WWE: WrestleMania's 27 Most Underrated Matches Ever (Part 4)

Well, this is it.

For the last three weeks, we have revisited the most underrated matches from each WrestleMania. On our journey, we have encountered Hall of Famers, World Champions, D-Generates, Captains of Charisma, Ayatollahs of Rock and Rolla and Nature Boys.

These Superstars have captivated us, even if they failed to receive the recognition they deserved because other matches on the card overshadowed them. Hopefully, the first three parts of this countdown (conveniently located here, here and here) helped shed some light on the underappreciated gems of WrestleMania's illustrious past.

This is the conclusion of the countdown, covering WrestleManias 22-27. Some of the matches featured in this countdown will surprise you. Others will fit right in. Either way, sit back, relax and enjoy as we finish our journey through WrestleMania's 27 Most Underrated Matches Ever!

WrestleMania 22: Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James

The match between Trish Stratus and Mickie James was the last time prior to the “Piggy James” storyline that Divas mattered enough to warrant a coherent storyline.

Mickie debuted in late 2005, immediately making her love for Trish Stratus apparent. She was a huge fan of the multiple-time Women’s Champion, admittedly so, but there was a sense of danger that came with her. She often made Trish uncomfortable with actions that borderlined on sexual.

When Trish turned her away, Mickie snapped. She assaulted Trish and kidnapped Ashley Massaro, the champion’s friend. One of the better built matches leading into WrestleMania 22, fans anticipated a Divas match for the first time in quite awhile.

The women did not disappoint.

As the Chicago crowd did throughout the evening, they booed the face, Trish, and wildly cheered for her heel tormentor. Mickie stepped up in her first WrestleMania appearance, playing her part perfectly. Trish was her normal great stuff, holding things together even when they broke down.

Mickie worked over the knee of Trish as the two Divas built a match similar to, if not better than, some of the men’s matches on the same show. That may or may not have played into a finish that, on first glance, appeared to have been botched.

Mickie blocked Trish’s attempt at the Strautsfaction bulldog by…groping her low. She attempted the same bulldog, but Trish fell and Mickie missed the top rope. A quick Chick Kick finished Trish off and gave Mickie her first Women’s Championship.

The finish may very well have been botched, but this is a rare occasion where it does not hurt the match. With an injury to her leg, it makes all the sense in the world that Trish would not have been able to support Mickie on the springboard bulldog.

The match is an important one in the history of the Divas division because it was the last singles match between two women, neither of who appeared on the cover of Playboy. Since WrestleMania 22, every match has been some sort of lumberjill, battle royal or multiple Diva tag match to try and fit as many women on the card as possible. This was the last time that the title meant something at WrestleMania and the Divas were treated as a major part of the show.

BONUS: WrestleMania 22: Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton

When Batista was injured and forced to hand over the World Heavyweight Championship, it threw the entire Smackdown title picture into chaos.

Kurt Angle was brought over to the brand to champion it, while Rey Mysterio was pushed into the top contender spot to capitalize on the unfortunate and untimely death of Eddie Guerrero. Randy Orton was poised to challenge Batista at the event, but when The Animal was forced to forfeit the title, he was left in limbo.

So through a flurry of twists and turns, we ended up with Angle, Mysterio and Orton penciled in for a triple threat-match with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line.

The match had the misfortune of being placed at the top of the card, with two matches to follow it and time constraints being a concern. Therefore, what could have been a tremendous 20-plus minute match was neutered, and the three stars were forced to pack all of their planned action into a nine-minute time frame.

Everything in the match was crisp, fast and made for a frantic, exciting match. Sure, psychology was non-existent, and Rey botched what would have been a very cool ring post-619. But the match was everything one that only lasts nine minutes should be.

WrestleMania 23: Chris Benoit vs. MVP

In 2006, MVP made his debut with WWE, and it was immediately recognizable that he had a rocket strapped to his back and that he was poised for a major push. Chris Benoit, meanwhile, was his normal solid self, feuding with Chavo Guerrero over the United States Championship.

In an attempt to get MVP over as a legitimate wrestler, the creative team positioned him in a rivalry with Benoit for the US title. Their showdown at WrestleMania 23 was their first major singles contest.

The match featured a tremendous story that was played out perfectly by the veteran Benoit and the rapidly improving MVP. Announcers Michael Cole and JBL really helped put over the story, which featured the technical wrestling machine, Benoit, consistently being surprised by MVP’s counter wrestling. It put MVP over as a threat, someone who had watched Benoit, studied him and knew what to watch for.

In one match, he went from being a loud, obnoxious first-year superstar to a loud, obnoxious, first-year superstar that watched tape and respected his opponents enough to study them, like any other major sporting star would.

The finish is also genius. Most complained that it came from out of nowhere, that it was a clunky finish to a solid match. I disagree. Chris Benoit using the diving headbutt to finish MVP made perfect sense because the challenger to the US title had spent so much time figuring out counters to the cross face, to the German suplexes, that he had underestimated the headbutt. And it was that underestimated move that was his downfall.

Considering the end of Benoit’s life just three months later and the circumstances that surrounded it, this match is overlooked by the majority. And there is absolutely no faulting anyone that would overlook any of Benoit’s work at this point. But if you watch it and follow along with the story unfolding before your eyes, you’ll see a really solid wrestling match that went unnoticed originally because of the show-stealing contests above it on the card.

