WrestleMania 30: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History

WrestleMania is the Showcase of the Immortals, the grandest event the sport of professional wrestling has to offer. As such, championship matches traditionally play a major role in helping to heighten the importance of the event and vice versa.

Some of the greatest matches in the history of the event have been fought for the WWE, World Heavyweight, Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships and have featured the biggest stars in wrestling history.

Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and Edge are all current Hall of Famers, and Ultimate Warrior will join those men this year.

With WWE World Heavyweight champion Randy Orton poised to defend his title against Batista and either Daniel Bryan or Triple H, the potential exists for another phenomenal title bout.

In celebration of this year's event, join me as I take a look back at the 15 greatest championship matches in WrestleMania history, listed in chronological order.

Intercontinental Title Match: Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage

Credit: WWE.com

Perhaps the most technically sound match in WrestleMania history, the Intercontinental Championship match between Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat and "Macho Man" Randy Savage stole the show out from underneath the biggest bout of all time (Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant) and set the standard for what a great match on the grandest stage of wrestling could be.

With a very strong story supporting it and dozens of near-falls adding drama to the match, Steamboat and Savage captivated the crowd inside the Pontiac Silverdome.

The Intercontinental champion Savage again attempted to use the ring bell to put Steamboat out of action but had his attempt thwarted when George "the Animal" Steele, the man Savage had cheated to beat the year before and who had befriended Steamboat in the weeks leading into the event, shoved Savage off the top rope and prevented him from using the bell as a weapon.

Steamboat caught a recovering Savage with a small package for the win and his only championship in World Wrestling Entertainment.

The athleticism that was on display in the match was unlike any fans of Vince McMahon's promotion had ever seen. While most of the competitors were larger, more muscle-bound specimens that incorporated a power-based offense, Savage and Steamboat thrilled the audience with a much faster style that ensured action would remain consistent from bell to bell.

The first truly great match in WrestleMania history. 

Title for Title Match: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior

Credit: WWE.com

When one sees the names "Hulk Hogan" and "Ultimate Warrior" in the same sentence, few expect "great match" to follow. Neither man was known for his workhorse tendencies or wrestling abilities.

At WrestleMania VI, however, they would prove their doubters wrong by delivering one of the greatest title clashes in event history.

Those looking for technical wrestling prowess were likely disappointed, but for everyone else who understood and appreciated the sheer spectacle of the first-ever babyface vs. babyface main event, pitting the two most popular stars of the time against one another, the match was an exercise in excitement and unpredictability.

With both Hogan's WWE and Warrior's Intercontinental titles on the line, the titans exchanged high-impact maneuvers in an attempt to put the other man away. The 60,000-plus fans inside Toronto's SkyDome rose to their feet with every near-fall and waited with bated breath to see who would escape the epic clash with the championships intact. 

They would get their answer after Hogan missed a leg drop and Warrior immediately followed up with a big splash, a cover and a win.

The Warrior-Hogan main event broke the traditional mold of "good guy vs. bad guy" bouts and created a unique atmosphere in which the allegiances of the fans were split. The electricity coursing throughout the SkyDome was every bit as important to the success of the match as the actual action inside the squared circle.

Warrior and Hogan gave performances that rank among the best of their careers, and an otherwise underwhelming show was saved by a monumental main event. 

Intercontinental Title Match: Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper

Credit: WWE.com

In January of 1992, Bret Hart lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Mountie while competing with the flu. Days later, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper defeated Mountie to win the first, and only, singles championship of his Hall of Fame career.

Seeing as how Hart was never granted his title rematch, it was decided that he and Piper would compete for the gold at WrestleMania VIII on April 5.

There were plenty of questions surrounding the bout. Piper was the furthest thing from a traditional in-ring worker. Would Hart be able to work the type of match he likes to work with someone such as Piper? How would the fans react? Would they cheer Hart, whom the company saw as one of the stars of the future, or would they be more solidly behind Hot Rod?

Those answers came during a phenomenal wrestling match in which Piper controlled the majority of the action, outmatching Hart and going as far as to bloody him. The challenger's resilience, however, frustrated Piper, and after a referee bump, he headed outside the ring and grabbed the time keeper's bell. He threatened to use it on a beaten Hart but, instead, listened to the fans and dropped it to the mat.

