Ranking the 10 Greatest WWE WrestleManias of All Time

WrestleMania is the most significant event on the WWE calendar, a showcase for the company's top stars and stories and the culmination of year-long creative efforts.

It is called The Grandest Stage of Them All for a reason and, as such, expectations are heightened.

In the nearly four-decade history of the showpiece, WWE has turned in some of its greatest productions, with iconic moments and unforgettable matches fueling the extraordinary overall quality of the shows.

With the 39th edition kicking off in Los Angeles on April 1-2, prepare for the spectacular with these top 10 WrestleManias in WWE history, ranked according to the matches and moments that have defined them.

There are rare events that one can point to as a turning point in wrestling history, an announcement to the industry that things are about to change. WrestleMania XIV is such an event.

After two years of getting roundly kicked by WCW in the Monday Night Wars, WWE announced to a worldwide audience that it was fighting back.

The show crowned "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as the leader of the Attitude Era with his first WWE Championship. It positioned The Undertaker and Kane, D-Generation X, Sable and The Rock as the stars of the company's future and utilized the star power of Mike Tyson to draw eyes to their declaration.

The in-ring content was not nearly as good as other shows on this countdown, but for its historical significance and the turning of the tide in wrestling's most storied promotional rivalry, there is little denying the 14th incarnation of 'Mania belongs on any top-10 list.

Match Card

"Once in a Lifetime" was the tagline applied to the generational showdown between The Rock and John Cena's main event at WrestleMania XXVIII.

A wonderful promotional tool, it helped add gravity to a showdown that had fans salivating, thanks to the very real hostility that existed between the then-top star in the industry and the man he supplanted.

And the match delivered.

Rock and Cena took the audience in Miami on a roller-coaster ride of emotion that culminated with The Great One earning a hard-fought win.

That bout was not the most memorable one on the card, though, thanks to an epic Hell in a Cell match between Triple H and The Undertaker that featured Shawn Michaels as the guest referee.

That contest played on three previous 'Mania encounters involving the three industry giants and concluded in emotional fashion, with HBK counting his best friend's shoulders down as The Undertaker extended his winning streak on the grand stage.

A suitable undercard, including a CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho gem for the WWE title, supported a show that may not be in the upper echelon of the top 10 but certainly earns its place, as much for the big-show aura it employed as the quality of its matches.

Match Card

Seth Rollins rushed to the squared circle in the closing minutes of WrestleMania 31, cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and turned an unpopular Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar main event into an unforgettable Triple Threat match.

Rollins capitalized on the surprise and two exhausted opponents to capture the WWE Championship in a stunning, show-closing angle. Arguably the best finale in event history, it was a reminder that even in the creatively stale doldrums of the mid-2010s, there were still jaw-dropping moments to be had.

The Architect delivered the in-ring goods earlier in the night, wrestling a great match against Randy Orton that ended with an awe-inspiring RKO from The Viper for the win.

Solid in-ring work from John Cena, Rusev, The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt strengthened the overall card while a schlock-tastic showdown between Triple H and Sting ran back the fun of the Monday Night Wars.

It wasn't an otherworldly WrestleMania, but the finish and some quality wrestling throughout is enough for it to rank in the top quarter of events.

Match Card

WWE celebrated two decades of WrestleMania with a show that may have been too long but featured one of the best matches in event history, a classic Eddie Guerrero title defense and two criminally underrated contests.

The Rock returned to the squared circle for the first time in a year to partner with Mick Foley in a handicap match against Evolution's Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton. With that array of talent, it is no wonder that the bout was superb, but it is somewhat surprising that it is not more fondly remembered for the classic display of showmanship that it was.

Christian and Chris Jericho had a good match centered on a failing friendship as a result of the latter's relationship with Trish Stratus. Captain Charisma got the last laugh, though, when Stratus revealed she had been engaged in a torrid affair with the heel the entire time.

Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle to retain the WWE Championship in a match that was every bit as good as it sounds, while Chris Benoit realized his boyhood dream of becoming world champion by defeating Triple H and Shawn Michaels in an instant classic.

The show-closing demonstration of love and respect by Benoit and Guerrero remains one of the most heart-wrenching in wrestling history given their fates.

Still, a classic title match and some fun bangers elsewhere help elevate a card that belongs on this countdown but is too bloated to rank higher than it does.

Match Card

WrestleMania went Hollywood for the first time in 2005 with a show focused on the future of WWE.

John Cena and Batista defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Triple H to become WWE and world heavyweight champions, respectively. The top two matches on the card were hardly in-ring classics, but they were coronations of Ruthless Aggression stars who shed shaky starts to their main roster careers to become unquestioned leaders of the new generation.

Bolstering those victories, and elevating the card's overall quality, were two of the best matches in event history.

Kurt Angle tapped out Shawn Michaels to end a five-star classic, while Edge won the inaugural men's Money in the Bank ladder match, ushering in a new match type that would become an integral part to WWE's PPV calendar and creative efforts.

Throw in a match between The Undertaker and Randy Orton in which The Legend Killer proved his worth against the company's last outlaw, as well as a fun opener between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, and you have a card that was on the shorter side in relation to others of that era but delivered a greater banger-to-trash ratio.

