WWE WrestleMania 32: Biggest Breakout Performances in PPV History
As WWE's biggest show of the year, WrestleMania is the stage where all Superstars look to make names for themselves. It's the perfect platform for up-and-comers to cement themselves as stars, and this year's installment should be no exception.
Although he has headlined major pay-per-views in the past, Dean Ambrose is in prime position to come out of WrestleMania 32 as a main event player. Win or lose, a strong showing versus Brock Lesnar would surely solidify Ambrose as being on the same level as The Beast Incarnate.
Likewise, Roman Reigns will be involved in the 'Mania main event for the second straight year, contending for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H. That prominent spot at The Show of Shows alone should be enough change fans' perception of him as the next top guy in WWE.
If history has taught us anything, it's that WrestleMania is the optimal event for talent with tremendous potential to break out as stars on the rise, regardless of whether they come out with their hand raised or not.
Before the 32nd anniversary of WrestleMania, it is only appropriate we look back at the elite individuals whose performances on the grand stage launched them into the stratosphere of superstardom.
Randy Savage (WrestleMania 3)
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It was criminal WWE waited as long as it did to finally induct Randy Savage into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. To say he was worthy of the honor would be a massive understatement given his various reigns as WWE and intercontinental champion, unforgettable matches and promos, and unparalleled personality.
Before Shawn Michaels, the Macho Man was the first man to lay claim to the title of Mr. WrestleMania, with his first classic contest coming at WrestleMania 3. With the lovely Miss Elizabeth at his side, he entered the event as intercontinental champion and defended against a hungry challenger in Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.
Countless competitors from today's generation have pointed to that bout as their inspiration for wanting to break into the business, and it's not hard to see why. Savage and Steamboat produced one of the best-wrestled matches in the history of WWE, much less at WrestleMania.
Their epic clash on that historic evening was nothing short of sensational, though no one could have expected it would stand the test of time the way it has. Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant provided a more memorable moment in that night's final match, but Savage and Steamboat wrestled the true main event.
It was only after a roll-up that Steamboat was able to wrestle away the prestigious prize, and as grand of a victory as that was for him, he was gone from the company a short while later. The Macho Man, on the other hand, went on to capture his first WWE Championship the following year and carve out one of the most illustrious careers of all time.
The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania 6)
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As much of an icon as Hulk Hogan was throughout the 1980s, he wasn't known for having five-star mat classics. For that matter, neither was The Ultimate Warrior, but for one reason or another, they captured lightning in a bottle at WrestleMania 6.
The bout was beautifully built up with Hogan reigning as WWE champion for a consecutive year while Warrior worked his way up to title contention. Since the 1990 Royal Rumble, Hogan and Warrior had been on a collision course for WrestleMania, where they would have an encounter for the ages.
Similar to Hogan's outing against The Rock at WrestleMania 18, it's a match that would likely fall flat if you watched it without volume, but it's the palpable energy inside the SkyDome in Toronto that makes it so magical. Warrior being a fresh face in the main event tier only helped matters.
Hogan was the biggest babyface WWE had ever seen up to that point—that was until Warrior arrived on the scene. Within months of his debut, he became one of the company's most popular personas, culminating with a WWE Championship victory in the main event of WrestleMania.
The show of respect from The Hulkster afterward was the ultimate endorsement the former two-time intercontinental champion needed. Warrior's time on top was short-lived, but he was immortalized following his performance against Hogan.
Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 10)
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Shawn Michaels' roots as Mr. WrestleMania date back to his bout with Razor Ramon at WrestleMania 10, where they collided in the second ladder match ever for the Intercontinental Championship.
Both men had legitimate claims to the title, but only one individual could walk out of WrestleMania as champion. And what better way to determine an undisputed titleholder than in a ladder match? The match gimmick was in its early stages, but if the experiment failed that night, there's a good chance it would have never been brought back.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case, as Michaels and Ramon stole the show in Madison Square Garden and set the bar for every other match in 'Mania history. Simultaneously, it boosted the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship and made it a stepping stone for all future world champions, including Michaels.
Speaking of whom, he had his fair share of breakout performances prior to this match, but never on such a stage as WrestleMania. His incredible outing at the 10th anniversary of The Show of Shows proved to fans worldwide he had what it took be one of the best the business had ever seen.
Even in defeat, it was evident The Heartbreak Kid was on the cusp of greatness in WWE. Two years later, he won his first WWE Championship on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and the rest is history.
Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania 13)
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A common theme throughout most of these matches is they weren't the main events at their respective WrestleManias. Considering how lackluster The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid was at WrestleMania 13, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart deserved to go on last.