WrestleMania XXIV: The Undertaker vs. Edge

Shawn Michaels has made a career of stealing the show, overshadowing everything else on any given card. At WrestleMania 24, Undertaker and Edge fell victim to the greatness of HBK.

Heading into WrestleMania 24, Undertaker and Edge had a solid back story that began at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, when the Rated R Superstar returned and cost the Dead Man the World Heavyweight Championship. From there, he captured the title by defeating Undertaker and champion Batista in a triple-threat match, with help from new lackeys Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder.

Edge, Vickie Guerrero, Chavo Guerrero and Ryder and Hawkins would dominate Smackdown for the early part of the year, leading to the WrestleMania showdown. With Edge the hottest he had been and the odds stacked against Undertaker, it appeared as though the streak was in jeopardy.

The match was everything the main event of WrestleMania should be. It was exciting, it was action-packed, was paced perfectly and had solid booking. It kept fans wondering, legitimately, if this may be the year the streak came to an end.

The sight of referee Charles Robinson hauling ass to the ring, running down the ramp, sliding into the ring and counting two just before Edge kicked out following the Tombstone is a WrestleMania moment forgotten by most.

Undertaker winning was the right decision, and the use of the Hell’s Gate submission ensured that the 24th edition of WrestleMania would be the third in a row where the main event featured a submission victory.

WrestleMania 25: Triple H vs. Randy Orton

The match between Randy Orton and Triple H at WrestleMania 25 is unfairly criticized. In reality, it was a match with a hot back story, two immensely talented performers and a championship on the line. What hurt it was the idiotic stipulation put on it and the fact that Shawn Michaels and Undertaker were a part of the greatest match of all-time earlier in the show.

Orton had been a thorn in HHH’s side prior to WrestleMania. He attacked the McMahon family, including Stephanie, and blamed his actions on a disorder. Triple H was understandably pissed, breaking into Orton’s “home” and attacking him before being arrested.

With HHH’s anger boiling over, a stipulation was added to the match, stating that, if “The Game” was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the WWE Championship.

And therein lays the problem.

With a storyline the likes of the one that led to this match, it needed brawling and chaos. It did not have that, and fans were left thoroughly disappointed. Disappointment, however, does not make a match bad.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the match presented between Triple H and Randy Orton. Had it been further down the card, the disappointment may not have existed. Had it not been preceded by the storyline it was, the disappointment may not have existed. Triple H and Randy Orton had a very solid wrestling match that is underappreciated because it could have been so much more than what it was.

WrestleMania XXVI: Triple H vs. Sheamus

And “The Game” rears his head again on this list.

At WrestleMania 26, Triple H took a back seat to the Shawn Michaels-Undertaker rematch and the WWE Championship match between John Cena and Batista. Instead of working a featured match, with longtime injuries beginning to take their toll, Triple H worked with first-year wonder Sheamus.

There had been various reports leading up to the match that Sheamus was considered one of “The Game’s” “boys.” He was Triple H’s workout partner and had had the proverbial rocket strapped to his back, winning the WWE Championship in just under six months. It was clear the company expected the Celtic Warrior to be a major part of the WWE’s future.

The match between Triple H and Sheamus is overlooked by many fans because it is a part of a stacked card that only got better as it went on. That said, “The Game” and the “Great White” had a hell of an old-school wrestling match that saw Triple H sell like a crazy man for Sheamus, barely coming out on the winning end after a sudden pedigree.

Despite the loss, Sheamus left WrestleMania 26 having more validity in the eyes of the fans, having hung in there with one of the sport’s all-time greats. The next month, he would be put over even stronger, sidelining Triple H for nearly a year with a “neck injury.” From there, Sheamus would win his second WWE Championship and enjoy a very strong 2010.

WrestleMania 27: Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio

When one of the two best matches is the opener of the show, you know you may have a problem.

WrestleMania 27, for all its hype and the involvement of the almighty Dwayne, was an underwhelming event. There was too much focus put on commentators and former greats and not enough invested into the actual matches to create a truly great show.

The Undertaker versus Triple H was a very good match, the best on the show, but even that was underwhelming compared to the HBK-Dead Man series that populated the previous two events.

Edge and Alberto Del Rio entered WrestleMania with a poor back story but plenty of potential to steal the show. Del Rio made a spectacular entrance into the arena, and Edge walked through the curtain for a high-profile match for the last time in his legendary, Hall-of-Fame career.

The match was a tremendous display or hold and counter-hold. Edge and Del Rio countered one another on several occasions, creating an excitement that every opening match should incite. Christian and Brodus Clay (who was seconding Alberto) made their presences felt, but at the end of the evening, Edge delivered a Spear and retained the World Heavyweight Championship in his final in-ring WrestleMania appearance.

The match was a fitting conclusion to Edge’s career. It was a match that reminded fans of why Edge was one of the great in-ring competitors of his generation and introduced Alberto Del Rio and his undeniable talent to a million pay-per-view buyers.

The End Is Here!

Thank you to everyone that has taken this journey through 27 events with me.

As a wrestling fan, there is no better day on the calendar than WrestleMania. This year features one of the most anticipated matches in the history of the sport, as well as a Hell in a Cell showdown between two all-time greats.

With two matches as high-profile as they are, there will undoubtedly be underrated matches up and down the card. Who knows; maybe I will be covering one or more of those matches at this time next year.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoys WrestleMania 28 this Sunday, either at home or live in attendance, on pay-per-view or at your local theatre or bar.

This has been WrestleMania’s 27 Most Underrated Matches Ever.