The 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History: Part One: Matches 50-26

WrestleMania is like Christmas day for us wrestling fans so I’ve decided to honor it by counting down the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History. I will be breaking the countdown into two parts. Today you will be reading Matches 50-26. Then next week I will be posting Matches 25-1.

In boldface you will see the number the match came in at followed by the result of the match. Then you will see what WrestleMania it occurred at, the time of the match and my star rating for the match. Then there will be a brief discussion about the match. It’s not the same for all the matches. Sometimes it will be about the in-ring work of the match, the back story of the match or the historical significance of the match.

If you’re wondering how I handled the whole WWF/WWE thing, I called the championship by whatever it was known by at the time, so from WrestleMania 1 to WrestleMania X-8 it was the WWF and from WrestleMania XIX on it is WWE.  The lowest rated match on the countdown is ***1/4, while the highest is *****. Obviously some matches are going to have the same rating. I broke ties by thinking about the following factors: If it was a title match, if a title changed hands in the match and how historically significant the match was, but the biggest factor in breaking ties was how much I liked the match.

I think that about covers everything, so without any further ado; here is Part One of the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History.

50. Triple H defeats Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XIX, 18:47, ***1/4

When Michael Cole says Booker T main evented WrestleMania and you sit there scratching you’re head saying “when?” This is when. It’s hard to remember when it was only fourth on the card in terms of importance and buried in the middle of the show. It ended up being a quality wrestling match although it played out more like a TV match than a World Title Match at WrestleMania.

49. Matt Hardy defeats Jeff Hardy in an Extreme Rules Match. WrestleMania 25, 13:15, ***1/4

I had really high hopes for this one. I thought we were going to have a classic on our hands, but what we got was a good hardcore match. The brothers came to blows due to Matt’s jealousy after Jeff won the WWE Championship at Armageddon in December of 2008. Matt would cost his brother the title at the 2009 Royal Rumble. Then Matt would stake claim to running Jeff’s car off the road, causing him to get burned by pyrotechnics and burning down his house (which actually did happen, and no Matt did not really do it). I was very surprised that Matt won considering that Jeff had already been given the championship. I am even more surprised looking back on it considering Matt never got any big push out of it and Jeff spent most of the summer as the World Heavyweight Champion. The Twist of Fate with Jeff’s neck stuck in the open chair to end the match was sick.

48. Mr. Kennedy defeats Jeff Hardy, King Booker, Finlay, CM Punk, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton and Edge to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 23, 19:10, ***1/4

Mr. Kennedy has the distinction of being the only MITB winner to not cash in his briefcase.  This match just about summed up Mr. Kennedy’s WWE career. Every time he was due a big push, he did something to mess it up. Remember, he was supposed to be revealed as Mr. McMahon’s bastard son, but then he was a part of that online steroids scandal and he got suspended and Hornswoggle became the bastard son. Kennedy didn’t even make it two months after this match before getting injured. They had to get the briefcase off him and Edge won it and cashed it in. This was the first MITB to feature eight wrestlers and it didn’t really need to. Orton and Edge were already above this match at this point and could’ve easily wrestled each other at WrestleMania 23 since their partnership had just fallen apart. It was very slow moving for a MITB. The moment of this match was when Edge was laying on a ladder that was setup up on the ring apron and the barrier and Jeff Hardy came off the ladder from inside the ring with a leg drop onto Edge that broke the ladder he was laying on.

47. Jack Swagger defeats Kofi Kingston, MVP, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Kane and Christian to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania XXVI, 12:24, ***1/4

This may not been the most spectacular Money in the Bank Ladder Match but there were some really nasty bumps that made this one quite enjoyable. I felt that ten men would be too many and it played out that way as some of these guys barely got anytime to shine. We didn’t even get our customary crazy Shelton bump. In the end Swagger won and would win the World Heavyweight Championship on the following Friday’s SmackDown.

46. Chris Benoit wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship and Chris Jericho wins the WWF European Championship in a 2 Falls Match which also featured Kurt Angle. WrestleMania 2000, 13:48, ***1/4

Kurt Angle came into the match with two championships and left with none. Angle griped after the match was over that he didn’t get pinned to lose either belt. The first fall was for the Intercontinental Championship and Benoit won pinning Jericho. The second fall was for the European Championship and Jericho won pinning Benoit. There was good work by all three guys here but it was too short for a two falls match. Had this match hit the 20 minute mark we would’ve probably had something special on our hands.

