Best WWE WrestleMania Shows

WrestleMania is the biggest spectacle in professional wrestling. Debuting in 1985 on closed-circuit television, it brought celebrities and wrestling together in a way that had never been seen before. While it wasn’t the first major wrestling show, premiering 18 months after NWA’s first Starrcade show, it did change the way wrestling was viewed by a lot of the world.

The marquee event has produced some amazing shows over its decades-long existence. While some WWE WrestleMania shows stand out more than others; many classic events are still well worth watching today.

Updated on February 28, 2024 by Mark Sammut: WrestleMania 40 is only a few weeks away, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest wrestling events of all time. While only a couple of matches have been confirmed so far, they all have the potential to be show-stealers, even if most eyes will be on Roman Reigns versus Cody Rhodes. As the countdown ticks toward the PLE, fans can check out some of the best WWE WrestleMania shows ever to pass the time.

11 WrestleMania 18

Cagematch Score: 6.74

• Date: March 17, 2002
• Location: SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario

The definition of a one-match show, WrestleMania 18 was saved by The Rock versus Hulk Hogan, which produced one of the most intense crowd reactions of all time. Just to be clear, the match is the definition of basic, with both wrestlers largely focusing on strikes and their big moves. Yet, it is still riveting to watch all these years later, especially since the crowd erupts for every single action. Despite starting as a heel, Hogan is treated like the ultimate babyface by Toronto, leaving The Rock to be showered with boos. These two wrestlers are among the greatest of all time when it comes to playing to a crowd, and this match is their masterpiece.

Unfortunately, despite having a ridiculously stacked roster, WWE dropped the ball when it comes to WrestleMania 18, delivering a card filled with filler matches that leave almost no impression. The much-criticized main event is one of the show’s better matches, despite still being very average.

10 WrestleMania 26

Cagematch Score: 7.25

• Date: March 28, 2010
• Location: University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker improved upon their WrestleMania classic from the year before in a streak vs. career match. Before Undertaker beat HBK to send Mr. WrestleMania off into the sunset (until an ill-advised return at a show in Saudi Arabia), Chris Jericho and Edge capped their rivalry that started when they were tag team champs with an excellent World title match.

John Cena and Batista should’ve been a WrestleMania main event sooner, but it was still great to see the breakout stars of 2005 battle on the grandest stage of them all. While Bret Hart’s return to the ring may have been a dud, the nostalgia made it great to see him back in WWE.

9 WrestleMania 28

Cagematch Score: 7.32

• Date: April 1, 2012
• Location: Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

A year-long build that started at the previous year’s showcase of the immortals culminated at WrestleMania 28 with John Cena taking on the Rock in the main event. While not the best match on the night, the build warranted the main event spot. The Undertaker defeated Triple H for the second straight year, ending his four-year run of great matches against the two founders of DX.

CM Punk and Chris Jericho battled for the WWE title in arguably the best standard match of the night, although it was overshadowed by the Hell in a Cell and the blockbuster main event. Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds to win the World title, a moment that proved to be very important as it started Bryan’s meteoric rise to the top of the card. While ending on a high note, WrestleMania 28 had a very weak low and undercard.

8 WrestleMania 10

Cagematch Score: 7.93

• Date: March 20, 1994
• Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York

This is a two-match card, but those bouts stand out so much that they make WrestleMania 10 worthy of a revisit. Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon stole the show with the Intercontinental Championship ladder match. They went over their time and cost some other guys their WrestleMania match, but it’s highly unlikely the ten-man tag match that got cut would’ve been anywhere near as good as the added time to this match.

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The other match that makes this show is the opener. Bret and Owen Hart delivered the greatest opening match in WrestleMania history. They expertly told the sibling rivalry feud and then delivered on the biggest stage at Madison Square Garden. The build to the two championship matches was also amazingly well done, even if Yokozuna’s two matches with Lex Luger and Bret Hart were underwhelming.

7 WrestleMania 31

Cagematch Score: 8.34

• Date: March 29, 2015
• Location: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California

The hype going into this WrestleMania was Sting’s first and only match at the Show of Shows. He lost to Triple H in a well-wrestled match that was overbooked with too much focus on WCW. The main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns wasn’t what the fans wanted, so WWE called an audible and had Seth Rollins cash-in his Money in the Bank contract and win the WWE title in a win that is still talked about as the best MITB cash-in.

Earlier in the night, Rollins battled Randy Orton in a good match that ended with one of the best “RKOs out of nowhere” ever. And Daniel Bryan shined for the second straight year, this time winning the Intercontinental title in a great ladder match.

