The Top Ten 3.06.07: Wrestlemania Performers

10) Edge
The Rated R Superstar has made his mark in every Wrestlemania he’s been a part of by having the second longest win streak ever at Wrestlemania. The streak started at WM16 when along with his partner, Christian, he was able to win the first triangle ladder match to capture the WWE Tag Team Titles. The next year, the Canadian duo did it again by winning the tag titles in the show stealing TLC II match. At Wrestlemania 18, Edge ventured out on his own and won his first singles match at WM against Booker T. Edge sat out WM 19 and 20 due to injury, but came back with a bang at WM21 by winning the first ever Money in The Bank ladder match. The next year, Edge would top that performance and steal the show with Mick Foley at WM22 in an extremely vicious hardcore brawl. Edge is also part of two of the most famous images ever from Wrestlemania. The first was his awesome spear from a ladder about 15 feet in the air which sent Jeff Hardy crashing to the mat below. The second was his spear to Mick Foley through the ropes, which sent him FACE FIRST into fire. Edge still seems to have a long career ahead of him and he continues with performances like these, he’s bound to be a Wrestlemania legend.

9) Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold debuted at Wrestlemania 12 in a damn good match against Savio Vega which he of course won through NEFARIOUS MEANS. Bigger things were in store for Austin the next year, though, as he participated in one of the greatest ‘Mania matches ever against Bret Hart at WM13. The submission match turned Stone Cold from despised heel to beloved face and the image of blood pouring down his face as he refuses to submit to The Sharpshooter is perhaps the most famous Wrestlemania image ever. His performance at WM13 turned him into the biggest star in the company and he rode that momentum into WM14 where he beat Shawn Michaels for his first WWE Title in a great match. He would then go on to beat The Rock in the main event of WM15 to regain the WWE Title in a wild brawl with numerous ref bumps. Austin would sit out WM16 due to injury, but would return the next year for one of the biggest main events in the history of Wrestlemania against The Rock. It was an intense match that saw a shocking ending when Stone Cold aligned himself with Mr. McMahon in order to ensure his title victory. The next year he had a forgettable match with Scott Hall, but he would make up for that the next year in his final match ever. At WM19, Austin faced off against The Rock and despite having numerous health issues, Austin was able to put on a very good match with Rocky that ended with The Rock finally getting a 3 count on Austin at Wrestlemania. It was only fitting that the event where Austin’s legacy began is the same event where he had his final match.

8) The Rock
The Rock made his debut at Wrestlemania in an infamously bad match against The Sultan, but Rocky would improve greatly in the coming years after that less than stellar display. His match against Ken Shamrock at WM14 was passable and went leaps and bounds in helping to establish The Rock’s heel persona (especially when holding up his IC title belt when being stretchered out). The next year, he really stepped his game up in an entertaining brawl with Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event of Wrestlemania XV. At Wrestlemania 2000 (or 16 to us normal people) he was once again in the main event, this time in a 4-way elimination match along with HHH, Mick Foley and The Big Show for the WWE Title. Some people despise this match, but I actually really enjoyed it and thought it was a great match that truly showcased the talents of The Rock and HHH, which would be later featured in bouts between the two. Rock then had one of the greatest matches of his career the next year in the main event of WM17 against Stone Cold. The match was a wild, out-of-control brawl that featured the shocking heel turn of Austin at the end and it will always be known as one of the best Wrestlemania main events of all time. The Rock then had perhaps the biggest match of his career the next year at Wrestlemania 18 when he faced off against Hulk Hogan in what would become a resurrection of Hulk’s career and a big notch in the cap of The Great One as he defeated the biggest icon ever in the wrestling business. The epic feud between The Rock and Austin was concluded the next year when The Rock FINALLY beat Austin in a match at Wrestlemania by giving him three Rock Bottoms. The Rock made his final Wrestlemania appearance at WM XX when he teamed up with Mick Foley to take on Batista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair in what turned out to be one of the most entertaining matches on a card stacked with great matchups. The Rock has obviously cemented his status as one of the best ever and his performances at Wrestlemania helped bring him to that plateau.