He applied his trademark sleeper and looked to have the match well in hand. Then, Hart made his way to the corner, kicked off one of the turnbuckles and turned Piper's momentum against him, resulting in a pinning combination.

Three seconds later, Hart was declared the winner and the new Intercontinental champion.

The match was not only one of two great wrestling matches on the 1992 card, it was also the finest of Piper's career.

WWE Title Match: Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair

Credit: WWE.com

The second match from the WrestleMania VIII card to appear on this list is the WWE Championship bout that pit "Macho Man" Randy Savage against Ric Flair.

Flair had spent weeks claiming he and Savage's wife, Elizabeth, had an affair and that on April 5 at WrestleMania, he would unveil huge banners with provocative pictures of Elizabeth throughout the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.

This infuriated Savage, setting up an emotional war in which Flair's WWE title was almost secondary to the personal rivalry between the two.

Savage, showing great intensity and anger, attacked Flair in the aisle, and the two competitors brawled around the ringside area before settling down inside the squared circle.

Flair's trademark white mane was turned crimson thanks to a rather impressive laceration, but the Nature Boy still mustered enough energy to target his rival's knee and lock him into the Figure Four. With the love for his wife fueling him, Savage proved resilient, fighting out of the hold and catching Flair with a school-boy roll-up.

Just as Flair had done so many times, Savage grabbed the tights for leverage, pinned Flair's shoulders to the mat for three and won his second WWE title.

The match was the complete opposite of what fans had come to expect from WWE main events. It was a very aggressive, physical main event that told a very simple yet detailed story and featured the bad guy getting his comeuppance.

Wrestling booking 101. 

Intercontinental Title Match: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels

Credit: WWE.com

A suspension for a failed drug test led to Intercontinental champion Shawn Michaels being stripped of his title late in 1993. Razor Ramon defeated Rick Martel to win the gold shortly thereafter.

Michaels returned to WWE television and immediately took exception to Ramon being recognized as champion, especially since he had never been defeated for the title. He carried around his own title, referred to himself as the "real Intercontinental champion" and regularly made his presence felt in Ramon's matches, including a title defense against IRS at the Royal Rumble in January of 1994.

With two championships floating around WWE programming and two talented Superstars staking claim to the Intercontinental title, the decision was made to hang both straps from the ceiling of Madison Square Garden in a very rare Ladder match.

Michaels bumped around the ring, making every blow from Ramon look that much more impressive and every tumble off the ladder look like a fall from a mountain.

Both performers were incredibly intelligent when it came to setting a match up, executing spots and telling a story, and never was that more apparent than at WrestleMania X, as they utilized the ladder to the extent that it meant something but never overdid it or attempted any nonsensical bumps from it.

The finish, which featured Michaels becoming entangled in the ropes and thus unable to prevent Ramon from climbing the ladder and retrieving the titles, not only made sense but popped the crowd and created drama around the finish.

A revolutionary match that set the stage for the breathtaking TLC matches that would come after it.

WWE Title Match: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Credit: WWE.com

Take the two best wrestlers in the world, put them in the ring for 60 minutes with the WWE title on the line and watch magic happen.

The Iron Man match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at 1996's WrestleMania XII was the culmination of the New Generation in World Wrestling Entertainment.

While WCW was trotting out main events featuring 40-somethings in Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, Michaels and Hart were showing unmatched athleticism and stamina in an hour-long match in which the winner would be the Superstar that garnered the most decisions over their opponent in that period of time.

The match would take the Anaheim crowd on a roller-coaster ride, picking the crowd up with high spots such as Sweet Chin Music from Michaels on the ring announcer and cooling the fans off with more mat-based wrestling that gave the competitors some time to regroup themselves.

For over 50 minutes, Michaels and Hart did everything in their power to score a fall over the opposition. At one point, Michaels came off the ropes but was caught by the WWE champion and locked in the Sharpshooter.

As seconds ticked away, Michaels fought through the pain and never quit.