WrestleMania III set the bar for the spectacle and grandeur that The Showcase of the Immortals eventually became known for.

While the inaugural event leaned heavily on celebrity involvement, the third meshed it with in-ring spectacle. Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant, the two most recognizable professional wrestlers in the United States, battled in the first real blockbuster main event. Supporting that match was the epic Intercontinental Championship match between Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Macho Man" Randy Savage that many still consider to be the greatest match of all time.

The undercard is a ton of fun and there is a thoroughly enjoyable hidden gem of a match in The Hart Foundation and Danny Davis vs. The British Bulldogs and Tito Santana to sink your teeth into.

The early portion of the undercard can be hit or miss, but the show gets better as it goes along, capping off with the most memorable and, arguably, important match in WWE history.

A must-see show that became the first to truly realize the vision McMahon had for his signature extravaganza.

Match Results

Much like Bret Hart a decade earlier, Daniel Bryan had to compete twice in one night to realize his dream of leaving WrestleMania with the top prize in WWE. His story became the centerpiece of the creative efforts leading into the three-decade celebration of WrestleMania and resulted in considerable emotion around the extravaganza.

A brilliant match against Triple H kicked off the night but a sickening sneak attack left Bryan hobbled ahead of his main event opportunity for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton and Batista.

Bryan fought through it, however, and won the title, closing out the show as confetti fell and pyro exploded, ushering in what many thought would be a new era in WWE.

As memorable as Bryan's journey to the top was the start of The Undertaker's road to retirement.

The Deadman suffered his first loss at a WrestleMania event, shocking the world and making mainstream news. After two decades of victories, that one blemish captured the attention of the industry, and rightfully so.

Good matches, great stories and the pinnacle of Bryan's career in WWE, the show is a complete spectacle, something cannot be said of others on this list, resulting in the 2014 production ranking as high as it does.

Match Card

Unless you are buddies with the reviewer or competing in the Tokyo Dome, five-star matches are not everyday occurrences. The idea that one show would have two of them is unheard of, yet that was the case with 1994's WrestleMania X.

The company celebrated a decade of The Showcase of the Immortals with a broadcast that featured Bret and Owen Hart tearing the house down from the opening match slot and Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels revolutionizing the industry with their iconic Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship.

Beyond those matches themselves was Bret's overarching story.

The Hitman was established on that night as the unquestioned face of the company, losing a heartbreaking match to his younger brother but overcoming adversity to defeat the seemingly unconquerable Yokozuna to win the WWE Championship that he lost a year ago at the same event.

The image of him celebrating with his fellow babyfaces while a jealous Owen watched from the aisle, still firmly implanted in his brother's shadow, remains one of the great storytelling visuals in WWE history.

With matches as memorable and extraordinary as they are, the rest of the card is simply along for the ride and there is nothing wrong with that. The show blows by and remains an easy watch.

Match Card

WrestleMania XIX may be the greatest surprise ever produced by WWE.

To say that the creative in 2003 was underwhelming would be a considerable understatement. The company felt like it had strayed significantly from the Attitude Era that had captivated audiences and made pro wrestling destination viewing for millions.

There were stars galore but the product felt old and stale, even as the company attempted to work in fresh faces for the sake of its future by way of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

Perhaps that is why WrestleMania XIX was such a revelation. An all-time great show that featured four genuine main event-worthy matches at the top of the card and an instant classic between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, it cemented its status in the top two by negating the crappy creative with great work between the bells.

Among the Hall of Famers and industry giants, Trish Stratus, Victoria and Jazz have a really solid women's title match that re-established the former as the top star in the division and served as a reminder of the golden era of women's wrestling that was the early 2000s.

Brock Lesnar cemented his star status despite a nearly career-ending botched shooting star press and Steve Austin road off into the sunset. Triple H defeated Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in the night's one low point, robbing the show of the top spot on the countdown.

Match Card

WrestleMania X-Seven is the greatest pay-per-view event WWE has ever produced. It may go down in wrestling history as the best it will ever produce.

The unofficial culmination of the Attitude Era, it was a smorgasbord for wrestling fans, with every section of the audience catered to by something on the card.

There were an abundance of stars and Hall of Famers and storytelling was in abundance. Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle brought gritty professional wrestling while The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian once again awed audiences with their death-defying feats of athleticism in the Tables, Ladders and Chairs match for the tag team titles.

The Undertaker and Triple H brawled, Vince and Shane McMahon delivered a spectacle that even the most experienced soap opera writers would have been proud of and Kane, Raven and Big Show proved that there was room for creativity in a hardcore division that had long been stale by that point.

A return to the enormity of the event that had been prevalent at the third, sixth and eighth installments of the event, it would be the first event to return to a dome, encompassing the grandeur that Vince and his company command out of its annual showcase.

The most complete show in WWE history, it was headlined by a showdown between The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin that encompassed everything that made that era special and as popular as it remains to this day, capped off with a stunning heel turn by the Texas Rattlesnake.

Match Results