7) Macho Man Randy Savage
The Macho Man was a staple at Wrestlemania during its early years and was a part of the first truly great match at ‘Mania. No, I’m not talking about his clash with George “The Animal” Steele at WM2, but rather a year later when he had one of the greatest matches in the history of the WWE against Ricky Steamboat. The feud between The Macho One and The Dragon was a heated one and the rivalry reached a fever point heading into WM3. In front of the largest audience ever in Wrestlemania history, the two men would put on a classic match that is just as good today as it was during its original showing. Macho Man would then put on perhaps the most impressive performance ever in ‘Mania’s history the next year when he won FOUR matches in route to becoming the new WWE Champion after winning a tournament for the title. The next year would see The MegaPowers explode as The Macho Man and Hulk Hogan faced off in one of the biggest main events in Wrestlemania history. Let’s all just forget about the mixed tag match that occurred at WM6 and instead fast forward to WM7 where Macho had a fantastic match against The Ultimate Warrior in a retirement match and had one of the greatest moments ever in WM history when he reunited with the lovely Elizabeth after the match. Savage would then face off against The Nature Boy, Ric Flair, for the WWE Title the next year at WM8 and when seeing the participants in the match, you already know that it was an unbelievable match. Savage would take a break the next year to do commentating duties, but would return to the ring at WM10 to face Crush in a Falls Count Anywhere match that was a silly, albeit fun encounter. The Macho Man was one of the men that helped put Wrestlemania on the map and you knew when you saw Macho enter the ring at WM that you were going to be in for a show.

6) Triple H
The Game didn’t start off well in his Wrestlemania debut, losing to a returning Ultimate Warrior in an absolute squash. Things got better the next year for Trips in an entertaining match against Goldust and even better the year after that in the sleeper match of the night against Owen Hart at WM14. His match with Kane at WM15 was forgettable, but his heel turn against X-Pac later that night helped cement him as a big time heel. He would go on later that year to win his first world title and, despite a brief loss of the title to The Big Show, would carry it with him into WM16 where he won the elimination 4-way main event and became the first heel to ever win a Wrestlemania main event. He then went on the next year to have a fantastic match against The Undertaker at WM17 and followed that up the next year by regaining the WWE Title in a highly underrated match against Chris Jericho. He was in another highly underrated match the next year against Booker T at WM19. There would be no dispute about the quality of the match he was in the next year, though, as the triple threat match at WM20 between The Game, Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels is widely considered by many to be the best main event in Wrestlemania history. He then had a highly unexpected good match the next year at WM21 against Batista, which would be the big man’s first great match. The main event at next year’s Wrestlemania would see Trips take on John Cena in a match that featured one of the most insane crowds I’ve ever seen at any Wrestlemania. The crowd’s hatred for Cena took over the match and the result was a truly unforgettable match and atmosphere. The Game can always be counted on to deliver on the biggest stage of them all and it’s a shame that he won’t be able to participate in this year’s event as he would have most likely given us another great match.

5) Hulk Hogan
Come on, the man is synonymous with Wrestlemania. The first Wrestlemania was built on Hogan’s feud with Roddy Piper and the overwhelming success of that first Wrestlemania is what led it to becoming the biggest date on any wrestling fan’s calendar. Wrestlemania is also where The Hulkster has had his greatest matches. His clash with Andre The Giant at WM3 still lives in wrestling lore. His match against Macho Man at WM5 was an excellent culmination to a great feud. His match against The Ultimate Warrior was an unexpected classic and still remains one of the best ‘Mania main events ever. He had a solid match with Sgt. Slaughter at WM7 and after a few lackluster matches at WM8 and WM9, he bolted for WCW and it seemed like Hogan’s Wrestlemania legacy was over. That all changed nine years later when The Hulkster returned to the ‘E and his first Wrestlemania match back was against The Rock. These two had an unbelievable match that will go down as one of the most memorable matches ever at ‘Mania. Hulk would then face off against Mr. McMahon the next year in a match that was 20 years in the making and it was more fun than any match between two senior citizens had any right to be. That would be it for Hogan’s in-ring Wrestlemania career (for now) and there is no denying that without Hulk Hogan, we probably wouldn’t even know what the hell a Wrestlemania is.

