Wrestlemania: Greatest Hits

Wrestlemania: Greatest Hits


Yes I know I said that these Greatest Hits posts would only be about select wrestlers, but I think it's appropriate seeing as we're fast approaching the 30th edition. I might even start doing it for the other big four shows, or even the In Your House PPVs. So here are Wrestlemania's Greatest Hits.



Mr T & Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff
From Wrestlemania I. This match is the reason why we still have Wrestlemania today and why it's the biggest show in wrestling. Vince took a gamble on Wrestlemania, and this match certainly paid it off in a very big way. The crowd was insanely hot for the match and that made it even better. The match was a ton of fun and worth watching more than once. One of the most important matches ever. ***



The British Bulldogs vs The Dream Team
From Wrestlemania 2, and the Tag Titles are on the line. The Dream Team consisted of Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. This Wrestlemania wasn't a good one, but this was definitely one of the bright spots and until Savage/Steamboat it was the best match in Mania history. A fast paced tag match that was a lot of fun throughout, and even featured some nearfalls and a hot crowd. Great stuff here. ***1/2



Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage
From Wrestlemania III and the IC Title is on the line. Without a doubt this is one of the most inspirational matches in wrestling history. It's because of this match that you see guys like Chris Jericho and some of the other smaller guys getting elevated to the top of the card and putting on show-stealing matches. Nothing was botched here and everything looked crisp clean, and featured so many dramatic nearfalls. This is quite possibly the best wrestling match in history and definitely one
of the best in Wrestlemania history. *****



Hulk Hogan vs Andre The Giant
From Wrestlemania III and the WWF Championship is on the line. Arguably the biggest match in the history of wrestling. The hero Hogan going up against the undefeated giant in Andre. This match drew 93,000 (if that is the real number) people into the Silverdome. The match isn't good, but that doesn't matter as it's all about the big match feel and the historical significance. The slam is still a goosebump-inducing moment. The match itself is about *1/2 but for what it did for professional wrestling and how important it is, it deserves *****.



Randy Savage vs Ted Dibiase
From Wrestlemania IV and this is the final match of the tournament for the WWF Title. This was Savage's fourth match of the night and Dibiase's third as he gained a BYE in the previous bout. Both guys performed well considering how tired they must have been. A solid match from both guys and a big moment for the Macho Man, even if he needed Hogan's help to win the belt. ***



Randy Savage vs Hulk Hogan
From Wrestlemania V and the WWF Title is on the line. I suppose you could say this one was a year in the making. It was gonna be hard to live up to the great storyline and build-up of the Mega Powers exploding, but I'd say they delivered. Savage was a great heel here, running away from Hogan and using Liz as a shield. A great match with Savage wearing down Hogan for most of it, and Hogan hulking up to win back his Championship belt. ***3/4




Hulk Hogan vs The Ultimate Warrior
From Wrestlemania VI. Winner takes all here as both the WWF and IC Titles are on the line. I have a deeper appreciation for whoever booked this match after watching the train wreck at Halloween Havoc 98. The crowd couldn't decide who to cheer for and were split right down the middle. This is one of the best booked matches ever as it was fun and had a big match feel throughout, when it probably should have been awful. Awesome stuff here. This match makes me feel like a kid again. ****1/4



The Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage
From Wrestlemania VII and the loser must retire (for a few months). This is easily Warrior's greatest match, and even one of Savage's best too. This one was a ton of fun with Savage trying everything he could to keep the Warrior down, but nothing worked. Savage even hit an amazing five top rope elbow drops and Warrior still kicked out. A definite Mania classic, and not just for what happened during the match but after. Elizabeth and Savage embracing for the first time in maybe three years was an emotional moment that capped off an incredible contest. ****3/4



Bret Hart vs Roddy Piper
From Wrestlemania VIII and the IC Title is on the line. Two faces and real life friends going at it. The blade job by Bret was thought to have been accidental until Bret revealed in his book that he and
Roddy acted like it was so that they weren't fined. The blood definitely added to the drama. The story was great with Roddy having to revert to his heelish ways to try and beat Bret, but even that wasn't enough, and he couldn't bring himself to hit Hart with the ring bell. A great, dramatic match here and one of Piper's best matches if not his best. ****1/4



Randy Savage vs Ric Flair
From Wrestlemania VIII and the WWF Title is on the line. The story here was that Flair claimed to have been a love interest of Elizabeth, and that really pissed Savage off. Flair didn't get away with his blade job here and was fined, I think, around $5000. A fun, fast paced match here that should have been the main event of this show. Both Savage and Flair performed greatly. Both guys showed great hatred for one another, making this a dramatic match. A fantastic contest. ****1/2


Let's just skip Wrestlemania IX altogether shall we? The best match there was Shawn Michaels vs Tatanka and I don't think that should be in this post.



Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
From Wrestlemania X. Without a doubt the greatest opener for any PPV ever, and also one of the greatest matches of all time. Every move is performed perfectly with no mistakes, and it all builds to an exciting climax. Both guys were brilliant in their roles, with Owen as the jealous younger sibling, and Bret as the regretful and wiser older brother. Quite possibly the best match in Mania history, and maybe the best match in the careers of both of the athletes. A must-see match. *****



Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon : Ladder Match
From Wrestlemania X and the winner will be crowned the undisputed IC Champion. Some people don't enjoy this one because it doesn't have the crazy bumps of later ladder matches, but you have to remember that matches like this just didn't happen at this point in time. It's still a highly entertaining contest that built drama with each and every spot the ladder was used with, and that gave Shawn his first classic match at Wrestlemania. An iconic contest. ****3/4



Let's just skip Wrestlemania XI as well.



Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart : 60 Minute Iron Man Match
From Wrestlemania XII and the WWF Title is on the line. This is one of those matches that people either love or hate, and I'm in the camp of love. That didn't sound right. Anyway I believe this is the first televisied Iron Man match in the WWF. Admittedly some people won't like this match and will find that it's too long and even boring, but I just found myself entertained with it the entire time, including the overtime. They paced themselves incredibly well for the full 60 minutes. In my opinion it's a classic ****1/2



Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin : Submission Match
From Wrestlemania XIII and Ken Shamrock is the guest referee. When talking about professional wrestling's all time greatest matches, a lot of different ones are thrown around in conversation. But I don't think any match (with the exception of Taker/HBK) comes up quite as often as this one and for very good reason. It contains perhaps the most intense 20 minutes or so of a match that you'll ever see, the blade job is great, it has an iconic image of Austin dripping blood while in the sharpshooter, and the greatest double-turn in wrestling history with Austin being hailed as a hero when all is said and done. These are all ingredients to make the perfect match (why does that sound like a powerpuff girl reference?) and one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest. A masterpiece. *****




Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XIV. WWF Title on the line and Mike Tyson is the special enforcer. This match is great considering that Shawn was wrestling with a screwed up back and that Austin was still feeling the effects on the tombstone at Summerslam. In-ring wise this isn't a classic, but because of the historical significance and the fact that it started off the Attitude Era makes it an all time classic. Great match from both guys, even if Tyson counted a little too fast for the finish. ****




Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XV and the WWF Title is on the line. This Wrestlemania was awful and definitely one of the worst, but this match just about saved the whole thing. The first of three awesome matches at Mania. This is probably the worst of the Austin/Rock matches at Mania, but it still deserves to be on this list showing just how great these guys worked together. An awesome, brawling main event. ****




Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz vs The Dudley Boyz : Triangle Ladder Match
From Wrestlemania 2000 and the Tag Titles are hanging from the ceiling. A lot of people mistake this for the first TLC match, although it is like a TLC match since there's a quite a few tables around the place. Definitely a precursor to the TLC concept. A classic match here with some great innovative moves for the time and so many replayable moments. The scary part is that they would only get better and better. Amazing stuff from these six fearless guys, who would become stars after this performance (most notably Edge and Jeff) ****1/2



Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit
From Wrestlemania X-Seven. This match was only made a couple of days before the event, so it didn't really have much build-up, but these guys don't need any build-up to have an awesome match. It was unusual to see this kind of match at this point in time, especially with all the great mat wrestling at the start, but the crowd loved it. Both guys using each others signature submission holds was awesome. A fantastic technical encounter with an abrupt and disappointing finish. ****1/4



Shane McMahon vs Vince McMahon : Street Fight
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and Mick Foley is the guest referee. I find it amazing that a match featuring two non-wrestlers is on this list, but here we are. This match is the best example of wrestling soap opera and overbooking done right. This one was a lot of fun throughout, and Linda McMahon standing up and getting one of the biggest cheers I've ever heard still gives me chills. Great stuff. ***1/2



