WWE WrestleMania 32: Greatest Title Matches in PPV's History

There is no greater honor than being involved in a title match at WrestleMania.

The glitz, the glamour, the grandeur of the event and the prestige of the championship brings out something in the men and women lucky enough to participate in those bouts that simply does not exist on a show like Backlash or Battleground. It is a determination to deliver the finest performance imaginable, to immortalize themselves on that night.

There is no bigger stage to perform on and no brighter spotlight to thrive under.

A great championship match on any card can elevate the Superstars involved. On a WrestleMania card, it can cement their greatness and etch their names in history books alongside the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots.

On April 3, Roman Reigns and Triple H will attempt to deliver a definitive performance that does just that in the main event of WrestleMania 32.

The bar has been set extraordinarily high, though, courtesy of industry icons who are responsible for the greatest matches in the long and illustrious history of The Showcase of the Immortals. For their match to take its place among these classics, Reigns and Triple H will have to prove every single doubter wrong.

And even then, it may not be possible.

That is how spectacularly great these seven iconic championship clashes, ranked according to overall in-ring quality, are.

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

Never before in the history of WrestleMania had two babyfaces squared off in the main event with the WWE Championship at stake. That is, until Vince McMahon took a leap of faith and booked WWE champion Hulk Hogan against intercontinental champion The Ultimate Warrior in a Title-for-Title match at WrestleMania VI.

The drama that unfolded late took the match from the realm of "surprisingly good" to "appropriately epic," with Hogan kicking out of the Warrior's trademark gorilla press/big splash combination and appearing on his way to another memorable victory as he "hulked up."

Unfortunately for the Hulkster, he missed his leg drop finisher and fell prey to another splash, this one ending his championship reign.

The match was a prime example of how integral near-falls and crowd participation are to a great match. While it built slowly, it culminated in a fast and furious few minutes that had fans guessing which of their favorite Superstars would leave victorious.

Not quite a five-star masterpiece like others on this list, the match remains a masterclass in the promotion and execution of a match between two wrestlers whose personalities are far greater than their in-ring abilities.

6. Ladder Match for the IC Title: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon had been feuding over the Intercontinental Championship leading into WrestleMania X, each wanting to prove himself the real titleholder. With no other way to settle their differences, the Superstars found themselves booked in the first pay-per-view ladder match.

Fans in New York greeted the bout with great excitement, then watched as the wrestlers brutalized each other with the ladder. Ramon sold the attack of his opponent expertly, his body wracked with pain from the numerous shots about the ribs and back that he had taken from the ladder.

Michaels, conversely, was brilliant with his use of the ladder. Rather than taking tremendous bumps and dangerous falls from the ladder, he utilized a more psychological approach. He used the ladder to further the story that he and Ramon were telling rather than setting up unnecessarily dangerous spots that may have been dynamic but did not fit the style they worked at that point in time.

There was still the jaw-dropping splash from the ladder from Michaels, which remains one of the iconic images of WrestleMania, and HBK falling from the ladder and becoming entangled in the ropes to whet the appetite of those fans looking for something spectacular.

In the end, Ramon won the match and the titles, while Michaels earned the respect of fans and the trust of management. He would headline the next two WrestleMania events, competing for the WWE title in both cases.

5. Iron Man Match for the WWE Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart

For 60 minutes, two of the finest professional wrestlers of all time battled for the right to leave Anaheim, California, with the WWE Championship. Officially titled an "Iron Man" match, the bout would test the wills of both Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, as well as their ability to captivate fans for one hour.

They did, producing a match that was an exercise in technique and drama.

For the entire one-hour period, neither man was able to put the other away for a fall, despite a late-match Sharpshooter from Hart that had Michaels screaming in agony.

With no clear winner, an overtime period was announced. Just minutes in, Michaels blasted Hart with Sweet Chin Music and captured his first heavyweight title.

"The boyhood dream has come true for Shawn Michaels!" Vince McMahon exclaimed in one of his most enduring calls as a commentator.

It was a fitting end to a match that was such a roller-coaster of emotions. While time has not necessarily been kind to the match—the slower pace utilized by the wrestlers might not strike a chord with modern fans who cherish faster-paced action—it was still a beautifully wrestled match that provided a contrast to the changing attitude of the sport.

4. TLC II for the WWE Tag Team Championships

One year after stealing the show at WrestleMania 2000 with a Triangle Ladder match, The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian took center stage at WrestleMania X-7 in Houston for the second Tables, Ladders & Chairs match in WWE history.

The six Superstars threw caution to the wind and opponents off ladders in a match that left fans in awe. Tables were broken, bodies were bruised and battered by ladders and chairs and fans cheered louder and louder for every display of barbaric violence.