The time limit ran out and the match was announced as a draw. Then-WWE President Gorilla Monsoon announced that a sudden-death overtime period would be utilized to guarantee a winner. A furious Hart made his way back to the ring to finish off Michaels.

Or so he thought. Just moments into the overtime period, Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music and scored the win and his first WWE title.

The moment in which Michaels celebrated his boyhood dream coming true capped off an outstanding wrestling match that announced the arrival of Michaels as the main star of WWE and cemented Hart's legacy as one of the finest in-ring performers of all time.

Tag Team Title Match: The Hardys Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

Credit: WWE.com

WrestleMania 2000 may very well have been a rare misstep for WWE during its hottest year, but there was one match that stood head and shoulders above all others, and that was the show-stealing WWE Tag Team Championship Triangle Ladder match that pit champions The Dudley Boyz against both Edge and Christian and The Hardy Boyz.

For the first time, they would share the ring for a wild and chaotic match that would forever change their fortunes in WWE and help all three teams achieve breakout stardom.

The Hardys and Edge and Christian had risen to prominence the previous October at the No Mercy pay-per-view when they stole the show in the first-ever tag team Ladder match. Fans had a certain expectation as to what they could expect from those two teams, but the evil, diabolical Dudley Boyz brought a brand new dynamic to the mix.

Whereas Matt, Jeff, Edge and Christian were death-defying high-flyers who took tremendous risks to achieve their goals, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley were more methodical and calculated. They used a power-based offense that overwhelmed their smaller opponents on occasion and helped them secure championship gold early in their WWE stint.

The Dudleys' taste for tables also presented a new element to the match—an element that would be used heavily in the bout.

All three teams took tremendous bumps, captivating the audience in Anaheim with their willingness to sacrifice themselves for the right to be called champion.

Despite being advertised as a Ladder match, the Dudleys predictably introduced tables into the equation, and Jeff Hardy made them pay for it with a huge Swanton Bomb off a 20-foot ladder, onto Bubba Ray and through a table.

Edge and Christian shoved Matt Hardy off of a platform made from a table and two ladders and through a table below before reaching up and grabbing the Tag titles.

The match was a complete game-changer that immediately elevated all three teams and set the stage for the very popular Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches that were born from it.

Tag Team Title Match: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian

Credit: WWE.com

The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz returned to the WrestleMania stage one year after their Triangle Ladder match in 2000 for WWE's second Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

In the weeks leading into WrestleMania X-Seven, the three teams had traded the Tag titles back and forth. With the biggest show of the year on the horizon, it was announced that the Dudley Boyz would defend the titles against their rivals in the match they all made famous just months earlier at SummerSlam.

Lita, Spike Dudley and Rhyno were added to the mix, and all figured to play a major role in the match.

And they did.

The bumps were bigger, the risks higher and and the spots more breathtaking as the six Superstars tried to one-up their previous encounters. The most memorable spot, and one that lives on in video packages to this day, was Edge's spear from a ladder onto Jeff Hardy, who had been hanging from the Tag titles some 20 feet in the air.

Spike found himself on the receiving end of a chair shot from Lita, who took a 3D from the Dudleys. Rhyno delivered his high-impact Gore, and Jeff put both he and Spike through a table with a Swanton Bomb.

In the end, Edge and Christian repeated their success from the Triangle Ladder Match and the first TLC match, winning the titles at the expense of their more popular opponents.

WWE Title Match: The Rock vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Credit: WWE.com

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock was the biggest match WWE could possibly produce by the time 2001's WrestleMania rolled around.

Live from the humongous Astro Dome in Houston, the bout featured the two biggest and most popular stars of the Attitude Era squaring off for the most prestigious prize in all of professional wrestling: the WWE Championship.

Accompanied by a video package set to Limp Bizkit's "My Way" that excellently recapped their rivalry heading into the show, Austin and Rock took to the ring for the April 1 main event and wasted little time in delivering one of the best show-closing bouts in event history.

They brawled with one another in a manner reminiscent of their WrestleMania XV match but also settled down in the ring as they showcased just how much they had grown in the two years between the bouts. Austin pulled out moves from his past, including the Million Dollar Dream, while Rock fought from underneath for most of the match.

