Here’s what the main event of every WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view event should have been.
It’s that time of year again, folks. The road that started in Philadelphia at the Royal Rumble, with stops in Las Vegas and Columbus for Elimination Chamber and Fastlane, respectively, is finally coming to an end as WrestleMania 34 comes your way on Sunday, April 8 from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome (yes, that’s the Superdome, Hulkster) in New Orleans.
While the WWE Universe doesn’t yet know what the final match of the night will be — there are certainly a few options out there with Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns, AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Triple H and Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle and Ronda Rousey — there’s bound to be someone out there who won’t agree with the call. I mean, that’s what the internet wrestling community does, right? We argue everything. Sometimes we make valid points and sometimes we don’t, but it’s usually entertaining.
So before we get into this list, I want to clarify exactly what’s happening here. What I did was take a look at every WrestleMania main event in history … and by main event, I mean the final match of the night. While some shows have had the “double main event” billing, the real one that creative wants you to think is more important than any other comes at the end of the show. So I took a look at every main event and threw down my opinion on whether or not I thought that was the right way to go. Sometimes it was, and if that’s the case, I’ll give you the reason(s) on why I thought so.
If I didn’t agree with it, however, I’ll give you an alternate and explain why I think the match I chose was the better option. Sometimes it was just another match from the same card, but if I changed something, it was more often than not a bout that I created. However, I did at least try to give myself some rules to follow as to not let myself get too out of control. After each entry, I cleared the table and started over, meaning that the actual main event from the previous WrestleMania had gone down exactly the way it did in reality. Otherwise, I’m playing with an entirely new timeline for 33 years and that’s a lot of responsibility. So after each entry, just clear your mind and start over. In addition, each participant had to be on the roster and had to be healthy. I will admit to breaking my own rules a couple of times but you’ll understand why I did so when you get to those.
But enough with the rules. Let’s get to the list, starting with the original WrestleMania from Madison Square Garden.
WrestleMania
Actual main event: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper
It’s crazy to think it now, but the original WrestleMania was actually a major gamble for Vince McMahon at the time. He was breaking all the unwritten rules in professional wrestling by going into other territories and he wasn’t exactly the most popular person among promoters. But Vince had a vision to go national, and the extravaganza known as WrestleMania was born. Yes, Jim Crockett Promotions had already been doing Starrcade for a couple of years, but this was something different. Vince brought in celebrities and athletes from other sports and essentially just put all of his eggs in one basket. If WrestleMania failed, WWE as we know it today probably wouldn’t exist.
Hulk Hogan had become Vince’s main attraction, and his feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper was on fire. They had wrestled on an MTV special, The War to Settle the Score, in February of 1985, which Hogan won by disqualification after “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff got involved, thus retaining his WWE Championship (yes, I’m going to say WWE the entire time because it’s easier, so just stay calm about that) and setting up the main event. Hogan needed a tag partner for the match and brought in Mr. T, who actually was a very big star at the time, and Hogan pinned Orndorff in a decent match to end the original WrestleMania.
Here’s my issue. I think that no matter what the situation, the WWE Championship (or some variation of a world title, including the Women’s Championship) should close every major pay-per-view. If we’re supposed to believe that these titles are the biggest prizes in the game, then they should be the main focus. So in my opinion, the main event of WrestleMania should have been Rowdy Roddy Piper battling Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship. The problem is that Piper didn’t lose cleanly that much throughout his career. With Hogan being the champ, Piper would have probably had to do that, and I just don’t think that was ever going to happen. Throw in the fact that Vince wanted a celebrity in the main event to get some mainstream attention and we got what we got. Luckily, everything worked out, but I still think Hogan vs. Piper for the title should have been the main event here.
WrestleMania 2
Actual main event: Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
WrestleMania 2 was a mess and is considered by many to be one of the worst WrestleMania events in history. In yet another massive undertaking, Vince had the show take place in three different venues (one each in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles) and also had it on a Monday, the only WrestleMania in history not to take place on a Sunday. Throw in the fact that the majority of the matches on the card were disappointing and we’re not left with much to take away from it.
The main event that night saw King Kong Bundy challenge Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship inside a steel cage. Oh, how I miss that blue cage. The buildup was fine as Hogan had to battle this monster, a formula that Vince would use for years. But the match wasn’t great, even if Hogan bucked the odds (and fought through that rib injury) to defeat Bundy by escaping the cage, which naturally sent the crowd home happy, including those watching around the country on closed-circuit television.
However, there was a better option for the main event, and while the feud did take place later that year, an opportunity was missed. In just a year, Paul Orndorff had gone from the main event of WrestleMania to jerking the curtain in New York, battling Don Muraco to a double countout in a match that went barely four minutes. He went on to battle Hogan in some epic matches later in 1986 in what turned out to be the best feud of the year, and it’s a shame that WrestleMania 2 couldn’t be the setting for the culmination of it.
In that later feud, Orndorff turned face and teamed up with Hogan on multiple occasions before eventually turning on him. In my eyes, Orndorff could have turned face soon after the original WrestleMania, saying he didn’t want to be aligned with Piper anymore. After taking the pin, he wanted to be on the winning side, which is why he joined up with Hogan. He could lure him in and lure him in and then do the turn, saying that it was embarrassing losing the first-ever main event at WrestleMania and he wanted to make things right by challenging Hogan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 2. The story obviously worked later on and could have been bumped up to give us a better main event.
WrestleMania III
Actual main event: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant
There was absolutely no way in the world that I was going to change this one. While there have certainly been better matches, there is still no bigger match in professional wrestling history than the main event of WrestleMania III that saw Andre the Giant battle Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship.
The build for this was done so beautifully. Hulk Hogan had been the WWE Champion for three years and had beaten everyone thrown in front of him. However, there was one man that he had never beaten and one man that hadn’t been beaten in 15 years, which is actually inaccurate but nobody needed to know that at the time. That, of course, was Hogan’s best friend and mentor, Andre the Giant.
While Hogan was given a trophy for being champ for three years, Andre was given a smaller trophy for his accomplishments, which led him to turn heel and hire Bobby “The Brain” Heenan as his manager. Adding Heenan to the mix was genius, and the Piper’s Pit segment that saw Andre rip Hogan’s shirt and crucifix from his body was fantastic.
