Greatest WrestleMania Match of All Time Tournament: Round 1 (Rock Bracket)

Eric KanesMar 14, 2011

What's up, ladies and gentlemen? My name is Eric Kanes, and March Madness Mania is runnin' wild on Bleacher Report as I welcome you to Round 1 of the "Greatest WrestleMania Match of All Time" tournament that I am hosting this year.

We’ve got four head-to-head matchups. Vote how you want by picking the match that you feel is better. It’s your choice. Vote in the comment section and feel free to justify each pick. Voting will be open for 96 hours.

Note: These are not the only eight matches involved in the tournament. There is a total of 32 matches involved and this is the third of four first round brackets. You can view the complete list of matches involved and the complete list of rules right here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/633333-the-greatest-wrestlemania-match-of-all-time-tournament-rules-and-final-brackets

As of right now, 3/14/11, there are about 48 hours left to vote on the Austin Bracket. I added an extra 24 hours for all of the brackets for the first round because there are so many matches. You can vote on the first 8 out of 32 matches right here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/633794-greatest-wrestlemania-match-of-all-time-tournament-round-1-austin-bracket

The Michaels Bracket is out as well with 72 hours left. You can vote on the second set of 8 matches right here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/452586-greatest-wrestlemania-match-of-all-time-tournament-round-1-michaels-bracket

And without any further ado, here are the eight matches involved in the first round of the Rock Bracket.

1. Steve Austin vs. The Rock (WM 17)

1 of 9

This was the main event for the WWF Title on the PPV that many feel is the best PPV in WWF history. The end result saw Austin capture the WWF Title after turning heel in a grueling, fast paced match that was the culmination of the very successful Attitude era.

Out of all their WrestleMania matches, I'd say that this was the best one due to the perfect time length and the well-played heel turn. Was this the best WrestleMania match of all time, though? This next match puts that theory to test.

vs. 8. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WM 26)

2 of 9

The second Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels match was nothing short of epic. The story behind it was simple - Michaels had accomplished everything except ending the streak and it was killing him inside. He tried everything he could to earn the match before he had to go to the extreme and cost The Undertaker his title. Undertaker agreed to the match but only on one condition - Michaels had to put his career on the line. Of course, HBK agreed to it because there was nothing left for him to prove.

I was there live in the University of Phoenix Stadium for this event and seeing this live felt surreal. This may not have been as good as the first one but with the energy of the crowd and the way these performers fed off them, it was terrific.

Finally, the one thing that will make this match special months, years, even decades from now is the fact that Shawn Michaels retired for real rather than accepting indy bookings a couple weeks after "retirement" and signing with another promotion a year later. This match marked the retirement of one of the greatest legends of all time which is why it will remain a classic for generations to come.

2. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (WM 17)

3 of 9

Steve Austin vs. The Rock may have been the highlight of the night but this is one of the matches that made WrestleMania 17 one of the greatest PPVs (if not the greatest PPV) of all time) There were holds, counter holds, there was some of the best technical wrestling I've ever seen, and a finish that took a lot of people by surprise.

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vs. 7. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WM 23)

4 of 9

This was John Cena's second year going into WrestleMania as the WWE Champion and his third year as the face of the company. Originally, John Cena was scheduled to face Triple H for the second year in a row but he ended up facing The Game's DX partner, Shawn Michaels, due to the fact that Triple H sustained a major injury in January. As expected, HBK did an admirable job and put on a spectacle against John Cena.

3. John Cena vs. Triple H (WM 22)

5 of 9

This match started off real slow but the last six minutes or so (shown in this video) were really strong. It picked up big time (no pun intended). Although the match may not have been as good as some of the other matches in the tournament in terms of actual wrestling, the biggest story here was the crowd. They were into every hold in this match and it was extremely refreshing to see, to be honest. This was one of the best WrestleMania crowds ever which is impressive considering it was also one of the smallest.

vs. 6. Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (WM 19)

6 of 9

This was a dream match-up for many people as these two were the most acclaimed wrestlers in the company at the time. They were kept apart during Lesnar's first year in WWE until finally meeting at WrestleMania 19. This was a great technical wrestling display although this had to be one of the scariest finishes to a WrestleMania main event. Brock Lesnar nearly broke his neck after a botched shooting star press causing him to be dazed, so Kurt Angle had to improvise the finish. Either way, this was definitely one of the top 10 WrestleMania main events of all time.

4. Money in the Bank Won By Edge (WM 21)

7 of 9

This match consisted of Edge, Chris Jericho, Christian, Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, & Kane and wow. Just wow. This was the first Money in the Bank ladder match ever and this was also the best one as everything in the match felt fresh. The bumps were sick. The spots, especially Benjamin’s, were innovative. Benoit’s selling was awesome throughout the match. This was outstanding.

Unlike most of the other Money in the Bank matches, this match also consisted of only legit contenders. Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit were main eventers at the time, Edge, Christian, and Shelton Benjamin were on the brink of a main event push (although sadly, two of them never made it), and Kane who was coming off a hot feud with Edge at the time.

The booking was perfect with Edge winning and the briefcase was actually used properly with Edge going on to become one of the company's top stars. Although, it makes you wonder what would have happened had Christian won.

vs. 5. Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz (WM 16)

8 of 9

At the time this match was sick in all the good ways and it still is even now. I don’t care if there’s been better ones (and there has), this one was the first triple threat team ladder match that featured some insane bumping.

The best thing about this was that there was never a point where one team really had the advantage except for that one time when it was the Dudleys. It came across as an even match with each guy getting their own chance to take control and showcase the athleticism that they had. The most memorable moment in the match was definitely Jeff’s Swanton through Bubba off the big ladder.

Looking back, the thing that hurt it the most was the fact that it went on for too long at 23 minutes and therefore had a lot of standing around and setting up. You can't expect guys to kill themselves for that long. The match at WrestleMania 17 was shorter at 15 minutes and thus a much faster-paced and overall better match. However, this still remains a classic due to the fact that it was the first TLC match.