WWE WrestleMania 31: 10 Greatest WrestleMania Performers of All Time
It's often said that WrestleMania is The Showcase of the Immortals, and it's true that wrestlers can become immortal thanks to their performances on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
All the greats have made their mark at WrestleMania, from the stars who helped establish the event back in the '80s to the talents who remade the industry in the '90s and the athletes who have defined the changing of the guard for WWE in more recent years.
Its pomp and ceremony have made the show a worldwide phenomenon, but it's the excellent performances that we've seen at WrestleMania that allowed it to become such a proud tradition. Here are the wrestlers who have helped make WrestleMania into the biggest night of the year for WWE.
10. Kurt Angle
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While few would doubt the in-ring skills of Kurt Angle, the Olympic Hero, his WrestleMania contributions are often overlooked—quite undeservedly so.
From his WrestleMania debut in 2000 in an entertaining two-fall Triple Threat match for the intercontinental and European titles to high-profile singles matches against Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels in 2004 and 2005, respectively, Angle typically pulled out all the stops for the biggest night on the WWE calendar.
Angle also competed in an excellent bout for the World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 22. That match was short but told an excellent story centred around the dominant Angle fighting off all competition, with his opponents being forced to form an unlikely partnership to gain any ground.
However, his most memorable world title match at the pay-per-view came at WrestleMania 19 when he defended the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar. With the technical mastery of that pairing, it's of little surprise that the match is often mentioned among the greatest WrestleMania main events of all time.
9. CM Punk
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The fact that CM Punk was never afforded the opportunity to main event WrestleMania is often cited as one of the reasons he left WWE, but his list of performances at the pay-per-view remains among the best, even without headlining the card.
His early appearances in the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches at WrestleMania 23, 24 and 25 helped lay the foundation that he built on to become one of the biggest stars of the modern era. However, his later singles matches are what really stand out.
Punk demonstrated what he could do in an enjoyable battle with Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 26 and presented a bright spot on an uneven card a year later in his overlooked match against Randy Orton. Punk would compete in a similarly underrated match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 28.
However, his greatest WrestleMania match came at WrestleMania 29 when he took on The Undertaker. Few would have doubted that Punk could put on a classic with The Phenom, but the match we saw on the night even managed to exceed those high expectations.
8. Stone Cold Steve Austin
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When Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Hulk Hogan gathered in the ring to kick off WrestleMania 30, we saw three of the industry's all-time greats share the squared circle. Each man has certainly made his mark on WrestleMania.
While Austin's famous "3:16" promo following King of the Ring 1996 was the jumping-off point for his unmatched run in the late '90s, WrestleMania has just as much to do with the rise of the Rattlesnake.
His match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 produced the iconic image of a bloodied Austin trapped in the Sharpshooter and was followed by the official start of the Austin era one year later when Stone Cold battled Shawn Michaels for the world title.
However, many will immediately call to mind Austin's three bouts against The Rock at WrestleMania 15, 17 and 19 when they think of Stone Cold at WrestleMania. It remains to be seen whether we'll ever see Austin make a return to the ring at the Showcase of the Immortals.
7. Triple H
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Triple H has appeared at more than half of the thirty WrestleMania pay-per-views to date, and over the course of that time, he's had some iconic matches.
He's battled The Ultimate Warrior, The Rock, Undertaker, John Cena—the list goes on. More importantly, while there have been a few bouts here and there that didn't quite live up to his reputation, the majority have been great matches.
The Game's trilogy of encounters with The Undertaker remain a particular highlight. The later two are prime examples of the big-fight feel that WrestleMania brings with it, but their first meeting at WrestleMania 17 is still perhaps their best.
Last year, Triple H took on Daniel Bryan in a contest that many dubbed the best match of the year. It's clear that The King of Kings is enjoying something of a resurgence in this new stage of his career—hopes are high that his match with Sting at WrestleMania 31 will be similarly excellent.
6. The Rock
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The Rock is one of the biggest stars to ever grace WWE, and he's been involved in some of the greatest WrestleMania moments of all time.
His matches with Stone Cold Steve Austin were the biggest main events of the Attitude Era, but The Great One would go on to have even more legendary WrestleMania matches in the years to follow.
At WrestleMania 18, he faced Hulk Hogan in a truly rare battle of the icons. A red-hot crowd and a well-worked bout made for one of the most remarkable matches in the long-and-storied history of the pay-per-view and is just as electric to watch today.
That same magic couldn't quite be recaptured for his matches with John Cena at WrestleMania 28 and 29, but his immense star power at least made those matches better than they might have been otherwise. He may be a part-timer, but The Rock's passion for the tradition of WrestleMania never fails to shine through.