45. The Undertaker defeats Randy Orton. WrestleMania 21, 14:14, ***1/4

This match cost itself a ¼* by two very noticeable botches. The first was when Undertaker was to hit a clothesline and Orton went for one as well. The second was when Undertaker was supposed to hit the Last Ride right before Bob Orton came out and I don’t know what the hell happened but both men just fell down and played it like the Last Ride was hit. Aside from that this was pretty good. This was Randy’s first big singles match at WrestleMania and he came through it showing the abilities that led him to the top of WWE today. This night, however was about the Streak reaching 13-0.

44. The British Bulldogs defeat Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake to win the WWF Tag Team Championship. WrestleMania 2, 12:02, ***1/4

When I watch this match I think to myself that Vince McMahon booked this match. Now he could give a damn about tag team wrestling. It’s such a shame. The abrupt ending hurt this match where Davey threw Valentine into the corner and Valentine bumped heads with the Dynamite Kid. A better go-home sequence could have really made this special. Good work by both teams with plenty of tags and strong wrestling. If we still got tag team matches like this today, I’d be a happy camper.

43. Randy Orton defeats Triple H and John Cena to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania XXIV, 14:10, ***1/4

Usually there’s a down period in triple threat matches, but they worked a good pace to keep it entertaining. This was a big win for Orton as it really cemented him as a top guy in the company. WWE ran a text poll before the match on who the fans thought would win and only 8% voted for Orton. It just goes to show you how Orton was looked at compared to Cena and HHH back then. Orton has come a long way in three years and is now one of the WWE’s top superstars.

42. Diesel defeats Shawn Michaels to retain the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XI, 20:32, ***1/4

Diesel may have been the champion, but Shawn was the star of this match. I think it’s pretty safe to say he earned this rating on his own. The match was good but it suffered because Diesel couldn’t keep up with Shawn. It would be another year before Michaels would win the championship but on this night he proved he belonged in the main event.

41. Hulk Hogan defeats Randy Savage to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania V, 17:32, ***1/4

The Macho Man made sure The Hulkster had his working boots on in this match. Savage pushed Hogan to his limits here and got a good match out of him. This was one of the best built main events in WrestleMania history. The seeds were planted for this feud a year earlier when Hogan helped Savage win the Championship at WrestleMania IV. The love triangle between the Mega-Powers and Elizabeth made this ultra personal. She really didn’t play too big a role in the match and was ejected by the referee before the go-home sequence. There have been better Hogan matches and there have been better Savage matches but they worked hard and put on an entertaining main event. You really can’t ask for more than that.

40. Rey Mysterio defeats Kurt Angle and Randy Orton to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania 22, 9:18, ***1/4

The story here was Kurt Angle was the reigning champion. Mysterio had won the 2006 Royal Rumble but lost his title opportunity to Orton in a match but then General Manager Theodore Long made this a Triple Threat. Mysterio was given the big push after the death of his close friend Eddie Guerrero. I wonder how Chavo Guerrero felt considering he was actually related to Eddie. There was a lot of action packed into the nine minutes they got, and there lies the problem. The World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania got nine minutes. How can you leave that match anything short of 15 minutes? That was just poor booking on WWE’s part, especially considering all the time the Playboy Pillow Fight took up.

39. Steve Austin defeats The Rock in a No Disqualification Match to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XV, 16:55, ***1/4

This first match of the great Austin/Rock WrestleMania Trilogy was an overbooked mess. It’s a testament to these two that it came out as well as it did. The first half of the match was spent brawling on the outside. Then once they made it back in the ring three, yes, three referees were knocked out until the original special referee Mankind came down to take out Vince McMahon, who was there interfering on The Rock’s behalf. Thankfully their next two matches would blow this one away.

