There is no denying just how special of an annual event that WWE has made out of WrestleMania. It was sold to audiences initially as the Super Bowl of wrestling, and more than 40 years after the first event, it feels even bigger than that initial selling point. Through incredible matches and big moments, it’s where wrestlers become legends in real-time.
However, not everybody is offered the same luxury of becoming a household name at WWE’s biggest event. Because WrestleMania is loaded down from top to bottom with big-time matches, not every match is going to feel big. The biggest moments will be big enough to be astronomical, but others end up going forgotten or overshadowed in the long run. These end up being some of the most underrated forgotten classics that the event has to offer, and here are just some examples.
10 The Rockers vs Haku/Barbarian
WrestleMania VII
The year before, Shawn Michaels made his WrestleMania debut when he and Marty Jannety lost to The Orient Express, but WrestleMania VII marked the first time that Shawn Michaels put on a performance worthy of stealing the show. On an event that included Ultimate Warrior vs. Macho King Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter, this is the bout that left an impression for many and arguably holds up the best from any other match on this night. A match like this wouldn’t look out of place in a modern WWE setting.
Shawn Michaels is synonymous with being Mr. WrestleMania and the Show Stealer, and The Rockers very much unexpectedly stole the show in one of WrestleMania’s best opening matches. The only thing better than a David vs. Goliath match is putting two Davids vs. two Goliaths, and this match did just that.
9 Steiner Brothers vs Headshrinkers
WrestleMania 9
The ninth WrestleMania is notoriously considered the worst WrestleMania, if not among the worst. However, one of the few saving graces of WrestleMania 9 is Steiner Brothers vs. The Headshrinkers. Both teams have a legacy as being two of the most influential tag teams in wrestling history, and seeing them go head-to-head makes it easy to see why.
One of the bright spots of a short stint in the WWE for the Steiner Brothers proved to be one of the best matches in their entire careers. This says a lot considering how many promotions the two wrestled in, but the Headshrinkers proved to be perfect dance partners for Rick and Scott Steiner on a night when it mattered most.
8 Diesel vs. The Undertaker
WrestleMania 12
The earliest matches from The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak were uneventful for lack of a better word. It almost seems ironic to associate the word uneventful with the most prolific undefeated streak in the history of sports entertainment, but all of his matches had been short and by the numbers. For the most part, he had wrestled wrestlers who either were past their prime and ready to put over an up-and-coming rookie, or people like Giant Gonzalez.
His match with Diesel proved to be the first good match Taker would have in his Streak, along with Diesel being his first challenge who could believably defeat Undertaker at the Showcase of the Immortals. Taker’s lack of chemistry with other big men is well-known, but this night proved to be an exception. The feud was also well-built and the characters mashed well together. The bout was as physical as expected, culminating in two Jackknife Powerbombs that couldn’t keep the Dead Man down. This was the night that Undertaker was made.
7 Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila
WresteMania 14
The success of WCW’s cruiserweight division was enough to inspire WWE to introduce its own light heavyweight division. Going into WrestleMania XIV, Taka Michinoku was in his first reign as the inaugural Light Heavyweight Champion. One of the standout moments from the previous winter’s tournament to crown the inaugural champion was seeing Michinoku face Aguila (a.k.a. Essa Rios) in the semifinals. The bout was so spectacular that it was decided that WrestleMania would house their rematch.
This was a match that felt as if the cuffs were truly off, so to speak. It didn’t feel like the two athletes were constrained by any sort of limitations, and It felt as if they were allowed to have not a WWE style match, but a full-blown lucha libre bout. Taka Michinoku brought to the table that unique blend of Japanese style and Mexican high-flying that made him famous, and Aguila matched him move for move. In what is considered as the inaugural WrestleMania of the Attitude Era, this match still managed to stand out, which is no small feat.
6 Undertaker vs Ric Flair
WrestleMania X8
If his match with Diesel was one of Undertaker’s first great matches at Mania, his match with Ric Flair is one of Taker’s all-time great Mania matches. Even in his old age, The Nature Boy was still arguably the greatest in-ring wrestler to lace up a pair of boots. It’s also a rare sight to see Flair as the sympathetic babyface. Even rarer was seeing Undertaker as a heel stepping into WrestleMania quarters, but both men play up their respective roles exceptionally well.