4) Kurt Angle
Our Olympic Hero’s debut at the granddaddy of them all didn’t turn out all that greatly as he lost both the European and Intercontinental titles to Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, respectively. Kurt would get some retribution for that loss the next year when he defeated Chris Benoit in a classic match at WM17. Kurt then faced off against The Big Red Machine, Kane, the next year at WM18 and had a really good match with the monster and proved that Angle could indeed be called upon to carry just about anyone to a great match. Angle would be matched up against somebody more his own speed in the main event of the next year’s Wrestlemania and that opponent would be Brock Lesnar. Despite having some serious health concerns (to the point that Angle was originally scrapped for the show) Angle gutted it out and produced one of the most technically sound matches ever at Wrestlemania. At WM20, he had another great match against Eddie Guerrero and would top that effort the next year when he had an extraordinary match against Shawn Michaels. Kurt would then finish up his Wrestlemania career at WM22 in a great, although short, match against Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio before bolting for TNA. Kurt could always be counted on to deliver the goods at Wrestlemania and I know that I for one will miss seeing him on the biggest wrestling show of the year.

3) Bret Hart
I originally was going to place The Hitman lower on this list until I realized that he hasn’t only been involved in some of the greatest matches ever at Wrestlemania, but those matches at WM were some of the greatest matches ever PERIOD. During his early years at Wrestlemania as a member of The Hart Foundation, Bret didn’t really have a chance to stand out despite having some good showings at WM3 and WM7. Once Bret became a singles wrestler, his star really started to shine bright at Wrestlemania. His match against Roddy Piper at WM8 for the Intercontinental title remains to this day one of the best non-gimmick matches over the IC title. His match against his brother Owen at WM10 is without a doubt the best opening match for any Pay-Per-View EVER. His Iron Man match against HBK at WM12 is perhaps the greatest pure technical match of all time. And his final WM match against Stone Cold Steve Austin in a submission match is on practically every wrestling fan’s list as one of the greatest matches ever. Bret’s legacy at Wrestlemania is without question and even though I loved his induction in the Hall Of Fame last year, I wish he would have showed up to WM22 the following night to get the reception he so richly deserved.

2) The Undertaker
14-0 at Wrestlemania. That pretty much says it all. The streak in itself is impressive, but the fact that ‘Taker has had some damn good matches while maintaining that streak is even more impressive. Even though he’s had some crapfests with the likes of King Kong Bundy, Big Bossman, and Giant Gonzalez, he has also had some great matches with Triple H, Diesal, Kane, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton. ‘Taker has created mythical status for himself at Wrestlemania and whether he wins or loses at this year’s event, there is no doubt that he will always be remembered for his remarkable Wrestlemania record.

1) Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels has never had a bad match at Wrestlemania. Think about that for a second. Shawn Michaels, who has been around since WM5, has NEVER had a bad match at Wrestlemania. Don’t believe me? His first few years at Wrestlemania, as part of The Rockers tag team, he had very good matches against teams like The Twin Towers (Big Bossman & Akeem), The Orient Express, and Haku & The Barbarian. The next year he made his singles debut against Tito Santana and even though that match was probably the worst of all his WM performances, it was still easily a 3 star match. At WM9, he faced off against Tatanka in the opening match and that match was the show stealer. Granted, they didn’t have much competition from the rest of the matches at WM9, but it was still a damn good match. At WM10, Shawn would of course have the now famous ladder match against Razor Ramon which instantly turned him into one of the biggest stars in the company. At WM11, he had a great match against Diesal and the following year he would realize his childhood dream by defeating Bret Hart in an Ironman match to win his first WWE Title. At WM14, Michaels would put on one of the gutsiest performances ever in the main event against Stone Cold Steve Austin by having a great match with him despite having a broken back. His back problems would keep The Showstopper out of action for the next four years, but he would return with a bang at WM19 in a fantastic match against Chris Jericho. At WM20 he would top that effort in the classic triple threat match against HHH and Chris Benoit. That would be impressive enough for anybody’s career, but then HBK put on yet ANOTHER classic match the next year at WM21 in the unbelievable match against Kurt Angle. Michaels then single handedly produced a great match against Mr. McMahon at WM22 as he bumped like a madman and did one of the craziest dives off of a ladder that I’ve ever seen. Michaels is simply MR. WRESTLEMANIA and I have all the confidence in the world that his match against Cena at this year’s Wrestlemania will be another classic encounter to put on his resume.

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