On March 29, 1987, more than 93,000 people filed into the Pontiac Silverdome to watch this epic main event, and for what WWE needed at the time, the match delivered. Andre had the upper hand for the majority of the match, but Hogan fought back and delivered the “bodyslam heard around the world” as he defeated Andre in the biggest match in WWE history. WrestleMania III is the event that really took WWE into the mainstream, and from top to bottom, including the classic that was Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, there’s not a thing I would change about that night.
WrestleMania IV
Actual main event: Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase
What the main event should have been: Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase
In a perfect world, I would have gone with a rematch of Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage here. Their match at WrestleMania III is still one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history (some would even call it the best of all time), and them winding up in the finals of the WWE Championship tournament would have been epic. However, Steamboat was essentially on his way out of WWE at the time, so I just couldn’t justify doing that.
Therefore, I’ve decided to keep the main event of WrestleMania IV what it was, Randy Savage vs. Ted Dibiase for the vacant WWE Championship. Some would say that Hogan vs. Dibiase would have made for the better ending to the drama surrounding that storyline, but this was the right call. Hogan had been champion for more than four years before losing the belt to Andre the Giant on The Main Event on Feb. 5, 1988, which was done to perfection. Andre then handed the belt to The Million Dollar Man, who had been trying to buy it from Hogan for months. That didn’t sit well with WWE President Jack Tunney, who vacated the title and created a 14-man tournament to crown a new champion.
Hogan and Andre would once again square off, but they battled to a double disqualification in the second round after receiving first-round byes. Hogan then threw his support to Savage, with whom he’d formed an unlikely alliance in the months leading up to the event, and actually helped Savage win the belt in the finals. Savage and Dibiase didn’t get a ton of time, but they put on a good match and told a great story. I still think Hogan stayed in the ring a little too long during Macho Man’s celebration, but Savage finally got his moment and ended up holding the WWE Championship for nearly a full year.
WrestleMania V
Actual main event: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan
What the main event should have been: Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan
To this day, the build to WrestleMania V is still my favorite storyline of all time, so I have to once again keep the main event from this show. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were easily the biggest stars in WWE in the late 1980s, and this was all done so brilliantly. After helping Savage win the title at WrestleMania IV, Hogan tagged with him to defeat Andre the Giant and Ted Dibiase at the inaugural SummerSlam event. Dubbed “The Mega-Powers,” Hogan and Savage were unstoppable as a duo but dissension rose when Hogan and Miss Elizabeth got a little too cozy for the Macho Man’s liking. It started at SummerSlam as a small thing, but by the time Survivor Series rolled around, it got worse.
After Savage took a vicious beating, Hogan saved the day and won the match for their team, but instead of tending to the Macho Man, he chose to celebrate with Liz more than he should have. Throw in the accidental elimination at the 1989 Royal Rumble and the stage was set for the turn, which finally happened on The Main Event as Hogan and Savage took on The Big Boss Man and Akeem. Savage was thrown from the ring and landed hard on Elizabeth. Honestly, go back and watch the bump she took. It’s actually quite impressive. Hogan then picked her up and carried her to the back, leaving Savage to fend for himself against The Twin Towers.
The Hulkster would return to the match, eventually winning it, but not before Savage slapped him in the face, grabbed his belt and walked out. The heat spilled over to the backstage area, and Savage accused Hogan of having eyes for Liz and not being man enough to just ask him for a title match. Macho Man then assaulted Hogan with the WWE Championship and left him laying. Such great stuff. This led to the tagline “The Mega-Powers Explode” at WrestleMania V, and Hogan went on to defeat Savage to regain the WWE Championship. The storytelling, during both the build and the match, was done so well, and this was easily the way to go here.
WrestleMania VI
Actual main event: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior
I don’t mean to keep copping out, and I promise I do have some changes coming up, but there would have been no better main event for WrestleMania VI than the one we got at the Skydome in Toronto. During this time in WWE, Hulk Hogan was still the most popular star, but The Ultimate Warrior was right on his heels. With the face paint, the crazy energy and the wildly ridiculous promos, he had become a major attraction in his own right and was riding high as the Intercontinental Champion, which actually did mean something back then.
So you’ve got two babyface megastars here that everyone wanted to see go at it, and the WWE Universe finally got that chance at the 1990 Royal Rumble. The Ultimate Warrior had entered at No. 21 and Hogan wasn’t too far behind at No. 25. The Hulkster quickly eliminated Jimmy Snuka and Haku, and Warrior threw out Tito Santana as Hogan threw out The Honky Tonk Man. A young Shawn Michaels came in at No. 26, but he was out in 12 seconds at the hands of Warrior, who also eliminated Rick Martel, leaving Warrior and Hogan as the only two in the ring.
The crowd went nuts for this, and while they only went at it for a short time, everyone knew there was something there. Hogan would eventually help eliminate Warrior and went on to win the match, but he then had to know if Hulkamania was the biggest force in WWE and “The Ultimate Challenge” was on. The main event at WrestleMania VI was never going to be a technical masterpiece, and it didn’t need to be. The atmosphere was electric, and for more than 22 minutes, Hogan and Warrior battled back and forth and told an amazing story in the ring. It was a match in which the outcome really was up in the air, and it was quite the shock when The Ultimate Warrior picked up a clean 1-2-3 on Hogan to win the WWE Championship.
WrestleMania VII
Actual main event: Sgt. Slaughter vs. Hulk Hogan
What the main event should have been: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage
See, I told you I had some changes coming. The product was just so good from 1987-1990 that it actually was hard to change anything. However, now that we’ve arrived at WrestleMania VII, it’s hard to get on board with any main event involving Sgt. Slaughter, even if Hulk Hogan played the hero once again.
Here’s my issue with the whole thing: So Sgt. Slaughter comes back to WWE and is now an Iraqi sympathizer. Okay, that seems to be a little much but we can roll with that. Hulk Hogan had always been the American hero — I mean, his theme song was called “Real American” — and with the real-life events of Desert Shield and Desert Storm taking place, someone in WWE had to stand up to this. Of course it’s going to be Hogan. But do we need the WWE Championship involved here? I think not.
Since losing it to The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI, Hogan hadn’t gone near the title picture. He had a program with Earthquake that went on way too long, and perhaps it seemed that we could get a Warrior vs. Hogan rematch in Los Angeles. However, the war started and all of this happened. Hogan could have saved the day without the title involved. However, it was Hogan, and with the Warrior experiment not going as well as Vince wanted it to, the belt went back to The Hulkster. Here’s what I would have done.