The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian vs The Dudley Boyz : TLC
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and the Tag Titles are on the line. The second and best TLC match in history, and that's saying a lot considering how exciting those matches are. These guys were somehow able to come up with new and exciting spots different to those in previous matches and somehow make them even more memorable. The 20ft spear is a moment that is still shown in highlight videos to this day. Even the interference was well done as it kept the match exciting and added even more drama. Excellent match that will forever be remembered. *****



Triple H vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania X-Seven. The first (and definitely not last) Streak match on the list. Just like the Austin/Rock match at Mania 15, this is the first of three awesome matches and this is the worst of the three, even though it's still an awesome match. This was an entertaining brawl that went all the way into the crowd, where Taker would chokeslam HHH off the stage and that visual would be ruined by the cameraman showing the safety mat. The ref bump was ridiculously long too. Still it was a fun match overall, with an especially exciting finish. ****



Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock : No DQ
From Wrestlemania X-Seven and the WWF Title is on the line. The second and best of their Mania series. One of my favourite matches. The two biggest faces of the last three years going one on one to find out who's the best. From start to finish this was an intense contest and the pace never seemed to slow down thoughout the entire match. The drama was awesome and the nearfalls were very close calls. One of the best WWF Title matches ever and just one of the all time classics. Absolutely fantastic match and a milestone in the careers of both superstars. *****



The Rock vs Hollywood Hogan
From Wrestlemania X-8. Icon vs Icon. Perhaps the greatest example of a crowd making a match a classic. The in-ring action wasn't terrific, but these guys got by with one of the hottest crowds ever and with sheer star power. Hogan hulking up for the first time in who knows how long is a genuine Wrestlemania moment and a great mark out moment. I wish they never tried to replicate it in 2003, to make this even more special. Still it's a great match and a Wrestlemania classic for sure. ****1/2



Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XIX. Even with their awesome feud in 2008, this is still my favourite match between these two guys, and I'd even go so far as to say that it is probably the most underrated match in Wrestlemania history. It's probably Jericho's best match ever and definitely one of Shawn's best, as it was this match that made him realise that he was still the showstopper. This stole the show on an already stacked card. An absolutely amazing contest with a great story and some of the best back and forth action you will ever see. One for the ages that deserves more recognition. *****. Jericho kicking HBK in the nuts and spitting on him afterwards is the icing on the cake.



Stone Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XIX. Act III of the classic trilogy of matches between the two. Rock was desperate to prove that he could defeat Austin, and so challenged him to one final match-up. This match was a great way for Austin to ride into the sunset, as he would only appear as a General Manager after this. The finish of the match was basically just a finisher fest, but it was a great one. An awesome way to close out a legendary rivalry and a legendary career. ****1/4



Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania XIX and the WWE Title is on the line. These guys had a lot of pressure to follow up and close an already amazing show, but they managed it spectacularly. They had a technically sound contest that went back and forth, and they got the quiet crowd into it. The shooting star press botch is still a scary moment to watch, but it doesn't really overshadow the match that came before it. In the end both guys came out worse for wear with Lesnar's concussion and Angle needing neck surgery. Still it was a brilliant wrestling match. ****1/4



Evolution vs The Rock 'N' Sock Connection
From Wrestlemania XX. The real feud here was between Mick Foley and Randy Orton, but adding in Batista, Ric Flair and The Rock made it very interesting. Foley and Orton would get their proper match at Backlash anyway. This was an awesomely fun match, especially the Rock taking on Flair, and Flair going for his own people's elbow was just priceless. Evolution winning was a goof choice too as it made the newcomers look good. Great stuff here. ****



Eddie Guerrero vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania XX and the WWE Title is on the line. These guys never really had a proper one on one feud with each other until this moment. Expectations were high due to the skills of both men, but this match definitely delivered the goods. They started  with some nice mat wrestling and moved on to hitting their signature moves in an exciting back and forth clash. Eddie proved that lying, cheating and stealing always wins the match. Fantastic wrestling match. ****1/2