Lita, Spike Dudley and Rhyno all found themselves involved in the match, aiding their friends and family while adding other layers to the story.

And by the end of the bout, Edge and Christian had regained the WWE Tag Team Championships, outlasting their opponents and benefiting from their former ECW Championship-winning associate. 

As the three teams had done so many times in the past, they built on previous matches and spots to deliver an even better match than before. Their ability to conceive some of the spots they did added to the legacy of the matches and helped their WrestleMania X-7 bout rank as the greatest of their demolition-derby-like matches.

It was a five-star classic that totally reeked of awesomeness, to be sure.

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

The main event of WrestleMania XX saw Triple H defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit in a Triple Threat match. Given the eroding chemistry between The Game and HBK, not to mention the fact that Triple H had not been the same worker he was prior to his quadriceps injury, expectations were not particularly high for the marquee match.

Luckily, the Superstars not only exceeded those expectations but blew them out of the water.

Using interesting and original spots involving all three competitors, it was a match that played to the strengths of the Superstars involved. The champion was the centerpiece, the heel who set the pace and controlled the bout. Michaels was the dynamic babyface who popped up and hit something big and meaningful like his Sweet Chin Music finisher, and Benoit was the consummate underdog who took beating after beating but continuously fought his way back into the contest.

Despite enduring a nasty double suplex through the announce table, Benoit made his way back to the match late and dispatched Michaels. From there, he trapped Triple H in the Crippler Crossface and scored the submission victory.

From the match itself to everything that occurred afterward, with Benoit celebrating with longtime friend Eddie Guerrero, the main event of WrestleMania was an emotional one. For so long, the Edmonton, Alberta, native had battled stereotypes, his size called into question repeatedly. To see him deliver a five-star performance in the most important match on the WrestleMania card and win the world title was incredibly rewarding for his fans.

Events surrounding his untimely death have essentially erased the match from the history books, but make no mistake about it: This match remains every bit as extraordinary in 2016 as it was some 12 years ago when it initially wowed fans in New York City.

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

There are no two bigger stars in wrestling history than The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Pillars of the Attitude Era, they are the men who helped champion a renaissance for WWE and carried the promotion to victory over Ted Turner's WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

It's fitting then, that days after the sale of WCW to Vince McMahon was complete, Austin and Rock took to the squared circle of WrestleMania X-7.

What ensued was the definitive end of the Attitude Era as fans knew it and a high-water mark for WWE Championship matches at the Show of Shows. 

Austin and Rock brawled all over the ringside area. It was a staple of that era's main events and something both men did extremely well. From there, both men bled as they exchanged holds and submissions, Austin even dipping into his past and pulling out the Million Dollar Dream as frustration over his inability to put his opponent away set in.

No matter what Austin did, he could not put The Rock down for the count and regain the title that had eluded him for nearly two years.

"I need to beat you, Rock. I need it more than you could ever imagine." Those words, uttered by Stone Cold in the build to the bout, came into play later in the match when Austin aligned himself with hated rival Vince McMahon and finally pinned his opponent after a barrage of chair shots.

Fans watched in disbelief as Austin and McMahon shook hands, their unholy alliance bringing an end to the most magical period in wrestling history.

The match, rife with stories and layers, was a glorious example of two elite professional wrestlers manipulating the audience to generate the reactions they desired. It worked, for the most part, though the Houston fans were hellbent on cheering Austin, regardless of his heel turn at the end of the show.

1. Intercontinental Title Match: Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage

Before ladders, tables and chairs were a thing, before Triple Threat matches became the norm, before Attitude...there was Savage vs. Steamboat.

This was a classic wrestling match that both blew off an intense rivalry and proved that Vince McMahon's WWE was more than just some traveling circus—it was home to two of the best wrestlers on the planet and one of the most enduring matches ever.

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant may have headlined the show, and may even have been the sole reason for 93,173 fans invading the Michigan's Pontiac Silverdome, but Savage and Steamboat stole it. The frenetic pace they cut is still unbelievable, some 29 years after it happened.

With little time for rest, they kept fans invested in every single one of the 14 minutes it ran.

The unbelievable amount of near-falls that occurred and the drama that ensued after the referee bump captivated fans, with the athleticism satisfying sports fans and the interference of George Steele compelling the entertainment-loving audience.

In the end, Steamboat avenged the throat injury that left him out of action and won the Intercontinental Championship in the process. 

Steamboat-Savage was a work of art, a beautiful display of grappling that stands the test of time. It is, undeniably, the greatest championship match in WrestleMania history and, arguably, the best match to ever take place in a Vince McMahon-owned ring.