The Macho Man was adamant about getting a title shot from Warrior. But the champ would never do it, which is why he attacked Warrior during his title match with Slaughter at the Royal Rumble. Instead of Warrior losing that match, he still wins and retains the title. But he’s now furious with Savage and finally gives him the title match at WrestleMania, but only if Savage puts his career on the line. So we can have the same storyline and all of the amazing drama with Miss Elizabeth play out exactly the way it did. Slaughter, who is furious at the loss, defaces the American flag as he did in celebrating the title win and Royal Rumble winner Hogan can still save the day.
Hogan and Slaughter have the grudge match. Savage and Warrior have the title match. Hogan wins. Warrior wins. Hogan beats Warrior at SummerSlam in the rematch. Hogan has the title and Warrior is out the door, which is how it played out anyway.
WrestleMania VIII
Actual main event: Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice
What the main event should have been: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan
What I don’t want here is people to look at this and think that I didn’t or still don’t love the WWE Championship match we got from Randy Savage and Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII. If I’m keeping the entire card as is, that obviously should have gone on last and not that dumpster fire that was Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice that featured a run-in by Papa Shango. Just think about that for a minute … freaking Papa Shango causing a screwy finish in the WrestleMania main event. And he couldn’t even get down there on time, which made Sid have to kick out of the leg drop. Just awful. The Savage-Flair match was phenomenal but such a big opportunity was missed here.
Think about it. You’ve got arguably the two biggest icons professional wrestling had ever seen in Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. The Nature Boy had finally left WCW in 1991 to come to WWE and actually brought the Big Gold Belt with him. Hogan was the WWE Champion at the time and the story was just writing itself. Who was the best? Who was the real world champion? People had wanted to see this match for years, and it was finally going to happen. Flair costing Hogan the title at Survivor Series was a perfect lead-in, even if Hogan won it back a few days later but then had to vacate it due to all the controversy. Flair went on to win the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship, and it’s even better.
WWE even went so far as to name Hulk Hogan the number one contender on television, and the match seemed to be on. Not so fast. Apparently, reaction from Hogan-Flair matches on house shows was overwhelmingly negative and things were changed. Flair would now take on Savage and Hogan would take on Sid Justice, yet another big man he had problems with, starting at the Royal Rumble. WHAT??!! You’ve got Hogan and Flair and you’re going to let a couple of house shows dictate the main event of WrestleMania, a main event that was years in the making? You don’t think Hogan and Flair would have stepped it up for the biggest show of the year?
To this day, even the people involved still can’t understand why this didn’t happen, and I’m right there with them. Again, the Savage-Flair story was great and their match in Indianapolis was fantastic. But WrestleMania VIII had a chance to make history and it just didn’t happen. Flair and Hogan would finally meet in WCW at Bash in the Beach in 1994, and the match was fine. It just could have happened two years earlier on the grandest stage of ’em all, and that has to go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in WWE history.
WrestleMania IX
Actual main event: Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart/Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. Bret Hart
Widely regarded as the worst WrestleMania of all time, WrestleMania IX, the first outdoor ‘Mania, which took place at Caesars Place in Las Vegas, was an absolute train wreck. There’s only one good match on the card, in my opinion, that being the opener between Shawn Michaels and Tatanka, and the finish of the night was nuts.
So you had WWE Champion Bret Hart, who had essentially become the new face of WWE in the absence of names like Hogan and Warrior. Randy Savage had been knocked down to the announce booth for some reason and a new generation of stars was emerging, including Hart’s challenger for the night, Yokozuna. In a match that didn’t even get to 10 minutes, Mr. Fuji threw his famous salt in The Hitman’s eyes and Hart lost the title. Out of nowhere, Hogan, who had returned to the ring following a long hiatus earlier in the night in a tag match, came to the ring and, with Hart’s blessing, won the WWE Championship. Ummmm … what? Ridiculous.
What should have happened is this: Hogan could have come back a little earlier than he did. He could notice how things had changed and that he may be on the outside looking in at this new crop of stars. However, he thinks he’s got one more run as champ left in him and challenges Bret Hart to a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. It’s The Golden Era vs. The New Generation, and Bret truly becomes the face of WWE with a clean win as Hogan leaves WWE, which he would do a couple of months later anyway after dropping the title back to Yokozuna at King of the Ring, an honor he was supposedly supposed to do for Bret. So just have Hart beat him at ‘Mania and be done with it. It may not have completely saved the show, but it would have been something interesting at least.
WrestleMania X
Actual main event: Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart
What the main event should have been: Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage
A lot of people probably think that the amazing Ladder Match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon should have been for the WWE Championship as opposed to the Intercontinental Championship, but I’m not taking that route. Those two were exactly where they were supposed to be at this time and put on one hell of a show.
WrestleMania X was very strange. Bret Hart and Lex Luger simultaneously eliminated one another to end the 1994 Royal Rumble, and both were granted a WWE Championship match at Madison Square Garden. Luger won the right to go first, but to make things even, Bret had to fight his brother Owen to open the show, a match that was simply wonderful. Luger got himself disqualified in his match, and Hart went on to get his revenge on Yokozuna and win the WWE Championship in yet another average match.
Now, way down the card you had Randy Savage, one of the best WrestleMania performers in history, taking on Crush in a grudge match in the third bout of the night. There’s a travesty right there, but Vince wasn’t sold on the Macho Man as a wrestler anymore and he didn’t get much. What a shame. Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage as the main event of WrestleMania X could have been gold.
Okay, I’m going to break one of my rules here and pretend that my WrestleMania IX main event with Hogan and Hart actually happened. Hart is the face of WWE and has taken on all challengers put in front of him for the past year … everyone except Randy Savage, who himself is looking for one more shot at glory. He gets hot and goes on a nice winning streak and is finally confident enough to challenge for the WWE Championship one more time. But Hart is standing in the way and the two put on a fantastic main event with The Hitman coming out on top.
WrestleMania XI
Actual main event: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor
What the main event should have been: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart
You don’t know how close I was to just writing “anything else” for this one. I do believe there’s a place for celebrity matches at WrestleMania, as it does bring some nice mainstream media attention to the event, but the freaking main event? Are you serious, Vince? Come on, man, you’re better than that. Okay, maybe not during this rough transition period for WWE, but there’s still no place for this in the main event. So how did I fix it? Pretty simple actually.