Several near-falls off of signature and finishing moves kept the crowd alive, and the arrival of Vince McMahon late in the bout added great mystery and intrigue to the proceedings.

As history would have it, McMahon aided Austin in defeating Rock, setting in motion Austin's heel turn.

The match was very much the definition of everything that made the Attitude Era as enjoyable as it was. It featured two very charismatic, very popular stars who could hold the audience in the palm of their hands when necessary. It incorporated the brawling that was so prevalent in main events during that period while also offering fans of ring work something they could invest in.

The story, which centered on Austin's desperation to be champion, was so strong and the execution of the match so flawless that it was, in many ways, the perfect match. 

WWE Title Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

Credit: WWE.com

The main event of WrestleMania XIX featured two amateur wrestling standouts vying for the WWE Championship in the biggest match of either of their careers.

Kurt Angle, the WWE champion, had been one of WWE's top stars for four years and was arguably the best wrestler in the world. He was also suffering from a neck injury so bad that had he taken one wrong fall, he could have been paralyzed.

His opponent was Brock Lesnar, the hottest young star in the industry and the proclaimed "Next Big Thing." He had risen to stardom faster than any other Superstar in WWE history and captured the World Heavyweight title from The Rock just four months after debuting on Raw.

Despite attempts to make him a heel, fans connected with the idea of a massive human being tearing through competition en route to capturing championships and reigning high above the rest of the roster.

Having dispatched former manager Paul Heyman and the man that dealt him his first loss, the Big Show, Lesnar turned his focus toward getting back his title and beating the one man who could potentially outmatch him between the ropes.

Lesnar and Angle put on a wrestling clinic, focusing on in-ring and mat work and less on brawling or fancy spots.

That is, until Lesnar focused on a fancy spot that nearly ruined the match and killed him at the same time.

When Angle kicked out of Lesnar's F5, Brock opted to attempt a move he had not tried in nearly three years. He climbed the ropes and came off with an amazing shooting star press. Unfortunately, he came up short of his target, landing on his head and giving himself a concussion.

Angle covered for him, talking him through the remainder of the match and ensuring that Lesnar delivered a final F5 for the win.

For its majority, the match was a wrestling classic that still ranks with the greatest title bouts in WWE history. The ending, however, set it back significantly and really cost it the opportunity to reach that next level.

Still, a great match that was marred by a bad decision from one of the competitors.

World Title Match: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H

For over a decade, Chris Benoit had been one of the most respected stars in the industry. His matches in Japan, ECW, WCW and WWE were favorites of the hardcore Internet fanbase, and many had wondered why a competitor with his skills was never given the opportunity to run with the Heavyweight title.

In 2004, WWE rewarded the Rabid Wolverine's hard work and determination by not only having him outlast 30 other Superstars to win the Royal Rumble but also by main-eventing the biggest show of the year, WrestleMania XX, against Triple H and Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship.

In the best match of the year, the three performers devised new ways to toy with the tired Triple Threat formula, and the match benefited from it exponentially.

The suplex from Michaels and Triple H to Benoit that sent the Edmonton, Alberta native crashing through the announce table allowed the focus to return to the feud between the former DX teammates for a while before Benoit recovered.

Late in the match, Michaels attempted Sweet Chin Music, but Benoit ducked under the superkick attempt and dumped the Heartbreak Kid over the top and to the arena floor.

From there, he locked Triple H in the Crippler Crossface and scored a submission victory and the World Heavyweight Championship.

The match was a showcase for three of the smartest ring workers of the last 20 years to do what they do best, and on that March night, they crafted a brilliant Triple Threat match.

Perhaps the best of that type in WWE history.

WWE Title Match: Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

Credit: WWE.com

On February 15, 2004, Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar to capture the WWE Championship at the company's No Way Out pay-per-view.

At that same show, Kurt Angle defeated John Cena and Big Show in a Triple Threat match to become the No. 1 contender. A heel turn and a bloody beatdown of Guerrero shortly thereafter would be all that was necessary to set up a match many thought had the potential to steal the show at WrestleMania XX.

