Daniel Bryan, Ronda Rousey and the Most Stacked WWE WrestleMania of All Time

It's not hyperbole. It's not recency bias. WWE WrestleMania 34 is the deepest card in the pay-per-view's history.

Up and down the April 8 event's lineup, WWE is set to offer huge bouts and historic moments, from Daniel Bryan's return to the ring after a three-year absence to UFC star Ronda Rousey's first WWE match.

WrestleMania 34 was plenty big before Tuesday night. It already featured a streak versus title showdown, a dream match between former New Japan Pro Wrestling stars and a rematch of WrestleMania 31's main event. Then as SmackDown unfolded, The Show of Shows grew.

WWE added Rusev to the United States Championship match. It announced that The Usos would defend the SmackDown tag titles against both The New Day and The Bludgeon Brothers.

And the most notable change came when SmackDown general manager Bryan called out Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, challenging them to a tag team battle with Shane McMahon. 

Bryan's return to action alone is worth the price of admission.

One of the most beloved figures in wrestling history is back after fans thought he was done. Concussion-related symptoms forced him into an early retirement, but now that's suddenly over, and we're set to get the bearded, gutsy warrior flying around the ring again.

David Shoemaker wrote for The Ringer: "Bryan is back, and he's more of an underdog, more of a triumph, more of a fan favorite than he was before."

Seeing him wrestle Owens and Zayn to the mat and wrench their necks with a crossface is going to be special. And one can say that about a good many things set for WrestleMania 34.

Count Rousey's debut among them. The reaction to her transition to the squared circle has been mixed. Her performances to this point have been uneven, but there's no denying how big her teaming with Hall of Famer Kurt Angle against Stephanie McMahon and Triple H is going to be.

Rousey is a crossover star who was once the toast of sports. In the tradition of Mr. T and Mike Tyson, she's a mainstream name bringing added eyes to the show. 

New Orleans fans will also be in attendance for Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka for the SmackDown Women's Championship, a clash of the franchise player of the women's division and a grappler who hasn't lost in two years.

Brock Lesnar will take on Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura will reprise their Wrestle Kingdom 10 thriller, this time for the WWE title.

In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross buzzed about Styles vs. Nakamura. "They have incredible, incredible chemistry," he said. "I have extremely high expectations for that."

The card is so loaded that it's easy to forget we're likely getting an icon-versus-icon collision in the form of John Cena vs. Undertaker. That's a WrestleMania-headliner-level bout on its own.

This year's event also has a running-time advantage. WWE has extended the length of the PPV in recent years, making room for more stars and more action. To this point, 13 matches are scheduled. 

It's enough to leave a wrestling fan giddy, as the folks from the Tights and Fights podcast appear to be:

But what of WWE's previous massive editions of its top PPV? Hasn't the company offered a show this robust before? 

WrestleMania X-Seven and XIX in 2001 and 2003, respectively, are largely considered the best of their kind. And with good reason. Each had its share of big bouts with major names.

The top of WrestleMania X-Seven's card was quite impressive:  

• Shane McMahon vs. Vince McMahon (Street Fight)
• Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
• Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boyz (TLC for the WWF Tag Team Championship)
• Triple H vs. Undertaker
• The Rock vs. Steve Austin (WWF Championship)

The same goes for WrestleMania XIX in Seattle:

• Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
• Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon (Street Fight)
• The Rock vs. Steve Austin 
• Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (WWE Championship)

WrestleMania 34's marquee contests compare favorably to those. 

Although we're set to get a past-his-prime version of Undertaker, The Deadman stepping into the ring with the guy who has been the face of the company for a decade is arguably bigger than him facing Triple H back in 2001.

Styles vs. Nakamura in WrestleMania 34 will be a collision of top in-ring performers much in the way Angle vs. Benoit and Jericho vs. Michaels was. 

Lesnar's star has grown since 2003. Talk of The Beast Incarnate possibly making a UFC return makes his next Universal title defense more significant. His bout with Reigns may be his WWE swan song.

It's at least going to be a hyped-up sequel to a slobberknocker poised to surpass the original.

WrestleMania 34 has its share of history-making moments on tap.

Nakamura's coming-out party as a top WWE guy is on the horizon. We'll either see Flair end Asuka's record-breaking streak or The Empress of Tomorrow will ascend to the top of the women's division. Undertaker is set to emerge from the shadows one more time to extend his WrestleMania legacy.

On top of all that, this year's WrestleMania will welcome one of its biggest crossover stars to date in Rousey, and it will be the site of the resurrection of Bryan as an in-ring performer. WrestleMania 34 has centerpiece after centerpiece on the way.

Each spring, WWE looks to outdo itself at WrestleMania. And they have done just at with the 34th edition.