The actual WWE Championship match for WrestleMania XI saw 1995 Royal Rumble winner Shawn Michaels battle Diesel in what turned out to be a decent match. Kevin Nash actually had quite a long run with the title, so it actually was hard to leave him out of my main event, but I would have gone with Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart here. The two had put on quite a show in the opening match at WrestleMania X and went on to have more great matches throughout 1994, including a great cage match at SummerSlam.
Bret would be out of the title picture for this event and took on former WWE Champion Bob Backlund in a very strange and awkward “I Quit” Match, while Owen found himself teaming up with Yokozuna to take on The Smoking Gunns for the tag titles. I think the story with Bret and Owen could have taken a small break from their program in late ’94 and resumed in early ’95, possibly getting into it at the Royal Rumble. One could have eliminated the other, and Owen always had the “I beat you last year at WrestleMania” card to play, and we likely would have gotten another five-star classic from these two.
Or a tag match where Bret and Owen reunite to take on Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms. I’m good either way.
WrestleMania XII
Actual main event: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
What the main event should have been: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Seeing as how the Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII pitting Bret Hart against Shawn Michaels is one of the best WrestleMania main events in history, and one of the best matches in the event’s storied history, it’s hard to think of anything else that could have been better than this.
Bret Hart had established himself as one of the greatest singles competitors in the history of WWE, but always standing right behind him was Shawn Michaels, another tag team specialist that was just itching for his turn at the top. HBK had held the Intercontinental Championship on multiple occasions and gotten some opportunities at the WWE Championship but just hadn’t quite broken through. That all changed at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California on March 31, 1996.
After winning his second consecutive Royal Rumble, Michaels earned the right to challenge The Hitman at WrestleMania, and the stakes got even higher when it was announced that the two would take part in a one-hour match, a match that only these two could pull off at the time, at least in WWE anyway.
This match was an instant classic. For 60 minutes, Shawn and Bret battled back and forth, and while some people don’t like the pace of the first 40 minutes (which I don’t mind at all as you’ve got to save something for the end), the final third of this match was phenomenal. With zero pinfalls or submissions at the end of an hour, the match was initially called a draw. However, that didn’t sit well with WWE President Gorilla Monsoon, and he ordered a restart. Michaels took advantage, and after just a couple of minutes, hit some Sweet Chin Music to win his first WWE Championship. Not changing a bit of what happened here.
WrestleMania 13
Actual main event: The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid
What the main event should have been: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart
Much like I had to make a decision regarding WrestleMania VIII, I had a hard time deciding on what to do here given the fact that the Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin match is one of the best in WrestleMania history and helped Austin jump to that next level. With that being said, however, Austin wasn’t quite ready for the main event just yet, so I’ve got to go with the match that was supposed to happen in this slot. That’s Bret Hart taking on Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in a rematch from their classic at WrestleMania XII. And seriously, another main event for Sid? No thanks. He and ‘Taker could have had their big man battle on the undercard and that would have been fine. But the final match of the night? Yeah, I don’t think so.
As for Shawn Michaels, he wasn’t even on this card as he was supposedly out of action due to a knee injury. There’s certainly plenty of conspiracy theories on this one, as many people think that he faked the injury so he didn’t have to drop the title back to Bret. There was plenty of real-life animosity between the two, which we saw plenty of later in 1997, but the two always had amazing chemistry in the ring and are responsible for some of the great matches on the decade. Getting another at WrestleMania 13 would have been quite the treat.
The rivalry was always there but fully came back around when Michaels, as the special guest referee, actually helped Hart win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam by accidentally hitting The Undertaker with a chair. This led to the first-ever Hell in a Cell Match, and “The Montreal Screwjob” came soon after that. Perhaps had Shawn dropped the title back to Bret in the first place, that whole thing may never have happened. In the same vein, however, we also wouldn’t have gotten Hart vs. Austin in Chicago, so perhaps it’s better that things turned out the way they did.
WrestleMania XIV
Actual main event: Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin
What the main event should have been: Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin
As WrestleMania XIV rolled around, things had definitely changed in WWE. Needing to compete with WCW, Vince got bold and took things in a completely different direction from what we loved from The Golden Era and kicked off The Attitude Era. While there’s never been an official date for when it started, I’d say that the double-turn of Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart kicked things off, and by the time Austin got to Boston to battle Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship, he had become WWE’s biggest attraction. With HBK heading out the door, there was only one match to have for the main event, and it’s the one we got.
Michaels was in a lot of pain after further injuring his back in a Casket Match against The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble, but he found a way to get to WrestleMania and while this was never going to be his greatest match, he made sure that people still got their money’s worth. With special enforcer Mike Tyson at ringside, Austin and HBK put on a very solid match. Even with the outcome never in doubt, it was still entertaining to watch this passing of the torch, even if Shawn wasn’t overly happy about.
The two told a good story in the ring, and Shawn was able to get 20 minutes out of his body before leaving WWE. His next match wouldn’t come for more than four years, but unlike someone else that wouldn’t drop the title on his way out of the company, Michaels took a Stunner and Tyson came in to count the 1-2-3. The Austin era had begun.
WrestleMania XV
Actual main event: The Rock vs. Steve Austin
What the main event should have been: The Rock vs. Steve Austin
I could have done without some of the ridiculous build to the main event at WrestleMania XV, including Vince McMahon winning the 1999 Royal Rumble and The Big Show debuting from under the ring at St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (or that entire match for that matter), but Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock was definitely the right call to headline the biggest show of the year.
In the year leading to this match, The Rock really came into his own as a legitimate main event player, and he has obviously gone on to find some other success. The exact opposite of Austin, The Rock became WWE Champion in the perfect way at Survivor Series, and he and Mick Foley engaged in some epic battles in the months following, including Austin costing Rock the title on that now-famous episode of RAW to kick off 1999 and The Great One winning it back at the Royal Rumble after blasting Mick Foley with a chair way too many times in the head. While some think Foley may have deserved a spot in the main event that didn’t include a referee’s shirt, Austin was the biggest thing in wrestling, and there was no way he wasn’t going to win his title back at WrestleMania XV.