In fact, Austin earned the right to headline the spring spectacle when he won that year's Royal Rumble match. But due to controversy clouding the championship picture, he was forced to forfeit his title opportunity, and thus he set his sights on Hart instead.
Getting slighted a spot in the 'Mania main event might have been the best thing that could have happened to Stone Cold. Yes, fans were already getting behind him following his revolutionary "Austin 3:16" promo in June 1996, but it wasn't until this match that it was for certain he was destined for major singles success in WWE.
Austin entered the event as a man on a mission, as a Superstar determined to make an impact against the self-proclaimed best there ever was and will be. Despite his questionable tactics, Chicago turned the tide in his favor, rallying behind The Texas Rattlesnake as he refused to tap out to Hart's patented Sharpshooter. The iconic image of Austin passing out in the devastating maneuver will live on in the minds of fans for years to come.
Although The Hitman emerged victorious, Austin was the real winner at WrestleMania 13, building a rapport with his rabid fanbase and ushering in what would later be known as the Attitude Era.
John Cena (WrestleMania 21)
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Like him or loathe him, John Cena had one of the best buildups of any WWE Superstar since the dawn of the new millennium. He started out as a faceless rookie before transitioning into a tag team specialist and later a singles star on the rise, winning the United States Championship on three separate occasions.
By the spring 2005, Cena was primed to break out as a main event-level performer. He may not have won the Royal Rumble match that year, but an impressive outing against Kurt Angle at February's No Way Out pay-per-view confirmed the notion he was ready to take the reins of SmackDown as its WWE champion.
Standing in his way, however, was none other than JBL, who went undefeated for the near 10 months he reigned as champion. He knocked off all comers to his championship, but Cena posed an entirely new challenge he wasn't prepared for at WrestleMania 21.
The match wasn't anything special from an in-ring standpoint—it lasted a mere 11 minutes—but it is best remembered for cementing Cena as the star he is today. He survived JBL's best efforts to put him away for the three-count and in turn nailed him with an Attitude Adjustment to clinch his first WWE title.
In decisively defeating the self-proclaimed wrestling god when no one else could, that alone ensured Cena would be booked as something special, and he unquestionably has been. Fourteen world titles later, he is a bona fide future WWE Hall of Famer. Who knows what he would have amounted to had he not ascended to superstar status when he did?
Batista (WrestleMania 21)
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While John Cena was proving his worth as a WrestleMania headliner, Batista was busy closing out the event with Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. But his rise to the top was just as organic, solidifying his split from Evolution in early 2005 and establishing a fan following for himself coming off his Royal Rumble win.
Batista had two choices: Either sign with SmackDown and face JBL for the WWE Championship or go up against his mentor, Triple H, for the world heavyweight title. Ultimately, he went with the latter option once he realized The Game was attempting to manipulate him.
The Animal's in-ring repertoire was far from perfect, but it was his immense popularity with the fans that made him a legitimate threat to the title on the grand stage. He had all the tools to become a breakout star, but his bright future depended on whether he could overcome Triple H when it mattered most.
With Ric Flair in Triple H's corner at ringside, Batista fought an uphill battle, but he refused to succumb to the punishment HHH was dishing out. He powered out of a Pedigree and connected with a brutal Batista Bomb to secure the victory as well as his first of many world championships.
The moment was reminiscent of when The Ultimate Warrior bested Hulk Hogan 15 years earlier, but the biggest difference was Batista was able to maintain his main event presence. His move to the blue brand shortly thereafter was beneficial in extending his time on top and giving him a fresh set of opponents to work with and test his mettle against.
Edge (WrestleMania 22)
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As previously noted, John Cena and Batista dominated WWE over the course of 2005, but while they wrestled for world championships, Edge was lurking in the background with his Money in the Bank briefcase in tow.
He cherry-picked the perfect moment to cash in the contract, capitalizing on a downed John Cena at New Year's Revolution 2006 to capture the WWE Championship. Unfortunately for The Ultimate Opportunist, his title reign lasted a mere three weeks before he dropped the belt back to Cena at the Royal Rumble.
And just like that, Edge was left without a prominent spot on the WrestleMania 22 card, but he was adamant about not being left off the card. As a result, he turned his focus to Mick Foley, whom he looked to make an example out of at The Show of Shows by challenging him to a hardcore match.
If there was anything Edge and Foley had in common, it was that they had zero regard for rules and regulations, which is why they worked so well together in Chicago. Their bout occurred early on in the evening, yet they still stole the show with an exhilarating (and bloody) display of fortitude and resiliency.
The Rated R-Superstar already had a WWE title run to his credit by that point in time, but it was his war with Foley that truly made him into the main event-level performer he was destined to become.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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