The Granddaddy of Them All: Ranking Every WrestleMania Match Ever

Analysis: Allow me to try to preemptively disarm some of the anger I could see coming my way from this grouping, as while I expect many will accept most of it, I feel I’m going to hear it on a couple of these.

First, the main event of the original WrestleMania pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff was in no way an all-time classic in terms of in-ring skill. Mr. T did just enough to not embarrass himself inside the ring, and looking back, it may have been better to simply go with Hogan/Piper in that spot.

However, the build to that match was basically the entire build to the event, and the success of the event was largely, almost entirely because of the story and the anticipation of that battle, making it hugely important to the legacy of WrestleMania, and causing it to rise to this point on the list.

I expect some will complain, but ultimately at least see my view on this one. Now, as for this other match…

Yes,  I placed John Cena vs. The Rock at #45 overall, above matches involving Austin & Rock, Kurt Angle, Mysterio & Guerrero and more. Most tend to look back at the overly lengthy build to this match and discredit the match itself because of how they feel about the choice to drag the story out for a year.

However, the first meeting between Rock and Cena was actually quite good, certainly good enough inside the ring to get to this point on the countdown when paired with the spectacle that it was at that time. While we may not have been clamoring for Rock/Cena originally,

WWE truly did a great job building the match, and both wrestlers put everything they had into the promos leading up to the match, making this match truly must-see in my opinion.

Maybe we didn’t need the rematch, but the original was legit.

Must-See: Most of these matches would fit this label, but do yourself a favor, and go watch Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 21 again.

These two reignite their epic feud on the grandest stage in sports-entertainment, and they definitely don’t disappoint.

Hidden Gem: #36, the first ever meeting between The Undertaker and Kane at WrestleMania 14. The build to the match was great, the match itself was great, and the finish found a way to extend The Undertaker’s streak, yet solidify Kane as the monster who would continue on to have the almost twenty-year, hall of fame career we’ve seen to date.