As for the match itself, it wasn’t the greatest of their three encounters on the biggest stage, but it was still a very entertaining bout, even with the “No Disqualification” stipulation attached to it, which naturally brought on some outside interference. But that was the era and it worked nicely with Austin overcoming the odds to once again become WWE Champion.
WrestleMania 2000
Actual main event: The Rock vs. Triple H vs. The Big Show vs. Mick Foley
What the main event should have been: Triple H vs. The Rock
Outside of a couple of matches (Triangle Ladder Match & Benoit vs. Jericho vs. Angle), WrestleMania 2000 was a bit of a train wreck. Of the nine matches on the card, only one was a one-on-one affair, and that was a “Catfight” between The Kat and Terri Runnels with Val Venis as the special guest referee. If you don’t remember that match, do yourself a favor and don’t go back and watch it. It’s one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history and set back the women’s division quite a bit.
The main event that night was a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match for the WWE Championship with Triple H defending against The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show, with each competitor having a McMahon in his respective corner — and it was not a good idea. The Big Show was just sort of there and was eliminated in less than five minutes, and Mick Foley had lost a retirement match not long before the event and was thrown in by Linda. I suppose Foley getting a main event was a good thing, but he ended up once again losing to Triple H during the match, so why do it? Just have The Rock and Triple H, who’ve had one of the great rivalries in WWE history, have a one-on-one match to close the show and be done with it.
The two put on a great show after Show and Foley were out so I suppose that’s what it became anyway, but the focus was more on the McMahon family drama so it just didn’t matter, did it? Not shockingly, Vince went back to being a heel and helped Triple H retain. Yawn. The Rock and Triple H were fully capable of telling a good story on their own, but this was a casualty of the time. It was all about getting to Monday night and the main event of WrestleMania suffered for it.
WrestleMania X-Seven
Actual main event: The Rock vs. Steve Austin
What the main event should have been: The Rock vs. Steve Austin
After the debacle the year before, WrestleMania X-Seven made up for it and is regarded by many as the best WrestleMania in history, even if it did include a three-minute battle royal that was won by The Iron Sheik.
All kidding aside, the event was fantastic and there’s not really much that anyone could change here, including the main event, which was the second WrestleMania meeting between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. This was the best of their three encounters and one of the best main events in WrestleMania history, perhaps even of the best matches in WrestleMania history, even if it wasn’t the match of the night. That honor goes to the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match with The Dudleys, The Hardys and Edge & Christian.
As it was two years prior, The Rock came into the main event as WWE Champion and once again would not leave that way. Austin, who had earned the title shot by winning his third Royal Rumble, was obsessed with winning back the title, a title he hadn’t held for nearly 18 months. Austin and Rock put on a classic, going back and forth and trading finishers, but neither man could seal the deal. After a while, Vince McMahon, who himself had been involved in a fantastic match earlier in the night with Shane, made his way to the ring, and it seemed we were going to get a revival of the Austin vs. McMahon feud. But in a nice swerve, Stone Cold and Vinnie Mac were on the same side and worked together to dethrone The Rock. Nice touch to a great match. It’s fun to pull something off that nobody expects, and Austin turning heel certainly was a surprise.
WrestleMania X8
Actual main event: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
What the main event should have been: Hulk Hogan vs. Steve Austin
This is another of those positions where I find myself in a little bit of trouble. The roster was full of people that could have taken part in the main event. There was Chris Jericho, who was already a star but became a megastar by becoming the first Undisputed WWE Champion after beating Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night. There was Triple H, who had returned from that career-threatening quad injury to win the Royal Rumble. I actually don’t have a problem with those two in the main event. It was a good story but it actually didn’t need the title.
There was Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and of course, The Rock. I think The Undertaker and Ric Flair was the right call as it was a bit of a dream WrestleMania match in itself, and it was great. Angle was a bit wasted in a match with Kane, but it was decent enough. Then there’s Dwayne, who could have gone in with anyone and looked great. Obviously, we got the dream match with Hulk Hogan that turned out to be one of the most iconic matches in WrestleMania history. With that being said, however, I think there was a chance here to pit the biggest star of The Golden Era against the biggest star of the Attitude Era: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Hulk Hogan. And it never happened, not even after WrestleMania. Sure, we got them in the ring in a tag match during the build to Toronto, but that’s clearly not the same.
Austin vs. Hogan actually was the plan from what I understand, but Austin just wasn’t into it. He didn’t feel that the two could have a good match as he felt he would have had to slow down due to Hogan’s age, and he was then placed into an average match with Scott Hall that’s very easy to forget. Sure, some of you may not think that Hogan deserves a main event spot here, but give the reaction from the Toronto crowd, I think they would disagree. And yes, everything turned out just fine as Rock and Hogan brought the house down, even if the match wasn’t a technical masterpiece.
Austin and Hogan likely wouldn’t have had the best match of all time, but can you imagine the crowd for this? They were hot enough for Rock and Hogan, but Hogan and Austin would have been off the charts. Arguably the two biggest stars in WWE history battling for the WWE Championship, which easily could have been put back on Austin at any time, would have been unreal.
WrestleMania XIX
Actual main event: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
What the main event should have been: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle may not have been the best match of WrestleMania XIX, but it was definitely the right call to close the show. The match of the night goes to Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, a match that could have just as easily been the main event, but those two didn’t need the belt to do what they did, much like Austin and The Rock didn’t need it for their grudge match. Sure, either of those could have been for a world title, but both succeeded without it.
It’s not that Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar needed the WWE Championship to make their story work as both had amazing amateur backgrounds, and you could have built a grudge match based on that. But with their history of winning and the rise of Brock Lesnar in the time leading to WrestleMania XIX, it was just another step, and a title match at WrestleMania was right in line with what they were doing with him.
Lesnar had won the Royal Rumble, and the build for the match with Angle was really fun and the match itself was as well. There was no way these two were going to disappoint. This was when Lesnar was still beatable and not the dominant, sometimes boring force he’s become in the majority of his matches these days. He was a whirlwind of athleticism, and being in there with a guy like Kurt Angle didn’t hurt. They put on a clinic that was so enjoyable to watch. Okay, Lesnar might have gotten a little too overzealous with that Shooting Star Press from WAY too far away, but he was still able to recover and pick up the victory.