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit
From Wrestlemania XX and the World Title is on the line. The Wrestlemania match that WWE wishes they could forget about. Yes the emotional impact has been destroyed due to Benoit's tragic actions, but this, at least in my mind, is still one of the greatest matches of all time and easily the best triple threat ever. All three guys worked very hard to make this a memorable match, with HHH and HBK giving themselves brutal looking blade jobs to add to the drama. Benoit and Eddie Guerrero embracing after the match is still one of my favourite moments in wrestling history and the match is just amazing. One of the best. *****



Kane vs Christian vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs Edge : Money in the Bank
From Wrestlemania 21. The first ever MITB match and still the best one. No MITB match has been able to beat this, and it might even be the best Ladder match of the 21st Century (TLCs don't count). It's tied with the HBK/Jericho match for me anyway. An amazing match with some very memorable spots, including Shelton running up a ladder and knocking Y2J off another ladder. They even managed some psychology with the work on Benoit's arm. Awesome match that needs to be seen, especially if you're an Edge fan. ****3/4



Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle
From Wrestlemania 21.  I've seen this match so many times, but I still feel excited everytime I watch it. This may be the perfect example of a dream match living up to expectations. In fact it might have even exceeded a few of them. This match has already received tons of praise and there's not much I can add to it. All I can say is that it's an absolute classic that is hard to beat. It starts off with some great mat wrestling, and then the two just decide to beat the shit out of each other. Angle has HBK in the ankle lock for about two minutes when HBK submits. *****



Edge vs Mick Foley : Hardcore Match
From Wrestlemania 22. Here's a match you won't see in the WWE ever again. Foley can make anyone into a star and on this night he did just that with Edge. Edge took some brutal bumps in this one like the back suplex onto the thumb tacks and an encounter with some barbed wire. The flaming table spot was fantastic and a true Wrestlemania moment in itself. An awesome match that stole the show on this night. ****1/4



John Cena vs Triple H
From Wrestlemania 22. For almost the entirety of 2005, Cena was treated like a huge star, but in my opinion this is the match that made him 'the man'. I think this was the first time that the crowd truly turned on Cena. He'd been booed before, but nothing on this scale with the fans chanting 'fuck you Cena'. Harsh. Still this was a great match that had a big match feel to it and was entertaining all the way through. Both guys came out looking good. ****



Batista vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania 23 and the World Title is on the line. I remember thinking at the time that this would be a major bore, but oh man was I wrong about this and so were a lot of other people. These guys totally stole the show on this night and this would also be the start of Taker's run of amazing streak matches at Mania. Batista earned more respect with that performance. Excellent power match and it's probably my favourite match featuring Batista. ****1/4



John Cena vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania 23 and the WWE Title is on the line. This was originally meant to be Cena vs HHH, but HHH had torn his quad again, so HBK was his replacement and I actually think that that was the better choice. Cena had yet another star-making performance with Mr Wrestlemania. The piledriver onto the steps looked brutal. The finish was really exciting with nearfalls from both guys finishers and a close small package from HBK. An awesome match. ****1/2



CM Punk vs Chris Jericho vs MVP vs John Morrison vs Shelton Benjamin vs Carlito vs Mr Kennedy
From Wrestlemania XXIV. One of the better MITB matches in history here. It's a total spotfest, but it's just so much fun to watch. I thought only having two faces was a bad idea, but the most recent World Title MITB match had nothing but heels! An awesome match and just about everyone had something to bring to it. The Matt Hardy interference was very well done too and got a huge pop from the live crowd. Some other great spots include Morrison's moonsault with a ladder, a combined sunset flip and superplex, the return of the liontamer on a ladder, and Benjamin being thrown out the ring and onto a ladder, just to mention a few. Punk deserved the big win, and even if his first reign wasn't that good, he'd still have his day in the sun. I've seen it so many times and it still amazes me everytime. Love it. ****1/2



Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair
From Wrestlemania XXIV and Flair's career is on the line. Some say that this one has lowered in quality since it took place, but not to me. I still love the fact that both guys worked their asses off, trying to pull off a brilliant match and give Flair the appropriate sendoff. Flair got to put in just about his whole move-set, which is always a good thing. I think HBK broke his ribs when he landed on the table early in the bout, so well done to him for keeping the match going. An emotionally charged classic. ****1/2



