There’s no doubt that WrestleMania is firmly etched in pop culture. Fans travel from all over the globe each year hoping to witness those all-important “WrestleMania Moments.”
As WrestleMania 35 approaches, we took a spin through history to highlight some of the most incredible events in WrestleMania history. Here’s our run down of our favorite moments from the biggest wrestling show of the year.
WrestleMania 35 will be shown live via WWE Network on Sunday, April 7. For more information visit WWE.com.
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The Iron Man Match (WrestleMania 12)
One of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of WrestleMania main events came in the form of the Iron Man match in 1996. The idea of a 60-minute main event, where the goal is to win as many falls as you can within the time limit, would have been unthinkable during the days of Hulkamania. But with a new breed of younger and lighter stars now emphasizing the more technical side of the mat game, such a match became reality when Bret “Hitman” Hart defended his WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12.
In the weeks leading up to this much anticipated title match, The Heartbreak Kid talked about how we would finally realize a boyhood dream by winning the title, and although he did topple the Hitman, he would need extra time to do it. Despite being a well-paced and entertaining match (including a shocking moment where a ringside official gets blasted by an HBK superkick) no falls were scored in the allotted 60 minutes, so President Gorilla Monsoon ordered that sudden death rules should apply. Seizing the opportunity, Shawn nailed Hart with some Sweet Chin Music and began his first reign as World Champion.
An Ultimate Return (WrestleMania 8)
When the Ultimate Warrior vanished from WWE TV in August of 1991, many fans felt he’d never be back. But at WrestleMania 8 in April 1992, when Hulk Hogan was attacked after his main-event match with Sid Justice, fans were amazed to hear those familiar guitar riffs blazing, and a leaner Warrior emerged to defend Hogan before an ecstatic crowd at the Hoosier Dome.
Shane McMahon’s Hell in the Cell (WrestleMania 32)
In a power play for boardroom supremacy, Vince McMahon manipulated his son Shane into challenging The Undertaker at WrestleMania—and to give the Dead Man even more of an advantage, the match took place inside Hell in a Cell. In the weeks leading up to the bout, Shane took his deadly opponent seriously and engaged in a strict regime of martial arts training. During the match, the younger McMahon attempted to seal victory by jumping off the Cell and onto a prone ‘Taker below—but he missed, and his body crashed through a ringside announcer’s table, instead. Though Undertaker would come out on top, Shane’s act of death-defiance earned him a standing ovation the following evening on Monday Night RAW.
Ronda Rousey and The Rock in the Same Ring (WrestleMania 31)
While Rousey is looking at a main event spot for WrestleMania 35, her journey to WWE started back in 2015 at WrestleMania 31, when, in a memorable moment, Stephanie McMahon made the mistake of slapping The Rock. Ever the gentleman, “The Great One” would call on Rousey to settle the score, and “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” came into the ring and manhandled both Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, forming the basis for a feud that would culminate at Wrestlemania 34.
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Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth Reunite (WrestleMania 7)
With her beauty, and classy style, it was not hard to see why Miss Elizabeth was dubbed ‘The First Lady’ of WWE. Liz was a gentle breath of fresh air in the testosterone-fueled world of pro wrestling, and as such, she made for the perfect valet to the hyper-intense ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. The two would eventually fall out on-screen during Savage’s feud with Hulk Hogan, and Macho would later hire the managerial services of Sensational Sherri instead.
Following Savage’s losing effort in a Career vs. Career match against the Ultimate Warrior in 1991, Sherri realized that her career might be over, too, and proceeded to physically assault a vulnerable Macho Man in the middle of the ring after the bout. In a WrestleMania moment that no one saw coming, Elizabeth jumped the rail and entered the ring, taking it to Sherri and finally embracing Savage. Romantic moments are few and far between in the history of WWE, but even the burliest of male fans had to hide a tear.
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Donald Trump Keeps His Hair (WrestleMania 23)
This was the moment that birthed a million memes. In a WrestleMania 23 match dubbed “The Battle of the Billionaires,” Umaga (on the side of Vince McMahon) battled Bobby Lashley (on the side of Donald Trump), with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin serving as special guest referee. This being ‘Mania, the match had a unique set of rules: Both billionaires agreed that they would have their head shaved in the middle of the ring if their wrestler lost. Thankfully for Trump’s coif, Lashley pinned Umaga, and the future President of the United States grabbed a buzzer and went to town on Vince’s iconic, voluminous ‘do. While Trump managed to keep his hair for the night, he didn’t leave the ring without being given the “Stone Cold Stunner.”
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The Hardy Boyz Return (WrestleMania 33)
It’s a good thing that Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, does not have a roof, because it would have almost certainly blown off during the surprise introduction of Matt and Jeff Hardy, who made their shocking return in a Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Tag Team titles in 2017.
As their familiar entrance music blasted out, the entire crowd got to their feet and gave the returning heroes one of the loudest ovations in WrestleMania history. This return worked so well because it came as a complete surprise to most in attendance (the brothers had been hidden away in a tour bus moments before bell time). The Hardy Boyz also won the match, becoming the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions and creating an unforgettable WrestleMania moment in the process.