WrestleMania XX
Actual main event: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit
What the main event should have been: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit
There is absolutely nothing I would change about the main event from WrestleMania XX. I’m not normally for multi-man matches headlining the biggest show of the year, but this was absolutely brilliant from start to finish, and that includes the build as well.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels obviously have plenty of history. They’re responsible for some of the biggest moments and best matches in WWE history, and putting them in the ring against one another was always gold. Beginning with Shawn’s return to WWE in 2002, these two engaged in a program that lasted nearly two years. Michaels had won and lost the World Heavyweight Championship and was trying desperately to get it back from Triple H but just couldn’t get it done. The two battled to a draw on an episode of RAW in late 2003, and then again as neither man could answer the 10-count in their Last Man Standing bout at the Royal Rumble.
That same night, Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble from the No. 1 position and went on to choose Triple H as the man he wanted to face at WrestleMania XX. However, Michaels still felt he deserved another shot, and after some Sweet Chin Music to Benoit, he signed his name to the contract and the match was eventually made into a Triple Threat. Really fun stuff.
As for the actual match, it was one of the greatest three-way bouts I’ve ever seen. Everyone got time to shine, and it didn’t have that typical Triple Threat feel to it where someone is resting way to much while the others do the work. They were all engaged and Benoit winning and celebrating with Eddie Guerrero remains one of the most rewarding WrestleMania celebrations of all time. It’s unfortunate on so many levels that this (understandably) will never get the recognition it deserves from WWE.
WrestleMania 21
Actual main event: Triple H vs. Batista
What the main event should have been: Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
WrestleMania 21 was a bit of a changing of the guard. A new generation of stars was on the horizon with both John Cena and Batista winning their first-ever world titles on that night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Cena ended the 280-day reign of JBL and went on to hold the WWE Championship for 280 days of his own … and then had another 15 world title reigns after that.
As for Batista, he ended the World Heavyweight Championship reign of Triple H in a battle of former Evolution stablemates, but neither match was really noteworthy. Sure, the booking decisions were correct, but there was no real drama and nothing spectacular at all. What I would have done is take the title off of either JBL or Triple H and put it on Kurt Angle. JBL never felt like a world champ (to me, anyway), and the Triple H-Batista program didn’t need a belt.
So we’ve got the title on Kurt Angle, and not that they needed a belt to make this thing work, but closing WrestleMania 21 with Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels would have been amazing. I remember when this match was put together and how excited I was to see these two go at it at the biggest show of the year. HBK and Angle are easily two of the best in-ring performers in WWE history, and putting them on last should have been the call. Their match was the longest of the night and easily the best of the night. That says main event to me.
WrestleMania 22
Actual main event: John Cena vs. Triple H
What the main event should have been: Triple H vs. Kurt Angle
By the time WrestleMania 22 rolled around to Chicago, John Cena had essentially become a made man. WWE saw a star in him, decided to run with it and never looked back. And I’ve got no problem with that. However, I just think there was a missed opportunity here.
No, this is not a Cena-bashing as I think he’s one of the biggest superstars in WWE history and is wildly underrated in the ring by most people. So just take that out of your head. I think there was plenty of time to headline these events and even thought the match between he and Triple H was way better than I anticipated, I would have liked to see Triple H and Kurt Angle close the night.
Sure, Angle was already involved in the other world title match of the night with Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio, who got his big WrestleMania moment that night at the Allstate Arena, but with all of the history between these two, I find it a shame that they never had a match at WrestleMania. Cena could have been involved in that other match, even it meant that Rey never won that title, which he never should have anyway. Yeah, go ahead and yell at me on that one. I’ll defend my position on that all day long. But I digress.
This turned out to be Kurt Angle’s last WrestleMania match until his match at WrestleMania 34, and perhaps the reason he lost his title or wasn’t put in the main event is because he was on his way down the card. Creative tried to make him the face of the new ECW, but that was never going to work. Angle was gone that August. I suppose it takes Triple H’s wife and an MMA star to make the match I wanted in 2006.
WrestleMania 23
Actual main event: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
What the main event should have been: John Cena vs. The Undertaker
Speaking of matches that should have happened at WrestleMania a long time ago, there’s the matter of John Cena vs. The Undertaker, which should have replaced Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. Don’t get me wrong, I was very happy to see Shawn Michaels back in the main event at a WrestleMania, but he was actually a fill-in for Triple H, who was supposed to have his rematch against Cena that night but suffered another quad injury earlier that year that put him on the shelf. Cena and Michaels then became tag champs and put on a good match at Ford Field, but it all seemed a bit forced. Their better match came a few weeks later on RAW.
As for the other world title match that night, The Undertaker, who had finally won a Royal Rumble, took on Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, and they actually put on a much better match than I would have thought they could. However, I still believe that this was the time to put Cena and ‘Taker in there for the main event. Cena had become the biggest star in the company, and The Deadman hadn’t been in the final match of the night at WrestleMania since that monstrosity with Sid a decade earlier. And I’m not saying that with a brand split that the Royal Rumble winner should always be in the final match of the night, but it just made sense here.
The promos here could have been fantastic. ‘Taker could say that his career had been rejuvenated and that he was ready to face the challenge that was the new face of the company. As someone who’d pretty much beaten every major star the company had seen, including Hogan, Flair, Rock, Austin, Triple H, etc., he was now ready to take down the new face that runs the place and all of that. Yes, I know Cena wasn’t using that yet, so don’t get ahead of yourselves and yell at me for that. But the story was there and it was a waste not to take advantage of it here.
WrestleMania XXIV
Actual main event: Edge vs. The Undertaker
What the main event should have been: Edge vs. The Undertaker
So The Undertaker wasn’t given the final match of the night the year before, even after winning the Royal Rumble, and it was decided that he would battle Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship in the final match of the night in Orlando and it was the right move.
Yes, there were other options on at night at the Citrus Bowl. In the other world title match of the night (that’s right, I refuse to acknowledge that travesty of a ECW Championship, especially when that match literally lasted 11 seconds), Randy Orton defended the WWE Championship against John Cena and Triple H. But again, I like the one-on-one affair at the end of the night, so I’m glad they kept this away from the end of the night. Then you had the emotional retirement match featuring Ric Flair against Shawn Michaels. However, with no title on the line, it was perfect where it was.