While it did not quite reach that level, thanks in large part to a Triple Threat match featuring Guerrero's longtime friend Chris Benoit, it was still an excellent wrestling match that featured two of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Angle predictably targeted the ankle of Guerrero in hopes of locking in his trademark ankle lock and scoring the submission victory. The champion, on the other hand, used his superb counter-wrestling to keep Angle at bay.

Unfortunately for him, Angle did succeed in locking Eddie in the hold. Guerrero, always thinking and never passing up an opportunity to cheat, loosened the laces on his boot. As Angle grabbed hold of the left foot of his opponent, Eddie kicked at his hand, knocking Angle backwards with his boot in hand.

A furious Angle charged at the champion and fell prey to a small package and a pinfall loss.

Eddie celebrated his victory and successful title defense, while Angle was left with no other option but to watch from the squared circle.

A great wrestling match from two great wrestlers and nothing more.

World Title Match: Batista vs. Undertaker

Credit: WWE.com

Anyone who thought Undertaker vs. Batista would steal the show at WrestleMania 23 was clearly in the minority. The idea that either would be able to outwork Shawn Michaels and John Cena, the competitors in the night's other main event, was ludicrous, and the SmackDown feud did not have nearly the heat that Raw's top program did.

Angered by their spot on the card and determined to stick it to management, Batista and Undertaker delivered a hard-hitting, high-impact match that shocked the critics and electrified the audience inside Detroit's Ford Field.

The first of Undertaker's matches to feature the near-falls that would create drama and lead to several false finishes, the match featured the SmackDown titans withstanding each other's power-based offense to continue battling for the top prize on the blue brand.

The Phenom survived both a powerslam through the announce table as well as a Batista Bomb. The World Heavyweight champion escaped pinfall attempts following both a chokeslam and a Last Ride powerbomb.

In the end, the Tombstone piledriver ended Batista's night and title reign, just as it had to so many before him.

WWE Title Match: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Credit: WWE.com

The first truly great performance on John Cena's WrestleMania resume came in 2007 at WrestleMania 23. His opponent at that show? The man affectionately known as "Mr. WrestleMania," Shawn Michaels.

The two had been programmed to work with each other after Triple H had suffered a torn quadriceps in January at the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view.

Michaels finished as runner-up in the Royal Rumble, then defeated Edge and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match to become the No. 1 contender.

He and Cena would partner to defeat Edge and Orton to capture the World Tag Team Championships, creating a situation in which the titleholders were enemies.

With solid build behind them, Michaels and Cena were tasked with closing out WrestleMania, a show that would go on to sell more pay-per-views than any event ever (until 2012's WrestleMania 28).

Michaels outclassed Cena early and often, showing his superb wrestling skills and creating doubt as to whether the WWE champion was truly good enough to beat him. Cena, to his credit, never quit. Even after he took a piledriver on the steel steps and was left bloodied as a result, he withstood the offense of the challenger and fought back.

Late in the match, Cena caught Michaels in the STF. Michaels tried fighting out of the hold, but Cena latched it in tight and forced a tapout from his Tag Team Championship partner.

Cena, as he has so many times in his career, ended WrestleMania by celebrating with his championship.

World Title Match: The Undertaker vs. Edge

Credit: WWE.com

By the time WrestleMania XXIV rolled around in April of 2008, there was no heel hotter than the "Rated R Superstar" Edge.

The centerpiece of SmackDown, he ruled over the blue brand thanks to his relationship with general manager Vickie Guerrero and a merry band of thugs, including Chavo Guerrero, Bam Neely, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins.

Ever the opportunist, he often outsmarted his opponents en route to successfully retaining his title. At WrestleMania, however, he would have to use his cunning to not only defeat The Undertaker but also end the legendary undefeated streak.

Edge brought his A-game, recognizing Undertaker's signature and finishing maneuvers—the Last Ride powerbomb, the chokeslam and the Tombstone—and countering them. He controlled a major portion of the match and just when it appeared as though the Dead Man would be mounting a comeback, he relied on the interference of his cronies Ryder and Hawkins to regain the momentum, delivering a spear to the distracted challenger.

A second spear and a split-second hesitation, however, spelled the end for the title reign of the future Hall of Famer, as Undertaker caught him in the Hell's Gate submission hold and scored the tapout win.