5. Randy Savage
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Macho Man Randy Savage is nothing less than a pro wrestling icon. This year he will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and it's difficult to think of a more deserving performer.
Savage really did it all at WrestleMania. In 1987, he put on a match that endures to this day as one of the greatest of all time, defending his Intercontinental Championship against Ricky Steamboat. If you haven't seen that particular bout, make sure to rectify that problem.
One year later, Macho took centre stage as he prevailed in a tournament to decide the new WWF champion. While the structure of the show meant it was filled with short matches that never quite had the time to get going, Savage's performance in the main event against Ted DiBiase was a performance befitting a champion.
However, his biggest performances were yet to come. In the years that followed, Savage would take on Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and Ric Flair. He would also famously reunite with Miss Elizabeth in one of the most memorable WrestleMania moments of all time.
Truly one of the all-time greats.
4. Bret Hart
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Bret Hart is amongst the greatest in-ring talents of all time, and he saved some of his greatest work for WrestleMania.
While technical mastery was always Hart's greatest strength, his best WrestleMania performances were always underpinned by a sense of real emotion. Whether it was taking on his own brother Owen at WrestleMania 10 or getting personal with Stone Cold at WrestleMania 13, the biggest night of the year brought out Hart's intensity.
However, his earlier tag team work with Jim Neidhart as The Hart Foundation also deserves a mention, as it produced some early highlights of the WrestleMania undercard. It's a real testament to the versatility of The Hitman, not to mention his longevity.
That being said, his crowning achievement is undoubtedly the Iron Man match from WrestleMania 12. Hart and Shawn Michaels left it all in the ring on that night and produced what is arguably the greatest match in the history of the pay-per-view.
3. Hulk Hogan
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When you think of the biggest stars in wrestling, you'll almost certainly think of Hulk Hogan.
Outside of Vince McMahon, few other people can claim as much responsibility for the initial success of WrestleMania than Hogan. His much-hyped tag match from the inaugural event paved the way for the three decades of history that came afterwards. He would contribute plenty more in the years that followed.
Hogan's bodyslam to Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 was the defining image of pro wrestling to a generation, and it's a spot that we see referenced in matches to this day. You would be challenged to find a wrestling fan who wasn't familiar with that moment.
The deeply personal showdown with Macho Man Randy Savage at WrestleMania 5, the title vs. title match with The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6 and even the underrated war with Sgt. Slaughter from WrestleMania 7—for a time, Hogan simply was the main event of WrestleMania, and for good reason.
2. The Undertaker
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Few superstars have as close a bond with WrestleMania as The Undertaker. His unprecedented streak spanned more than two decades, and any attempt at breaking it was a guaranteed marquee match, particularly in recent years.
No one has competed in as many WrestleMania matches as The Undertaker—Triple H comes closest with 18 to The Deadman's 22. Among that number are his memorable battles with Shawn Michaels, a bout against CM Punk that stole the show at WrestleMania 29 and an excellent contest against Batista as The Animal was climbing the ladder.
Between his elaborate entrances and stellar in-ring performances, it should be of no surprise that Undertaker is as near to the top of his list as he is. With a match against Bray Wyatt set for WrestleMania 31, we could be on the verge of seeing another incredible performance by The Phenom further swell his reputation.
In fact, the only reason The Deadman didn't top this list was for the amount of duds that contributed to the earlier part of his undefeated streak. He's been involved in some of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time, but bouts against the likes of Giant Gonzalez and The Big Boss Man simply can't compete.
1. Shawn Michaels
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There's no performer quite as apt to top this list as Mr. WrestleMania himself, Shawn Michaels.
The Heartbreak Kid had a long-standing reputation of being the man to beat in terms of in-ring ability on any given night. And even with that in mind, he always seemed to have something extra in the tank that he could bring out for WrestleMania.
Whether he was teaming with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers in his early days or being in the main event in bouts against the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart, Michaels was consistently a highlight on any WrestleMania card he found himself on.
The Showstopper always got the best out of his opponents. His match with Tatanka at WrestleMania 9 was one example of Michaels' ability to bring other talent up to his unparalleled level.
However, it's the matches where he was paired with comparably excellent performers that produced his best work. The Iron Man match with Hart certainly qualifies as does his duo of perfect matches with The Undertaker. The same can be said for his Ladder match against Razor Ramon, and that's to ignore his showdown with Chris Jericho. There are simply far too many examples to count.
All things considered, there's no one like HBK, and WrestleMania was his preferred stage. Shawn Michaels is the standard that all others should be compared to when there's any discussion of a great WrestleMania performance.
Who's your pick for the greatest WrestleMania performer of all time? Let us know in the comments section below.
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