6 WrestleMania 21

Cagematch Score: 8.71

• Date: April 3, 2005
• Location: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California

This is an example of a WrestleMania that is hit or miss, but the hits are so great that the misses don’t hurt too much. It featured the emergence of the two biggest WWE stars of the next decade, John Cena and Batista, who each won their brand’s respective championship. While neither match (Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield and Batista vs.Triple H) stood out as a classic, they were well executed and elevated new stars.

WrestleMania 21 also started with a bang as the reigning tag team champions Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero opened with a classic. It’s a tossup whether the opener or the wrestling clinic between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels was the best match of the night. Plus, The Undertaker and Randy Orton squared off in a good match where the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak was addressed for the first time in the build-up.

5 WrestleMania 39

Cagematch Score: 8.71 (Night 1), 6.66 (Night 2)

• Date: April 1 & 2, 2023
• Location: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California

This WrestleMania allowed for the true cracks in the Bloodline story to shine through. Night One ended with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens reuniting after years apart and beating the Usos for the tag titles. John Cena also returned to put over younger talent in his opener with Austin Theory. The Mysterio family betrayal came to a head with Rey battling his son Dominick. And Rhea Ripley got her revenge on Charlotte Flair winning the women’s title.

While Night Two ended on a sour note for many as fans were ready to move on from Roman Reigns title reign and Cody Rhodes was the most popular babyface on the roster, it still wasn’t meant to be for WWE. Bianca Belair vs. Asuka and Edge vs. “The Demon” Finn Balor both had good showings, although the match of the night was comfortably the Intercontinental Triple Threat that saw Gunther, Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre tear the house down.

4 WrestleMania 24

Cagematch Score: 8.64

• Date: March 30, 2008
• Location: Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida

This should’ve been the end of an era. Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair delivered an epic retirement match to allow the latter to leave on top. As fans know, Flair couldn’t stay away, but this is still his last WWE match, and many choose to remember the greatest of all time going out.

On top of that amazing match, the Undertaker’s streak continued with an excellent World title match with Edge, and CM Punk won a fun Money in the Bank ladder match. This was a good Mania that could have been better, but the positives are enough to carry the show. That said, Umaga and Batista’s match should have been a much better slugfest, while Chavo Guerrero’s ECW title defense against Kane was little more than a joke. While not bad, Cena, HHH, and Orton did not quite produce one of the best WrestleMania triple threats.

3 WrestleMania 30

Cagematch Score: 8.68

• Date: April 6, 2014
• Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana

Two epic stories came to a head as the streak ended and Yes-tlemania took over. Daniel Bryan’s popularity forced WWE to pivot, and they told an excellent story as he defeated Triple H in the opener and then beat Randy Orton and Batista in the triple threat main event to become WWE Champion.

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Meanwhile, the impossible happened earlier when Brock Lesnar pinned the Undertaker. The streak many thought would never end did, although the match was fairly disappointing as the Undertaker appeared to get injured halfway through. While there’s debate whether Lesnar should’ve won the match, it provided one of the most epic WrestleMania moments. The rest of the card was not that strong.

2 WrestleMania 19

Cagematch Score: 9.37

• Date: March 30, 2003
• Location: Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington

WrestleMania 19 started poorly with a couple of forgettable matches on the bounce. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio wrestled a fine opener, but the handicap match pitting the Undertaker against Big Show and A-Train killed the show’s early momentum, and it was followed up by a few underwhelming contests. However, the tide turned with Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, who delivered a fantastic bout that stands toe-to-toe with any of their later matches.

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This card is known for its strong finish. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock wrapped up their trilogy with Rock finally beating Stone Cold at Mania. The Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle main event was a better technical showcase, but it arguably should have been swapped with The Rock and Austin’s finale, especially since it represented the latter’s retirement.

1 WrestleMania 17

Cagematch Score: 9.58

• Date: April 1, 2001
• Location: Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas

Considered by many wrestling fans to be the greatest WrestleMania of all time, 17 features the second WrestleMania main event in the trilogy of the Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two dominant stars of the Attitude Era were both faces going into this show, but the storyline focused on Austin’s insatiable desire to regain the WWF Championship. Austin’s heel turn and siding with Vince McMahon is masterfully done, even if his heel run following the event left a lot to be desired.

On top of the main event, WrestleMania 17 featured some classic matches between Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and William Regal, and the tag title TLC match between the Dudley Boys, the Hardy Boys, and Edge and Christian. It also featured a high-profile match between Vince and Shane McMahon with the stakes raised following the recent purchase of WCW and the potential for the Invasion storyline.

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