Signature WWE WrestleMania Moments of the Last 5 Years, Ranked
There have been some spectacular stretches of WrestleManias over the years, but the last five may be among the best consecutive shows in the event's history.
WrestleMania 37 was WWE's first show in front of fans in over a year and had a handful of highlights, and WrestleMania 38 was even stronger on the whole.
Triple H taking over for Vince McMahon as the head of the company's creative direction led to WrestleMania 39 being an all-timer, and WrestleMania 40 officially ushered in a new era.
As much of a mixed bag WrestleMania 41 was, it was salvaged by a few monumental moments and matches. This year's event could end up being somewhat similar in that regard despite how inconsistent the build has been recently.
WrestleMania moments have to happen organically, and they aren't always memorable for the right reasons. These are the signature seven from the past five years, ranked.
Honorable Mentions
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John Cena Captures No. 17 (WrestleMania 41, Night 2)
Virtually everything about Cena's heel turn during his retirement tour was a colossal failure and poorly executed, but he did at least get the chance to make history by becoming a 17-time WWE world champion.
It went down at WrestleMania 41 when he beat Cody Rhodes with an assist from Travis Scott. Everything about the bout and its finish was abysmal, but Cena winning world title gold in the main event of his final WrestleMania was an unforgettable feat.
Rhea Ripley Exorcises Her Demons (WrestleMania 39: Night 1)
For years, Charlotte Flair was the one obstacle Ripley could never overcome. She wouldn't have been able to continue ascending the ranks of super stardom until she defeated her decisively, and that moment finally happened at WrestleMania 39.
After the two delivered an all-timer of a bout, Ripley reigned supreme to secure the SmackDown Women's Championship. It was the win she needed to cement her status as a perennial player in the title scene.
Sami Zayn Ends Gunther's Historic Intercontinental Title Reign (WrestleMania 40, Night 1)
The significant shake-up to the WrestleMania 40 card saw Gunther defending against Zayn in a match that was made official mere weeks before the event.
Although it was a rushed rivalry, they had the tremendous match they were capable of and made the Intercontinental Championship feel incredibly coveted in the process.
Zayn was responsible for ending The Ring General's historic two-year reign as champion in epic fashion. It couldn't have happened on a grander stage than WrestleMania.
7. Paul Heyman Betrays Roman Reigns (WrestleMania 41, Night 1)
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All good things must come to an end.
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman were such a fantastic pairing together that it was hard to imagine them ever going their separate ways.
Even post-Bloodline when The Tribal Chief no longer needed Heyman as his manager, the dynamic worked so well that there was no reason to believe they were about to be broken up.
Punk cashing in on his favor from Heyman and being accompanied by him while walking out to the ring for his Triple Threat match with Reigns and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 41 was a nice touch, but what came at the end of the contest was far more notable.
Before Punk and Reigns could put each other away, Heyman proceeded to turn on them both. His betrayal of Reigns was especially shocking and laid the groundwork for Heyman helping Rollins pick up the victory and plant the seeds of what would soon be known as The Vision.
The Triple Threat itself was already excellent, but Rollins embracing the dark side and accepting an alliance from one of his longtime rivals in Heyman made that main event infinitely more iconic.
6. Cody Rhodes Returns to WWE (WrestleMania 38, Night 1)
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Rumors ran rampant in the months preceding WrestleMania 38 that Rhodes was in talks to return to WWE following a falling out with All Elite Wrestling, the company he played a pivotal role in starting.
The timing couldn't have been better with WrestleMania on the horizon, but nothing was guaranteed. In fact, the situation was kept so quiet that fans weren't positive he'd be popping up at the event in any capacity.
Seth Rollins issued an open challenge and there were any number of names who could have answered it, but Rhodes made more sense than anyone.
Sure enough, his unmistakable music from AEW blared throughout AT&T Stadium and sent the crowd into a frenzy as The American Nightmare emerged from the stage.
It wasn't simply the fact that Rhodes was back in WWE; it was also that he brought his presentation from AEW and the independent scene at large with him. It was unknown how fans would respond, but they treated him like a total star and it was off to the races for him from there.
That's in addition to him and Rollins ripping it up in an unadvertised match with Rhodes winning clean.
5. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair Headline (WrestleMania 37, Night 1)
4 of 8The first-ever women's WrestleMania main event in 2019 was historic albeit underwhelming. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair blew that bout out of the water when they waged war over the SmackDown Women's Championship two years later at WrestleMania 37.
