was already back in Minnesota grilling a mountain lion. This nearly eight-hour show dragged on after Kofi Kingston’s incredible win over Daniel Bryan. Triple H and Batista performed torture porn, Baron Corbin ended Kurt Angle’s career and Becky Lynch won the historic main event in a botched finish.
26. WrestleMania 2000
At 7 years old, this was my first WrestleMania. I thought it was awesome. The chaos of the Hardcore Battle Royal, Chyna shooting a bazooka, Pete Rose eating the stink face. Now that I’m older, I see that this show was surprisingly terrible for the time period. (Although I knew Head Cheese sucked then, too.) The triangle ladder match and triple threat for the Intercontinental and European Titles are the only matches that hold up. And I’m still pissed that Vince screwed The Rock.
25. WrestleMania II
I love the quick matches of the ‘80s. WrestleMania II, in particular, is like a pop culture history lesson with all the obscure celebrities (Herb from Burger King?). There’s a couple of stellar tag team matches – Bulldogs vs. Dream Team and Funks vs. Tito Santana & JYD – and Savage vs. George Steele is entertaining.
24. WrestleMania
The sequel can’t top the original. No five-star matches, but a fun stroll down memory lane. Everything is kept simple and the crowd is psyched for the main event. Plus, it’s a breeze to watch compared to the work shifts we sit through these days.
23. WrestleMania 33
This may seem contradictory because it ran so goddamn long, but I was in attendance for WrestleMania 33 and wasn’t antsy at the end unlike at other editions. Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg is one of my favorite matches, the Hardyz returning shocked the world and I even enjoyed (gasp) Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns. Orton vs. Wyatt and Triple H vs. Rollins really brought the excitement down, though.
22. WrestleMania XII
This show lives and dies with the main event. Either you think the 60-minute Ironman match is an overrated snorefest or a work of art from wrestling’s Picasso and Rembrandt. My feelings are indicated by this show’s ranking, but I do enjoy the Hollywood Backlot Brawl, Stone Cold vs. Savio Vega and Undertaker vs. Diesel.
21. WrestleMania XIV
The Austin Era begins with a grueling performance from Shawn Michaels, who was in excruciating pain but did the honors to put over the next face of the company, and then got knocked out by Mike Tyson for his effort. Undertaker and Kane finally faced off (both had epic entrances), Triple H screwed Owen Hart out of the European Title and The Rock conceived his “If you smell…” catchphrase. Don’t sleep on the mixed tag, either.
20. WrestleMania 22
A spot was censored on this show and it wasn’t someone getting speared through a flaming table. Edge vs. Mick Foley and Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus are the highlights of WrestleMania 22, along with John Cena making Triple H tap out, if we’re being generous.
19. WrestleMania VII
The terrorists didn’t win – WrestleMania VII (moved from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the smaller Los Angeles Sports Arena) went off without a hitch. The Nasty Boys upset the Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Titles, Hulk Hogan frees the WWE Championship from Sgt. Slaughter’s clutch and The Rockers slay Haku and Barbarian. Of course, the main reason to watch this show is Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage and the beautiful angle that follows.
18. WrestleMania VI
Oh, Canada! The Toronto Skydome was electric for Ultimate Warrior dethroning Hulk Hogan in the former’s best match. The rest of the matches aren’t very good, but there’s a lot of classic moments, such as Andre’s face turn, Jake’s promo about avarice, Rhythm and Blues’ arrival and Jesse Ventura going off about Dusty and Sapphire allegedly weighing 400 pounds combined.
17. WrestleMania XXIV
I’m sorry, I love it. Ric Flair’s retirement match was fantastic, blowing away everything else on the card. Undertaker and Edge did a good job closing the show, though, and Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show was entertaining.
16. WrestleMania 34
If you count only the first half of this show, it’s in the top five. The IC Title triple threat was a great opener, Charlotte shocked the world by ending Asuka’s streak and Ronda Rousey had the best debut in wrestling history. Hell, I’ll even toss in Undertaker squashing John Cena as another highlight. But then the second half went off a cliff with Daniel Bryan’s disappointing return match (thanks to Shane O’Mac selling for most of it), Alexa Bliss ridiculously hanging with Nia Jax, AJ Styles and Shinsuke failing to live up to expectations and then the crowd shitting all over the main event. Oh, and Nicholas!
15. WrestleMania 31
I thought I hated Sting vs. Triple H, but after hearing Arn Anderson trash it, I fucking loathe that match. Undertaker coming back from The Streak ending just to beat Bray Wyatt was irritating, too. Aside from those matches, the rest of the show gets two thumbs up, especially Brock Lesnar taking Roman Reigns to Suplex City. The Heist of the Century may be the best ending to a WrestleMania.
14. WrestleMania 26
Following their masterpiece the year prior, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker closed the show in epic fashion. HBK’s last act of defiance before being spiked with a tombstone to end his illustrious career was perfect. That’s in addition to John Cena and Batista tearing the house down in a heavyweight title fight and Chris Jericho surprisingly retaining the world title against Edge. That Bret vs. Vince match, though, holy shit was that bad.
