WWEs grandest stage of them all is wrestling at its most sublime or its most exhausting.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
This article was originally published on April 3, 2024.
It has been updated to include the main events of Wrestlemania XL.
Because, in the case of WrestleMania, the quality of main events has varied wildly.
Theyve been depressingly underwhelming, positively stunning, and everything in between.
As such, the main events of Night 1 and Night 2 will be judged separately.
44.Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns WrestleMania XXXIV (2008)
44.
Its a plodding encounter, one so abysmally paced that fans chant Boring!
43.Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow WrestleMania XI (1995)
43.
42.Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice WrestleMania VIII (1992)
42.
The last full main event that Hogan wrestled during the Hulkamania era of WWE is tiresome.
41.Triple H vs. Roman Reigns WrestleMania XXXII (2016)
41.
If theres any WrestleMania main event that represents true creative malaise in recent WWE history, its this one.
40.Drew McIntyre vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania XXXVI Night 2 (2020)
40.
The first WrestleMania to occur during the COVID-19 pandemic is a bizarre watch.
39.Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy WrestleMania II (1986)
39.
38.Roman Reigns vs. the Undertaker WrestleMania XXXIII (2017)
38.
The match itself, though, is a deeply disenchanting experience.
Reigns wins after 23 agonizing minutes.
37.Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt.
Slaughter WrestleMania VII (1991)
37.
The decision to turn Sgt.
Also, at 20 minutes, its about twice as long as it needs to be.
36.Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid WrestleMania XIII (1997)
36.
35.Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart/Hulk Hogan WrestleMania IX (1993)
35.
Its a surprisingly brisk battle, too … until Hart loses and Hulk Hogan comes out to avenge him.
Hogan then trounces Yokozuna in a way that makes the monstrous heel look downright foolish.
34.Triple H vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania XXV (2009)
34.
On paper, Triple H vs Randy Orton seems like a winner.
And the closing moments of the contest are heated in a way that belies its slow beginning.
33.Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar WrestleMania XXXVIII Night Two (2022)
33.
Reigns and Lesnar operate at a faster pace than usual here and the Reignss triumph hits with startling immediacy.
32.John Cena vs. the Rock WrestleMania XXIX (2013)
32.
The Big Show WrestleMania XVI (2000)
31.
30.John Cena vs. the Miz WrestleMania XXVII (2011)
30.
The Miz once beat John Cena at WrestleMania makes for good trivia, though.
29.Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase WrestleMania IV (1988)
29.
Savage had wrestled three times that night already and was relying on his expert conditioning to get him through.
And when Savage won, Hogan rushed into the ring to celebrate with him.
28.Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage WrestleMania V (1989)
28.
27.Triple H vs. John Cena WrestleMania XXII (2006)
27.
For a showcase of the talent of the four men, there are better options out there.
(The bout isnt helped by an extended, ill-paced brawl around the arena.)
25.The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles WrestleMania XXXVI Night 1 (2020)
25.
Filmed in cinematic style, Undertaker and AJ Styles duel in a Boneyard match.
24.Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna WrestleMania X (1994)
24.
Without Hogan to interfere this time, Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna II winds up with a satisfying ending.
23.Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff WrestleMania I (1985)
23.
22.Triple H vs. Chris Jericho WrestleMania XVIII (2002)
22.
However, this might be the most notorious example in professional wrestling history.
On any other night, it wouldve been a focal point.
After Hogan vs. Rock, though, its a WrestleMania digestif.
21.Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kevin Owens WrestleMania XXXVIII Night One (2022)
21.
20.Roman Reigns vs.
Edge vs. Daniel Bryan WrestleMania XXXVII Night Two (2021)
20.
19.John Cena vs. the Rock WrestleMania XXVIII (2012)
19.
18.The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania XV (1999)
18.
But few wrestling personalities have ever felt more fitting for a main event clash.
17.Triple H vs. Batista WrestleMania XXI (2005)
17.
WrestleMania main events can either settle a feud or provide the slam-bang kickoff to one.
16.Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes WrestleMania XL Night Two (2024)
16.
15.Becky Lynch vs. Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair WrestleMania XXXV (2019)
15.
The first womens main event in WrestleMania history is, for the most part, a truly great match.
They work well together and Lynchs victory somehow manages to make all three women look more capable.
14.Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant WrestleMania III (1987)
14.
Okay, this main event is decidedly not technical perfection.
And if you turn down the volume, it might not even be that good.
13.Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins WrestleMania XXXI (2015)
13.
So … thats what they did.
12.Sasha Banks vs. Bianca Belair WrestleMania XXXVII Night One (2021)
12.
The first WrestleMania main event between two Black performers is a barn burner.
Its a smooth engine of a match, one that doesnt let up through all 17 minutes of it.
11.John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XXIII (2007)
11.
Shawn Michaels is known as Mr. WrestleMania for a reason.
But what he gave to Cena through his showing was perhaps more important to the next generation of stars.
Hed tested Cena and Cena passed.
10.Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XII (1996)
10.
9.Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes WrestleMania XXXIX Night Two (2023)
9.
That said, all of the moments before that?
8.Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin WrestleMania XIV (1998)
8.
But thats exactly what puts it near the top of this list.
This was no different and the fans went wild.
7.The Undertaker vs.
Edge WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
7.
6.The Usos vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn WrestleMania XXXIX Night One (2023)
6.
Its a ring thats overflowing with talent, and each wrestler plays their role to perfection.
With all of these elements, the 24-minute run feels much shorter, and their dynamic is impeccable.
5.Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. the Rock WrestleMania XVII (2001)
5.
Industry folkshave questionedin the decades since whether an emotional betrayal like that even works as a character choice.
4.The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels WrestleMania XXVI (2010)
4.
Michaels throws everything he has against Undertaker, with each man surviving each others finishing moves multiple times.
Meanwhile, Undertaker plays the omnipotent executioner who cant quite get Michaels to the chopping block.
3.Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle WrestleMania XIX (2003)
3.
But the moments before and after?
2.Hulk Hogan vs. the Ultimate Warrior WrestleMania VI (1990)
2.
But Hogans match against the Ultimate Warrior is a masterpiece of spectacle.
1.Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania XXX (2014)
1.
No WrestleMania main event in history has ever left its audience feeling better.