It was certainly a surprise when it was announced that they'd be headlining Night 1 over the WWE Championship clash between Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre, but Banks and Belair belonged in that spot and knocked it out of the park.
Along with the historic aspect of their encounter, the action was exceptional with newcomer Belair proving she could hang on Banks' level before beating her for the gold.
It marked The EST of WWE's first title win of any kind in the company and set her up for major success in the months and years that followed.
A star was born that night, and Banks deserves credit for doing everything in her power to elevate Belair to where she needed to be.
4. Damian Priest Cashes in Money in the Bank, Wins the World Title (WrestleMania 40, Night 2)
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Less than 24 hours removed from losing in the Night 1 main event of WrestleMania 40, an injured Seth Rollins was tasked with defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Drew McIntyre for a third time in a matter of months.
Their hotly contested clash quickly culminated in McIntyre taking the title and getting his moment in front of fans at long last.
As great of a moment as that would have been, it was made even better by CM Punk exacting revenge on the Scot for putting him on the shelf and laying him out at ringside.
That resulted in Damian Priest rushing to ringside to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and planting McIntyre for the three-count to capture the prestigious prize.
It was the perfect comeuppance for the Scot's character and an overdue achievement for Priest, who some were convinced would never cash in successfully.
Rollins' "heist of the century" cash-in at WrestleMania nearly a decade earlier arguably can't be topped, but Preist's was brilliantly executed and established him as a main event-caliber competitor.
3. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens Claim Tag Team Gold (WrestleMania 39, Night 1)
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It took nearly 40 years for a set of tag titles to be defended in the main event of WrestleMania, and it was well worth the wait.
One of the top stories going into WrestleMania 39 was that The Usos were running roughshod over the entire tag team division and the duo of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was the sole legitimate threat left.
Owens and Zayn had common enemies in The Bloodline and put their own issues behind them so they could conquer the group once and for all.
It was a wonderfully wrestled affair with The Usos pulling off their usual tag team excellence and Owens and Zayn having incredible chemistry as partners. It was an emotional final stretch with the Canadians digging deep to emerge victorious with the tag titles in tow.
With The Usos' two-year run coming to an end that night, the match served as the ultimate example of why there's almost nothing better than the payoff to a story in wrestling if it's done right.
2. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Comes Out of Retirement (WrestleMania 38, Night 1)
7 of 8"Stone Cold" Steve Austin has had his fair share of 'Mania moments throughout his career, but few are more special than his impromptu return to the ring at WrestleMania 38 in 2022.
The Road to WrestleMania was especially exciting that year with Cody Rhodes reportedly on his way back to WWE and rumors of Austin wanting to wrestle at the event in his native Texas.
Nothing involving the two megastars was officially announced ahead of time, but that didn't stop either of them from showing up on Night 1 and making their own 'Mania moments.
Austin appeared on The Kevin Owens Show as everyone assumed he would, but it wasn't long before it turned into an actual match. The crowd lost their minds knowing they were about to witness the in-ring return of The Texas Rattlesnake, and better yet, it lived up to the hype.
They brawled all around ringside and up the stage. Austin took more of a beating than expected (including landing on the concrete floor) before putting KO down with one of his signature Stunners and celebrating with the crowd as he consumed a cold one.
One more match for The Texas Rattlesnake was something no one could have ever seen coming, at least not in the way it did.
1. Cody Rhodes Finishes His Story (WrestleMania 40, Night 2)
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WWE had the perfect story en route to WrestleMania 40 with Cody Rhodes winning his second straight men's Royal Rumble and punching his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania to face Roman Reigns in a rematch.
However, the company almost ruined it by having The Rock replace Rhodes until it realized the backlash from fans would be too much to ignore. Reigns vs. Rhodes went on as planned and it wasn't quite like anything WWE had booked before in the main event of WrestleMania.
It was essentially the WWE equivalent of the ending to Avengers: Endgame with the constant cameos, callbacks and a satisfying finish. The entire Bloodline attempted to interfere so Reigns would retain, but it was thwarted by the likes of Jey Uso, John Cena and even The Undertaker.
Reigns' near-four-year run as undisputed WWE universal champion had to conclude with a bang and WWE definitely stuck the landing.
Rhodes being hoisted onto the shoulders of other top-tier babyfaces was an outstanding visual to go off the air with and to send the message that he was leading the charge as champion from that point forward.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website,Ā WrestleRant, and subscribe to hisĀ YouTube channelĀ for more wrestling-related content.