Edge had really come into his own and had become one of the best heels in the business, and while a program with The Undertaker didn’t seem like an ideal fit, the two ended up having the best feud of the year in 2008, and this match was extremely entertaining. For nearly 25 minutes, the two went back and forth, and for a while, it actually seemed like Edge could actually break the undefeated streak. However, The Phenom was able to pick up WrestleMania win number 16 and win the Big Gold Belt.
The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania
Actual main event: Triple H vs. Randy Orton
What the main event should have been: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
While the match certainly didn’t live up to what a main event of WrestleMania shoul dbe, especially the 25th anniversary edition, the build to the WWE Championship battle between Triple H and Randy Orton was really personal and really enjoyable. But the match now just exists as is. The ending was really abrupt and the show was just over. The real highlight of the night came a few matches earlier in the form of Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, and it’s widely considered to be one of (if not the best) matches in WrestleMania history. It just should have been the main event.
When Shawn Michaels came back to WWE in 2002, he and The Undertaker didn’t really cross paths. That changed at the 2008 Royal Rumble when the two former rivals were the final two men in the Royal Rumble match, and we saw the magic that the two had more than a decade earlier. ‘Taker would go on to win, and the two ended up being the first two entrants in the Rumble in 2009. Everyone was waiting for these two to finally square off once again in a one-on-one matchup, and WrestleMania XXV proved to be that venue. It just baffles me on how this wasn’t the final match of the night.
It’s very easy to put a title on one of these guys. It really is, especially when there are two to choose from. Here’s my thing. This a big WrestleMania anniversary. You have a guy that was undefeated in 16 WrestleMania appearances in The Undertaker and a guy in Shawn Michaels that has a “Mr. WrestleMania” nickname. And they’re not the main event? Sorry, not buying it.
WrestleMania XXVI
Actual main event: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
What the main event should have been: John Cena vs. Edge
The Shawn Michaels-Undertaker saga continued at WrestleMania XXVI as the main event, and yes, it was the best match of the night. However, this one should not have been the main event. You know my stance here. With no title on the line, I don’t think that they should close the show. Ric Flair’s retirement match didn’t close the show. So why did Shawn Michaels get that treatment? I’m not saying he didn’t deserve it, but this wasn’t a title match.
If you want to put a title on ‘Taker and go with a title/streak vs. career type of thing, I’ve got no problem with that. It takes away from the build for this match but there’s still ways to make that happen. But had they put ‘Taker vs. HBK in about the same place that Michaels vs. Flair was, I would have been fine with that.
So my pick for the WrestleMania XXVI main event would have been John Cena vs. Edge for the WWE Championship. Both were actually title challengers at this event as Edge unsuccessfully challenged Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship and Cena beat Batista for the WWE Championship.
Both matches were entertaining enough, but as I felt with Kurt Angle and Triple H, I think that Cena and Edge always needed a one-on-one match for the title at a WrestleMania. The two were involved the year before in a Triple Threat with Big Show, but that wasn’t overly spectacular. Cena and Edge always delivered in the ring, and the storytelling was always done very well. A main event at WrestleMania would have added to that legacy and would have been the right call here.
WrestleMania XXVII
Actual main event: John Cena vs. The Miz
What the main event should have been: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
If we’re talking about rivals for John Cena, I certainly don’t put The Miz at the top of the list, even if the two have faced off at WrestleMania on two separate occasions, one of which was here at WrestleMania XXVII — which was just essentially a showcase for The Rock, who had returned to WWE to host the event after a long hiatus from the company. He got involved in the main event, cost Cena the title and set up the main event for the following year. Okay, they got their mainstream attention and the dream match but I never liked any of it. More on that in a bit.
If I’m looking Cena rivals, Randy Orton has to be right near the top of the list, and much like I said with Edge, I think it’s unfortunate that these two never got a one-on-one match at WrestleMania. Again, there was a Triple Threat, which featured Triple H at WrestleMania XXIV, but never a singles bout and that’s unfortunate. Orton did have himself a very good match at WrestleMania XXVII with CM Punk, but a world title bout with Cena would have been preferred. Throw The Miz in Orton’s spot there and I still think you get a good match and even better promos leading up to it.
Listen, I know that The Rock was good for business and it was nice to see him back. But just let him cut a promo or two and be done with it. I know they were setting things up for the following year but is it worth sabotaging a WrestleMania main event for a setup, something that could have been done the following Monday night? I think not. Get Orton in there and let him and Cena put on a show.
WrestleMania XXVIII
Actual main event: John Cena vs. The Rock
What the main event should have been: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho
“… the fact that Dwayne’s in the main event of WrestleMania next year and I’m not makes me sick.” These were the words of CM Punk as part of his famous “Pipebomb” promo during his epic run in the summer of 2011, and in my eyes, they were (and still are) insanely accurate. I’m not going to pretend to be the biggest Punk fan in the world, but he was very good at his job and did deserve a spot at the end of the night.
Yes, I’m aware that a match between The Rock and John Cena was a dream match for some, but I never wanted to see it. The Rock had chosen to leave WWE and do his thing in Hollywood and that’s great. He’s really good at what he does, but I wasn’t a fan of his return. The promos had gotten long-winded and I simply wasn’t entertained. I’m not saying that some of the build wasn’t fun, especially with Cena cutting him down to size, but again, I want a title match to close the show. Enter Chris Jericho and CM Punk.
These were two guys at the top of their game, and not only was their match that night in Miami better, their build was better as well. Jericho got extremely personal and things felt very real. Sure, there was the matter of the “best in the world” line, but bringing up the problems with Punk’s dad and sister proved why Jericho is one of the best heels of all time. Being no stranger to good mic work, Punk combated nicely and it set up the match beautifully. While I do think they could have done better with more time, they still put on a great show and it should have ended the card. This was part of Punk’s 434-day reign as WWE Champion and he deserved better.
WrestleMania NY/NJ
Actual main event: John Cena vs. The Rock
What the main event should have been: John Cena vs. CM Punk
So we’re now 434 days in to CM Punk’s WWE Championship reign, the longest run since Hulk Hogan’s first run with the title from 1984-1988, and he’s got a one-on-one match with The Rock at the Royal Rumble. He finally has a chance to headline WrestleMania and we all know what happened next. The Rock won the match and went on to once again face John Cena at WrestleMania 29, which was actually never called that but it’s better than that title you see above.