13. WrestleMania X-8
Another one-match show, although that’s because Rock vs. Hogan blew the roof off the Skydome rather than the other bouts being subpar. For example, if you put Jericho vs. Triple H before Rock/Hogan, that would have probably gotten a stronger response. As for the rest of the show, the 24/7 Hardcore Title saga was amusing and Arn Anderson’s spinebuster on Undertaker was a great surprise.
12. WrestleMania 38
Never Say NeverMania. Stone Cold came out of retirement after 19 years, opened a can of whoop ass on Kevin Owens and delivered one more Stunner to his arch enemy, nearly 80-year-old Vince McMahon. Cody Rhodes, who co-founded WWE’s first legitimate competitor in 20 years, returned to McMahonland. Plus, Bianca Belair went back-to-back as Women’s Champion, dethroning Becky Lynch in a thrilling bout.
11. WrestleMania X
A combination of a technical clinic and a thrilling ladder match cement this as one of the greatest WrestleManias ever. Bret vs. Owen remains universally regarded as the best Mania opener, and Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon defined a generation. Bret finally winning back the WWE Championship from Yokozuna was a feel-good finish, especially with his jealous brother watching the celebration from the aisleway.
10. WrestleMania XXV
It’s tough to rank this one because most of the show stunk (including the awful main event) aside from the greatest match in WrestleMania history. HBK vs. Undertaker is enough to keep this just inside the top 10. While the divas battle royal was a waste, I loved Jericho vs. the WWE Hall of Famers, especially Ricky Steamboat’s inspirational performance.
9. WrestleMania 21
The coronation of the two pillars of the Ruthless Aggression Era left a lot to be desired as John Cena vs. JBL felt like a SmackDown main event and Batista vs. Triple H was too long for The Animal to keep up. However, the rest of the show was tremendous with excellent action in Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle and Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, a demolition derby in the first Money in the Bank and a healthy dose of nostalgia with Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper and Stone Cold.
8. WrestleMania VIII
She was mine before she was yours…the supposed Ric Flair, Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth love triangle was one of the hottest storylines ever, especially during the innocent time of early ‘90s WWF. As expected, Savage and Flair translated the drama into a heated match, in which the Nature Boy bled to Vince’s chagrin. Another bleeder on the show was Bret Hart, who concealed his blading to the point that Vince was convinced it happened organically. In Hart’s defense, the blood elevated a great match between him and Piper into an instant classic. Although Hogan and Sid had a lousy main event, the surprise return of Ultimate Warrior cleansed the palette.
7. WrestleMania XXVIII
The first WrestleMania I attended was magical. Sheamus beating Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds, igniting the Yes! Movement. DX convincing me The Streak was over with their Sweet Chin Music/Pedigree combo. The Rock laying the smackdown on Cena. What more could you ask for?
6. WrestleMania XIX
I echo most of Jack Goodwillie’s sentiments, except for calling it the greatest WrestleMania ever. Booker T being punked by Triple H still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
5. WrestleMania 23
Before The Rock met Cena, WrestleMania 23 was the most bought wrestling pay-per-view in history. The Battle of the Billionaires played a huge role in that, as Donald Trump and Vince McMahon put their hair on the line for Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga. With Stone Cold as the ref, Shane O’Mac interfering, Trump tackling McMahon, this had all the bells and whistles. The two main championship matches overdelivered, too, as Batista and Undertaker tore the house down and Michaels added another feather to his Mr. WrestleMania cap with Cena.
4. WrestleMania XX
WWE went all out for the Grandaddy of Em All, blending the right amount of nostalgia with the thrilling action of the current generation. From Cena winning his first title to Trish Stratus turning evil to the Rock & Sock reuniting to Undertaker’s return to the dark side to Guerrero and Angle’s clinic to one of the greatest triple threats ever, whew, this was a roller coaster.
3. WrestleMania III
It’s the most significant event in pro wrestling history, and yes, it still holds up. It’s required viewing for any wrestling fan: Hogan vs. Andre, Savage vs. Steamboat, Piper vs. Adonis, 93,000 fans, Brutus becoming the Barber, Bundy squashing a midget. It’s peak WWF in the 1980s, the golden age for the promotion.
2. WrestleMania X-7
I used to tape every PPV, so when my friends would come over to wrestle in the basement, we’d leave WrestleMania X-7 on. This was before I had internet access and learned that this show is universally loved. You’re probably flabbergasted that it’s not No. 1 on the list. This show has something for everyone: trainwreck carnage in the TLC and hardcore three-way, comedy nostalgia in the Gimmick Battle Royal, technical wrestling in Benoit vs. Angle, soap opera drama in McMahon vs. McMahon, and of course, an epic main event with a shocking finish.
1. WrestleMania XXX
Nothing in my life will compare to witnessing The Streak end.
I thought my eyes popped out of my head like in the cartoons. There was silence like a funeral. It was surreal going from that to overwhelming joy as Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship. And that’s on top of his first match with Triple H, which was preceded by three quarters of a WWE Mount Rushmore with Austin, Rock and Hogan sharing a beer in the ring.
It was the ultimate pro wrestling experience.
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