COUNTDOWN: Ranking Every Wrestlemania Match EVER!!

6. Ricky Steamboat vs Randy Savage (WM3)
The fact that this match took place 28 years ago & is still talked about by wrestling fans to this day in such high regard, is a testament to not just the wrestlers, but the quality of the match they put on. This wasn’t a marathon, this wasn’t a feud based on bloodshed, it was based on two dudes going out with about 15 minutes & put on an all time classic. Both men cut brief, but powerful promos prior to the match, which built even more anticipation. Steamboat got worked over for a majority of the match as, aside from some offense here & there (including some of the best arm drags I've ever seen), the first 10 minutes was pretty much all Savage & it gave them time to build the fans into really getting behind Steamboat as he fought his way back & had some of the most impressive pinfall attempts in succession I’ve ever seen. Randy Savage had a reputation of being a detail freak, mapping out his matches from moment to moment, then would go over it. I heard in a Steamboat interview that they took about a month to plan this & at times Savage would ask him “spot number 47?” then Steamboat would say “arm-drag”. That’s amazing by both men that they have the memorization ability to do such a thing. I can’t remember what I had for lunch 4 days ago; meanwhile these guys can map out a match like this & are able to just name the spot! Only thing I could’ve done without, but in no way took away from the excitement of this match, was the involvement of George Steele, who I never really got into as a character. He was infatuated with Elizabeth, got it, but didn’t he & Savage’s feud end the previous year? Why on earth did Steamboat need him in his corner? It’s not like Elizabeth got involved. Anyways that’s my small complaint, because Steele only got involved in the finish which, after a ref bump, saw Savage try to hit Steamboat in the throat with the ring bell, similar to what he did leading up to this match. Steele grabbed the bell away from Savage, got punted in the back of the head for his troubles, only to push Savage off the top to a huge ovation from the crowd. I might not have been a big fan of his, but Animal was over as hell here. Savage stumbles to his feet & Steamboat counters a bodyslam into a rollup just as the ref has recovered for the 3 count. Masterful storytelling in just 15 minutes. It’s a shame these two didn’t have a re-match the next year during the Mania tournament, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. Not sure they would’ve been able to top themselves with this one, which remains one of my all time favorite matches to watch. If you ever want to watch an amazing match that’s not 20-30 minutes long, but still tells one amazing story, I recommend this one, the greatest Intercontinental Title match in Wrestlemania history.

4. Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels (WM21)
So I had this match ranked about 5 spots lower, but after watching it again this past week for the 1st time in close to 7-8 years, my goodness, this was incredible. Whenever Raw & Smackdown did the brand wars, it always seemed forced & not really all that believable. So when Wrestlemania 21 rolled around & both Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle had a little bit of bad blood stemming from the Royal Rumble, this was the dream match, the best one you could’ve made between rival brands. It’s really hard to imagine that Kurt & HBK hadn’t wrestled up to this point, what followed was a treat for the ages & a match that blew any other match on this pretty damn good Mania card, out of the water. Kurt said he could accomplish everything Shawn did in 4 weeks leading up to Mania, he had a Ladder match against a jobber, submitted Marty Jannetty in a match, even sang Shawn’s theme song with Sensational Sherri with the unforgettable line “I’m just a Sexy Kurt, I’ll make your ankle hurt”. So we get to the match & these two proceed to put on a near 30 minute classic! The mat wrestling to start, the counters, the frustration of Angle that Michaels was getting the best of them, a perfect pace to set as they got going. Then things got cranked up a notch with Angle hitting an Angle Slam against the post, weakening the hip/back of Michaels, until HBK made his comeback, eventually leading, to an incredible springboard crossbody from the ring to the announce table, which set the crowd on fire. Watching this back, I forgot Adam Sandler was sitting ringside & even The Waterboy himself was totally into it (stop making garbage movies Bobby Boucher!) Shawn going for Sweet Chin Music, Angle catching him in the Ankle Lock, Shawn escaping, but getting planted with another Angle Slam, only to KICK OUT! Shawn climbs the top & gets hit with a super Angle Slam, but KICKS OUT! Angle, frustrated beyond belief picks Shawn up, screaming at him to give up, only for HBK to step back & literally shove his boot down Kurt’s throat with Sweet Chin Music! The only downfall in this match was that Kurt didn’t kick out in time, so the referee had to essentially just miss the mat with his hand. Crowd booed that spot, but JR & Lawler covered very well saying fans of HBK were disappointed Angle kicked out. The emotion was incredible & HBK looked for another, but Angle locks in the Ankle Lock, grapevines the leg & for what felt like 2 minutes (at least) Shawn struggles, trying to get to the rope, but simply couldn’t withstand the pain. There was nothing really on the line in this match, other than Kurt questioning himself on whether he was better than HBK, which, on this night, he was. I’d really have to look back at Kurt Angle’s career, but off the top of my head, the only match I might like more in his career would be Lesnar/Angle Ironman match. So I’ll say this is easily in the Top 5, if not Top 3, favorite Kurt Angle match of all time.