38. Christian defeats Chris Jericho. WrestleMania XX, 14:43, ***1/2

This match centered on Trish Stratus. Christian and Jericho had a bet that Christian could land Lita faster than Jericho could land Trish. Just like the movie they got the idea from, Jericho falls in love with Trish but Trish finds out about the bet. Christian turned on his friend and even assaulted Trish in the buildup turning Jericho face. The match ended when Trish came down and elbowed Jericho accidently to allow Christian to roll him up for the win. The elbow didn’t seem like such an accident afterward as Trish and Christian kissed. I can see it now: Christian vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XVIII. I can dream, can’t I?

37. Rob Van Dam defeats Ric Flair, Shelton Benjamin, Matt Hardy, Finlay and Bobby Lashley to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 22, 12:15, ***1/2

When I saw this match live I only gave it ***, but watching it for this column it definitely deserves the extra ½*. They squeezed a lot of high spots in the 12 minutes they got. Flair was nuts to take as many big bumps as he did at his age, including the superplex off the ladder. Shelton’s ladder springboard into a somersault to the floor was amazing. RVD won here and used his contract to win the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand in front of one of the most rabid crowds ever.

36. Rey Mysterio defeats Eddie Guerrero. WrestleMania 21, 12:22, ***1/2

These two were the reigning WWE Tag Team Champions. This wasn’t the first time and I doubt it’ll be the last time WWE books tag team championship partners against each other at a major PPV. If you listed all the combinations of guys that have faced each other 20+ times that you’d never get tired of seeing, these two would be at the top of the list. This was the start of their spring/summer long feud that produced many good-great matches but ended up getting weird with the revelation that Rey’s son was really Eddie’s. Anyway, I would’ve like to see them get 20+ minutes on the grand stage to hit the **** level or above but it was great for the opening match at WrestleMania and a lot of fun while it lasted.

35. Triple H defeats The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley in a No Disqualification Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match to retain the WWF Championship. WrestleMania 2000, 26:25, ***1/2

The special attraction in this match is that there was a McMahon in every corner. Vince was with The Rock, Stephanie was with HHH, Shane was with Big Show and Linda was with Mick Foley. The original plan for the main event was supposed to be Rock vs. HHH, with the Rock winning the Royal Rumble that year. They should have just left it like that. Big Show was in the match for all of four minutes and Foley, who “retired” after this match spent nine. My problem with this match is it was centered too much around the McMahons and not enough around the championship. Vince ultimately turns against Rock to cost him the match. Even if this was the same match, just minus the McMahon stuff it would’ve been a lot better.

34. The Undertaker defeats Triple H. WrestleMania X-Seven, 18:57, ***1/2

Remember this match? If you don’t I can’t blame you considering the participants act like it never happened. This was a straight up brawl. I have two problems with this match. The first being the literally 14 minute long ref bump and  second what caused that ref bump, The Undertaker elbow dropping the referee with no consequence. This was a good match that could’ve been great with better booking. I’m excited to see what these two have in store for us this year.

33. The Undertaker defeats Batista to win the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania 23, 15:48, ***1/2

This could have been real special had it been given another 5-10 minutes. It’s a little short at just under 16 minutes for a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania but much better than the mere nine minutes the World Heavyweight Championship match was given the previous year. I’m guessing the shorter match is the reason why these two worked a quicker pace than is the norm from them. The running powerslam from the RAW announce table through the ECW announce table was awesome. From there on out, it was big move after big move until the Undertaker hit the Tombstone to make it 15-0 and become the new champion.

32. Bret Hart defeats Roddy Piper to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. WrestleMania VIII, 13:50, ***1/2

The thing I loved about this match is even though each man was a babyface and they were portrayed as friends they still pulled out all the stops to win. Whether it was Hart faking a shoulder injury to catch Piper in a small package or it was Piper making Bret think his shoe was untied to enable him to punch Bret in the face. The lasting memory I have from this match is Piper contemplating whether or not he should use the ring bell to hit Bret with. In the end he chose not to. This was the first time to my knowledge we ever saw anyone reverse the sleeper like Bret did by pushing off the ropes. That was a great counter. This is a match needed another five minutes to expand on what was a great story being told.

