Wrestlemania 28: Breaking Down Top 10 Most Important Matches in PPV History

WrestleMania is the event that has defined WWE. For the last 27 years, we have marveled at the spectacle and grandeur of the show, and the matches that have gone down in history as some of the most iconic in company history. 

In honor of WrestleMania 28, we wanted to take a look back at the most important matches in the history of the show. 

Since everyone has their own criteria for judging the most important and/or historical matches of all time, here are the two rules that I used:

First, only one match per WrestleMania. This is to spread the love and show how the event has grown over the years. It doesn't mean I forgot a match that you love, there just wasn't room on this particular list for it. 

Second, match quality is not important. As you will be able to tell from the first match on the list, all that matters is how much it has resonated in wrestling history. 

With that in mind, here are the most important matches in the history of WrestleMania. 

(Matches are listed in chronological order.)

WrestleMania III: Andre The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan

The first major main event of a WrestleMania show featured two of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling going at it for the WWE championship. 

Hulk Hogan was at his peak in WWE. Andre was nearing the end of his career, and it was obvious, but the fans still paid to see him in the ring. 

From a pure wrestling standpoint, this match was a disaster. Hogan was always limited as a worker anyway, but putting him with the practically immobile Andre meant Hogan had to carry the match. 

Even so, the crowd was eating out of the palm of their hands. When Hogan picked up Andre for the body slam, it was one of those moments that let you know this event and WrestleMania was something special. 

WrestleMania V: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

This was the first match in WWE history that actually showed the possibilities of what you can do with a long, sustained build that gets followed through appropriately. 

It all started with Miss Elizabeth giving Hulk Hogan more attention than the "Macho Man." The tension grew until eventually Savage couldn't take it anymore, and he turned on Hogan leading to a match for the WWE championship.

Storylines are an important aspect of what WWE wants to do nowadays, but this was the first story that showed you how well things can go when done right. 

WrestleMania VI: Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior

Hogan's name is going to be talked about a lot, but he was an integral part of WrestleMania in the early days. 

This was the match where Ultimate Warrior was supposed to take the reins of the company. In one of the biggest events in company history, the Warrior became the first WWE star to hold the WWE and Intercontinental title. 

Even though things didn't work out the way WWE had hoped in the end, when it happened, you thought this could be the beginning of a new era in professional wrestling. 

WrestleMania X: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon

"Mr. WrestleMania" makes his first appearance on this list, with arguably the most famous match of his entire career. When WrestleMania X first came around, no one knew what to expect from the ladder match. 

It had been done before, but never on a stage like this. Michaels was already one of the best workers in WWE, but had not taken that next step. All that changed in this match.

While Razor Ramon does deserve some credit, this was basically Michaels wrestling with a ladder for 15 minutes. It made him an icon in the sport, and changed the way WWE does ladder matches. 

WrestleMania XIII: Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart

This was one of the worst WrestleManias in history, save for arguably the most important match in WWE history. 

It was obvious for months that Austin was going to become a babyface, and Hart had turned into a heel character by whining and complaining about everyone conspiring against him. 

These two went out and had one of the most brutal submission matches in WWE history, but the coup de grace was the double-turn that followed after it was over. Austin's face turn was complete, and Hart went to the dark side. 

This was the springboard for Austin to become what he eventually became, and it was the most successful era in WWE history. 

WrestleMania XIV: Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin

While WrestleMania 13 was the coming out party for Austin, this was the show where the most profitable period in WWE history officially began. 

Michaels was the top star in WWE after winning the title from Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII. A serious back injury he suffered two months before this show was supposed to end his career, but not before he lost the title to Austin. 

This was not the great, epic match that we have gotten so accustomed to seeing from Michaels at WrestleMania, for obvious reasons, but the way the company exploded after Austin's win makes this one of the most important matches in history. 

WrestleMania X-Seven: Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Even though we had seen these two wrestle in the main event of WrestleMania before—two years ago at WrestleMania XV—this was a match the likes of which wrestling hasn't seen since the Hogan vs. Andre match. 

Austin had made a successful comeback from neck surgery that kept him out of action for nearly a full year. He was still the biggest star in the company upon making his return. 

Rock took Austin's place at the top of the card when he was recovering from surgery, and was on the verge of beginning his film career. 

It was a match built around the idea that both men had to win and, neither man could afford to lose, a simple idea executed to perfection. Besides the awful swerve at the end, this was a match between two icons that felt like the biggest match of this generation. 

WrestleMania X8: The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan

Looking back on this match, you wonder how it was not the main event the show. Of course, Triple H's political power likely prevented that, but it was so obvious even going in that nothing would be able to follow Hogan and Rock. 

When wrestling fans and analysts talk about heat, this is the match that should be shown to them. Hogan, who was supposed to be the heel, got a babyface reaction unlike anything you hear nowadays. 

Rock became the most hated man in the world because he had the nerve to challenge the legendary icon. 

The crowd made this match a lot better than it actually was. There was really nothing special to the work, but the fans were eating out of the palm of their hands. This was the kind of once-in-a-generation match that has come to define WrestleMania. 

Winning and losing didn't matter, because the spectacle of seeing two icons own the audience the way Rock and Hogan did was spectacular. 

WrestleMania XXV: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker

When this match was first announced, no one knew what it would become. There were high expectations, because Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania is gold, and Undertaker's streak has become one of the most iconic stories in WWE. 

Then these two stepped in the ring at WrestleMania XXV, and proceeded to put on a show the likes of which we hadn't seen from WWE in a long, long time. 

When Michaels kicked out of the first tombstone pile driver, the game had changed. No one kicked out of that move, especially at WrestleMania. Then Undertaker kept coming, even after Michaels threw everything but the kitchen sink at him. 

The finishing sequence, with Undertaker catching Michaels attempting a moonsault then hitting a second tombstone, was one of the best moments in the history of The Streak. It also set up a rematch the next year that was equally as thrilling. 

WrestleMania XXVIII: The Rock vs. John Cena

This is jumping the gun since the match doesn't actually take place for another three weeks, but when you look at what this match means to WWE from a business perspective, it absolutely belongs on this list already. 

The Rock was one of the biggest stars in WWE history. He did the impossible: Found success in Hollywood as a legitimate actor. His wrestling career was supposed to be over. 

Cena is trying to prove that he belongs up there with the top stars in history, like Rock, Austin and Hogan. WWE is putting all its creative power to making him look like that person. 

A lot can happen between now and April 1, but considering the financial stakes WWE has invested in this match, its place in history can't be understated. 

Check back for more on the WWE as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Wrestling Page to get your fill of the WWE. For more WWE talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

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