WWE WrestleMania 32: Worst Event Cards in PPV's History

WWE WrestleMania may be the most celebrated event in sports entertainment, home to some of the greatest matches, moments and cards of all time, but that does not mean it hasn't produced its share of fairly crappy shows.

Beginning with the inaugural show in 1985 and its reliance on style over substance, WrestleMania has seen its fair share of misfires from management. Some were plagued by bad matches, others a few bad decisions that damned the entire card.

The disappointing shows aren't restricted to any generation. Some have taken place at the height of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Era, while others occurred in the heart of the Attitude Era. Both were celebrated periods, with larger-than-life characters and compelling stories, but both produced immensely disappointing results.

As WWE prepares for WrestleMania 32, a show some are expecting to one day rank among the worst based on what they consider to be unsatisfactory booking ahead of it, let's relive these eight broadcasts that failed to live up to the lofty expectations fans and critics had for The Showcase of the Immortals.

8. WrestleMania XXVII

WrestleMania XXVII is a rare exception on this list, in that it featured some really solid wrestling early in the broadcast.

From world heavyweight champion Edge vs. Alberto Del Rio in the opening contest to Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio nearly stealing the show, not to mention Randy Orton and CM Punk wowing the Atlanta crowd, the show got off to a hot start.

Undertaker vs. Triple H was a very good match, but nowhere near as legendary as the company tried to sell it. And from that moment on, the show went off a cliff.

Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole competed in an obscenely long match that was little more than an opportunity to get the Cole's heel character over more than it already was. The persona had been overexposed in the weeks leading into the show and was again here, as the two announcers battled in a match that lasted 13(!) minutes.

John Cena and The Miz sleepwalked through a match that had fans wondering when The Rock would interfere, and he predictably did.

What started as a promising show featuring strong performances from industry greats descended into mediocrity and ridiculousness.

It ultimately wound up as one of the least impressive events of the modern era.

7. WrestleMania XXIX

Nothing about WrestleMania 29 was particularly good, outside of the predictably great Undertaker vs. CM Punk match.

The Rock and John Cena headlined for the second consecutive year, despite WWE's insistence that the prior year's bout was a "Once in a Lifetime" affair. That the match failed miserably to live up to the epic original did not help matters.

Triple H and Brock Lesnar continued to exhibit zero in-ring chemistry, this time in a No Holds Barred match won by The Game.

Chris Jericho returned to the ring to put over Fandango (yes, you read that right), and both Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan were wasted in a meaningless tag title match. In what was arguably the least exciting world title match in event history, Alberto Del Rio successfully defended against Jack Swagger.

Even The Shield, responsible for show-stealing performances nearly every time it took to the ring, won an underwhelming match against Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show to kick off the broadcast.

As would be the case on several occasions throughout the history of WrestleMania, the event leaned heavily on names and hype rather than a quality card. 

6. WrestleMania

There is no denying the importance of WrestleMania I as the inaugural event, but that doesn't mean it was a good show by any means.

Sure, the main event pitting Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff was a pop culture phenomenon, but the rest of the card was truly awful.

Matches like Brutus Beefcake vs. David Sammartino and Tito Santana vs. The Executioner would never make it onto free television today, let alone the biggest show of the year. Then there was the Intercontinental Championship match between Greg Valentine and Junkyard Dog that really should have seen The Hammer defending against his rival at the time, the aforementioned Santana.

Only Wendi Richter vs. Leilani Kai felt like a major championship match, and most of that had to do with the presence of Cyndi Lauper.

Some 31 years removed,it has become clear that the first Showcase of the Immortals was little more than style at the expense of substance, sold on the promise of celebrity involvement rather than anything even remotely close to good wrestling.

5. WrestleMania IV

WrestleMania IV should have been a great show, with a tournament to declare a new WWE champion after controversial events surrounding Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant II had left the title vacant.

Instead, it was a card jam-packed with too many matches and questionable booking decisions. 

