20. WrestleMania XXII -- John Cena (c) vs. Triple H: Crazy to think Cena's theme music hasn't changed in a decade. Even crazier to recognize the "Let's Go Cena / Cena Sucks" chants were happening as far back as a decade ago. The match was all right, but it was basically a showcase to push Cena into superstardom as it was the third straight WrestleMania main event loss for Triple H. Trivia: One of the "gangsters" during Cena's entrance was CM Punk.
19. WrestleMania VI -- Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Ultimate Warrior: The first-ever 'Mania main event without a "bad guy" was pretty slow paced and built as a nip-and-tuck type of battle that Warrior barely won. Both men held titles entering the match with Hogan bringing in the WWF championship and Warrior the Intercontinental belt. The crowd on hand at the Skydome ate it up. The build-up and the story told here made the match better than it actually was. Also, kudos to the guy who managed to get "Hulkamania is going to run wild on the Ultimate Wimp" all on one sign. Warrior beat Hogan and held both titles.
18. WrestleMania XXV -- Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton: The match couldn't keep up with the incredible build-up leading up to it. The stipulation that the title could change hands on a disqualification or count out kept the story interesting, but it also kept the mayhem rather minimal. Ultimately, Triple H prevailed and retained.
17. WrestleMania V -- "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) vs. Hulk Hogan: As you'll see for Wrestlemania IV, Savage made this match. Not only was he the most athletic, he also carried the storylines involved when it came to being a bad guy and hiding behind and yelling at Miss Elizabeth. It showcased why Savage was such a fantastic performer ... while Hogan won the title with the same, tired series of moves he always did.
16. WrestleMania 29 [NY/NJ] (XXIX) -- The Rock (c) vs. John Cena: Again, WWE did a fine job building toward this match as The Rock had beaten CM Punk for the world title and Cena had won the Royal Rumble to earn the right to face The Rock. It wasn't as good as their first meeting, which was dubbed "once in a lifetime" and yet here we were seeing this match for the second year in a row. But it was still a good match with Cena getting the best of The Rock.
15. WrestleMania XIX -- Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar: It didn't take too long for Lesnar to make his ascension Austin-style to the main event of WrestleMania. It also didn't take long for Angle to make the main event either. In this case, it was a battle of two accomplished amateur wrestlers in a sports entertainment setting. As such, this was more about the in-ring action than anything else, and Lesnar proved the better man that night.
14. WrestleMania 2000 (XVI) -- Triple H (c) vs. The Rock vs. Mick Foley vs. Big Show (four-way elimination): This was the first -- and last -- match of its kind for the title. It was a good time but there were a lot of extraneous distractions that kept it from being as good as it could have been. It also ended WrestleMania with a bad guy winning and retaining his title, something that hadn't ever happened before. Side note: It's amazing to go back and look at Stephanie McMahon then versus Stephanie McMahon now.
13. WrestleMania IV -- "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase: The finale of a tournament for the vacant world title, it that was supposed to push Savage as the company's next great star. Less than a minute into the match, the crowd started chanting for Hulk Hogan to stand in Savage's corner (Andre the Giant was in DiBiase's corner). And Hogan did just that, helping Savage win. Savage made this match. Sitting ringside? Donald Trump, whose view had to have been blocked by Andre for much of the match.
12. WrestleMania I -- Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff*: The spectacle around this match -- The Rockettes dancing, Liberace as the timekeeper, Billy Martin as the ring announcer, Muhammad Ali as an enthusiastic outside referee -- combined with the hot crowd in 1985 at Madison Square Garden dressed up the match better than it really was. Still, it was the first, and one of the best all things considered.
11. WrestleMania XXVIII -- The Rock vs. John Cena*: I can say from experience that Sun Life Stadium was on fire for this match -- the build-up was so, so good. And both guys delivered in a major way. It was mesmerizing watching The Rock back in a WWE ring -- in his hometown after all -- following such a long absence. But the finish -- Cena going for the People's Elbow and The Rock countering with his finishing move -- was a little predictable. Still, a good match and a very good time.
10. WrestleMania X8 (XVIII) -- Chris Jericho (c) vs. Triple H: There's no doubting the effort from Hunter and Jericho, two very talented superstars who told a good story in the match (Triple H legitimately tore his quad in a match against Jericho nearly a year earlier and worked his way back). It also was one of the rare times where Hunter and Stephanie McMahon weren't on the same side. And anyone who tells you the crowd wasn't into this match is lying. Triple H defeated Jericho for the belt.
9. WrestleMania XXIV -- Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker: Kind of crazy that this was only the second WrestleMania main event match of The Undertaker's career. Also crazy: WWE had Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the card in an attempt to draw mainstream coverage but not in the main event. Instead, Taker extended his then-undefeated WrestleMania streak against a very hard-working Edge with a submission win. The two put on a heck of a match.
8. WrestleMania 31 -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (vs. Seth Rollins): For two big guys, Lesnar and Reigns put together a pretty strong match on their own. Writing in Rollins to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot contract during their main event match, suddenly making it a triple threat affair, only made things more interesting. If anything, last year's main event is proof of two things: Reigns can legitimately work an interesting match, and WWE will come up with something fun for its title contest. Rollins left with the title and sustained a run only ended due to injury.
7. WrestleMania XXX -- Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (triple threat): There's no doubt that Bryan -- and the fans' demand for him -- made this match special. Give the brass at WWE credit for putting Bryan in a position to perform in and win over two guys who weren't quite as powerful (or as exciting to watch in the ring). They truly did listen to its audience in this instance and the finish was fantastic with Bryan going over with the win.