31. John Cena defeats Triple H to retain the WWE Championship. WrestleMania 22, 22:01, ***1/2

The crowd was the star of this match. Cena was the babyface and HHH was the heel but don’t tell that to the Chicago audience. They HATED John Cena. The DVD doesn’t do the crowd justice as WWE had to muffle them on a few occasions for their “F*ck you, Cena” chants. If you can watch a recording from the original broadcast, please do so. I don’t know if we’ll ever see another crowd like this. When I originally reviewed this match, I only gave it ***1/4, because I felt it was too slow at times. I bumped it up a ¼* because it seemed like they were working that slower pace to allow the crowd to react to every move, which I really liked. A couple of notes from this match; First, did anyone else notice how HHH’s picture was right next to Stephanie’s up in the rafters? This was the first time I noticed that. Second, did you all catch CM Punk as one of the “gangsters” during Cena’s entrance?

30. Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Championship. WrestleMania XIV, 20:01, ***1/2

This match was historic for two reasons. First, it was the night the torch was passed to Steve Austin and second it would be Shawn Michaels last match for nearly 4 ½ years. Shawn was in desperate need of back surgery that almost cost him his career. The man could barely walk coming into the match and he still delivered a quality match. I would have loved to see what Shawn could’ve done with Austin had he been healthy. It could have been epic. Mike Tyson was the special enforcer for this match and he made the decisive three count. That is my only gripe in this match. It kind of took away from Austin’s moment of finally winning a World Title with Tyson in the ring counting, which he did way to fast. Shawn and Steve, what could have been? Sadly, we will never know.

29. The Rock defeats Hulk Hogan. WrestleMania X-8, 16:23, ***1/2

The Rock was the babyface and Hogan was the heel, but you’d never know it. The Toronto crowd made it clear that they were still Hulkamaniacs at heart. This was one of those dream matches that only Vince McMahon could bring you. WrestleMania was made for matches like this. This was one of those examples of how a crowd makes a match. They made a good match seem great with how they reacted to every move. This match had a very surreal atmosphere.

28. Kurt Angle defeats Chris Benoit. WrestleMania X-Seven, 14:02, ***3/4

I loved how this match started going with the amateur style and then Kurt got so frustrated he punches Benoit. This was just a good solid wrestling match with all the holds and counter holds. This was a lot of fun. In typical Kurt fashion he held the tights to win. This match was just a taste of how good these two could be in the ring together. If you want to watch a “wrestling clinic” check out their match from the 2003 Royal Rumble.

27. CM Punk defeats Mark Henry, MVP, Finlay, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Christian and Kane to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. WrestleMania 25, 14:24, ***3/4

I don’t remember this match being this good while watching it live. This was a very good ladder match. I think I may have given it **** if Benjamin and MVP didn’t botch the sunset flip powerbomb. Speaking of Benjamin, what the hell goes through his mind in these matches? His somersault dive off the big ladder onto the group of wrestlers on the floor was insane. This wasn’t filled with too many high spots but it did have plenty of innovative uses of the ladder and non-stop action. I really liked the way they rigged the three ladders with one on the outside leading to one resting on the ropes and the rungs of a standing ladder that Shelton ran up. Kofi Kingston was awesome in the few spots he was given in the match. I really wanted Christian to win and really thought he was going to but Punk took it for the second straight year.

26. Chris Jericho defeats Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. WrestleMania XXVI, 15:48, ***3/4

The seeds were planted for this match back in the summer of 2009 when Edge injured his Achilles while he was partners with Chris Jericho. Jericho would consistently take shots at Edge for being injury prone. Edge returned to win the 2010 Royal Rumble and would challenge Jericho after Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber. You could tell that the injury took its toll on Edge as he was moving around at a slower pace than we were used to seeing from him. They did a nice job of picking it up towards the end. Jericho won with an assist from the title belt. I’m surprised they saved the big spot for after the match when Edge ran across both announce tables and Speared Jericho through the barricade.

I have watched and reviewed over 80 matches for this countdown and it’s taken me a year to fully compile this list. I’ve seen each WrestleMania enough times to know what matches would be eligible for a countdown such as this. This is the most extensive writing project I’ve ever done so I appreciate any and all feedback on it. Please remember however, that this is a countdown of what I see as the 50 Greatest Matches in WrestleMania History so please be respectful of that when commenting.

I hope you have enjoyed the first part of the countdown. Please be sure to join me next week for the conclusion and the revealing of the Greatest Match in WrestleMania History.

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