With 16 matches on the card, there was little time allowed for any of them to progress or build, leading to sprints up and down the lineup and lackluster in-ring product.

Randy Savage's performance on that night is the stuff of legend, but there is little else to single out as must-see. That is a problem, considering the grandeur of WrestleMania and the precedence set by the prior year's extravaganza.

An apathetic crowd of high-rollers and vacationers rather than hardcore wrestling fans in Atlantic City did not help matters.

WrestleMania IV was a major misfire by Vince McMahon and Company, a hugely disappointing show that failed to capitalize on the popularity of World Wrestling Entertainment at that point in time. 

4. WrestleMania XV

WrestleMania XV should have been awesome. Held in Philadelphia in the heart of the Attitude Era, it was a show that featured some of the most beloved characters and biggest stars in WWE history.

With a main event of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship, it could not possibly suck, right?

Wrong.

The show was a cluster of poor booking decisions and bad matches that left fans underwhelmed by the overall production. Sure, Rock and Austin tore the house down, and stars like Mankind and D-Generation X popped the crowd, but it did not make up for the issues that plagued the event elsewhere.

Like any other episode of Monday Night Raw, WrestleMania XV put all of the emphasis on the main event and McMahon-centered match and left the rest of the card to the whims of writer Vince Russo.

The result was one of the worst shows of the era, devoid of good wrestling and logical twists and turns.

3. WrestleMania IX

WWE was a company in rebuild mode by the time WrestleMania IX arrived in 1993.

Yes, Hulk Hogan had come back to television to cash in on one more 'Mania payday, but otherwise, the spotlight was on Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, The Steiner Brothers and Lex Luger, as Vince McMahon crafted a roster of young performers he was certain would carry his company into the future.

Unfortunately, the matchups that made up the card were not necessarily suited to delivering the best in-ring product. The show peaked early, with Tatanka and Michaels tearing the house down in the night's opener. From there, though, it was all downhill.

The Undertaker wrestled an awful match against the lumbering Giant Gonzalez, Crush and Doink were part of one of the more ludicrous matches in event history and Luger and Mr. Perfect disappointed.

Then there was The Hulkster, whose ego damned the show to infamy.

What should have been a huge night for the stars of the New Generation was instead another excuse to put Hogan over and allow him to stand tall as WWE champion for the fifth time.

2. WrestleMania II

WrestleMania 2 was a case of Vince McMahon expanding upon his original idea a bit too much.

The show was broadcast from three locations, across three different time zones and featured three huge main events. The problem is, the roster was spread incredibly thin, and the matches booked for the show were hardly what one would consider worthy of WrestleMania.

"Adorable" Adrian Adonis and Uncle Elmer stunk up the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena with one of the worst matches in event history, while "Macho Man" Randy Savage was part of a phenomenally bad Intercontinental Championship defense against George "The Animal" Steele.

Add in three lackluster main events (Hogan-Bundy, Mr. T-Piper, NFL vs. WWE Battle Royal), and you have a show saved only by one or two really good tag team matches.

A rare misstep in WrestleMania history, McMahon had tried to make the show bigger than the original and, in the process, hurt his own production.

1. WrestleMania XI

WrestleMania XI was the first event to not feel like the biggest show of the year. Perhaps that was the result of its being held at the Hartford Civic Center. Maybe it had to do with the lackluster card that felt very much like a glorified episode of Raw than the most important lineup of the year.

Whatever the case, the lack of grandeur and apathy of the fans in attendance helped make the 11th incarnation of the event the worst in company history.

The match of the night, the WWE Championship bout between Diesel and Shawn Michaels, was good but nowhere near the level of the title matches that HBK would have a year later.

The main event between Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow brought added attention to the product and featured the greatest celebrity performance ever, but it was hardly a great match.

Mediocrity elsewhere on the card, which still featured industry giants like The Undertaker, Bret Hart and Razor Ramon, only solidified its status as the most underwhelming excuse for a WrestleMania ever promoted by Vince McMahon.