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Ronda Gets ‘Rowdy’ (WrestleMania 34)
With the world’s media, and a packed crowd in New Orleans, awaiting her first confrontation in a WWE ring, Ronda blew away all expectations. Not only did the ‘Rowdy One’ shrug off the pressure and appear composed throughout her debut, but her countless hours of training in WWE’s Performance Center clearly paid off.
Three years earlier, WWE had teased an involvement with the former UFC Champ with an entertaining collaboration with The Rock, but we would wait a further three years for her first official pro wrestling match. The Baddest Woman on the Planet teamed with Kurt Angle to take on Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H, at WrestleMania 34, in what turned out to be one of the most thrilling battles of the entire night.
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Undertaker ‘Retires’ (WrestleMania 33)
For more than 25 years, The Phenom had buried the souls of his WWE opponents, racking up a record breaking WrestleMania record of 23 wins, with just one loss to Brock Lesnar. As he prepared to step in the ring with Roman Reigns in 2017, predictions were running rife that The Dead Man was in serious pain from his many years between the ropes and was finally set to retire after his match with The Big Dog.
Those predictions were given more weight when Taker appointed legendary announcer Jim Ross to call the match, and after a physical war with Reigns that lasted for almost 25 minutes, the man in black came up short. In a touching post-match moment, The Undertaker removed his iconic trench coat, hat, and gloves, and left them in the ring. “Thank you Taker” chants rang out as WrestleMania 33 drew to a close. Had we really seen the last of The Phenom? (Spoiler alert: Nah)
Sting Finally Appears (WrestleMania 31)
While most wrestlers switched sides between WWE and WCW at one point or another during the “Monday Night Wars,” Sting stayed true to WCW until the end. WWE finally put their main rivals out of business in 2001, but it was years before fans got a glimpse of “The Stinger” at WrestleMania. That moment finally came at WrestleMania 31 in 2015, when Sting battled Triple H in an emotional encounter that included many legends from the past. Sting had trained himself into great shape—and despite losing to “The Game,” the WCW legend had Levi’s Stadium in the palm of his hand.
The Ultimate Challenge (WrestleMania 6)
The two biggest forces in WWE collided at WrestleMania 6, as the World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan, battled the Intercontinental Champion, Ultimate Warrior, with both titles on the line. Never before had two Superstars been so popular in the world of pro wrestling at the same time, and the 60,000 wild fans inside Toronto’s Sky Dome seemed to be divided right down the middle. On this night, the Warrior got the best of Hogan, winning the belt for the first and only time in his career.
Hulkamania Lives Forever (WrestleMania 18)
By 2002, “Hulkamania” was considered passé. A new breed of cooler Superstar had caught on with TV audiences, and few were more popular than The Rock. It seemed a given that in his match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 18, “The Great One” would gain audience approval over his older foe—but that’s not how it went down. Evidently nostalgic, the audience in Toronto’s Sky Dome (where Hulk had his epic encounter with the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 6) began to cheer for Hogan. As the match progressed, they completely turned on The Rock. In what has become one of the most entertaining matches in ‘Mania history, both men worked the crowd in a way that no one else in the business could even touch.
The Undertaker Retires Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 26)
Shawn Michaels had attempted to break The Undertaker’s record-breaking winning streak at WrestleMania 25—but despite having an epic match, “The Heartbreak Kid” came up short. With frustration eating at him, Michaels offered a risky stipulation to tempt ‘Taker into a WrestleMania 26 rematch: If he lost to ‘Taker again, he’d retire. Michaels threw everything but the kitchen sink at The Undertaker in one of the most exciting matches of all time. Unfortunately for Michaels, The Deadman continued his WrestleMania winning streak and took Michaels’s career along with it.
Mike Tyson Referees a Match (WrestleMania 14)
WrestleMania 14 was a pivotal strategic victory for WWE as it gained traction against WCW in the Monday Night Wars. In the main event, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin challenged WWE Champion Shawn Michaels with a very special guest referee assigned: “Iron” Mike Tyson. Initial fears that Tyson would be lenient with Shawn were dispelled when “The Baddest Man on the Planet” counted 1-2-3 in a pinfall that made “Stone Cold” the new WWE Champion. After the match, Shawn protested the loss—but was swiftly KO’d by Tyson in a moment that sent fans’ jaws clattering to the floor.
Rock vs. Cena II (WrestleMania 29)
In true Hollywood fashion, the “Once in a Lifetime” matchup between The Rock and John Cena at WrestleMania 28—in which Rock pinned Super Cena in front of more than 80,000 fans—was such a commercial success that a rematch was all but inevitable. A year later at WrestleMania 29, Cena avenged his loss—all the sweeter, as this meant he took the WWE Championship from “The Great One” in the process.
“Stone Cold” Refuses to Quit (WrestleMania 13)
WrestleMania 13 may not have been the most widely watched in the series, but it’s certainly one of the most important events from a historical perspective. In many ways, WrestleMania 13 paved the way for the “Attitude Era,” which helped WWE win the Monday Night Wars and put their main rival WCW out of business. In what became arguably the best match in WWE history, Bret “Hitman” Hart battled all over the arena with an up-and-coming grappler named “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. While Austin was already gaining great reactions from fans, the vision of him refusing to submit to Hart’s “Sharpshooter” and lying in a pool of his own blood confirmed Austin’s place as one of the WWE’s most beloved heroes.