Edge vs The Undertaker
From Wrestlemania XXIV and the World Title is on the line. One of my personal favourite matches and probably Edge's best singles match. No one really gave Edge much of a chance here, but once he hit the spear, I think most fans thought that the Streak had ended. Luckily that wasn't the case. An awesome match featuring some great counter-wrestling and some well done nearfalls as well. A classic Wrestlemania main event. ****1/2



Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania XXV.  I've seen this match countless times, and it never becomes boring even though I seem to know it inside out now. If you need an example of a perfect match, I would present this to you. To me, this is what wrestling is all about: two of the best in the business going out there with only pride on the line, to have an epic confrontation. If you haven't seen this one yet, I really do pity you, because you don't know what you're missing. The nearfalls are absolutely epic and these guys just looked like warriors by the end. In my view, the greatest match in Wrestlemania's long history. *****



Edge vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XXVI and the World Title is on the line. This match had been built-up for almost a year and started when Edge was injured. Jericho started saying insulting things, like thanking him for getting injured because he was just holding him back. Ouch. The crowd started quiet for this thanks to the boring Bret/Vince match, but because both guys are so good, they were able to get the crowd into it. A fun match even though it had an abrupt finish. ***3/4



John Cena vs Batista
From Wrestlemania XXVI and the WWE Title is on the line. The only match they had before this was their awesome Summerslam match in which Batista injured Cena. It was time to see if Cena could actually beat Batista. Batista's final Mania until this year's. A power match done very well here. Great match overall. Really could have been something special if given some extra time. ***3/4



Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels 
From Wrestlemania XXVI. The Streak vs The Career. I'm surprised that HBK has been able to stay away from wrestling for so long, as most expected him to come back as most wrestlers do. A fantastic match that was almost able to live up the original. This still had the excellent drama and exciting nearfalls of the first and an emotional moment with HBK making the final walk back to the curtain. A classic and the jumping tombstone was an awesome finish. *****



Undertaker vs Triple H : No Holds Barred
From Wrestlemania XXVII and HHH's second shot at the legendary Streak. This one seems to have some split opinions with some people loving it and some people hating it, but I thought it was great. Yes it does have it's slow moments with both guys taking a while to get up, but the drama made up for it with HHH looking at Taker as if he was from another world and that nothing could take him down. HHH's tombstone was a close call for the Streak to end. Great stuff here. ****1/4



Undertaker vs Triple H : Hell in a Cell
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. The second HIAC match in history, and luckily nowhere near as bad as the first. I think a lot of people were worried that this would be a rehash of their No Holds Barred match, but fortunately it was so much better. This is one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history thanks to Shawn Michaels adding more drama, and the awesome nearfalls as well. The DX Special was especially good, and I thought the match was over for sure. All three guys embracing after the match was the icing on an already delicious cake. *****



CM Punk vs Chris Jericho
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. This is a match I always seem to change my rating on, but I think I've finally reached my final verdict on it. I think this match is pretty damn underrated, but that's probably because it's on the same show as Cena/Rock and Taker/HHH. This is one of the best WWE Title matches in Wrestlemania history, and my favourite match between these two guys. The crowd didn't seem interested at first, but these guys managed to get the crowd on their feet and cheering. Awesome stuff. ****1/2



John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. I think the Once in a Lifetime tagline can now be ripped from this. I don't think the fact that these guys have had more that one match detracts from this one at all. It still has a huge match feel to it and these guys managed to make the match entertaining for the entire half hour. A Wrestlemania classic for sure. ****1/2



The Undertaker vs CM Punk
From Wrestlemania XXIX. Almost a year later and this is still one of the best matches of 2013. For the past seven years, the Deadman's streak hasn't failed to deliver and this is no exception. Punk looked terrific in defeat as he seemed to take Undertaker to the very limit and even outsmarted him at times, sometimes with help from Paul Heyman. Undertaker looked amazing for a 'broken down old man' as some people seemed to be calling him. An awesome match worth watching again and again. ****1/2



John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXIX and the WWE Title is on the line. The slammy award winner for Match of the Year. I wouldn't agree with that, but it's a phony award so it doesn't really matter. I've said in the past that I seem to have a guilty pleasure with this and the original, and that still holds true: I love this match. People complain about the slow start, but I think it builds well to the finisher fest towards the end. Ok it was quite boring at times to start with, but it did get much better as it went on. Cena hits a third AA to win the Title. Awesome match. ****