Best WWE WrestleMania Main Events

The main event of WrestleMania is one of the most prestigious spots a wrestler can ever hope to achieve in professional wrestling. The biggest match on the most star-studded and historic show in the entire history of the sport is always one that has the most eyes on it. Over the years, the quality of WrestleManias main events has certainly been up and down, with some matches delivering in a major way whilst others have severely underwhelmed.

TheSportster’s rating system will determine the very best of the best when it comes to WrestleMania’s main event matches. These ratings will be compared to those from cagematch.net and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

To learn more about how we rank wrestling matches on TheSportster, please check out our match ranking criteria guide here

UPDATE: 2024/04/17 17:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

WrestleMania 40 has now been and gone, and with it came one of the most memorable WrestleMania main events of all time during Night Two, as Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns had an era-defining clash. With this match now in the books, it makes sense to take a renewed look at the best WrestleMania main events ever, because this one certainly is up there. Additionally, we will take a look at some more of the best WrestleMania main events of all time, with several top stars and legends deserving recognition for creating defining moments on the Grandest Stage Of Them All.

13 Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (WWE WrestleMania 23)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.45

The story of both halves of the Tag Team Champions was an interesting dynamic, but it wasn’t perhaps a story worthy enough of a WrestleMania main event. The star power and chemistry of both men involved though was more than enough to make for it, as the two had a great back and forth clash for the WWE Championship. Cena’s no-selling was quite jarring, taking some quality away from this bout.

12 Shawn Michaels Vs. Bret Hart (WWE WrestleMania 12)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.06

This match is one of the most contentious in WWE history, with some people claiming it to be an all-time classic and some claiming it to be one of the most overrated matches ever. It is somewhere in the middle, with some strong crowd control, nice technical wrestling, and a good story, though it did drag in places, the pace wasn’t perfect, and one hour was, ultimately, too long. Either way, it is still a part of the conversation of the best WrestleMania main events of all time due to the impact it had and how special it was to see Michaels win his first WWE Championship.

11 Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns Vs. Seth Rollins (WWE WrestleMania 31)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.76

Although the babyface and heel dynamic was a mess, and despite Roman Reigns’ weird character work in this match, this was an electric main event that the crowd were on top form for. Lesnar looked dominant, Reigns put in a good performance in terms of in-ring work, and the moment of Seth Rollins cashing in was iconic.

This was far better than it had any right to be, and it was arguably the best match in the Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar series. It exceeded all expectations for sure.

10 Brock Lesnar Vs. Kurt Angle (WWE WrestleMania 19)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.56

Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle had always shown off phenomenal chemistry, and whilst this match at WrestleMania was still very strong, it wasn’t the best match they’d had together. It had a big fight feel, all the moves were hit with an extra amount of emphasis, but there was something about this that did lack some energy or spark.

The final stages though were iconic, even with Lesnar’s botched Shooting Star Press.

9 Roman Reigns Vs. Edge Vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE WrestleMania 37 Night Two)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.89

The story heading into this saw Daniel Bryan and Edge both incensed on getting one over on Roman Reigns and winning a world title once again. Reigns’ still developing heel persona was incredible, and this all played into what was a focused, intense, and exciting match.

The finish was admittedly a little lazy, but everything that came before that was unpredictable, chaotic, and very fun to watch. The crowd were clearly a little tired after two long nights, but they were still making noise for all three individuals here.

8 Sasha Banks Vs. Bianca Belair (WWE WrestleMania 37 Night One)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.53

This was a hugely emotional match, and the crowd helped to make this feel special, even with a reduced capacity due to the pandemic. Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks clashed in a wonderful bout, and Belair especially came out of this looking like a new star.

She hit some great power moves, looked like a million bucks, and the crowd grew into the match as she did. Banks acted as the perfect opponent, bringing her veteran instincts and having an answer to almost everything Belair threw at her. It was a great clash and a historic one at that.

7 Edge Vs. The Undertaker (WWE WrestleMania 24)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.25
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.92

The feud between Edge and The Undertaker had been built up wonderfully, and that continued into this match. Edge had counters for everything, and he looked like he’d masterfully worked out a way to end The Undertaker’s iconic streak.

In the end, The Undertaker dug deep into his arsenal to score the victory. The storytelling throughout this was great, their chemistry was on full show, and whilst it wasn’t the best match in their series, it is still amongst the best WrestleMania main events ever.

6 Randy Orton Vs. Batista Vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE WrestleMania 30)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 8.80

In terms of match formula, WWE kept this relatively simple. Daniel Bryan was the underdog with odds stacked against him, it was teased that he’d be taken out on a stretcher, and he came back to win the match. However, the execution was absolutely perfect.

Randy Orton & Batista played their roles well, with it being the best Batista had looked since his return to WWE that year. There were big spots, near-falls, and a finish cheered on by an absolutely raucous crowd who gave Daniel Bryan a moment that will last forever as one of the best in WrestleMania history.

5 Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes (WWE WrestleMania 40 Night Two)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.21

An electric crowd kicked this match off with a bang, and even though there pace was pretty slow and methodical at times, the crowd elevated the action tenfold. There were big moves, brawling, near-falls, and then the final five minutes which helped to make this one of the most chaotic and memorable matches ever.

Interferences from The Usos, Solo Sikoa, John Cena, The Undertaker, and The Rock were wild, and despite recency bias, fans have unanimously agreed that this ending was iconic. Rhodes’ victory changed the face of WWE forever.

4 The Usos Vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens (WWE WrestleMania 39 Night One)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.13

This started off in an electric way, with all four men just throwing their all into this main event. The chaos made sense given the urgency and personal animosity between all involved, and even though it didn’t have the best psychology in the world in terms of selling and pacing, the crowd still loved every second.

The victory for Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens was one of the most satisfying in WWE history, with the pair getting one over on The Bloodline and standing tall as Tag Team Champions to close out WrestleMania.

3 World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat (WWE WrestleMania 20)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.54

The World Heavyweight Championship was on the line in this brutal, hard-hitting, and action packed main event at WrestleMania 20. The relationship between Triple H and Shawn Michaels was a great storyline element, mixed in with the underdog story that played out for the eventual winner.

WrestleMania once again got a huge and satisfying finish, and it came after one of the most thrilling triple threat matches ever. The match may not have aged too well, but in a vacuum it was sensational.

2 The Rock Vs. Steve Austin (WWE WrestleMania 17)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.5 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.37

In what is regarded as WWE’s greatest event, The Rock & Steve Austin added to their all-time great rivalry with a thrilling main event which showcased everything that the Attitude Era was all about. It had a super hot crowd, they brawled anywhere they wanted, there were near-falls, and unpredictability in interference and booking.

Steve Austin’s heel turn in this match will go down as one of WWE’s most shocking moments of all time, and it only added to the historic nature of this main event bout.

1 The Undertaker Vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE WrestleMania 26)

Overall Rating From TheSportster: 10/10

• Dave Meltzer Rating: 4.75 Stars
• Cagematch.net Rating: 9.52

The greatest WrestleMania main event of all time came in 2010 when The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels completed their incredible story, following on from arguably WrestleMania’s best ever match the year before. They lived up to the previous year in a match that was full of emotion, urgency, and the highest of stakes imaginable.

Every move was delivered with an increased force, the near-falls were stunning, and Michaels’ desperation and courage despite being on his knees made for a stirring moment as his career was finally put to an end by The Undertaker.