3. Steve Austin vs The Rock (WM17)
The biggest & some would say final match of the Attitude Era, as WCW & ECW were officially bought and out of the picture & this was essentially the WWF’s celebration of being the last major promotion standing, with the biggest stars in the last 4-5 years in the main event. I liked the build for their match from WM15 more (although the Limp Bizkit My Way song was overplayed, it was brilliant when they put it to this video package), but this match, in my honest opinion, blows the other one out of the water. I’ll get to my complaint first about this one though & that’s Earl Hebner. Over time, I’ve gotten more annoyed with Earl in matches, but this one, it was announced that it was NO DISQUALIFICATION so why in the hell was Earl screaming at guys not to run their opponents heads into the ring post, or announce table? Why in the hell was he yelling at them to break a submission once the other guy grabbed the ropes? What was Earl going to do, disqualify them? I know it’s being too picky (and it happens all the time), but still, it’s a big part of the match. Right after Rock stepped back from the 2nd rope after posing during his entrance; Austin immediately took the fight to him. It spilled into the crowd briefly, fought all over the ringside area, they smacked one another with the ring bell, TV monitors, you name it. Then they got in the ring & counter both of their finishers, the crowd was on fire! Jim Ross & Paul Heyman were nothing short of flawless in this match as that played a key factor in the epicness of this one. After around 20 minutes of back & forth action, you had Vinnie Mac come to the ring and what would transpire was visually unbelievable. Stone Cold himself said in interviews that he probably wouldn’t have turned full heel at this show & just gave a Stunner to Vince after & I somewhat agree. The final shot was historic; however the Two Man Power Trip with Triple H & Stone Cold wasn’t really worth it (though who knows what would've happened had Hunter not torn his quad?). Although heel Stone Cold did however bring us all the comedy involving Kurt Angle & Vince, so I don’t know what to believe. It was an unforgettable moment, seeing the devil himself, Vince McMahon, shaking hands with the man who he pretty much tortured for the last 2-3 years, standing over a bloodied & unconscious body of The Rock. After a brutal chair shot to the head, Stone Cold Stunner & 17 (SEVENTEEN!!) different chair shots in succession, Stone Cold Steve Austin was officially champion with the help of Vince McMahon. It was the culmination of a hard couple years as Austin came back from neck surgery, won the Royal Rumble & now regained his title. Jim Ross yelling, pleading for an explanation as to why Austin would align with Vince was a fantastic ending to, what I think is the best Mania in history. This was one of the best matches & stories told for a Mania main event. If you look at my final 2, you’ll see, this is my all time favorite WrestleMania main event match & for good reason.

1. Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WM25)
Here we are, the greatest match in WrestleMania history & yes, if you look back at many lists ranking the best Mania matches, this is usually the top spot, but for damn good reason. I should preface this by saying I just re-watched this match again literally right before I typed this out. I’ve seen some unbelievable matches in my 25 years of being a wrestling fan, but this remains not only my favorite WrestleMania match, but my favorite wrestling match period. The build couldn’t have been more perfect, as the born again Christian, Shawn Michaels, trying to end the streak of the Dead Man, The Undertaker. It’s a feud that we hadn’t got since 1998, as neither had really squared off since Shawn’s return and I’m so happy they waited until this moment as this was the flawless match you came to expect from two of the best ever. Whenever put into a big match situation, both guys turned it on & luckily, without any time limitations, went out there & absolutely crushed it. I’ve talked about how this match should’ve gone on last, so I won’t repeat myself, but it’s a no brainer when you have two men the caliber of HBK & Taker, they go on last, not a dumb feud with Trips & Orton, that was supposed to be so hate fueled, that when the bell sounded, they did a friggin lock up! The entrances were phenomenal, Shawn coming from the heavens dressed in all white, Taker rising from the ground decked in all black. It’s one of those times when you wish the entrances would go on longer! Bell sounds & right out the gate HBK takes the fight to Taker, chops aplenty, Thesz press, until Taker catches him & starts throwing Shawn all around the ring. Tables would turn & Shawn worked the legs, which was smart, but Taker fought back & would try a chokeslam, but HBK countered into a Crossface, only to be countered into a side suplex. HBK hits the signature flying forearm, kip up, Taker catches him with another chokeslam attempt, Michaels counters, tries for Sweet Chin Music, but Taker wisely dropped back & baited Shawn into Hell’s Gate! Just typing that sequence was exhausting yet exciting. Shawn knocks Taker to the floor, went for a moonsault, but Taker literally swatted Shawn away like he was a fly! Then comes the spot where Taker literally almost crippled himself. Now, I know that many came down hard on Deuce (from Deuce n’ Domino, who was the fake cameraman) for not being in the right place, however, Taker ‘s knees clipped the top rope & Michaels was the guy who pulled Deuce into position, but they were too far out & Taker didn’t get far enough. So it was just bad circumstances & unfortunately Deuce got the blame, but Taker luckily tucked his chin & came within a millimeter of seriously injuring himself. With the ref down, cameraman down, Shawn down, there was literally no one to check on Taker.

Then comes the false finishes. I know WWE runs this into the ground these days, especially at Mania, but on this night, it was something that needed to be done. Here we go, Taker miraculously got back in the ring, Shawn tried for a superkick, but got caught in a chokeslam for the 1….2….KICK OUT! Taker picks Shawn up & tried for another one, but Shawn stepped back & hit Sweet Chin Music for a 1…2…KICK OUT! Both men up & Taker looks for a Last Ride & the 1…2…KICK OUT! After some more back & forth, Taker tried to send HBK over the top, but Shawn skinned the cat, only to be caught & dropped with a Tombstone for the 1…2…KICK OUT! This is the moment Undertaker’s memorable facial expression happened & it remains something that still gives me goosebumps. The crowd was on fire at this point as Taker looks for another Tombstone, which Shawn countered into a DDT, tries for yet another Sweet Chin Music & hits it for the 1…2…KICK OUT! After both exchange more punches & chops, leaving everything out there, Shawn tried for a moonsault, but Taker caught him & hit the biggest Tombstone for the victory. Some can bitch that it was too many false finishes, to which I say, you’re dead wrong. It took everything & then some to defeat Shawn Michaels; they used every single move in their arsenal. Both could barely stand & it was deafening in the Reliant Stadium. It’s the perfect build up, the perfect storyline, nothing overcomplicated, it all clicked. The line said by Taker leading up to this was “Sometimes it’s hell, trying to get to heaven.”  It's cheesy to apply it to this list, but you absolutely could. We’ve been through some absolute brutal Wrestlemania matches (starting with the hell that was Cole vs Lawler), but it all led us to this match (the perfect match between two of the best ever), the greatest in WrestleMania history!




Seriously thank you all for taking time to read this list. Even if you read some of it, that’s good enough for me. I really dug doing this. Thanks to those who tried to get the word out about this beyond this board too. I was going to tweet a bunch about it, but felt that was too Horowitz-esque, patting myself on the back. Like how I wrapped it up with a Barry Horowitz reference? For that & for that alone, I will pat myself on the back. Thanks again for reading, I'm going to go face plant now, I'm tired.