Flair gains empathy as the enraged father who is ready to avenge a son who was attacked, while Taker relishes in playing the schoolyard bully. The only thing that made this match easy to forget is that WrestleMania X8 was just that eventful. The Rock vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan alone was enough to overshadow Flair vs. Undertaker, but fans shouldn’t sleep on this match. Ric Flair could make anyone look good in a ring, and pairing him with the boundless talent to Taker was a recipe for magic.
5 Chris Jericho vs Christian
WrestleMania XX
The story surrounding this bout was textbook soap opera storytelling that WWE was known for best during the Ruthless Aggression Era. What started out as a Battle of the Sexes debate turned into a love triangle, with Christian bitter that Chris Jericho had chosen romance with Trish Stratus over their friendship. And in wrestling, the only way to settle soap opera drama was inside of a wrestling ring.
The best part about this is, when you discard that soap opera storytelling, you get two top-class technical wrestlers having a good old-fashioned match embroidered with an intensity worthy of the rivalry. These are two Canadians who know each other better than most wrestlers on the roster, and who are known for never having a bad match. While this bout may lack flashy spots, it’s one that cane easily be shown in wrestling schools as an example of everything you should do in a ring, and outside of it.
4 JBL vs. Finlay – Belfast Brawl
WrestleMania 24
One of the most ludicrous storylines of 2007 for WWE was the reveal that Hornswoggle was the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon. That soon turned into Vince trying to embarrass his bastard son at every turn via guys like JBL bullying him, his former handler Finlay coming to his rescue, then revealing that it was Finlay who was really Hornswoggle’s father, playing part in a long-term ruse to embarrass Vince McMahon. It was a mess, and something of a low point for both Mr. McMahon and WWE storytelling.
However, with WrestleMania 24 being the season finale to that year of storytelling, at least audiences get a match out of it that’s way better than it had any right to be. The brutal brawlers in Finlay and JBL are at their most vicious, with the former finally getting a proper WrestleMania showcase after all he’s contributed to the company. While many wrestling fans love its technical aspects, sometimes there is nothing more exciting than an hardcore beatdown between two brutal men, and this is exactly what this match delivers.
3 Six Pack SmackDown Women’s Championship Challenge
WrestleMania 33
This match was placed awkwardly between two of the biggest matches of the night – Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, and WrestleMania overlord The Undertaker vs. future Tribal Chief Roman Reigns. Regardless if you loved or hated those two matches, it’s easy for the SmackDown Women’s Championship match to be overshadowed, especially because of its offensively short length.
Regardless, this is still six of the WWE’s best women’s wrestlers of the time making the most out of six minutes. Becky Lynch, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Carmella, and Natalya all managed to do the most possible with the time they got to shine. Sometimes, in wrestling, you simply have to prove people wrong, especially those at the top, and that’s what these women managed to do.
2 Cedric Alexander vs Mustafa Ali
WrestleMania 34
205 Live was an understated, underseen piece of WWE television during its heyday. Some of the best matches of the year would take place on 205 Live. It’s just too bad that nobody watched the show. Not for lack of trying, it’s just that when WWE produced so much content with so many shows every week, the hour-long cruiserweight exclusive show seemed to be the one that was least necessary to watch, on paper at least. This match proved that statement wrong.
Thankfully, the cruiserweight got the chance to shine on the biggest stage possible on the pre-show of WrestleMania 34. Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander wrestled for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship, with future WWE Hall of Famer John Cena front row in attendance. If you make a former 16-time World Champion’s jaw drop with your match, you must be doing something right.
1 John Morrison vs Jimmy Uso vs Kofi Kingston – Ladder Triple Threat for the Tag Titles
WrestleMania 36
Truthfully, WrestleMania 36 could have filled every entry on this list with its matches. There are great bouts littered throughout the card (Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins, Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley, Sami Zayn vs. Drew Gulak, etc.) but they’re easy to forget when they don’t have Mania’s signature pomp, circumstance, and electric crowd due to the restrictions imposed by the 2020 pandemic.
Due to protocols and COVID spreading, many competitors couldn’t make it to the tapings, including those in the scheduled Triple Threat Tag Team Title match between The Usos, Miz and Morrison, and New Day. To compensate, WWE made this a Triple Threat with one representative from each team, all of whom put their bodies on the line as if they were in a packed arena.
While it’s common knowledge that the great moments of WrestleMania 36, such as Drew McIntyre winning his first world championship, are dulled by the weird atmosphere and lack of public, this Ladder Match still manages to entertain and excite viewers, a hard feat to achieve when you could hear a pin drop in the Performance Center.