Okay, at least they involved the title for Cena (who won the 2013 Royal Rumble) and Rock at WrestleMania but I still don’t like the matchup. Punk held the title for more than a year and still wasn’t able to get to the main event? Come on, Vince. I know The Rock means dollars and all and you’re running a business but I still don’t like it. What I would have liked to see is a revisit of the CM Punk vs. John Cena rivalry from the summer of 2011, a rivalry that put on better matches than either of the Cena-Rock bouts we got in consecutive WrestleMania main events.
The story just writes itself. Punk could have still been complaining about not being in the main event the year before, and he had to go through The Rock. He beat the guy that John Cena couldn’t and now he was going to beat the biggest star in the company on the biggest stage. If they wanted to put the belt back on Cena, that’s fine. But at least give Punk that spot for once. Save Cena and The Rock for SummerSlam and go that route. Punk did end up having the best match at WrestleMania 29 in his battle with The Undertaker. Stealing the show probably felt good but it wasn’t the main event and he never made it to the next WrestleMania … at least in reality.
WrestleMania XXX
Actual main event: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista
What the main event should have been: Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk
Okay, this is the biggest rule I’m going to break. We all know that CM Punk left WWE following the 2014. So I guess he was still technically on the roster since he wasn’t officially released until months later. So maybe I’m not breaking my rules on this one, even if he obviously wasn’t on the WrestleMania XXX card. I also think that he would not have left if he was given even one of those main events I put him in. Outside of the injury issue that he brought up in Colt Cabana’s podcast when he finally addressed the situation, the disrespect shown by not including him in some big spots was a travesty and could have been avoided.
Whatever the situation, I would have put him in the main event of WrestleMania XXX against none other than Daniel Bryan. It’s true that Bryan’s battle with The Authority may not have gone down the way that it did, the storyline that really made Bryan’s career, but I’m willing to let that go to see these two guys go at it in the WrestleMania main event.
A main event like this isn’t usually what Vince goes for, but if he can get behind Daniel Bryan for a night, then throwing CM Punk in there shouldn’t have been a stretch. The Batista thing obviously didn’t go as well as anybody wanted it to, but I will give the big man credit for willing to take the submission to end the night. He should not have been there in the first place.
Punk could have regained the championship at some point in the year and Bryan should have won that Royal Rumble. That’s an easy setup and the payoff would have been beautiful. If only.
WrestleMania 31
Actual main event: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (vs. Seth Rollins)
What the main event should have been: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (vs. Seth Rollins)
I know I’ve said that I’m not the biggest fan of multi-person matches for the main event of WrestleMania, and outside of the Triple Threat at WrestleMania XX, I haven’t gone that route, but it’s hard for me to say that the main event of WrestleMania 31 wasn’t done perfectly. And it wasn’t a traditional Triple Threat anyway, so I’m good with it.
Seth Rollins had lost earlier in the night to Randy Orton via one of the most awesome RKOs in history and was seemingly done for the night, even if there was some suspicion that he might cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase later on. Had he done it or not, Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns closing out the night was the only way to go, even if I’m not the biggest fan of part-time guys in the main event at WrestleMania. But those two put on a very physical match, which we’re likely to see once again in New Orleans.
So you’ve got this brutality happening and it’s actually not clear which way things are going to go. Are they already going to give Roman the spotlight or is Brock going to retain? Well, neither. Rollins’ music hits as both men are on the ground and he makes that long run down the ramp and cashes in. Only it’s not as easy as it looks like it was going to be and he gets caught by Lesnar. But Reigns actually helps out his former Shield brethren and spears Lesnar before taking a Curb Stomp for the 1-2-3, and Rollins steals the win and the WWE Championship. Beautiful. Wouldn’t change a thing.
WrestleMania 32
Actual main event: Roman Reigns vs. Triple H
What the main event should have been: Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
WrestleMania 32 in Dallas was the biggest and longest show in the event’s history as 101,763 people in attendance and those watching on the WWE Network sat through a two-hour kickoff show and five hours of the main card, seven hours of programming that really didn’t feature anything spectacular.
The Zack Ryder moment was pretty cool but the match wasn’t great. Jericho and Styles was good but the booking didn’t make much sense. The legends couldn’t make up for a lackluster match with The New Day and The League of Nations. Lensar and Ambrose was a waste. The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon match went on way too long, and the battle royal was won by an NXT guy. Okay, there was some sizzle and flair, including that “match” with The Rock and the Cena stuff afterward, but it was a lot of style with little substance.
As for the main event, Triple H should have been nowhere near it and should not have been WWE Champion. But if you want to do that, keep it out of the main event. The match between Trips and Roman Reigns was not particularly good and the outcome was never in doubt. As for what should have happened, I think WWE had a chance to do something here and missed it. The women’s revolution was in full swing, and with the debut of the new WWE Women’s Championship, this was the chance to put the women in the main event — and they didn’t do it. Yes, it would have been a gamble, but if they were going to put them in the center of a lot of the promotional materials and in the center of the picture outside the stadium, give them the spotlight.
You had Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, three women who had proved they belonged in this match and they could have handled that moment. You know how I know that? They had the best match of the night anyway.
WrestleMania 33
Actual main event: Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker
What the main event should have been: Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
WrestleMania 33 was very strange. And I’m not just talking about the creepy images from the Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt match. It was quite a shock when the WWE Universal Championship Match between Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg didn’t go on last, which told us that Roman Reigns and The Undertaker were closing things out. Again, with no title, I wasn’t happy with it.
I will say that I let that go for just a second when ‘Taker did what he did. The gloves and the hat and the coat and the whole thing was pretty cool and something he maybe deserved. But if Flair didn’t get that treatment and HBK didn’t get that treatment, then maybe he shouldn’t either. What’s worse is that obviously wasn’t even his last match, which makes the whole thing quite the shame. So what would I have done?
Well, if that wasn’t going to be his last match, then don’t have him pass the torch to Reigns. In fact, just keep Reigns away from him and let’s get that Shield Triple Threat that should have never been relegated to a “B” pay-per-view. All three members were healthy as Seth Rollins took on Triple H and Dean Ambrose had an Intercontinental Championship match with Baron Corbin on the kickoff show (ouch), so let’s have Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose for a world title in the main event of WrestleMania. I still think we may get that one day.
Next: Ranking the 25 biggest stars in Monday Night RAW history
So there you have it. What do you think? Do you agree with what I’ve done here? What would you change? Please feel free to join in the conversation in the comments section below.