6. WrestleMania XX -- Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels (triple threat): The match had plenty of good in-ring action and drama. The pace managed to stay pretty strong because three great superstars could take turns carrying the contest. At the time, the finish of the match went over well with the crowd. This was the first WrestleMania main event decided by submission as Benoit came out on top.
19. WrestleMania VI -- Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Ultimate Warrior: The first-ever 'Mania main event without a "bad guy" was pretty slow paced and built as a nip-and-tuck type of battle that Warrior barely won. Both men held titles entering the match with Hogan bringing in the WWF championship and Warrior the Intercontinental belt. The crowd on hand at the Skydome ate it up. The build-up and the story told here made the match better than it actually was. Also, kudos to the guy who managed to get "Hulkamania is going to run wild on the Ultimate Wimp" all on one sign. Warrior beat Hogan and held both titles.
18. WrestleMania XXV -- Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton: The match couldn't keep up with the incredible build-up leading up to it. The stipulation that the title could change hands on a disqualification or count out kept the story interesting, but it also kept the mayhem rather minimal. Ultimately, Triple H prevailed and retained.
17. WrestleMania V -- "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) vs. Hulk Hogan: As you'll see for Wrestlemania IV, Savage made this match. Not only was he the most athletic, he also carried the storylines involved when it came to being a bad guy and hiding behind and yelling at Miss Elizabeth. It showcased why Savage was such a fantastic performer ... while Hogan won the title with the same, tired series of moves he always did.
16. WrestleMania 29 [NY/NJ] (XXIX) -- The Rock (c) vs. John Cena: Again, WWE did a fine job building toward this match as The Rock had beaten CM Punk for the world title and Cena had won the Royal Rumble to earn the right to face The Rock. It wasn't as good as their first meeting, which was dubbed "once in a lifetime" and yet here we were seeing this match for the second year in a row. But it was still a good match with Cena getting the best of The Rock.
15. WrestleMania XIX -- Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar: It didn't take too long for Lesnar to make his ascension Austin-style to the main event of WrestleMania. It also didn't take long for Angle to make the main event either. In this case, it was a battle of two accomplished amateur wrestlers in a sports entertainment setting. As such, this was more about the in-ring action than anything else, and Lesnar proved the better man that night.
14. WrestleMania 2000 (XVI) -- Triple H (c) vs. The Rock vs. Mick Foley vs. Big Show (four-way elimination): This was the first -- and last -- match of its kind for the title. It was a good time but there were a lot of extraneous distractions that kept it from being as good as it could have been. It also ended WrestleMania with a bad guy winning and retaining his title, something that hadn't ever happened before. Side note: It's amazing to go back and look at Stephanie McMahon then versus Stephanie McMahon now.
13. WrestleMania IV -- "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase: The finale of a tournament for the vacant world title, it that was supposed to push Savage as the company's next great star. Less than a minute into the match, the crowd started chanting for Hulk Hogan to stand in Savage's corner (Andre the Giant was in DiBiase's corner). And Hogan did just that, helping Savage win. Savage made this match. Sitting ringside? Donald Trump, whose view had to have been blocked by Andre for much of the match.
12. WrestleMania I -- Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff*: The spectacle around this match -- The Rockettes dancing, Liberace as the timekeeper, Billy Martin as the ring announcer, Muhammad Ali as an enthusiastic outside referee -- combined with the hot crowd in 1985 at Madison Square Garden dressed up the match better than it really was. Still, it was the first, and one of the best all things considered.
11. WrestleMania XXVIII -- The Rock vs. John Cena*: I can say from experience that Sun Life Stadium was on fire for this match -- the build-up was so, so good. And both guys delivered in a major way. It was mesmerizing watching The Rock back in a WWE ring -- in his hometown after all -- following such a long absence. But the finish -- Cena going for the People's Elbow and The Rock countering with his finishing move -- was a little predictable. Still, a good match and a very good time.
10. WrestleMania X8 (XVIII) -- Chris Jericho (c) vs. Triple H: There's no doubting the effort from Hunter and Jericho, two very talented superstars who told a good story in the match (Triple H legitimately tore his quad in a match against Jericho nearly a year earlier and worked his way back). It also was one of the rare times where Hunter and Stephanie McMahon weren't on the same side. And anyone who tells you the crowd wasn't into this match is lying. Triple H defeated Jericho for the belt.
9. WrestleMania XXIV -- Edge (c) vs. The Undertaker: Kind of crazy that this was only the second WrestleMania main event match of The Undertaker's career. Also crazy: WWE had Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the card in an attempt to draw mainstream coverage but not in the main event. Instead, Taker extended his then-undefeated WrestleMania streak against a very hard-working Edge with a submission win. The two put on a heck of a match.
8. WrestleMania 31 -- Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Roman Reigns (vs. Seth Rollins): For two big guys, Lesnar and Reigns put together a pretty strong match on their own. Writing in Rollins to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot contract during their main event match, suddenly making it a triple threat affair, only made things more interesting. If anything, last year's main event is proof of two things: Reigns can legitimately work an interesting match, and WWE will come up with something fun for its title contest. Rollins left with the title and sustained a run only ended due to injury.
7. WrestleMania XXX -- Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan (triple threat): There's no doubt that Bryan -- and the fans' demand for him -- made this match special. Give the brass at WWE credit for putting Bryan in a position to perform in and win over two guys who weren't quite as powerful (or as exciting to watch in the ring). They truly did listen to its audience in this instance and the finish was fantastic with Bryan going over with the win.
6. WrestleMania XX -- Triple H (c) vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels (triple threat): The match had plenty of good in-ring action and drama. The pace managed to stay pretty strong because three great superstars could take turns carrying the contest. At the time, the finish of the match went over well with the crowd. This was the first WrestleMania main event decided by submission as Benoit came out on top.
