Beers have been cracked open and something has been cooking for all kayfabe and moments immortalised on the grandest stage of them all. It’s officially WrestleMania season. Taking place over two nights, at the AT&T Stadium, Texas, the 38th edition of WrestleMania features an electrifying lineup of matches as all roads lead to these very nights.
‘The Man’ Becky Lynch squares off with Bianca Belair for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship; the ‘baddest woman on the planet’ Ronda Rousey faces Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. A match which promises to be one for the pages will see AJ Styles responding to an open challenge from the Edge, a clash between two of the most dynamic in-ring performers of all time. Finally, billed as the Biggest WrestleMania Match of All-time, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns will headline WrestleMania for the third time, in a winner-takes-all match fusing the Universal and WWE Championships. The stage is no stranger to the absolute cream, against the best of storylines, dropping performances which stood through the Ruthless Aggression and Attitude Eras, in its unabashed glitz. Here are our favourite moments from WrestleMania.
Shawn Michaelsvs The Undertaker(Wrestlemania 25)
Following the tastiest of build-ups preceding the event, the marquee match saw The Undertaker defend his streak against Shawn Michaels. With characteristic memorable entrances of the HBK descending onto the stage in contrast to the Phenom’s ascension onto the platform, the two superstars who defined WrestleMania down to every last drop of sweat, squared off in an extraordinary 30-minute contest, which ultimately drew to a fantastic close with The Undertaker catching Michaels mid-air in an attempted moonsault by the latter, and executing the Tombstone Piledriver and keeping his streak of 17-0 alive.
With ‘This is Awesome’ Chants buzzing the Reliant Stadium Alive, it had to be the two legends of the game dropping perhaps the best WrestleMania match of all time.
John Cena vs The Rock (WrestleMania 28)
WM 28 is the highest-grossing pay-per-view event in all of professional wrestling history and it does make sense. With the tagline of ‘Once in a Lifetime’ (they’d have a rematch next year), the main event had the jabroni beating, pie-eating, trail blazin’, eyebrow raisin’, all around, smack it down People’s Champ, The Rock come back to headline WrestleMania, once again going against the man with his ‘Hustle, Royalty, Respect’ banner flying high, John Cena. The anticipation was flavoured by numerous teasing exchanges and trash talks that only the two could come up with. Florida roared as the match kicked off and running through 30 minutes, the contest had it all. Ultimately, it was The Rock who emerged victorious with fireworks lighting up the sky and the People’s Champ perched atop the ropes with his signature hand raised.
Following the tastiest of build-ups preceding the event, the marquee match saw The Undertaker defend his streak against Shawn Michaels. With characteristic memorable entrances of the HBK descending onto the stage in contrast to the Phenom’s ascension onto the platform, the two superstars who defined WrestleMania down to every last drop of sweat, squared off in an extraordinary 30-minute contest, which ultimately drew to a fantastic close with The Undertaker catching Michaels mid-air in an attempted moonsault by the latter, and executing the Tombstone Piledriver and keeping his streak of 17-0 alive. With ‘This is Awesome’ Chants buzzing the Reliant Stadium Alive, it had to be the two legends of the game dropping perhaps the best WrestleMania match of all time.
Triple H vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 28)
If it’s the WrestleMania season, can The Undertaker be far behind? Culminating a four-year storyline, The Undertaker challenged Triple H to a rematch, which saw the latter spelling out few conditions which included it being a Hell in a Cell Match, and Shawn Michaels, as the guest referee. With tension soaring through the roof and the match billed as ‘The End of an Era’, the intensity was more than palpable. With chairs being smashed and the sledgehammer rammed through, nobody could have imagined Taker leaving the cell with his usual arm raised. Two indefatigable forces dropped every single move in their arsenals but Taker ultimately pinned The Game with a defining Tombstone, keeping the streak alive with the entire Sun Life Stadium up on their feet, having witnessed a match only these two could have been through. The final scene was a sight to behold as Taker, Triple H and Michaels helped each other out of the ring, only to embrace and mark the ‘End of an Era’.
Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs Batista (WrestleMania 30)
In a steady build-up involving The Authority and Bryan’s undeterred moxie, the main event of the night was to be the final nail. Having defeated Triple H, Bryan was added to the main event against Randy and Batista in triple threat match. Fatigued and having an injured arm, Bryan walked onto the stage only to be absolutely cornered and overwhelmed by the Authority including Triple H and Stephanie causing major distractions. Batista and Orton combined to slam Bryan through the announcer’s table and he had to be carried out on a stretcher. However, it was Bryan’s night to be, as he came back to the ring and made Batista tap out to his Yes-Lock submission hold, winning both the titles. The evening drew to an unparalleled close with Bryan leading the packed Mercedes Benz Superdome in the loudest ever wave of Yes! Chant, with confetti and pyro going crazy.
The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 15)
The most electrifying man in all of entertainment against the Texas Rattlesnake has to be one of the best rivalries ever in professional wrestling. These very men, on whose shoulders WWE emerged as the tour de force through the defining eras, faced each other for the WWF Championship in the main event of WrestleMania. Obviously kicking it off with trash talk of the highest order, both exchanged blows with the scale tipping on either side as the match coursed through. With two referees already pushed aside and subject to the frustration of both the superstars, Mr. McMohan capitalized on the opportunity to get into the rang gang up on Stone Cold with The Rock. However, a deafening roar emerged when Mankind dashed in to officiate the match, planting McMohan out of the ring. Finally, escaping a Rock Bottom, Stone Cold delivered a stunner and pinned him, to win the WWF Championship. Those really were the days.
Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 35)
Having a women’s main event headlining WrestleMania was far due, and it finally materialised with WrestleMania 35 where the top three names at the peak of their trajectories, Becky, Ronda and Charlotte, faced off in a triple threat winner-takes-all match at the MetLife Stadium, NJ. With a build-up living up to the hype, the match kicked off with all three having their moments on the stage, in a three-way exchange. As Lynch and Rousey put Flair through a table and Lynch tactically countered Rousey’s Piper’s Pitto to win both the RAW and SmackDown women’s championship. It was ‘The Man’s’ night as she roared back to the locker room, holding the titles aloft under the sky flared up by the usual WrestleMania fire flower show.
Andre the Giant vs Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 3)
Billed as the ‘biggest main event in sports entertainment’, the final match on the card at the Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan, had WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defend his title against the legend, Andre the Giant. While the stadium was unanimously in absolute support of Hogan, the first few minutes had both of them capitalise on faults and opportunities. As Andre attempted to big-boot Hogan, he ducked and delivered a clothesline to bring the giant off his feet. The next few moments perhaps defined WWF and it all could be, as the poster boy scoop slammed the 238kg Giant, to deliver his leg drop and seal the deal in 12 minutes, and defend the title two years in a row.
Watch WrestleMania on Ten Network on April 3 and 4, 5.30am onwards